Another White Collar comment

[sholio]

I knew there was something else I'd meant to say in the other post.

(I SWEAR I AM GETTING STUFF DONE. :P Actually, the bedroom closet looks amazing. There is a floor! There are dangly organizers! I should take a picture ...)

Anyway. I hadn't really thought about it 'til recently, but the first five minutes of the White Collar pilot does a really impressive job of providing little set-pieces to introduce us to each of the protagonists, in their element and doing all of the things they're best at.

We see Neal being an ultra-sneaky master of cunning disguise, con-artistry, and escape, and pretty much smarter and cooler than everyone around him. We see Peter being smart and detectivey and snarky and mathy; also brave -- he's the one who runs in and drags out the guy who was next to the vault door when it blew. Basically, in five minutes we've spent about two and a half minutes with each character and we've already seen both of them do most of the things they're good at.

Then in the next few minutes, they run through the other part of their repertoire. We see Peter and Neal interact with each other (with their peculiarly affectionate/playful vibe); we meet Kate and Elizabeth; we even get a glimpse of Peter's snarky attitude towards authority (he's awfully happy about upsetting the Canadians ...), and we find out Neal doesn't like guns.

In the first ten minutes of the show, we've essentially been introduced to everything important about the main characters -- their major character traits, their relationship with each other and with most of the other main people in their lives -- as well as seeing cons, counter-cons, escapes and counter-escapes. The next four seasons is just expanding upon what we've already seen. All in ten minutes. And it's graceful, entertaining and not crowded.

It's really an amazing piece of TV writing. I don't think I'd ever appreciated it in that light before.

Comments

[veleda_k]

Wow, I've never thought about it like that, but you're right. That's really neat.

we even get a glimpse of Peter's snarky attitude towards authority (he's awfully happy about upsetting the Canadians ...)

You know, that's an aspect of Peter's character I really like, because it adds so much nuance. Peter isn't just the law and order guy. He's much more rounded than that. I wish fan writers did more with that, but I'm hardly one to talk.

[sholio]

I hadn't thought about it either, but I was happy once I did! :D It's true that all TV pilots have to do basically the same thing (introduce the characters and the premise as quickly as possible) but I'm not sure how many manage to do it with that much grace. And obviously not all shows lend themselves to that kind of intro; just because a show starts off in a different way doesn't mean that's wrong for that show. Still, thinking about other first episodes for other shows I've watched, a lot of the ones that come to mind start off with a prologue that's set somewhere else/in the past/with different characters, or we start by seeing our protagonists go through an ordinary morning at home. I think one of the reasons the pilot is so rewatchable is because it jumps right into these very well-constructed little set-pieces for the main characters that give you a good look at who they are.

Regarding Peter: I know! I'm not sure how much I've used that in my own writing, either. It's easy for Peter to be set up as the straight-laced foil to Neal's laid-back con-man, but he's not precisely that (any more than Neal is precisely a criminal). Peter loves poking authority figures with sticks; he just does it in a different way than Neal (coloring within the lines, but as close to the edges of the box as possible). I think it's one of the reasons they get along so well, because they really do have a lot more of their worldview in common than it seems at first glance. And I think they both subconsciously pick up on that when they're dealing with each other.

[veleda_k]

Peter really does have a much looser view of authority than most fans give him credit for. It shows not only in how he reacts to authority figures, but how he reacts to being an authority figure. Peter's team is never afraid to tease him or be playful around him. And while Neal's antics drive Peter crazy, they're truly a sign of trust. See how Neal behaves around Peter (very much his true self) versus other authority figures (much more subdued and subordinate). And I think Peter knows that. Peter might wish that Neal were a little more obedient, but if Neal started acting around Peter the way he acted around Kramer or Rice, Peter would hate it (and worry). Peter expects the people under him to do as he says, but he cares about them, and should they not do as he says (as Neal frequently does not), he doesn't blow up.

I think it's one of the reasons they get along so well, because they really do have a lot more of their worldview in common than it seems at first glance.

Definitely. And on the other side, Neal's morality is actually largely conventional. Sure, he has some huge blind spots (the don't steal or lie to people areas), but he's not like, say, Mozzie, who really does operate on a different moral framework. I think Neal's particular moral sense is why he slides so easily into working for the FBI. A character like Alex might work for the FBI as a necessary evil, but Neal really gets into it. Because he does see helping people as valuable and right. And, like Peter, Neal is a very motivated and hardworking person. He throws himself into whatever he's doing, whether it's forgery or solving a case. (The problem with Neal has never really been that he avoids hard work, but that he works hard at the wrong things.) I think that's one of the reasons that Peter takes such delight in Neal being Neal. Peter can appreciate dedication and hard earned skill, even if he doesn't approve of the direction.

I really love them. Like, a lot.

[sholio]

See how Neal behaves around Peter (very much his true self) versus other authority figures (much more subdued and subordinate). ... Peter expects the people under him to do as he says, but he cares about them, and should they not do as he says (as Neal frequently does not), he doesn't blow up.

Yes, this. :) The way he responds to being teased by his subordinates is a pretty clear indicator of the kind of boss Peter is, I think. I can't even think of a time that he's gotten genuinely irritated at it; mostly he just laughs along with the joke, as in the episode with the mustache photo or the one with the scene where Diana and Neal are teasing him about being a hardnosed boss (which I still think is one of the most adorable scenes between the three of them).

And they respond to it well. You make a good point about Neal being himself around Peter, in a way that he isn't when he's around people like Rice or Kramer. Notice how polite he is to Patterson in the Cave episodes. He's not that way with Peter at all. But the way he acts towards Peter is (paradoxically) born out of affection and respect -- Neal is perfectly polite to Patterson because he has to be, in order to get what he wants (spending time with Peter and not being kicked out). He doesn't have to do that with Peter; he can just be himself. And I think you're right that if Neal ever did start being totally polite and obedient, the first thing Peter would want to know is what's wrong with him! (Or wonder what he's up to ....)

Actually, Neal's behavior when he's angry at Peter is another manifestation of this. He's entirely capable of being polite to people he doesn't like or want to cooperate with. And he could do that with Peter ... but he doesn't; instead it's like he goes out of his way to throw off vibes of "I AM SO ANGRY AT YOU RIGHT NOW", to make sure Peter can't possibly miss it.


And on the other side, Neal's morality is actually largely conventional. Sure, he has some huge blind spots (the don't steal or lie to people areas), but he's not like, say, Mozzie, who really does operate on a different moral framework. I think Neal's particular moral sense is why he slides so easily into working for the FBI.

Oh yes, I think you're absolutely right about this! :D Neal is, at heart, basically a "good guy". I appreciate that the show is generally faithful to the different moral frameworks of Mozzie, Alex, etc (that is, they're different without being "bad") but Neal's moral sense and what he wants out of life is, like you said, basically conventional rather than the socially aberrant framework that Mozzie and Alex subscribe to. Neal truly enjoys helping people; he craves stability and wants to settle down in a little house in the suburbs. Getting up and getting dressed for a 9-to-5 job is different from what he's done in the past, but he doesn't seem to hate it. Which is not to say that he fits perfectly with the FBI or that it's a bed of roses, but whereas Mozzie couldn't ever be happy and satisfied doing what Neal is doing, Neal basically is happy and satisfied doing it, at least for the time being.