Just a question for those who have been rabid fans (which I mean lovingly) since the get-go (as I have only been what I would call obsessive since the end of Season 5):
The show seems to be playing pretty fast and loose with the spoilers this season. Was it always this way?
Unfortunately, nowhere does it state Red John has -returned- for episode 20, just that Jane may be going to trial for his murder. This is not to say that Red John may be returning, but based on the summary it may be simply to get the closure on Red John we have been looking for, at least that. This means that, during the trial (if it occurs), we may get an explanation for some of Red John's clues and actions. Then again, it may just be a half-assed cop-out from the storyline, again. I'm more inclined to believe the latter.
I'm baffled as to why some of you still have faith in Bruno Heller to deliver something spectacular.
A few things may happen here:
-Jane may create another ruse to avoid the trial altogether
-Jane may come up with another heartfelt speech to win the favor of the jury and get a verdict of "not guilty" (as he did in the beginning of season 4)
-Abbot may hold to his agreement and find some way to create a mistrial
-(very unlikely, but hoping)The real Red John will engineer something during the trial to void the charges against Jane and renew their game, or something similar. As far as this idea is concerned, though, it is operating under the assumption that Red John successfully framed Mcallister and has retired from killing for some time now, and Jane's trial would rekindle Red John's narcissism since he wouldn't actually be dead, forcing him to reveal he is not dead, which is why this is 'very unlikely'. Also, Heller doesn't seem capable of something like this.
All in all, my personal expectations are not high for this episode. There is only so much that can be done in three episodes you see, and the producers of The Mentalist aren't exactly masterful at showing quality and progression in a short amount of time (just look at the Richard Heibach BS). Whatever you may believe about this episode, you have to agree that deep down inside, you know it will probably be much less than we want.
What the fuck is goin on? What has happened to this once great and entertaining show? This is fuckin crazy lol even if this "New Beginning" is some long con does anyone give a fuck after all these delays and shitty murder of the week episodes? If you would have told me before the start of the season that they would wrap up the Red John saga in 8 episodes including Partridge's deatth in the first episode, an evil Kirkland twin that never shows up, and all that BA bullshit ..........and don't even get me started about episode 8 "Red John" .....cause my fuckin head will explode if you would have said all that before the season started I would have smacked you in the face and anyone who says that they didn't mind the Red John reveal/death is an asshole you know what sums up this whole "New Beginning" coma dream is..................................Agent Fisher waving her wand around like a fuckin mental patient ...........really? my best guess of what happened is because of dropping ratings (almost down half from season 3) CBS moved The Mentalist to Sunday night (a fuckin death sentence) this pisses Heller off making him take a deal with Fox (he's somehow gonna fuck up Batman now) he picked McAllister's name out of a hat and gave no proof or explanation (if McAllister was Red John from the beginning they could have wrapped that up by the third episode of the first season) the only thing that still gives me hope is that the season isn't done yet and the belief that Heller and Patrick Jane are pulling off the biggest and smartest long con of the entire series if not they should have ended Red John at the season 3 finale and made the BA they next Big Bad in the next two seasons and had the CBI Killer(done right and not the way they did) for the final season anybody who dies off camera is not really dead and the only interesting thing about Pike is that the actor who plays him is on Game of Thrones and he is amazing in it he has to be more than just a weak love interest for Lisbon thank God there are still shows like The Wire Breaking Bad Game of Thrones True Detective Sherlock Walking Dead Justified Banshee Orphan Black
Hey this is A SPOIELR PRESS RELEASE EPISODE 20 https://t.co/TRWED9YMn5
RJ IS BACK BABY!
...The fact is, mainstream shows like this are made for the 99%, not the 1% who can piece obscure details together and say "there is more to this story". Unfortunately...Just head to the Facebook fanpage. There are far more people concerned with Jisbon than anything to do with answers about Red John. CBS (The Mentalist's main network) isn't exactly known for breaking this mold and taking risks. I will even go so far as to say CBS to blame as well because they pressured Heller into finishing Red John's arc ASAP.
