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| Things are never easy for Neal and Peter. |
Honor Among Thieves
begins with Ellen’s funeral. Peter is there with Neal, and they both catch
sight of the “Sam” Ellen had told Neal to contact—but the man eludes them. Now
they have to rely on the U.S. Marshals to share information on Ellen in order to find some
connection to this Sam. But, despite Peter's best efforts, the marshals prove less than cooperative.
(I agree with a clever tweet about Sam, by the way. I keep hoping he’ll
turn out to be an ex-Navy Seal now living in Miami, with a fondness for
Hawaiian shirts and mojitos. It won't happen, but what a perfect way it would have been to crossover . . .)
In light of Ellen’s death, Peter wants to put Neal on leave
and give him time to grieve. But Neal is determined to stay busy. That’s where
the trouble starts. He gets involved in Peter’s first official case back, and
everything goes wrong. Diana crushes on the bad girl and Neal manages to get
blackmailed by her. (By the bad girl, that is. Not Diana.)
The bad girl—Abigail—offers Neal a deal: he steals a
priceless work of art for her; she steals information from the marshals for
him. Conscious of what he owes Peter, Neal initially refuses. But Abigail won’t
take no for an answer. She goes ahead and steals what Neal needs, planting
evidence against him in the process. Then she gives him twenty-four hours to
swipe the piece she wants.
The best part of this episode is trying to guess how this
will play out. Neal hates what he’s doing, but confiding in Peter seems
impossible to him. With Mozzie egging
him on, he figures out how to steal the piece right out from under Peter’s
nose. But Peter is no fool—and after everything he risked for Neal, he’s ready
to put him straight back in prison if need be. (To his credit, Neal wouldn’t
blame Peter if he did.)
We go into this episode pretty sure that Neal won’t end up
back behind bars, so the fun is seeing how he keeps himself in Peter’s
good graces. Well, maybe ‘good graces’ is too strong a term. Peter and Neal
continue their dance of trusting-but-not-trusting. We’ve been warned (in
interviews with Tim DeKay, for example) that this particular dance won’t end
before the entire series does. For Peter and Neal to trust each other
completely would be too much a Moonlighting moment for them.
But can White Collar keep this dance feeling
fresh for a projected eight-season run? (That’s how long Jeff Eastin would like the series to go.) Overall, I think the answer is yes. And I think this
episode had the right idea about Neal and his ongoing road to reform: there
will be lots of steps back, and it’s still not easy for him to do the right
thing.
For example, Neal knows throughout the episode that he
should be confiding in his partner. “I wish I had told Peter everything from the
beginning,” he says to Moz. The fact that he can’t bring himself to is painful—and
probably realistic.
(Incidentally, when the truth comes out, Peter tells Neal that he should have confided in him; that he should have given Peter the chance to believe him rather than lying to him. Neal doesn't deny that all his plotting has essentially been one long lie to Peter, so perhaps he's finally given up the idea that he doesn't lie to the man. Maybe Neal is finally realizing that direct lies aren't the only kind.)
(Incidentally, when the truth comes out, Peter tells Neal that he should have confided in him; that he should have given Peter the chance to believe him rather than lying to him. Neal doesn't deny that all his plotting has essentially been one long lie to Peter, so perhaps he's finally given up the idea that he doesn't lie to the man. Maybe Neal is finally realizing that direct lies aren't the only kind.)
So what’s my problem with Honor Among Thieves? To me, it felt a little too much like re-watching
Season Three. I’d seen this kind of betrayal and anger and suspicion before—and
it all feels too soon. Peter and Neal have been through too much since then to
revert so quickly.
Huh. Maybe Neal’s
reluctance to confide in Peter doesn’t feel realistic to me after all.
That said, there’s plenty to enjoy about this episode. The overall plot is excellent and there’s
a fun nod to The Portrait. On a
more serious note, we learn more about Diana and the problems she and Christie are having—problems that prove fatal to their relationship. Diana even turns to
Neal for advice, giving us a lovely glimpse into this unlikely friendship.
