Guys, please remember what Jane said in one of the episodes (i don't remember season and episode) that the simplest thing solves the cases (problems etc.).  So i think RJ is someone from the first season, because we would figure that out at the moment, but ant the end of series we doubt it for no reasons (or a lot of reasons for digging to far). That just my opinion. BTW sorry for my english, it's not my primary language and i don't use it much. :) cheers.

In S06E01, on the crime scene with Partridge (at 13min), Jane looks threateningly at Partridge ("-is something wrong ?", asks Partridge...silence..."-You're sure you don't know ?", says Jane, threateningly, moving closer, near his face ...like saying "You are the next on the dead list, due to what you've done...", Partridge seemed to be really afraid ...

Jane usually invite to a challenge like "i'll prove that you're the murderer" with a smile ...but with Partridge, it's like "you betrayed me" or "you shouldn't have done that", angrily ...what could Partridge has done before ? Are there any clues Jane is aware of and that we have missed concerning Partridge or is Jane RJ himself controlling all the other suspects/accomplices (via blackmails for some of them perhaps and manipulation/hypnose for the others..)...?

At the end of the episode... Partridge must disappear (dead or not).

By the way, all collected facts are rather disturbful when trying to associate them to the suspects .. take a look at this spreadsheet : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aus4cbInagyBdExtWDJWVDRjNDRSXzBqMWpvVDBEV0E&usp=drive_w...

You can contribute if you want (or just copy it for testing your own theories)

"Mentalist" => "Memento" ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_(film)

Or "Hannibal Lecter" ?

S06E07 is "the great red dragon" http://thementalist.wikia.com/wiki/The_Great_Red_Dragon 

The novel of Thomas Harris (character Hannibal Lecter) : "red dragon" https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal_Lecter et https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_rouge_(roman))


New updates in the spreadsheet : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aus4cbInagyBdExtWDJWVDRjNDRSXzBqMWpvVDBEV0E&usp=drive_w.....

Red John as being the alter ego of our dear old Patrick seems to be the most plausable solution now. It's been the same game of chess between the "gold" and "black" part of the tiger in its "fearful symetry," at least if we believe in Kimbals interpretation of Blake's poem.

This is the most plausable solution for many reasons and we can name a few:

1. Red John is simply to perfect and infallible and knows even Jane even better than he knows himself. Jane feels thus dark presence and fears it.

2. We don't know much about Jane's previous life but its still enough to determin that he had an unhappy and disturbed life even before the demise if his family. IRS playsable to assume that Red John creates his cult demanding a sacrifice of loved ones as a means of emerging ones "true identity" - thus he also has a leverage over new disciples.

3. Furthermore, no one in the series has such power of manipulation and influence on people - especialy hypnosis. Dark twin is the only probable explanation for creating such elaborate network of manipulation and blackmail (with likely victims being powerhungry individuals as Berthram and Styles, or pure psychos as La Roache or Kirkland).

4. Besides PJ is the "unlikeliest suspect" especially as our attention is being diverted (in accordance with tradition of both magical tricks and crime dramas) to no less than 7 other suspects, who however are likely willing or unwilling accomplices.

There are numerous other references to this possibility like Styles "knowing much about Red John" (who was associated with the cult and might even "help" his rise to power by murdering the opposition). Besides, close circle of Red John followers is bound to know about the "Jane" persona and is probably dedicatet to protecting their master from himself even up to a point of willing sacrifice in order to preserve him. As for the handshaking part its either an elaborate decepcion or a symbolic act of acceptance of the "tiger duality" after the murder of his own family and full separation of his true identity.

Finally even if all this is revealed by the half of S06 its not necessary the end because Jane/John might continue to solve cases from an insane asylum thus taking the role similar to Hanuval Lector.

I've given this quite a lot of thought, and what we know about Rj is really only two things1-He's connected to the FBI/CBI
2-He has a lot of accomplices 

Now this is just a wild theory but what if Rj is actually Patrick Jane himself as a split personality, I know what about kidnapping Pj in season 2 and the whole "tiger tiger" thing, as I said Rj has a lot of accomplices he might've managed to make someone pretend he's Rj subconsciously to feed himself that whole pursuit feel of catching Rj

Also throughout season 5 Pj has talked a lot about the powers of the subconscious mind, so it could be his mind is playing tricks on himself, also Rj has insights on things like the list of seven and his childhood memories, things which are very hard if not impossible to get 

red john is patrick jane. voices of this two are similiar and matches.patrick jane is organizing all seven suspects and he is leader of them. yes he killed his wife and his daughter. we will see.  

If you only had season 1 for guessing who is red john, who should you pick?
Season 1 presents us the team (aparently 4 regular "joe"s), Patrick (sociopath) and Patridge.
The only clue or evidence to Partridge, is that is strange and really interested or excited with the red john´s murdered scenes. In my opinion is a little far-fetched. Probably,he is really dead, but nevermind this is a tv show, he shouldn´t come back again.
The cast of the team, nothing tells us about to suspect with evidence or clues about none of them, just second guessing, i think.
Well that remains Patrick, a clear narcisist sociopath, with clear objective, solve crimes to amuse him and catch red john. Why does everybody that confronts him end up being caught by red john? even the "childish" Lisbon, that end up with a clown-red-john-face, for me, it was a warning. The FBI woman, wainright, Lorelei, almost everyone ends up dead or crazy.
What about all the clues that are left ther since season one? he was in a mental inst., he has the brains and malevolance to have murdered all that people, why? simply because he is crazy, and a very complex sociopath, i think Jane´s problem is being to smart and evil, thus he represents the fight between good and evil, his will against his nature. I think the tyger is a message to Patrick from is black side Red John, just like the smile, they are private messages expressing a strong will to merge the two personalities in just one.
Patrick caught every killer, dumb or smart in one episode, probably he just can´t catch himself, first he has to acknowlage and embrace what he trully is, a killer, a Tyger, in his killer and bright nature, beautiful and dangerous. The Lamb persona, Patrick, in my opinion, it´s Red John playing the ultimate game with himself.
This is only my opinion and it should produce a hell of a final.
The list of seven, i just believe that they are involved in something really dangerous and illegal, but they are not red john, just guys who Jane/John is using to play a game, pawns...