Post Ep Dish - S4.10 - Vested Interest

[elrhiarhodan]

Sigh … seems like Season 4 just started, and now it's on break until some time in January. If it starts up again in the second week of the new year, we're looking at about 120 days without White Collar. At least it's better than the 200-plus days that we were left hanging about El last year.

Thank you all to your contributions to the Dish-less Dish last week. I've read them all, and time permitting, I'll respond to them soon-ish.

Because last week was so crazy, I've gone into this episode pretty unspoiled, but with high-ish hopes. Not only for a resolution of Neal's anger with Peter, but at being Kripked. One of the very first fics I wrote involved the industry that Peter and Neal are investigating. Of course, Peter and Neal and Elizabeth aren't involved in a polyamorous relationship and it wasn't Peter's twin sister who brought the case to their attention, but it does involve (okay - won't say, since it's above the cut).

And now - the DISH!

Of the four mid-season finales, I'm going to rate this one ...

As meh. It falls somewhere around the level of (possibly) Evil Peter saying "Hello, Kate."

But I come here not to trash Vested Interest, but to praise it.

My overall thought is this - the first half of the season should have ended with last week's episode. It had the dramatic ending filled with questions on where the primary relationship was going. This episode felt more like it should have started out the back half of the season. Which is why it rates just a meh for me.

And yet, there were a lot of things to adore here, a lot of small emotional moments that could have made this such a stand-out episode, if it wasn't the mid-season finale.

1 - Peter used the word "love." Yes, the context was sarcastic, even a touch bitter - but maybe that context added depth and poignancy to the moment when Neal, still bitterly angry at Peter, flashes the perfect con man's grin, selling it for all the world. "There's the Neal Caffrey I know and love." (Okay, I'm not sure if Peter said "I" or "we" but I'm still struggling with the new DVR so I don't want to waste time and go back to it yet - I'll pick it up on the rewatch).

2 - Peter trying to reconcile with Neal over coffee. Office coffee. But on the other hand, am I the only one who found the segue between Angry Neal and The Ink Spots singing "The Java Jive" a little jarring? Look, I know this is White Collar, and even when the girl gets blown up, everyone's all smiles in the next episode, but a few bits of emotional anguish wouldn't have gone amiss.

And on the OTHER hand, Neal's rebuff hurt, and hurt hard. So maybe this was about the quiet moments, the understated plays.

3 - The no-drama reconciliation. As jrosemary has pointed out in White Collar Fixation (in tonight's First Thoughts and in comments back to Season One), the rocky patches in Peter and Neal's relationship have handled without a long, drawn-out story arc. Jeff Eastin very wisely leaves the long narrative to the show's mythology, not to the relationships within the show. Season One, Hard Sell - need I say more?

This episode was as much about the reconciliation between Peter and Neal as it was about the caper of the week (ho-hum) and Sam's real identity (ho-hum to the infinite power). And that's what redeemed it.

There was the moment in the hallway at the Bureau, when Peter flat out tells Neal that he took him up on his offer because he liked him. I'm not 100% sure that Peter wasn't indulging in a little social engineering there (shades of Neal admitting that he didn't want to run anymore in Withdrawal). But what he told Neal was the utter truth - and he's also not more than a little embarrassed by that confession.

And then the information he imparts to Neal at the water's edge (am I the only one who found that symbolic?) about Sam not being Sam. At first thought, I was shocked that Peter just gave him the information and then walked away. But in retrospect, it was another perfect moment of healing between them. Neal had accused Peter of trying to run his life - and to a great extent, that's true. But in doing this and walking away - he's giving Neal back the power of choice. He's not treating Neal like he's an irresponsible child, but as an adult that can and should make his own decisions.

And from there, Neal does make a choice - the right one.

Of course, the shining moment of the episode is when Peter and Neal complete their panel interview, talking about - what else - the moments in Avery Philips' comic book vault (from Hard Sell) and the trust they have in each other. And even when there isn't trust, there is always faith between them.

If that's not a declaration of love, I don't know what is.

And now for the 600 pound gorilla in the room. Sam Phelps.

Or as we now know him to be, James Bennett.

Sigh. We all saw it coming, we all hoped it wasn't to be. But it was. Sam leaves me cold, I don't care about him. He's totally uninteresting and uninspiring as a character and that he's revealed to be Neal's father is really rather pointless.

You know what, I don't even want to talk about it. The promos said that the finale would change everything for Neal, and in our pre-episode chat, jrosemary and I came up with a few possibilities that were (in retrospect, far more exciting). Here are a few, and please feel free to add your own:

Jro: Neal runs off with Elizabeth

Elr: Sam is Peter's long lost uncle/cousin/brother

Jro: Sam is Mozzie's father

Elr: Sam killed Neal's father

Jro: Peter wants to adopt Neal

Elr: Sam is Byron's half-brother (Elr gets into the cracky ideas)

Jro: El could be preggers

Elr: Sam is Vincent Adler's half-brother (do we detect a theme here?)

