The Mentalist (TV series): Do you think the character of Red John is a bit far fetched in terms  of his abilities?

Yes it a bit far fetched but at the same time Jane is too. So it's all cool with me.

Of course he's far fetched. No one complains that Lex Luthor or The Joker are far fetched. Wait a minute, you say, Patrick Jane isn't a super hero! No. He's not. But Red John would be a terribly boring antagonist if he were a run of the mill baddie. If he were just another, slightly above average intelligence, criminal, they would have to have caught him by now. Otherwise the question would be whether or not Patrick and his CBI team are idiots since they haven't caught him yet.

I would start a new trend and say that it is plausible for such a character to exist. Not only are these people willing to go to jail but I am sure they will give their life in an instant if the situation calls for that. The trick is that no one knows what this person looks like, so this Red John can be anyone, even a janitor and will be able to keep tabs on everyone while staying in a very close proximity to them. Another point is that we don't know what Red John has on others: they could have either overstepped their authority in the past or could have had done something in their youth or even were set up to fall into a trap. Either way, this threat can be completely perceived by the victims (and therefore, unfounded) but it's not about what it actually is: it's all about what they THINK it is. Red John is a psychopath, as it has been established many times in the past. Red John may have committed just a couple of crimes but many others may have been attributed to him, so the number ballooned to the point of making him the worst villain alive. This only works for him and he just needs to present himself - in person, in writing, over the phone - to have the victim paralyzed with fear. (Yes, I've seen too many episodes).

Just a little.However,i I think there are many real-life individuals with exactly the same powers like Red John has.Also,taking into account that it is tv serial,it's ok.