Who is Red John?

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List of seven

Thomas McAllister
Thomas McAllister Reede Smith
Reede Smith Ray Haffner
Ray Haffner Gale Bertram
Gale Bertram Brett Partridge
Brett Partridge Bret Stiles
Bret Stiles Bob Kirkland
Bob Kirkland

LATEST THEORIES

Gale Bertram is the GLORIOUS RAVEN riding FORCEFUL WINDS of destruction and mystery

GALE definition - a strong wind
BERTRAM definition - bright or glorious raven

Both of these definitions fit Red John perfectly.  A strong wind carries conotations of forcefulness and mystery.  Winds seem to come from nowhere, just like Red John.  But also are majestic and awe inspiring similar to how many of Red John's followers perceive him upon first meeting him.  

Ravens are commonly symbolized as dark, sinister, and veangeful creatures in culture.  And the descriptive words "bright/glorious" just take it to a much higher level.  This is who Red John is: a Great Dark Creature who swoops in from nohwere with forcefulness to perform his kills.  Also the word gale (wind) fits perfectly with Bertram (raven).

 I doubt Bruno Heller would have just randomly picked a name without thinking upon their definitions. 

Gale Bertram is the one and only Red John of the list of seven

Stop thinking so logically about every single detail regarding Red John's identity and simply guess who he is based upon which actor would be the most likeable and suitable to "fill his shoes".  What person of the seven would be the most entertaining to re-watch the whole Mentalist series over again with the knowledge that they are in fact Red John--only Bertram.  He has the most appearances and air time on the show of all on the list.  His leadership position in the CBI is a major "slap in the face" and showcases his intelligence and "guts" to be able to show himself face to face with this nemesis so often.  And think of the glee and domineering pleasure he would derive from having Patrick Jane work for him.  

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I just wanted to say that I like the idea of Jane having a fake list causing RJ to reveal the real list. I honestly think PJ has been a step ahead of RJ for some time and instead of RJ toying with PJ, it's actually PJ who is toying with RJ. Thus, even though Patrick may not know who RJ is right now, he is playing around with the character of RJ thus allowing RJ to make a mistake and reveal the TRUE list! :P

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Just started watching the show several episodes ago. I have never seen BP until tonight but I just think he is RJ. Just one opinion though. I do however reading everyone's posts.

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What the hell was that? Don't you agree that this was a crap finale? 

All the episode was about the 7 names. I personally don't want 7 names, i want action! But this is bullshit. 

I am very disappointed and lost a good amount of my interest in Mentalist. We have already been analyzing characters for years, what good does it do to analyze 7 of them? Knowing RJ knew Jane's memory doesn't help us at all, as we cannot connect the dots.

Well, this finale was definitely for an ordinary person, not mentalist enthusiasts and i feel insulted.

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The only name that Jane gave us was Bertram (during the ride with Lisbon).  He also had seen the video before he showed it to her, giving him time to match the seven pictures with the suspects that Red John gave.  And remember that he thinks that Lisbon would be unable to keep a secret, especially his "real" list.

Since he knew that someone had broken into his loft (a la, the toothpick), he must have also had a pretty good idea that that would happen.  That gave him the opportunity to display his suspects and theories in a manner that would cause Kirkland to come up with the suspect list for Red John.

I'm leaning toward Mashburn and maybe CBI Ron as an outside possibility.

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By the end of The Mentalist's Season 5 finale, viewers will finally know Red John's real name.

On Sunday's episode (10/9c, CBS), Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) narrows down his list of suspects to seven people. And despite the twists and tricks of the past (remember Bradley Whitford as Red John?), creator and executive producer Bruno Heller insists that one of the names on Jane's list is indeed his serial-killing nemesis.

"The cards are up on the table and they're the real cards," Heller tells TVGuide.com. "There is no sort of double twist. There's no more messing around.We've been through all the twists and turns of plot, and we're now getting to the truth. Only the truth gets revealed from now on in."

So, how well do we know the seven possible suspects? "You will recognize some of the names," Heller says. "Some will be obscure, some will be very well-known. But they're all legitimate suspects, and next season we will have to work out which one is the real guy. But under a great deal of pressure, that will be revealed at the end of this episode."

Indeed, just as Jane thinks he's closing in, Red John strikes out against someone from Jane's past. And the move is baffling to Jane. "It's someone Red John couldn't possibly know is connected to Jane," Heller says. "So, just when Jane thinks he is finally one step ahead, Red John is still on top. He doesn't turn things around to make Jane realize what he's learned is wrong, but it appears almost magical."


Speaking of magic, Emmanuelle Chriqui will reprise her role as Lorelei Martins, who was last seen dead at the hands of Red John. "It's not a flashback, a typo or a mystical thing," Heller says with a laugh. "You'll have to work out what other alternatives are left. It's a surprise, and it's a good one."

Also surprising: the shocking way in which the list of seven names is ultimately revealed. And while Red John won't be caught in the finale, Heller promises that the story is growing much closer to its conclusion.



"This is the final chase," Heller says. "We will know who Red John is and we will catch him next season. Everything that has happened over ther past five years will come to a head, and things will change drastically. This is the biggest finale in terms of game-changing and setting up for the last act of the Red John saga. This is as definitive and revolutionary as you can get."

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I believe Jane is saying he had list to bring out red John. He feeding people false info to see who gets it. He tells people he has list and he's narrowed it down. I believe jane played red john to get the list from him. About memory Jane had break down and was just getting out of hospital season one . So his doctor knew and Jane . You can drive your self nuts on this.

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