White Collar Review

[kriadydragon]

Hm.
Hmmmmm.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Did I like this episode? Young Neal. So adorable. Young Neal meets Mozzie. Mozzie with Toupee and goatee - hee! :D Neal conning Moz - clever boy;) And Moz dumps his own partner to team up with Neal. As much as I adore the idea of Moz saving a young homeless Neal, I always had the feeling their meeting was a lot more simple. Peter with a mustache. Puppy Satchmo eating Neal's bond - awwww! Neal gave Peter a sucker... I mean lolly.

Big friggin' con and, oh noes, the mark cons them! Neal and Kate... awwww :D Neal is such a romantic, I love that about him :D I'm guessing that Neal wasn't born rich after all if Adler pretty much introduced him to this lifestyle. I like that bit of info. It's not much, but it's something.

And Peter eats the lolly :D

Overall, though, I don't think we learned anything new about Neal that we didn't already know except that he didn't start off knowing how to live the high life and that he and Moz met on more simple terms. I guess I was hoping to learn a lot more about Neal, so went in with my expectations a little too high. Rule number one when it comes to me and movies/shows - never go in with expectations. You're a lot less likely to end up disappointed.

I really could have done without the sex scenes, even if they were mostly off screen. But that's pretty much a personal issue. It's just... not something I want to see, even if it is off screen. I don't like sex scenes, whether hinted at or not, and hate that shows feel sex a must to make a show good. I know plenty of shows that didn't have a lick of sex in them and they did just fine. Better than fine, even. And I know shows chalked full of sex that flopped big time. I know people say sex sells but I don't buy that (pun intended ;)). But I know that's the way shows are, and it's something I mostly ignore.

On a more aesthetic note, I think the portrayal of Neal's and Kate's relationship would have benefited from focusing less on the physical aspect and a lot more on the emotional aspect. In other words, cut the love making aftermath short and show Neal and Kate doing something that was very much them: talking about art over pizza, Kate painting and Neal running commentary, a slice of daily life that wasn't just them sleeping together. Them sleeping together was a given, I wanted something that wasn't a given. And, hey, Neal could have just as easily been shirtless in a slice of life scene. We know he likes to sculpt shirtless ;)

The Neal and Alex scene squicked me for some reason, I don't know why. I'm not against Neal/Alex but... I don't know, there was just something about it. It was very cliche, I guess: Neal can't get the girl so he sleeps with the first woman he comes across. Or perhaps because, like many, I guess I was under the impression he had dated Alex first then met Kate. The Neal/Alex scene felt too much like a one night stand thing. I don't know, I just didn't like it.

So, yeah, lots and lots of mixed feelings.

On another note, I'm seriously of the opinion that Neal may be just a smidge off his rocker. Everything he did he pretty much did for Kate, he got caught just to see Kate, stole the music box for Kate, went behind Peter's back for Kate, almost killed Fowler for Kate. Holy cow, Neal, maybe you shouldn't fall in love!

Although maybe it's not fair to blame it all on poor Kate. As Elizabeth once said, there's being in love with someone and being in love with the idea, and I think, deep down, Neal was in love with an idea. All Neal wanted was a perfect, quiet life with the woman he loved, and was willing to do whatever it took to get that life, even going so far as nearly conning Kate herself. Yes, he enjoyed what he did, but at the end of the day it was all about Kate. Boy's got some issues :/

So maybe we did learn a lot more about him. Or at the least separated a lot more canon from fanon.

So, though I could have done without all the love-making aftermath, overall it was an okay ep.

ETA: Okay, one thing this episode definitely does is make the Neal/Kate relationship a lot more poignant, because we're finally being shown instead of just being told. I'll also admit that I may not have been in the right head space while watching this ep. There's a lot of things as of late that I'm not as tolerant of as I used to be, I don't know why, and it may have gotten in the way of my viewing this ep.

Comments

[justtheficsmaam.livejournal.com]

When I saw Peter with the mustache I immediately put my hand in the air and did the Mario jump like Neal. Hee.

Agreed on the sex scenes, they really took me out of the premise of the boys talking about old times. I highly doubt that Neal included descriptions of sweaty after sex talk.

What I really want is a fic of that failed Copenhagen con now.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I highly doubt that Neal included descriptions of sweaty after sex talk.

