In my opinion one can't solely or 100% rely on footage from the show to form a theory. The footage contained within the series is always prone to continuity mistakes (which is why a continuity person is employed for all shows and films). Even so, many continuity mistakes persist nonetheless, and many more can crop up in the editing process as one of multiple takes of a shot is cut together with one of multiple takes of another shot where body position, props, and performance are not fully in sync despite best efforts.

Shows are victim to the writing and producing process, with many factors such as studio pressure and other projects affecting decisions (read: Heller's new show 'Gotham'). Within the canon of the show - the most logical explanation may be that Sheriff McCallister is a decoy, however, in reality we may just be seeing signs of a poorly tied up ending by a writer who cares more for providing what he deems the right thematic ending, at the expense of one that fits with the clues (which are often written in before the writers they decide how they will fit in later seasons -- remember the identity of Red John was only decided on by Heller during season 4 or 5 according to interviews).

Heller AND Baker have both confirmed in interviews that the plan was to tie up the plot and reveal Red John for fans before the show went off air and was at risk of not being picked up for another season, while also to use the latter half of the season to setup a new direction that would give the show the best chance of being be picked up again. 

Having seen great writers and producers ruin the endings of two iconic shows: Lost (of which most clues were ignored completely or were ret-conned) and Dexter (whose characters were bent into actions inconsistent with their fictional selves in order to service the writers thematic ending to the show), I wont be surprised if this is indeed the end of Red John.

One thing I would like to note however that I havn't heard anyone mention yet (possibly because I am mistaken - please correct me if I am) is that Lorelei tells Patrick about shaking hands with Red John BEFORE they get to the house in the woods where Patrick crashes the Jeep. After Patrick wakes from his concussion he sees Kirkland for the first time. If this is indeed the case, then how can Patrick put Kirkland on his shortlist?

What does everyone else think?

This is the proof Bruno Heller doesn't give a damn what we think guys. This website is useless, a waste of time just like that fucking RJ storyline.

http://tvline.com/2013/11/24/the-mentalist-red-john-revealed-killed-sheriff-mcallister/2/

Here is what Heller said to a journalist.




WHERE’S THE WHY? THE HOW? | If there’s one quibble about the resolution of the Red John arc, it’s that McAllister did not fill in all the blanks about his decade-long run of bloody chicanery. Nor will those answers come post mortem. “One of the things you discover when these figures of great evil are unmasked in real life is…. they tend not to be very interesting…. They tend to be egomaniacal one-track minds,” Heller explains. “As we laid out in the episode, and as Jane himself says, ‘The rest is details’” — the stuff of “great Internet fodder, but not very entertaining for a weekly TV audience. So as much as some people would love to delve into that, it’s not what this show does.”


HOW DID RED JOHN OBTAIN JANE’S LIST? | With his final breaths, McAllister claimed that he was an actual psychic and used those skills to divine Jane’s list of suspects. But was that but a final bit of posing? Could RJ instead have had a mole inside Jane’s innermost circle? Heller told TVLine that, for now, he will leave “that thread dangling.” Parsing McAllister’s words, he says, “Jane feels very strongly as I do that psychics don’t exist, though you can’t tell that to the millions of people who get genuine solace and understanding from [them]. Any and all answers to that question … depend on your point of view.”

Maybe McAllister was Red John     but Stiles was the one calling the shots all along    Red John might be dead but there is a bigger story to tell that still involves Red John somehow       

McAllister should have killed everyone (including Patrick) with the bomb except Bertram.  Then his plan of everyone thinking Bertram was Red John would have worked better.  Patrick had no idea about the bomb plan, he was just lucky McAllister saved his life (for the THIRD TIME I might add).  Bertram would have no idea that McAllister did it because he didn't know he was Red John.  Plus he would think sheriff was dead because of the fake body.  Bertram's best defense would be "I didn't do it, Red John must have planted a bomb."  But who would believe that story since he would be the sole survivor.  Bottom line, for a serial killer, I find it funny that Red John spared 3 (Jane, Smith, Bertram) and killed 2 (Haffner, Stiles) that night.  He should have just killed everyone or left Bertram alive to frame him as RJ.

Thomas macalister is red john and bruno heller sucks so bad .

What if EVERY post looked like this?
This is what you want me to write ?
I am entitled to my opinion as are you.
But why rain on our parade ? Just to be mean?
You cant prove me wrong and i cant prove you wrong .
Just leave it at that and LET US POST WHAT WE WANT WITHOUT BEING CALLED NAMES !!!

Guys, ...... Red John is dead....for sure.

In love and in war there are no rules. I guess you know we were courted for 5 long years. We were lied, we were told lots of untruths by a mastermind. But that's what the love is. Finally we fell in love with this show. We let it in our hearts, we let it in our homes. And just like every person deeply in love, we believed in everything.

And so, in this delicate situation, being vulnerable, we were fucked. First figuratively, just like people are fucking when in love. Second, we were fucked up. Literally.

Bruno Heller cheated on us. Things like this happen every day. There is a possibility, that some day BH would like to get back in our hearts, using our weakness - Red John. But he will never rule again our minds, cause, you know, there will always be that bitter sense of....being cheated.

In some other post, I will try to explain why Bruno Heller was not intentionally bad in that 6x8. The man just failed. Things like this happen. And I am just very sorry about that. The final fight between Jane and RJ had not to be epic. It should have been legendary. But it was lame.

I am sorry, guys, Red John is dead!

I just want to know how McAllister started the Blake Association.