Bret Stiles is the major antagonist of The Mentalist TV-show. He is a Visualize Church leader. He was played by Malcolm McDowell.
Biography[]
Bret appears in the series quite often. He is constantly accused of murders that he did not commit. However, it is made clear that Bret killed the previous leader of the cult he led, as well as the sheriff investigating his first murder. One day, Patrick proves Bret's innocence of another murder, and he, in gratitude, frees Lorelei Martins from prison. Lorelei lets slip that Patrick and Red John know each other. Soon Patrick makes a list of the seven people most suitable for the role of Red John. Bret is among them. Soon Partridge (one of the seven) is found murdered. So, Red John is not him. It soon turns out that Robert Kirkland (another of the seven) is a vigilante who wants to take revenge on Red John for his brother. So, Kirkland is also out of the question (because one, the real Red John knew very well, who are Patrick's suspects (unlike Robert, who didn't), and two, Red John doesn't need to destroy the fake suspects (and he wouldn't have gotten revenge against himself)). Soon, Reede Smith (the third of the seven) kills him on Red John's orders (which is the very first implication, that Reede isn't Red John either as he merely does what he is ordered to, while Red John is possibly the leader of the Blake Association). Patrick gathers the remaining five at his home and tries to figure out who Red John is. However, an explosion occurs in his home. Stiles and Haffner (another final suspect) are killed.
Personality[]
Stiles can be called a rather charismatic character. He lures gullible people into his cult. He is also friendly and polite. Unfortunately, his politeness does not save him from Red John. It can also be said that Stiles does not kill often (by the standards of the series), and is generally not very prone to violence (although he did kill his predecessor). He can also be called a link between Red John and Patrick, as he is friends with both.
Trivia[]
- Much like Linus Wagner or Steve Rigsby, he is one of the least evil villains in The Mentalist TV-show.
- He is also a rare villain to be rather amoral than truly evil