Theories of mikefit (43)

Probably my last post before the episode..and my most sarcastic. My summary of the site over the past week:

McAllister - It has to be him because Xander Berkley is the greatest actor who has ever lived that nobody knows.

Partridge - It has to be him because Jack Plotnick is the greatest actor who has ever lived and wow what an original twist... the creepy forensic guy did it...we didn't see that coming...oh and another twist...they magically bring him back to life.

Reed Smith - It can't be him because stocky people can't kill.

Brett Stiles - He's older than the other suspects so obviously he must be somebody's father. If he's not somebody's father BH should be shot and we should never watch the show again.

Ray Haffner - It can't be him because...we don't know why...it just can't be because we need Partridge to be brought back from the dead by his magical father Bret Stiles (where they grew up, family members share the first name not the last name).

Bob Kirkland - He did it because in one scene he has a beer belly. This clearly proves he has a fat twin who deals with his anorexia by killing people.

Walter Mashburn - It's definitely him because he sleeps with women and has money and (if you eliminate all the shows and movies that have done so) no other show has ever had a rich playboy killer.


Hope this clears it all up

I've realized something and have changed my mind. Mostly I don't care who RJ is as long as it is original, well written, and mostly lives up to the great mystery that has been created. I also never real cared who others think RJ is or want RJ to be (even the people who saw Partridge die on screen and still think he will come back from the dead).

What I realized tho, and please take no offense (though I can understand if some do), but when he hear people wanting Mashburn, Stiles, or Partridge, to be RJ, I think they dont realize they are rooting for a cliche. The reason the "rich guy secret killer," or "forensics guy killer," or the charismatic spiritual leader hidden criminal mastermind" are all cliches, is because they've been done very well and written well on many shows and movies. When I see folks putting their theories out there I can't help but think, "I bet this guy forgot that they saw a similar character on a similar show and it was a good twist." The problem with any of those three being RJ, is that it will be fairly unoriginal and very cliche. Even the "small town sheriff secret murderer" is a bit cliche...sorry Xander.

I am also in the "anybody but Reed" camp, but even if it turns out to be him, I may not be dissapointed if they write/develop the hell out of the backstory and it is original.

Originally I thought Hafner was a lazy character add by Heller to add another red herring and I really thought Partride was RJ until we saw him die and watched as Lisbon pretty much confirmed he was dead. Next, I thought Hafner was RJ (so many clues and descriptions fit and it feels right). Whats changed is that even though I didnt care if it really was Hafner, I do now. I really want it to be Hafner.

I feel like if I took over now, Heller has set it up perfectly that I could right one hell of an original backstory and conclusion. To see Hafner's mostly bland character with no real typical Hollywood serial killer cliche show another side and completely transform to be RJ could be a marvelous thing to watch.

See Simon and Reed Diamond lock eyes during the kill scene. See the devious side of Hafner that none of us can really imagine until its shown to us by the actor on the TV. could be a very cool thing, and it would be very original.

Spoiler ALERT
Clearest SPoiler Yet
Partridge Fans have been redeemed!

The woman feeding the pigeons on the bench is Summer. She got divorced, gained a lot of weight (oddly because she was doing meth at the same time). Also, the ho bought herself a new weave at the 5-and-dime. If you notice, one pigeon looks like Cho, one looks like Partridge, and one looks like Susan Darcy. Clearly if you turn over Pigeon-Cho, you will see the 666-Mark of the Beast. At the end of episode 8, Reede Smith, eats all of the pigeons, gains another 50LBS, bringing his total weight up to 645LBS, before he is gutted by Mashburn, and we know it must be Mashburn, because he's wearing Brett Partridges watch. This proves beyond anyone's reasonable doubt that Partridge is obviously Red John, and Susan Darcy is the child of Brett Stiles (Because he is old and therefore must be someones father)

Fans, join me in this post. Here's the list of 7 suspects. I am going to put my top 3 items that I think supports the character being RJ along with my top 3 ruling the character out as RJ. Just click the comments and copy and paste my list with your edits. I think it is a neat way to see what kind of lists people come up with while taking into account others' lists.
In no order:

Reed Smith
pro:
1. He's the least suspected
2. His split-personality of RJ would make for a dramatic acting performance that could blow us away
3. Tagliaferro is and anagram for Feraligater (a monster from pokemon). Weighing in at about 400LBS, Reede is the most similar looking to a monster
No:
1. Too little backstory for him on the show
2. No resemblance to Rosalinds description (buzzed hair/poor posture)
3. There would have to be some thing to make us believe someone would think PJ and RS would shake hands and become lifelong friends.

