Red John- The Man, The Myth

The Red John sage of course began with the first episode.  We saw the copycat smile face in the Palm Springs home and learned that this serial killer had taken Jane's life away.  The first few episodes eluded back to the killer by Jane discussing his family (or lack there of).   In Flame Red we learned Jane's intentions and Lisbon's desire to not let Jane take RJ's life.  Then came Red John's Friends which pulled back the curtain a bit on the man behind the myth.  Red John was real.  Someone who had "friends", an organization.  He wasn't just some killer in the night anymore.  He manipulated Jane to get Jared Renfrew out of jail so that RJ could kill the man. The real chess match began.  Now it wasn't about just killing, it was about winning against his favorite plaything, the only person at his intelligence level, the only one who could go along the gray areas of life to keep the game up- it was about beating Jane.

So many times I read compliments from people that state in season 3 of The Mentalist Red John went from serial killer to all powerful being.  Honestly by ep eleven of season 1, Red John was already there.  Though I disagree with "all powerful".  As Lorelei said he is just a man.  A man who has resources and is also good at Mentalism.  Bruno Heller did a superb job of weaving this into the tapestry of his narrative.  Red John evolved by the middle of season 1.  He did so because Jane finally got an advantage.  Jane thus first went off the rails once the chase began.  I love how this all makes sense to why there wasn't more development on the RJ case front after Jane joined the CBI.  Although in the pilot Jane was calling RJ his, RJ himself hadn't joined on to that.  It was only after RJF episode that everything intensified.

If you are trying to guess who Red John could be it is interesting to point out that Sheriff McAllister and Partirdge (both members of the possible elite seven team) meet Jane in person in the first two eps and are made to look foolish by Jane.  (Which RJ hates.)  Of course off screen at this time Bret Stiles, Ray Haffner, Bob Kirkland, Reede Smith and Gale Bertram could have all been following Jane's activities.

By the end of season 1 Red John has upped the game.  In Red John's Footsteps RJ has built a basement of horrors for Jane that resembles the one in The Red Barn.  He has an elaborate plan to lure Jane there.  The game that just begun is now going to end and RJ will win.  Then the impossible happens- Jane pulls off his best con ever and convinces RJ that he is the fool lured to his death.  Instead Jane conned RJ and his disciple, saved a life and let Lisbon in on the plan.  Jane actually won a battle with the smile faced maker.

Red John couldn't take that so in the next season RJ brings up the reinforcements (Rebecca), invades CBI- Jane's new family home, spills blood and wants to own Jane again.  Now the real game is afoot.  Red John gets smarter, Jane starts excluding himself from the team (and thus gives up a few battles to the red one).   RJ learned Jane's greatest weakness- his narrowness with obsession and since then has used it against him.

What I love so much about the show is how now as get prepared to enter the sixth season we can look back at the first season and see the deck of cards the amazing Bruno Heller laid out for us.  The clues are all there, the issues all threaded through. The question is are we smart enough to put them all together.  It is quite cool that at the beginning of each episode in that first season a title card was shown describing who a mentalist is and what he does. Someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion. A master manipulator of thoughts and behavior.  This describes Jane and it also describes Red John, a horrible man that due to his mentalist abilities became a myth like being.  A myth like being that is facing the end of the war and this time Jane has his own reinforcements- Lisbon and Lorelei.  Lorelei gave him the big clue and now Lisbon, who he is being more honest with, is his partner to bring down (or in) Red John.  This is one epic ending battle I can't wait to see.