Very true. Though it was probably something along the lines of, "Well, we slept together, then talked..." Or something more vague. Neal does love his innuendos :D

The only Copenhagen fic I've seen are ones where Alex has Neal's baby. Why is it so hard to find simple fic with no strings attached? :/

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

First of all: There goes my story idea...I always thought that in truth, Neal took the fall for Kate to avoid that they got her on the bonds.

Second: They should have skipped the mustache...does nothing to the episode, and contradicts with Diana having a photo of it and Neal being ready to break out of prison to see it. Another slight contradiction was the dutchman-case: Peter didn't get this one before 2007 (although it's possible that another agent was working on it beforehand).

Otherwise: While I'm sad of seeing my story idea go out of the window, I quite like it that Peter got Neal on something he did at the very beginning of his "career". Later on, he was simply too good to pin something on him. I also like the idea that Neal was conned on his first con (and it's somewhat sad that Neal really wanted to stay on the straight and narrow and ended up with nothing...that explains so much about his character).

I could have done with less "Kate" overall. Especially Kate-Kissing. And yes, I too would have preferred the "Alex was there first" variant insteat of a one-night stand. Even the "they hooked up when Kate left Neal, but in the end, he couldn't life without Kate-idea would have worked. I think, they just destroyed her character for me.

In the end, we learned at least a little bit about Neal: He didn't like to dress up, but he was allready knowledgable about wine. He learned most about conning from Mozzie (yeah! I'm still laughing about the "Walt Disney"-Quote!), but was already a forger and very good with his hands (okay, that sounds kind of dirty).


On a side note: Did Neal just got full immunity for stealing the Rafael? Sara will hate that....

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

Rethinking, I think it's mostly the timeline-inconsistences irking me...ie the probie time at the FBI is three years, if Diana had already been one when Neal got arrested, she couldn't have been one four years later, too. And when did Neal have the time to have a love triangle with Kate and Keller? Must have been a really short one. Plus, according to an earlier episode, the FBI got their first bleep on Neal three years before Peter got the case. (Why is it that show writers never bother to make a sheet of facts they put in the show, just to make sure that they don't contradict themselfes.

And what where they doing, basically taking the Origami and the bottle from Neal? Things like that used to be his trademark, now they are Alex trademark and Mozzies idea (making Neal a copist).

I think they tried to hard to put all persons and all significants items in the episode...less had been more in that case. I could have done without Jones and Diana in this one. (and without the hat).

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I didn't really pay attention to the timeline issues myself. though, yeah, some things did kind of ping as as "wait a minute, but in this episode they said/did/etc..." But the wine and origami... yes, that was supposed to be Neal's thing, dang it! Although with the origami thing I just assumed Neal had taught Alex, because Alex did say in another ep that she "learned from the best." He probably taught her over drinks. So, technically, if you think about it, the origami is still his.

Yeah, not too happy with Alex anymore, either. Their meeting and teaming up was just too quick. Maybe there was more of a relationship off screen, but as is it just doesn't really work since I was given the impression they had more of a relationship than that. The one night stand really made me squirm (and has become, for me, one of those things that "did not happen" or happened differently from what we were shown, as far as I'm concerned).

I agree that they did try to fit a lot into one episode. It was more an explanation/confirmation episode than an actual reveal of anything. I actually didn't mind all the Kate stuff as I think it helped to explain a lot more about Neal. For example, that he wasn't a thief just for the fun of it. He enjoyed it, yes - most likely enjoyed being able to outsmart others - but overall there was a goal: living happily ever after with the woman he loved. It makes Kate's death all the more heartbreaking, if you think about it.

I also liked how they finally caught Neal. Very appropriate for Neal, I think :D

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

Oh, I really hope that he taught her over dinner...and perhaps, they picked up where they left in Kopenhagen, but Neal was still pining after Kate, so it didn't work out...Neal has such a protective instinct, Alex being hurt would have tugged his feelings.

(Sorry for spamming you LJ, but this episode really has me reeling...I had to redo my whole timeline because of it! (perhaps that is the reason I noticed those little mistakes more, because I spend a lot of time putting together all the information).

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

No problem :D I love discussing this stuff.

Yes, there could have been more between Neal and Alex during Coppenhagen. At least I hope so as that would make more sense. That could also be the time in which Kate went with Keller. But with Neal and Kate still being in love, neither relationship lasted very long.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

Keller being with Kate during this time doesn't fit at all for me...it always sounded like Keller was trying to be with Kate when she and Neal were still working with Mozzie.

