The Mentalist Insider's Blog - White As The Driven Snow

This week's Insider's Blog is written by Eoghan Mahony, author of the episode.

"White as the Driven Snow" was a hard episode to write and shoot, but it was an exciting one! And in the end, it may be my favorite in all the six years I worked on the show. There’s no body on the floor at the beginning of the episode, instead Grace Van Pelt, a beloved core character, has been taken and the rest of the team is desperately racing to find her. We’re in scary territory here, but hopefully in a good and exciting way!
All of us in the writer’s room are hyper-aware that a great part of the success of a show like the Mentalist is built on the bonds formed between the audience and the characters, and we’re conscious of the responsibility we have to honor that. Writing an episode where I put some of your favorite characters (and ours!) in extreme jeopardy definitely gave me a few sleepless nights, but I hope that you all enjoy the end result.
Getting into production was a great relief, because I always know that our incredible cast and crew will transform whatever is on the page into something truly magical. This episode I felt extra lucky, because Chris Long was directing, and if you’ve been watching the show at all over the last six years, you know that if Chris Long directed the episode, it’s going to be a good one (not that they aren’t all good, but let’s face it, he brings a little extra). He’s a guy who comes up with great new ways of telling the story both large and small. My favorite in this episode was when he looked at me early on in the process and said, “I’ve got an idea that’ll really make this episode look different from anything we done before.” And he wasn’t kidding! I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but when you’ve watched, I think you’ll agree that he came up with a location that really makes you go ‘wow!.
Finally, I want to draw your attention to the performances given by Owain Yoeman and Amanda Righetti. This was an episode that demanded a great deal from them, emotionally and physically, and they rose to the challenge. I have been constantly amazed over the past six years by the work that our actors do and in this episode they all brought it. Simon and Robin are in top form as always, and our new cast members have jumped in with amazing enthusiasm. I hope you all enjoy the episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

- Writer Eoghan Mahony