Who is Red John?

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Gale Bertram

Gale Bertram
Suspected in 460 theories

THE THEORIES

I’m more and more convinced that Bruno Heller is preparing Gale Bertram
for him being Red John. I’m convinced that at the beginning of the series Bruno
Heller didn’t know who Red John was.



All the red herrings and mistakes made during this show convinced me
that Bruno Heller was improvising from one episode to another, from one season
to another, thus all the clues that put together don’t make any sense
whatsoever or explained with poor arguments.


We have seen all the twists during this show some with a good explanation
and some with a poor one, the final with this “Tyger, Tyger organisation” for
giving a continuity of the show after the Red John’s capture.  



With all the clues presented in this show Red John could also be my father, so I will use some of them to point out
why Gale Bertram could be Red John.




"Red John was always there from the beginning"


Of course he was there from the beginning. That’s
how the show started.

 



Gale Bertram was also from the beginning. He
was the boss of Virgil Minelli, the boss of Hightower – “The Director of the
entire Divison”, like Lisbon said. Just
that he was introduced in S03x01.


 



“I do not like to be slandered in the media” –
Red John

 



Neither does Gale Bertram. He likes to be in
the attention of the press and doesn’t like scandals. He deals with the media. He
is first and foremost concerned about the CBI's and his own image. He desires
to protect his career and public standing. - narcissistic
personality


 



“How did Lorelei know that Red John shook hands with Patrick Jane?”



Remember that when Patrick Jane met with Gale Bertram and shook hands there
was a press conference and a lot of cameras. She could have easily seen it on TV or in a photo.




“What "He is mar(n)..." written in blood was intended to mean?”



It’s hard to imagine that Red John didn't finish the job and that Jared
Renfrew had a few seconds to write “He is mar(n)”. From his position in the
bathtub was kind of difficult to write on the wall, adding the fact that he was
a friend of a friend of Red John. It’s possible also that he did not know the
identity of Red John.


“He is mar(n)” can mean anything. Well possible
written by Red John. He is martreb = He is Bertram, just for the fun of it.




“Red John like Waldo”


Gale Bertram is like Waldo.



Who is "Carmen Lee"?


No one

               

Who is the red-headed lady on a bench feeding
pigeons?



No one



And more and more questions like this that has no significance and
nothing to do with Red John.



Bertram is well-spoken, good posture, self-possessed, has many friends
on whom he relies for company and emotional support, access to CBI data, knows
William Blake. He was nearby when Todd Johnson was killed (maybe Craig
O'Laughlin did not kill TJ and Red John did), was there with Timothy Carter, was
nearby when Patridge was killed (see the GPS Tracking Map) and after that
nearby Lisbon, was there with the 4 suspects. Let’s face it; he was present in
the major moments of catching Red John.



With the last clues given by Bruno Heller I’m more and more convinced
that Gale Bertram is getting closer and closer to being Red John:


"When you catch that fish [Red John] I
want to be on the boat".


“I know that sometimes I must appear
calculating even duplicitous to you…I’m many things to many people”



“I’ m telling you again. If you have Red John
in your sights I will be there. Clear?”



Bertram is a really good whistler.

 

 

 

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So i'll write this theory based only on FACTS and assuming Heller is speaking the truth about Red John being one of the seven suspects on the list, think with me.

Brett Partridge: Dead (Confirmed by Heller and Plotnick as well;

Bob Kirkland: Dead (we all saw it happen, and dont say "Oh, but it could be Michael!" Michael is not on the list, Bob never said that Michael was an IDENTICAL twin, BOB was on the list, BOB, not Michael);

Ray Haffner: Doesn't have the three dots tattoo, is not RJ (First, the recent interview by Michael Logan on a magazine tells us that the secret organization "Tyger, Tyger" was led by Red John, also, the Great Red Dragon trailer tells us that there is left only THREE suspects, REAAALY doubt they would put someone that is not RJ at the trailer, cmon, lets be realistic);

Reede Smith: Really? Do i need to say anything? But i'll say just one thing, Simon Baker said recently that when Patrick finally kills Red John, it felt like he (Simon) was killing an old family member (speaking about the actor, someone who was in the series for a long time).