Unlike some people on this site, however, I can let go and I am actually beginning to accept that money is their first -- and possibly only -- priority. Heller and Co. will bend over backward to please the '99%', or in other words, the majority, even if it picks the continuity of the story apart. The majority do not care about Red John or the many holes left behind in light of the horrible reveal. Yes, thousands of people frequent this site and leave their marks of frustration over this fiasco, but alas we do not constitute the majority of the viewership. It is a sad truth. All I'm saying is, if The Mentalist were a series of novels instead, they would never be published if Heller pulled this stunt.
I do want to suggest a solution, however. In the past, Red John, even though he hates "cheap imitations" of his work, he has allowed his disciples to pretend to be him or give away important information if he knows they will end up dead shortly after. Ideally, then, the real Red John would still be out there and has managed to frame Mcallister so that he will take the fall for his crimes (Thomas Mcallister IS still part of the Blake Association after all, if he were a pawn he could easily be manipulated). Now...We all know how this is a "New Beginning". Specifically, for Jane, at least as far as we've been able to see until now. Wouldn't it be awesome if this were also a "New Beginning" for Red John? Instead of trying to get Jane to befriend him...Red John instead goes straight to the source within the FBI. We have long known that Red John has had a desire to be close to Jane, hence his undying attempts at establishing a "friendship". He would accomplish this in the form of Marcus Pike. The funny thing is...Regardless, we know now that Jane believes he has killed Red John, the single most important thing to him in his life is Lisbon. There is no getting around that! It would be an incredible victory for Red John to not only get close to Jane, but also take away the most important part of his life from him...for a second time! Ultimately, if this were the case it would make SOME sense as to why Lisbon was not only spared in the first episode of the season, but was completely unharmed, when even Kristina Frye was at least left in a catatonic state. Which I still think is nonsense btw. This is the way I would write it. But guys, let's look at this rationally. Obviously, Jisbon is going to happen eventually, and in order for that to come about, something has to be done about Marcus Pike. I just hope it turns out to be something akin to what I described.
Love it or hate it, even though it's not the greatest idea it would still be a far, far, FAR better turn out than the BS we're getting right now, you gotta admit.
All I know is, Red John's theme was modified and played at the very end of Violets.
He is mar. If no one on the list or no one else, Marcus Pike.
Here's to hoping for the season finale.
Yesterday's episode was a nice change in pace. I'm going to say this firmly, however; Not everything needs to be compared to Red John, which in itself brings up a good point. There has never been a villain in The Mentalist quite like Red John, and there will never be one that can truly go toe to toe with the character, so don't expect them to. This episode was great on its own, it showed that the FBI is not helpless with or without Jane, which is important to note, and it portrayed a scenario where Jane's foolproof plan is finally tarnished by someone other than Red John. Plus, it gives the series a sense of continuity by following through with Heibach's previous threats to Jane, something it needed after the first few blunders with the 'New Beginning'.
That said, changing the direction of a show after such a controversial and climactic point in a series so quickly carries with it a huge, huge, huge risk in television, and Heller knows this.
One tweet from Karl Sonnenberg (cbi karl) essentially says it all: "Production meeting time for 622. Written by Bruno Heller, directed by Chris Long. Not giving out the title on this one. #TheMentalist". Come on now, its -obvious- that the title of the finale has some allusion to red or has red in it, just as the many holes in the RJ = Mcallister thing are obvious as well. You really think Heller doesn't realize not one clue, not one piece of the RJ puzzle fits Mcallister? He knows it because this was all planned. This third of season six is nothing more than an opportunity to experiment with the show. Clearly, it isn't working, so they are resorting to the formula that does work; Red John.
One thing that is interesting to note is, at the very, very end of white as the driven snow, Jane goes on to say something along the lines of "you can't see what I really feel". I don't know about you, but that phrase really stuck out to me. Is Patrick Jane really playing the long con to draw out the real Red John? Or, is he naive and in for the second greatest shock of his life? If we are using reason here, then I am and have been convinced that the real Red John is still alive, based on all the information we have in previous seasons. If he is returning, I would personally want them to choose between Partridge, Haffner, and Stiles, since they are the only ones who fit the character at this point. My bet is on Haffner.
