‘The Mentalist’ season 6, episode 4 preview: A fake list of Red John suspects arises

Now that there is a wedding done and over with on “The Mentalist,” it is time to press onward to what remains the next order of business (and a pretty enormous one, at that): Trying to solve the mystery of Red John. He is the villain that has long eluded Jane and killed so many of the people that he loves, and now for him, the mission should be clear: To take him down by any means necessary. Is Red John going to be unmasked on next week’s episode? That isn’t going to happen, but Jane could at least be closer to making it happen.

Next week’s episode is called “Red-Handed,” and the synopsis reveals that a master plan (or at least something that was meant to be a master plan) for Simon Baker’s character is going to go completely awry:

“Jane reveals that a list of fake Red John suspects he planted was stolen, and the team realizes these men are in danger.”

The problem that we see ourselves running into when it comes to “The Mentalist” is that there may not be any way at all for the show to actually live up to its own hype. The Red John case has been the centerpiece of the show for years, and it feels almost impossible to come to an ending that makes everyone happy. The best analogy to draw here is almost to a series finale for a beloved show and while “The Mentalist” isn’t ending, this will be the end of an era, and if there is one thing that our years in this business have taught us, it’s that people will complain over any little thing in a series finale (or huge reveal) if they get a chance. Heck, some people even hated the ending to “Breaking Bad” even though it was tied up perfectly. Showrunners just can’t win.

Based on the promo below, do you think that the Red John mystery is about to get a million times crazier, and do you think that there is any way the show manages to live up to this impossible hype? Share your thoughts below, and click here for our full take on the wedding.

Photo: CBS