White Collar 6x06 - (Long) episode reaction and musings
So the moment finally came. We’re at the end of the series, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around it and decide how I feel about the conclusion.
I’ve made it no secret that I thought Neal faking his death would be one of the least satisfying endings of the show. Even though all of Season 6 pointed in that direction, I still clung to the hope that I was interpreting it wrong, that there were other options I haven’t considered, that… well. In short, for me, watching this episode was like watching the inevitable train wreck - you know it’s gonna happen but hope for a miracle - and then happens exactly what you thought would happen. For about two hours, I felt let down by the episode, and after reading Eastin’s comment with the obligatory “Neal was born bad”, I was going to say “screw it, I’m done”. Then I started typing this, and the more I wrote, the more I came to appreciate the episode for what it was.
First of all, the things that I liked immediately:
The execution of Neal’s plan was brilliant. I loved how the show used that he was a brilliant shooter, how Neal got Moz away from Keller so that he wouldn’t get hurt; loved the Queen of Hearts card, the con and setting up Moz with millions, the way Neal totally played Keller and his tender goodbye to June (even though it was breaking my heart as I watched it). The acting that Tim DeKay and Willie Garson displayed in this episode was beyond fantastic. The Peter-Mozzie bromance were like a soothing balm, and in the beginning we got to see one of the reasons why Neal wasn’t involving Moz with the Panthers. I also liked El telling Neal to make sure Peter was safe, which was very consistent with her character.
Which brings me back to Neal’s plan.
Let’s look at it in detail. In his “last” con, Neal puts several events in motion:
1) he wants the money for Moz
2) he wants to catch the Panthers so that Peter gets his job and Neal his freedom
3) he clearly plans to kill Keller or have Peter kill him (for obvious reasons)
4) he wants to fake his death so that he is free and the people he loves are safe
Looking back, I wonder when exactly Neal came up with each part of this. When Neal tells Moz “Who says that’s all I’m after?” at the end of the first episode of Season 6, he doesn’t know yet about the money and Keller. Does he realize how dangerous exactly the Panthers are? I didn’t think so, but… now I have to wonder. It seemed that Keller warned Neal about the Panthers coming after the people Neal loves, but what if Neal knew from the start and let Keller think he was playing him? It doesn’t feel likely, yet I hesitate to underestimate Neal. If he didn’t know from the start, what was the original plan? Was it something vague like making sure Moz got a piece of whatever the score was, or did Neal lie to Mozzie so he wouldn’t try to persuade him to change his mind? Did Neal ever truly plan to accept his freedom with the contract?
Frankly, Neal faking his death at the beginning of Season 6 feels like a bit of a stretch. Not impossible, since it’s happening only a day or two after the FBI screwed him over and denied him his freedom… but why not go through with the contract? And if the FBI tried anything, then sue them for all they have and go to the papers? We know that Neal was arrested/denied freedom for bogus reasons before (post-Kate’s death, Kramer, end of season 5), but still, faking his death seems a bit nuclear when there are other options. On the other hand, this is Neal who was just denied his freedom… who had just made the inner commitment to go straight, who just went through the whole mess with Rachel and was hoping for a fresh start… and then the FBI stabbed him in the back. We’ve seen before that Neal reacts to perceived betrayal with the “screw them” attitude (cue first half of season 3 and most of season 5). But honestly, I don’t get this hurt feeling from Neal in Season 6 - he is planning, plotting, but not grieving. And frankly, why put Peter and Moz (and June, and possibly El, Sara, the FBI team…) through a hell of a hurt when there are still other options? So - what WAS Neal’s plan at the beginning of Season 6? Did he really just rely on the contract to get his freedom but didn’t want to tell Moz? Did he plan to grab a piece of whatever the score was, or was it something else entirely? I guess we’ll never know.
On with the plan.
So, Neal fakes his death. And hurts Peter and Moz so much I really wanted to punch him in the teeth. You don’t do that to someone you love unless there is absolutely no other option. Which is where I see the weakest point of this episode and of the whole Season 6.
Were the Panthers really so dangerous that Neal had to fake his death to keep “the people he loved” safe? Let’s look at it closely. So, who are the people that would be threatened by the Panthers?
First, there is Moz. Honestly, I don’t believe that Moz would rather live without a possible danger than know that Neal was alive for a year. So, not Moz.
Then there is Sara. However, she is safe in London, and it seems like a stretch that the Panthers would find someone to hurt her all over the way across the ocean when she and Neal broke up and Neal supposedly moved on with Rebecca/Rachel. Not Sara either, then.