So much for my conflicted feelings about this episode. Now
it’s your turn, Collars. What did you think?
26 comments:
I enjoyed this episode. I was glad they made the love interest for Diana, not Neal, and Marsha Thomason blew me away with her acting in the scene at Neal's apt. I gotta say that your comments about it feeling a little too much like Season 3 were spot on. That betrayal, the sideline glance suspicion Peter had for Neal the whole time--we don't need that back. Things looked up during the scene in Peter's office, where the two reconnected over the jump drive. I so wanted a hug in that scene! But then we went back to the Burkes', with Peter getting all suspicious about Neal maybe long conning him. I coulda done without that. That's way too "You blew up the warehouse" for me. Peter just thinks himself into mistrust so much. I also half-expected Neal to go to Peter and confide in him from the beginning, but maybe you're right. Maybe it's still too soon for him to do that.
Over all, I thought Neal's struggle between doing the right thing and the fun he still has when doing bad things was very well portrayed. I think the point of this episode was to show that he's really choosing the right way--or at least, he's choosing what's really important--and it did that very well.
That was nothing like Season three - it was more what Season three should have been, but never was, because the writers were so busy with special character episodes and Sara Ellis, that they mostly forget to play out the chess game between Peter and Neal. I loved this ep. To me, White Collar is at its best when Neal and Peter are outwitting each other, I loved the settled character development for Diana, and the suspense was killing me until the very end. And Matt Bomer was perfect, the slight melancholy in his portrayal, the desperation...my only complain is the portrayal of the art thief, not bad, but there was much more in this role.
Have I been reading too many WC fics lately? (*ahem* past three years *ahem*) Was it too much to ask for a little angst/hurt/comfort because of Ellen's death? I mean, I could see how Neal's sad and conflicted, but I always get the feeling that important things on the show just get brushed away. I mean, the guy's lost enough people, don't you think? Ellen's loss would probably break me if I was in his position. I know he deals by pretending, but I still wanted, you know, just... something. A little scene, a few seconds of grieving. He's human just like the rest of us after all.
I completely agree with you that this had a season 3 feel and it felt completely false for that. Ellen's death feels like an excuse to reintroduce distrust and suspicion. It's an excuse for Neal to make bad decisions for a flimsy reason. Despite Mozzie's constant reiteration, it was a completely stupid idea, risking the trust from Peter, especially after all he's done, for absolutely no guarantee of reward. It's not like the report was going to state - X killed Ellen. It was a tenuous link at best. It felt like poor writing, I just hope they won't continue down this road for the rest of the season. This is one episode I won't be watching again.
I'm happy to say that I actually really liked this episode. Well, except for the ending. That I didn't like. Once again Peter feels this is all part of Neal's "long con". I agree with your comment about this feeling too much like season 3, which is not necessarily a good thing. I get that the writers want to keep the Neal and Peter trust problem thing going on, but I think it's a little too soon. Especially after everything that's already happened this season alone.
Other than that, great episode! All the actors did a brilliant job (nods to Marsha).
Also, did anybody catch what Peter had in his hands after Neal left the office with the flash drive? Did Peter make a copy? I guess I'll pay more attention when I re-watch it later!
I am surprised that Mozzie didn't steal the art for Neal. I mean, Mozzie was there after all. That is why I don't think this is a con as Neal would have stayed with Peter, misdirected him while Mozzie stole the art.
Overall, it was a good episode. It had enough tension. I loved Neal's conflicting emotions about stealing.
Back in Season 1, he (and we did see it) would have stolen it without a moments thought. I also liked how Peter was able to figure out that Neal took the art by reviewing the footage.
Some have said on the Fourms, that it was too soon for the mistrust issue. I don't think so. Peter and Neal will always have that trust issue no matter what goes on because Neal is impulsive and acts before he thinks and he continues to hang out with Mozzie and company.
