In which I take time I shouldn't to watch White Collar and Flail a lot
Considering the outline for my big bang fic which I drew up last week starts with 'Given that Kate dies in the finale...', the ending here wasn't terribly surprising to me (it also helps that, halfway through the episode, I accidentally spoiled myself enough to know that I was right on that count). But even so, it wasn't the plot twist that had me hanging on what happened in this ep - it was the character moments and honest emotion that just shone through. Bomer and Tim and Tiffani did such an awesome job here - and, god, Mozz's last little bit with Neal was just so honest that, though I had a little quibble with Garson's acting earlier in this ep (the preview scene, specifically - maybe because I watched it beforehand and wasn't as involved?), it just fit perfectly. And Jones was just awesome. I love him; I hope they bring him in lots more next season.
June was so good too, in what little time she had; you can see she really cares for Neal and just wants what's best for him - much like Peter, in that respect, though I love how they both have such diametrically opposed ideas of what's best for Peter. It'll be fascinating to see how she and Moz (Mozz?) interact with Neal next season, when he's no doubt going to be even more obsessive and driven than he was now, and probably far more masochistic about it. And, on the note of good acting, Alex's actress finally managed to draw me in - I had not liked the character much because it was just such an obvious plot point, but I liked how they played her here, and hope to see her again next season.
And Diana. I was wary of how they were going to reintroduce her, but it really worked, and she was even cooler than I remembered. Her interactions with Peter were just great, and I just LOVE that she carries two guns :D. It's going to be a highlight to see how she interacts with Neal next season, because I just loved the little - 'He hasn't changed, huh?' - and then something goes and happens that is going to change Neal's entire world view, and I can't wait to see how the other characters react to that; with Diana just coming in again, she'll have a fresh perspective, I guess, especially since she's the least emotionally involved with Neal (except for maybe Hughes) and - yeah, I just can't think of much to say of this ep that isn't some form of 'This is so making me look forward to the next season. Is it July yet?' Also, how cool is it to have a non-stereotypical LGBT character (who appears to be actually dating someone) just pop up in a mainstream show like this and be one of the good guys? Honestly, I'm not sure whether I have a bigger crush on Peter or Diana *makes googly eyes*
Of course, the highlights for me were the El-Peter, El-Neal, Peter-Neal dynamics. It was just so right. They had some of the best scenes in it, and it was - so almost fanservicy, except not exactly - it was more just a payoff of the relationships we've been seeing all season. I love Elizabeth in this, both in how she stands up to Fowler and how, even caring about Neal, she is, I think, more levelheaded than Peter about him - willing to accept that a part of Neal wants to run, and that he very well might, but still trying to be his friend and give him advice.
I love how Neal is so conflicted about this - the scene where Alex and Moz are in his apartment, when Peter comes in, you can just see the reservation in Neal's eyes, and even though he's going ahead with stealing the box because he has to, it is not an easy thing for him to do.
I love how Peter is so solid in his convictions - he is such an honest man, it's adorable and endearing and awesome. How even when he's getting pissed and punching out Fowler, he and El are a team - that he doesn't punch the guy because El needs protecting or anything, and the conversation afterwards, with El placing her and him as both in trouble in this together, even if they're in trouble in different ways.
I loved how this honesty of Peter's conflicts with his friendship with Neal, as the scene on the patio clearly shows. Neal feels so guilty about doing what he has to do for Kate that he comes to preemptively apologize; he tips Peter off even if it means he has a greater chance of getting caught because he values Peter's opinion of him and because he really didn't want Peter and El to get dragged into this mess, even if that was probably him being selectively blind/obtuse: if he'd thought about it at all, he'd have to have known this would have repercussions for Peter, from Fowler or the rest of the FBI. I love how Peter responds to Neal's apology/confession - he is torn between wanting to stop Neal for his own good and wanting to stop Neal because it's his duty. He's pissed off, but he's not irrational, and even at his angriest, he is clear-headed and smart and coming up with ways to fix everything, which is so like Neal, but so different because his idea of 'fixing everything' is fundamentally different from Neal's: Neal, I think, has gotten used to being okay with things looking like they're okay, and that's kind of heartbreaking; Peter wants them to actually be okay.
And the last scene. Oh my gosh, that was amazing. They both knocked it out of the park so much. I was expecting the explosion, and normally, with other shows or with other actors, my interest would have dropped so much because of that; but here, Bomer and DeKay played it so well that I was on the edge of my seat, because even though I knew how it had to go, it was killing me. Just - it could have been so melodramatic and overdone, but it was instead evocative and - not subtle or necessarily restrained, but not easy. You can just see how Neal is struggling inside, and how Peter just wants him to do what's right - not for Peter, but so Neal can prove for himself that he's a good person, that he can do good and make himself a better person. And for a moment, there, I thought Neal was just going to keep watching - and then he stops and turns, and then there's that gutwrenching 'Peter' that broke my heart because I knew the plane was going to explode - and even though I knew it was coming, it didn't make it any easier. Bomer and DeKay (and the writers and director, of course) just blew this one out of the park. It was just perfect.
Umm. So that was longer than I expected. But...wow. That was just the best season finale ever, pretty much; it perfectly sets up next season and has me biting my nails while I wait. The one quibble I have is that I would have liked the reaction shot to the explosion be just a tad longer - just a few seconds, literally (or maybe that was just because the coughcoughuploadcough I watched cut off?) because it seemed to finish veeery suddenly. But, wow. All in all, between this and Leverage (which ended on an awesome, awesome character note), I only have one question:
Is it July yet?