First of all think all those people who have only seen the last two seasons believe that the end of season 6 was perfect because they dont know anything about what happen before on the show ,if that was the real end would have been the series finale, not the season finale happy forever and ever and all that shit just think the show was always intended for seven seasons for one reason because the story line of the show that was The Mentalist vs Red John ends there just think about it ,if the show were to continue for more seasons then it would make sense to continue starting for the happy ending but just going to continue for one more season just one 
Now that said, Let's analyze the whole story as a writer when you write a story from the divide start the story in light and dark then you give a face to these characters and create these characters from the beginning not invent who is along history now imagine that you mention a name in one chapter that probably the majority didnt saw no one knows and now this is the main villain is just really stupid , the dark character of the story must be someone who is always on the history and very close to the main character from this point now think many stories of comics, movies , books , antique books repeats the same pattern , the closest person to the main character is the evil character , who's the person in this story? Teresa Lisbon now the lover of Pattrick jane closer than ever. Now think again from the point of view of red john , for those who have not seen the entire series in a chapter a major character named Timothy Carter was appointed by red john to be the starting point for Patrick to begin their new life Teresa with her in the real red john because she has always been in love with Patrick but then he realized that Timothy was not the real red john , but the intention of the real red john was that patrick forget his revenge against red john this implies that red john never leave the shadows or like Patrick said once he likes to think he is invisible or he likes to hide in plain sight 
Teresa always wants to know patrick plan to have time to anticipate it, and that's what always happened in all plans to catch red john so when he started to make a list of the names he closed the door
Now's analyze the latest and greatest plan patrick jane The list, many do not know but patrick has never had the need to write the data can be stored in the memory palace that patrick is, but still started writing the names in a notepad, I think that the seven names on the list patrick already knew long time ago put those names in the notebook, and the only one that had seen the notebook was Teresa
Patrick created the Schrodinger cat experiment when closed the door of the attic and the cat teresa lisbon all she found was that Patrick discovered that she is red john she fell into the trap because that list is a trap
Patrick created it mainly to check that red john would know the names of the list, the same names patrick put in that book, that book that teresa could get and see the names, that's the reason why patrick closed the door, he knew she could not resist the curiosity to know those names, so when he saw the dvd alone realized that she had fallen into the trap  trying to prove that she was smarter than patrick On That moment she lost the battle teresa, teresa did the same thing with timothy carter and mccallister only move a pawn that can be sacrificed trying to convince patrick that they were  the reals red john just think about it Require teresa as his partner in the fbi, going for years, taking away her only chance of a life of love with agent pike ,BEGIN A NEW LIFE WITH HER all part of the plan to destroy the real red john, Teresa Lisbon,
If you see the chapter "Red John" mccallister never try to use his weapon just talks and talks, never tries to shoot just as timothy, both knew they were going to die all the looks of disappointment and anger from patrick to teresa on the chapter 5x22 all the chapter make sense 
RED JOHN WOULD NEVER GET THE SAME MARK LIKE HER SHEEPS