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Rhapsody in Red is the 22nd episode of Season 3 of The Mentalist.

Summary[]

While the CBI investigates the murder of a concert violinist, Cho helps a boy who is searching for clues that could prove his imprisoned father's innocence.

Recap[]

Eleanor Ortega, concert master with the Sacramento Symphony, is found dead in a bus stop shelter in her old neighborhood a rough place to be at night. A lone hydrangea petal is found on the ground at her feet. The gang unit is involved because of the neighborhood, and rubberneckers have come to watch. A young kid runs into Cho before he’s shooed back behind the line, and Jane is able to pinpoint the man who has information, although when Lisbon talks to him he runs away. She takes off after him instructing Cho to cut him off on the other end of the block except his keys have gone missing. The kid is then shown in the car, taking off.

Grace and Rigsby talk with Eleanor’s mother, Isabella. She is understandably distraught, although the best lead she gives is an ex-boyfriend of Eleanor’s, Orlando Iglesias. A gangbanger with a restraining order against him, Orlando is also the man who fled the scene the night before. Although Jane hopes it’s not the ex-boyfriend, because that of course would be dull.

Jane visits the symphony, where they are preparing for their opening despite their concert master’s untimely death. Second chair Constance becomes concert master, and third chair Ariel moves up to second, and conductor Vincent is a jerk. Jane attempts to accuse him of Eleanor’s murder to draw him out, but to no avail.

Orlando is brought in, summarily questioned, and the finger is turned back on Isabella. She was the driving force behind the restraining order being issued, and recently fired as her daughter’s manager. They had not been on good terms for a couple of weeks, and fought last time they spoke. When he goes to the convenience store with Grace, he asks Isabella if Eleanor had an interest in cats, or ancient Egypt, or anything of the kind.

At the symphony’s opening schmoozefest with donors and the like, Jane is there to foment rumors that Eleanor was in a relationship with someone from the orchestra. While he demurs at first, he’s quick to divulge an abusive relationship between Eleanor and Vincent. By the time Lisbon arrives it’s the talk of the evening and Jane takes her to watch the show. As they do this, Jane explains about the earlier, seemingly irrelevant question, Eleanor’s bookmark had been too expensive to be something she would have spent money on if she weren’t interested, so it would have had to have been a gift. They then see who is there to confront Vincent, and it is Constance.

Constance had been in love with Eleanor and though they found the gun that killed Eleanor in the trunk of her car, she denies involvement. Jane accepts Lisbon’s challenge for proof that Constance is innocent, and immediately goes to work after he asks Lisbon if there were flowers in Constance’s car.

So with Ariel now in first chair, the orchestra is settled. Jane and Lisbon once again are at the orchestra while they are practicing, and Kieran, the unassuming oboe player messes up when bouquet after bouquet of hydrangeas are brought in. Though at first he denies anything, Jane and Lisbon continue to press until the truth comes out. But Kieran had a crush edging on obsession of Ariel, so he killed the first chair violinist and framed the second, so she could have her chance as concert master, especially since she had been considering leaving the orchestra. It’s case closed with a wry, “I wouldn’t expect a conjugal,” from Jane.

The kid who took off in Cho’s car is named Anthony Rome. He ends up in Cho’s capable hands at CBI until juvenile services can process him, but it’s increasingly obvious that there is trouble beyond what is on the surface. It is Anthony who points them in the right direction to get Orlando, and eventually his own story comes out: his dad is about to be on trial for holding up a liquor store, but he has an alibi. A man named Jayden Stevens can officially provide this alibi but as there is a warrant out for his arrest, he is hiding out instead. Anthony was attempting to get into the same gang in the hopes that they would be able to tell him where Stevens was hiding.

Cho visits Anthony’s father in jail and then gets in trouble with the DA’s office for doing so. He is brought into a meeting with Lisbon and the liaison where they all three agree that he shouldn’t be involved — which, as he says later, doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t. Cho tracks Jayden Stevens and goes to take him in. Stevens makes a run for it. Cho captures Stevens, and when someone else tries to stand in his way, punches him in the throat.

So with Stevens in custody and the store owner’s ID thrown into question, the DA has no choice but to drop the case, which they do. They release Anthony’s father, and Cho warns him that if he doesn’t get out of the gang, then the gang unit will let him know.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Season 3 Episodes
Red Sky At Night  · Cackle-bladder Blood  · The Blood On His Hands  · Red Carpet Treatment  · The Red Ponies  · Pink Chanel Suit · Red Hot · Ball of Fire · Red Moon · Jolly Red Elf · Bloodsport · Bloodhounds · Red Alert · Blood for Blood · Red Gold · Red Queen · Bloodstream · The Red Mile · Every Rose Has Its Thorn · Redacted · Like a Redheaded Stepchild · Rhapsody in Red · Strawberries and Cream
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