Theories of redpajamas (18)

( Some speculation ...... assuming the leak is real ... )

Season 6 episode 8 seems a case of a writer getting trapped by the business side of television ...

Heller started out with an idea for who Red John was ( probably Brett Partridge ) ...

Got a deal for a few seasons of his show .... then thought to himself " well the forensics guy who is a serial killer is so cliche " ... so he came up with the Timothy Carter story line ...

Great idea ... great reveal ... and take my word on it ... that was the "real" Red John reveal ... and it was perfect ...

But Heller got called into the office by some nameless TV executive who told him  ... " No,no,no Mister Heller ... The Red John story is what keeps people interested in The Mentalist .... You have to bring RJ back to life "

So he did ... and he started dropping so many hints and took so many lines even he and his writers didn't know who RJ was ...

 ( Recently - Heller noted that "there were always three or four possibilities" for
Red John, saying that there wasn't an "aha" moment when he and the
writers honed in on the ultimate Red John identity. "It seems like the
natural correct choice," he added, revealing the actor was notified
about his character's Red John identity "at the very last moment and he
was thrilled." - Hollywood Reporter )

With all these dozens of loose ends and clues over the years ... tying it all together was going to be a nightmare ... So they came up with this brilliant idea " We don't have to explain anything ... because Jane doesn't care about explanations - all he wants is to do is kill RJ " ... except it's not a brilliant idea ... It's a sad cop out at about the same level as the " It was all a dream " story ending ...

Heller has already tried to lower expectations by stating viewers will be disappointed by the RJ identity ( McAllister ) ... but McAllister is a fine enough Red John .... if properly explained .... It's the writing that is disappointing ...


( As an aside .... The whole Tyger Tyger thing has so jumped the shark it has bite marks .... The head of CBI is the head of a criminal organization with hundreds of members ? Including serial killers ?  Puhhhlease ... )

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will be revealed as Red John ....

Keep in mind ... What constitutes a twist to the 9 or 10 million people who watch the show casually every week is different than a twist for the 3 or 4 hundred obsessives who populate this site ( me included ) ...

It's the Sheriff ... and he's the perfect Red John ...

The show has two gears ... It has a lighthearted Agatha Christie mystery of the week side to it ... but it accelerates closer to reality when the Red John case becomes the focus ...

Successful serial killers in real life are invisible nobodies .... John Wayne Gacy was construction worker ... Ted Bundy a small time lawyer ... The Green River Killer was a factory worker ... They killed for years because they didn't stand out ... They blended into the background and nobody gave them a thought ... Not only as serial killers ... Nobody gave them a thought in any way ...

For Red John to be successful he needed to be anonymous ... ( A small town Sheriff ) ... but then he was partially revealed by Janes list of seven ...

Maybe he has found a way to become anonymous again ...

He "kills" himself and  sets up another man to be Red John ( Bertram ) ... this fake RJ needs to disappear so he gives him some money and a passport ... and then he becomes invisible again ...

It's the Sheriff ... and he's the perfect Red John ...

The show has two gears ... It has a lighthearted Agatha Christie mystery of the week side to it ... but it accelerates closer to reality when the Red John case becomes the focus ...

Successful serial killers in real life are invisible nobodies .... John Wayne Gacy was construction worker ... Ted Bundy a small time lawyer ... The Green River Killer was a factory worker ... They killed for years because they didn't stand out ... They blended into the background and nobody gave them a thought ... Not only as serial killers ... Nobody gave them a thought in any way ...

For Red John to be successful he needed to be anonymous ... ( A small town Sheriff ) ... but then he was partially revealed by Janes list of seven ...

Maybe he has found a way to become anonymous again ...

He "kills" himself and  sets up another man to be Red John ( Bertram ) ... this fake RJ needs to disappear so he gives him some money and a passport ... and then he becomes invisible again ...

I love this forum and all the theories about Red John....In fact I am quite addicted to it...and I have to say many of the contributors have presented reveals that would make for awesome endings to the Red John saga ...

I, myself have built some cases, and accused Ray Haffner and Reede Smith of being the serial killer ...

... but I'm afraid I have framed two innocent men ( well sort of innocent )...

I have found the real killer ...

The serial killer known as Red John is ( drum roll ) Sheriff Thomas McAllister....final answer...

Why McAllister ?

Well, the reason might seem absurd ... but it's because there is nothing linking him to Red John murders .... That's right ... He's Red John because there is no evidence against him ...

( Huhhhh???)

Remember when the seven suspects were first revealed...It was Bob Kirkland ( check ), Brett Partridge ( check ), Ray Haffner ( check ), Sheriff Tom McAlistar ( wtf - Who ???? ) ...  .  Didn't you have to check IMDB just to remember who the this guy was ? He is a character completely off the radar ... Someone you might think was just there to pad out the list of seven ...

But the more you think about it ... Would Red John ever admit to being in Visualize ( Haffner ) .... would he ever quote Tyger Tyger ( Bertram ) ... would he ever do anything to draw attention to himself as a suspect ?

Never ...

" Red John never makes mistakes " ... and this is from Red John expert, and investigative genius Patrick Jane ... If Red John had made any mistakes at any time Patrick would have caught him ... Patrick is never fooled ... A little glance or a misspoken word is enough for him to crack a case ... but Red John never does anything, ever, that points to his real identity ...

How would a man like that look ?

Like an anonymous nobody ... maybe like a small town Sheriff with a room temperature IQ ...

Keyser Soze said " The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist " ...

Red John's greatest trick is the world doesn't even think of him as a possibility as Red John ... In fact the world doesn't think of him at all ...

If Red John hadn't made the sole mistake of revealing his meeting with Jane ... If the list of seven had not been deduced ... but Red John was about to be caught ... all the other six on the list would still be suspects  ...

But 99 % of viewers wouldn't even remember who McAllistar was ... In fact, it's fair to say, Jane himself would barely remember him ...

Just the way Red John would want it ...


That's it ... No more theories from me ... just going to read other peoples ... keep them coming they're great ...

( PS Brett Partridge helped him somehow ... Is he sometimes a proxy? Is it his voice used when Red John talks ? )

This guy ( McAllister / Xander Berkley ) would be a convincing Red John... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBvZ9JzQUiw ... In fact ... I think maybe the case is solved ....