I am really sorry a lot of you didn't like the episode and it didn't live up to your expectations. :( For me, I thought this would be another 'Lost' ending but I was happy with the outcome. A couple of points about the episode that I'd like to put out there. I welcome any discussion on these. *SPOILERS*
- PJ did not smuggle a pigeon into the church - that would be ridiculous. He took the pigeon feed into the church, which attracted the pigeon he already knew was there...he noticed it when he went there in the previous episode.
- RJs voice. The voice RJ uses to speak to PJ in the ep was different than we have known it to be the entire time we have known this character and it was different to the RJ voice. I therefore assume this is his normal voice and as such matches with the description of 'he is well spoken'. As for the RJ voice this matched exactly when he said 'The game is over and I won'. Therefore this voice was always put on by RJ. The reasoning for this? 'His sense of theater' as PJ observed from day one.
RJ being scared of pigeons - Many people have found this ridiculous, however for me it reinforces that RJ is just a man not a monster. Yes a deranged sociopath, but still human and not a work of fiction,
RJ being scared of dying - Again reinforcing the human element. I think he is genuinely surprised that PJ has the stones to kill him. From what he says, 'you're not like me, you're a good man', he genuinely thinks PJ will not follow through with this and explains his pathetic response in calling 911 and running away, he truly did not expect it to end like this. Also just because he kills does not mean he is not afraid to die?! In fact he is desperate to stay alive because he wants to keep killing, and worse than that he knows that PJ outsmarted him in the end.
Bret Partridge not being RJ - I must admit my top hope for RJ was that it was Ray Haffner with Brett Stiles as his father. However there were a lot of cool theories on this site such as the Kirkland twins etc that would have been cool. For me Partridge would have been a disappointment. Because he was the obvious choice...voice-yes, access to police information etc...maybe, charisma...no. Ok I know that RJ didn't appear overtly charismatic when appearing as his character but the actor sold it to me that RJ was a great pretender, a true sociopath who was able to hide their true disturbed identity with the appearance of a hick sheriff who couldn't win a game of rock, paper, scissors. Secondly Partridge was a great red herring. I was always doubting myself thinking it can't be him it's too obvious. However, Heller made him so convincing as a suspect (apart from the obvious lack of charisma and power which is why it never sat quite right for me) that I couldn't ever truly discount him. I wonder if some people wanted it to be him so they could say 'I was right from the very beginning'.
I was also happy the writers didn't go back on what they said about the list being legit. I would have hated another 'it's not purgatory, oh no wait, we lied, it was!'.
- He is Mar - It has always been unclear as to whether Jared Renfrew wrote he is Mar or he is Mac. This requires no explanation in my mind...he was trying to write a variation (didn't know the correct spelling) of RJs name.
PJ won the game - For me the show followed through with its theme, PJ can not be bested. Heller did a good job of convincing us that PJ was lagging behind RJ with no clue what to do next however a highlight for me was that PJ truly was smarter than RJ. The years he spent profiling and studying RJ paid off and used RJs insecurities to manipulate and best him.
RJ is just a 'guy' - Bruno Heller said he felt like some people would ultimately be disappointed because RJ was 'just a guy'. Some people were disappointed that the show spent years building up this manipulative, charismatic monster and were let down by who it was and the fact there was no explanation. However for me the actions of RJ were explained in those last 15 mins. The guy was a sociopath and a great pretender, and all his actions were facilitated by the powerful Blake Association. Why did he kill PJ's wife and child, because of what PJ has said all along...his deluded sense of grandeur, he couldn't take the insult of what PJ said about him on that chat show.
For me RJ was a great choice and I felt like the years I spent watching and waiting to discover his identity paid off. The only disappointment for me....that damn promo!
