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A mean football star is dead, his body discovered in what some believe was a ritual witchcraft killing. The town zeroes in on a real witch, young Tamzin Dove, who believes the bad boy killed her cat.

It is a witch of a case that can only be solved by the CBI team.

The parents of Cody Elkin pressure the CBI team to follow up with the witch, who cast a death spell on the teen for murdering her cat. They discover that Football Boy’s brother, Brad, was doing some witchy stuff with Tamzin Dove - and that he was constantly beat up by his older brother.

Patrick Jane steps in to play some mind games, and easily gets the killer to reveal himself.

The ending was predictable - again. I was a little disappointed, but not as much as with episode 11 about Red John. This time, I felt like the episode flowed effortlessly, and despite the predictability of the end, I still enjoyed the journey to get there.

What is it about this show that gets them off the hook for predictability? I am not sure. Typically, I haze shows that don’t offer anything creative, but there is just something about The Mentalist that I cannot help but like. I think the humor mixed in with the serious investigations helps. I get tired of the dark, serious thoughts of Law and Order. Humor gives this show some balance we rarely see in police procedurals. Plus Simon Baker is just plain sexy - and that smart ass grin he gets makes me laugh nearly every time.

Let me deal with the title a moment. For those unaware, “Red Rum” spells “murder” backwards. It’s most commonly known use is in the creepy, crawly Jack Nicholson version of the Stephen King classic, The Shining. This was a little cheesy to me, and too much of a stretch to fit the red theme throughout all the episodes. Some of the titles have been seriously weird - but original. Originality works for me.

I loved the cast and crew - as always. I really enjoyed Azura Skye’s performance as Tamzin Doe. Skye is one of my favorite actresses - and always plays a great weird character. I first remember her for 2000’s 28 Days with Sandra Bullock. She’s had a ton of credits since then, including roles in hits like Bones, House, and CSI: Miami. While they have similar looks, don’t confuse Skye with the CSI Miniature Killer, played by Jessica Collins.

Viewers did not get a sense of Red John this time around. Last time, I said I believed that Red John was CBI boss Minelli - something others around the net are tossing around. Others believe the real Red John will surface within the next few episodes. What do you think? Leave a comment at the end of the review and share your thoughts. (I think it would be cool if one of the women were working with Red John to commit the crimes. That would not be something people would see coming. I am hoping at least for the Red John plotline, they take predictability out and totally blow us away with the whodunit.)

If you missed it, The Mentalist won a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama - a much-deserved win. No other new drama has captured 20 million viewers each week. Of course, it helps that it is sandwiches between NCIS and Without a Trace.

There is a special episode set to air Sunday night after football. If you haven’t already gotten into The Mentalist groove, be sure to check it out. While predictable at times, the show is still smart and funny, and the cast chemistry is simply unprecedented.

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