Theories of Becky (10)

This interview with the writer of The Red Tattoo is very revealing:

http://www.tvguide.com/news/mentalist-red-john-visualize-ray-haffner-1072592.aspx

If you look at the responses, it seems quite clear that Haffner is not Red John, although the writers wanted the viewers to suspect that perhaps he is, or that he is working for him or the TT conspiracy. For example (emphasis added by me):

"So you have this effect of, either he's [Haffner] Red John, or is he like John the
Baptist, the one who sort of comes before Red John? Is this Red John or
is this just this tool of Red John that is showing up to sort of throw
Jane off? Who's the puppet master behind it? Is Bret Stiles doing all
this to sort of screw with Jane's head even more than he has in the
past?"

... Haffner tells Jane there's a "comeuppance" heading
his way and makes reference to the fact that he has friends in CBI. Can
this be seen as an allusion to the "Tiger Tiger" conspiracy that was
teased in last week's episode?

Mahoney: Yes,
I think that's exactly right. Ray Haffner is a guy who used to work in
CBI. He's a guy who has connections all through law enforcement. We're
giving the audience information that our team might not have yet. The
team takes this as, is this a Red John threat? Is this a Visualize
threat? But I think you're exactly right, and I think the audience
hopefully is going to pick that up. What Haffner's talking about is
there's chatter in the world of police. A lot of people have this sense
that there is a secret society out there. And there are rumors that Jane
has really pissed those people off, and that's a dangerous thing to
have done.

" ... It's important to remember that Ray Haffner has not had a particularly pleasant experience with Patrick Jane. [Laughs] And
while Ray Haffner really does have a genuine fondness for Teresa
Lisbon, Patrick Jane to him is just a nightmare. He's the guy who
screwed up Haffner's chances of sort of moving up in the CBI. To some
extent, I suspect [Jane is] part of Haffner's motivation for leaving
CBI. Jane is that guy who's just always one step ahead. For Haffner,
throughout this episode, he's very happy with the idea that there's a
case that Jane seems to be stumped by. Unfortunately for him, of course
that turns out not to be the case. But essentially when he's saying to
him, "You've got a comeuppance coming," he devoutly wishes that to be
true. And from the rumors he's heard, he's pretty confident that that's
going to happen."

*******  THIS IS COMPLETELY AT ODDS WITH RED JOHN. Is the writer here revealing that Haffner is not (can not be) Red John?

"Jane is going to sense clearly that there's the threat of Red John, and
then there's this other threat. Is this Red John, or is this an entirely
separate other thing? Are they connected? If they are connected, how?
Certainly we've heard Red John say "Tiger Tiger" to Jane personally. But
again, is that Red John just screwing with Jane? Is that giving him
clues that are helpful, because why would he do that? Or is it giving
him clues that are going to lead Jane into traps? I think that's one of
the things that Jane now has to figure out. He's putting together all
these clues that he's got, but which ones are the ones that he can
trust? What's the direction that he should be heading in, and where are
the traps that Red John is leaving for him?"

MUST READ:
From 11:10pm EST tonight, interview by tvguide with the writer of Red Tattoo. I copy the article below. Note: this casts serious doubt on Haffner actualky being RJ, and seems to indicate he is either an accomplice or a TT conspirator (or both). It suggests Stiles may indeed be the puppet master.

TVGuide.com turned to Eoghan Mahoney, who wrote "The Red Tattoo," to weigh in on tonight's episode and the latest developments in the Red John case. Plus: What are his thoughts on those conspiracy theories about Grace Van Pelt's (Amanda Righetti) possible involvement? Read our interview to find out:

This episode teases a connection between Red John and Visualize?

Mahoney: Because [Haffner] is a member of Visualize, by his very presence he also sort of brings the specter, the shadow, of Bret Stiles (Malcolm McDowell) along with him. So you have this effect of, either he's Red John, or is he like John the Baptist, the one who sort of comes before Red John? Is this Red John or is this just this tool of Red John that is showing up to sort of throw Jane off? Who's the puppet master behind it? Is Bret Stiles doing all this to sort of screw with Jane's head even more than he has in the past? And Robert Picardo, who plays Jason Cooper ... does a really nice job. We don't have Malcolm McDowell in this episode, but there's something about Jason, who I think does a really nice version of saying, "There's something coming, and it's making

Is Haffner working with CBI a case of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer"?

