Many things make The Mentalist stand out in the popular crime show genre, but one of the most significant is that, unlike many traditional cop procedurals, the series had an overarching villain that taunted the characters of the show, mainly pseudo-psychic and CBI consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), for the majority of the series’ seven-season run. While the show certainly had the typical criminal-of-the-week structure, nearly every episode would contain some reference to Jane’s elusive enemy, who was always lurking in the corners of his vengeful mind. Red John was always a skin-crawling antagonist, introduced in the pilot as the serial killer who murdered Jane’s wife and daughter, but a behind-the-scenes detail that inextricably links Red John and Jane together makes this villain even creepier.
Simon Baker Voiced Red John in ‘The Mentalist’
Though his identity wasn’t revealed until the Season 6 finale, Red John had a huge presence in The Mentalist from the beginning. With the mere mention of his name, the character managed to dominate the atmosphere, becoming the central villain despite limited appearances. After all, the tools were already there to make him terrifying. The serial killer had a sickening MO, as he left his crime scenes in a bloody mess, painted his victims’ nails with blood, and also left his signature tag of a bloody smiley face on the walls. As Jane analyzed, Red John would always make sure the tag was the first thing you saw at a crime scene so that whoever came across it would feel blood-curdling anxiety before finding the body. This more psychologically torturous aspect of his character was mainly conveyed through Jane’s tireless obsession with hunting him down and getting his vengeance on him. It pervaded every element of Jane’s life, from compelling him to join the CBI to his often contentious relationship with the team.
As if his role in the story is not enough, there is a behind-the-scenes Easter Egg that makes the characterization of Red John and his connection to Jane so much worse. In the Season 2 finale, we see a mysterious figure kidnap Jane, clad in a dark hoodie and mask, and we hear Red John’s voice for the very first time as he recites a couple of lines from the famous poem “The Tyger” by William Blake. Yet that voice should be familiar to all fans because, as it turns out, it is actually Baker who voices Red John. Baker reveals this fun detail in an interview with TV Guide. “All those times we heard the voice of Red John? That was me.” He further explains, “There was a point where Bruno [Heller] was saying, ‘We don’t know who we’re going to cast to play [the masked Red John].’ I said, ‘Don’t cast anyone! I’ll do it.’ Bruno was, like, ‘I love it! I love it!'”
The Easter Egg was useful as it prevented them from casting the character too early. It’s not until Season 6 that the show figures out Red John’s identity, and then Xander Berkeley takes over the role. But the series didn’t have to cast him until they knew what they were looking for because, while the mystery went on, Baker continued to play Red John, “funny, wispy little voice” and all. While the voice casting was clearly initially done out of convenience, it could not have been a more perfect choice for this villain. In hindsight, it is not just a fun little detail but renders the antagonist of Red John even more disturbing than before, as it twists his relationship with Jane into something far more chilling.
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Red John and Patrick Jane Are More Connected Than We Thought in ‘The Mentalist’
Jane and Red John share an undeniable connection, though the exact details were unknown for much of the series. Artistically, casting Baker’s voice as Red John’s is just a genius idea to make the audience further subliminally identify the serial killer with Jane. From the script to the tone of his voice, Red John’s villainy is layered with confident intelligence and enigmatic knowing-ness, qualities that also pervade Jane’s speech patterns. These reflected elements make their murderous relationship feel even more intimate and visceral, as each of them match each other move for move, but Red John manages to stay abreast for most of the time. This element may have also contributed to the “Jane is Red John Theory” that exploded around Season 5 on a blog called “Who Is Red John?”
However, Red John’s secret identity aside, finding out that Baker initially voiced Red John does make us perceive the relationship between these two characters differently, drawing attention to their horrifying similarities. They were almost a reflection of each other: both insanely intelligent (and believed they were more so than the other), driven by carnal vengeance, and willing to cross lines to reach the other. These parallels add another layer of psychological torture to Jane’s already fractured psyche. He was already wracked by grief and guilt over his unintended role in his wife and daughter’s death, so the fact that he is essentially chasing himself in the form of Red John is a spine-tingling metaphor, to say the least. The image of a dog chasing his own tail comes to mind, furious and determined, yet never able to reach it.
To make matters worse, Jane always blamed Red John for his frequently unethical behavior at the CBI and during Red John-related investigations. While team leader Lisbon (Robin Tunney) was often irked at Jane’s unorthodox ways, she only ever felt truly hurt and betrayed whenever Jane would ignore her commands or deceive her to get closer to the serial killer. In Jane’s mind, anything was worth it to get a step closer to Red John. Knowing that, in essence, Jane and his worst nightmare were the same person emphasizes that it is Jane who not only psychologically torments himself but impedes his own hopes of healing and forming relationships. Though on the surface, the decision may seem like an easy convenience of not bringing in a new actor, it hints at a much deeper truth for the character. Baker voicing Red John in The Mentalist may be the tiniest of details that we don’t even consciously register, but it has strong implications about Jane and Red John’s deep-seated connection throughout the show, rooting that “funny, wispy little voice” in the darkest depths of Jane’s mind.
The Mentalist is streaming on Hulu in the U.S.
