BTS: Bringing the episode Red Moon to life

In season 3 Simon Baker took on the directing duties for this episode. Bruno Heller and Simon Baker take us through what this meant for cast and crew.

By the time season 3 came around, the cast and crew had developed their own rhythm and we see the interesting character development in each cast member. Episode 9 added something a little different when Simon Baker took on the director’s duties under the watchful eye of Bruno Heller. This episode stars John Billingsley as Ellis Mars, a supposed psychic trying to insert himself into the team as they investigate a triple homicide with additional dark undertones. This episode also starred Connor Trinneer as Deputy Bob Woolgar (with Billingsley and Trinneer appearances it must have felt like “old home week” for these two veterans of Star Trek: Enterprise).

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With input from the show’s cast, Heller and Baker touch on:

• What it was like working on the script with creator Heller

• The art of acting vs directing

• The Baker approach to directing

• How these additional duties impacted the cast and crew

• Interacting individually with the actors from a directors perspective

• The importance of visuals

As it turned out, this episode was the first of five directed by Baker on the Mentalist. They are (in order):

• S03E09 - Red Moon

• S04E07 - Blinking Red Light

• S05E08 - Red Sails in the Sunset

• S06E09 - My Blue Heaven

• S07E05 - The Silver Briefcase

The five Mentalist episodes directed by Simon Baker

If you haven’t watched the show for while you’ll probably enjoy a rewatch of at least a couple of these episodes. Out of the five, which one is your favourite and why?