(And I really don't trust Kate...the step back when the FBI barged in was telling. It would have been different if Neal had pushed her lightly out of the way, but she steps away from him in her own accord...and I really hope that this was the writers intention, otherwise they did a really bad job portraing her).

[doctor-fangeek.livejournal.com]

Wandered into this conversation from a friend's friends list. A couple of things you mentioned that I hadn't thought about but like: Peter catching Neal on something he'd done early on (and them not being able to get him on any of the later stuff) - good observation. Immunity for the Rafael? Oh, the places that could go. :-)

I liked the episode a lot, though thinking to hard about the timelines can cause problems (e.g. How long was poor Diana a probie?). Speaking of Neal being too good for them to pin anything on him - it would have been nice to see more of his criminal career, given how the rest of the series has sold said career as being pretty amazing. We did get what a talented forger he is (even early on), but beyond that it was maybe a little underwhelming. On the other hand, given that the point of the story was his background with Adler, maybe that stuff wasn't so important.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

Well, there were a lot of other details which struck me...like Neal only cashing two of the bonds in half a year before he meet Mozzie, living cheap (but tasteful cheap) and taking money from street husslers (who doesn't deserve it better, and his "bright eyed innocent"-act was great)...it's like his heart wasn't really in it at this time.

Or the fact that Neal is NOT wearing a T-Shirt, although he isn't a suit-guy yet.

(I really would love to be able to read what is written on this FBI-Board in the end)...

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I think more back story is in order :D Not just where Neal came from but his various cons and heists. We've gotten a few episodes where past "acquiantances" have come back to haunt Neal and would love to see more of that in the extreme. One episode I would love to see is someone going after Neal's stash and so going after Neal :D

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

I still want to know the most where he did come from originally (and I don't think the "rich" idea has died yet...somewhere he must have learned about wine (and where did he learn Japanese?)...rich does not necessarily mean refined, and it is entirely impossible that Neal originally rejected all those "fine" things because he wanted to set himself apart from his family. (And the Crime-family is still on the plate too...and I have a new one: and artist family).

I really wish for a high quality pic of the board in the background in the FBI, where all those facts about Neal are written on...

[ladyniko.livejournal.com]

I do agree with you on leaving the sex out of the Neal/Kate scenes because seriously? We knew that about them - Neal is a very romantic person and that's all part of who he is. I think you're right in that Neal was seriously in love with the idea of being in love more than he actually loved Kate. Yes, there was some connection there with her, yes he may have loved her but I think his ideas were a bit screwy.

How much of the whole stealing the music box was for Kate, or was it because Alex dangled a large carrot in front of him and the idea of it is what he was more after?

Kate, well, I still wonder where her loyalties really lie because of the whole 1st season debacle.

It was some insight into Neal's past, but not nearly enough. Nice to see that he hasn't given up his art - it was good to see him painting at the beginning of the ep. :)

The mystery continues and I'm looking forward to seeing them figure out this mystery they've been handed.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I do think that Neal's love for Kate was pure. As I mentioned to Wildcat, the idea he was in love with was the perfect life with her. They had that life for a time when working for Adler, but once Adler vanished it was gone. I do think Neal wanted to steal the box for Kate. It was mentioned in a comment above how we see that Neal's heart isn't really in to living a life of crime. What he did he did either for that perfect life or to get Kate back. I don't doubt I think he enjoyed it - especially being able to outsmart his targets and the FBI - but at the end of the day, it was about spending the rest of his life in peace with the woman he loved.

Oh, Neal! He really is such a romantic, thus why the Neal/Alex scene bugged me. Neal just doesn't strike me as a one-night stand kind of guy, though even I have to admit that in this case it was understandable. He was heart broken that Kate had a boyfriend, and Alex was right there. I don't condone the action, but I do understand the mindset behind it.

I'm still iffy on Kate as well but my own theory is that Kate did love Neal but got in over her head. I think what we have here is a case of the unreliable narrator. Because if you think about it, when Peter tells Neal about his conversation with Kate, we get a rather uncaring Kate. When Neal talks about Kate, she's pretty much perfect. Whether the writers are doing this on purpose or not is the question. Maybe they really are having a hard time selling Kate as the perfect love of Neal's life, or maybe they're trying to confuse us, getting us ready for an even bigger story in the works. Who knows.

Yes! We got artist!Neal. I totally forgot to mention that:D

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

Well, the big question is still: Who is the person Kate called when Neal didn't go onto the plane immediatly (not to mention the small detail with the pilot who would have been killed by Kate's plan). I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out to be Adler in the end.

