So many people still expecting the show to somehow erase the damage done by the 10 or so episodes this season.  They eagerly wait for a dream sequence, a coma, or another sort of deus ex machina trick to forgive all.

Well, here is how you will know what happens next in the show.  All you need is to understand two things:

First, it is easy to hook the audience with wild clues that are all over the map, if you have no idea what the ending is going to be like.  If you have no clue, and especially no desire to tie things up at the end, you can make things up as you go along because there really is nothing holding you back.  Furthermore, each new twist or "clue" only makes the show that much more exciting.  There are many examples of this from the X Files to the Lost.

Second, you must realize that the Mentalist has been copying other shows, notably Profiler and Dexter, pretty liberally and literally:

1) In Dexter, two main characters are a blonde male (Dexter) and a dark-haired, non-traditionally beautiful woman (his sister Deb).  The Mentalist has the same characters, in physical appearance, in PJ and Lisbon.

2) In Dexter, a character says: "there is a storm coming your way."  In Mentalist, this becomes, "there is a comeuppance headed (PJ's) way."  Not only this but even the timing of the above sentence are almost identical in the final sequence of the episodes.

3) In Dexter, Deb gets attacked from behind and gets pulled down.  In the Mentalist, Lisbon suffers this attack.  If you watch the clip, I guarantee your jaw will drop and you will end up muttering a few choice profanities at the Mentalist.  If you are interested, it is Dexter's season 7, episode 3, named "Buck The System."  Just watch from 49-51 minutes in the show.

4) In Dexter, a woman comes on the show out of nowhere when Dexter seems to be in most trouble.  While she appears to be an adversary, she proves to be helpful to Dexter and she paves the way for the show's finale.  In the Mentalist, this plot is copied almost identically and carried out by Lorelei Martins.

5) Dexter is a bad (good) guy.  So, the series ending cannot be copied directly.  Here, the great writers of the Mentalist turn to Profiler and copy the exact disclosure of the villain: a small town sheriff is the bad guy.  (See the first point above about not caring to tie all the past clues.)

So, how do you know what will happen next in the show?  Well, it is going to be just like your other favorite show, of course!  The one that is on cable now or the one that was canceled a few years ago!