kriadydragon | White Collar Episode Review

Okay, first off, Neal got a haircut, I'm sure of it. It looks nice. either that or he's even thinner.

Second off - Mozzie did it, so congrats to the people who guessed him.

Third off, mixed feelings ahoy! I can't say that I'm happy. Yes, the treasure thing has yet to be resolved, the show didn't go straight for a quick fix. But... not really happy with what happened. I thought for sure it would be more Neal dithering over whether to go or stay, to tell Peter and clear his name or not to tell. Not jump straight to escape plans. It just... weirded me out that we go from Neal no longer wanting to run to Neal ready to bolt. What the heck did I miss?

The only thing I can figure is that Peter's accusation followed by seeing all the treasure acted as a kind of trigger for Neal. Peter doesn't trust Neal, Neal figures that to tell Peter would only get him into more trouble, he's frustrated, he's tired of his current life, tired of never being trusted, under the impression that everything he and Peter have been through means nothing to Peter, so he thinks "why the heck not?" and decides to take what he has and run.

Or, some of you will say, the temptation was just too much for Neal to pass up.

But it was just such a sudden and easy decision, and it made me really uncomfortable throughout the episode, especially the whole deal with switching out the piece of painting. It all just felt rather OOC to me. I also kept expecting a twist. Not the twist of the plane being used to smuggle the money, but something else - such as, for example, Neal changes his mind or Neal was going to give the treasure to Mozzie but stay behind. The show has a bit of a bad habit of doing this: making you think things that aren't actually happening or going happen. For example, many of us believed that Kate was still alive, that Kate was working for Adler and didn't really love Neal, that Alex was working for Adler, and so on. In the case of this episode, I kept feeling like there was more going on with Neal and Mozzie preparing to run, but apparently there wasn't. But I chalk that up to my frustration with how easily Neal decided to run, and with stolen "Nazi" loot. Ugh, I do not look forward to the fanfic for this ep. I wonder how many are going to have a falling out with Neal for keeping the loot (or how many are going to crow that this proves just how much of a bad person Neal is) *shudders*

(And, actually, it does feel like a quick fix but a different kind of quick fix - getting Neal and Peter back to their tentative relationship. Which I know is something a lot of people wanted, but, again, so sudden and so easy. Too easy, even.)

But, my issues aside, I'm hopeful, because this is just the premiere, and this episode opens up a whole new character arc for Neal. I can see his "dithering" progressing, each episode giving him a reason to stay. I really hope that's the case and it isn't nothing but cat and mouse between Neal and Peter with no development. I like that there was trust starting to form, plus I don't want Neal portrayed as "once a criminal, always a criminal." The show is going to have to make up it's mind at some point in time whether Neal continues his criminal ways or not. Being a Neal fan, I crossing my fingers for the former. I really don't want to see him go through everything he goes through just to end up back at square one. I want to see him have a happily ever after - a legal happily ever after.

It didn't start off with Sara and Neal sleeping together, yay!

The fencing scene was intense. I'm not a fencing fan (apologies to those who are) but that fight was crazy awesome. Neal's a dangerous guy when he wants to be. I love it :D

That Neal set aside his escape plan to save Jones also gave me hope.

Another thing I like about this ep is that we see both men's flaws - Peter's black and white mentality making him quick to accuse (and a bit of a smug jerk), Neal's need for the good life making him cave to temptation. Which I think will make for a good character arc for the both of them. Hopefully, the show won't just be about Neal winning back Peter's trust, but Peter winning back Neal's trust as well, to the point that Neal ends up telling Peter about the treasure (another reason I'm not looking forward to the fic for this ep. There's a tendency to make Peter always right, Neal always wrong and putting Neal in his place, and I really hate running into those kinds of stories).