BTW, what I really liked about the storyline is that the writers were leaving the "well, Neal get caught up in it because he happend to steal the music box" path. The whole thing always felt more personal for me, so it is fitting that the man behind is someone from Neal's past. (I really love that figure...it's like a more creepier version of Neal with a twisted version of Peter's leader and mentor abilities thrown in).

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

The whole thing always felt more personal for me, so it is fitting that the man behind is someone from Neal's past

Yes! I loved that as well :D I adore story lines like that, where much bigger things are going on and it's not a matter of chance after all.

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

I liked it. The whole thing. The whole sleeping with Alex thing was to set up Kate's jealousy and keep her from going to Copenhagen. I think that's very telling on Neal's part. Basically he chose Alex and the con over Kate. (Though I found his retelling intriguing - a three person job that failed because Kate wasn't there. Why didn't he get a third? Where was Mozzie? Did he unconsciously not invite a third so it would fail?)

I caught that mention of the stolen Raphael though Neal didn't actually say he stole it. Kate said she heard it was stolen and he responded that he thought that would catch her attention. Did he really steal it or was he merely commenting that he knew she would notice? Was he taking credit again like with the music box? Sara can still nail him on it. Peter just can't use the conversation to arrest him. If he gets other proof though...

I think Neal was truly, deeply in love with Kate, the woman not the idea. He had something precious, let it go, and spent a lot of time trying to get it back. I suspect she might have been the one person in his life that he could trust. She wasn't a con when they met. She wasn't trying to play him or get something from him. He could truly be himself with her. Had he ever been able to do that (with anyone) before?

Thought of you when I was watching because I knew you wanted Neal backstory and this was more of showing how his life began to intersect with Peter's. Baby steps - maybe now that's been covered, they'll have a chance to introduce his early history.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

Actually, I feel that Kate was (is?) hinterhanded even more than before...if the writers want to show that she was an innocent one, they thoroughly failed in my case. After all, she is the one who gives Neal the hint about the name tags. She is the one who throws over her boyfriend for Neal (or Nick), which leaves a really bad aftertaste. She was also the one running cons all over the contry and didn't get caught (which makes her a better con-man (con-girl?) than Neal, although it may be because she did small stuff). And what's the first thing she does when they realize that the FBI is right behind Neal? She steps away.

Actually, I won't be surprised if in the end it turnes out that she either worked for Adler the whole time (keeping an eye on Neal for him) or that she was working for him again when Neal found her.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I liked the ep, but would have liked it more without all the sex. As I said in my post above, it was a given and I think more time could have been spent on other things. I understand why they had Neal sleep with Alex, I just didn't like it. But, as I said I guess it's because, like many, I was under the impression that he and Alex had dated, then he met Kate. So I was a little put off that they just had a one night stand. It felt a bit cheap and skeevy, but I can't say it didn't entirely work since Neal was a little heart broken that Kate was with another man.

I don't doubt Neal loved Kate to bits. When I say he was in love with an idea I don't mean he was in love with Kate for what she could be or what he only "thought" she was. I mean he was in love with the idea of the perfect life - a stable, quiet life with the woman he loved. Which, in a way, they had until Adler took off with the money. Thus why Neal went after the music box. It wasn't about the box or the job, it was about that final end-all heist that would get them everything they (or mostly Neal) ever dreamed of. I don't think he chose the box and Alex over Kate - as you said, he loves Kate too much. He was doing it for Kate (he even said so), even though it wasn't what Kate wanted him to do (obsessions can be like that).

I think we did get a few tid-bits on Neal, more confirmation than anything else. But I think they really need to do more meaty back stories on him, because right now he's almost like this entity that appeared out of nowhere. I mean, in this ep Neal's story begins with him arriving in New York, but we don't even know why. But it's only a matter of time before we get something on Neal that isn't just about him and Kate.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

Still thinking about the episode...

After this one, I'm actually even more sure than ever that Neal came from a situation of neglect (not physical abuse). Because his one reason to throw over the con was not the money he made legally but his believe that "they care about me". It's like Neal is alway seeking love and approval. (Even worse that he got betrayed again and again...even Mozzie is first only interested in his skills). I actually don't think that he is in love with an ideal!Kate but with the idea of a everlasting love, of the knowledge that there is someone always there for him.

