For reasons I have yet to fully understand, I occasionally read The Mentalist fic even though I've never seen a full episode of the show. I have a thing for manic pixie dream boys and the ice queens they exasperate love, and at least in fic, Jane/Lisbon hits that kink pretty hard. Couldn't say about the show.
That said, I always got the impression that on the show, Jane was a callous manipulator with a veneer of charm. (Fic versions tended toward a less-of-a-horrible-monster-but-still-charming variation.) And that Lisbon was aware enough to recognize that. And that despite the UST, Jane is basically someone you would not wish on a character you felt completely neutral toward, much less someone whom you liked. Kind of like how Scully really deserved someone better than Mulder, who tended to ditch her at the first opportunity to chase an alien.
On the other hand, Scully and Mulder and Lisbon and Jane did/do have freaky co-dependent relationships that make them unsuited for anyone else. So that's a point in their favor.
( Spoilers for the recent season finale )
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While I'm here, have some pictures of ants doing awesome things on teeny tiny sets some Russian set designer built.
That said, I always got the impression that on the show, Jane was a callous manipulator with a veneer of charm. (Fic versions tended toward a less-of-a-horrible-monster-but-still-charming variation.) And that Lisbon was aware enough to recognize that. And that despite the UST, Jane is basically someone you would not wish on a character you felt completely neutral toward, much less someone whom you liked. Kind of like how Scully really deserved someone better than Mulder, who tended to ditch her at the first opportunity to chase an alien.
On the other hand, Scully and Mulder and Lisbon and Jane did/do have freaky co-dependent relationships that make them unsuited for anyone else. So that's a point in their favor.
( Spoilers for the recent season finale )
*
While I'm here, have some pictures of ants doing awesome things on teeny tiny sets some Russian set designer built.