White Collar -1x12- Bottlenecked comments + noticed elements in USA shows
YAY! Moz is back! Oh how I missed him.... Now if we could only get El back.... :-(
And I'm really pleased that Moz still seems to be rather anti-Kate & anti-Neal getting into any more trouble for the most part.
The chinese curses thing is pretty cool, especially the one they don't mention- 'may you come to the attention of those in authority'. Given that Neal's getting plenty of.... attention from at least one of 'those in authority', it's an interesting tidbit to go dig up.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_you_live_in_interesting_times
Neal in the FBI offices doing work re: the postcard clue: Neal, honey. Do you think that Peter is NOT going to notice that a.) you beat him to work and b.) you're completely engrossed in something? It's like you WANTED to be caught. Or better yet, wanted your boyfriend partner to come to your rescue and want to help. Because quite possibly, you've really become the 'lawman' you claimed when you pinned on your cheerios box sheriff's badge.
And Peter's "Whatcha doin?" tone of voice was SO CUTE.
And the scientist in me says SOILS ARE COOL not just for forging kthx.
Peter's interest in Neal's looking into stuff is a mix of protective, suspicious and cute.
Neal saving his boyfriend partner from the car? OH YEAH.
Peter got strangely jealous over the whole 'Neal knows Keller from way back' thing. He's getting pretty territorial over Neal, which is really quite funny, considering.
Peter's 'I Win' smirky face is cute.
He's learning tricks from his boypet convict partner-- conning the guy with a takeout menu. They bluff like that a lot in The Closer, especially when Brenda pulls out some of her best tricks.
Neal: "You know where to find me."
Peter: "Always do."
... am I the only one who goes straight to the gutter over this one?
Same ol, same ol. Neal turns on the charm and gets the girl to show him what he wants.
Peter seems awful jealous/territorial when he checks up so fast on Neal after his tour/chat with the wine lady.
The whole thing with Keller bordered on annoying-- the digs mentioning Kate, the just out of the tracker range thing.
"Sure, sure, NOW you're the noble warrior." - Neal's trying. He talks to Peter, tries to include him.
mmmmm. Boys and science. My favorite combination.
I love when they get all Partner-y and excited about it.
LOL NINJA MOZZIE. I imagine his attempts at fighting would look more like random flailing. The fact that @jeffeastin draws him like a little turtle man is fittting.
Peter: No.
Neal: That's your favorite word, isn't it?
Peter: It's a classic. Nope. Never. Forget about it. What makes you think I would break into any place with you and steal anything?
Neal: We are not breaking in! You'll be shown around. And we're not stealing anything.
Peter: *look of confusion/annoyance/disgust*
Neal: ... of value. All I need are some wax shavings. It's like taking a lock of hair from the floor of a barber shop.
Peter: Theft is theft.
Neal: I'm a CI, not an agent. I don't have the same restrictions. We can call this one a grey area.
Peter: Nada.
Neal: C'mon, you can get all dressed up, hobknob with pretty people. Drink a fine glass of port.
Peter: From everything you know about me, what makes you *think* I would enjoy *anything* of what you just said?
Neal: Because this is about catching a killer. A wax shaving for a murderer.
Peter: This won't affect the value of anything in Grace's collection.
Neal: Nope. No. Nada.
Peter: *sighs* And for the record, I hate port. It's syrupy.
Neal: There will be other options.
Peter: *rolls eyes*
This had to be my favorite scene in the episode. Maybe even in the last few-- It's very them- give and take, Neal pushing the limits without going overboard, Peter's hesitance to get into anything with Neal, but being eventually worn down with the right reasoning. And more in the manner that his protests were token.
Also: Since when is Neal a CI? Last I remember, he is a consultant. There's a very different connotation attached to each....
Oh and-- Dear Fandom: Neal is drinking beer with Peter. NEAL LIKES BEER. He's not a wine snob. Stop writing him that way. KTHX
"It's a tasting, Neal. You nose a bottle and sip and say something pretentious like 'rich, with nice body."
"She loves the tie." -- I'm pretty sure Neal got entirely too much enjoyment out of dressing Peter for the op. And he looked nicer too. I think Elizabeth would appreciate the upgrade. Part of me is also convinced that Neal 'helped' more than just picking out a tie. Take that how you will...
"The lady asked what *I* thought." OH PETER ILU. Undercover, confident Peter is HOT. And apparently, the lady thought so too. Neal's reaction to the whole thing was priceless, and I'd venture to say it was a mix of impressed surprise and jealousy. (Again, take the jealousy how you will, but I know how I do... :-D)
"And you're a gentleman too." -- he's also smooth, putting the tape over the latch. (Low tech solution, BTW.) He's as smooth as his boy Neal when it comes to a con/undercover. (Because an undercover job essentially IS a con.)
