WHERE DOES HELLER SAY THAT RED JOHN is DEFINITELY ON THE LIST OF 7?! I have only read that Heller has said, "You can trust the list." Trusting the list doesn't have to mean RJ is ON IT...
HOW EASY WOULD IT BE FOR JANE TO JUST BRING ROSALIND HARKER TO EACH PERSON ON THE LIST? Jane brought her to feel the face of Timothy Carter -- why not the rest of his "suspects?" Jane loves to see reactions -- wouldn't one of these 7 guys have a reaction to Harker if they were RJ? Certainly, Jane could tell. And, if HARKER could feel each suspects face and hair -- wouldn't she KNOW? Process of elimination would be a piece of cake! This is just TOO TOO easy -- SO, if RJ IS on this supposed list, then this show has really bad writing and insults our intelligence.
MORE REASONS RJ IS NOT ON THIS LIST of 7: To begin with: 4 SUSPECTS on the "LIST" DON'T EVEN FIT PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF RJ -- unless, some speculate, Harker and Miller are lying [even though they have no reason not to]; it's bad writing to set us up with an expected physical description and then not deliver on it. AND WHO THINKS JANE WOULDN'T NOTICE THIS? SERIOUSLY, the level of obviousness here is ridiculous. Plain common sense tells you that:
1) BRET STILES: TOO SHORT [5'9"] and TOO OLD -- [born 1943] -- he's 70 years old! He's not RJ
2) REEDE SMITH: TOO TALL [6'3"] [RJ is "just under 6'0"] and TOO YOUNG [born 1976] and TOO BIG -- he's "husky," and can ONLY be described as having large build, not to mention he's a bull in a china shop. He's not RJ
3) GALE BERTRAM: AGAIN --- TOO TALL [6'3"] and BALDING -- what little hair he has would be described as nearly buzzed. He's not RJ
4) THOMAS MCALLISTER: BALDING with close cut hair, and TOO OLD [born 1955] [Patrick Jane is born 1969] -- more likely that RJ would be born 1960 to 1970 ALSO] Also -- prone to FACIAL HAIR -- He's not RJ
5) BOB KIRKLAND: DEAD. He's not RJ
Only TWO MEN on the list fit the description: BUT THEY are also NOT RJ because:
6) BRETT PARTRIDGE: is DEAD [though suspected alive -- which makes no sense unless he's got a TWIN, too!] He's a RED HERRING -- and the "Brace of Partridge" is about birds bound and dead, which is what BP is. So, He's not RJ -- AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT IF HE DOES TURN OUT TO BE RJ IN THE END, IT'S JUST BAD BAD WRITING [which I don't want to believe] -- because again, JANE could've had ROSALIND HARKER meet BP.
SO THAT LEAVES:
7) RAY HAFFNER: who is now a favored suspect due to new "whistling" revelation [that was handed to us on a platter] -- BUT he is NOT RJ because:
1) If Haffner was Red John, would he REALLY let Jane get away with what Jane did to him in "Little Red Book" episode? [No way RJ would allow that unless he was playing a role with Jane -- letting Jane THINK he had gotten the best of him]
2) Haffner can't compete with Jane's abilities -- he's just not as clever! AMBITIOUS, yes. Clever, no. [While RJ prides himself in being CLEVER]
3) Haffner had to be pissed at Jane for embarrassing him -- BUT Haffner took it in stride. I'm sure that Haffner would like to see Jane get his but he's patient, confident and probably believes "all in good time" type of revenge -- [WHEREAS; RJ would be mortally offended and require IMMEDIATE punishment].
4) Some posts say that Haffner is RJ because he "likes Lisbon" [therefore he didn't kill her]. BUT Haffner liking Lisbon is exactly why he's NOT RJ. Red John doesn't care about Lisbon, Red John LOVES Patrick! Even BRET STILES tells Jane: RJ has "a kind of love" for you. AND, RJ kills the SHOW of it -- for the person who is GOING to FIND the murders, which right now is mainly PJ. Painting LIbson's face was theatrical /symbolic [In RJ's mind] and RJ knows Jane loves Lisbon -- so RJ showed his power to psychologically mess with Jane. Plus, he didn't need to kill Lisbon, he punished Jane and Lisbon with Partridge's death. RJ probably considers himself a merciful gentleman.
5) Haffner is good looking, confident and pretty comfortable with the opposite sex. [Jane said RJ is:"an ugly, tormented little man, a lonely soul, sad, very sad."] Serial killers are average, seemingly normal and easy to overlook -- that is usually apart of the psychosis, a lack of a a feeling of personal power, going along invisible in life. They don't usually have Haffner's rooster strut. Haffner, in contrast, was a troubled youth who turned himself around with new-agey psycho-babble. It just doesn't match up.
Could Haffner be corrupt? YEAH, A killer? SURE, Could he know RJ? IT'S POSSIBLE, but HE is not RJ
MOST LIKELY: Haffner is connected to Tiger Tiger: WHICH LEADS ME…BACK TO REAL PURPOSE OF LIST OF 7: which is probably to REVEAL those involved with Tiger Tiger!!
1) The FAKE LIST JANE LEFT FOR his spies [KIRKLAND] had the names of low life scum on it, and Jane knew they could get hurt but he figured no loss, they're criminals who will continue to commit crimes, anyway.
AND LIKEWISE:
2) The "LIST of 7" is probably composed of men who JANE believes are corrupt law enforcement agents involved in something fishy --- and he lets Lisbon and team in on it because he wants these men investigated and EXPOSED. Lisbon should have been highly suspicious of Jane sharing his "real list" with her so easily BUT exposing the the secrets of these guys might also lead to RJ. JANE is trying to flush them out like rats.
Jane saying that "five people left on the list is manageable" I'm thinking --- C'mon, Jane is MUCH SMARTER THAN THAT. Because he knows these guys are NOT RJ but they are corrupt anyway.
ALSO: what if RJ wants to see those 7 names out of his way because they are his FOES -- because they all want RJ, the ultimate big fish to catch. I think Red John wants Patrick to help stop these men who are trying to destroy him.
As for Jane's REAL LIST: I think it's either the 10 names in BLACK CHERRY or one that we haven't seen yet, perhaps including some of the names we know.
WE'VE BEEN DISTRACTED from the real identity of Red John, as well as who he's killed -- LED TO BELIEVE THE OPPOSITE of what's true, LIKE:
We've been led to believe: Red John has powerful friends who carry out his orders and he's responsible for killing many [some who are also his minions]
Now, we know some people we thought were killed by RJ were really killed by the Tiger Tiger organization [OR another person with different motivations].
JASON LENNON killed by Kirkland, not FOR RJ -- but to FIND RJ.
TODD JOHNSON believed to be killed by RJ minions but it was obviously Tiger Tiger that killed him because Todd had knowledge of the corrupt organization, saying their name, and he had to be stopped, lest he threaten TT. Nothing to do with RJ. Have to wonder same thing about BRETT PARTRIDGE?
REBECCA ANDERSEN could have been killed by TT, too. BECAUSE once a person admits they are associated to RJ: they are also fair game for TT.
AND -- I definitely think RJ has far fewer friends than we're led to believe -- again, because it's clear that we've assumed a lot about RJ that was probably the Tiger Tiger network --- which takes suspects off the RJ list, considering they're more likely to be on the TT list. The question is: could RJ be in TT? Or is he like I think -- an outsider of TT.
I also have to wonder IF and to what extent Tiger Tiger could be using Red John to try and catch Red John. Well, only Red John could know.