What About the Mentalist?

I've been a fan of the Mentalist for a couple of years now. Last week, I stumbled upon the season finale by accident and was caught completely by surprise with what happened.

Patrick Jane has been a pretty off-beat character from the beginning. He tends to say strange things to people but usually what he says turns out to be an insightful device to get at the truth. However, meeting the infamous Red John in the middle of a shopping mall and then shooting him in cold blood was shocking to me. This terrifying killer has been the subject of Jane's search since the first episode. Red John deserved what he got, but is Patrick the kind of person to shoot a man in cold blood, then sit down near the body and finish a cup of tea? I didn't think so.

What will happen to Patrick next season? Will we have a season filled with a long, drawn-out murder trial? I hope not. What have the writers accomplished?

What did you think about the season finale of the Mentalist.