( Some speculation ...... assuming the leak is real ... )

Season 6 episode 8 seems a case of a writer getting trapped by the business side of television ...

Heller started out with an idea for who Red John was ( probably Brett Partridge ) ...

Got a deal for a few seasons of his show .... then thought to himself " well the forensics guy who is a serial killer is so cliche " ... so he came up with the Timothy Carter story line ...

Great idea ... great reveal ... and take my word on it ... that was the "real" Red John reveal ... and it was perfect ...

But Heller got called into the office by some nameless TV executive who told him  ... " No,no,no Mister Heller ... The Red John story is what keeps people interested in The Mentalist .... You have to bring RJ back to life "

So he did ... and he started dropping so many hints and took so many lines even he and his writers didn't know who RJ was ...

 ( Recently - Heller noted that "there were always three or four possibilities" for
Red John, saying that there wasn't an "aha" moment when he and the
writers honed in on the ultimate Red John identity. "It seems like the
natural correct choice," he added, revealing the actor was notified
about his character's Red John identity "at the very last moment and he
was thrilled." - Hollywood Reporter )

With all these dozens of loose ends and clues over the years ... tying it all together was going to be a nightmare ... So they came up with this brilliant idea " We don't have to explain anything ... because Jane doesn't care about explanations - all he wants is to do is kill RJ " ... except it's not a brilliant idea ... It's a sad cop out at about the same level as the " It was all a dream " story ending ...

Heller has already tried to lower expectations by stating viewers will be disappointed by the RJ identity ( McAllister ) ... but McAllister is a fine enough Red John .... if properly explained .... It's the writing that is disappointing ...


( As an aside .... The whole Tyger Tyger thing has so jumped the shark it has bite marks .... The head of CBI is the head of a criminal organization with hundreds of members ? Including serial killers ?  Puhhhlease ... )