Red John’s Friends
Season 1 episode 11: Captivated by a convicted murderer claiming to have information leading to Red John in exchange for proving his innocence, Jane must make a decision about his place at the CBI.
The stately facade of a Sacramento mansion elegantly situated on extensive grounds behind grandiose iron gates is disturbed by police cars parked haphazardly across the manicured lawns. A police command centre has been set up and a SWAT team approaches the mansion.
When the police enter the mansion they find a dazed Jared Renfrew (played by Todd Stashwick*) in a back bedroom sitting on the edge of bed holding a bloody knife and the body of his lover beside him. The room’s windows had bars and door was locked from the inside.
Jared Renfrew is convicted of murdering his housekeeper’s daughter Undine Kopecki and is serving time in prison.
*Todd Stashwick appeared in several episodes of The Guardian, Simon Baker’s previous TV series.
As usual, there will be no spoilers shared in this post so it can enjoyed by fans and new viewers alike. This is on purpose so I hope you approve. At the least it’s hoped to act as a reminder to rewatch the show, or to encourage others to check it out for the first time.
Context
One year into his sentence, Renfrew contacts Jane at the CBI and tells him he has information about Red John he wants to trade in exchange for Jane’s help in clearing him of his murder conviction. Jane decides to visit Renfrew in prison to learn what he knows.
Jane isn’t convinced Renfrew has anything of value to bring to his cause until he reveals a key piece of information never released to the public and is unique to the death of Jane’s wife. Renfrew swears that Red John is a friend of a friend of his. As Jane increases his scrutiny he agrees to help Renfrew.
Recap
Back at CBI headquarters Special Agent in Charge Minelli confirms that the Renfrew case will not be re-opened but Jane is determined to look into the case anyway. Jane visits the Renfrew family home to meet with Jared’s mother (regally played by Charlotte Cornwell) and brother Gardiner (played by Gabriel Olds) who is quickly annoyed by Jane’s attitude and approach. Mrs. Renfrew took time to share some background information about Jared’s troubled past as she leads Jane to the room where the murder took place.
After being embarrassed in front of his mother, Gardiner Renfrew complained to CBI about Jane’s conduct, forcing Minelli to issue an ultimatum that Jane rejects, choosing to resign from the CBI instead.
The team upset by this turn of events, decide they want to help Jane even though they’ve been warned away from the case and an obscure link is discovered about a potential relationship that strengthens Jared’s claim.
After several attempts to locate Undine’s mother, the Renfrew housekeeper who left her position after what happened, the team received some unexpected help to locate her. Jane and Lisbon visit Vanna Clooney/Marisa Kobecki (played by Kathleen Gati) and learn she had been paid to lie about her daughter’s relationship with Jared, leading to his conviction. Jane, Lisbon and Rigsby return to the Renfrew mansion in order to flesh out the killer. A key piece of information had been missed in the original investigation:
All this work is enough to get Jared released from prison two weeks later. Jane, Cho and Rigsby wait for Jared outside the prison so he can now fulfill his part of the bargain; To provide Jane with the information he knows about Red John now he has his first sweet taste of freedom.
With Undine’s murder solved and Jared released from prison, now is the time to get whatever assistance Jared Renfrew can provide about Red John so that Jane and the CBI can close the net on the serial killer who has cost Jane everything.
Jane has a particular dislike for people who mistreat or kill their spouses and he brings this distaste to his first meeting with Renfrew. He is forced to admit that he must determine what Renfrew knows even if it means going against what CBI policy allows. Once he is out on his own he realizes that he can’t realistically achieve his goals on his own and that he needs help - from the only people he trusts; his team, his pseudo-family. They choose to close ranks around him. Jane has always considered himself a loner on his journey so these revelations prove to be humbling. You can feel that he needs to re-evaluate both his enemy and his assumptions about what he’s focused on as well as what is real and right in front of him. How he intends to move forward has more complications than he imagined for him personally and those around him.
They Said
In this episode there were these choice words:
“The Justice department doesn’t go about undoing its own work.” - Minelli to Jane
“The law’s the law. My desire for revenge doesn’t outweigh the rules. I have to accept that .” - Jane responding to Minelli
“wake up Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore.” - Minelli to Jane. “If I’m Dorothy then who are you?” Jane responds.
Before you go
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I really enjoyed this episode. It starts to give a view into Jane’s perspective.
I found it an interesting episode because it seemed to show the first time Jane might consider he’s in over his head with his approach to hunting Red John.