Judging by the sides posted on the WCSpoiler site, the trust gets worse, resulting in blows...
I like how Peter held back the drive until he got Neal's word that Peter's trust is more important that the drive.
Nice nod to the Portrait. Like Abigail. She was more three dimensional then others.
I wonder what is on the flash drive? Ellen's testimony against James?
@Anon 2:02 I agree with you completely--Neal could have used more screen time for his grief. But we didn't see him grieve for Kate either. This is a great argument for reading fan-fic!
Please, please do not let Peter fall into S3 pitfall of jumping to immediate conclusions about Neal all the time.
I loved it. Neal showed so much growth here, being so reluctant to do this. And the fact that he pulled up in the end was enough to make me want to cheer.
I could've done without that concern on Peter's part that it was a long con - now, mistrusting Neal wouldn't do the wrong thing to get what he needed I could see. That's just Neal being impulsive and acting out of hurt and impatience.
But outright thinking the whole thing is a con was a bit much (I guess Peter is battling his FBI side here.)
And the way Neal's grief is so hard to see (it was there, but subtle) is an improvement over his loss of Kate but not so much I don't fear another meltdown.
I loved it. My favorite so far of this season, in fact. Great caper, twisty, with Neal & Peter both being smart & on their game. And I don't mind the mistrust at all, as long as it's a bit more of the respectful "I know what you're capable of" type as opposed to the betrayed "how could you" type, and I thought this fell more into the former.
But more importantly -- there's a WC Spoiler site? Oooh, where?!
honestly, i was really hoping for a revealing eulogy from Neal.
and the "villain of the week"? how HOW did she keep finding Neal that easily?!!? Why doesn't June/Neal LOCK their doors? really?
truly, i'm heartbroken that christy and diana broke up. i really liked them. but considering the hints dropped at the beginning of season two, i guess that it makes since.
although, now we'll never see the bitchin' bachelor party that Neal wouldn't thrown!!!
This is so different from season 3. They are not trying to outsmart each other. Neal should have gone to Peter right away (I too, can't believe he thinks he can't trust Peter after all Peter did for him). But anyway, Neal DIDN'T want to betray Peter, and he backed off at the end. That's a big difference. And on Peter's part, he still trusts Neal enough to give him the flashdrive, he kept in on the loop on his efforts with the Marshalls.... There is still a lot of trust here.
It's not Peter who talked about a long con, it's El. Peter is conflicted. Everybody keeps telling him he shouldn't trust Neal (Kramer, Hughes, Jones, El?!), and he almost had heart attack a few hours before believing Neal had betrayed him...
To his credit, Peter believed Neal the moment he heard about the blackmail.
I think Peter is just frustrated that Neal keeps having things done his way (he got the info on Ellen behind the Marshall's back) and it looks like Peter is tired of fixing Neal's mistakes.
I am appalled that this smartly written and creative show has stooped to becoming a proselyting platform for the LGBT agenda.
As Neal said change come a a loss and they have lost me.
LGBT agenda? They haven't changed anything. Diana has always been gay. All they did was give her a love interest instead of Neal. Sometimes the dame of the week is into Neal, sometimes (less often) Peter. Even Clinton got a dame of the week. Why should Diana be left out?
I think I'll be studying this episode for a long time. The show came very close to being what I wish it could be with this ep -- and combined with the first three episodes of the season, I feel like we're seeing new ground broken in this show, a commitment to a depth of feeling they seemed to promise in the Pilot episode but have only delivered occasionally since.
If you can look past the unbelievability of the art theft itself, the growth in the relationships among the members of the team was fascinating: Neal, Peter, Diana, Jones. Sharif Atkins didn't seem to have much to do but his eyes and body language expressed so much. And of course we were finally able to see beyond Diana's cool, strong FBI agent persona and her story -- and the lovely performance by Marsha -- enhanced the story of what Neal and Peter were going through.
