History WMG / TheMentalist

The main BigBad is a SerialKiller of women. Jane's family was all female. Strong female heroic characters often have moments of victimization, impotence or weakness. The victims of the organ trafficking ring are all women (despite the fact that men's organs are just as good). This show has a fixation on the old "Female Victim" and "Strong female charaters who get disempowered or who take a backseat to the real male hero" canard which, in this age of [=''#MeToo''=], [[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad Furiosa]] and [[StarWars Rey]], is really getting kind of old.

The main BigBad is a SerialKiller of women. Jane's family was all female. Strong female heroic characters often have moments of victimization, impotence or weakness. The victims of the organ trafficking ring are all women (despite the fact that men's organs are just as good). This show has a fixation on the old "Female Victim" and "Strong female charaters who get disempowered or who take a backseat to the real male hero" canard which, in this age of [=''#MeToo''=], [[Film/MadMaxFuryRoad Furiosa]] and [[StarWars Rey]], is really getting kind of old.

* [[spoiler:Ultimately jossed.]]

* And finally Jossed in that William Blake was only ever was left out of picture for two seasons. The trait probably just wasn't relevant inbetween it's first explaination in the season three finale and the reiteration and increased focus following the season six premiere.

** [[spoiler: Possibly confirmed in Desert Rose, the first episode of the sixth season, where Red John kidnaps and or kills her]].

The main BigBad is a SerialKiller of women. Jane's family was all female. Strong female heroic characters often have moments of victimization, impotence or weakness. The victims of the organ trafficking ring are all women (despite the fact that men's organs are just as good). This show has a fixation on the old "Female Victim" and "Strong female charaters who get disempowered or who take a backseat to the real male hero" canard which, in this age of [=''#MeToo''=], [[MadMaxFuryRoad Furiosa]] and [[StarWars Rey]], is really getting kind of old.

The main BigBad is a SerialKiller of women. Jane's family was all female. Strong female heroic characters often have moments of victimization, impotence or weakness. The victims of the organ trafficking ring are all women (despite the fact that men's organs are just as good). This show has a fixation on the old "Female Victim" and "Strong female charaters who get disempowered or who take a backseat to the real male hero".

He is Mar.

Based on what is known about ''The Following,'' that show's antagonist seems very similar to Red John - highly murderous, has attracted a large cult of new killers that's growing exponentially, Manson-style. The ratings for ''TheMentalist'' have been plunging to new lows, so CBS may end up canceling it after the current season concludes in spring 2013. It's likely that Heller et al. won't be able to wrap up the Red John storyline properly, so they whispered the details in the ears of Kevin Williamson so he can continue the story himself, on a different network.

[[WMG: {{Psych}} [[MutuallyFictional is a TV show in the Mentalist-verse]] ]]

Taking the guess about Red John never having actually killed someone personally a step further. The Red John case is a [[GhostInTheShell Stand Alone Complex]]. All Red John killings are the work of copycats and "followers" who are following the whims of a man who doesn't exist and never really existed to begin with.

From a parallel universe; specifically one of the alternate universes from {{Fringe}}.

[[WMG: Jane is really [[WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]].]]
No, not just The Wonka. The WONKA. Watch Gene Wilder's Wonka and Jane back to back and say that they're not the same person. Curly blond hair, fondness for waistcoats, sadistic glee in messing with people's heads, and they speak with almost the same inflection in their voices. Especially when they're really messing with people and pretending to be innocent.

To take revenge on the team.

In the end of the episode "Seeing Red", Kristina Frye tells Jane that his daughter never woke up from Red John's murder of her. Patrick Jane gets indignant and angry and sad not because she was right, but because she was WRONG. Red John almost never breaks his MO when he can help it, and wouldn't even spare a little girl from waking up and suffering her horrible death. Patrick's tears at the end are him re-living him finding her body.

The way I see it, once everything comes to a head next season, Red John and Jane will start [[XanatosGambit gambiting each other]] ala DeathNote, each spinning [[GambitPileup dozens of ploys to catch the other]]. In the end, Lisbon is the key. Lisbon is the one person, the ONLY other person, that Jane trusts fully. He trusts the other team members but not in the same way. He trusts that Lisbon is willing to go all the way with helping him catch Red John, as revealed by him [[spoiler: showing her the video that Red John left for him, as well as letting her know the list of seven suspects.]] Red John knows this. He knows that Lisbon is Jane's best friend and possible love interest. Getting to Lisbon will be the final act of Red John's gambit, when he knows that Jane is close enough to take him out. However, Lisbon is the ActionGirl for a reason, and she may be the key to upending whatever plans Red John has for Jane. Or, Jane may know that involving Lisbon is his best chance for actually stopping Red John, as he's learned he can't do it by himself.