Kimball Cho

Kimball Cho is a character portrayed by Tim Kang on the American TV crime drama The Mentalist. Cho is an agent for a fictionalized version of the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Cho serves as the polar opposite to Patrick Jane, but is keen to learn his powers of observation.^[1] He is portrayed as straightforward and direct, but sometimes makes witty jokes with much of the humour lying in his ability to deadpan. He avoids alcohol, as shown in the episode "His Red Right Hand" when the other agents are drinking shots of tequila in memory of their dead colleagues. Cho raises his glass but does not drink from it, instead taking a sip from a bottle of water. Also, in the episode "A Price Above Rubies", when Cho and Lisbon attend a black tie event, Lisbon accepts a glass of champagne whereas Cho does not. At most times, Cho seems to be the calmest and most clear headed of the agents, but is shown to have a loose temper if someone he cares for is threatened. He is usually the agent that makes the arrest, reads suspects their rights and acts as the team’s main interrogator, often partnering Wayne Rigsby while attempting to chase down suspects. He and Rigsby often enter into bets against Jane's abilities. In one episode he shows some superstitious belief when a witch apparently casts a spell on him.

Before joining the CBI, Cho lived a varied past as hopeful baseball player, a gang member of the "Avon Park Playboys" and a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces. As a member of the Playboys, he was known as Iceman because, according to gang member Jon Jon, "if you wanted something done cold, you got Cho", a reference to his cool and collected character; Jane remarks that this has not changed. At age 14, he stole a car and promptly crashed it. His turning point came when he shot the gang leader, KS, in the shoulder because he was planning for the Playboys to conduct a home invasion in which Cho did not wish to take part. Within weeks of getting out of the gang, Cho enlisted in the U.S. Army, eventually serving in the Special Forces.

In the season 2 episode "Blood In, Blood Out", Cho is shown as having a girlfriend, Elise Chaye (portrayed by Sandrine Holt), who says that he is talking even less than he normally does (because he is worrying about something), implying that even in a relationship he is a reserved man. He evidently cared deeply for Elise, because after masked men threatened the pair of them and hit her, he became determined to find who they were. Cho is well regarded by the CBI team, showing concern and the desire to help when Jane is going through difficulties. In season 3 episode "Bloodsport", Cho is forced into an uncomfortable position when he finds out that Rigsby, while lying to a parole officer to give his father an alibi, has named him as a person that could corroborate the alibi. Cho is angered and states that in his time with the police, almost ten years, he has never lied to a fellow officer. Though unhappy about it, when LaRoche questions him, he sides with Rigsby and lies. He eventually forgives Rigsby. In season 3 episode 17 ("Bloodstream") he is briefly placed in command of the team by LaRoche after Lisbon insults LaRoche. His loyalty to Lisbon is shown in this episode, as he offers to let her call the shots, but she refuses.

In "Pink Chanel Suit" (season 3, episode 6) he claims his parents were Korean. Cho is found speaking Korean in "Blood In, Blood Out" (season 2, episode 14) where he asks the victims grandmother for forgiveness.

In the third season episode "Rhapsody in Red" (season 3, episode 22), he meets a young pick pocket with similar surroundings to when he was a kid. The pickpocket steals Cho's car, and is later caught and held at CBI headquarters until foster care can take him. Cho ends up helping the kid prove his father, who had been arrested for robbing a store, is innocent. At the end of the episode, father and son are reunited, and Cho laughs as Rigsby reacts to having had his wallet stolen.

References

1. ^ Tim Kang Chicago Now Interview