Finally, what the crap happened to the previews! It just ends and jumps straight to Covert Affairs. No credits, no nothing. *Iz Annoyed!*

ETA: Okay, okay, okay, I know what it is that I felt like was missing - Neal actually voicing his anger and frustration and saying something along the lines of it being time to go. I think the show was relying a lot on show rather than tell, something I'm all for and that probably worked well enough for some, but for me I would have liked a bit of tell, just something to really help drive home why Neal was running and help to make Neal seem less that he was just caving to greed. I do think Neal running is more than just "yay I have my riches!" and I would've liked to have that confirmed.

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Good point...although I think that we will explore Neal's emotions in the upcoming eps, so no worries there (yet).

My main problem with the episode was that Neal and Mozzie's actions made no sense to me. Wouldn't it be better to lay low until Neal's time with the FBI is over? And to quitely sell the Nazi plunder piece at piece instead of trying to smuggle it all at once out of the US? This all look uncharastical risky to me, especially for Mozzie.

And I really don't how how they manage to make one minute with Sara that annoying...

But otherwise it was a great ep! (And the fencing is soooo neal, because it's so old school...I really would like to know when it where he learned it).

Oh, did you catch the name of the Gallerie Elizabeth used to work for?

Wouldn't it be better to lay low until Neal's time with the FBI is over? And to quitely sell the Nazi plunder piece at piece instead of trying to smuggle it all at once out of the US?

Oh, good point. I would chalk it up to Mozzie's paranoia and wanting to get out of the city as quickly as possible before the treasure was found (even not knowing Peter was on to them, I think, for Mozzie, the thought of having the treasure close enough for Peter to eventually find spooked him bad enough to opt for running immediately). I think he also wanted to see Neal cut the anklet and run, something he's wanted Neal to do for some time (because every time Neal was about to run for whatever reason, Mozzie got excited about it).

This is what I mean about the show being really into showing rather than telling, because I can totally see Mozzie being all for running and Neal wanting to run in part out of frustration, but it was all so sudden and with little explanation that it was a bit jarring. This is a show you really have to think about, sometimes, but that makes it easy to either be jarred or jump to the wrong conclusions (like how some thought Kate was still alive, or that Alex was working for Adler).

Oh, did you catch the name of the Gallerie Elizabeth used to work for?

Eep! No I didn't. What was it, again? Was it one mentioned to be one allegedly robbed by Neal?

I simply don't understand what they are saying there Darvit Gallery? Something like that. It's supposedly the one, El used to work for when Peter meet her (but I don't think that Neal was the robber...)

Ah, okay.

I forgot to say: now I totally want story where Neal sword-fights a bad guy and Peter's there to see it ;)

Well, leave a prompt at collarcorner....

I would like to know where Neal learned this. I think that this is another hint that he comes from a well off background - you don't learn fencing like this in three years, and it's not exactly a sport for the poor, is it?

you don't learn fencing like this in three years, and it's not exactly a sport for the poor, is it?

Well, it depends. These days (well, in the US, I know) you can sign up for just about any sport and not have to shell out big bucks for it. The YMCA could have offered it, or any local recreation or youth center. Or maybe Neal knew someone - a friend of the family, someone he worked with - who taught him privately.

Personally, to, me, it seems like something he would have familiarized himself with just enough for a con, but maybe liked it enough that he continued to pursue it as a skill, maybe even taking lessons where he could under various aliases. Being the quick learner that he is I wouldn't be surprised if he advanced pretty fast. Some people are like that: even without having had anything to do with a particular skill, once they learn the basics and start doing that skill, it's like they've always done it. I could totally see that being the case for Neal.

Could Neal's easy decision to run be related to not wanting to disappoint Mozzie either? Mozzie is his oldest friend on the show and maybe Neal wasn't expressing his doubts about running to Mozzie and just going along with the plan.

Excellent food for thought. One of the things that bugged me was that we didn't seem to see a lot of hesitation on Neal's part about running, and I didn't like that. But toward the end I think we start to see a little bit of doubt, there (which made me hopeful). But, yeah, loyalty to Mozzie would definitely be another good reason why Neal didn't actually say anything.

