White Collar and the Squee Heard Round the World

[kriadydragon]

Yes, I know, I said no more reviews but... can you blame me?

OMG I want to hug this episode! And I think it's safe to say it had everything we all wanted - distraught Peter, shaking and on edge but still in control and reasonable. Neal telling Peter he stayed. Homing pigeons! Mozzie coming back for El. Peter, Mozzie and Neal having to work with Keller to save El. El being so awesomely in control and sneaky and getting herself out. Neal whump, Neal kidnapped, Neal and Keller face off, Peter and Keller face off. Bloodied Neal! Peter and Neal with owies still on their faces! Keller takes the blame/credit for the treasure.

Neal possibly getting off the anklet sooner was quite the surprise, especially considering all the certainty that the best case scenario would be Neal staying on the anklet longer. I also felt Keller taking credit for the treasure to save his own neck, and thus saving said neck, was quite the twist as well. I know there was much discussion of Keller being blamed for taking the treasure, thus getting Neal off the hook, but this was definitely a surprise. So Keller will be back to be the bad guy another day.

And the previews - for all those who complain about WC not being good at fall out, we have fall out! The treasure debacle has not been wrapped up all nice and tidy in a single episode.

But most importantly, the friendship is still intact and Neal did not have to go back in jail or sacrifice himself to Keller. But I liked that, in a way, Neal did - or technically, Neal was willing to sacrifice himself in order to put Keller away. That, too, I thought was unexpected and interesting. So we have the sacrifice to further prove to Peter that Neal is becoming a changed man, but subtle.

Personally, I think this is the show's best wrap up of a particular arc thus far. It was very unexpected, I thought, and it worked.

If I had to make a complaint, and it is a very small one, it would be the story Keller told about Neal being found with/near some princess buck naked. It's just... such a cliche, I guess. The kind of back story I always had a feeling might crop up but was hoping never would because, again, painfully cliche. On the other hand, I think they managed to leave it open to interpretation. Still, I think "remember that time that princess caught you stealing her jewelry and she tried to kill you?" - for example - just to be interesting ;)

Comments

[octoberdreaming.livejournal.com]

NEAL WITH A GLADIATOR SHIELD

Also, Neal making a perfect shot shooting Keller in the leg through Peter's pants leg. And Peter being all, WTF WHERE DID THAT COME FROM and Neal being all, eh, long story, no big deal.

I loved this ep SO MUCH. I really did get every single thing on my wish list. Up to and including Elizabeth sending secret messages to Peter and then rescuing herself (almost entirely). Total amazement. Yay, show writers!

I do not understand why LJ is not showing my userpic. :(

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

*Pokes icon* Yeah, what is up with that? Huh.

Also, Neal making a perfect shot shooting Keller in the leg through Peter's pants leg. And Peter being all, WTF WHERE DID THAT COME FROM and Neal being all, eh, long story, no big deal.

Yes! Somuchwonderful yes! And I'd totally forgotten while writing my post and remembered way after when I was in bed. I was quite annoyed with myself. I so adore how they keep building on Neal and guns and him disliking them but being so good with them. there's just so much hotness to that.

And Elizabeth Burke is totally my hero :D

[sholio]

I'm just about incoherent with squee. :D :D :D At the end of last season, I said that what I wanted most (and didn't believe I'd get) was everyone being the best people they could possibly be -- and that is EXACTLY WHAT WE GOT. Peter being willing to look past his anger and hurt to see that Neal really didn't want to leave, and really does want the best for Elizabeth. Neal being willing to give up everything, not just the treasure, but his freedom and even his life if that's what it takes. Mozzie coming back in a heartbeat, not even having to think about handing the treasure over, because he's a good person too (and admitting he cares!). Elizabeth being brave and resourceful and managing most of her escape on her own, but not in a way that takes away from everyone else's efforts. THE FIGHT AT THE END.

Oh, show. I'm so sorry I doubted it! This was so worth the wait, and so much more than I was expecting, and just ... my faith in the show is so, so totally BACK.

If I had to make a complaint, and it is a very small one, it would be the story Keller told about Neal being found with/near some princess buck naked. ... Still, I think "remember that time that princess caught you stealing her jewelry and she tried to kill you?"

I agree! Actually, I remember thinking at that point in the episode "Poor kriadydragon, she's not going to like this". Because I agree with you, really, that Neal doesn't come across as someone who is a genuine womanizer -- he's flirty, yes, but when it comes right down to it, he's very much a falling-in-love kind of guy, not a one-night-stand kind of guy. On the other hand, this is Keller, the guy who taunted Neal about Kate (maybe) running around on him, and Keller is seeing the situation through his own lens, which means that anything could have been really going on when that happened!

