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I watched Point Blank last night. My, word, I love that episode. Neal is friggin' scary when emotionally charged: focused yet unstable, and gorgeous when broken. And the ending was twice the kick in the gut.
But the Point Blanks tags I've read (most. Not all, but definitely most) almost made me dislike this episode. I'm not a fan of punished!Neal, not a fan of stories where Neal gets himself in trouble, and not a fan of woobie fic. This episode had so much going on, above all Neal - the guy who hates guns and hates violence - having reached a breaking point that had him nearly shoot Fowler, and in turn putting Peter in a position where he might've had to shoot Neal. And at the center of it all, the music box - the reason Kate is dead, the reason Neal went overboard, the reason Mozzie got shot.
So much going on!
And yet the only tags I can find are Peter getting huffy and punishing Neal to teach him a lesson.
It's not that I'm of the mindset that Neal needs to be let off the hook. I'm not a fan of the woobie!Neal tags either (except when I'm feeling frustrated about woobie!Peter tags and need an outlet). It's just that, like I said, there was so much to this episode to really explore. But so far I've only read three stories that dealt with the aftermath without the focus being squarely on putting Neal in his place.
And the interesting thing is, while watching the episode, to me, Peter didn't come off as even remotely angry. Frustrated, maybe. Concerned, yes. But he let Neal listen in on what Fowler had to say. He told Neal calmly afterward to go home. No lecture, no scowl, no growl, no bearing down on Neal in fury. I honestly don't think Peter is mad at Neal. Possibly disappointed? Maybe. But if anything, he's mad and disappointed at the situation. Peter will abide by the law, provide some sort of punishment for Neal, lecture him, remind him of his tenuous situation, but I highly doubt that he's going to waste his attention and energy on being mad at Neal when there's so much else happening.
Point Blank has become not unlike Trinity (an episode of Stargate Atlantis): lots of great emotions, lots to explore, but the tags a lesson in frustration. They're popular, I get that, and there's nothing wrong with that since people do enjoy them. But when a certain trope becomes all prevalent, for those wanting something different, who see something different, frustration is inevitable.
FYI: I do plan on writing a Point Blank tag, but I want to wait and see how the premiere pans out. I'm a canon junky like that :D
But the Point Blanks tags I've read (most. Not all, but definitely most) almost made me dislike this episode. I'm not a fan of punished!Neal, not a fan of stories where Neal gets himself in trouble, and not a fan of woobie fic. This episode had so much going on, above all Neal - the guy who hates guns and hates violence - having reached a breaking point that had him nearly shoot Fowler, and in turn putting Peter in a position where he might've had to shoot Neal. And at the center of it all, the music box - the reason Kate is dead, the reason Neal went overboard, the reason Mozzie got shot.
So much going on!
And yet the only tags I can find are Peter getting huffy and punishing Neal to teach him a lesson.
It's not that I'm of the mindset that Neal needs to be let off the hook. I'm not a fan of the woobie!Neal tags either (except when I'm feeling frustrated about woobie!Peter tags and need an outlet). It's just that, like I said, there was so much to this episode to really explore. But so far I've only read three stories that dealt with the aftermath without the focus being squarely on putting Neal in his place.
And the interesting thing is, while watching the episode, to me, Peter didn't come off as even remotely angry. Frustrated, maybe. Concerned, yes. But he let Neal listen in on what Fowler had to say. He told Neal calmly afterward to go home. No lecture, no scowl, no growl, no bearing down on Neal in fury. I honestly don't think Peter is mad at Neal. Possibly disappointed? Maybe. But if anything, he's mad and disappointed at the situation. Peter will abide by the law, provide some sort of punishment for Neal, lecture him, remind him of his tenuous situation, but I highly doubt that he's going to waste his attention and energy on being mad at Neal when there's so much else happening.
Point Blank has become not unlike Trinity (an episode of Stargate Atlantis): lots of great emotions, lots to explore, but the tags a lesson in frustration. They're popular, I get that, and there's nothing wrong with that since people do enjoy them. But when a certain trope becomes all prevalent, for those wanting something different, who see something different, frustration is inevitable.
FYI: I do plan on writing a Point Blank tag, but I want to wait and see how the premiere pans out. I'm a canon junky like that :D
