 |
| Paradise agrees with Neal, but he's still in a New York state of mind. |
Peter’s confession to Ellen Parker is the reason we start
this season so far out of my comfort zone: Neal is indeed on the run, fleeing
because Peter realized just how dangerous Kramer’s grudge against the ex-con
was becoming. So Neal is living off anklet on a remote tropical island, instead of working as Peter's CI on the island that's been his home off and on since he was eighteen: Manhattan.
But New York –the “best city in the world,”—is never far from his mind, even while he’s romancing a local girl named Maya. He proves this by sculpting the view from his rooms at June's to give Maya a glimpse of his true self.
But New York –the “best city in the world,”—is never far from his mind, even while he’s romancing a local girl named Maya. He proves this by sculpting the view from his rooms at June's to give Maya a glimpse of his true self.
(We catch Neal reading the New York Times as well—this is the first time I can remember White Collar using a specific New York paper.)
Peter, meanwhile, is missing Neal—even his annoying stakeout
habits (requests for NPR rather than the Yankees’ game, complaints about
deviled ham and his tendency to do pull some crazy stunt). And he’s
worried. He knows just what kind of bounty hunter the FBI has sent after his
erstwhile partner. This bounty hunter, Collins, is one of the few weak points
of the episode: the character has about as much depth as a piece of matzah.
Hence Peter turns to Ellen Parker—though Elizabeth, as her
usual awesome self, is the one who convinces Neal’s confidant that Peter is
Neal’s friend. Ellen gives Peter a way to contact Neal, bringing
us to a lovely phone call between the two. (They share a regretful
it-was-fun-while-it-lasted conversation. Seriously.)
What else works in this episode? Just about everything: Puerto Rico does a stunning job in the role of the remote island. Mozzie, now Barry, proves himself a faithful sidekick. Hector, the little scamp
Neal and Moz take under their wing, is darling—I wish they could bring him back
to New York once things get sorted out. Diana and Jones have a small but
crucial part. And Hughes is back! Heck, not only is he
back, but he understands why Peter needs to help Neal.
 |
| Peter and Neal reunited. |
Peter and Neal each make a crucial mistake during this
episode—that left a sour taste in my mouth, but our boys are entitled to their
missteps. And the episode leaves us with two cliffhangers: the more important
one, to me, is just how will we get back to my comfy, secure,
Peter-and-Neal-working-together-in-New-York format? Looks like we’ll find out next
week . . .
All right, Collars! Your turn: what did you think of this episode? I can't wait to hear your opinions!
15 comments:
I have a feeling Neal's situation will take more than another week to work out -- they may get back to New York, but from some of the things Eastin and Bomer have said, I sense that they'll still be working it all out in episode 3 and maybe beyond.
I loved the episode, but it was also dark and complicated -- layers and layers of feeling and meaning. I had been worrying about whether it would be Peter who would -- not that he wanted to of course -- lead Collins to Neal. And so it is. And though I thought the phone call and the hug were beautiful, Neal's response to both was so layered, complicated, as his relationship with Peter so often is. I'm not sure exactly how Neal feels about Peter being there -- I trust his love for Peter but this is one of those times I have a feeling he wishes Peter hadn't shown up.
There were certainly elements of fun, but underlying they were on borrowed time.
I loved Elizabeth's role. Diana and Jones'loyalty. Neal in linen and that hat (and of course shirtless). Mozzie's friendship. THAT HUG.
What I didn't get was Collins. Dead or alive seems awfully extreme for a forger. It would have made more sense to have a few layers there.
That said...I'm so glad it is back and I can't wait to see where it goes.
Damietta
Timewarner cut off one minute early according to Marsha's tweet. What happened after Collins said he told him Neal's name?
@Anon 11:26 Collins just says "Hello Neal," while drawing nearer with the gun.
THE EPISODE IS FREE ON ITUNES! :) Happy downloading and re-watching everybody!
@Anon 8:53 Oooh! 'Wanted' is free on Amazon too. :D
Loved the episode. Eastin, Bomer, DeKay really hit a good one here - hope the intensity lasts throughout S4
I enjoyed this episode. I also would like to see Hector tag along when they go back to NY. Further I like to see Maya follow shortly after. I could see her be Neal's El. He did give her that moment of honesty which he does not do with everyone. I for one noticed a potential foreshadowing as we see Neal's Ny sand sculpture in ruin. He may be returning to NY, but the relationship may not be the same. Still look forward to Neal's relationship and how it would be now to Sarah & Alex. I heard rumor a White Collar character may die this season and I wonder who that may be. I also like to see Sally (aka Vulture) connect with Mozzie again. Look forward to seeing who plays Neal's dad or mother or both? Treat Williams is suspected as much since he portray an undercover officer from D.C. named Sam who has some “deeply rooted ties to Neal’s past.”
I hope this season keeps giving a good cliffhanger after each episode.
