Who is Red John?

Theories of Hll (89)

I've questioned Stiles as being RJ for a while [I mean come on, this is friggin' Malcolm McDowell we're talking about!! A FAMED actor spanning DECADES who TURNED DOWN KNIGHTHOOD from the Queen of England! Plus, the guy killed Captain Kirk, for cripe's sake! He's not taking a small role in The Mentalist]

BUT -- because he's always been such a famed villain, I thought, it's almost too stereotype to make McDowell your villain now. YET, he's clearly VERY IMPORTANT in this story -- and definitely very much ALIVE.

My theory on Bret Stiles is he's family to Red John...

RJ is Stiles illegitimate child.  How else do you get Daddy to pay attention to you?


Something about this makes me think of Queen Elizabeth I: the REDHEADED illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII -- after all, Heller is from England, [as are the real Stiles & Rigsby, Simon Baker from Australia] and in America, famous celebrities, even crazy cult leaders, are the kings and queens [and their children are usually really f@$cked up.

Argue on this theory or rate it.
plausible
unlikely

I'm amazed that anyone would read and/or believe the interviews that Heller and the actors have given when the show isn't over yet.  How can you take any of it at face value?   

The Mentalist is one of the longest running mysteries ever, with RJ as one of the most memorable villains ever!  I can't think of a show that hid the identity of a character for nearly 6 years?!  Can anyone?  

So, because of that, the suspense of this show has been incredible, and I'm sure the media pumps Heller & co. for information every chance they get.  Heller, the writers and the actors are totally ON THE SPOT because of how much everyone wants to know!! What is Heller SUPPOSED TO SAY?  Tell us the ending? 

"So Heller, is the "list" for real?"  

"Uh, no, TV GUIDE, the list isn't exactly real, it's sort of real because there ARE villains on it, and yet the real RJ isn't there, no.  What we're going to be watching is Jane pretending to go along with it because he knows by investigating everyone on the list he'll uncover a huge corrupt cop network as well as get closer to the real RJ -- but in the mean time, Jane's got to convince the whole CBI team that the list is legitimate since he knows someone on the team has direct access to RJ and he has to convince RJ that he believes it."

I mean, REALLY, is that what Heller is supposed to say A YEAR before the mystery is OVER?  LOL 

I admit, these last few months haven't been easy, kind of like feeling your way through the dark [Rosalind Harker said RJ was "cruel" to leave her hanging like he did and -- I understand how she feels -- we viewers have all been like Harker to Heller's clues]....BUT...

Try to think of it like we've been climbing a hill [which is the hard part] and NOW, we're halfway there, standing at the top --- SO...it's all downhill from here...WHEE!!

Argue on this theory or rate it.
plausible
unlikely

I've posted SEVERAL TIMES about SEASON ONE CLUES -- #8676 and #9096, because I think Heller's KNOWN FROM DAY ONE who RJ is -- and the CLUES are ALL buried in the beginning, like in ANY good story.  So, I will list them again because IT'S TOO BAD THAT SOME PEOPLE SAY the clues mean nothing.  As more of these clues are addressed, the more we will know about the whole story.

A TATTOO  [3 DOTS]
CLOWN       [I think this is the origin of the smiley face actually, which is likely a sad clown]
TWINS        [KIRKLAND]
CORRUPT LAW ENFORCEMENT [BLAKE ASSOCIATION]
The NAME THOMAS   [THOMAS MCALLISTER]
PSYCHICS
HYPNOSIS
FOOTBALL
REDHEADED WOMEN
A "WHALE" or GAMBLER  [GALE BERTRAM]
FARMS  [TANNER FARM/ELLISTON VISUALIZE BARN/KIRLAND BARN]
PINEAPPLE [GRACE LIKES/CHO HATES/Cop killed by Cordero orders "pineapple cheroot" before dying]
GOLF 
WATER/MARINA/BOAT

THINK this covers it -- but maybe I missed "BIRDS" and "SURVEILLANCE" LOL

SOME PROMINENT SEASON ONE PLOT THEMES I think might echo character's:  as Lisbon's story was told in #3 episode plot, and McAllister's hidden truth was shown in episode #9
A FATHER RAPING/KILLING DAUGHTER
A MAN KILLED BY HIS WIFE
SIBLING against SIBLING
An ILLEGITIMATE CHILD kept a secret
A MAN ACTING MUCH DUMBER THAN HE REALLY IS  [THOMAS MCALLISTER]
VERY ABUSIVE FATHER 
TROUBLED YOUTH 
WOMAN USING MEN TO KILL FOR HER


We shall see...

