ただ 現実はずっと想像の上を行く
It's been several days since the first episode of season 5 aired, but I'm watching White Collar again this season. ^^ I'm kind of hesitant about this season, since there were some things I was pretty dissatisfied with in season 4.
First off, I don't know how interested I'll be in the overarching plot this season. As much as Peter getting arrested made for a good cliffhanger season ending, and as much as the emotional and moral turmoil Neal feels over Peter going to jail and then secretly helping him avoid getting indicted works really well with his character and seems like it could be an interesting conflict for this season, I think they went a bit too far to have Peter get arrested like that. I'm worried they're getting into the pattern of everything has to be bigger and more dramatic than last season cycle that a lot of shows get trapped in if they go long enough.
I think there's a problem with the cliffhangers in at least the two season most recent seasons of White Collar, too. They get resolved too fast. The very first episode of next season, resolved. It feels like they could build up the tension for two or more episodes in the next season, but they don't. I think it's related to the feeling the need to get more and more dramatic problem, too. The drama of the cliffhangers ends up feeling too big for it to make sense for them to be resolved immediately the next episode.
Well, in an interview I read somewhere, the creator of White Collar did say they were planning to go back to the basics or foundations or whatever, and they did revert to an older version of the opening credits, so maybe, even as the characters move along and change, they are making an effort to keep with what makes White Collar great without letting the series get out of hand.
On to things I liked about the new episode, Mozzie being the distraction and yet not being allowed to go on about conspiracy theories even when directly asked about it by that police officer was hilarious to watch. xD Mozzie planning to help Peter and then saying he wouldn't admit to anyone he was working to help a fed was great too. Mozzie slowly warming up to Peter but not ultimately trusting him is one of the great things about the character relations in White Collar.
Another relationship dynamic I love in White Collar, the Peter-Neal-El relationship, came through well in this episode, too. I love how Neal wants to please both Peter and El, and how sometimes what they want comes into conflict and Neal's caught in the middle, so it was great seeing El tell Neal she wanted Peter out of jail (and back with her) no matter how it happened, and that was in (a little) conflict with Neal wanting to help Peter keep his job. It happened a little last season, too, when El asked Neal to keep something from Peter. I remember looking up White Collar fic online after, only like, the first episode had aired with friends, and being amazed at how fans embraced the Neal/Peter/El relationship and OT3'd them, and of course, part of the reason fans go for that is because Peter and El's relationship is great, but also because Neal and El genuinely like and trust each other.
But my favorite scene of all was near the end when Peter came to visit Neal to give him a new tracking anklet and tell him that he'd get a new handler. Every time they take Neal's anklet off or put it on, my kinkster heart squeals with joy. ♥ They always give those scenes so much importance! And sometimes Peter asks someone else to do it or asks Neal to do it, but Peter's always watching! And then Neal goes and says that he feels like he's missing something when he's not wearing his anklet, and internally, I was just thinking: IS IT YOUR EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO PETER SYMBOLIZED THROUGH THE ANKLET THAT YOU'RE MISSING? OR JUST PETER THAT YOU'RE MISSING? Because that's all nice and symbolic and totally kinky and all, right?
Well, that turned out longer than I had been expecting. And now I'm thinking about how the "Collar" in White Collar could have layered meanings and... Well, I'm still a little worried about the direction the show's going, but I still like how it is currently more than enough to keep watching it. ^_^
First off, I don't know how interested I'll be in the overarching plot this season. As much as Peter getting arrested made for a good cliffhanger season ending, and as much as the emotional and moral turmoil Neal feels over Peter going to jail and then secretly helping him avoid getting indicted works really well with his character and seems like it could be an interesting conflict for this season, I think they went a bit too far to have Peter get arrested like that. I'm worried they're getting into the pattern of everything has to be bigger and more dramatic than last season cycle that a lot of shows get trapped in if they go long enough.
I think there's a problem with the cliffhangers in at least the two season most recent seasons of White Collar, too. They get resolved too fast. The very first episode of next season, resolved. It feels like they could build up the tension for two or more episodes in the next season, but they don't. I think it's related to the feeling the need to get more and more dramatic problem, too. The drama of the cliffhangers ends up feeling too big for it to make sense for them to be resolved immediately the next episode.
Well, in an interview I read somewhere, the creator of White Collar did say they were planning to go back to the basics or foundations or whatever, and they did revert to an older version of the opening credits, so maybe, even as the characters move along and change, they are making an effort to keep with what makes White Collar great without letting the series get out of hand.
On to things I liked about the new episode, Mozzie being the distraction and yet not being allowed to go on about conspiracy theories even when directly asked about it by that police officer was hilarious to watch. xD Mozzie planning to help Peter and then saying he wouldn't admit to anyone he was working to help a fed was great too. Mozzie slowly warming up to Peter but not ultimately trusting him is one of the great things about the character relations in White Collar.
Another relationship dynamic I love in White Collar, the Peter-Neal-El relationship, came through well in this episode, too. I love how Neal wants to please both Peter and El, and how sometimes what they want comes into conflict and Neal's caught in the middle, so it was great seeing El tell Neal she wanted Peter out of jail (and back with her) no matter how it happened, and that was in (a little) conflict with Neal wanting to help Peter keep his job. It happened a little last season, too, when El asked Neal to keep something from Peter. I remember looking up White Collar fic online after, only like, the first episode had aired with friends, and being amazed at how fans embraced the Neal/Peter/El relationship and OT3'd them, and of course, part of the reason fans go for that is because Peter and El's relationship is great, but also because Neal and El genuinely like and trust each other.
But my favorite scene of all was near the end when Peter came to visit Neal to give him a new tracking anklet and tell him that he'd get a new handler. Every time they take Neal's anklet off or put it on, my kinkster heart squeals with joy. ♥ They always give those scenes so much importance! And sometimes Peter asks someone else to do it or asks Neal to do it, but Peter's always watching! And then Neal goes and says that he feels like he's missing something when he's not wearing his anklet, and internally, I was just thinking: IS IT YOUR EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO PETER SYMBOLIZED THROUGH THE ANKLET THAT YOU'RE MISSING? OR JUST PETER THAT YOU'RE MISSING? Because that's all nice and symbolic and totally kinky and all, right?
Well, that turned out longer than I had been expecting. And now I'm thinking about how the "Collar" in White Collar could have layered meanings and... Well, I'm still a little worried about the direction the show's going, but I still like how it is currently more than enough to keep watching it. ^_^