Who is Red John

I'm not over thinking here or trying to be smart. Right or wrong (and probably wrong), this is just the rollout I like best.

I want it to be Mashburn. And while I'm choosing my own adventure, why not Mashburn as RJ with a showman's twist?

Something like: Mashburn is Kirkland's long-lost twin who has had a decent amount of plastic surgery. RJ didn't take Michael Kirkland in, Michael became RJ. Maybe it was Visualize that gave Michael Kirkland the vision and oomph to re-imagine himself, but it was certainly his abusive father who wiped the empathy right out of him and made him a sociopath.

To stretch things, this scenario actually kind of, sort of works with the current list if you allow that Kirkland can be a placeholder for his twin.

And why isn't Walter Mashburn on the list, btw? This is the dude that let Jane drive his car blindfolded. That takes a whole lot of faith. You have to be competitive and willing to die to get into the car and hand over your keys in that situation. Mashburn didn't even blink or hesitate. He's too curious and fascinated not to because Jane is his sociopath-crush.

Loralei says that she was shocked that Jane and RJ didn't hit it off when they met, and don't Mashburn and Jane seem like they would be the types to chill together? They have everything in common--from clothes to peacocking cars to egos to attitudes on Jane's party tricks. Women who are attracted to Mashburn would also be attracted to Jane and vice versa.

Mashburn is also the only one who seems like a man who could have Loralei as a devoted groupee. I see her following Mashburn. No one else really works with Loralei… or seems like they would use a limo service for a meeting.

Also, the name Walter means: Ruler of the Army. Fun coincidence, or clue in plain sight.

Regardless, RJ seems to have a twin fetish. That would make sense if he was a twin himself. Plus he fits every requirement and matches every description.

Chances of this being the big reveal probably sit somewhere around 1%, but that doesn't mean I don't have to like it…even at those odds.

If you agree that Mashburn should be on the list, go ahead and hit plausible.

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RJ will kill either Rigsby or Van Pelt, and at that moment Lisbon will officially condone Jane playing the role of judge, jury, and executioner.

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This is a question, not a theory: Why is Mashburn not on the list? He is the perfect candidate to be RJ. No one else even compares. Also, we know he has some sort of phobia and it seems odd that Jane accused Mashburn of a mild dirt phobia when he does a cold read of him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL336yZCB90

Anyway, just curious. I missed whatever thing it was that took him off Jane's list.

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One more prediction: Red John does not have the tattoo Jane is looking for and Jane knows it.

There is absolutely no evidence that the PI hired to spy ever met RJ or was killed personally by him. To make that assumption is totally irresponsible. Jane knows that, but he also knows it's the perfect time to come unhinged with that assumption.

He also knows that Lisbon's phone is bugged and tracked.

All he needs to do is tell her his theory, and RJ will have the opening to an endgame he can't refuse.

Everything Jane tells Lisbon from this point on are things Jane wants RJ to hear and believe--even that he'll bring Lisbon with her. Then he waits until the last second, ditches her in the middle of nowhere, and takes her phone. RJ now has no idea where she is, other than that her phone shows him to still be with Jane.

In other words, she's safe for a window of time.

In the meantime, Jane has made it abundantly clear that he is looking for a tattoo of 3 dots. If such a tattoo exists on RJ, it's easy enough to cover up at this point. What Jane knows is that the person (or as it turns out people) who has/have the tattoo are willing to die for RJ. Anyone with the tattoo RJ is willing to lose. Anyone without, he is not.

So 3 guys show up with the tattoo, making it seem like that's the mark of the RJ club, but Jane knows it isn't because he's seen every inch of Loralei and she doesn't have the tattoo. Plus he's seen the bodies of other co-conspirators who died, and they don't have tattoos either.

So it's not a club mark. It's a mark RJ placed on 3 dudes as he plays into Jane's hands.

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Warning: I think I've only seen 5 episodes in the entire series, so I'm a total tourist here. That said, I'm also intrigued. Don't hate me because I'll watch Sunday and find out with the rest of you who RJ is without having to endure the same 5-year ride you have. It's not fair, I know, but even so I thought I would point out a few things I noticed before the reveal airs. And my apologies if they are already things that have been discussed at length.

So, it's pretty obvious they use Simon Baker's voice for Red John. It's made to sound a whole lot like Partidge's, but it's definitely Baker, talking higher and with a vague Southern accent. That's either total cheating in the production-side of the show or a total hint. Probably a hint. Red John considers himself a showman, right? And it's a very showman-like kind of mind**** to talk to someone in a variation of their own voice. It's eerie and makes them sound familiar in a very intimate way--like they're on the inside.

I haven't watched enough episodes to know enough to know if there's a reason the Southern twang is tacked on, or if it's just random.

