White Collar
Dec. 15th, 2014 11:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lokifanThis is scattered reactions to the first three episodes of S6. I haven’t seen 604 or 605 yet but I will very soon, so feel free to spoil in comments.
I really liked the Rebecca plot of S5. Finally we got a female arch-villain, and I think she’s the best the programme has had. Plus I really love literary doubles. Once we had the reveal and got to see her meeting Neal in matching cat-burglar chic (couples start to dress the same!) and escaping prison the same way he had, saw her showing up with short dark hair that emphasised her cheekbones and blue eyes, saw her claim that as the “real me” - I was kind of in heaven.
So her return, brief as it was, also worked for me: that bright, dimpled smile when she’s uncomfortable or threatened. The fact that Peter’s rhetoric does work on her, to some degree.
It’s also why I am… more-or-less okay with her ending. White Collar has a problem with fridging: Kate, Ellen, and now Rebecca. But Rebecca is the one where it felt like an organic part of the story to me - and it works as creepy foreshadowing too. I mean obviously we know Neal is going to survive the series -- blue skies, right? -- but I think her death is meant to suggest that Neal could mirror her in this respect too. And obviously it reflects his desperation to be free. That desperation’s been there right from the start: in the pilot, Hagan says he’ll kill Neal, and says he hopes whatever Peter has given him is worth it. And Neal says, “it is.” So her choice of near-certain death over captivity fits.
Also I do actually really like it just for Rebecca herself. Meticulous planner to the end, she delivers her swan song to Neal and goes out with a bang. And whatever awful things she did, she gets some acknowledgement from Neal and Mozzie, from the show: “I doubt I’d be that brave.”
In non-Rebecca news, however much less fascinating it is:
I love scared!Neal. And ruffled!Neal. Neal tied to a chair, breathing fast and big scared eyes, homg. Why is the kinkmeme dead. It’s so hot. Although the kidnapper makes me snorfle slightly just because… oh casting director. We all know it’s your kink, and that’s fine, but maybe a character without the same colouring as Neal, El, Rebecca, Kate etc etc would be okay at some point? They don’t all need big blue eyes.
(Although. A fake-tragic vid to Behind Blue Eyes with ALL OF THESE WHITE COLLAR CHARACTERS would be hilarious.)
I cackled enormously at the Pink Panthers thing. THE GREATEST THIEVES OF OUR TIME CHRISTENED THEMSELVES “THE PINK PANTHERS”. Chances of my taking them seriously: 0.
Really, really wish they weren’t all men. I know crime is a boys’ club but come on.
Woodford is an entertainingly terrible dresser (that suit) but omg the accent. Cringe-inducing.
Keller! I am kind of glad Keller is back, although honestly he’s never worked for me as a nemesis. Rebecca was so much better at it. (The law of the mirror: Nemesis.) He’s never been as successfully scary as Hagan, at least for me. Worse, the programme’s tried to position him as the “a long time ago we used to be friends” antagonist and mirror, which normally I REALLY LOVE. *takes a moment to sing an aria to the Doctor and the Master, Angel and Spike, Giles and Ethan, Xavier and Magneto, Captain Jack and John Hart, etc etc etc.* Keller doesn’t work as a mirror because they really have nothing in common, and the ways he’s been differentiated from Neal - “the blue-collar version” with that accent as “stock thug” - make me SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE.
Still. Another criminal with a tracker, competing with Neal on those terms, and the metaphor of the tracker’s “constant, constant itching”? Definitely down with that. Nice added tension.
I loved Neal being super-competent when kidnapped. That was also hot and fabulous, watching him with no back-up, vulnerable and threatened and taken by surprise, totally owning all before him. And his total faith that Peter will always find him is ♥
I loved Mozzie as well, and the intense scene between him and Peter as Mozzie tried to convince him that Neal was in trouble. It’s nice to like Mozzie again; I did a random rewatch sparked by the return of this last season, and he can be such a shit sometimes. But in S5 and with all of this he’s been the world’s best BFF - if always a terrible influence. “We are who we are, as are they.” Peter and Mozzie having comfort food in the absence of their life partners (platonic or otherwise) was adorable.
Aw, and Peter and Neal! Peter’s “you know I’m always here for you” and Neal’s hearteyes in the midst of theirsting con, and Neal actually admitting to not being okay. I really loved the automatic grin even as he admitted he wasn’t okay, before he let it drop. It was a lovely contrast to all the stuff about how the Pink Panthers can’t trust each other, how Rebecca didn’t have any friends, how the thieves are all expecting betrayal.
Is it just me or is there much more in the way of baiting the slashers than usual? “You chose Neal over your wife?”, “it’s almost romantic”, “don’t the idea of working together give you a little tingle?”, and “it’s Caffrey’s soulmate”... there’s a lot of it suddenly.