Mahoney: That's exactly what we [wanted]. I think that's what Jane is sort of confronted with. In the past, certainly when he went up to Napa, it was really an act of Jane saying, "I want to take a case that's going to get me up there so that I can start looking at McAllister.' But in this case, you're investigating a case that's a mysterious case to begin with, and then suddenly there's Ray Haffner in the room. It's this feeling of, are we being watched? Is this case being thrown in front of us so that somebody can be observing and manipulating us? Which is a disconcerting thing for Jane to be confronting, and I think adds to this growing sense of tension and anxiety about what's happening in the world around us.

At one point, Haffner tells Jane there's a "comeuppance" heading his way and makes reference to the fact that he has friends in CBI. Can this be seen as an allusion to the "Tiger Tiger" conspiracy that was teased in last week's episode?

Mahoney: Yes, I think that's exactly right. Ray Haffner is a guy who used to work in CBI. He's a guy who has connections all through law enforcement. We're giving the audience information that our team might not have yet. The team takes this as, is this a Red John threat? Is this a Visualize threat? But I think you're exactly right, and I think the audience hopefully is going to pick that up. What Haffner's talking about is there's chatter in the world of police. A lot of people have this sense that there is a secret society out there. And there are rumors that Jane has really pissed those people off, and that's a dangerous thing to have

What's his motivation in warning Jane and Lisbon of bad things to come?

Mahoney: It's important to remember that Ray Haffner has not had a particularly pleasant experience with Patrick Jane. [Laughs] And while Ray Haffner really does have a genuine fondness for Teresa Lisbon, Patrick Jane to him is just a nightmare. He's the guy who screwed up Haffner's chances of sort of moving up in the CBI. To some extent, I suspect [Jane is] part of Haffner's motivation for leaving CBI. Jane is that guy who's just always one step ahead. For Haffner, throughout this episode, he's very happy with the idea that there's a case that Jane seems to be stumped by. Unfortunately for him, of course that turns out not to be the case. But essentially when he's saying to him, "You've got a comeuppance coming," he devoutly wishes that to be true. And from the rumors he's heard, he's pretty confident that that's going to happen.

With the "Tiger Tiger" conspiracy in mind, to what extent is Red John working alone at this point?

Mahoney: That is a mystery that the team is confronted with, and I think Jane is going to sense clearly that there's the threat of Red John, and then there's this other threat. Is this Red John, or is this an entirely separate other thing? Are they connected? If they are connected, how? Certainly we've heard Red John say "Tiger Tiger" to Jane personally. But again, is that Red John just screwing with Jane? Is that giving him clues that are helpful, because why would he do that? Or is it giving him clues that are going to lead Jane into traps? I think that's one of the things that Jane now has to figure out. He's putting together all these clues that he's got, but which ones are the ones that he can trust? What's the direction that he should be heading in, and where are the traps that Red John is leaving for him?

Elsewhere in the episode, newlywed Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) tells Cho he's the happiest he's ever been. Is that an ominous statement, or are we just being pessimistic?

Mahoney: [Laughs] It is always dangerous in this world to start thinking that you're very happy. At the moment, they are really happy. But what tomorrow brings, we aren't allowed to know that.

A lot of viewers are suspicious of Van Pelt. Is that justified?

Mahoney: The audience is right that Grace Van Pelt has gone through some dark times in the past. But I think that they should look at Grace and Wayne as two people who are really happy. They've finally come to that place that's been sort of denied them for a really long time. And being there is as blissful as they could have hoped. But unfortunately, there seem to be gathering shadows and dark clouds around them.

While Jane's busy with Visualize, Rigsby is starting to see red flags around Bob Kirkland's death. Will that be revisited in future episodes?

Mahoney: The team is being given information about the death of Bob Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan) that is leading them in a direction where they're realizing that things don't seem to be adding up the way they should. In the next few weeks, we will learn even more about that.

