1.  Mashburn likes Lisbon.  Pursued Lisbon.  Slept with Lisbon in the Red Hot episode.  Lisbon has been spared to date by Red John

2.  Mashburn's first introduction in the show - the murder victim at the car dealership had a $30K Tiger painting at home given to her by Mashburn.  

3.  Mashburn has the wealth to have the influence/connections needed to be Red John.  For example, in the Redlines episode, he brags about having a lot of friends in the sherriff's department and the mayor's office.

4.  Lorelei Martins said she was surprised that Patrick and Red John didn't become great friends when they shook hands.  Of all the non-regular characters on the show, Patrick seems to come the closest to making friends with Mashburn.  Certainly closer than any of the 7 on the list except maybe Stiles.   

5.  Mashburn kinda looks like Kirkland.  Michael Kirkland?   

6.  Mashburn's first scene with Jane (lunch at the yacht club), Patrick makes a perceptive comment and Mashburn says "You're a psychic, aren't you?  You have this charlatan air about you."  How would he know that?  Why would he say that unless he already knew about Patrick.  

7.  Mashburn's speedboat is mostly red and is named "Eliminator."  He says something at the scene "I have no love of danger.  Nothing's dangerous if you think ahead.  If you plan it right, you can get away with . . .  I was going to say Murder.  But you know what I mean."  He makes several jokes about being the killer.

Okay, if I were Bruno Heller and it was coming down to the final culmination of 6 years of hard work, I would want it to be HUGE. I would want to blow everybody's mind so that they were talking about it for days. No, weeks. And maybe years. Like on 24 when everybody was like, Nina? Seriously? Nina was the mole the entire time?? Like that.

That being said, let's get real. If it ends up being one of the five guys left on the list, it's going to be pretty anticlimactic. 20% of viewers will be like "I was right!" and then be disappointed because they weren't surprised. And everyone else will be disappointed because they didn't guess right but still weren't surprised. Pretty much what I'm getting at is that It doesn't really matter who it is on the list of 5 because NO ONE WILL BE SURPRISED. And we all want to experience the shock and awe of something incredible happening. Give it to us, Heller! We've been watching for 6 long years for this moment!

I think you can see where I'm going with this... I was on the Partridge bandwagon all along and then couldn't figure out where the show was going after the season 6 premiere. Until I started thinking about what would be the most shocking ending... which would obviously be the return of someone everyone thought was dead. And if I were Heller, I would tell anybody who would listen that Partridge is dead so that his return is all the more shocking (and awesome). Also. I just want to point out that Kirkland is definitely dead, as someone who gets shot 6 times, has an autopsy performed on them, and then somehow lives to continue serial killing is nothing short of supernatural. But then again, maybe THAT would be the most shocking revelation... Barring that scenario, I think we can safely rule him out.

But back to Partridge. Heller said that he died when he did for a reason. Which reason, I would argue, is to misdirect the audience. And Jane. He wants to get him to to look anywhere but himself. But Jane isn't fooled, obviously. He's all over this. I think when this all goes down, Partrdige will step out from behind the figurative curtain, everyone will be shocked, but Jane will have a knowing smile on his face. And then he'll kill RJ once and for all.

Until season 7 when we realize that Partridge wasn't RJ, but one of his disciples. This, to drag the story line on even longer. Ugh. Please say no, Heller. Let it end.

Unless something else amazing happens. I'm all for anarchy at the end.

On a related note... Theresa Lisbon. Something is up with her. Her broken arm from the season 5 finale was never explained. And the whole Carmen Lee thing? These are clues, people! But to what... that's the question. What's your story, Lisbon?

Also. I kind of suspect that Van Pelt and Rigsby are both going to get serial killed. I think the firing squad after their wedding was a little too ominous and looked a little too much like foreshadowing. I really hope not though...

It's interesting that when Lisbon told Van Pelt to go over the security tapes with Haffner and pump him for information that it happened off screen. There have been hints at Grace's dark past and her possible involvement with Visualize after the Stiles/Van Pelt episode.

who is this guy?