Who is Red John

I will concede it's lame that they didn't tie up or answer any questions in another way (Flashback, or what have you.) With so much build up and so many questions it's upsetting to fans to be left completely hanging with this many loose ends. I won't say it's 'bad storytelling' but it is certainly cruel and perhaps lazy storytelling for the diehard fans who have spent so much time and effort piecing together clues that ultimately never even mattered.

Now let's explore lazy and cruel storytelling. After all this time, the answer to your questions is "He had a vast criminal organization at his fingertips and was the leader." This explains everything and doesn't show you the specifics of how it's done. Both lazy and cruel to people who want to see it in action, to understand and appreciate the intricate complexities of a fluid story that is seamless all throughout its existence.

With all of that being said, I still I enjoyed the
final Red John episode. To elaborate further, the fact they didn't give
Red John the ability to grandstand in front of Patrick was fitting. The
way it was shot, and how it all transpired was very appropriate to how I
think the creator had always envisioned the downfall of RJ. Patrick got
vengeance and RJ got to be the pathetic worm after all of this time. RJ brought down to a human level and extinguished after 10 years of torturing and leaving Patrick in wonder, the tables FINALLY turned. It's just a bit of a shame they didn't do more to satisfy more diehard fans.

Argue on this theory or rate it.

plausible

unlikely

Disappointed fans are putting more weight into the mythology of Red John
as a criminal mastermind over being a human being. He was smarter than
Patrick the entire time until the very end when he was brought down to a
human level and destroyed. The reason the show didn't focus on flashbacks
and neatly answering every question about how much smarter Red John
is(was), is because it doesn't matter. That is and never was supposed to
be the focus of Patrick's struggle. He wanted justice and finally got
it. By not answering the questions he's not reaffirming the grandeur
of a character who wants notoriety. Patrick gained the most solid
victory possible by dismissive and not dwelling on Red John's 'accomplishments' - and the fans who want to know everything are
disappointed.

Argue on this theory or rate it.

plausible

unlikely

Bruno Heller said we would be disappointed to find out who Red John is because he was just a man. No elaborate amazing revealations. Red John ended exactly as he was supposed to. A shameful, pathetic and scared man. After all this time, there is nothing special about him once the curtains are pulled away. They did a fantastic job with this storyline and if you think otherwise it's of your own doing. Patrick made him feel regret and humanized him right before he killed him for destroying his family. Perfection. I'm still going to watch the TV episode, but the rough cut did the show justice.

Argue on this theory or rate it.

plausible

unlikely

Something to note before we begin:

The storyteller (Aka Bruno Heller) has
explained in no uncertain terms that the list is real. It would be
dishonest and stupid to lie about something like that. Had he not wanted
the list to be real he wouldn't have given a straight answer to media. Lying is bad
storytelling. This means one of the 7 suspects is for sure RJ. Anyone
outside of the 7 on the list, including but not limited to someone's twin(Sorry Kirkland
camp) is off the table.

For the rest who believe your suspect could
still
be Red John:

Someone as careful and calculating as RJ could have
planned/planted DNA or faked evidence if tyger tyger is really as deep
as they make it sound. Confirmation of the deaths from the blast is
brought to light and accepted as fact during the show before mistrust in other law enforcement is placed. Forensics and all 'facts'
that are not in front of us are up for debate. I do, however think that
Partidge is dead. It makes no sense that CBI agent Cho would somehow not
recognize a former colleague or look at his face to be absolutely
certain it's him. Especially when there is so much mistrust going
around. I give the writers more credit than that. That being said, the
"DNA evidence" is not anything concrete that we can trust. This leaves
Mcallister, Haffner and Stiles all available to possibly be alive. It is
a fair guess assume that Patrick Jane isn't convinced that RJ is
Bertram. Bertram is an evil man so PJ doesn't care about the pressures
or situation Bertram is in now with the finger pointed at him, but he
isn't RJ. Patrick wants RJ all to himself. That being said, I have no
idea who RJ is but my hat is off to the creator for making such an
interesting finale and finally bringing this wonderful mystery to a
satisfying close. Keeping us guessing right until the very end.

In Closing:

I
apologize in advance this is a bit of a double post on one I had
created earlier but my previous one wasn't as complete as this. I
look forward to your votes and challenge you to find flaw with and/or
come up with counter-arguments to what I've said. Please comment and
tell me what you think!
***POSSIBLE SPOILER BELOW***

On a side note:

We
don't understand the context of the blurry pictures of Mcallister in
the promo for the finale. That being said, there's no way to
definitively say that he is or is not Red John. It may be fair to guess
Mcallister is still alive, thus providing further evidence that some of
what I said above may be true.

Argue on this theory or rate it.

plausible

unlikely

Theories of CarefullyConsidered (4)