Brett Stiles
pro-
1. Has a 'charismatic follow me' character that could translate to RJ.
2. Could be an intellectual equal to PJ as I assume RJ would be (or almost be)
3. Tremendous resources
No-
1. Too obvious from his introduction
2. Does not fit Rosalinds descript (bad posture, spikey hair)
3. As head of visualize, he's already at a grander standing than I beleive he would feel he would be as the RJ serial killer/adversary to PJ.

Ray Haffner
pro-
1. Fits Rosalind and Loreliel descriptions to me (good posture, short straight hair). "Lifelong friends" I could see this as I believe the comment implies similar age and that the handshake took place a long time ago. I think Haffner has the least unique looks, making him easy to forget from a childhood handshake.
2. TV guide quote about the kill scene sounds homoerotic in a weird way (to me). I picture this scene taking place between PJ and someone who is his aesthetic equal (or nearly equal).
3. Again with the "lifelong friends" idea, Hafner is very similar toward the significant female characters as Jane is. He is playfully dismissive, confident/arrogant in a some what flirty way toward Lisbon (and to a lesser degree Van Pelt).
No-
1. Seems plain guy next door (relative to other suspects) and has been bested by Jane in some less relevant moments of the show.
2. In the scene where RJ is masked and saving PJ, RJ moves and talks in a way that is hard for me to see as Hafner.
3. He doesn't fit any cliche (like the spooky forensic guy or head of agency turned bad guy), which means Heller has really done a bang up job of creating an original character switch. i'm just not sure Heller (who has done a great job) is wuaite that original/imaginative.

Bob/Michael Kirkland
Pro- 
1. Given that the three people present at his murder where all of questionable character, this allows some chance that his death is staged (though I doubt it)
2. The idea that they may be twins and one or both may be alive or dead creates an interesting story to dive into and him being the only one not on the map with a bugged/GPS phone is interesting)..
3. The "do you recognize me" stuff leaves unanswered questions
No-
1. We saw him die
2. Doesn't fit Rosalind's Description (bad posture, coiffed puffy styled hair)
3. His ChristopherWalken-ness makes his seem like a set-up red herring

Brett Partridge
Pro-
1. The forensics guy/secret killer thing has been done to death (L&O SVU, Dexter to name a few), so maybe Heller ripped off the idea/cliche
2. Seems like a lurksome shady kind of guy which fits the behavior of RJ in the scene where PJ is saved from the film students.
3. He has forensic backround giving him ability to potentially being a good serial killer
No-
1. he's dead, we saw him breathe his last breath and saw Lisbon watch him as he died and after he died. 
2. Someone else was in the room when Partridge died (we know this because the bathroom door opens) If he was faking his death, I don't think he'd have a second person there with him.
3. Does not fit physical descriptions (poor posture).

Gale Bertram
Pro - 
1. Head of CBI gives him good resources.
2. Seems very confident and in control
3. When confronted in his office with the other 3-dotters, it seemed to me Reede was saying "you are the leader...you should be responsible for..."
No-
1. For me, there's no-way a RJ would lower/diminish him self to carry the same mark as other "deviants." It totally diminishes the character that we've been introduced to as RJ.
2. He is so out in public, so accomplished in his career and promotions that he seems to be the character most likely to be unable to have his time at the Vizualize farm not documented and that at the time the farm murder went on, he must have already been working on his law enforcement career.
3. Dose not fit physical descriptions(bald) and seems to not fit the behavior/movement of the masked RJ (to me...)

Sherriff McAllister...I leave him to others to comment on as I have run out of steam...