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White Collar 4x14
No squee-harshing, please! I LOOOOOOOVED THIS EPISODE. ♥ ♥ ♥ I pretty much agree with everything Veleda_K said about it. I have really been loving the back half of this season, in general ... which shouldn't be a surprise, I always seem to like the second half better than the first half, and they're pretty consistent about the first part of the season ratcheting up the tension and trust issues, with the second half being where things get resolved and the characters' affection for each other is more firmly cemented.
One thing I have been particularly loving lately is that this is the first time that a major plot element has turned on what Elizabeth wants. Elizabeth tends to get the short end of the stick when it comes to how she thinks and feels about stuff -- she gets scenes, and she even gets plot, but what she doesn't really get is a focus on her thoughts and feelings. At most, we usually just get to see Elizabeth being worried or supportive or jealous or otherwise reacting to Peter and/or Neal's actions. She doesn't act so much as she reacts. And I love that in this case, we're getting an emotional arc for Elizabeth, over several episodes, that hinges on her internal struggle -- what she wants and she feels and, eventually, what she decides.
And the resolution of the arc was basically perfect: the show did deal with it, didn't just brush it under the rug (which I really appreciate!) but they dealt in the same low-key way that they dealt with, say, the fallout from the first half of season three. There is some anger, but mostly just TALKING TO EACH OTHER LIKE GROWNUPS. (I think it's interesting that the characters are, by and large, more forgiving of each other and more charitable towards each other than the fandom tends to be on their behalf ...)
And I really enjoyed the Sara/Neal interaction in this episode. I think one reason I enjoy Neal and Sara so much is because it's so vanishingly rare on TV to have a lead character involved in a romantic relationship that doesn't play out in a typical "UST building to True Love Forever" kind of way. I could imagine a Sara/Neal happy-ever-after being the eventual endgame (and I'll be quite happy if the series ends in that place) but in the meantime they have a fascinating low-key "friends with benefits" type of relationship that is incredibly rare on TV. It's not a True Love thing, but it's definitely not just sex; they are clearly friends first and foremost, and like each other, and enjoy doing things together. You can imagine them being happy together as a couple, or being happy for each other and still being friends if they end up with other people. They are very much NOT Neal/Kate 2.0 or Peter/Elizabeth 2.0, which is great - they shouldn't be! They should be their own thing, and they are. I hope Sara doesn't move to London, at least not permanently, but I love that for Neal, the most important thing is for her to follow her dreams and be fulfilled and happy.
Tons of wonderful character stuff in this one: Peter oh-so-sneakily feeding Neal clues (helping while not-helping), Neal and Mozzie watching Satchmo, Sara's loyalty to Neal and Peter and Elizabeth ... SO MUCH LOVE. ♥ And the guest "bad guys" were great! I really liked the Bonnie & Clyde couple, and I liked the actors portraying them.
Oh, and did anyone else notice - The title of this episode was "Shoot the Moon" and ... they literally DID, in the scene in which Oz demonstrates that his gun has real bullets. *facepalm*
Only two more episodes to go in the season, oh noooooooooo.
One thing I have been particularly loving lately is that this is the first time that a major plot element has turned on what Elizabeth wants. Elizabeth tends to get the short end of the stick when it comes to how she thinks and feels about stuff -- she gets scenes, and she even gets plot, but what she doesn't really get is a focus on her thoughts and feelings. At most, we usually just get to see Elizabeth being worried or supportive or jealous or otherwise reacting to Peter and/or Neal's actions. She doesn't act so much as she reacts. And I love that in this case, we're getting an emotional arc for Elizabeth, over several episodes, that hinges on her internal struggle -- what she wants and she feels and, eventually, what she decides.
And the resolution of the arc was basically perfect: the show did deal with it, didn't just brush it under the rug (which I really appreciate!) but they dealt in the same low-key way that they dealt with, say, the fallout from the first half of season three. There is some anger, but mostly just TALKING TO EACH OTHER LIKE GROWNUPS. (I think it's interesting that the characters are, by and large, more forgiving of each other and more charitable towards each other than the fandom tends to be on their behalf ...)
And I really enjoyed the Sara/Neal interaction in this episode. I think one reason I enjoy Neal and Sara so much is because it's so vanishingly rare on TV to have a lead character involved in a romantic relationship that doesn't play out in a typical "UST building to True Love Forever" kind of way. I could imagine a Sara/Neal happy-ever-after being the eventual endgame (and I'll be quite happy if the series ends in that place) but in the meantime they have a fascinating low-key "friends with benefits" type of relationship that is incredibly rare on TV. It's not a True Love thing, but it's definitely not just sex; they are clearly friends first and foremost, and like each other, and enjoy doing things together. You can imagine them being happy together as a couple, or being happy for each other and still being friends if they end up with other people. They are very much NOT Neal/Kate 2.0 or Peter/Elizabeth 2.0, which is great - they shouldn't be! They should be their own thing, and they are. I hope Sara doesn't move to London, at least not permanently, but I love that for Neal, the most important thing is for her to follow her dreams and be fulfilled and happy.