Jro: Neal is preggers with Michael Weston's baby

Elr: Peter is preggers, and the daddy is Jones

Jro: That would really devastate the Neal/Jones shippers, unless Peter was their surrogate.

Elr: Sam is really Kate in disguise

Jro: Neal is pregnant, and Jack Harkness is the baby-daddy (for the WIN, you've got to admit).

'kay - this is perhaps the strangest Dish I've done. I just find myself with not a lot to say at the moment. Maybe I need to rewatch and revisit. Besides, I’m exhausted. Not from the moving and unpacking, but I went back to work today and had to take an unexpected trip to another state that included six hours on four different trains.

Hard to believe, but this is it until January, 2013. Let's get the conversation started. You know the drill. Thinky thoughts, not-so-thinky thoughts. Squee and not-squee away.

Comments

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

Sam is Neal's dad?! No. Way.

Oh wait. I saw that coming a mile away. -facepalm-

The only unexpected thing was that the real Sam is possibly dead. I was kind of expecting Sam to be hanging out in New York or D.C. or something.

Maybe he is.

I still find James to be immensely suspicious.

Also, my own theory on who Sam was?

Sam was going to be Sara's long lost sister. In disguise, obviously. I have a long winded story to justify my reasoning, if you want to know it. :p

[elrhiarhodan]

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Sam is actually Garrett Fowler, post plastic surgery!

And on a serious note, I agree that James is definitely suspicious, and quite possibly as evil as Ellen said he was.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

I seriously considered the possibility that the guy beating up "Sam" was Fowler. We don't know what happened to Fowler, after all.

[elrhiarhodan]

Actually, according to Eastin, we do know:

Down in the Willow Garden

[maiac.livejournal.com]

::smacks forehead:: Oh, right! I'd forgotten. Hee!

[embroiderama]

Of course, Peter and Neal and Elizabeth aren't involved in a polyamorous relationship

WAIT, THEY'RE NOT??? *flails*

I love all of the cracky possibilities at the end there. I'm not unhappy about Sam being James because, well, I love this show for the relationships and I accept that it comes with an element of cheese. Relationship-wise, I love that the tension between them was low-key and believable. Those moments of smiling and pretending everything's hunkey-dorey because that's what you have to do keep the day-to-day functioning and then those other unobserved moments of letting the anger slip out. It feels like their relationship is maturing a bit because it seems like before there would've been a lot more vocal/behavioral anger from Neal, more active distrust from Peter, Neal not including Peter, etc. So, that pleased me.

Also, hello, Peter's panic when he thought Neal was shot. <3

[leonie-alastair.livejournal.com]

Peter's panic definitely requires an episode tag.

[elrhiarhodan]

I'm not unhappy with Sam being James. My complaint is that it was just predictable. To predictable.

Having a few days to think over the episode, I'm liking it a lot more than I did at first watch. And yes - it was the quiet moments between Peter and Neal that make this a better ep than it was at first glance.

[leonie-alastair.livejournal.com]

I thought this episode was the best use of the ensemble in all of season 4. The season arc story line may be meh, but the relationship moments were brilliant.

I think Sam is actually James Bennett's identical twin brother, Seamus. James is actually locked in a french dungeon. His eventual rescue will not only require Moz and Percy, but also Elizabeth driving a mini cooper down the spanish steps (yes I know they're in Rome, but we're working with J.E. geography) and Clinton Jones in glasses.

[elrhiarhodan]

You're right about the relationship moments - they are absolutely brilliant. They just got better and better - "There's the Neal Caffrey I know and love" still makes my heart turn to mush.

[elainasaunt.livejournal.com]

I haven't even watched it yet but decided to read this anyway as soon as I got up, sort of on the same principle as tearing off a bandage really fast - if Sam was going to turn out to be Dad, I wanted to get it over with. Also unsurprising, if much more pleasant, is the news that our boys are back on an even keel (sort of? I think? I kind of skimmed this, just in case). The big breakups in this show never last too long.

[elrhiarhodan]

Awwww, huggles you!

The boys, as you know by now, are very much back on the evenist of keels.

[mysticlady3.livejournal.com]

For most of the 2nd half of gthe episode, my heart was racing. I knew that it would get the ending it did but I had hoped we would be surprise.

Peter said "I" when declaring his love for Neal <3. Hopefully the next time it won't be in a tense relationship situation.

I'm glad there is less days between the mid-season finale and the return. Though the ending was meh, I want to see what is going to happen.