I get the feeling that this season will have a lot of episode where Mozzie comes up with escape plans while Peter and crew unwittingly give Neal reasons to stay. But when Peter discovers how far Neal has gone to hide his connection to the missing loot, I can't see the relationship recovering. Seems to me that the writers are setting up to either end the show this year or (if the show is popular enough) find a way to extend Neal's sentence. (Side note: I really wish they had gone the route of Neal and Mozzie touring the world returning the stolen art, Robin Hood style.)

Seems to me that the writers are setting up to either end the show this year or (if the show is popular enough) find a way to extend Neal's sentence.

Ugh, I really hope it's not the former. But even the latter is rather cringe-worthy since, as you say, once Peter finds out their friendship is screwed. The only thing I can figure is that Neal comes clean, tells Peter he has the treasure and didn't take it. Or, for some reason (and it will be interesting to see what the reason is) Mozzie comes clean and tells Peter (I'm thinking most likely to keep Neal out of prison. But then what will become of Mozzie).

Whatever the case, it's such a complicated situation that it's going to be very interesting to see how they reconcile the situation.

What for? We are barely in the second year of Neal sentence. Season 1 and most of season 2 happend in 2010, and we are now in 2011 (although the writer really screwed up there, because in power play, there was a heat wave, indicating summer, and the last ep was supposedly set in spring...are there heat waves in spring in New york?) There is still enough time left in which Neal has to wear the anklet.

I tried to watch it last night but soon realized I NEED to see the pilot so it makes any sense to me.........
All that aside, I find your comments very interesting.......

Yeah. This isn't really a show you can jump into the middle of. I mean, you can, but you're eventually going to have to go back to season one to catch up, anyway. And not just to get to know the story arc but the characters as well. One of the things that finally got me hooked onto the show, besides the cleverness, lack of gratuitous sex scenes and *cough*Neal hotness!*cough* was the great group dynamic.

Too bad so many have relegated it to the slash only category when it comes to ff.........

OMG, don't get me started. I honestly think WC has more porn without a plot stories than SGA. Thank goodness for

collarcorner *hugs my little gen-only community tightly*

**nods** that is what I heard..........they see it everywhere.

Too true...but I'm confident that I will have soon my hundred recs for my gen only rec list, even if I have to wade through hundrets of mislabeled stories. Can you imagine that I just discovered a great story which was labeled by the author as "Pre-Slash" and "M-Rated" - and even after reading the story twice, I still don't get why? There are regular episodes which are slashier than this and the M-rating is more than overly catious.

Can you imagine that I just discovered a great story which was labeled by the author as "Pre-Slash" and "M-Rated" - and even after reading the story twice, I still don't get why?

As a matter of fact, I can.....and have experienced same in reading SGA and also LOTR, but sometimes it is just the reversal e.g. a piece of ff which has a rating of PG13 and then turns out to be very slashy which really really bothers me as I do not care to read it at any time........
I still remember distinctly a story that really intrigued me and when it turned out to be anything but that as it evolved I wrote to her.
She never made any change, but another one did later......

Well, I've seen it the other way around quite often...White Collar writers seem to think that "no sex = gen" even if they write Neal and Peter in a relationship. But I have never seen a gen story labeled as slash before...it still puzzles me.

Definitely, but what puzzles me is why they cannot seem to see male bonding but MUST always see sexual involvement.........
I find male bonding beautiful.........but too often it is dumped in favor of hotly pursuing slash.
It reminds me of lunacy of those who claim loudly that there is no such thing as a male friend if you are a female...

Yeah, exactly...nothing against slash, I like to dive into it from time to time myself, but I always roll my eyes when I read a well thought out, well plottet story and suddenly, at the very end, there is suddenly kissing...what for? It often adds nothing to the story at all!

