White Collar 6x03
On of the things I regret most about the drop off in activity on LJ/DW is the sudden lack of icons. But even when I go back in time via lj communities, I still can't find Keller&Neal icons. Which is fair enough. They didn't really capture my imagination until this season.
Anyway, on to the actual review.
Neal and Keller definitely had the standout relationship this time. Honestly, these past couple episodes are causing me to completely reinterpret all of Keller's previous appearances. Like, the treasure debacle seems mostly like an attempt to get rich (though it's here Keller expresses regret that their partnership fell apart), but I feel like maybe "Bottlenecked" is now looking like Keller's attempt to get Neal to play with him, and "Payback" was, well, payback for Neal not playing by the right rules. Keller likes Neal. It's just that he also wants to kill Neal and everyone Neal loves. He's a very complicated man, Keller.
The truth is they do work well together. Even without planning in advance, they work the con on Amy effortlessly. You can see why their partnership worked. But Neal's moved on, and Keller really hasn't. Keller wants their old times back.
Their last conversation was sharp as hell, and it's tough to tease the manipulation from the brutal truth. Keller likes hurting Neal, and is totally trying to to fuck with Neal's head, but what he says make an uncomfortable amount of sense. (I very much hope this isn't a premonition for the end of the series.) I also wonder if it was also a bit of a "We belong together" speech. Not only does Keller insist that they're the same, he keeps grouping him and Neal together. "We're hunted men."
I think Keller got a thrill of being so blunt when he told Amy what Neal really was. He wasn't wrong. But I think he wanted to throw it in Neal's face. And his behavior with Amy and Neal in that scene, his insistence to Amy that she wasn't the first, struck me. Maybe it was just to hurt her worse; she may not be his main target, but Keller likes causing pain in general. Or maybe it was to remind Neal how many times he's done this.
(Oh my god, oh my god. Keller asked Neal if working together gave him a tingle. He called Neal sweetheart. Ahaha. And, of course, another interpretation of Keller's "Don't feel special line" is jealousy.)
Mozzie was a lot of fun in this episode. I'm sure his offer to be Elizabeth's doula will be a delightful surprise to the Burkes! I'm also deeply amused that NPR is apparently a totalitarian cult. (He's on the money about PETA though.)
I liked Mozzie having the connections and know how to get the Exodus file off the giant floppy disk. (Shut up, that's what it looks like.) And his smile and nod when Luc called him peculiar was adorable.
Mostly the Neal and Mozzie friendship was as it always is, but Keller calling Mozzie Neal's soulmate was a highlight. Given that the Neal&Mozzie friendship is my favorite relationship on the show, I can only concur with this. (Less serious comment: Keller ships Mozzie/Neal!)
Luc is mysterious and clearly shady as fuck. Clearly there's something more to him when it comes to the Pink Panthers, though I don't have any clue what it could be. But he's a seriously bad dude. I mean, he told Keller to bring a gun right before Keller broke into Amy's apartment. It certainly seems like it was his idea for Keller to be ready to kill her. I mean, Keller would have anyway, but its one thing for Keller to do that, and another for him to do it with his handler's express permission. Not the mention that very fact that Luc knows Keller has a gun and isn't bothered.
I feel like there are parallels to be made here that are interesting but of limited use. When I thought about Keller having a gun and Luc knowing, I next thought about Neal, Peter, and Neal's forged credit cards. I thought of the times Neal has crossed lines, and Peter's known about it. I thought about how little Peter liked seeing his behavior from the outside, when Diana did the same thing.
But, as I said, it's of limited use. Forging credits cards is simply not the same as killing someone. Peter would never, ever allow Neal to harm someone in that way, which is fine because Neal would never want to. Still, I think it is interesting, the way the show portrays handlers and assets.
Also, Peter and Luc were getting into a bit of a pissing contest. Not that Luc wasn't genuinely out of line (horribly so), but their mutual annoyance started before that. Also the general air of who's C.I. is more effective, especially in their conversation near the end. And, um, did Peter threaten Luc with rendition? Yeah, I'm pretty sure he did. Peter, I don't approve.
I loved Peter and Elizabeth's plot line this episode. Elizabeth's fear about Peter not being there for her and the baby was a reasonable one! He's missed a lot of dinners at home. But she talked about with Peter, he reassured her, they were both satisfied. This is how mature adults resolve their problems! This is a healthy relationship in action! Also, damn did Elizabeth look sexy.
So glad to see Diana and Elizabeth bonding, and Elizabeth benefiting from Diana's experience. One of this shows unfortunate flaws is how rarely it passes the Bechdel test, so it was really nice to have.
I've saved Neal and his plot for last. I wasn't at surprised to see Neal fall for Amy. His greatest strength as a con artist is also his greatest weakness, which is how easily his feelings become real. We saw it with Kate and with Rebecaa. Nor does it surprise me that he didn't want to con her and felt bad about it. She was sweet and innocent, and Neal perceived her as vulnerable. He had the same reaction to Sophie Covington. ("I can't con a widow.") I don't for a second this is something Neal's learned from working at the FBI. I think he's always been like this. (For something similar, see him blowing as finishing the Adler con to spend an afternoon with Kate, or refusing to work with Wilkes once he realized Wilkes was going to hurt people.) If Neal has a personal connection to someone, or if he feels he needs to protect them, he'll go to any lengths. But crimes like his have victims that aren't so easily seen.
Keller tells Neal that they're the same, and Neal says, "I'm not a guy like you." Which is true. Neal isn't Keller. He would never do the things Keller does. But Neal has a long history of not wanting to admit how much other people pay for his actions. He's not like Keller, but he's not as different as he wants to be. Mozzie brings up the old "You can't cheat on honest man" quote, but that's BS, and Neal knows it.
But there genuinely are things that separate Neal from Keller, and not just the lack of violence. After they run the double con on Amy, Keller wonders why they never tried that before, and Neal says it's because it makes him sick to watch Keller's half. It does mean something that Neal won't harass a woman for his own gain. It may be only basic human decency, but it's still important. And actually, I think, indicates a lot about Neal. He's a con artist, but he's also a people pleaser. He'd much rather he walk away from the mark with them feeling good.
I like that Amy stood up to Neal. I mean, I loved the way Neal worked out a plan on the spot to let everyone come out ahead, but I also like that she didn't take it. I think Neal needs more people to come into his life and not forgive him.
But Neal is having a crisis on conscience over this. It is easier to have fun conning people if you can tell yourself they're bad. But it's not new for Neal to know he likes working at the FBI. See "Controlling Interest" where drugged Neal tells Mozzie that he likes working with the FBI, but he also likes working against. With the season ending, one has to wonder if Neal will finally reach a final conclusion.
Random thoughts:
At least this sweet, ordinary girl didn't turn out to be a stone cold assassin.
Peter still has the BMW, so I guess he's still ASAC? Yeah, I know. The point of that scene was to advertise the BMW.
Amy had the same Kate did when Neal met her. I'm sure this has zero meaning, but I'm still noting it.
"Le Suit"
Also, Mozzie not trusting a Frenchman who doesn't drink wine. I'm not sure Mozzie would ever trust anyone who didn't drink.
June!
I still can't quite get over Keller calling Neal sweetheart. (I believe the internet term I need here is sorrynotsorry.)
This entry was originally posted at http://veleda-k.dreamwidth.org/414475.html. Please consider commenting there.