[elrhiarhodan]

I do agree - the was almost no tension in the first half of the episode, but it was kind of winding me up all through the second half.

Having a few days to think about it, I'm sort of glad that there isn't a big cliffie to keep us all tense for the next four months.

[isolde13.livejournal.com]

I think I may be the only one that's happy they didn't end with last week's episode - for mid-season, I mean.

I know for dramatic purposes it would have been better, but I'm sorry, I can't handle that kind of angst for months on end. At least I know now there is resolution (tho I knew there would be, but still). Watching them slowly coming back to each other was a wonderful thing. I felt like a child watching their parents make up after a bad fight.

Yeah, I know. This show does this to me. lol

[jrosemary.livejournal.com]

I'm torn on this. I would have been a basket case too if the season had ended on Gloves Off--but, for me, that would have made it a more powerful finale. Peter and Neal's relationship is the important one, not Neal and Sam's. Not that Neal's relationship with his father won't turn out to be intriguing in its own right (it may or may not, depending on how the show plays it) but it's not the reason anyone's watching.

On the other hand--yes, the gradual reconciliation between Neal and Peter was such a joy to watch, and it is nice not to bite my nails over the next three months. However, I feel like the summer finale should have made me bite my nails!

[elrhiarhodan]

You know, I think I've got to agree with you now. It would have been a perfect point to end the season, but now I'm glad that I don't have to suffer through four months of wondering about Peter and Neal and all that sadness and tension.

And the best part of the episode was watching them come back together.

[isolde13.livejournal.com]

That really was the best part. I can't even really tell you about the case part of it all. I zoned out waiting for more Peter and Neal moments. lol

I think too that it doesn't help that I watched all 3 1/2 seasons over a 2 week period at home. I literally just found this gem of a show. So I'm not used to the mid-season break. I honestly don't think I could have handled it.

So glad I found this fandom though :)

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

I agree. As a regular episode, this would have been a very squeeforthy episode. As a summer finale, this was meh. But then, the writers have set the bar so high the last three times they had to do this, they had to fail at one point. Nevertheless, a summer finale without the "big leap" - very disappointing.

And yes, the "We're done" was a way more dramatic ending than the news that this is Neal's father. Even if they hadn't telegraphed the fact so obviously, I don't care enough about Sam/James to care about this news. Though, it might be interesting to see how a new father figure in Neal's life might influence his relationship with Peter.

I also wish that they had done more with the panel...

But nevertheless, a good episode with a lot of good moments.

[elrhiarhodan]

I've slept on this episode for a few nights now, and I've rethought my original contention that the first half of the season should have ended with Gloves Off.

It still would have made a fantastic mid-season finale, but in retrospect, it's nice not to have 4 months of nail biting.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

I might be a masochist, but I'll miss it. For me, it was always part of the fun to keep guessing...nevermind the fanfic potencial in a good cliffhanger.

Though...no "Gloves Off" wouldn't have cut it either. I think what bothered me most about this mid-season finale was less the predictability of the cliff hanger and more the lack of of focus on the story arc. Season one was about the start of the relationship between Neal and Peter, and the midseason finale was about the possible end of this relationship. Season 2 was about Neal's desire for revenge, and the mid season finale (still my favourite) was about the possibility of him throwing his live away in order to fullfill this desire. Season three was about Neal being tempted to flee, and the mid season finale was about the possibility that he might get caught and about him making a finale decision.

This season is supposed to be about Neal's search for himself, and yet this aspect took a backseat to the case of the week which had nothing to do with the overall storyarc, and the stakes were not particulary high. I think it would have served the storyline better if they had skipped the planed heist on the panel, instead focussing more on the trap they planed with Sam. The stakes just weren't high enough (it didn't help that I knew that Neal would use the vest the moment the shotout started).

[countess-k.livejournal.com]

I squeed so loud at the part where Peter told Neal he liked him my parents ran downstairs to see if something had happened to me. XD

I'm with you on the segue to "The Java Jive". Seeing Peter look all poignant at first gave me deja vu feeling of the beginning of the season . Until they panned down to the coffee machine and the song started I was pretty happy in my world, but then the effect disappeared like a gust of cold wind blowing out a candle.

I agree with everything else you said too. This was odd for a mid-season finale. Usually those are explosive and involve a lot of feelings and people (Neal) jumping over things. This one was just full of yap. Ten minutes before it ended I was looking at my watch and thinking this thing's going to end soon and nothing special has happened.

Before we forget, Neal got shot in the parking lot. It had the potential to be a powerful whumpy moment had it not been for the vest. Like you said no one cared about the caper of the week so why did it have to ruin a truly good hurt!Neal protective!Peter moment?

