I actually watched this a couple of nights ago, but hadn’t goten around to posting about it. My bad.
In this episode, Peter and Neal (and Peter-and-Neal) take a backseat to let Mozzie shine for an episode. Which is great, because Willie Garson is just amazing as Mozzie, and he’s consistently the most quoteable character on the show (and the first scene culminates in one such quote :D).
So that’s two White Collar episodes in a row that I’d describe as awesome. :D/
In this one it was in large part due to Neal’s unabashed glee at what is going on; first at someone copycatting him, and then even more so at learning that criminology students are studying him… spending an entire week on him, in fact. And also Peter’s reaction to all this (“He’s gonna be impossible after this”).
So the other things that made me love this ep are Mozzie and Peter’s scavenger hunt, because it was awesome from start to finish, and then the myriad little details expanding and shaping Neal and Peter’s relationship and showing it for what it is.
I realize this is premature, but I have this urge to call this the best episode of White Collar so far. At very least, potentially my favorite, because it had so many delicious character moments, and it was just so much fun.
And Diana is the first thing that comes to mind that made the episode great.
…Way to post a late reaction post, huh?
Late as it is, there’s one thing in particular I wanted to post about, in regards to White Collar‘s season 2 opener. In the last couple of weeks before season 2 started, in the midst of being really excited about the show being back, and getting more Neal and Peter, in the back of my mind there was one little detail I wasn’t sure how to feel about: when I was hunting down interviews, I read that at the beginning of the episode Neal was back in prison, so Peter had to get him released into his custody again.
In the end, I liked how this was dealt with, it all felt really organic, but the reason I’d worried a bit that maybe it was sign that the intention was to wipe the slate so that everything could start from square, as it were, but Neal being in prison was very logical and felt natural, things picked up in a logical continuation from where the first season ended. But even more importantly, Neal and Peter’s relationship picked up where it left off. It was the relationship we’ve come to know and love, but it was also an evolved version of it.
In some shows, when a particular dynamic is the driving force, there might be a fear of altering the balance and screwing it up; and so maybe situations are manipulated so that the dynamic doesn’t change. The problem is that relationships aren’t static, and they do evolve, and to force a relationship to stay the same unnaturally is counterproductive; the trick, obviously, is to keep the essence of the dynamic intact while letting it evolve. This is most obvious in the “will they or won’t they” type of romantic relationship, but it’s also true of platonic, complicated relationships like Neal and Peter’s.
One particular example where this was completely botched is season 2 of Merlin: through the first season, Arthur had gone from being a jerk to Merlin, to having a grudging respect for him, and then to seeing him as a friend (even though Arthur wouldn’t admit that to himself); and Merlin had also come to see Arthur as a friend and leader he could follow. But come season two, Arthur is once again behaving like he thinks Merlin is just an uneducated, stupid servant he can jerk around. I guess that the logic behind it is that that was the base of the relationship when the series started, and it generates both humor and angst for Merlin, but personally, I had enjoyed seeing the evolution of their relationship, and to see the slate wiped clean left a bad taste in my mouth, and it’s part of what soured me on the show in season 2.
At any rate, the point is that White Collar evaded that pitfall beautifully. I read an interview with Jeff Eastin today where he talked about resisting the urge to change everything up in season 2 (…completely the opposite of what I said up there, yeah) and how he wanted to stick to what works, and that Neal and Peter. But he also clearly understands the need to see the relationship evolve, and the characters through it; and in this episode, after all that’s happened, both Neal and Peter now freely admit that they consider each other friends. I mean, it was obvious last season that they cared about each other, but I don’t think we ever saw one refer to the other as a friend. And that, to me, was the most satisfying thing about this episode.
Been kind of busy and tired, and when I’ve had time I’ve been playing around with WP3’s custom posts and taxonomies (because I’m a geek like that). But at any rate, I’ve watched several things in the past week:
Moyashimon. With Channaka and Kato Natsuki. It was cute and cracky and amusing. Kato Natsuki really knows how to work the leather… in spite of her germ-infested toes. ¦D
Unubore Deka. Watched basically because Kaname Jun is in it. Ikuta Toma was a plus, too (I’m not into JE, but I like him). Anyway, it was hilarious, so will keep watching. Also? Kaname Jun. In pink pants. Dancing and grabbing himself. Need I say more?
First two eps of Burn Notice. I actually had not watched before, figured I should. It was a lot of fun, although so far Michael is the only character I’m really loving. He’s enough, though, and Fiona did grow on me in ep 2. Which means I have 3 seasons of catch-up to do.
White Collar season 2 premiere (okay, so this is neither a new show, nor new to me). It’s great to have Marsha Thomason on as a regular, loved Peter and Mossie’s secret meetings in the park. Didn’t love the greenscreening in the Let’s Hide Tiffany Thiessen’s Pregnancy scene. Loved Neal, obviously. Also, I think it was a good setup for the season, and I’ll probably make a longer post about it.
Covert Affairs. So far? Really promising. I already love Annie (I admit, at least in part because she has a cat that looks like my Otto). Chris Gorham’s Auggie is probably my favorite element of the pilot. Will probably make a longer post about this one too.
I know that this is old news, but since I only watched the first season of White Collar in the past month, I wouldn’t have known when it was new… Anyway, Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay did a webcast back before the season 1 finale, answering fans’ questions. And watching them play off each other in it is awesome. You can tell these guys just really enjoy each other, and that’s no doubt a big part of why Neal and Peter’s relationship on the show is so interesting.
And Matt? Is a little shameless, and I love it. Right at the start he says to Tim, perfectly deadpan, “Here’s a good one… Um, how big is your gun?”. ¦D