Could Jane's Father Alex be the Red John?

Red John started killing 1998. We don't know where Alex was at that time. Perhaps he joined Visualize, and Stiles gave him ideas how to win his son back. Stiles always seemed to know more about Jane than just watching his TV shows. And who could tell him more about Jane than a proud or disappointed Father can?
Jane's insult over the TV, really hit Red John hard. We all expect strangers/enemy to be harsh towards us, but the biggest pain is when your family hurts you. The killing was personal, but perhaps more than we are led to believe.

Red John's letter to Jane after killing his family accuses Jane of faking his powers. Who knows the truth better than Alex?

Why did Red John paint Angela and Charlotte's toenails? Was that done to bring the attention to the hands? Pointing out that "Bite The Hand That Feeds You"

One thing I don't remember to be ever revealed is if Red John broke into Jane's house at the time of murder or was he let in? If there was no signs of forced entry then his wife knew Red John, and she must have met Alex being part of the same carnie.

He might have killed Jane's family hoping the pain will drive Jane back to him. Jane might even know that subconsciously which was reflected in the hallucination of his daughter who didn't wanted Jane to find her killer, because it might be too hard to for him to handle the truth. 

Sure, Lorelei said something about a handshake, which would make the theory ridiculous, but if she was misleading Jane to give herself time to find Red John first, then perhaps we should look at her comparison " You are just like him" and you know what they say: "Like Father Like Son" "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree" and so on so forth.

i'm sure i'm not the first loser to suggest this, but i'm gonna do it anyways.


this show is all about red herrings.  every single episode we are introduced to a handful of suspects for a murder mystery.  throughout the episode different ones are ruled out and others are made to look very guilty.  in the long run, it usually ends up being the least likely suspect, or even someone that wasn't even presented as a suspect in the first place.


so why would it be any different for RJ.  if heller wanted to give us 7 names to pick from, shouldn't we have taken the history of the show as a clue and automatically looked at those 7 as the least likely??  i mean the first few episodes of season 6 revolved around trying to make each of the 7 listed suspects seem guilty.  from irrational fears, to weird sacrificial ceremonies, to random whistling and quoting william blake, each of the 7 listed suspects were shoved in our face as being guilty.  so if you are going with the theme of the metalist, these 7 names should be eliminated as suspects simply because they were suggested so strongly.


i know stoopkid has been down this road and posted a theory on just about every character, director, or key grip that has had anything to do with the production of this show, but maybe we should step back and take a look at the "other" suspects.  frey, mashburn, ellis mars, the lady feeding pigeons, pike, roger at the bar, teresa's brother, rosalind, the pigeon........i know its a reach but i think a case could be made for just about anybody if the reveal came with a little background or explanation.

plus i think at this point we are just re-hashing old theories, so it's either get creative or start planning for 13 episodes of happy-go-lucky incestuous tear jerkers.

Im had to rewatch all the episodes and here is an interesting quote from S6 E07.
 
(Right after Lisbon and Jane questioned Smith about the BA.)

Libson: You believe him ?
Jane: He confessed a murder. Red John would never break like that, not even as an act.

Really interesting if you think the way McAllister acted at S6 E08. And that was 1 episode before S6 E08. 

Who Is Red John?

We don't see anything from his point of view. The writers don't give us the chance to analyze him from the actions he is about to commit, nor giving us the present of his monologues. He is hidden well. What we know about him is what Jane and his team uncovers.

Some made distinctions regarding him as a womanizer and a perverted serial killer as two separate persons. Not in my opinion. He collects woman like scalps on display. The difference is in those who fall for him and those who don't. The ones that accept him as their leader/lover live to see another day, those who don't... well the smiley is upon them.

Following this logic with Lisbon in mind, to whom did she denied her love?
Haffner and Marcus.
Haffner is out of the picture at the time, while Marcus I presume is still in it. At least he is still alive. Will he let Lisbon go to the arms of another man or will he punish her severely? This question is worth of a Red John answer.

The fake letter Jane wrote in Bluebird that he graciously "let" Lisbon the honor of cracking it might have been Jane's way of inconspicuously telling her "stay, don't go. H is M", but clearly Lisbon didn't get the message so he did the only thing Jane could have done to keep her from going into the lion's den.

Whether we like the result or not one thing no one can deny to the show, is that there is no lack of suspects. It almost feels like, whenever the creators cast a member they gave them the script with a side-note:
"Top Secret for your eyes only; Here is your script. BTW on the end YOU are THE Red John. Now act like him!" (Yes, female characters and extras included)

I posted this in comment section, but obviously it should be here as a theory.
Also, we need Marcus Pike on the suspected list.

I dismissed Marcus because it was too obvious. Mainly for his name matching the "he is Mar" but in retrospect and in acceptance that Partridge might not be Red John, Marcus seems like an adequate replacement. Heller hid him in plain sight. He certainly knows his way around woman, a necessity from my point of detecting, and has the resources to pull of anything Red John was associated with.

Bruno said Red John is on the list, and he was (McAli). From the creators perspective, if you want to conceal the real Red John, but you were asked that question the only practical answer would be the one he gave. I'm sure in his place YOU would not say: "Yeah, I'll have a fake Red John and he is on the list but the real one is yet to come". YOU would not say that if you want to keep the suspense going. In this case he didn't lie just didn't say the whole truth. Also supports the theory Red John is too smart to be on the list to begin with.

Jane shook the hands of Red John. If you know Lorelei's original slip of the tongue, you know she put no time frame to it. Red John could have met, scratch that I'm sure he met Jane before he killed his Family. Perhaps Jane's Father with Jane's assistance embarrassed Marcus in their carnie past? Perhaps not, but ever since Jane started compiling the list, the whole thing felt wrong to me. Placing something important in the memory box is not unheard of, but hand shakes: Come ON. They aren't that important, therefore overlook can happen.

Marcus' promotion was surprise too. Perhaps Jane was getting too close for comfort. Also, Jane showing interest in other departments case was strange even to those close to him.

Jane is also concerned about Marcus when he ask Lisbon about her dumping him. Why does he do that? It could be interpreted two-fold. 

I was hard pressed on Partridge being Red John, but Marcus seems more and more qualified for the position. We might see Lisbon's hands stretched from two directions and the rivalry for her affection might have much deeper roots.

No suspect chosen for this post, but Marcus would be the one if it was possible.

Well, by the looks of it http://www.breathecast.com/articles/the-mentalist-season-7-release-date-plot-spoilers-new-season-pat....
the romance is what we are going to see next season, and a trouble in love triangle. Unless Agent Marcus is Red John (He is MAR...) I don't think Red John will return.
I wonder if Jane's hesitation to reveal his feeling to Lisbone was in fact his knowledge that Marcus is the Red John and not his love to her. By confessing he tried to keep her away from Red John.

@Stoopkid, Jesus fuck Stoop, Red John r coming back in S7 how did u know he was coming back stoop? huh stoop? i'm speechless