I will concede it's lame that they didn't tie up or answer any questions in another way (Flashback, or what have you.) With so much build up and so many questions it's upsetting to fans to be left completely hanging with this many loose ends. I won't say it's 'bad storytelling' but it is certainly cruel and perhaps lazy storytelling for the diehard fans who have spent so much time and effort piecing together clues that ultimately never even mattered.


Now let's explore lazy and cruel storytelling. After all this time, the answer to your questions is "He had a vast criminal organization at his fingertips and was the leader." This explains everything and doesn't show you the specifics of how it's done. Both lazy and cruel to people who want to see it in action, to understand and appreciate the intricate complexities of a fluid story that is seamless all throughout its existence.

With all of that being said, I still I enjoyed the
final Red John episode. To elaborate further, the fact they didn't give
Red John the ability to grandstand in front of Patrick was fitting. The
way it was shot, and how it all transpired was very appropriate to how I
think the creator had always envisioned the downfall of RJ. Patrick got
vengeance and RJ got to be the pathetic worm after all of this time. RJ brought down to a human level and extinguished after 10 years of torturing and leaving Patrick in wonder, the tables FINALLY turned. It's just a bit of a shame they didn't do more to satisfy more diehard fans.