Argue on this theory or rate it.
plausible
unlikely

SOME of RJ's characteristics [if forgetting something, please feel free to add to this list]:


Amazingly charismatic 
Women lay down their lives for him///men want to work for him and be his friend [maybe it's his expert whistling]
even though they openly know he's a serial killer and they're probably next

He kidnaps women, chains them in barns and basements 
and likes to taser, bind, torture, cut people up with linoleum knife and "play" with viscera 
draw smiley faces on the wall in blood
but in spare time, he creates and runs a complex mafia police network named after a his favored poem and then requires special tattoos on such mafia people who have to chant favorite poem to each other [I wonder if he got special deals at a specific tattoo shop?]

He's arrogant, narcissistic, and well spoken, a 
master hypnotist and mind controller 
and yet plays "dumb yokel" because he's "hiding" that he's smarter than everyone else

well read, presumably educated 


sips tea like he grew up knowing how
likes classical piano music, especially Bach

wearer of a fancy guy ring and nice looking watch, as well as fine suits

also wearer of hoodies, cowboy boots, plastic masks and a wedding ring
who will "hunt anything with a face," skin and quarter it

He's "just under six feet tall, with short, straight hair, not muscular but not soft, with strong hands"
and McAllister is 6 ft tall, long and lean, severely balding with what hair he has slightly wavy when it's longer than an inch  -- and often wearing facial hair

"Middle aged"
McAllister is more "grandpa status" [nearer to 60 than to 40]. 

"gentle voice"
McAllister has gravelly texture to masculine voice that he can freakishly turn into a high pitched troll voice

He's an expert in forensics 
AND surveillance 
AND computer hacking  [that's A LOT of training]


He's afraid of birds 
but not of walking on rooftops


He's used and killed untold numbers of people
and yet begs for mercy when he's about to be killed, admitting he's sorry

He has conjugal visits with blind redhead that he hangs out with for a couple of months in San Angelo [near Los Angeles]
EVEN THOUGH he ALSO has a REGULAR job as a small town Sheriff 
that he has to show up for everyday with regular shifts presumably

He smells of pine, dirt and metal -- even though paperwork, police car, coffee and cigarettes, beer, deer guts and beef jerky, grapes and wine are more likely

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!

He can be anywhere around the state of California at a moment's notice --- from Napa Valley to Sacramento to Los Angeles to Tijuana and back up again all in a day's work!



WOW, what a GUY!  



I'm sorry, I'm not buying that McAllister was ALL of these things.  
Sounds like a lot of different people.

Argue on this theory or rate it.
plausible
unlikely

Heller's made good use of color symbolism [as we all know by now] since the characters seem to be affiliated to a color

And the rainbow, of course, is also known as ROYGBIV  [I had to chuckle that the rainbow starts with ROY LOL]

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet/White

Likewise, the Chakra system is modeled after roygbiv, with each color related to an area in the body [though this varies somewhat].  Red starts at the base of the spine and goes to above the top of the head [Violet/White]

Argue on this theory or rate it.
plausible
unlikely

I have posted this theory already [and so have a few others now] so it's hardly new, but I notice there are still many posting about their confusion over whether RJ is dead or alive.  Understandable!  

But just wanted to say that I felt much better about the first eight episodes and the show in general after I realized that seeing the situation in either black [RJ's dead] or white [RJ's alive] -- is the problem, it causes confusion and disappointment, because we have been led to believe that McAllister is Red John, but we know that this defies logic, as well as many clues.

Thus, a new answer is needed to make both arguments work -- and that is that RJ is BOTH dead and alive.

The man who killed Jane's family IS DEAD [McAllister, an RJ henchman] -- thus Jane's killing of McAllister will be justified, and yet the person who ordered this killing is ALIVE [RJ, the mastermind], and so the show continues, as we do not know who this is quite yet.  The reason we do not have any resolution to clues is because only RJ the mastermind holds those. 

RJ is one brain with many tentacles. This really is the ONLY WAY everything works together and it all makes sense.  Think about any good mystery you've ever seen....getting toward the heart of it, it's always the henchman you find first.  Any leader has foot soldiers.  We are only mid-season, so get ready.

Argue on this theory or rate it.
plausible
unlikely

Bret Stiles is alive and well -- and will make another appearance

Malcom McDowell didn't just get blown up to never be heard from again -- that doesn't happen to actors of his caliber

Argue on this theory or rate it.
plausible
unlikely
Follow us on