War Of The Roses is the fifteenth episode of Season 4 of The Mentalist.
Summary
When a charity worker is killed, Jane has Erica Flynn, a murderer he helped imprison, furloughed in exchange for information she claims to have about the case. Meanwhile, Rigsby and Sarah try to adjust to impending parenthood.
Recap
Patrick Jane gets to a crime scene where the charity worker Natalie Gibecki was killed. She was on her way to meet her unknown lover, probably a married man. That is when Erica Flynn calls Jane, claiming that she has information about the woman who was a client in her matchmaker agency, that she knows the killer and that she is the only one because Natalie told no one about her relationship. When they hang up it is seen that she charmed the prison guard. Lisbon appears and does not believe that Erica Flynn really wants to help because she is imprisoned. She hopes that Jane was kidding when he said this.
Jane visits Erica in the Golden Valley State Prison and asks her why she wants to help. She says that she grew close to Natalie during their sessions and that she really wants to help out. The man she was seeing at the moment of her death was probably the one she met ten months ago. Erica reveals that actually she wants to get out of prison for a short time so that she can enjoy it while she is young. Jane mistrusts her but has to admit that she was not lying at the moment.
Meanwhile, the team keeps working on the case. Cho and Van Pelt head out to the youth facility where Natalie was working. Rigsby requests for a time out so he can go to his appointment with Sarah.
In the youth facility, Cho and Van Pelt discover that one of the youths there escaped and disappeared: Trent Matthews. They head out to see this file.
Lisbon, Jane and Luther Wainwright have a discussion about what to do with Erica. While Jane is convinced that Erica would be a great help, Lisbon is still against the idea. Wainwright agrees with Jane because Erica is stated as a model inmate. Lisbon is horrified that they really made the decision.
At same time, Rigsby and Sarah are in a class for parents-to-be.
Cho and Van Pelt observe a high school where Trent Matthews has been. They find him and take him with them when he was beating another student.
Lisbon and Jane go the prison again to pick Erica up. She is in their custody now and she is supposed to be guarded by two agents but she refuses and takes her own limousine. Patrick accompanies her and Lisbon joins them with an obvious uncomfortable feeling.
Back in the headquarters, Erica gets the session CDs of her matchmaker agency Symphony. Lisbon wonders how she can make the men to do everything for her because one agent constantly brings her things to comfort her.
Cho interrogates Trent Matthews only to find out that he just wanted to be treat like a person what Natalie did. He says that he would never have been able to harm her. But he saw Natalie and the boss from the youth facility fighting for real.
Erica peruses all the videos of Natalie's sessions. She discovers that one is missing and Lisbon wants to take her back to prison but Jane is convinced that she still can help. She concludes that the man Natalie was seeing has to be a co-worker from her former job with the CEO. Jane and Erica head out to her workplace from ten months ago. They meet her former boss Greg and her lover Richard Eldridge. Jane owes Erica a dinner because they bet whether Erica would be able to make him confess that he was seeing Natalie.
Van Pelt goes back to the youth facility to ask the boss what happened in the night of Trent's escape between him and Natalie. He admits to have lied about it but says that he isn't the murderer. He angers Grace by telling her that he sees the people in the facility as if they are animals.
In a hotel room, Erica seduces Patrick. He still mistrusts her and thinks that she tries to escape. But he ends up sharing a kiss with her and leaves without a word.
In the headquarters of the CBI on the next morning, Grace takes a look at a bunch of pictures Natalie took with her camera when she was on vacation. Jane becomes suspicious and takes them with him.
In an interrogation room, Lisbon questions Richard about his relationship with Natalie. It is revealed that in the night of her murderer, she was supposed to meet him at a bar where they often met. She is skeptical.
When she talks to Jane, Lisbon is very horrified that he does not want to let Erica go back to prison and that he needs her. She leaves speechless.
In the evening, Jane and Erica show up at an event in a hotel ball room where Greg and Richard are either. They perform there to reveal the murderer of Natalie. They work with four boxes and four volunteers who have dark secrets. The volunteers have to choose a box where an item is hidded that carries great weight for them. Richard receives the necklace that he gave to Natalie. He leaves the stage crying. The next one is Greg and he receives a photo that has been took one week ago. There is supposed to be an orphanage but there is not one. They arrest him leaving an angry crowd behind.
Back in the headquarters he confesses to have killed Natalie. He picked her up on the night of her murder and they fought and he killed her by squeezing her neck & throat.
Meanwhile, Rigsby takes Sarah with him and asks her to marry him. But she refuses because she does not want him to feel like having the responsibility to marry her just because she is pregnant. When she leaves, they both sigh.
Jane and Erica are still in the hotel. She wants to freshen up before getting back to prison and Jane already found out about her plan to escape: she had her lawyer waiting out side with money and false passports. But he is arrested before she can escape. They go outside to the car that is supposed to pick her up. Luther Wainwright signs the custody billets. She is about to get into the car when she goes to Jane to kiss him. Then she leaves.
After she disappears, another car arrives with police officers asking for Erica Flynn. In this moment, Jane smiles and Wainwright realizes that Erica deceived them and escaped.
He is later seen sitting in front of his window when Lisbon comes to him to ask whether he knew about her back up plan to escape. He knew that she would try to escape but not at the end. He receives a call from Erica a moment later. One can see that she is lying somewhere in the near of a beach where it is warm. It is only a matter of time and he promises to find her and she answers with a "I'm almost looking forward to it.".
Cast
Main Cast
- Simon Baker as Patrick Jane
- Robin Tunney as Teresa Lisbon
- Tim Kang as Kimball Cho
- Owain Yeoman as Wayne Rigsby
- Amanda Righetti as Grace Van Pelt
Recurring Cast
- Michael Rady as Luther Wainwright
- Jillian Bach as Sarah Harrigan
- Morena Baccarin as Erica Flynn
- John Troy Donovan as Ron
- Sean McClay as Agent McClay
Guest Cast
- Michael Arden as Evan Kress
- Marisa Ramirez as Sharon Vasquez
- Joe Spano as Greg Relin
- Ian Bohen as Richard Eldridge
- Robert Catrini as Warden Haines
- Greg Serano as Dion Warren
- Susan Slome as Atoosa
- Christine Garver as Natalie Gibecki
- Felix Ryan as Trent Matthews
- Joe Gerety as Officer Hopkins
- Jay Pickett as Cuffed Lawyer
- Kent Shocknek as Newscaster
- Zachary Blair Spilkoman as Troubled Youth
- Joe Thornton Jr. as Correction Officer