Wanted was undoubtedly a very intense & thrilling episode. The cliffhanger was excellent too. The whole Team- Bomer, Dekay, Garson-all gave wonderful performances as usual. Even after all this, the episode wasn't satisfying. Though I loved Neal-Peter reunion, I couldn't help but think, Peter acted rather rashly in this episode, didn't he? Even though Peter gave Neal the signal to run, that doesn't necessarily means the decision of running was wholly Peter's fault. Neal himself cut his anklet and ran. He knowingly (while very upset) cut his ties with New York & decided to start a new life. Mozzie and Neal are professionals and knew what they were doing. Collins had no real leads except the older woman (E Parker). Why was Peter so concerned? If he thought Collins was such a risk and wanted Neal to get away cleanly, why not just knock on Parker's door and say, "I just want you to know, that Collins guy is dangerous to Neal. Don't give him anything! If you're in contact with Neal, warn him." Peter trying to contact and then track Neal (using FBI resources and agents) was the only thing that could possibly have smoked him out. And why keep the map when you know the location already? It was so sloppy that it sort of ruined the whole episode. Why was Peter acting like that- Because he's feeling guilty? He's too concerned? Missing Neal too much? Couldn't live without Neal? Or was Peter just DYING to look into those dreamy blue eyes again!
I loved the hesitant look on Neal's face during the reunion scene. He was somewhat reluctant even without knowing Peter was the main reason behind Collin's presence on the island. Hope they'll explore this angle in the future.
Loved that Huges is back & Loved, loved , loved the fact that he gave Peter leave so that he can find Neal. I'm really happy they didn't solve everything in one episode. The island setting is very refreshing & intense. oh, and I Loved Maya.
This was a great episode! I'm so glad it's back on. I thought Peter's talk with Ellen was just fantastic. Tim did an amazing job expressing his concern.
I also loved it when Mozzie said "You run, I run" to Neal. I'm glad that they both have each others backs. :)
I definitely can't wait for next week!
Anon @ 11:09PM: I think the whole dead or alive thing with Collins is because the FBI wants to make an example out of Neal. I know at the beginning of the episode Collins called Neal the "poster boy for reform". And now that Neal had to run off, it probably made them look bad. Haha, I don't know, that's just what I thought. xD
Personally I loved this episode of White Collar. I’ve been a huge fan ever since a co-worker at Dish told me about the series last season, and I couldn’t wait to see this episode after catching up with the first few seasons. You can practically see Neal’s want to be back in New York in everything he did, from the hat he wore to the skyline he built out of sand. I doubt that they will keep the series out of New York for very long, though it is fun to see the show away from what we are used to seeing for a while. Unfortunately, I couldn’t watch the premiere live last night, but I did get to watch it today on Dish Online, which is where I watch a lot of shows and movies for free, because I’m not always home to enjoy it. I can’t wait to see where they take this season after showing Collins holding a gun to Neal’s head and smiling about it.
Liked most of the ep. YAY for El being Awesome as usual, and for Peter's Team showing why they're the best. Loved the Peter/Neal interactions: the 'phone call, the hug (purrrr!). Little bits like Neal getting the hat (and later, Peter finding him because of the hat!) and Neal's gallery of forgeries (i.e.: proof the poor boy's bored outta his mind without Peter) also evoked SQUEEEfulness.
Given that she's not the OT3 my fannish heart craves, I thought Maya was fine... and Neal's unconventional courting display (Sandcastle NYC FTW!!!) would've justified a much worse script-romance. In her favor, she's clever and has good reactions in a crisis... but I doubt she'll follow Neal back to NYC, and we all want him back in NYC, so I don't see her as a long-term continuing character.
My s.o. and I were amused that everyone in "Cape Verde" (which, as Peter's exposition on Spanish bells points out, was NOT a Spanish colony) spoke Spanish. Maybe the dialect coaching was to blame, but even words that're very close between Spanish and Portuguese are PRONOUNCED very differently.
I'm not a lawyer by a long shot, but am really dubious that the FBI bounty-hunter dude would be able to justify a search warrant on Peter's home. Peter's an agent in (mostly) good standing, NOT under investigation for any crime. If there was any suspicion that he was keeping things from the Mullet-Less FBI Dog, proper procedure, IMO, would be for FBI Dog to go to Hughes or through FBI channels, not to treat a fellow agent as a criminal. So, even before the search reveals Peter's red-circled "Find Neal HERE!!!" map, I was having Issues with the whole business whereby FBI Dog tracks Neal...
OTOH, if FBI Dog breaks some laws trying to bring Neal in (is he even allowed to carry and use a gun in Cape Verde?), it might make it easier for Peter et al. to fight the attempts by Kramer and FBI Dog to take Neal away from the NYC White Collar unit... so if this gets us closer to our goal of Neal-Back-Home, I'll cut 'em some slack.
I overall really enjoyed the episode.
But I also thought that it was untypical sloppy from Peter, when he marked Cape Verde on the map and didn't destroy it after it at once. After his experiences with Garret Fowler and Kramer, he should really know better. He should know that his home may be searched. That there may be bugs. He should know what unscrupulous agents are capable of.
And I don't know why he doesn't trust Neal's and Mozzie's ability to stay hidden. He after all only caught Neal after years, because he was crazy in love with Kate. Neal knew when he visited Kate, that it is probably a trap.
Without Peter's help, I doubt Agent Collins would have ever found Neal.
Loved the episode, though I agree with the comment above - Peter should have followed Ellen's original advice: Neal didn't want his help. He said so himself, in that phone call (where Peter forgot to mention Collin's first name)
If Peter wouldn't have tried helping, the FBI would not have found Neal. But then we wouldn't have show, so I'm willing to forgive him.
As for the New York Times - it's the Feb 2end edition.
Feb 22nd edition.
Post a Comment