My only complaint has to do with, no surprise, the plot. I don't know if the plotting was any worse than usual, but that the the entire scheme hinged on a 50(?) year old receipt being in the jacket pocket of one of Byron's suits was stretching.....no, it was just really far-fetched. I mean, we'd have to assume Byron last wore the suit shortly before he died and I don't think he's been dead that long. And how would Ford know the receipt was in the jacket? And if he knew where the receipt was and what it was for, why wait so long to contact June? Or didn't he consider the possibilities of stealing the plate until he met his latest cellmate? And it's convenient that it was one of the suits Neal hadn't worn yet. My arm could break from the handwaving! :pI'm thinking that the reason Ford wanted that receipt was to destroy it. He probably wanted to make sure it was gone. It just happens to be the plot device Neal needs in order to find the plate. :-D
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I'm even more confused on rewatch since I forgot the plate was for $100 bills issued in 1991, but they were all looking at photos from the 60s. So are we to believe Byron had the receipt in his pocket for 25 years? Which creates more questions as to how Ford would know a plate manufactured in 1991 would end up in a table made in the 60s. Or was Byron still wearing those suits into the 1990's?
I loved the episode too! I guess when an episode is bad, it's easy for me to just dismiss all of it. But when an episode is good I tend to be nitpicky about the mistakes or weaknesses.
I bet Byron wore those suits for a long time. The plate was originally Ford's remember? Byron decided to ah, intervene, and stole the plate from him. Ford either wanted the receipt to destroy as evidence, or to confirm what piece of furniture Byron had altered.
It crosses my mind also that the easiest way (although there's nothing in canon to support this) to explain what was in Byron's pocket is that he had a reputation for leaving things in his pockets.
Like I said, I suspect Ford simply wanted to destroy the receipt to keep a certain con artist from finding it. ;-)
Neal commented "people can change" in reference to himself. This seems rather contradictory to his statement to Peter last week that he does what he doe because it's in his blood. Hmmm....
Yep I find that odd too, thus my issues with the chararacterisation of Neal in the last few episodes, but other than that (and the plot, which is WELL something we always complain about but don't see any changes so I'm losing hope :P), I love the episode.
There's a lot to love about the episode. I think I'm extra nit-picky with episodes I really enjoy because, when the character stuff works so well, I become more frustrated by the plotting and massive holes therein. Imagine if the character moments and the plot points were equally great?
You are so right about the plot, but then I don't watch it for the plot (luckily). Even so simple a thing as having whatever clue they wanted, even the stupid receipt, being hidden in the jacket (as opposed to casually forgotten in the jacket) would have made it so much better. D and I were thinking Byron had sewn something in the lining until TPTB came up with the obvious plot device receipt.
If I actually watched for the plot I likely wouldn't have made it past the first season. ;) I am starting to wonder, if the fans are able to pick up on plot holes right away, why they don't come up in the writers room? I'm pretty confidant the WC writers have learned how observant we are. And you're idea about the jacket would not only have worked better, it's an action more worthy of Byron!
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I loved the episode too! I guess when an episode is bad, it's easy for me to just dismiss all of it. But when an episode is good I tend to be nitpicky about the mistakes or weaknesses.
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It crosses my mind also that the easiest way (although there's nothing in canon to support this) to explain what was in Byron's pocket is that he had a reputation for leaving things in his pockets.
Like I said, I suspect Ford simply wanted to destroy the receipt to keep a certain con artist from finding it. ;-)
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Yep I find that odd too, thus my issues with the chararacterisation of Neal in the last few episodes, but other than that (and the plot, which is WELL something we always complain about but don't see any changes so I'm losing hope :P), I love the episode.
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