...Time to talk about the pregnancy. Not terribly happy about this development - I really enjoyed the portrayal of a happy, childless married couple, and the whole “we tried for years” thing put further nails in the coffin of that. Plus it’s a very cliche way of doing the ‘last season, new starts for everyone!’ thing. The whole “it’s more personal than that” thing was also unfortunate - El is more valuable because she’s pregnant, apparently? “Personal” was not the right adjective there. There’s also been no acknowledgement of the loss of a job opportunity El really wanted, and we’ve no idea what she’s up to job-wise right now or what’s going to happen for her or Peter’s - but realistic her - career with the baby around.
IDK, hopefully I can be happy for them, and at least it means El is back in New York. I was sad they didn’t tell Neal though - I understand why but Neal obviously knew they weren’t telling him something and it meant his reaction to El being back was muted. And then she wasn’t there for Peter telling Neal :( I am REALLY INTO the El/Neal portion of the OT3 so I wanted mooooore.
I’m never really down for father/son stuff between Peter and Neal - it doesn’t fit their relationship even aside from my liking P/E/N. I was only barely mollified by Neal’s hearteyes at El and wibbly voice after El told him she was proud of him. I look forward to seeing the clip decontexualised for shippy vids ;) BUT I do always like Peter going undercover and especially him being good at it, and kind of slapping Neal around, so that was fun.
603 was cool even though it gave me fewer Thoughts. Poor Amy! At least the plot gave us an excuse for some conning!June, which is my favourite, and Neal giving her desperate “PLEASE STAY AND RUIN MY DATE” eyes. I really like farce, so the date night had me in stitches, particularly Neal’s increasingly OH NO faces every time Amy got flirty.
I liked that Neal did damage to Amy’s life - she loved New York, and he made her feel she couldn’t stay - even as he was rescuing her from psycho Keller. Conning is not harmless, and he’s gotta learn. In particular, he’s gotta learn that starting every relationship with lies, damn lies is not a winning strategy.
Luc is ugh but entertaining. It’s a bit dodgy to have the down-with-violence copper be black (esp after thuggish Collins in Cape Verde) but if nothing else I’m thrilled to have an American programme not do the ‘all Europeans are lily-white’ thing. And nasty coppers who want to steal Neal (and their reaction! “Dream on” and “Neal is my CI” with that little emphasis on my, SQUEE) are my favourite WC antagonists.
El was SUPER HOT in that final scene. Yum.
Basically I’m really into it, whatever my niggles. Six tightly-focussed episodes seems to be bringing out the best in White Collar.
I really liked the Rebecca plot of S5. Finally we got a female arch-villain, and I think she’s the best the programme has had. Plus I really love literary doubles. Once we had the reveal and got to see her meeting Neal in matching cat-burglar chic (couples start to dress the same!) and escaping prison the same way he had, saw her showing up with short dark hair that emphasised her cheekbones and blue eyes, saw her claim that as the “real me” - I was kind of in heaven.
So her return, brief as it was, also worked for me: that bright, dimpled smile when she’s uncomfortable or threatened. The fact that Peter’s rhetoric does work on her, to some degree.
It’s also why I am… more-or-less okay with her ending. White Collar has a problem with fridging: Kate, Ellen, and now Rebecca. But Rebecca is the one where it felt like an organic part of the story to me - and it works as creepy foreshadowing too. I mean obviously we know Neal is going to survive the series -- blue skies, right? -- but I think her death is meant to suggest that Neal could mirror her in this respect too. And obviously it reflects his desperation to be free. That desperation’s been there right from the start: in the pilot, Hagan says he’ll kill Neal, and says he hopes whatever Peter has given him is worth it. And Neal says, “it is.” So her choice of near-certain death over captivity fits.
Also I do actually really like it just for Rebecca herself. Meticulous planner to the end, she delivers her swan song to Neal and goes out with a bang. And whatever awful things she did, she gets some acknowledgement from Neal and Mozzie, from the show: “I doubt I’d be that brave.”
In non-Rebecca news, however much less fascinating it is:
I love scared!Neal. And ruffled!Neal. Neal tied to a chair, breathing fast and big scared eyes, homg. Why is the kinkmeme dead. It’s so hot. Although the kidnapper makes me snorfle slightly just because… oh casting director. We all know it’s your kink, and that’s fine, but maybe a character without the same colouring as Neal, El, Rebecca, Kate etc etc would be okay at some point? They don’t all need big blue eyes.
(Although. A fake-tragic vid to Behind Blue Eyes with ALL OF THESE WHITE COLLAR CHARACTERS would be hilarious.)