Arghhh...I have again uncovered some timeline issues: When exactly did Kate and Neal exchange coded messages as "the Feds closed in"? Before Neal went to europe (no much need for codes back than, right)? Later they couldn't because he didn't knew where she was. And when did he tell her where he had hidden his booty? It's a little bit hard to tell things like that while sitting in prison. (And by the way, when gave Neal her the bottle when he gave it to Adler? Or is this supposed to be another one?)

I really wish those writers had made a fact sheet before writing this episode....

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

They were together for a while before Kate left, so it was probably then. And the Feds closing in could have been a gradual process, or a series of close calls, such as burning each of Neal's aliases, staking out places Neal and Kate used as hideouts, gaining bits and pieces of info and so on. There were probably times they were separated and to play it safe wrote in code. Kate also gave coded messages to Neal in prison, I believe.

I'm starting to suspect that this show relies a lot on what happens off screen.

Neglect would definitely make sense. I remember somewhere someone talking about an interview in which Matt Bomer felt Neal to be a survivor, which I think this episode touched on (he taught Kate how to "survive" and knew how to hustle hustlers to earn extra cash). He has a lot of skills and knowledge for someone as young as him, which definitely points to someone who's probably had to take care of himself early on. I really hope that's the kind of background they give Neal, because anything else wouldn't make much sense.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

And by "that kind of background" I mean a background that coincides with Neal having to take care of himself and learn fast in order to survive.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

I don't know...he can't have been that long be on his own when he meet Mozzi...I mean, he knew enough to con the card player, but considering that he only cashed two bonds in half a year (likely everytime he had no other choice)and that he told Peter that Mozzie taught him and Kate to survive, I think he was simply a talented Newbie...streetwise and clever enough to get by, but not the "grew up on the streets of Detroit"-type Mozzie is. (strangely we know more about the ever elusive Mozzie than about him...that he was in foster care (never adopted), that being a boy scout didn't work out for him, that he grew up running cons on the streets of Detroit).

Neal is a surviver, no doubt, but I don't buy the "had to care of himself early on" idea...I think he grew up in a financial secure situation before leaving High school (before graduation), otherwise I don't see how it is possible that he wasn't already hardened by the time he meet Mozzie.

I can totally see it...the first bonds most like were more an experiment, but when he really was hard on money, he cashed the first one...and for the first time, he actually got money for one of his "works" (I mean, he even signed the damn things).

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Heh, we do know more about Mozzie - Mr. secret and paranoid - than the more open Neal ;)

When I mean take care of himself I mean more he probably had to cook for himself, maybe had to clean up the house because his parent/s were working. That kind of thing. I definitely think he had a good life, not necessarily well off, but a life where he was loved. I think I've mentioned before where I'm of the opinion that his life was somewhere in between - not hard and full of ordeals but not really a white-picket suburbia upbringing. I definitely don't think he was abused, and if he was neglected it could be a matter of him having been left alone a lot but not out of choice (again, going back to the working parent/s).

Specifically I always pictured Neal as having grown up with his mom, maybe moving from place to place, life simple one moment then hard the next. Maybe his mother had been a con artist herself, not at Neal's current level, just enough to help them get by. Or maybe she had been at Neal's level, conning her way into the homes of the rich and famous, giving Neal a taste of that lifestyle (thus why he knows a little bit about it). But that's pretty much a personal theory, one of many but the only one I've given the most thought to, and I highly doubt it'll turn out to be fact.

I hate it when a show takes for ever to give us any info on a character's background. I've mentioned before that I've seen other shows do this, only for the background to be something easy and cheap or certain aspects of a person's background never revealed. And it's frustrating, because there's so much potential there for episodes. Plus it also helps us to understand the characters better, helps solidify who they are. We've gotten everyone else's past - even Kate's and she's hardly on the show! And yet NEal, one of the leads, continues to be this vague entity.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, it adds to Neal's mystery...I just hope that if the writers put out additional details, they are well rounded and fit better in what they told before. (i.e. another reason I'm not too found of Peter's riding scene is that I have trouble to put his abilities as a rider together with the son of a middle class hard working parent...but that's mostly because riding is a very expensive sport in my country, something for the upper middle class or richer. It may be different in the US, but for me the whole riding thing feels like "hey, the actor can ride, let's use that" instead of "hey, that fits the characters"). I may be a little hung up with the details, but since the show is definitly character-driven, nothing will destroy it sooner that not being careful with the portrayal (nevertheless I hope they will do a normal case again, soon...as much as I like some development in the music-box story, a little bit back to the basics inbetween would be nice).

