White Collar = Pure Emotional Crack
I am maybe kind of a little bit obsessed with White Collar.
I still don’t think the show is that good. There is nothing intellectually stimulating about it… and yet it is pure emotional crack.
It’s not even the slash that has me hooked (although if you look at it through slash googles, it’s incredibly slashy). It’s more the way it explores trust and vulnerability. The writers keep up a fantastic balancing act, developing the relationship between Neal and Peter while keeping them wary of each other. Each is taking a huge risk by trusting the other; either could hurt the other deeply by betraying that trust. They both lie to each other, and at any moment, Neal could run, or Peter could put Neal back in prison. And they’re both constantly aware of the potential betrayal, but they want and need each other enough to risk it. That’s the core of the show, not the silly plots-of-the-week or the MacGuffin Kate.
The more you open up to someone, the more they change you and the more power they have to hurt you. One of the only times we see Neal do anything violent is when he knocks aside the chessboard after "discovering" that Peter has betrayed him. Neal is so hurt when he thinks Peter's betrayed him, and Peter is so disappointed when he thinks the same of Neal.
And look at how they change each other: Peter breaks the law to protect Neal, Neal (mostly) obeys the law for Peter. They're so different, but they connect so well--the witty banter, the intellectual thrill of solving a case together. Neal looks up to Peter because he trusts Peter's rock-solid integrity, and Peter is protective toward Neal because he knows that Neal is compassionate and has so much potential for good. They like and need each other despite themselves. I think they're both fascinated by the other; Peter is critical but also envious of Neal's (unearned) fabulous lifestyle, while Neal finds regular excuses to hang out at Peter's house and bask in the domestic bliss (he must wish he and Kate had the happiness Peter and Elizabeth share!).
And, I mean, when they're trapped in a room with no air, Neal gives Peter the oxygen because he trusts Peter not to let him suffocate. (And how much do I love the writers for coming up with that absurd plot device just to really prove that Neal trusts Peter with his life?) And then Peter's ready to risk his own life to protect Neal by opening the door to let air in even though the bad guy outside has a gun pointed at him. And then Neal is so incredibly casual when he says that he knew Peter had his back, like he trusts Peter without even thinking about it, and Peter responds by telling Neal the truth about his meeting with Kate. And Neal could be playing Peter throughout the whole series and maybe even kinda thinks he is, and you know Peter's afraid that he is, but you know there's going to be a showdown where Neal is forced to choose between Kate and Peter and he's going to choose Peter and it's going to hurt but Peter will be there for him and and... [sorry, my brain went off to a fanfiction place].
Also there is this, from episode ten, which sadly I can't find a clip of, but even the transcript is ♥♥♥:
[Neal is drugged and semi-coherent and more honest than usual]
Neal: Before I go back [to prison], you should know this. Out of all the people in my life, Mozzie, even Kate... you're the only one.
Peter: I'm the only one what?
Neal: You're the only person in my life I trust.
[AND THEN PETER RUFFLES NEAL'S HAIR AND BREAKS THE LAW TO SAVE HIM FROM PRISON.]
Pure. Emotional. Crack.
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