First time submitting a theory, but long time watcher.
First off a couple things that need to be reviewed:
1. I think assuming that Heller is going to tell us the truth is a bit naive, his role as the creator is not to appease fans by giving away the ending, but to build suspense so we WATCH the ending. So, I think its very possible that Heller saying the RJ list is accurate could be a lie. Remember The Office series finale, and the many times we were told Michael Scott would not return by the creators?
2. I think it would be show suicide to have RJ be PJ. They have spent 6 years making us like PJ, root for him, and want him to find RJ. To make PJ the villain now, would anger too many viewers. Not to mention there is going to be another season, and no one would watch if it turned out to be PJ and very little direction left to go.
3. If RJ was Brett Stiles, then he would have known that PJ was going to spring Lorelai out of prison, and would have coached her to say the things he wanted PJ to know. She would not have revealed the part about him shaking hands with RJ, and would have been coached down to the last word. As RJ has in the past with his other minions.
4. In order to "read" PJ's mind, and therefore create the same suspects list, he would have logically needed info on all the cases PJ has worked to know who PJ has suspected was tied to RJ in the past.
So with that in mind I have three theories I am working with now:
1. I think there was a "red john" once perhaps, but he died, and the Tyger Tyger guys could be a group of fans who are committing copycat killings in his name. Therefore the list is accurate because RJ is Bertram, Reed, and the Sheriff all together. The upper circle of a dangerous off-shoot of the Visualization cult, who kill for pleasure. Stiles doesn't like them because he doesn't want to them to be associated with visualize, but at the same time looks the other way because they were once part of visualize. It explains how he seemingly beats PJ to the punch every time, and how he is able to recruit so many different minions to do his bidding.
2. Red John is not on the list, and allowing Lorelai to reveal his shaking hands with PJ in the past was planned, and he has actually purposely given PJ info that he knows would lead to the list of 7 PJ being created. RJ has been blackmailing the tyger tyger group to do his bidding, or he would reveal the secret violent cult of police, FBI, etc to the world. Now the Tyger Tyger group is getting too powerful, so he uses PJ's insane obsession with him to also get Jane to investigate the Tyger Tyger group and reveal their existence. Basically purposely leading him down the rabbit hole to getting rid of Tyger Tyger, all the while the list doesn't contain RJ. This explains why RJ would have allowed PJ to continue the crusade, and taunted him to do it quickly or people would die, and why the Tyger Tyger guys seem to be both pro-RJ and anti-RJ (they worry if RJ is caught he will reveal their existence) and why RJ seems to have such wide resources and intelligence.
3. RJ is Brett Stiles son and Tyger Tyger is totally separate and not actually linked to RJ other than they have all been the handling the dirty secrets for visualize for many years. They all know that RJ is Stiles's son, their leader's son, and are desperately trying to protect him, and their leader. Stiles feels guilty he has created a monster, but is also deeply proud of his son's ability to manipulate people which he learned from him. So his uses visualize resources to protect him when needed. This explains the connection with visualize, the resources, and where RJ might have learned how to read and manipulate people so well. It also explains why Stiles has helped PJ along, without revealing anything about RJ in the process.
Let me know what you think of my theories!!??
