S4E9 RED SHIRT  who's that in the background???
 I think I've come full circle.
Well, season five may limit the suspect list.
But season 5 is also Red Herring after Red Herring.
Heller has said, "He knows where it's going..." concerning the RJ storyline. I believe too many people on the net guessed who RJ is and that's why season 5 has become a damn parade of Red Herrings, and "possible" suspects. Ridiculously obvious.
      
    I'm now back to believing "the red sweater guy or red shirt guy is in fact Red John. I won't go through all reasons i believe this.
(so many others already have.)  But read on. I believe there's something most haven't noticed or picked up on below....
      Oh and let's remember before the season 3 finale all the promos said PJ would come face to face with RJ. Perhaps he did and didn't know it...
     Red John's accomplice/tool, Lorelei Martins told Patrick Jane he'd met Red John. This could have happened off screen(most likely did). We know this because of the names seen in PJ's little book O' suspects.
      Writers have compared Red John to Waldo, a famous character for children who appears in the background. "You've got to look at it like Waldo." as Ashley Gable once tweeted in the official Mentalist Writer twitter account.

      He is also compared to Professor James Moriarty (a.k.a "Napoleon of Crimes"), the antagonist of Sherlock Holmes, whose stories are known for using a web of followers to commit crimes. Heller describes Red John as Jane's White Whale, Moby Dick of Melville's book, the obsession that destroys Captain Ahab.

      I believe Patrick will die chasing down his "white whale" Red John. After all, the theme that revenge does't bring peace is clearly discussed in many episodes. Just as Ahab died. Jane must die. (There will be no Jisbon wedding. lol) My guess is Jane will die killing RJ/saving Lisbon. Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty both fell to their deaths near a waterfall. (Holmes character later brought back as the writer needed money, was broke...so more novels.)
    
       Now about the Waldo idea....the Red Sweater Guy is in the background of a sceen where Jane and Lisbon are having ice cream.
Here's the link. 35 secs into the clip. Oh and the name of the episode
is RED SHIRT. youtube.com/watch?v=hAs5hLQftwI
And for anyone who hasn't heard of the Red Shirt/Sweater Guy theory
I refer you to this short video. youtube.com/watch?v=590v4FCm6WU   Some have also said Red Sweater guy is a member of the jury during Jane's trial. I've yet to look into that.
              Anyway,  i'm back to the RSG theory...   Holes can be punched in every other theory. And the Waldo tweet is real insight. Not character perspective...