The rest was just meh. The trap and discovery, meh (my brain kept throwing up scenarios: it's a trap for Neal, for Peter, Sam's beating is choreographed, they're gonna ambush Neal and Mozzie in the stairway, Peter will find out something huge in the warehouse.) Nothing special happened. And it was kind of lame that the big reveal happened in the calm context of a DNA test result instead of some brain jarring surprise discovery surrounded by danger. Add to that how ho-hum to infinity the revelation itself was and you could color me extremely unimpressed.

As for the ho-hum revelation, I kept saying, "No, please no, please don't say it," as they snail moved through the final scene. I had so many high hoped for a charismatic father for Neal. One of those guys with so much charm and presence he would put Neal into submission, and maybe Peter even. But then again, I wanted the same thing for Fowler, and Adler. White Collar just doesn't do key characters justice. And now we've lost yet another opportunity at a powerful dynamic and drama. This Sam guy as you mentioned, he just doesn't cut it.

Did I tell you I was expecting Elizabeth to be kidnapped, along with Peter? You and Jro weren't the only ones speculating great things.

So now that we're past the Luke Skywalker moment I guess all that's left is to wait for January. Luckily my other favorite show Supernatural is coming back October 3rd so I only have a couple of weeks of lull before I squee again.

Thanks for the dish and glad you are back and (mostly) done with your move. Have a nice break.

[virgo-79.livejournal.com]

This was odd for a mid-season finale. Usually those are explosive and involve a lot of feelings and people (Neal) jumping over things. This one was just full of yap. Ten minutes before it ended I was looking at my watch and thinking this thing's going to end soon and nothing special has happened.

See, that was precisely what I liked about this episode. I *liked* that there was so much discussion happening. Last year's ms finale was overstuffed with action, but nothing that was significant to me was happening. That was the ep where *I* kept looking at my watch waiting ofr something meaningful to happen. :) Everything that I cared about was ignored for this hyperactive stunt-fest. For me, that stuff is all flash and no substance. I liked how quiet this one was, and I liked that we stuck with drama instead of melodrama.

[elrhiarhodan]

Having a few days to think about it, I've changed my mind and decided I'm happy not to have four months on angst (like last year).

This mid-season ending means I can write OT3 to my heart's content.

[elainasaunt.livejournal.com]

(In response to some comments here and elsewhere:) Neal did have a Big Leap scene - over all those cars. Why he did it, however, wasn't really clear to me on first watch.

Sam/James is sooooo BORING, both the reveal and the character. Who would have guessed Treat Williams would turn out to be so uncharismatic? I'm pretty sure he'll turn out to be a bad guy, but save Neal's life at the end of this season by sacrificing himself in a hail of bullets. My show is nothing if not predictable.

BUT WHO CARES? The scene with Peter's confession of why he wanted to work with Neal makes up for everything.

[elrhiarhodan]

I do hope that Sam/James turns out to be a bad guy, too.

I don't know which I liked more - Peter's confession or when he said "There's the Neal Caffrey I know and love."

[kanarek13]

Awww... we are officially in hiatus *sad face*

And once again I agree with everything you have said... oh we do thing alike :P Just a few thoughts...

Even though I tried to remain fairly optimistic, there was a part of me that was afraid they were gonna end this half with Peter and Neal at odds. I know this would have been killing me for the next 16 weeks so I am one happy camper that it didn't happen \o/ I loved the second part of the panel, the declarations, the vows... I think saying those lines about trust and faith was epic, it wasn't maybe a huge discovery but saying it out loud was definitely something new and good for them. YAY :D I just loved seeing them walking to that second half of the panel, truly together this time... huge relief, really :D Awwww, boys ♥

But man, Neal can be cold when he means it :P The first 10 minutes all I wanted to do was hold Peter close and pet his head. I only wish the anger and hurt on Neal's side weren't reduced to refusing coffee and acting the way he acted during the first half of the panel. In these moments I found myself thinking of the Danger Verse and how your hurt and angry Neal was so, soooooo much better :P

Before the ep I've been telling people that I wanted Peter to end up wearing the vest, without Neal knowing, and then get shot in the vest... so that Neal would freak out a bit... Heeee, well, I got my wish, only the roles were reversed. And, of course, this is White Collar so the epic whump potential was once again ignored. They could have at least made Neal a little bit out of it after the fall... but we could see how relieved Peter was when he saw the vest, so there is that :D

And now the Sam thing - well, I knew about about Sam being James roughly since May... and even then the whole revelation was meh to me. I can't bring myself to care. Neal already has a father figure in his life, a mentor, a friend, a family closer and stronger than any blood ties. I hope in the second part of the season we will have Neal thinking about it and realizing how true it is ♥

Also, this whole safehouse thing with Sam, how he went there alone to protect them and then got jumped by a guy and beaten, and how the bad guy conveniently went to wash his hands so that Neal could drag Sam out of that room - oh, please. This was sooooo a nicely executed performance. And Sam's explanation when he was sitting on the stairs and Neal was wiping the blood out of his face - it all sounded so fake. I don't know. At this point I don't know if James is a good guy with a secret agenda or if he's one of the bad guys - I don't know but I sure as hell don't trust him and he is definitely hiding something. I think the s4 finale might be about answering that - that is just my guess.

