Bruno Heller's 2013 Checklist:


1) WHO IS RED JOHN?     McAllister  [check]

2) WHAT IS RJ PHOBIA?   Pigeons!  Pigeons are everywhere.  [check]

3) HOW TO SHOW PROOF THAT MCALLISTER IS RJ?    Have McAllister freak out whenever a bird appears and in the final scene have Xander Berkeley do a high pitched voice [check]

4) WHAT TO DO ABOUT BLAKE ASSOCIATION?   Bloody pain in the ass.  Stick it on McAllister also.  Write in line:  "It didn't occur to him that I AM the Blake Association."   [check]

5) WHAT TO DO WITH THE HORDE OF SUSPECTS?  Just kill them all. [check]

6) WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALL THOSE DAMN OLD CLUES NOW?   Have Patrick Jane say he doesn't care about knowing any of them [whew -- check!  That was a big check!  Glad I figured that ONE out]

7) CAN I GET AWAY NOT EXPLAINING HOW RJ GOT THE LIST? [because I have NO IDEA, really]  Just have McAllister "offer" to tell and Jane say it was a good trick, never wanting to know and then just moving on to physical confrontation as quickly as possible [CHECK!]

8) HOW CAN JANE GET THE UPPER HAND ON RJ?  Breadcrumbs.  Pigeons LOVE breadcrumbs.  And then have Jane pull the pigeon from his pocket.  McAllister ends up disoriented and paralyzed with fear...Jane shoots him [check]

9) HOW CAN RJ ESCAPE SO I CAN KEEP THE ACTION GOING FOR THE FULL 42 MINUTES?  Have some random woman [Robin Tunney's out of work actor sister that I've been promising a bit part to] walk into the church to interrupt, allowing RJ to run off and thus, Jane having to chase him. [check!]

10) HOW WILL JANE KILL RJ?  Let Simon Baker make it up.  [check]

11) WHAT TO DO WITH SCORES OF FANS WHO WILL HATE THIS?  Just tell them they're GOING to be disappointed -- that'll shut 'em up.  It's just a show, after all! [that made me filthy rich and famous] but who cares what these bloody fans want.  Do they really know what they want, anyway?  Can't please them all, so who cares if I please any of them.  I can't be bothered now that I'm busy with a new project!  Really!  [check]

12) WHAT DO WITH SHOW AFTER RJ SINCE I WON'T BE AROUND MUCH?  Hand over to Baker, who's been dying to take over, anyway.  The writers, at this point, should be on automatic pilot, they've cranked out enough murder of the week episodes...[check]

13) PACK FOR A HOLIDAY IN THE ITALIAN COUNTRYSIDE [check]