(ETA: Also, I think this is one of the few times ever that I've spent a lot of time imagining and guessing about the second half of a two-part episode, and what they've come up with is actually better than anything I imagined or reasonably hoped for. Oh show!)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I'm still hopped up on glee over this episode. I plan to watch it again and can't wait. Talk about a wish-list granted episode. :D My love for this episode was pouring off in waves the more I watched. Everyone was so utterly awesome in this, and Keller is such a superb bad guy. I look forward to seeing what they do with him, next.

he's flirty, yes, but when it comes right down to it, he's very much a falling-in-love kind of guy, not a one-night-stand kind of guy.

Exactly. And in this instance it wasn't just the writers putting a dent in what we've seen of Neal and what it's added up to concerning his character. As I said, it's such a cliche - handsome conman seduces princess/duchess/rich man's wife (in fact, I'd been watching an A Team episode where, hey, Face did just that!) and it left me thinking "really, show? Really?" Like when every male character's back story includes him having lost his virginity at sixteen when he and *insert prom queen's name here* snuck off to some wooded area or abandoned whatever and they got naked. You just reach your saturation point with some cliches. But with this one, it's so saturated it's painful.

But, yeah, I think there's definitely room for interpretation, and I think Keller would be the type to sum Neal up as a cliche and exaggerate Neal's actions just to annoy him. So I think as long as the show doesn't do something with this tidbit later - that is, confirm it that Neal did sleep with some princess - then it's easy enough to dismiss as Keller being Keller and there being a lot more to the story (and I totally want to write something where Neal ends up on the ledge naked because of something mundane or ridiculous - like maybe he'd spilled something on himself, went to clean up, a rather drunk princess attempted to get frisky with him and it's either onto the ledge to get away or get caught and beheaded... or something. Oh, so much fic fodder to play with! I've missed you, show!;))

[sholio]

I totally want to write something where Neal ends up on the ledge naked because of something mundane or ridiculous - like maybe he'd spilled something on himself, went to clean up, a rather drunk princess attempted to get frisky with him and it's either onto the ledge to get away or get caught and beheaded... or something.

I want this story! :D Write eeeeeeet, you know you want to ...

My writing urge is back in a major way! I'd been in a bit of a writing slump for the show lately ... I finished up some fics that I had already started, but I didn't really have the urge to write anything new. Now I have ideas all over the place -- it's wonderful!

[sholio]

Also, I broke down and watched the preview for next week on USA's website, and YAYAYAY. Fallout and aftermath! A whole episode of it, as far as I can tell! :D

I've never really understood the complaint that WC doesn't deal with aftermath. It's true that they don't always do it in as much depth as I'd like to see; they're not a show like, say, Fringe, where the ongoing plots are the major ones. But they seem to do quite a lot of it -- they dealt with Kate's death and Neal's reaction to it all throughout season two, early season three was all about Neal making his decision, and it looks like the impact of the last couple of episodes will continue to be felt for awhile yet. It's way better than a lot of week-to-week episodic shows (remember how we used to cling to every scrap of emotional aftermath that we could get in SGA? *g*).

I guess part of it is that I really don't go for the grand emotional gestures that a lot of the fandom seems to like -- I prefer a more restrained emotional tone, where you get little character moments in between the beats of an action plot. And I like the balance that WC has struck. Not that there aren't things I'd love to see, but I wouldn't want the soap-opera, character-interaction parts to overwhelm the show. (That's what we have fanfic for. *g*)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I've never really understood the complaint that WC doesn't deal with aftermath. It's true that they don't always do it in as much depth as I'd like to see; they're not a show like, say, Fringe, where the ongoing plots are the major ones. But they seem to do quite a lot of it

Yes! My feelings exactly. As far as aftermath goes I feel WC does a wonderful job of following up. People say there was no real aftermath to Neal losing Kate but... but... but! Season two! The whole first half of that season was dedicated to aftermath! It even starts off with Neal having the shakes and flashing back and ends with him almost shooting someone. How is that not aftermath!

But I definitely think you're right. That for a lot of people it's about specifics. They wanted aftermath A full of immediate angst and fallout and major emotions, but the show gave them aftermath B, therefore, to them, the aftermath was fail. But, yes, WC isn't a show that's going to be heavy handed in certain things (like whump, for example, and I'm okay with that. WC is not a whump heavy show, I know this, accept this, and am happy to take whatever whump it does give). And I like that as well. I like that it's a show that, as you said, has managed to create a balance between the fun and the drama without being too much of one or the other. As much as I enjoy angst, too much of it stresses me out, and there are shows I have a hard time watching because I don't have the patience for the ongoing conflicts and drama, especially when those conflicts and drama get in the way of what I came to like about the show. I'm not saying WC is perfect, but it's one of the few shows I can watch all the way through without wanting to skip to the end so I can stop stressing over how the show is going to resolve things.