But all in all, it was a good episode, lots of great moments and no cliffie that would make me hit my head against a wall \o/ I also agree that if they had left us with 4x09 as the finale, that would have been so, soooooo much more nerve-wrecking and sad and it would guarantee a heartache for a few weeks.

And I just have to say that it is a great season so far, with a few ups and downs, I am very satisfied with what they have given us this year. I will be eagerly awaiting the second half :D

[elrhiarhodan]

I know - so sad that we've got a long 16 weeks in front of us.

And as I've said above, I find I'm a lot happier without four months of tension and angst to resolve. Yeah, that does make for good fic, but it doesn't leave a lot of room for the OT3 or the slash.

This is the first time the mid-season finale has ended with Peter and Neal being on the same page, emotionally. They have their faith and now, a whole lot of trust. That means, for me, plenty of sexitiems ahead. The OT3 can set sail in smooth waters. No false drama, no real drama.

[virgo-79.livejournal.com]

Hope you're all settled in cozy at the new house, m'dear!

I really enjoyed this ep, *particularly* as a mid-season finale. I think that last week's ep is the one I would have banked on them making a finale, but I'm glad it wasn't. I like that *that* issue was resolved before we went on the break. White Collar, IMO, overuses the cliffhanger.To the point where it loses its punch. So while I was expecting another twist, when all was said and done, I was very content to see them go a more subtle route. It was very satisfying -- more drama than melodrama. And throughout the ep, there was a good pace kept (as opposed to Countdown), there were no stupid, eyeroll-inducing stunts (as opposed to Countdown), and things were progressed. I was very content at teh end of this ep.

I personally love the Sam character, and while going into this ep I was kind of thinking, "are they really going to be that obvious?", it works. I don't trust Sam, but as I've mentioned before, I find him incredibly compelling. Treat Williams has the chops, and the character is very enigmatic, IMO. *This*, for my money, is the way you write a mysterious character. So even though part of me wasn't at all surprised by the revelation, I like the development. This character is worthy of filling that role, which is such an important one, in my book. And even now, even knowing this, I *still* have a lot of doubts and questions about him. Is he good or bad? Even if he is good, how is he going to handle this going forward?

And then there was the marvelous handling of the Peter&Neal relationship, their fight, and their history. I was so pleased with what the show did there. There is so much evolution present in these characters this year, and it's good to see.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

It's less the twist I wanted - it's not like I didn't call Elizabeth kidnapping last season a mile ahead. But White Collar was always very good with leaving us at a point, at which we wanted to know what happens next. I knew that El would be rescued for sure, but I wanted to know how Peter reacts, I wanted to know, if Neal and Peter talked with each other.
This time around, I don't really care. It's painfully predictable that next episode will be about Sam/James telling Neal about his past, and how circumstances forced him to abandon his family. The only way the writer can save THIS boring storyline (which reminds me painfully of Grimm, btw, and there I already hated the "lost parent comes back" thing, because it has been done to dead) would be if Neal's father actually turns out to be a murderer in the end.

And while I realize that there had to be a "You're my father" moment the moment Neal started to dig into his past...I wish they had done something more interesting with the set up. Why not ending the episode with Peter telling Neal, leaving the "what should we do with this information" in the air...and perhaps Neal NOT confronting Sam/James immediatly, instead subtly watching him for a change. This might have been interesting, but what the writers actually did was as predictable as it gets.

It's strange, I really dig the episodes in the moment...the cases of the week, the arrangement, the wardrobe, thousands little details, how they involve the side characters without making it all about them, but the story-arc is by far the weakest so far.

[virgo-79.livejournal.com]

I disagree about the story arc; for me personally, out of all four years' arcs, this is absolutely the one I'm most interested in, and the one that I think is the best woven. I've been dying to know about Neal's family since "What Happens in Burma," and I was thrilled to learn that Neal's father would be a crucial part of this season. I'm fine with James being good *or* evil; it's the process of getting there that captures me.

