I think people may be jumping to conclusions with this whole
'Tyger, Tyger' gang thing.

 



What do we really know about it?

We only really know what Kirkland
and Smith said to each other, and what Kirkland
said to Jane, yet we have no reason to believe either of them, as Smith was
obviously playing Kirkland, Kirkland
didn’t want to give too much away to Smith, and Kirkland was in effect competing against
Jane.

 



We know Red John uses the same phrase, and Red John's
accomplices do as well, often when they die.

 



We know Kirkland was investigating a series of coverups
within California law enforcement and that he believes (as far as he told Smith
at least) that it's a secret organisation of dirty cops and agents that use the
phrase 'Tyger, Tyger' as a password.

 



We know Reede Smith and the prison guard are in on it.

 



What we DON'T know is if Kirkland’s theory of the situation around the
coverups is true. His investigations may have led to incorrect conclusions, or
he may have been lying or telling a 'half-truth' to Smith on the bench.

 



Secondly, if it is simply a group of dirty cops and agents
covering up each others crimes, it doesn't make sense to me that Smith would
want to kill Kirkland.
Kirkland was already done for, he'd murdered someone, surely he'd want in,
given his actions and his inquiry with Smith on the park bench, it would seem
that way, Kirkland was already a 'dirty agent'.

 



To me, the whole 'Tyger, Tyger' thing only makes sense if
this group of corrupt law enforcers are in fact simply Red Johns disciples. No
extra level of corruption, just what we know already.

 



If Red John did have influence over a network of dirty cops
and agents (which we know he does) then by extension they would be required to
cover up each others crimes, and it would appear to an external investigator as
if there was an underground group of dirty cops. Kirkland either had it wrong and simply
hadn't connected up the dots, or he didn't want to give everything away to
Smith on the park bench.

 



When Smith told Kirkland the "truth" and told him
to start running, he was only telling him what he needed to, in order to get
him to run, he had no reason to actually tell him the truth behind the 'Tyger,
Tyger' thing.

 



As far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed in that
respect. There is no secret organisation of corrupt cops other than the already
established network of Red John’s disciples.

 



Now, as far as Brett Partridge is concerned, if Tyger Tyger
are simply Red John’s disciples, then it makes perfect sense that they could
have covered up his ‘death’, and allowed him to fake his death.

This is the only explanation I can see so far as to why Red
John would want to kill Partridge. We’ve been offered to explanation for it so
far, not even speculation on Jane’s part, and there’s been no investigation
into it. But it has essentially removed him from the list, which could have
been exactly what Red John wanted, to gain the upper hand.

 



Heller also said that Partridges death happened for a reason
and happened at that point in time for a key reason.

 



As others have said, the next episode features Patrick
confronting the remaining five suspects, two episodes early. Surely this can
only mean that Red John is not one of those five, and therefore must be
Partridge.

 



I think Brett Partridge is Red John.


I think Tyger Tyger is Red John’s own personal cult inspired
by Visualise and his network of disciples, and the whole deal with Kirkland’s investigation
is a red herring.

 



I would be content if it turned out to be Haffner or Stiles
though if a decent enough back story is provided, but I think they’ll eliminate
Stiles in the next episode.

 


Bertam, McAllister and Smith I can’t see working at all, but
at least Smith is in the Tyger Tyger, AKA one of Red Johns disciples, so
perhaps all three could be as well.

 



As for building up Tyger Tyger to become the new focus in
the next season, I think Tyger Tyger have grown too big for RJ to control, that’s
why he keeps slipping up lately, too many people to manipulate and keep track of. Someone else in Tyger Tyger wants the
limelight and will step into RJ’s shoes when he’s captured. Either way, after RJ is captured or killed or whatever happens, his disciples will still be out there, Tyger Tyger will still be out there, and without a leader it will change the dynamic of the group.