Tons of wonderful character stuff in this one: Peter oh-so-sneakily feeding Neal clues (helping while not-helping), Neal and Mozzie watching Satchmo, Sara's loyalty to Neal and Peter and Elizabeth ... SO MUCH LOVE. ♥ And the guest "bad guys" were great! I really liked the Bonnie & Clyde couple, and I liked the actors portraying them.
Oh, and did anyone else notice - The title of this episode was "Shoot the Moon" and ... they literally DID, in the scene in which Oz demonstrates that his gun has real bullets. *facepalm*
Only two more episodes to go in the season, oh noooooooooo.
no subject
She doesn't act so much as she reacts. And I love that in this case, we're getting an emotional arc for Elizabeth, over several episodes, that hinges on her internal struggle -- what she wants and she feels and, eventually, what she decides.
This! I've learned so much about Elizabeth in these past few episodes. She's always been awesome and wonderful, but we're finally getting to look inside.
I think it's interesting that the characters are, by and large, more forgiving of each other and more charitable towards each other than the fandom tends to be on their behalf
Oh, yes, I have noticed this. And I thought the resolution was great not just because it was low key and mature, but because it actually moved Peter and Elizabeth's relationship forward. (And I double like that after over ten years, they can still grow and love each other all the more.)
It's not a True Love thing, but it's definitely not just sex; they are clearly friends first and foremost, and like each other, and enjoy doing things together.
Yes. Neal and Sara really can't be pigeonholed. Their emotional connection is first and foremost, but it plays out in so many different ways. Their relationship is casual but never meaningless. I think they're two people who will always be friends no matter what happens. Even if they fight or cause each other pain, they'll move forward.
One thing I didn't fully appreciate when I watched the episode, but which has been pointed out to me, is the way Neal says, "It's me," when Sara is hesitant to tell him about the job offer. Whatever she has to say, he wants to hear it, he's someone she can trust with it. And it makes me think of 3x15, and it makes me think of how incredibly far they've come. I continue to be amazed with how mature they are together, and oh man, I have to stop now before I regurgitate all my feelings all over your post.
Wow, talking about it like this makes me love the episode even more.
no subject
LOL, no, don't stop - I am interested in your feelings on the episode! :D And this is a really good point! It's really amazing to look at how solid they've really become. In the long run, I think that just as with Peter and Neal, Neal and Sara's breakups and separations and fights have ended up strengthening them.
And I agree with you that they will probably always be friends, no matter how the rest of it works out. ♥
no subject
I think that just as with Peter and Neal, Neal and Sara's breakups and separations and fights have ended up strengthening them.
Absolutely. It's striking to me, just how many times Sara has had decide whether to give Neal another chance. After he manipulated and used her to get FAA package, she became first his friend and then his lover. After he lied to her about the treasure, she let him back into her life. And then all over again when he came back from Cape Verde. For someone as guarded as Sara is, that's huge.
And it's not all on Sara's end. Part of Neal's character growth has been respecting her feelings more and more. Compare 3x14 to 4x04. In the former, Neal would rather Sara just get over their breakup and the treasure, and both of them are sarcastic and snippy. (Which, granted, is highly entertaining to watch.) In the latter, he quietly takes her aside and acknowledges that she has a right to be angry at him for leaving. And she, in turn, realizes that while she is hurt and angry, it's not his fault. Neal isn't responsible for her abandonment issues; it's not his fault her sister left. I cannot tell you how impressed I was with her in that episode. It takes incredibly wisdom and maturity to know when things are and aren't about you.
Sara and Neal have had to examine and reexamine their relationship to decide if it's worth it. They're together, as friends or lovers, by choice, not because of habit or inertia.
And then, in addition to all that maturity and respect, they have a criminal amount of fun together. (Pun fully intended.) Just look at them in this episode, stealing the moon rock. Or how happy they were by the fountain. They take genuine pleasure in just being together.
If there's one thing Sara and Neal aren't, it's cliche, and I love that. They're in a relationship that's entirely on their terms, no matter if it's what they're "supposed" to do.
Aaaand that got a little long. See what happens when you let me talk?
no subject
Plus it gave me lots of cracky AU ideas. Since the bad guy was that actor from Twilight, maybe El was somehow turned into a vampire. She confessed about having Neal lie to throw Peter off the trail, because now she has an even BIGGER secret to hide. Enter Mozzie who knows all about vampires (of course) and agrees to be her blood donor while she adjusts (aww, friendship!). Neal comforts Peter while he worries about El's change in behavior. Of course, in the end El admits everything and Peter (and sometimes Neal, and Diana, and Jones) happily submits to being bitten once in a while. Cue hickey jokes. The end!
Or there's the fic where Peter is a journalism prof, El is his TA (or postdoc for slightly less ethics squick), and Neal is the brilliant undergrad whom Peter suspects of selling papers to other students, if only he could prove it. Peter and El have academic detective adventures, and then illicit kissing adventures :D
Yay show!
no subject
Or there's the fic where Peter is a journalism prof, El is his TA (or postdoc for slightly less ethics squick), and Neal is the brilliant undergrad whom Peter suspects of selling papers to other students, if only he could prove it. Peter and El have academic detective adventures, and then illicit kissing adventures :D
Oh wow, as much as I don't usually go for student-teacher relationships, there is something DEEPLY adorable about this AU idea -- cheating student Neal, with Peter on his trail, and clever TA/postdoc El. I LIKE it! :D