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| Clinton "Urkel" Jones gets his geek on. |
Are we at the mid-season hiatus ALREADY!? But I just got
used to the boys coming to my house every Tuesday! Grumble, grumble.
Well, I suppose I’ve got one last Squee in me despite
sinking into the DEPTHS of DESPAIR (channeling Anne Shirley there for ya.)
On to the Squee!
Man let’s hope that’s
not permafrost. Matt Bomer is adept at delivering a quality snit, but I
must say the pettiness in the opening scenes was kind of beneath both him and Neal.
Do I think Neal would frost Peter out? Undoubtedly. But an internationally
renowned conman and forger would be a lot more calculating about it, that’s all
I’m saying.
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| Come on, Neal, he BROUGHT YOU COFFEE! |
Which leads me to my next point, and it’s been a theme in
the Squee for weeks now – the behavior of the characters has been inconsistent
on this score. Of course I realize this is the bat that Jeff Eastin and team
have been beating us over the head with (Neal and Peter have to TRUST EACH
OTHER), but I have to believe there are more effective ways to do it that keep the characters
true to themselves. It distresses me that JE was the writer of this ep, because
I can no longer give this sloppiness a pass. I had thought, “Oh, he’s all busy
with writing and producing Graceland, maybe he’s a bit distracted.”
But no. Not really.
But I really did like the episode, even if it wasn’t the
best of the season. BECAUSE:
They’re Taking the
“B” out of “Bromance.” Ah, such a gift JE has given us slashers with the last
two episodes, eh? The way Peter begins to bring Neal around – “I liked you.” It’s
like he’s wooing him back. That little scene where Peter reveals to Neal why he
took his deal goes to the heart of the series – no matter what they go through,
no matter what happens, they fundamentally love each other. If that’s not a
marriage made in heaven (despite the lack of actual romantic or physical
involvement), I don’t know what is.
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| The homoerotic subtext is officially text. |
Have we learned and
grown? I hope so. The conversation between Neal and Peter about Sam being
dead, with Peter gently breaking the news to Neal (and not keeping it to
himself until something tragic happens), and Neal not “do(ing) what I normally
do,” (and potentially compromising Peter’s standing at the FBI) was, I hope, a
milestone. We already know these guys trust each other with their lives. How
about they start to trust each other with their hearts and minds? Looks like
they finally caught up with the rest of us.
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| “As long as Peter has faith in me, I’ll have faith in him.” |
Let’s give it up for Mr.
Tim DeKay. I’ve always admired his subtlety and the choices he makes when
he plays Peter. Where other actors would be overbearing and one-note, he’s
given Peter such emotional nuance and depth of character – I just have to
suspect that the character is something like 90% Tim and 10% acting. His simmering concern for Neal and quiet
delight when it seems they’ve mended fences were both well-played and
effective. And the emotion he had in his voice when he’s breaking the news to Neal
about Sam’s identity just about took my breath away. Stupid Emmy Awards need to
RECOGNIZE!
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| Best. Damn. Actor. On television. |
Sam is Neal's father.
Such a shock, oh, it’s shaken me to my very core. Please note the sarcastic
tone. HOWEVER, I have come to squee about Caesar, not bury him.
I celebrate the fact they’ve gotten the reveal that Sam is
James out of the way sooner than later. I was convinced they’d drag this out at
least to the end of the Season if not right on into Season 5. I really liked
the interplay between Neal and Sam/James in that little scene right after Neal and
Moz rescue him. “I didn’t want you getting hurt if things went bad,” he said
and it is obvious that Sam/James cares for his son, and perhaps the real reason
he was being so sketchy was to keep Neal safe?
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| "Why didn't you tell me?" |
I will also give this to the Bennett Boys: They have
stunning blue eyes and terrific hair in common.
Non-Squee of the Week
I shouldn't be one to look a gift hurt/comfort scene in the mouth, but when exactly did Neal have time to put that vest on and get all put-together again?
Quotes of the week:
Moz: “I brought a
corkscrew to a gun fight!”
Ah, Moz, yes you did.
But I have no doubt you KNOW HOW TO USE IT!
Peter: “Diana doesn’t
like bulges.”
A-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!!!
Seriously, I’ve got tears in my eyes.
FBI Guy Whose Name I
Can’t Be Fussed to Go Back and Learn: “I assume there’s an immense trust
between the two of you?”
Peter: “Usually. But
even when there isn’t trust, there’s always faith.”
FGWNICBFTGBAL: “Faith?”
Peter: “That whatever
the other’s doing, it’s for a good reason.”
Neal: “As long as
Peter has faith in me, I’ll have faith in him.”
