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| Willie Garson and Mircea Monroe |
And while the case wasn’t exactly the most riveting, that
was not really the point – the interactions between Neal and Moz shed some
light on their relationship, and Peter was the epitome of exasperated-Dad
energy. Also: Morning Randolph!
June! Hurray! Seeing
June and Moz working the crowd at the storage locker auction was hella fun, and
the fact the mini-cons were all her idea takes me to my happy place.
Don’t THINK I won’t
turn this car around, young man! Peter’s exasperated reaction to Moz’s
conspiracy theories and the usual hijinks this crew apparently get up to when
he’s not around was priceless. Neal's patient explanations of Moz’s more
eccentric tendencies was utterly subtle and underplayed perfectly by Matt
Bomer. But Peter’s eventual giddy excitement as the Culper Spy ring’s story was
fleshed out? One of many joyous moments in an ep that, admittedly, was short on
plot and long on character development. Loved. Every. Moment.
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| Neal shines in his cardi, Peter gives Disapproving Dads everywhere a run for their money. |
The cardigan! You
gotta love Neal's Saturday outfit – tie and a cardi. If I haven’t already seen
what he sleeps in, I’d swear he’s got a pair of Barney Stinson’s “Suitjamas” in his closet.
Mircea Monroe! I
loooooove her! If you haven’t caught her as Morning Randolph on the Showtime
series Episodes, I recommend you do so immediately – it is truly a
wonderful show.
Culper Spy Ring? They got it right! Mostly! I’ll tell you, my bullshit meter was ringing about some of the details, but most of what was presented is true. Yes, they used invisible ink, yes, they recruited both men and women into their ranks. The most delicious fact is that no one, not even George Washington, knew who all the spies were, and the ring’s existence fell into obscurity until 1930! Give the Wikipedia entry a read, boys and girls, it’s interesting stuff. Indeed, George Washington’s code number was 711, and Agent 355 was a woman who, it is rumored, was hanged as a spy by the British ):
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| Gratuitous shot for Neal/Jones 'shippers everywhere... |
Willie Garson broke
my heart. I’m even tearing up as I write this – Willie Garson’s performance
as he’s putting on his shadow puppet show for Neal broke me. The fact that he
delivered his lines with a smile on his face was such a bold choice, I must
say, turning what might have been a maudlin scene into true tragedy. And Matt
Bomer’s reactions were so true and realistic – I wonder how these guys got through
the scene without bawling their eyes out, I really do.
 |
| Willie Garson killed it - again. |
But aside from that, Moz and Neal bonding over their tragic
childhoods – saying all the things neither of them have ever revealed before –
is an important moment. They’re
opening up to each other in ways they have not done before, they’re trusting
each other with things they haven’t shared before. Whatever others may say
or think about Moz’s Machiavellian motivations vis a vis Neal, this is the scene that
discounts that. These guys clearly love each other like brothers, and there’s
no way Moz would do anything that he didn’t feel was in Neal's best interests,
as misguided as the treasure heist might have been.
Non-Squee of the Week: This
professor guy
WTF? He pulls a Very Big Gun on an innocent citizen, in
public, with clear intent to cause harm, and Peter can’t charge him? Can just anyone
get a carry permit in New York?
Seriously, this Stringer guy is the worst baddie since Collins,
and the actor, Damian Young, is better than this, so I can only assume the
director instructed him to camp it up, the way he’s hefting that huge gun
around like he's Benny Hill playing James Bond or something.
Quote of the Week
“His faith, however limited, is what separates a man with a
conscience from a man without one.”
I could write an
entire meta on this quote from Neal; in fact, it was so profound and resonant in
my mind that I went scurrying to the Interwebs looking for a source, thinking
surely such sentiments were originally Benjamin Franklin’s or Thomas Jefferson’s.
They are original as far as I can tell, and at this point in the season, I wonder
if they will continue to sum up our favorite conman as perfectly as they seem
to once episode 16 has been played out. We shall see.
So what were your thoughts on the episode, Collars? Head to
the comments.
5 comments:
I love what you said about the professor, it was so very true. He just seemed like he belonged on a bad comedy show.
I must re-watch Mozzie and his puppets. He didn't touch my heart as he has yours and others. But I'm miffed with him and his Neal must be a crook attitude constantly pushing Neal to stay on the wrong side of things.
The interplay with Peter & Neal over Mozzie's eccentricities was great fun as was Moz & June. Better episodes past & future, but this was a good one.
it wasnt my favourite episode and i didnt see the exasperated father in peter here as much as you did but it was still a good one.
and yes the puppet scene (although mostly leaving me laughing with the introduction of godzilla and baby moz) was extremely heart breaking. and lets just say words cant describe how often matt tim (and willie with this episode) never cease to amaze and move me with their subtle performances, the nuances they add that allow their characters to feel more real than any ive come across on tv.
much love and excess hugs to both neal and moz during the puppet scene =( they suddenly resembled 2 hurt children and i appreciate the fact that moz was brought in seeing as how once in a while we do catch him responding to peter in a child answering parent like way, the way we see neal respond.
also. i never understood why anyone would think moz always had ulterior motives. hes never done anything but ask neal to be on his side and spread his views. every friend does that. and to ignore how hes been hurt in life too, and longs for a friend by his side the way neal does, is just dumb. cant begin to state how exasperated fans made me with their lack of faith in moz.
lets hope the next episode is even better ^_^
Way too much expositon in this ep...it seemed that all the time someone was explaining something. And way too silly for my taste. The beginning rescued a lot, though.
Just something to think about re: the episode's bad guy...
He's a professor PLAYING at being a gunman, not a professional hitman or something. Stringer probably watched all those bad movies and is trying to emulate the tough guys - in his own professorial way. Given his occupation, his rather arrogant belief in his own truth, and his desperation to get his reputation back, I thought the somewhat over-the-top portrayal was more realistic than having him be a real pro with the gun play.
Loved all the character touches in this one. June and Mozzie running their little game over storage units. Neal translating between Peter and Mozzie. Neal and Mozzie bonding over shattered family dreams. Neal and Peter enjoying the massage seats in the car. Elizabeth's knowing smile when Peter says he's only going to the park in case the gunman shows up. Neal as 711 with Thomas Jefferson's descendant. ("The General doesn't like guns" - go, Jones!) And, perhaps best of all - Neal keeping his word and sharing with Peter what he found about Sam... even if he didn't quite follow Peter's advice on what message to send :-)
I love Mozzie's character - and the puppet show broke my heart!
Despite the (relative) lack of Peter/Neal moments, this migth become one of my most favorite episodes ever. The timing was so perfect - I was laughing so bad for a huge part of the episode (my brother repeatedly came to check on me if I was all right) because of Mozzie's conspiraci-ness - and then the puppet show - wow. I teared. I cried. And then I laughed again in the end.
Willie Garson was so, so perfect in this!
Neal and Jones as the descendants, exasperated Peter, Neal explaining to Peter about Moz and all the Mozzie/Neal bonding were just another treats in this episode.
I kinda missed Mozzie lately, so this episode made me absolutely delighted :)
Sheenianni
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