Brett Stiles: I guess he probably knows Red John's identity, but he does not have the tattoo or the health (recently) to be RJ;

Sheriff Thomas McAllister: Xander would be an AMAZING Red John, no doubt, i guess it could be him, sure, but backing at the GPS tracker scene with Lisbon, Sheriff was in transit, i doubt Red John would say to someone to drive his car with his cellphone just to misslead Lisbon, i dont know, he also looked very scary when Jane saw his tattoo. It could be him, sure.

Gale Bertram: Well, i guess that only leave us with Bertram, after all, he was the cloest on the GPS to where Brett Partridge was killed. When he gets at the crime scene take a look at his reaction when he heard Partridge was the victim. We cannot trust Rosalind Harker description, he was in love with him, she could have lied, she even said that she doesnt care about the problems out there, that she lives in a different world. Bertram is someone who is on the series for a long time, he was at the season finale 3, when Heller said we would see a glimpse of Red John, he is someone that Simon Baker could say it was like kill a familly member. The phonecall after Jane invited him to his house, he was also very calm and etc. I could go on but all of us already knows what points to him. 


::::::: QUESTIONS ABOUT RED JOHN TO BE ANSWERED :::::::

Red John's Voice (even the little girl at the cemetery told Jane he had a weird voice);
"He is Mar";
Brett Partridge's death;
Was he the one (shadow) escaping at Dummar's hut when the police arrives?;
Who killed Rebecca Anderson at the CBI? We can see that person had brown hair;
Who killed Kira Tinsley? That person also had hair (as we can see at the shadow);

Comments aprecciated. Sorry if i typed anything wrong, English its not my native language.

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I think that Red John is Gale Bertram because:


-He drinks tea(3x24)
-He quotes part of the William Blake poem(3x16)
-He helps to frame Hightower when he informs La Roche that Hightower had a relationship with one of Todd Johnson's victims which shown she had motive
-If the 666 theory is right then it links to Bertram.
-He is quite powerful because he is the CBI director
-When he first meets Jane he calls him boy wonder which is what Jane's father called him and not many people know that.
-Jane said Red John would be at the mall on the season 3 finale and because Red John wasn't Timothy Carter, it only leaves Gal Bertram.
-When Reede Smith, McAllister and Bertram are talking it appears that Bertram is leading them some how and we now know that they are in the tyger tyger group and we know Red John is likely the leader.
-Bertram led Jane to O'Laughlin by mentioning Rope and O'Laughlin led Jane to Timothy Carter who Jane killed and went to prison for it.All caused by Bertram and to do that he had to know that Jane was setting a trap for the CBI mole because O'Laughlin told RJ and if RJ is Bertram thats how he would have found out.
-When Jane invited everyone to his house Bertram was one of the people who was sat calm which is how Sophie Miller described Red John.
-If Red John killer the PI then Bertram is easily the strongest suspect with only McAllister and Reede Smith left
-It's not much but from the last time I looked at the cast in the episode "Red John" Bertram and Smith were the only two suspects there and I am pretty sure its not Reede Smith.

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 I personally wouldn't be disappointed in Red John being Bertram. 

 But McAllister and Reed Smith are a whole other thing.

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I'm not 100% certain that Red John is Bertram; that's simply what I deduce from the TV Guide's generous dissemination of Mentalist "news" added to my gut reactions while watching the show. Even though I'm not sure that Bertram is a cold-blooded serial killer, wouldn't he be a great fit? I'm not understanding why fans of the show would be let down if they discovered that Red John was Bertram all along, yet you see these same folks accusing Michael Kirkland (oh, come the hell on!). Are you going to accuse Partridge as well? I know i'm going to get some heat for saying that, but if you're sincerely bent on accusing Partridge, please convince me how someone as brilliant as Jane would be so careless as to not ascertain the dude's death!

Red John is someone who can completely mask his ingeniousness when conversing with Patrick. He is (maybe was) a man who can make Jane feel like Jane has the winning hand, but when the results are in, RJ is (was) 3 steps ahead. Speaking of "winning hands," Bertram's poker act with Jane is a sham. He's a master manipulator and deceiver; that's what makes him so potent as Red John. Bertram rarely looses his temper; he's cool, calm and collected, just as a leader needs to be. Also, this is why his public speaking (and disciple-converting) skills are exceptional. The others on the list of 7 (or what was 7) are quick-tempered and rash in their decision-making. They respond with anger and allow their emotions to control them. Oh by the way, this is all based on the simple assumption that the list of RJ suspects is true.