Awww. Is it dusty in
here?
So, what were you squeeing about with this ep, Collars? And
how will you spend the long, long hiatus? I know I'll probably be writing about 157 episode tags to this one!
7 comments:
Looking forward for your fanfictions :)
Lol! Great Squee! I disagree on two points, though--and I'm curious to hear other people's takes as well. (I think we'll here lots from both sides.)
I was okay with Neal's snit. With anyone else he might play his angry cards closer to the vest, but he REALLY cares about Peter. His anger here reminded me of his anger with Peter in Hard Sell, when he had much more reason to hide it, but still couldn't.
The relative quickness of the thaw made sense to me too; Neal's anger was sharp and intense and partly justified (although it turned out to be a good thing that Peter was looking into Sam)--but that kind of anger can be hard to maintain, especially against someone you've been through so much with. And I like the drama-free way he got over it. :D
I was also OK with the way Neal was behaving at the beginning of this episode. He was hurt - badly - in the last episode. Peter knows this,and he knows WHY Neal is upset. But instead of,oh,maybe DEALING with it, his solution is to bring Neal a cup of office coffee. Now we all know that actually TALKING would have at least lessened, if not voided, the problems in the first place. So why would Peter think that not talking would SOLVE the problems? The little one-upmanship in the first panel felt very real.
Of course, I also liked that the thaw didn't take too terribly long to start. Both these guys are smart, and they know they have a good thing. I liked Peter explaining why he took Neal's deal in the first place, and I especially loved the "faith" exchange at the end. There's still some healing to do, but they've started.
It did seem that Neal got that vest on kind of fast. Then again, the whole gunfight was a little strange. Why did Peter just STAND THERE waiting for Anderson to shoot him? And why didn't Anderson shoot? Seems like both FBI agents and ex-soldiers would know better. Still, I guess the delay gave Neal the needed time to re-dress - and the whole "Russian bear hug" bit was fun. (And it's still BROMANCE - with a "B" -not romance.)
The whole reveal with Sam/James wasn't much of a surprise. I am looking forward to seeing what the fallout is this winter.
CJ
Speaking of Hard Sell (and now Gloves Off), I think we've now learned that Peter & Neal shouldn't investigate stock traders. It never goes well for them!
Anyway, I too was not bothered overly with Neal's snit. If nothing else, it was a demonstration of how much Neal cared, and how that caring has evolved. Contrast it for example with his con man's smiles in the early parts of the last season, when they were at odds over the suspicions about the u-boat loot. Neal was able to maintain his facade (mostly) around Peter then -- On Guard comes to mind, especially. Granted, flashes of emotion slipped out, but he held onto the plastic smile for quite a while.
This time, though, he couldn't. It was quite revealing, how much his attempted "nonchalance" read as angry. And I think that's because he's finding it harder and harder to pull that off with Peter now, given everything they've been through. He's still angry, and despite himself and his talent at the con, he wants Peter to know he's still angry.
That's not something you do with someone you don't care about. So I take that as a good thing!
And I also rather appreciated that they didn't talk it out, but kind of just found their way back to a sort of peace organically. That to me reads true -- I see that sort of thing happen in real life much more often. Oh, boys -- you make me smile!
And Diana & Jones -- so much win, I can't even!
I have to disagree with your caption. The homoerotic subtext is officially text only for those who read the subtext there to begin with.
@Anon 12:46- Thank you for voicing my exact thought.
Let’s give it up for Mr. Tim DeKay. I’ve always admired his subtlety and the choices he makes when he plays Peter. Where other actors would be overbearing and one-note, he’s given Peter such emotional nuance and depth of character – I just have to suspect that the character is something like 90% Tim and 10% acting. His simmering concern for Neal and quiet delight when it seems they’ve mended fences were both well-played and effective. And the emotion he had in his voice when he’s breaking the news to Neal about Sam’s identity just about took my breath away. Stupid Emmy Awards need to RECOGNIZE!
I absolutely agree that Tim is a terrific actor! He and Matt both deliver consistent strong performances week in, week out. So much so that it does feel like Tim must be a lot like Peter, as you said above. But I've had the pleasure of meeting Tim a few times now, and amazingly, he's not that much like Peter. Tim is a lot more relaxed & funny, and has terrific people skills. He's got a real gift for connecting with people. He made me feel like I actually talked to him, not just attended a "Meet & Greet", if you know what I mean. He does radiate that innate goodness & decency that Peter also has though. I defy anyone to meet Tim DeKay and not fall a little bit in love with him!
Oh and I got a hug & can attest to the fact that he's in terrific shape! <3
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