Agreed. Patrick Jane is one affable bastard, and he's rapidly becoming one of my favourite anti-heroes.

That said, last episode was a bit predictable.

 

But for me the predictability didn't exactly take away from it... When I realized what Jane had done/was doing I smirked and golf clapped.

 

I must say that the ending of the seventh episode, even if predictable, helped me to finally get over the disappointment I felt after the beginning of this season.

The tenth episode showed us what kind of person Patrick was before the Red John. Producers said that they wanted to do that without flashbacks and I liked the results. This also made me wonder if they will ever show the first time Jane and Lisbon met. I'm sure their interactions while solving first case were very amusing.

 

The show entered its final phase with only few suspect remaining.

My guess is that the Red John is Brett Partridge. Every since years ago I read someone pointing out just how ballsy it would be to have your secret main antagonist show up in the first scene of the show and have him say "Red John enters here" the moment he appears he was my favorite. Other than him, only Brett Stiles is a good choice because of his current relationship with Jane and Malcolm McDowell is simply awesome. The rest of possible Red Johns are rather meh.

 

Partridge was killed.

 

He could easily fake it and they didn't show us the body afterwards.

 

Van Pelt and Rigsby at least have their side plot about their relationship. Cho isn't that lucky in this season. Or maybe he is lucky because I expect that this is building up to rather drastic moments for them. I'm guessing the reason will be Van Pelt's past that was never explored. Back in the first season I was suspecting that she has a connection to Red John, maybe even working for him, but I'm not sure it would work out now.

 

Has anyone heard anything about the show continuing after Red John is caught/killed?

 

If it's one of the last three it should be Bertram. Red John should be someone who had more constant presence in the show for more than one season.

 

I agree that Bertram as the Red John wasn't the best choice, but from seven suspects he would be my 3rd/4th choice along with Haffner.

My list before the last episode and expecting the final twist in it:

1) Brett Partridge - my favorite and watching many scenes with him thinking that he is the Red John should explain why. I was expecting a twist with his body in the last episode, but there wasn't any.

2) Bret Stiles - if clues are right he's too old, but of all characters he had the best relationship with Jane and like I said before Malcolm McDowell is simply awesome.

3/4) Raymond Haffner - the actor playing him managed to be suitably creepy for RJ in the last few episodes.

3/4) Gale Bertram - what works for him is his constant presence in the series, but the last episode didn't convince me that he would make a good RJ.

5) Sheriff Thomas McAllister - he's an enigma and that works well for him. On the other hand his character lack necessary presence in the series.

6) Reede Smith - would be the biggest surprise because nothing about him is what most viewers would expect from RJ. Depends how well the actor would portrait him after the revelation.

7) Robert Kirkland - or rather his twin brother. Possible, but my least favorite choice.

 

After accidently seeing "I was really hoping it wasn't..." in tapatalk preview, I raged for a bit. However now after watching the episode I'm pretty sure it isn't him in the first place. There's no way Jane would hold a press conference like that announcing Red John since it would drastically cut the odds for a private confrontation which Jane so badly craves.

 

The episode "Red John" has been leaked...

it was crappy web development on their press release site where press can preview episodes

 

And many people are convinced it's a fake because apparently it was rather disappointing. Can't say I'm expecting it to be the most epic thing ever, but the final showdown between Jane and Red John should be at least as good as the finale of the third season.

 

That was when they should have ended Red John, IMO, and tried for a post-Red John story. That finale was one of the strongest I'd ever seen for a show and then they just swept it under the carpet in season 4.