Third, June. Here, I think Neal’s concern is valid. June is undoubtedly extremely capable and has her contacts, but if someone hires a killer to get to her… June is a sitting duck in her mansion, and given how Neal lost Ellen, who was supposed to be protected by the Marshals… If the Panthers wanted to go after someone close to Neal, June would be a good target.
And finally, there are the Burkes - and here is where it gets complicated.
First of all, Peter is an FBI agent. Most people would think twice before going after a fed and his family, so the badge is largely protecting Peter. Also, if Neal was so worried about Peter, then why involve him in the first place? Why make him one of the Panthers’ crew? But when you look at it closely, it does sort of make sense… sort of. If you squint. Because Woodford and his crew might not want to pay for a hit against a fed, but their motivation would increase significantly if said fed was also the best friend of the rat who betrayed them. With Neal alive, the Panthers would push that much harder to have someone hurt the Burkes, and Neal knows this. And frankly, this is where I think the baby comes in as a plot device. Because despite the risk, Neal might have still decided to stay if the danger was just to Peter and El. But El’s helpless baby? You do NOT let someone hurt your best friend’s kid. Without El’s pregnancy, I would have said ‘trust Peter and the badge to protect the Burkes’. But the kid completely changes the board. Nobody allows to hurt the kid.
So, does Neal have a good motivation to fake his death? Is it justified, when he hurts them all, manipulates them, lies to them, makes their choice for them and basically screws them so he can have his freedom and keep them safe?
Well… I don’t know. I don’t know if the Panthers present a strong enough danger to justify this kind of hurt. However, the show has actually done a wonderful job with showing us just how violent and dangerous the Panthers could be. Interpol agent, dead. The “fake” rat chosen by Keller, dead on spot. More waving guns than anyone would like.
What is even more important is to look at Neal’s past. The last three or four years have had:
- Kate killed by Neal’s old mark/enemy
- Ellen killed by people who found her through Neal
- Mozzie shot by people trying to get to Neal
- El kidnapped because Keller went after Neal
- Peter kidnapped because Keller was playing games with Neal
- Peter in jail because of James/Pratt
- Neal, Peter, Moz and everyone manipulated by Rachel because she wanted to use Neal to get to the diamond
I might have forgotten someone, but I think I made my point. Looking at this list, is it really so hard to see why Neal would fake his death so his enemies couldn’t hurt the people he loved? If faking his death decreases the chances of them getting hurt, isn’t it worth it?
Of course, it’s not this simple. The Panthers might not even have the means to hurt anyone after their arrest. And he might be trying to protect his people, but I’d say that Neal is doing this as much for himself as for them. He didn’t give anyone a choice. Ironically, I see a parallel to Peter and his decision at the beginning of Season 5 to stop being Neal’s handler. Peter’s decision then was completely valid and understandable, but I honestly doubt it was for Neal’s benefit as much as for Peter’s. Here, Neal doesn’t want to see anyone he loves hurt, so he chooses the simpler, perhaps selfish way and removes himself from the picture. Cruel, but understandable and not really unreasonable choice.
And as much as Neal does this to protect his people, he is still a con at heart. He lies and manipulates to execute his plan, he abuses Peter’s trust for many things, including stealing the money for Moz, and he even uses to Mozzie to execute his plan. When Neal was “dying” and telling Peter how he was his best friend, I wanted to punch him in the teeth knowing he was conning Peter - but at the same time, I don’t think it was a con. It was the same thing Peter did to Rachel - he manipulated her by telling her the truth. And Peter is Neal’s best friend (together with Moz) - Neal wasn’t lying to Peter, just telling him what he needed to hear to make his “death” easier. In not so many words, Neal told Peter he didn’t blame him, he loved him - that their partnership was worth it. It doesn’t take away the pain of Peter thinking Neal dead, but I’d say Neal did it to make things the tiniest bit easier for Peter - as much as he could without jeopardizing the plan.
Finally, we skipped a year to learn that Neal is alive and happy in Paris. The newspaper gives two possible interpretations - one, Neal went back to being a thief, two, Neal now consults for Louvre and other museums. My first thought was the second one, but when I think of it, Neal going back to being a thief makes more sense - it’s easier to be done; no need for a new identity or anything. At the same time, Neal going back to being a thief increases the possibility of the Panthers learning that he is alive. Are the Panthers no longer a threat? Again, we don’t know. Still, I like the ambiguity of this ending (I’m ignoring everything Eastin said in his article, since I became allergic to his favorite “Neal was born bad” about three years ago when I first started watching).
