Initially, I believe, the writers intended Red John to be your
run-of-the-mill serial killer. Albeit, an extremely clever, egotistical, sociopathic serial killer. But a simple serial killer nonetheless. As the series progressed, in order to keep it
interesting, they started piling on more and more layers of Red John plot
twists. Red John’s minions served as a series of false summits. Red John? Nope,
just kidding; it’s just another one of his minions. They threw in some red herrings too.
Somewhere along the way, the character of Red John transformed
from “straightforward serial killer” to “criminal mastermind with unlimited power,
knowledge, charm, connections, resources, etc.”
I think during that transformation, the writers lost sight of the
character. It is hard to reconcile season one's Red John with season five's Red John.
Why would an all-powerful, evil genius who has
“an army” at his command, randomly (and increasingly less frequently - when was
the last Red John as serial killer murder?) draw red
smiley faces over random kills? Those types of serial killers are always people without real
power. People who live seemingly ordinary, isolated lives. Can you really see a powerful, cunning character
like Bret Stiles acting like an ordinary sidereal killer and drawing smiley faces? Even Walter Mashburn says that if he killed someone, "they would disappear. It would be like they never existed."
The entire Red John storyline has lost sight of itself. Seriously,
watch the entire series again. So many things don’t make sense. It’s because the writers kept changing the character of Red John as they went along. They didn't begin with a clear idea. Now the writers have written themselves into a corner. The
character of Red John is so incongruous and uneven that any reveal is going to
be a letdown. I think the Mentalist
jumped the shark when Jane shot Red John, only for it to be yet another “just
kidding” moment.
