Is "The Mentalist" a Take on Sherlock?

[SherLOCKED221]

Perhaps your talking about Jennifer Grey, you may know her from the 1986 classic film Ferris Bueller's Day Off (she played Mathew Brodrick's sister).

 

At the time she had a very successful carer. In this movie she had a "broken nose", later she had a rhinoplasty procedure and fixed this. However, after she fixed it her film career was never the same. People often said she was better with the broken nose! They said it made her...unique.

In Hollywood everyone is pretty and attractive (mostly) therefore it's a breath of fresh air to have an actor/actress with originality.

 

Steve Martin's hair went completely white at age 33! Yet his career was the better for it unlike Michael J. Fox, who was playing teens in his late 20's, Steve Martin was playing 45 year olds at age 30! Those on display who are oddities are almost always adored by fans.

I personally think Christian Bale talks funny, but in a good way! It’s just another reason I like him in the Batman movies.

I think this can be said about many of our favourite actors/actresses!

[Carol the Dabbler]

No, that wasn't who I had in mind. I just checked with my husband as to what the second thing was that we saw Ms. X in, and he said it was just an ad for some show, so I can't even verify that it was the same actress as in the first movie -- so I'd better not say who that was. But you've thought of some additional examples, so we don't really need my example, anyhow.

 

I think we're agreed that distinctive is good!

[SherLOCKED221]

Yes. I made that very clear with my detailed responce

[aely]

At the age of 4, I remember my mother saying to my sister, with some puzzlement, "why do you want to be the same as everyone else?" I think my sister was after a pair of hotpants (it was the 70s). It stuck with me and I've always cherished my individuality since.

 

So yeah, distinctive is good.

[SherLOCKED221]

Have you ever heard of Crowd Theory?

Apparently people in a very large crowd (e.g. New York) will strive so hard (usally unknowingly) to blend into that before said crowd that they will NOT bend down and help someone who has fallen (possibly suffering a serious injury!!) at the risk they will stand out and the others will think they're different!!! Of course this is different when a person is alone or in a smaller crowd, then they will believe it is "UP TO THEM" and are more likely to help.

Again exceptions apply; there are always people who are just plain nasty.

 

So my point is, it is in our nature to blend, however it’s the people who strive to stand out that are interesting.

It’s the people who just are themselves that are interesting.

Blenders are boring!!

Don't be afraid to walk out into a crowded room stark naked, sit down and stare at a consulting detective!! *laughs*

[Carol the Dabbler]

Have you ever heard of Crowd Theory?

Not by that name. But I have read about some psychological experiments that came up with similarly shocking results -- essentially, saying that many people will do the most horrible things if they think that's what they are supposed to do -- even it's something that they would never in a million years do on their own. They will trust someone posing as an authority figure more than they trust their own judgment.

 

 

.. it’s the people who strive to stand out that are interesting.

It’s the people who just are themselves that are interesting.

I'll go with your second statement, because people who strive to stand out can actually be pretty boring -- "Look at me! I'm different!" I think it's more a matter of not striving to be the same, generally allowing oneself to be the individual that one naturally is. As you say, just be yourself. (Unless you're on the witness stand, of course!)

 

The real trick is not expecting other people to be yourself!

[SherLOCKED221]

They will trust someone posing as an authority figure more than they trust their own judgment.

 

I guess a good example of this would be the Nazi’s; they (often) followed orders without question. Although you could call this "justification of ones actions" it does back up your previous statement.

 

I'll go with your second statement, because people who strive to stand out can actually be pretty boring -- "Look at me! I'm different!"

 

I actually misspoke; really just a hiccup in my logic.

 

However, usally you'll find that these people who strive to be different actually blend into a group: thereby not being so different after all!

[Carol the Dabbler]

I actually misspoke....

That's kinda what I figured, but a lot of people really do seem to think that way, so I went ahead and commented on it anyhow.

 

 

... usally you'll find that these people who strive to be different actually blend into a group: thereby not being so different after all!

How true! The obvious example is teenagers, who are so intent on being different from their parents that they end up being all alike. That's apparently been going on for thousands of years.

[SherLOCKED221]

A heard a lecturer once say that we are all doomed to be like our parents in some way, and I actually agree. My mother and I share many similar qualities.

 

I don't think you have to be different either, just be yourself and if being yourself makes you like someone else then who cares?

To link this back to Sherlock, in another thread it was mentioned that Sherlock may hate his father for infidelity or similar emotional problems. Somewhere deep down Sherlock may actually be striving to be NOT likes his father.

Many people/characters often strive for this, sometimes they succeed, and sometimes they don't.