In conclusion - Mozzie and Peter are friends. Mozzie is happy, Peter is somehow also happy, with El, the baby and the FBI (and wow, now someone needs to write a fic where Peter finds himself pushing the conventional boundaries and thinking of Neal). And Neal has made a new life for himself in Paris (as a thief or possibly a consultant) - and we know how good Neal is at starting anew (Maya at the island proved that).
For a moment, I was upset about Neal faking his death to possibly going back to being a thief. Did the four years with Peter mean nothing? Did the character not change at all? What about all those musings about “con or a man”? But those aren’t the right questions.
Eastin basically said the “moral” was “once a con, always a con”. I see a different story. If Neal is a thief again, it is his choice - but it is also because at the end of season 5 when he could have regained his freedom, the FBI screwed him over. We make our choices within the circumstances the world offers us. Which just shows that Kramer was both completely right and wrong in season 3.
Frankly, I’m amazed how so many things came back together over the course of the show.
If Neal really went back to being a thief, I should probably be upset that he made the morally wrong choice… but you know what? As long as he’s happy, Peter’s happy and Mozzie’s happy, I don’t care. Maybe I got conned by the show; maybe Eastin believes Neal really was conning Peter - I don’t give a fuck. I love this show, and I’ve chosen an interpretation that makes me happy.
Because Neal helped catch the Panthers and only disappeared after they were caught, I choose the believe the contract is still in place thanks to Mozzie’s paranoia. So if the Panthers stop being a danger, Neal can one day choose to come back (possibly after a legal battle to keep him free). Peter and Moz now know that Neal is alive, so the three can be reunited. The Burkes and June are safe, and I even can see Neal reuniting with Sara or possibly Alex, or someone else entirely (though Sara would probably kick Neal’s ass first for the whole faking death thing). If Neal is a thief, he might stop being one… or not, if it makes him happy (purposefully not worrying here over imaginary stolen artwork).
I hated baby Burke being named Neal, but with Neal alive, the baby no longer has to carry a dead man’s legacy - he is just named after Peter’s best friend. I can live with that.
(Also, can someone write a “Theo” and “Neal” getting in trouble together story? :D )
“Au Revoir” wasn’t the ending I hoped for; however, it felt real and it managed to conclude with hope for all the characters we love. It’s a solid conclusion to the show and it’s open enough to give us possibilities for the future.
I’m happy with that.
I’ve made it no secret that I thought Neal faking his death would be one of the least satisfying endings of the show. Even though all of Season 6 pointed in that direction, I still clung to the hope that I was interpreting it wrong, that there were other options I haven’t considered, that… well. In short, for me, watching this episode was like watching the inevitable train wreck - you know it’s gonna happen but hope for a miracle - and then happens exactly what you thought would happen. For about two hours, I felt let down by the episode, and after reading Eastin’s comment with the obligatory “Neal was born bad”, I was going to say “screw it, I’m done”. Then I started typing this, and the more I wrote, the more I came to appreciate the episode for what it was.
First of all, the things that I liked immediately:
The execution of Neal’s plan was brilliant. I loved how the show used that he was a brilliant shooter, how Neal got Moz away from Keller so that he wouldn’t get hurt; loved the Queen of Hearts card, the con and setting up Moz with millions, the way Neal totally played Keller and his tender goodbye to June (even though it was breaking my heart as I watched it). The acting that Tim DeKay and Willie Garson displayed in this episode was beyond fantastic. The Peter-Mozzie bromance were like a soothing balm, and in the beginning we got to see one of the reasons why Neal wasn’t involving Moz with the Panthers. I also liked El telling Neal to make sure Peter was safe, which was very consistent with her character.
Which brings me back to Neal’s plan.
Let’s look at it in detail. In his “last” con, Neal puts several events in motion:
1) he wants the money for Moz
2) he wants to catch the Panthers so that Peter gets his job and Neal his freedom
3) he clearly plans to kill Keller or have Peter kill him (for obvious reasons)
4) he wants to fake his death so that he is free and the people he loves are safe
Looking back, I wonder when exactly Neal came up with each part of this. When Neal tells Moz “Who says that’s all I’m after?” at the end of the first episode of Season 6, he doesn’t know yet about the money and Keller. Does he realize how dangerous exactly the Panthers are? I didn’t think so, but… now I have to wonder. It seemed that Keller warned Neal about the Panthers coming after the people Neal loves, but what if Neal knew from the start and let Keller think he was playing him? It doesn’t feel likely, yet I hesitate to underestimate Neal. If he didn’t know from the start, what was the original plan? Was it something vague like making sure Moz got a piece of whatever the score was, or did Neal lie to Mozzie so he wouldn’t try to persuade him to change his mind? Did Neal ever truly plan to accept his freedom with the contract?