It's funny, I always picture Neal with an overbearing father...you know, the kind of father who wants to make "a man" out of him, teaches him to shoot and absolutely doesn't want him to do this pansy painting stuff. And constantly tells him that he is a disappointment, because he doesn't man up enough for his standarts. And perhaps a mother, who loves and nutures him, but he either lost, or betrayed him by leaving his father, leaving him behind. (I sometimes have the feeling that for all the flirting he does, he has more respect for women than men in the end, especially taff women).

Either the show tells us more about Neal's orgin, soon, or they do it never...I can totally life with never, because it gives so much room for great ff-stories. (It would be a great theme for a challenge...if ten writers or so are writing a story about Neal's orgin, it would be interesting to read what the result would be (hopefully not only abused orphan stories)).

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Well, as I said, it was one theory out of many, but the one that got stuck in my head for some reason. I have another theory where Neal is raised by his dad instead of mom, and his dad was a con man. And another where both parents are con artists. My theories are pretty much all over the place at this point.

Horse riding - and owning - is pretty common in the US. Usually it's just a matter of having the land to put them on. My sister has a horse and a pony that we keep on a friend's land. We're not even close to rich, but as long as the horses are healthy they're not expensive to own. I doubt Peter's family owned horses but he could've had a friend or neighbor who did. But, yeah, the riding thing felt rather... show-offy, I guess: as I mentioned in another post, it felt very much like they were trying to push how cool Peter was but it ended up over the top.

I've had a few... I don't want to say bad... but annoying experiences with shows and character back story. Once upon a time it wasn't something I really even cared about until a show left out a bunch of back story for this one character that, really, for the sake of the show making sense needed to be explained. Then another show hit everyone with a whammy when the back story ended up being the complete opposite of what everyone thought, and sent the fanficcers of that fandom for a major loop.

And as someone who wants to be a professional writer, I know how important back story is to understanding a character - sympathizing and empathizing with them, as well as getting inside their heads to predict what they'll do next. As much as I love speculating, I have no love for cliches, and many writers will settle either for something generic (Ex. Neal is a thief because he thinks it's fun to steal) or something that doesn't make any sense (which is why I'm not a big fan of the idea of Neal coming from a rich background in fanfic. Some authors can make it work, but some authors don't make it work, and when they don't make it work, it makes Neal seem like he's a selfish, spoiled brat stealing just to keep up the life style he lost).

Now that I think about it, though, it's not so much a complete back story that I really want, just more than what we're given. That is, more clues about who he is before he moved to New York and met Mozzie and Kate. For example, when did he stop attending highschool? Why did he come to New York? Why forge bonds first instead of paintings? Little bits and pieces here and there since we're getting bits and pieces with everyone else. Really, it's only fair.

I do think we will get back story because back story eventually happens even if it's incomplete or not what we expected. I get the feeling the show is either still working on Neal's past or is saving it up for a particular episode. But one of these days, we will know more about Neal beyond Kate and Adler.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

I still haven't give up the rich idea...(and I'm rapidly warming up on the Crime family variant or something similiar unusual and exciting)...but I don't think that Neal ever stole just to be rich. He just thought that he had to be rich to get the secure life he wanted. He couldn't do a real job with decent pay (not without a high school diploma), there are a lot of starving artists out there, and without the one big hit, he would be forced to do the hustle until the police caught him. I think, ironically he went for the big money to stop stealing. Which explains why he has not too much trouble settling in the live as Peter's consultant.

He enjoys the high life, but I think he mostly lives it, because it gives him an edge in dealing with people. Mmm...I think, if this season doesn't throw over my story idea, too, I may write a background story about Neal, just for the fun of it.

I just hope that they don't make up an even older connection between Neal and Adler (but I hope that they will do an episode with a lot of interaction beween those two...there really wasn't enough of it in the last episode).

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

The advantage of not having live television is that I skip things like sex scenes... Overall, I didn't love the episode. I think part of the fun of a character like Neal is the mystery of him. When the show first started, they didn't seem to have things like his background determined yet, which was cool, cause it forced them to keep things mysterious and vague. To do this ep required that they cement a background, which was inevitably not going to live up to imagination. All in all, I think it's made Neal, and even Mozzie, less interesting. Of course, there's always the question of what Neal was up to before he came to New York, as he was clearly already skilled in the ways of the hustle before meeting Mozzie, so all is not lost on the interesting mystery front.