To see an extreme case watch "The Beaver" with Mel Gibson. His son tries very hard not to be like his father but ultimately fails.

[Sherlock's Scarf]

I watch the Mentalist... started after I started watching Sherlock. Almost immediately, I saw Jane as being similar to Sherlock, with Lisbon as his John. Kinda. That's how I see it. I think that's why I like the Mentalist so much...

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

They use the same techniques for sure. The noticing of every detail no matter how minute to give them clues about the people around them and what is going on with them.

 

An author by the name of Joe Riggs has written a book titled "The Real Sherlock Holmes, The Mysterious Methods and Curious History of a True Mental Specialist". Mr. Riggs is an Mentalist and a psychological performer and consultant. The book isn't very thick but he says anyone can learn to do what he can do or at least learn to observe and not just "see" the world around them.

[Julia Mae]

I've seen similar discussion recently elsewhere and I was thinking in American television how easy it is to make a long list of brilliant detective/sidekick examples.  Of course, I suppose that writers have been copying Sherlock/Watson for generations now, so we shouldn't be surprised. 

 

Starting from now and moving backwards with the brilliant-damaged-nocomformist detective/sidekick I think of:

 

Bones

Mentalist (of course!)

White Collar

House (medical detective)

Monk

Lie to Me

Life

 

I'd include Columbo but he doesn't have a stalwart sidekick!  I would also include MASH conditionally, as Hawkeye meets all the criterion except he doesn't deal in crime or solve mysteries.  There must be many I'm missing and plenty of British ones. I also note in my list that four out of the seven have British actors as leads.  

 

 

[Vidocq]

I noticed that one episode was probably a riff on the Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax.

[cumberholmes]

yes, of course 

[Artemis]

Yes, it definitely is.  A lot of shows imitate Sherlock Holmes.  It's probably one of the most imitated formats of all time, for good reason.

 

Love this show, by the way.  =]

 

 

[Amber§]

Did well to resume this thread! I've not seen it before :D

 

I love The Mentalist. I started watching some episode on tv three months ago and I loved it. Unfortunately I didn't manage to watch all the series, but I've seen almost the entire sixth and all the seventh.

I love Patrick, especially because he reminds me Sherlock and his incredible way of deduction. The only difference, in my opinion, is that Patrick seems more "human"; his deductions are incredible but his way of working is more realistic. ^_^

[Patrick Jane]

Hi there!

 

I am writing to confirm that yes Sherlock and The Mentalist are both incredibly similar. The Mentalist debuted in 2009 and upon first watching it was eerily similar but as it actually preceded BBC Sherlock there was definitely no copying involved. I would highly recommend this show as it has an abundance of episodes and Patrick Jane is honestly the american Sherlock Holmes more so than the Sherlock on the programme "Elementary." 7 seasons of 23/24 forty minute episodes means more than enough to keep you entertained for a month or two. 

 

Happy viewing.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Welcome to Sherlock Forum, Patrick! 

 

Thanks for your comments.  Seems to me I've seen promos for another show with a similar setup (a fake mentalist helping the police with his deductive abilities).  Do you happen to know what the name of that one might be?

[HerlockSholmes]

More money fo a poor old Holmes collector like me to spend

[Arcadia]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491738/

Welcome to Sherlock Forum, Patrick! 

 

Thanks for your comments.  Seems to me I've seen promos for another show with a similar setup (a fake mentalist helping the police with his deductive abilities).  Do you happen to know what the name of that one might be?

 

Carol, could you be thinking of Lie to Me? Although I think he's supposed to be the real deal. Or maybe Psych, they're sorta fakes.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Ah, it was Psych.  Thanks!  The promos looked interesting.

 

[Arcadia]

I tried to watch it a few times but could never quite get into it ... the lead characters never really clicked with me, not like Patrick Jane did. I think I prefer my protagonists a little more noble.

[Carol the Dabbler]

The ads I saw for Psych kinda reminded me of Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (only with their skin colors reversed) -- quirky rogue heroes, one of my favorite genres.

 

[Arcadia]

You might like it. I don't recall that it was offensive or anything, just ... didn't keep me engaged. But that's the norm for me, not the exception, I'm afraid.

[lvijay]

The ads I saw for Psych kinda reminded me of Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (only with their skin colors reversed) -- quirky rogue heroes, one of my favorite genres.

 

Big fan of Psych here.  The earlier seasons tried to concentrate more on the detective part and, imo, displayed Shawn's investigative method well—purely on the basis of observation.  Mentalist never describes how he infers what he does.

 

With the later seasons they cut loose and concentrated more on humor.

 

If it hasn't already been mentioned, you may also like the TV show Monk.  He too uses a deductive style.