Frankly, Neal faking his death at the beginning of Season 6 feels like a bit of a stretch. Not impossible, since it’s happening only a day or two after the FBI screwed him over and denied him his freedom… but why not go through with the contract? And if the FBI tried anything, then sue them for all they have and go to the papers? We know that Neal was arrested/denied freedom for bogus reasons before (post-Kate’s death, Kramer, end of season 5), but still, faking his death seems a bit nuclear when there are other options. On the other hand, this is Neal who was just denied his freedom… who had just made the inner commitment to go straight, who just went through the whole mess with Rachel and was hoping for a fresh start… and then the FBI stabbed him in the back. We’ve seen before that Neal reacts to perceived betrayal with the “screw them” attitude (cue first half of season 3 and most of season 5). But honestly, I don’t get this hurt feeling from Neal in Season 6 - he is planning, plotting, but not grieving. And frankly, why put Peter and Moz (and June, and possibly El, Sara, the FBI team…) through a hell of a hurt when there are still other options? So - what WAS Neal’s plan at the beginning of Season 6? Did he really just rely on the contract to get his freedom but didn’t want to tell Moz? Did he plan to grab a piece of whatever the score was, or was it something else entirely? I guess we’ll never know.
On with the plan.
So, Neal fakes his death. And hurts Peter and Moz so much I really wanted to punch him in the teeth. You don’t do that to someone you love unless there is absolutely no other option. Which is where I see the weakest point of this episode and of the whole Season 6.
Were the Panthers really so dangerous that Neal had to fake his death to keep “the people he loved” safe? Let’s look at it closely. So, who are the people that would be threatened by the Panthers?
First, there is Moz. Honestly, I don’t believe that Moz would rather live without a possible danger than know that Neal was alive for a year. So, not Moz.
Then there is Sara. However, she is safe in London, and it seems like a stretch that the Panthers would find someone to hurt her all over the way across the ocean when she and Neal broke up and Neal supposedly moved on with Rebecca/Rachel. Not Sara either, then.
Third, June. Here, I think Neal’s concern is valid. June is undoubtedly extremely capable and has her contacts, but if someone hires a killer to get to her… June is a sitting duck in her mansion, and given how Neal lost Ellen, who was supposed to be protected by the Marshals… If the Panthers wanted to go after someone close to Neal, June would be a good target.
And finally, there are the Burkes - and here is where it gets complicated.
First of all, Peter is an FBI agent. Most people would think twice before going after a fed and his family, so the badge is largely protecting Peter. Also, if Neal was so worried about Peter, then why involve him in the first place? Why make him one of the Panthers’ crew? But when you look at it closely, it does sort of make sense… sort of. If you squint. Because Woodford and his crew might not want to pay for a hit against a fed, but their motivation would increase significantly if said fed was also the best friend of the rat who betrayed them. With Neal alive, the Panthers would push that much harder to have someone hurt the Burkes, and Neal knows this. And frankly, this is where I think the baby comes in as a plot device. Because despite the risk, Neal might have still decided to stay if the danger was just to Peter and El. But El’s helpless baby? You do NOT let someone hurt your best friend’s kid. Without El’s pregnancy, I would have said ‘trust Peter and the badge to protect the Burkes’. But the kid completely changes the board. Nobody allows to hurt the kid.
So, does Neal have a good motivation to fake his death? Is it justified, when he hurts them all, manipulates them, lies to them, makes their choice for them and basically screws them so he can have his freedom and keep them safe?
Well… I don’t know. I don’t know if the Panthers present a strong enough danger to justify this kind of hurt. However, the show has actually done a wonderful job with showing us just how violent and dangerous the Panthers could be. Interpol agent, dead. The “fake” rat chosen by Keller, dead on spot. More waving guns than anyone would like.
What is even more important is to look at Neal’s past. The last three or four years have had:
- Kate killed by Neal’s old mark/enemy
- Ellen killed by people who found her through Neal
- Mozzie shot by people trying to get to Neal
- El kidnapped because Keller went after Neal
- Peter kidnapped because Keller was playing games with Neal
- Peter in jail because of James/Pratt
- Neal, Peter, Moz and everyone manipulated by Rachel because she wanted to use Neal to get to the diamond
I might have forgotten someone, but I think I made my point. Looking at this list, is it really so hard to see why Neal would fake his death so his enemies couldn’t hurt the people he loved? If faking his death decreases the chances of them getting hurt, isn’t it worth it?