One episode I did see was the one where Jane delivers Lisbon's "head" and gets into the limo to talk with Red John. As the FBI closes in, RJ tells Loralei to cut off 2 fingers of her choice and get a move on. Yet RJ still has his contact in the FBI (the same one he refers to in the limo conversation) and he KNOWS that there isn't enough time to make this happen. It's clear (to RJ) that Jane will keep his fingers and Loralei & co. are going to get caught.

So my question: What's up with 2?

I may not know much, but I know that's a hint. He's telling her to cut off two of Jane's fingers even as RJ's metaphorically cutting off 2 of his own fingers by letting his two messengers get caught.

But does the symbolism stop there? Is he telling Jane that he needs to cut off two people in his inner circle as well? I dunno. But I would love to hear thoughts.

Also, when the bodyguard dude pulls Jane out of the limo, what do you think Jane is doing/accomplishing when he deliberately patty-slaps the man like a child? It's clearly an ineffective defense tactic on every level, and certainly not how any man stands up for himself against another man. It is, however, a great way to distract someone while you remove something from/place something on their person.

So what is Jane doing/taking (the latter gets my vote) and why did the camera show him deliberately moving away from the action and turn away from us? Is he looking at what he took?

Something happened there, although I don't know enough to know what.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik4c1OZyomM

As for predictions, we've been told RJ's 1 of 7 people, which to me *feels* like a misdirection. I mean, seriously, I don't care how good Jane is, the list feels contrived--maybe because Jane contrived all the names but one. Who knows?

But playing by those rules, the most realistic explanation is the Bret-Brett, father-son (2 fingers) theory I've been seeing people toss around. Daddy runs Visualize while the son proves himself worthy to take his daddy's place by successfully establishing Tyger, Tyger. This means when Stiles "ascends" his up-til-now invisible son can swoop in as a regenerated version of his dad… or however that cult stuff works. If this were a real case in the real world, it would totally make sense that a child raised to be heir to a psycho throne could be stripped of empathy and become a killer while daddy covered his tracks and mentored him in the family business--kind of like Jane.

And maybe there's a blood tie between "father" and "son" here, and maybe there isn't. It could be an adopted relationship too, I would think. But Bret-Brett totally makes sense.

I really want someone on Lisbon's team (or two) to be in Tyger, Tyger. If that happens, I'll watch the entire series in retrospect just to see how the crumbs were laid. Cho is awesome and always comes across as the smartest man in the room, so part of me would fist pump if he was RJ. But allegedly that's impossible. Tyger, Tyger maybe? He's the only character I really like and the only truly competent investigator in the bunch (outside of Jane… and yes, I do think the Lisbon character is dumbed down to largely be a backdrop Jane shines against), so I hope they have some awesome part for Cho to play in the whole reveal. RJ has enough sheepy pawns. I would think he would really want someone like Cho on his team. I would.

Then there's Rigsby. Why, exactly, is he on this team? He doesn't seem to be particularly good at anything except for a skill they probably need once a year. He's waaaay too tall to be RJ, but the dude is crazy bland and bumbling to be a special investigator. If this were the Scooby gang, he'd be Shaggy. Is the utter white-noise of his personality an act to get everyone to underestimate him, or is he really just a yawn? He's just competent enough to stay, but doesn't really ever shine. I REALLY want that to be calculated.

Then there's VanPelt. It's hard to know if it's the actress who makes her seem like a subdued drone, or if it's actual direction to make us believe it if one day we see her kneel at Stiles' feet and watch her vacantly smile as blood is poured on her. Still, if Heller is the detail freak that everyone says he is, he would know that the meaning of the name "John" is: "God is grace," or "graced by God"… And knowing that, it would be interesting to hear Heller explain why he would name the bad guy "Red John" and a series regular "Grace"... and why Grace would have a soft spot in Stiles heart. (I haven't seen the episode where Stiles meets Grace, but does he hear her name before he gets soft, or just see her and become all doting?) And the last name VanPelt? Pelt=skin, and the name originally denoted someone who sold or tanned hides for a living. A trapper. A killer. I'm guessing that's not a coincidence. Both her names are far too uncommon.

I'm rambling now. Sorry.

Basically, in the end, the entire team seems to fit the profile of a Visualize/Tyger, Tyger member. The whole entire team. Even Lisbon. In real life it would be highly likely that one of them really was on Team Tyger, Tyger.

I really want Wayne or Grace to be one of those people, and one of them is going to die over it.

So there are the predictions from the chick that watched 5 episodes. But I'll totally be watching this Sunday and willing football games to end on time to see how utterly right/wrong I might be.

Thanks for reading.

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Theories of TheTourist (5)