According to Oxford Dictionary "red": 1) of a colour at the end of the spectrum next to orange and opposite violet, as of blood, fire, or rubies; 2) (of hair or fur) of a reddish-brown colour; 3) used to denote something forbidden, dangerous, or urgent, etc.
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series. It follows the fictional story of Patrick Jane who, as a paid consultant, uses unorthodox methods to aid the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in homicide investigations. His main focus is on the cases involving Red John who murdered Jane`s wife and young daughter.
Interestingly enough that the titles of all episodes refer or allude to "Red" as a word, color or concept. It`s impressive because there are 70 episodes at the moment.
There are some categories of
The Mentalist`s titles:
- `red` as colour: "The Thin Red Line", "A Dozen Red Roses" etc.
- other tints of red: "Crimson Casanova", "The Scarlet Letter", "Russet Potatoes" etc.
- blood-related: "Blood Money", "Bloodsport", "Blood Brothers", "Bleeding Heart" etc.
- fire-related: "Throwing Fire", "Ball of Fire" etc.
The authors of the TV series invent 70 titles with word "red", and these titles refer us to different names, expressions, quotations from world literature, politics or sports. For example, "His Red Right Hand" (reference to Milton`s
Paradise Lost), "Blood for Blood" (the Bible), "Red Queen" (playing card or a character in Lewis Carroll`s
Through the Looking-Glass), "Red Menace" (a term starting during the Cold War era to describe the Soviet Union) etc.
It`s interesting that in Russian version of "The Mentalist" there are 3
translation of the name "Red John": literal translation ("Красный Джон"), Red-haired John ("Рыжий Джон") and Blood John ("Кровавый Джон").