[ladyrose42.livejournal.com]

Just the fact that Neal "never confesses" and is now ready to spill the beans with great self-sacrifice shows a much more mature Neal than the Peter Pan side we usually see. Liked the fact that Neal and Peter actually talked (and without the FBI shield face down on the table). Neal did say he got really good with guns, demonstrated 1st in Hard Sell and now.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I think this show is doing an awesome job with character development. Like I told someone once, in season one Neal would have taken the treasure and left hands down, but only after he found Kate. But this season's Neal dithered, he stayed, then was more than willing to give himself up just to put Keller away.

I'm one of those who believes Neal is capable of giving up a life of crime, and I think we're starting to see that more and more in the show. I think it will still be a temptation for him in some way, but I think we're getting to a point where it will take a lot for Neal to choose any kind of treasure over the life he has now.

[micheleeeex.livejournal.com]

I think when Keller said "princess," he was referring to Kate. I loved everything about this episode!

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

That could be, but I think it was meant as a literal princess, or Neal would have said something about both him and Kate ending up on the ledge naked.

[tridget.livejournal.com]

It was a great show last night. It was so full of the kinds of scenes we were hoping for and the best of all the characters shone through. Definitely a favorite episode.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Definitely :D

[wildcat88.livejournal.com]

No squee harshing from me. I loved every minute of it. El saving herself. Neal being open with everything, even to the point he's willing to give up everything to protect them. Mozzie not only returning but entering the federal building willingly and then apologizing to Peter. Peter not letting Neal confess.

And there was whump!!!!

So much love!

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

And there was whump!!!!

I know! Neal actually bled in this one! and the injuries are still visible in later scenes! It was funny because the entire time I was thinking how we were getting everything everyone wanted but I was sure we wouldn't get whump, and then... and then! *happy dance*

I wuv you show!

[rabidchild.livejournal.com]

I will not harsh your squee, because I am so very squeeful myself. Though to be fair, I'm always squeeful for this show. Anyone wanks on my LJ or yours, and I'ma open up a can o' whupass. Just sayin'.

Also: ESTELLE!

And: GLADIATOR SHIELD!

OMFG - I forgot the gladiator shield in my own squee. Must amend.

And I totally agree with you - what an unexpected way to wrap up this arc, and I loved every second of it.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

The shield and Neal being scary awesome with a gun... again! *contented sigh*

And I want more Estelle. Estelle at the Burke's pecking at Satchmo when he gets to close. Estelle at Neal's loft while he and Mozzie plot something that requires a carrier pigeon. Estelle distracting the bad guy by pooping on his face... Estelle FTW!

It was such a fascinating wrap-up, with so much I didn't see coming. I adored the twist of the gang having to work with Keller to save Elizabeth - that was seriously messed up, and totally awesome :D And Keller using the treasure to save himself from the Russian mob - wow, really didn't see that coming. And I loved it, too, because even though Keller didn't get the treasure, either he still, in a way, won. This show is having too much fun with their top villain ;)

[ladyniko.livejournal.com]

Yes, much squeeing from my corner too! I loved, loved, loved El being awesome and a) giving Peter a clue about Satchmo and b) saving herself!

This is why White Collar works - none of the characters are weak and the writers actually did a really good job with this story. (I wondered what El was up to at first with her ring - I was like, "Is she going to scratch out a message while he's gone?" Then, to see her use the ring to rescue herself - AWESOME! *g*)

I really can't wait to see how this parole board hearing goes - both Neal & Peter have to watch what they say because they could destroy the other and I don't think they want to do that.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth was just superb in this. It's rare for me to like many female characters - usually they're either blah or obnoxious - but WC does great female characters. I think the only person I didn't like was Cruz, and was happy when she left and Diana came back.

I really can't wait to see how this parole board hearing goes - both Neal & Peter have to watch what they say because they could destroy the other and I don't think they want to do that.

I wonder if this is going to play heavily into whether or not Neal gets off the anklet sooner. I can see the next story arc involving Neal needing to be careful if he wants off the anklet sooner, then something happens where he has to choose between getting off the anklet or something important/precious.

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

I just watched the ep, and I loved it too. Will need to write up my own ep reaction at some point. But I just quickly wanted to comment on the anklet thing. Cause I'm actually expecting for Neal to mess up with something, so that he ends up back with the anklet in a not too far in the future episode. Just a gut feeling. It would be difficult to keep the show as it is with Neal being a free man. Then again, Mr. Eastin is always good with the surprises, so let's see.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Cause I'm actually expecting for Neal to mess up with something, so that he ends up back with the anklet in a not too far in the future episode.

I don't think it'll so much be Neal messing up but something coming along that forces him to choose between getting off the anklet or, for example, maybe saving someone's life or preventing something bad from happening. I think Neal's at a point where he's not going to be quite so cavalier with his life, especially now that he as the opportunity to get off the anklet, sooner.

And I think the show could still work even with Neal off the anklet. He's already decided he wants to stay, so I can also see him wanting to stay on as an informant.

I'm guessing this is the next story arc - Neal off the anklet sooner and whether or not it happens. I could be wrong but they usually introduce the next arc within the premiere episodes.