So, Thomas McAllister or 'He is Mar'tin Talbot or whatever his name is, is Red John. Okay, I can live with that. I can live with the fact I was wrong. I quite like that he was, in the end, a rather unassuming character. As Patrick and the writers say 'I'm a little disapointed'... Sadly (if that's the right word) murderers tend to be rather disapointing. It's only the media and the serial killers own perpetuated ego that makes them bigger than the body count.
I find that the reveal of McAllister was true to life, were it not for the back and forward tricks over the years. I quite like that Red John was, in the end, pathetic. Scared of birds, probably not full of regret; even a vicious wild animal will seem to plead and whimper when it is wounded. Obviously he would do or say anything to be spared, before presumably biting the hand that feeds him. In the end, there are questions, like how did he know the list being but one of them?
He says, before being silenced by Janes hand that he has 'Real sight'.
Unlike Jane he did believe he was powerful, magical even. But, we know this not to be true, unless you're into that mumbojumbo. So! Who gave him the list? Red John will claim he is magical because it fits with his ego, even though he states previously that he knows he will not be judged or punished by a god. We assume he is an atheist, perhaps he was.