The Real Ending to Red John: The Final Chapter
And it's a humdinger!
It answers the following questions to everyone satisfaction:
1. The "Identity" of Red John
2. What Really Happened in the House that Night It Blew Up
3. Why Rosalind Harker's description conflicts with that of so many of the "suspects."
4. Exactly how Red John has always been able to stay one step ahead of Jane, and how it's never been a fair fight.
5. The true origin of the Blake Association.
6. Why Red John's "voice," what few times it's been featured, conflicts with the voices of the known "suspects."
7. Why Lorelia Martins was used as a tool of misinformation.
8. Why Bruno Heller said that some would be "disappointed" by the identity of RJ. And why he lied, kinda, when he said that people would be disappointed because it would turn out that Red John is "just a man."
9. The "real" clue (besides the Tyger, Tyger utterance) at the end of episode 6.1.
10. How you can figure out the identity of Red John too.
As soon as I had the pleasure of previewing the next episode of The Mentalist: Red John, I was ready to get on here and spill the beans about everything. But of course I'd been sworn to secrecy, on most points, including the identity of Red John. Disclosing all, or even the most exciting parts, of what unfolded would have meant breaking a promise to the person who gifted me with this opportunity to see how it all unfolded so that i could get some sleep at night.
While I am not permitted to tell you overtly WHO Red John is, I will leave enough clues in here to lead you to think who it could be.
You can comment your guesses, and while I cannot confirm nor deny their accuracy, I might be corrective in your logic (if you use logic.)
1. In this episode, we learn that the real "Red John" was born Roy Tagliaferro. However, he assumed another alias some years ago and has been a suspect under a different name. But the weird thing we learn is that his real name is Roy Tagliaferro.
2. I think too much will be given away so I will not go into detail here. Everybody can guess that what happened in the house was not fully disclosed in prior episodes, and this indeed was part of Jane's plan to deceive and draw out RJ.
3. Remember when I said that some years ago that Roy Tagliaferro, the real name of Red John, assumed another identity, let's just say that at the same time, someone else assumed his, hence why people keep tripping over her description in relation to the other suspects.
4. This has a lot to do with point 9, too. Let's just say that the man, Red John, who killed Jane's family, has always been able to stay one step ahead of Jane because Jane has always been outnumbered. And no, this doesn't completely have to do with Blake Association.
5. It appears that the Blake Association, like HR on Person of Interest, will go on to be the over-arcing "villain" in the next episodes, beyond Red John's conclusion. While it's true that Red John is associated with BA, it doesn't solely exist for his benefit, and will be harder to dismantle than what one or two episodes can accommodate. We also learn in the next episode that Reede Smith, when being interrogated by Jane and Lisbon, wasn't completely accurate (truthful is more the word) when describing his involvement with Blake. And that there is a reason why Bertram is so hell bent on getting rid of Smith.
6. The voice actually (as well as Harker's description) involves the biggest twist, turn into the identity of Red John. Let's just say that when Rosalind described her "Roy Tagliaferro" she was being completely forthcoming. And when we hear the "voice" of Red John, whether when Jane was being rescued from copycats, on the phone in the limo with Lorelai, or on the phone when Lisbon was knocked out, we're hearing the voice of Red John/Roy Tagliaferro post-identity switch. Confused? It will all make sense in the finale. (Also, as people have speculated, indeed, the voice of Red John saying "The game is over and I have one" is NOT heard in the church nor in the first scene of episode 6.8. It is in fact near the end.)
7. If anything, the role that Lorelai Martins played as a source of clues for Jane's search was downplayed, if not discredited in this episode. We're even led to believe that her DVD speech about the suspects didn't line up with Jane's list, but that Jane finalized his list AFTER seeing the DVD. This didn't make complete sense at that time, and until I re-watch it, I don't think I will get it.
8. People will be "disappointed" in the WHO of Red John but not in HOW he is revealed. The HOW of it all more than makes up for any initial disappointment in the WHO. The "just a man" comment from Heller is more than misleading, but in some ways is true. There doesn't seem to be any superpowers or great mental abilities in the real Red John. But it all falls into place at the end.
9. As I hinted at in a previous theory, the big clue in the final scene of 6.1 is the GPS tracking, but it is also the "voice." Remember that no other Red John suspects from the list of 7 were at the house where Partridge was killed, before Teresa left her office, which makes it look like either Partridge faked his assault and death OR that Red John isn't one of the 7 phones that was bugged (or that he is but left his phone at home, after all, he used Teresa's to call Patrick.) It's actually only partially one of those. Let's just say that "timing" has a lot to do with it. And let's just say this is the secret to how Red John can be in two places at once. Easily. And any time he wants.
10. Notice I've not said much about Bertram here. But let's also say that the first half of the episode the evidence continues to pile up against him for BEING Red John. While Patrick wonders if it can really be this easy, even he at least acts as though Bertram is. In fact, the explosion was part of flushing out the real identity of Red John. People have speculated if anyone presumed dead actually survived the blast, and if that person could be Red John. Let's just say that at least one person survived the blast unawares. But am I saying too much to tell you that that person is not Red John, but is shot in the next episode (and not by Jane). Toward the end of the episode, after another "suspect" is killed, Jane and the CBI/FBI team agree they have do something else to lure Red John out. They decide, therefore, to use Reede Smith as bait. Let's just say he's not for this idea at all. But then they promise him a better deal if he works with him (instead of a comfortable federal prison, witness protection, since he fears Tyger, Tyger most of all.) They promise him protection. They need him to lure Red John out into the open. They hatch the perfect plan. To figure out the real identity of Red John, you have to use the Roy Tagliaferro clue first. You then have to reconcile that conclusion with the voice. You then have to remember twin (without taking that clue too literally). You then have to remember that it all started back at the Visualize barn YEARS ago. The think of why Stiles would be so bent on protecting Red John's identity. Remember that this really is a process of elimination and deaths of previous suspects are part of that elimination. But rest assured that only death can eliminate someone from the suspect list. Don't eliminate anyone too soon.
By the time it's all over, we know the meaning of "Tyger, Tyger."
We know the original Roy Tagliaferro.
We meet the second Roy Tagliaferro.
We go back to a familiar place.
All the really relevant clues (besides "He is Mar") fall into place.
Jane gets his revenge, killing Red John. But in some ways, it is a "truce."
I was satisfied by the conclusion of Red John, but I don't know how everyone else's reaction will be. One thing's for sure. We see now why things have to pick up in the next episode, fast forwarded two years, with Jane in South America. There's no going back to normal in Sacramento, or all of California for that matter, at the end of this episode. The end of Red John means wholesale change for all of the regular characters on the show.