Or rape.....e.g a piece of ff where Sheppard had been injected with some sort of drug and then turned loose to track Lorne, who had a head start................
When Lorne was finally cornered, Sheppard sexually assaulted him and guess what happened next?
They return to Atlantis like nothing had happened, but wait a minute
isn't Sheppard CO of the Atlantis military expedition and Lorne his XO?????

or

What about the one where Sheppard goes TDY and is accosted in a BOQ, bachelor officers' quarters, by some personnel who hold some sort of grudge......
The writer's lack of any knowledge of how personnel are quartered aboard a base was glaring....Sheppard is quartered in a BOQ, unaccompanied (either bachelors or married but unaccompanied)officers ONLY, but she features enlisted personnel involved in assaulting Sheppard, physically and sexually.
And what happened after Sheppard assaulted ie gang raped???
He returns to Atlantis like nothing had happened...just your basic TDY
Both of those left me wondering what on earth the writer was thinking.

TDY is temporary additional duty

Ooooookay...I'm just becoming very glad that Stargate jumped the shark for me fairly early and that I never got into Stargate Atlantis...

It is NOT the SGA community, it is how some have hijacked the characters
I really despise that.....and particularly when there is no warning
In the first story I brought it to her attention and she posted a warning, but in the second one she ignored me completely
BUT now it is now longer around so not sure what happened, BUT really don't care.
I see as much hijacking in SG1 when it comes to O'Neill and Daniel in particular.........but never got into it so cannot really comment on particulars....
For some reason slashers seem to believe every male is gay or bi which really bothers me...and they twist and turn a particular scenario until it fits their scheme, not what has actually happened.

Can you imagine that I just discovered a great story which was labeled by the author as "Pre-Slash" and "M-Rated" - and even after reading the story twice, I still don't get why?

You really can't trust labels or ratings that much with fanfic, which drives me crazy. I've read M-rated stories that should be PG, gen stories that were total slash and, yes, so-called pre-slash stories that were completely gen.

Well, I have seen people labeling the NC-17 fics as R to be able to post them at ff.net, and I have seen the occasional overcautious rating (I'm guilty of this myself, everything I write gets rated PG-13 by default, unless I consider it adult), but the among of mislabeling in the White Collar Fandom still surprises me. Never seen this that bad in the Sentinel or even the Harry Potter Fandom.

OR none at all e.g. as I cited................which is even more annoying
All the terms seem to mean nothing now and they should if you offer
a story and care if anyone reads it

I agree with the other poster who suggested Mozzie played into it. I think it's more than just loyalty to Mozzie, though I think a lot of it is. Neal didn't try to steal the treasure, didn't discuss it, and Mozzie didn't discuss it with Neal, like he knew Neal wouldn't agree to it. But once it was done and Peter was so set that Neal had done it, I don't think Neal saw a lot of options. He knew where the treasure was, that Peter suspected him of taking it and that Mozzie was counting on him to get away, that final score they'd dreamed of and (apparently) talked about.

As to Neal voicing anger, I don't know that he would, simply because he felt guilty. Even though he hadn't stolen the art, he knew where it was and was hiding it from Peter. A part of him might have been disappointed that Peter suspected him, but I think a bigger part was prepared (and is still prepared) for the day when Peter gives up and tosses him back in jail. Neal doesn't trust Peter, not really. It's against his nature and his upbringing. He can't honestly be angry with Peter when he's guilty of the same thing, and he knows it.

I, for one, never believed Kate was alive. No way she got off that plane. Peter could see her when the plane blew.

I can't blame Peter for his suspicions. I don't think he would have been so quick to accuse without that evidence.

I haven't watched the Covert Affairs ep yet. I will tonight. Perhaps next week's WC previews will be after the opening tease of CA.

I think "anger" may have been too strong a word. Basically what I was expecting was Neal to voice... something. anything, really about what was going on in his head. Nothing major, nothing wordy, just something to give us a little more insight into what was going on in his head.

But after some thought and giving the ep another watch, I'm feeling a lot more positive with how it played out. I still stand on wanting a little more reaction from Neal but other than that I think what happened in the ep, though cringe-worthy at first, has created an interesting and unique story arc.

I checked our TV guide and there is a new ep for next Tuesday. Maybe they did advertise it after CA.

I watched CA and no ad for WC. However, it is on the website for WC. Looks good... :)

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