Family is always a good source of dramatic storytelling, so it follows that it would be a go-to theme. I never worry much that a story's been done on another show, or in another movie, or another book. Everything's been done before; what matters to me is the details and how the characters I'm watching now handle it.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

It's not the theme which I don't like, it's the way it played out. It's too predictable. The former story-arcs had clumsy moments too, but at least I never saw coming where the writers were going with them (even though they weren't exactly new either, there was always a nice twist to them). This season I waited the first episodes for Ellen getting shot, and the last episodes for the reveal that Sam is really Neal's father. Never mind the idiodicy...ah, before I go into a rant, you can read my thoughts about this arc here: http://wc-confab.livejournal.com/9673.html#cutid1

[lauracollared.livejournal.com]

It's completely boring that Sam is Neal's dad. When they cast Treat Williams, the universe said, "Oh, it's Neal's dad." And at every turn in plot, the universe said, "It's probably still Neal's dad." But man oh man did we hope he wouldn't be Neal's dad, because zzzzzzzzz.

I admit I was surprised at how they did the reveal -- i.e.: that Sam was dead. As soon as Sam had blood on him, and Neal was mopping him off, though, I was yelling at the screen: NOOOOOOO don't do it. Don't please no don't noooooo.

I sure hope that Sam was a bad guy and that the flashback is really exciting and interesting, because damn, otherwise? Neal's dad turns out to be a good guy? I mean, really. Zzzzzz. Neal doesn't need a good daddy. He has one. His name is Peter.

Um, the rat scene was funny but kind of stupid. The rat was way too fat and pet-like. So... yeah. And it was obvious that it came from the briefcase that happened to be near Neal's desk. So... yeah.

Uh the bullet-proof vest was obvious, and still kind of exciting. But yet I was really annoyed by it too. Neal (writers!), you could have been shot in the head!!! Ugh. (I'm assuming there will be great episode tags written wherein Neal is either not wearing the vest or he is shot in the head. I look forward to reading every last one of those!)

I enjoyed watching Neal being smart with the car keys in the parking lot. It's always enjoyable watching him be awesome. But why did he throw random ones on the ground? This I can't figure out. Was it just that he realized those were ones he didn't need? It seemed like he had some other purpose while doing it. :confused:

I miss Satchmo.

Diana and Jones had a great scene and got to film at a beautiful pier location. Jones especially was super cute with those glasses. Love fierce Diana. Her drooling over the bullet proof vest (in the other scene) is a bit much lol but Tim's ad libbed line (per Jeff E) about the bulge was HILAR.

Mozzie was great this episode. Corkscrew was funny. El was reduced to almost nothing again. Sigh. Erm.... guess that's all I got.

I completely agree with you that last week would have been a better cliffhanger. I would have been an emotional wreck. Going into this episode I was like: I'm so nervous for the boys! So, yeah, that would have been a much more interesting cliffhanger for me to deal with for several months. Plus, 4x01 started with Peter missing Neal at the coffee maker and being sad and mopey. And this episode started the same way. Sure, this way the coffee maker is book ending the first part of the season. But it would have been just as great or maybe better if it was the beginning of the first part of the season and the beginning of the 2nd part of the season. :shrug:

Aaaaaanyway. That's that! Glad to hear things are going well with moving in, etc. Congrats on the new place again. :)

[doctor-fangeek.livejournal.com]

So I really enjoyed this episode, despite the fact that the big twist/reveal/cliffhanger was not actually a, "Oh my god!" moment so much as a, "Yeah, yeah, expecting that," moment.

I totally understand where you're coming from with regard to "Gloves Off" vs. "Vested Interest" as the mid-season finale, but I also get why Jeff Eastin & Co. went the way they did. The overall arc/theme for the season is Neal's search for his past (and in particular his father), and, I think, how what he learns about his past will inform his future. So from that perspective, it makes sense to have a "big reveal" about that plot-line as the culminating moment of the mid-season finale (and fits with what they've done in the past). I also suspect that when they were plotting out Season 4 they thought that it really would be a big reveal, that people would be surprised. That said, I agree that for many fans (especially a lot of us here on the Dish), Neal's, "We're done!" at the end of the previous episode is a bigger deal - it was powerful and emotionally hard-hitting, and kind of left us reeling. And I think the whole Sam/James reveal suffers in comparison because we've spent 3 1/2 seasons invested in Peter & Neal and their relationship, and we just don't know very much about James yet.

All of *that* said, I think that personally I'm with virgo_79 on this. I was *glad* that we got a chance to see Peter and Neal coming back together over the course of the episode rather than suffering through the break waiting for it. I mean, I think we all would have known that they *would* reconcile, but it would have been a long wait.

And while so many fans predicted the big "twist" that was ultimately kind of a 'meh' moment, there's plenty of material to be mined in the back half of the season. What is Neal's father's story, why did he hide his true identity, is he looking for the evidence to clear himself or cover his tracks, etc. And more importantly, how will his presence affect Neal (and possibly Neal's relationship with Peter).

