Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Jane begins under arrest for shooting the man he identified as Red John. Lisbon and the suspended CBI team help him defend himself; a jury acquits him after he defends killing the man he believed murdered his family. In the first case after his return, Tim Carter’s widow dies by suicide and a woman close to the real Red John fails to recognize Carter’s body. Jane has killed an impostor. Jane initially works under Ray Haffner while Lisbon remains suspended; Luther Wainwright later supervises the reunited team.
Jane encounters serial killer James Panzer, whose public confidence makes him a danger to anyone who knows Red John’s methods. Jane steers Panzer into a confrontation that prompts Red John to kill him, then protects FBI agent Susan Darcy from the fallout. Cho begins a relationship with informant Summer, while Rigsby prepares for fatherhood with Sarah. Jane’s search keeps disrupting their lives. After Red John sends a message on the anniversary of his family’s murders, Jane burns his files and provokes Wainwright until the CBI fires him.
Six months later, Jane appears to have collapsed into drinking and cons in Las Vegas. Lorelei Martins reveals she serves Red John and offers his friendship if Jane proves himself by bringing Lisbon’s body. Jane is staging Lisbon and Rigsby’s deaths with help from the team, using a substitute body to sell the story. FBI agent Darcy interrupts the planned meeting. The escape car contains Wainwright, dead and wired to a phone; Red John remains at large, and the CBI takes Lorelei into custody. Jane ends the season with a new living connection to the killer’s network.