I cackled enormously at the Pink Panthers thing. THE GREATEST THIEVES OF OUR TIME CHRISTENED THEMSELVES “THE PINK PANTHERS”. Chances of my taking them seriously: 0.
Really, really wish they weren’t all men. I know crime is a boys’ club but come on.
Woodford is an entertainingly terrible dresser (that suit) but omg the accent. Cringe-inducing.
Keller! I am kind of glad Keller is back, although honestly he’s never worked for me as a nemesis. Rebecca was so much better at it. (The law of the mirror: Nemesis.) He’s never been as successfully scary as Hagan, at least for me. Worse, the programme’s tried to position him as the “a long time ago we used to be friends” antagonist and mirror, which normally I REALLY LOVE. *takes a moment to sing an aria to the Doctor and the Master, Angel and Spike, Giles and Ethan, Xavier and Magneto, Captain Jack and John Hart, etc etc etc.* Keller doesn’t work as a mirror because they really have nothing in common, and the ways he’s been differentiated from Neal - “the blue-collar version” with that accent as “stock thug” - make me SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE.
Still. Another criminal with a tracker, competing with Neal on those terms, and the metaphor of the tracker’s “constant, constant itching”? Definitely down with that. Nice added tension.
I loved Neal being super-competent when kidnapped. That was also hot and fabulous, watching him with no back-up, vulnerable and threatened and taken by surprise, totally owning all before him. And his total faith that Peter will always find him is ♥
I loved Mozzie as well, and the intense scene between him and Peter as Mozzie tried to convince him that Neal was in trouble. It’s nice to like Mozzie again; I did a random rewatch sparked by the return of this last season, and he can be such a shit sometimes. But in S5 and with all of this he’s been the world’s best BFF - if always a terrible influence. “We are who we are, as are they.” Peter and Mozzie having comfort food in the absence of their life partners (platonic or otherwise) was adorable.
Aw, and Peter and Neal! Peter’s “you know I’m always here for you” and Neal’s hearteyes in the midst of their
Is it just me or is there much more in the way of baiting the slashers than usual? “You chose Neal over your wife?”, “it’s almost romantic”, “don’t the idea of working together give you a little tingle?”, and “it’s Caffrey’s soulmate”... there’s a lot of it suddenly.
...Time to talk about the pregnancy. Not terribly happy about this development - I really enjoyed the portrayal of a happy, childless married couple, and the whole “we tried for years” thing put further nails in the coffin of that. Plus it’s a very cliche way of doing the ‘last season, new starts for everyone!’ thing. The whole “it’s more personal than that” thing was also unfortunate - El is more valuable because she’s pregnant, apparently? “Personal” was not the right adjective there. There’s also been no acknowledgement of the loss of a job opportunity El really wanted, and we’ve no idea what she’s up to job-wise right now or what’s going to happen for her or Peter’s - but realistic her - career with the baby around.
IDK, hopefully I can be happy for them, and at least it means El is back in New York. I was sad they didn’t tell Neal though - I understand why but Neal obviously knew they weren’t telling him something and it meant his reaction to El being back was muted. And then she wasn’t there for Peter telling Neal :( I am REALLY INTO the El/Neal portion of the OT3 so I wanted mooooore.
I’m never really down for father/son stuff between Peter and Neal - it doesn’t fit their relationship even aside from my liking P/E/N. I was only barely mollified by Neal’s hearteyes at El and wibbly voice after El told him she was proud of him. I look forward to seeing the clip decontexualised for shippy vids ;) BUT I do always like Peter going undercover and especially him being good at it, and kind of slapping Neal around, so that was fun.
603 was cool even though it gave me fewer Thoughts. Poor Amy! At least the plot gave us an excuse for some conning!June, which is my favourite, and Neal giving her desperate “PLEASE STAY AND RUIN MY DATE” eyes. I really like farce, so the date night had me in stitches, particularly Neal’s increasingly OH NO faces every time Amy got flirty.
I liked that Neal did damage to Amy’s life - she loved New York, and he made her feel she couldn’t stay - even as he was rescuing her from psycho Keller. Conning is not harmless, and he’s gotta learn. In particular, he’s gotta learn that starting every relationship with lies, damn lies is not a winning strategy.
Luc is ugh but entertaining. It’s a bit dodgy to have the down-with-violence copper be black (esp after thuggish Collins in Cape Verde) but if nothing else I’m thrilled to have an American programme not do the ‘all Europeans are lily-white’ thing. And nasty coppers who want to steal Neal (and their reaction! “Dream on” and “Neal is my CI” with that little emphasis on my, SQUEE) are my favourite WC antagonists.
El was SUPER HOT in that final scene. Yum.
Basically I’m really into it, whatever my niggles. Six tightly-focussed episodes seems to be bringing out the best in White Collar.