I think the writers have been reaching for something deeper and richer with Peter and Neal in this episode and in the first three episodes of the season. It's a kind of realism they've only hinted at before -- the kind of thing Tim and Matt have been ready for and have brought to that relationship since S1. I feel as though the writers are ready to give their actors the kind of material they've deserved all along.
But I'm also terrified they're headed back to the Peter/Neal of Season.
Where are we going? Can the writers keep the relationship deep and tangled and complex or will they fail to take this to another level? They seemed so close in this one: the scene between Peter and Neal in the cemetery was extraordinary. The writing, directing, and of course, the acting were all so fine -- if they could maintain that level of subtlety and grace and delicacy and strength (of so much unsaid and yet so deeply felt)-- this show would be what so many of us have always dreamed it could be.
@Anon 12:13 Personally, I don't think your lost viewership is anything White Collar should cry about.
@Robingal1--I'm disappointed too over the break-up between Diana and Christie. Especially looking at it from Christie's point of view. She moved from DC to New York for Diana's sake! (And, if memory serves, it took a while for her to adjust to New York.) I wonder how easy it will be for her to move back? Oy.
Here is the link for the WC spoiler site:
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/wcspoilers/
You have to be invited...
Vote White Collar and spread the word:
http://theentertainmenthotline.net/2012/08/14/the-entertainment-hotlines-favorite-summer-series-2012-poll-is-now-open/
@ Anon 12:13: It's not an agenda, it is called a reflection of real life. Always remember, someone you personally know and love is gay whether you know it, or admit it or not, like it or not! Love is Love!
I have to say I actually look forward to reading everyone's comments here after the show as well as watching the show itself (well, maybe not quite as much). Anyway, I was thinking during the funeral scene, who are all these people and how did they know Ellen who is in WITSEC, and why isn't El there to support Neal and pay her respects to Ellen who she did meet at least briefly. Also Mozzie was notably absent from his friend's side, although I would imagine funerals are probably one of his many quirks.
I also was a little annoyed by Peter's thought at the end that this whole scenario was part of a "long con". Mostly because he made me start to think it was too, but in re watching the episode, I have convinced myself (maybe wrongly) that Neal was actually surprised and grateful that Peter had made a copy of the file.
Just want the boys to be a little more trusting of each other this soon after the Cape Verde trip! Let some time pass before they forget what they risked for each other!
Witsec doesn't mean that people are sitting in their homes all the time when they have a new identity. I'm sure Ellen made some friends while living in New York.
And Peter didn't belive that Neal conned him - he actually said that he believed Neal, he was just not sure if he should. That's not the same as saying "Neal conned me".
@anon 12:13 -- Your comment is bigoted and hateful, and I hope the site admins delete it. Diana's character has been gay since the pilot episode, and the relationship between her and her lover Christie has been a part of the show since Diana returned as a team member in Season 2. This is nobody's "agenda".
Personally, I'm disappointed in the writers for the sudden ending of Diana & Christie's relationship; after all, last we heard, they were ENGAGED and the team were joking about letting Neal plan the bachelor party... One of the things I've loved in this show is their previous refusal to go for the stereotypical "Law enforcement types have lousy/troubled/broken marriages/relationships" story-line. I was hoping that Diana and Christie, like Peter and El, could show an alternative to that unfortunate trope.
So, Diana is single now! Please somebody wright a Neal/Diana fic. Just, please.
I might be wrong but to me, the Diana/Christie break-up had nothing to do with the fact that Diana is a cop. Diana has been hesitant since the engagement, and that's quite common.
Even though I agree that steady couples in cop shows (in any kind of show actually) is a nice change, it would still be unrealistic to have everyone happily ever after.
Anyway, I truly hope Diana and Christie will work things out, I want the bachelor party !! :D
plus, with Diana and Christy them being happy together would be the clichee, since "Gay couples are always happy and have a stronger relationship" is also a TV trope. I really like how they handled Diana's orientation so far.
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