And he goes and buys his boy Neal some time, running into Keller. And he defends him quite adamantly, too.
I love how he goes and stands RIGHT next to Peter, practically touching him. (I know it's probably camera marks, but still.) His body language is clear-- this is who *I *am loyal to now. Leave. Peter seems pleased with this and leans into him slightly, in kind of a possessive gesture. He's MY pet convict partner, GTFO before I kick your ass.
Peter coming to visit him in the middle of the night and Mozzie NOT running away and actually TALKING to Peter civilally? EPIC. (and the offer to Mozzie of the rest of his pizza? PRICELESS.) We saw that Elizabeth liked Mozzie, and they sort of became friends. Maybe that influenced both of their behavior?
Well-dressed Peter again is lovely. I wish, however, that we'd end up seeing him WITHOUT clothing, thanks.
They way that Peter and Neal are all up in each other's space-- walking together, standing close-- is lovely. The familiarity it speaks of is key to their relationship, and just plain lovely.
... and they finish the scene finishing each other's sentences. At the same time. (Oh that's love.)
They're mad because Keller played them. Even Neal fell for it. I don't think it matters much that Neal did it the 'right way' by telling Peter and getting him involved. The outcome is still the same.
Neal gets very excited at the idea of helping put Keller away-- the right way this time. It shows growth-- yes, he gets his desired outcome, but he's willing to do the 'right' thing this time to get it.
Peter: Finding Keller's going to take a bit.
Neal: Alright, I'll stall until you get him.
Peter: Nothing....
Neal: ...Illegal. I know.
Oh Mozzie. So proud of his forging skills. :-)
Mozzie and Neal match. How cute. ^_^ (Except for the fact I find the whole Pink/Purple theme they got goin on is soooo fugly.)
"your suit" -- Even Moz can see there's some serious attachment between them.
Oh Peter. Your sunglasses are DORKY. You were doing so well, too. And his 'authority' voice sounded pretty dorky too. *facepalm*
Once again, finishing each other's thoughts/sentences. There is a level of trust and commitment there.
The pat on the back at the end! Peter's little 'good boy'.
"perpwalk" -- LOL Mozzie.
And now they're putting Neal in the "choose between your boyfriend partner or your supposed love of your life that totally ditched you" position again. Ugh.
Overall notes:
I LOVE when they show that Peter is really smart. He notices Neal's behaviors. He's just as smooth trying to play a cover/pull a con as Neal. (In another life, he could have been a con with him.) I love when they give him equal attention, and he makes the people around them interested in him.
I love when they play off the closeness between them- standing close together, finishing each other's thoughts, Neal helping Peter dress, bringing him ideas and cases (subtly or not). They're a partnership now, and the hardest part is going to be keeping Neal out of trouble.
Peter's a pimp, and completely oblivious of this fact. He has a beautiful wife and handsome boyfriend who are clearly in love with him in their own ways. He can play them both expertly in some ways, and fail spectacularly in others. And they love him for this fail.
Also noticed after watching endless commercials for the shows:
All of USA's big 3 block- White Collar, Psych, Burn Notice have VERY similar elements.
-- Both have 2 strong male characters acting as essentially co-leads, in friendship/partnership style relationships. (Neal/Peter, Shawn/Gus, Michael/Sam)
-- 2 of the 3 have strong female supporting characters/confidants (Elizabeth & Fiona - Juliet doesn't get enough airtime)
-- Each is centered around crime in some way. (FBI/White Collar crime, Local jurisdiction murders, crime & espionage of all flavors)
-- All use deception and cons prominently in the show. (Neal's cons & Peter/Neal undercover work, Shawn's deception of everyone with his 'psychic' skills, Burn Notice's constant espionage and secrets)
-- All are working for the greater good. (FBI, local law enforcement, Michael's determination to' help people')
-- All work within and outside the parameters of the law (legal and illegal activities) to achieve their goals. (FBI/Peter and Neal/Mozzie, Lassiter/Juliet/SBPD and Shawn's shennanagans, Sam's reporting to the FBI and Michael/Fi/Sam's 'solutions' to issues)
Unfortunately I lack the broad media & film knowledge base to make this a big meta on why all these shows are doing so well because they share similar elements. :-/ The scientist in me just sees the facts/proofs and writes them out in factoid style.
People who read this that are better at the meta/media analysis-- am I wrong or right? What am I missing? Plz discuss.
Also, boy/episode squeeing/discussion is welcome from all.