To everyone who discounts the old, hairless, fat folk:

Q: Who knows the most about possible RJ suspects?
Q: Who spent years developing his list of suspects, gathering evidence etc?
Q: Who is incredibly intelligent and a genius at seeing evidence, clues, reading people, deducing suspects?

Obviously i talk of Patrick.

Now, i know he doesnt know everything (such as Ray's whistling), but he knows all the evidence from Harker and Miller.

IF SOMEBODY MADE IT TO PJ'S FINAL LIST OF 7 THEN JANE THINKS THIS PERSON QUALIFIES, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS.

Who are we to say Stiles is too old if Patrick doesnt think so.
Who are we to say Bertrum cant be Roy Tagliaferro, if jane thinks he could be.
Who are we to say Smith is too fat if Jane doesnt think so.

I know that the descriptions say short hair, just under 6 feet, in good shape, middle age ... and I realize this seems to us to eliminate some of the 7, but if Jane has whittled down a list of 1000s to only 7, if jane has been so judicious to exclude guys like Mashburn, then clearly jane has some plausible reason for these people to be the guys harker and miller were describing. I cant think of good ways to explain the physical differences, but i (nor any of us) need to turn our minds to this at all --- BECAUSE JANE IS CONVINCED THEY COULD BE RJ IN SPITE OF THE PHYSICAL AND AGE DESCRIPTIONS. If he isnt ruling them out, then we should not.

Old clue, but a really very good one:

Kristina Frye is dining with Jane and to show her psychic abilities to him, she reads a waiter and reveals the Alabama football slogan 'Roll Tide' as part of her reading.

Later, when Red John rescues Jane he recites The Tyger to him, and then in telling Jane that Kristina sends her love (i,e, revealing to Jane that he has abducted her) he then taunts Jane with Roll Tide.

There is no way that Kristina tells Red John about the reading of the waiter and what she said to him in that detail. Think about it. She is abducted and terrified no doubt. This is inconceivable. There is only 1 way that RJ knows the Roll Tide connection, and only 1 reason he says it to Jane. He has already told him he has Kristina, so by saying Roll Tide also, it is solely to taunt him that he was listening in on that lunch. Either he was at a nearby table, or more likely, he has Jane under constant surveillance and bugs. His taunt of 'Roll Tide' is to gloat about this surveillance.

Who esle do we know, amongst the 5 remaining suspects, is it factually known to be a master expert of surveillance?

For a long time people have placed enormous significance in the Blake poem The Tyger recited by Red John to Jane. We all (including myself) have looked for a million ways to connect the dots between William Blake and Red John and use this as some clue to his identity.

Perhaps it is not this at all. Perhaps when RJ recited the poem to Jane it was not to leave a calling card, but rather to give him a clue to the conspiracies going on within the law enforcement agencies. RJ may have nothing to do with this corruption, but he is aware of it and wants to alert Jane to this (cryptically, of course) as a warning to him to be careful who he trusts. RJ wants to keep Jane alive (obviously, saving his life here) and is absolutely in love with the game of cat and mouse. It is his raison d'etre for the last decade. So he must protect Jane so they can continue this brilliant mind battle. I don't even think RJ cares if Jane ultimately wins. I think he will take pride in being defeated, if he is. But he absolutely must continue this battle with Jane, and wants to preserve Jane's healthy existence.

So, perhaps the Tyger poem was a warning to Jane, and there is not in fact a relationship between the corruption and RJ. Why, for example, would they have a password which is from a Blake poem and is also something that RJ likes to recite? This just sounds odd. Foolish almost, like a bunch of kids in a treehouse thinking they are cool. It doesn't really fit the personality of RJ to my thinking.

So, I am starting to really think that RJ is outside this group, and his poem to Jane was a warning, not a ritual of his, or some game he was playing to see if Jane could figure out who he was.

So, who would this theory tend to support as being RJ? Somebody who could have knowledge of the corruption, but not be an insider to any great extent. That tells me Haffner or Stiles. Stiles seems to be the obvious choice for RJ if we never had the physical descriptions from Harker and Miller. But we must take this evidence into account, I suppose, and that leads to Haffner. The master surveillance man, with a wealthy business venture and enough ties to all the nefarious organizations to be able to have knowledge of this sort, and also be a manipulator of those within them.