Meanwhile, I found the episode entertaining and fun to watch, and I loved the whole arc of Peter and Neal over the course of it, from Peter's awkward attempt to ply Neal with coffee (and Neal giving him the cold shoulder), to their first, almost painful, conference appearance, to the terrific moment when Neal asks Peter why he took the deal, to Peter actually taking the new information about Sam right to Neal and then backing off, to Neal forgoing grabbing the tracking device and coming to the rescue in the parking garage, to the terrific second panel appearance. Loved it.

Other fun stuff:

Neal pointing out how *every* item at the conference would be worth stealing.

Mozzie's appreciation of Peter and his multi-colored pen (I had that pen in college!).

Percy. And the whole surveillance authorization con. Poor Jones.

Friday, Mozzie's 2nd favorite safehouse.

"I brought a corkscrew to a gunfight."

I'm pretty sure I'm missing some moments I wanted to mention, but alas I'm off to teach genetics....

[teaboyfan.livejournal.com]

Well, I am a big wimp. Given the choice between the gut-wrenching end of the previous episode, and the dull thud of this one, I know which I prefer rattling around in my brain for the next few months. The boys are together again, and we can handle anything else.

Except for the panel at the end, my favorite part was the interaction between Mozzie and Sam. Not only did Mozzie get off the best line of all time ("I brought a corkscrew to a gunfight"), but the image of guntoting Sam allowing himself to be held at corkscrew point was almost adorable. It reminded me of those videos showing a Rottweiler or some other "fierce" dog allowing a tiny kitten to walk all over it. Not that Mozzie is helpless, by any means, but it did look like a mis-match.

Treat Williams is a very accomplished actor, and I love the way he keeps up the character's ambivalence. I still don't trust him any farther than I could throw him, but he did show obvious affection when talking about young Neal. We may have a nicely complex character here, and I'd like to know more about him.

[virgo-79.livejournal.com]

Agreed on all fronts. :)

I liked that they broke from the pattern and didn't do the big giant screaming cliffhanger of doom. To be honest, I've long thought that this show overdoes it on the cliffhangers. I too was anticipating something else for a twist, but I'm okay with the fact that there wasn't anything else.

And I'm with you on Sam. Knowing this about him is still far from the whole picture, and I remain torn about his true nature and intentions. I honestly don't think White Collar has ever given me a character before that was so successfully enigmatic. I often get bored with the so-called mysterious characters very quickly, but Sam I find very engaging.

[sheenianni.livejournal.com]

I began watching this episode hoping for Peter and Neal to be reconciled and dreading the possible "Luke, I'm your father".

Agree with everything said above:

- finale was meh
- "surprise" was no surprise
- Peter and Neal were FABULOUS, and all their moments together were absolutely amazing
- I'm usually not a big h/c fan - but Neal was so wonderfully shot; why did he have to wear the stupid vest?

Hm, what else... the baground case (or this time, conference) was quite decent. I loved the moment between Jones and Diana ("I like you fiery") and the Mozzie/Sam/Neal moments (Sam with a gun, Moz with a corkscrew :D Does American audience recognize the amazing Polish movie "Sexmission"? I sure thought of it during that scene :D Well, maybe Eastin saw it in the past.)

"If there's not trust, then there's faith." - This is one of the mottos of Peter and Neal's relationship. That line almost brought me to tears. SO wonderful!

As for Sam - I don't hate him, I don't love him. I think we haven't seen enough of him to make me care either way (he may have appeared in several episodes, but most of it was spent arguing with Neal over investigating Ellen's death.) I liked the moment an episode or so back when he told Neal about how "Neal's father" brought little Neal to the precinct. I think he could be an interesting character, and the actor who plays him portrays him well, but so far, he didn't have any real role in the script. I find it hard to care for him in these circumstances.

And for theories: Sam is actually Neal and Sara's lovechild from the future!!! (He could also be Neal, El and Peter's child, or Neal and Mozzie's child.) On his death-bed, Mozzie helped him build a time machine and save the world from unspeakable horrors. That's the reason why the DNA matches.

Elr: Thank you for your wonderful dishes :)

[traintracks.livejournal.com]

LMAO! Jack Harkness, FTW. Now Jealous Peter doesn't know whether to adopt Neal and become a grandfather or kick Harkness' ass back to Cardiff and marry Neal with El officiating, Diana as best man, and Moz as flower girl.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I loved the panel discussion redux, when they talk about the comic vault. That scene is one of the most slash-setting-up scenes in a show that *teems* with slash-jumping-off points.

El is back to being real El again (not Stepford or Plastic El).

Friday -- Mozzie's third-favorite safe house!

I'm meh on the saw-it-coming-a-mile-away reveal. But I liked the way Peter handled it and the Sam-isn't-Sam reveal before that.

