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icepixieFor 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.
All of which is to say that I feel really guilty for sort of enjoying the parts of the season finale of The Mentalist I watched last night, namely the parts where Jane barged onto a plane to tell Lisbon he loved her. Reminder, this is a man who, earlier in that episode, wrote a fake letter with a fake code that dug up a cold case for no good reason, using up valuable federal agent time and brainpower, just to trick her into staying around longer when she was about to run off to DC with her boyfriend.
On the other hand, at least Jane admits at the beginning of his declaration that he is a horrible human being. Like, really comes out and says it, almost in those exact words. So at least there's some self-awareness here and viewers aren't being asked to swallow the idea that the impending relationship is an unalloyed good idea. There's that.
(Side note: If the writers actually meant his declaration to sound as brazenly self-centered as it does, then they did a very nice characterization moment. "I love you, Lisbon! It feels so good to say what I feel out loud! Look at me, expressing my feelings! This is all about ME ME ME ME ME oh and I guess you since you're the putative object of my affection but really ME ME ME ME ME!" I totally see this from what I've osmosed of Jane, but it disappoints me that Lisbon would go for it.)
*
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.
All of which is to say that I feel really guilty for sort of enjoying the parts of the season finale of The Mentalist I watched last night, namely the parts where Jane barged onto a plane to tell Lisbon he loved her. Reminder, this is a man who, earlier in that episode, wrote a fake letter with a fake code that dug up a cold case for no good reason, using up valuable federal agent time and brainpower, just to trick her into staying around longer when she was about to run off to DC with her boyfriend.
On the other hand, at least Jane admits at the beginning of his declaration that he is a horrible human being. Like, really comes out and says it, almost in those exact words. So at least there's some self-awareness here and viewers aren't being asked to swallow the idea that the impending relationship is an unalloyed good idea. There's that.
(Side note: If the writers actually meant his declaration to sound as brazenly self-centered as it does, then they did a very nice characterization moment. "I love you, Lisbon! It feels so good to say what I feel out loud! Look at me, expressing my feelings! This is all about ME ME ME ME ME oh and I guess you since you're the putative object of my affection but really ME ME ME ME ME!" I totally see this from what I've osmosed of Jane, but it disappoints me that Lisbon would go for it.)
*
While I'm here, have some pictures of ants doing awesome things on teeny tiny sets some Russian set designer built.