Personally, Bertram seems like the perfect fit. He has been under Jane's nose the entire time, and Jane hadn't the slightest clue (until now, of course). 

I'm not here to bash your theories (I actually love reading all of them) because I believe everyone can input valuable information. I'm just here to say that I need this Red John thing to culminate without any loose ends. For example, I loved LOST. It was probably my all-time favorite show (next to the Mentalist), but when the writers failed to tie up loose ends and unanswered questions, I completely dropped that show on my list of favorites. This is also why Breaking Bad ended on a crescendo. Gilligan and his team brainstormed around 35 different potential endings to the series, and chose the one that most effectively tied up Walter's loose ends. All I hope is that Heller and the other writers/producers have given just as much, if not double the amount of thought to the RJ culmination as Gilligan did to BB. 

Red John is the series' main antagonist for 6 straight seasons, and he (whomever he is) needs to go out WITH A BIG BANG! If he fizzles out, then that's when I'll truly be disappointed. It's not about who is RJ; it's about what happens when we find out.

Thanks for taking your time to read this. Comment, theorize, and enjoy.    

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I have been a die-hard resurrected Partridge believer, but hear me out. When Lisbon looks at the tracker right before going to the house in 6x1, there are 4 stationary trackers: Bertram, S1, Kirkland, and Partridge. And there are 3 in transit: S2, Sheriff, and Haffner.

We know that Lisbon was not grabbed by Partridge (closed door suddenly opens and we know Partridge was lying on the ground). Someone else was there, but only Partridge's tracker was at the house. Either Partridge is RJ and he got one of his (untracked) flunkies to wait at the house to grab Lisbon, or the real RJ left his car elsewhere (so only Partridge's tracker shows up at the house) and waited for Lisbon while Partridge was in the closet. (A third possibility is that RJ is not on the list, in which case screw Heller. But never mind that.) Assuming Partridge is not RJ, then the real RJ COULDN'T HAVE BEEN DRIVING HIS CAR (IN TRANSIT) AT THE SAME TIME. So Sheriff, Haffner, and S2 (whether it be Stiles or Smith) CANNOT BE RJ because they are driving their cars at the same moment. 

Kirkland is dead. Let's assume Partridge is dead too. It's down to Bertram and S1 (Stiles or Smith). The extended promo for 6x7 shows Sheriff, Haffner, and Stiles on the board. Either a) they are the survivors, so it HAS to be Stiles (remember we are choosing between Bertram, Stiles, and Smith) or b) they are the dead ones, in which case it could be either Bertram or Smith. Can you picture Patrick Jane having an intimate erotic moment with Smith while he guts him? I thought not. Stiles or Bertram...maybe, but it's pushing it. Stiles is dying, and he indicated that he knows more than either PJ or RJ. That leaves...Bertram.

So there's my call, purely based on logic. Assuming RJ is on the list, my top pick is Bertram, followed by Stiles/Smith.

That, or Partridge comes back. Discuss.

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We already know that Red John is one of the suspects on the list. It's been said already and spoiled so it's not anyone else. We also know that Red John IS the leader of the TT group. Those are the two things that we know for sure.
I don't know why people hate the list so much. It's down to 5 and we still can't figure out who it is. It will be down another three or two next episode and we STILL won't be able to know for sure who it is. The list is a safety net. I like the list...it means that they can't pull red john out of their asses..for example it won't be Kristina Fry ..thank GOD..who wants Red John to be Kristina Fry?....because I don't.
It can't be Laroche either because lets face it he is worse than Reede. Yes Reede is bad but the rest aren't. They are great contenders. Bertram, Haffner they make sense. Stiles is old but he feeds the conspiracy that Red John is a group of people. Partridge died and people still think he is coming back. The list is a good idea. I mean Ellis Mars was the oddest person in the show and who would want him as Red John. 
Accept the list people....Accept that RH's account of Red John can be flawed and time has past. Accept what we have seen of Red John ourselves as evidence.
He is one of the 7 so start figuring out who he is from the list. Tv Guide wouldn't lie would they?
My final choices are still Bertram. If I had to choose a second I would choose Haffner.

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