Yesterday's episode was a nice change in pace. I'm going to say this firmly, however; Not everything needs to be compared to Red John, which in itself brings up a good point. There has never been a villain in The Mentalist quite like Red John, and there will never be one that can truly go toe to toe with the character, so don't expect them to. This episode was great on its own, it showed that the FBI is not helpless with or without Jane, which is important to note, and it portrayed a scenario where Jane's foolproof plan is finally tarnished by someone other than Red John. Plus, it gives the series a sense of continuity by following through with Heibach's previous threats to Jane, something it needed after the first few blunders with the 'New Beginning'.
That said, changing the direction of a show after such a controversial and climactic point in a series so quickly carries with it a huge, huge, huge risk in television, and Heller knows this.
One tweet from Karl Sonnenberg (cbi karl) essentially says it all: "Production meeting time for 622. Written by Bruno Heller, directed by Chris Long. Not giving out the title on this one. #TheMentalist". Come on now, its -obvious- that the title of the finale has some allusion to red or has red in it, just as the many holes in the RJ = Mcallister thing are obvious as well. You really think Heller doesn't realize not one clue, not one piece of the RJ puzzle fits Mcallister? He knows it because this was all planned. This third of season six is nothing more than an opportunity to experiment with the show. Clearly, it isn't working, so they are resorting to the formula that does work; Red John.
One thing that is interesting to note is, at the very, very end of white as the driven snow, Jane goes on to say something along the lines of "you can't see what I really feel". I don't know about you, but that phrase really stuck out to me. Is Patrick Jane really playing the long con to draw out the real Red John? Or, is he naive and in for the second greatest shock of his life? If we are using reason here, then I am and have been convinced that the real Red John is still alive, based on all the information we have in previous seasons. If he is returning, I would personally want them to choose between Partridge, Haffner, and Stiles, since they are the only ones who fit the character at this point. My bet is on Haffner.