[bandykullan.livejournal.com]

I'm also in the meh-group when rating this, especially in a mid-season finale. There were lots of wonderful parts of the episode though, it's one of those where I think the parts are much bigger than the sum, if you understand. And since this is supposed to be a positive discussion I'll try and concentrate on those:

1. Peter and Neal are friends again, and Peter explained why he took Neal's offer. Probably my favorite dialogue of the episode.

2. Jones and Diana worked great together.

3. The rat, and the rat hunt. Most point goes to Diana and Jones again "I really hope that is a chihahua".

About the Empire Strikes Back revelation. I've said throughout the season that I'm hoping that it won't be as easy as Neal finding out that his father was innocent. In my perfect world Sam/James is still dirty, and is doing a long con of a caring dad on Neal to get rid of the last evidence against him. Blood will be thinner than water when Neal realizes that Peter is his real father figure. And of course the beat up in the safe house was staged by Sam/James.

My most negative thing to say is that this is my least favorite of the season mythologies that we've had so far.

[swanpride.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in my perfect world too...but I fear the writers wont go there. But it's exactly the plot I have wished for the last ten time some lost family member turned up in a show. But no, even if they inicially had something shifty planed, they always went for redemption in the end. I'm sick of it. I want one of those parents being really, really evil, not at all intersted in their kids, ready to screw them over six times over if they can gain something from this. I want Sam/James to be the Anti-Peter, someone who uses his position in law enforcement for his own gain.

If they end up doing something like this, I might forgive them for this particular arc. (Dig the episodes nevertheless...it's just the arc which annoys me, everything else is great, way better than last season).

[crism79.livejournal.com]

Sorry to intrude, but just wanted to say that in my mind the story would play just like you guys said. It would be so much more interesting. Although we already have someone that apparently abandoned Neal willingly in his mother (or so we think - I'm just wondering if she'll make a future appearance too). So maybe we'll get the father to redeem both parents from abandoning Neal to grow up "alone"? But as you also said, I do think they'll follow the "Darth Vader/Anakin" path, sacrificing his life to save Luke, I mean Neal ;P Alas, I still hope to be surprised.

Still, I'm really enjoying this season a lot.

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Do we really need a giant cliffhanger every time? Really, after the last two, I don't think my nerves could've taken it.

[virgo-79.livejournal.com]

Agreed. They needed to stop with that before they went blind. ;)

I think it's a refreshing change, myself.

[elrhiarhodan]

Having some time to think about it, I have to now agree. While ending the front half with "We're done" would have made for terrific tension, it also would have killed my nerves far more than Mozzie being shot or Elizabeth's kidnapping.

I can now write my slash and OT3 without handwaving at canon. Because, as we have all heard, Peter even admits that he loves Neal.

[ladyrose42.livejournal.com]

Since I watch the episode after my bedtime and half asleep, what I notice so different from others. For some reason, I liked the coffee song. Peter can actually fix things and not goof it up. All the cups were white, I think, and only Neal's cup was black. Cowboy hats anyone? Neal's ties 0 and 2 (sword cut and shot). The Dutchman and the church tale by Neal, but later they talk about faith. Commercial for local New York channel 9, will be airing episodes of WC on Thursdays for their "fall season" Yea-popular enough for syndication, means more fans and fan base. Why do we never see the bad guy's face when rescuing Sam? Was this a set-up by Sam? Why do the bad guys still care after nearly 30 years? Did Sam toss his own apartment?? Errrrr.

[damietta.livejournal.com]

I really don't care that Sam is Neal's dad and the whole thing was kind of a downer really. With what just six more episodes what are they going to back in (finding the briefcase and key....Sam (James) is going to be good, bad, whatever). Peter, El and Mozzie will be left to pick up the pieces.

[meeni (from livejournal.com)]

i agree with you..
but on the other hand..i can go on with my life without thinking almost every second as to what happens to Neal..or any other character there..

but i'm trying to think of it this way that when i was expecting REALLY a cliffhanger they didn't give us one..So i should be happy but i still am not.Does that make sense?...
it didn't have to be a killing cliffhanger but this i didn't expect to be really honest
i am not moved by Sam/James character at all and this is the first it has happened to me.I really hate/love a character in this show.I dont know what to feel for him...LOL

Initially the coffee song made me laugh .LOL Panel thing was briliant from start to end.Loved Peter's line..Kudos for that
Jones scared of rat..MAde my day
Fiery Diana always welcome.

Peter giving the choice to Neal touched me.No one ever gives him choice to do the right thing and i loved that Neal did the right thing.Every single one of them tries to control him so yeah i went aww there

Now what I'm really looking forward to other guest stars in the later half of the season..