Of course, it’s not this simple. The Panthers might not even have the means to hurt anyone after their arrest. And he might be trying to protect his people, but I’d say that Neal is doing this as much for himself as for them. He didn’t give anyone a choice. Ironically, I see a parallel to Peter and his decision at the beginning of Season 5 to stop being Neal’s handler. Peter’s decision then was completely valid and understandable, but I honestly doubt it was for Neal’s benefit as much as for Peter’s. Here, Neal doesn’t want to see anyone he loves hurt, so he chooses the simpler, perhaps selfish way and removes himself from the picture. Cruel, but understandable and not really unreasonable choice.
And as much as Neal does this to protect his people, he is still a con at heart. He lies and manipulates to execute his plan, he abuses Peter’s trust for many things, including stealing the money for Moz, and he even uses to Mozzie to execute his plan. When Neal was “dying” and telling Peter how he was his best friend, I wanted to punch him in the teeth knowing he was conning Peter - but at the same time, I don’t think it was a con. It was the same thing Peter did to Rachel - he manipulated her by telling her the truth. And Peter is Neal’s best friend (together with Moz) - Neal wasn’t lying to Peter, just telling him what he needed to hear to make his “death” easier. In not so many words, Neal told Peter he didn’t blame him, he loved him - that their partnership was worth it. It doesn’t take away the pain of Peter thinking Neal dead, but I’d say Neal did it to make things the tiniest bit easier for Peter - as much as he could without jeopardizing the plan.
Finally, we skipped a year to learn that Neal is alive and happy in Paris. The newspaper gives two possible interpretations - one, Neal went back to being a thief, two, Neal now consults for Louvre and other museums. My first thought was the second one, but when I think of it, Neal going back to being a thief makes more sense - it’s easier to be done; no need for a new identity or anything. At the same time, Neal going back to being a thief increases the possibility of the Panthers learning that he is alive. Are the Panthers no longer a threat? Again, we don’t know. Still, I like the ambiguity of this ending (I’m ignoring everything Eastin said in his article, since I became allergic to his favorite “Neal was born bad” about three years ago when I first started watching).
In conclusion - Mozzie and Peter are friends. Mozzie is happy, Peter is somehow also happy, with El, the baby and the FBI (and wow, now someone needs to write a fic where Peter finds himself pushing the conventional boundaries and thinking of Neal). And Neal has made a new life for himself in Paris (as a thief or possibly a consultant) - and we know how good Neal is at starting anew (Maya at the island proved that).
For a moment, I was upset about Neal faking his death to possibly going back to being a thief. Did the four years with Peter mean nothing? Did the character not change at all? What about all those musings about “con or a man”? But those aren’t the right questions.
Eastin basically said the “moral” was “once a con, always a con”. I see a different story. If Neal is a thief again, it is his choice - but it is also because at the end of season 5 when he could have regained his freedom, the FBI screwed him over. We make our choices within the circumstances the world offers us. Which just shows that Kramer was both completely right and wrong in season 3.
Frankly, I’m amazed how so many things came back together over the course of the show.
If Neal really went back to being a thief, I should probably be upset that he made the morally wrong choice… but you know what? As long as he’s happy, Peter’s happy and Mozzie’s happy, I don’t care. Maybe I got conned by the show; maybe Eastin believes Neal really was conning Peter - I don’t give a fuck. I love this show, and I’ve chosen an interpretation that makes me happy.
Because Neal helped catch the Panthers and only disappeared after they were caught, I choose the believe the contract is still in place thanks to Mozzie’s paranoia. So if the Panthers stop being a danger, Neal can one day choose to come back (possibly after a legal battle to keep him free). Peter and Moz now know that Neal is alive, so the three can be reunited. The Burkes and June are safe, and I even can see Neal reuniting with Sara or possibly Alex, or someone else entirely (though Sara would probably kick Neal’s ass first for the whole faking death thing). If Neal is a thief, he might stop being one… or not, if it makes him happy (purposefully not worrying here over imaginary stolen artwork).
I hated baby Burke being named Neal, but with Neal alive, the baby no longer has to carry a dead man’s legacy - he is just named after Peter’s best friend. I can live with that.
(Also, can someone write a “Theo” and “Neal” getting in trouble together story? :D )
“Au Revoir” wasn’t the ending I hoped for; however, it felt real and it managed to conclude with hope for all the characters we love. It’s a solid conclusion to the show and it’s open enough to give us possibilities for the future.
I’m happy with that.