It seems that everyone is expecting a grand showdown, in typical
fashion, where there's supposed to be a "climax."  Frankly, that's not
how the real world works.  Also, wouldn't it be even more boring if
Heller uses this kind of formula? 

I did have such hopes but not
as "hyped up" as many.  I also firmly believe Heller's way of doing
this is to let us keep following the development as 2 years ahead where
Jane is having a new life will look back & bring back subtle &
little clues & episode by episode answer the unanswered questions.

Like 1 fan said here, Jane coolly negated the "God's play" that RJ tried to pull on him. 

So, if you put all "your own expectations" aside, & watch S06e08, you'll see it's NOT a grand finale or end of it.  Heller wants to use the remaining 16 or so episodes to really bring out who RJ really was. 

Think about it, how can RJ & the missing links be explained in just 1 episode??

I'd wait till the season finale (e23?) before making a conclusion on this.

Watched the episode today again (in Poland i have to watch it by torrents, delays and shit). I watched ONLY scenes with McAllister.

I would say, I change my mind. You have to understand, that some things were done on purpose. We dont get the answers, because Patrick doesn't want them. He doesnt want Thomas to brag about those killings, how he was always step ahead. He wants for him to feel ashamed, he doesnt want him to feel approved and admired by Patrick. In the end, RJ done all this things, so Patrick was impressed. And PJ didnt gave him the satisfaction.
Maybe someday, Heller will answer our questions in an interview or shit. I dont care really. We finally know our RJ. And if you dont like it - stop watching, dammit.

Also the voice.. FUCK. With this music, when he sait "the game is over and i won" I felt the chill going down my spine. With McAllisters eyes.. Bright and creepy. There is something disturbing in the way he's looking at PJ. I think that if he played a little bit creepier person, it would be too much. Exaggerated. Dont you think?

I get that the chase scene and the pigeon thing was funny and illogical. I really truly get it. But hey, nobody's perfect.
I know some of you came with theories, that would be much better endings. I respect that, and to be true, I loved some of them so muchy, that if the site stays after RJs reveal long enough, Im gonna be coming back here to read some, just to remind myself, how hardcore and creative the fans of series can be.

Im taking off my hat, and bow deeply in front of you all. Thanks for such a great time, and remember, DONT BE DISSAPOINTED OR SAD. Because it was fun after all, wasnt it?

I've just seen the episode, and I think it's awesome!!!

C'mon guys! Everything is OK. Finnaly, RJ is just a man of flesh and bones not a superman as he thought himself.
Yes, he is powerful, because of his sheriff statut, his gun, and also because he has very strong mentalist skills, but he can be killed and I think he did realized it until PJ put a bullet in his freaky stomach.
OK the pigeon trick is a bit stupid but don't forget the show is also about magic tricks, and doing this Heller wanted to remind us this side of the story. When I saw that, it remind me a scene from "The 5th Element" when Gary Oldman smother himself with a cherry kernel, and the priest told him something like "look at you, you think you are powerful because you rule the world with all your money and your technology, but you're going to be killed just by a small cherry kernel". And it's all about that! When Patrick throw the pigeon, RJ reacts like a small girl and lose all his power. When he asks for pity in the church it's just a trick to call his minion (the wife with knife), but when he asks again in the park, he is serious, he don't want to die. he thinks he is too strong and important to be killed like an animal in a park. The guy is completely crazy, until the last moment he wants to trust that he is magic "I'm a true psychic". And Jane's provocation "I'm a bit disappointed" (meaning: Look at you little piece of shit, you think you're invincible, and I kick your ass with a pigeon!), he knew exactly that using this kind of sentence, Rj would lose his self control.

The last scene is great, PJ is running for many reasons:
- to runaway from FBI, coz now he will be like Micheal Scofield in prison break,
- to evacuate the adrenaline,

And look at the background, there are:
a walking mother with her daughter,
an old couple
a father playing with his daughter.
Three things PJ could never do because of RJ.

This is my interpretation, I loved this finish. now I hope many questions will find answers later (we have this season + another one before the end of the show).

PS: stop investigate by watching all the McAllister episods, because until end of season 5, no one was supposed to be RJ, so no clues to find.

PIGEON!!
Does anyone else think it's really funny the way everyone is annoyed about the pigeon? I am finding it hilarious for some reason. So funny

PIGEON!!
Does anyone else think it's really funny the way everyone is annoyed about the pigeon? I am finding it hilarious for some reason. So funny

I have finally figured out the pigeon trick.

After the explosion Jane was in the hospital where he got his "thing" replaced with a live pigeon.

Then wore a speedo to meet Red John.

Thats why throughout the episode, Jane was acting weird and uncomfortable.

He was either running around or feeding pigeons, so that the pigeon chirping inside his speedo remains concealed.

I think we will see the same pigeon again in the next episode when he meets a new girl.

Hey guys, just wanna share some of my thoughts abt why i think it make sense for mcallister, among the 7 suspects, to be red john. Some of them are alrdy shared, some of them are of hindsight but dont mind me, im just dishing out everything on my mind now cause i might not watching the mentalist anymore since theres no more red john lol.

1. he has the oldest appearance in the show.

2. he has the most free time as a sheriff in Napa, compared to the rest except maybe partridge.

3. in season 6 epi 2, jane notes that he walks very quietly, similarly to the case where they first meet face to "face" at the end of season 2 (well, mask).

4. sophie miller mentioned that jay roth (red john) is middle aged and in good health, that pretty much rules out bertram and smith (somewhat fat), brett and haffner (too young), and stiles (too old), only mcallister and kirkland qualify.

5. he shaved his moustache from season 1. Why is that? Why not keep his original appearance? Might be nothing but i feel its possibly because he's gonna be involved in something big that requires his appearance to look "clean", like being red john himself.

6. he's the only one who kept quiet when jane shared his reason of gathering the remaining 5 at his house, the rest are either amused or skeptical. Abit of a giveaway here.

7. when jane asked him to meet him as a "favor", nothing else being mentioned, mcallister was casually calm, and immediately deduces that it is about red john. How could he know that, among other things? The other people were curious and/or frustrated, and they were also provided a half-truth (to give the latest info about red john). Giveaway also, on the writers' part.

8. when lorelei named the list of suspects, she addresses mcallister as "sheriff thomas mcallister". She didn't say "agent reede smith" or "agent robert kirkland" or "director gale bertram", why? Because mcallister is red john, and he is an authoritarian, enough for her to subconsciously address him as "sheriff".

9 when the bomb went off and it conveniently "kills" mcallister as well, him being one of the suspects with the tattoo, its quite the giveaway also. How can they kill off one of the strong suspects without explaining? Something is off, and we all know why now. 

All in all, i think jane already had a hunch that mcallister is red john the moment he called the 5 suspects to meet him. And im just disappointed that the writers decided not to disclose how red john knew abt the suspects list, kinda lame really. But overall nice episode, especially the part where jane kills him, really brings out the "revenge kill" feeling in us lol.