Post Ep Dish - 5.02 - Out of the Frying Pan

[elrhiarhodan]

Okay folks, time for this edition of the Post Ep Dish. Once again, it’s a squee of consciousness, not an in-depth analysis. I’m just too crazed in the head right now to work through my feels. And so many feels there are. Some good, some not so good, some I need to work through.

For what it’s worth, the Dish this week is a little lackluster - I was distracted by the live chat in the wcwu, and I was also sitting next to my dear friend, sinfulslasher - which marks the first time I've ever watched an episode live with a fellow fan in the same meetspace.

Just to remind people of the "rules" (such as they are): Don’t harsh my squee (don't bash me for really loving the developments here). I have no problems with people making comments don’t match my viewpoint, but this is a wank-free zone and please don’t be mean or nasty or negative. If you don’t like something, you are perfectly entitled to express your dislike or disagreement, but in terms that would not get you in trouble with your mother (unless she is a rabid fangirl).



Dancing Neal!!!!!!!!

We've got NIPPLES and TEE SHIRT and DANCING and OPERA (Mozart). Iz ded. Seriously ded!

Neal with cane - omg, how fucking hot is that? NEED FIC FOR THAT! Someone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Peter tweaking Neal about arriving on time.

Oooh, Evil Peter is Evil…

Jones in charge - love that and it fits perfectly with my head canon.

Diana? Eight months pregnant? Hmmm - I can’t seem to figure out the timeline here. I guess she was six months pregnant when Peter went to prison? Not showing - not a single bulge at six months really doesn’t seem right at all. But that’s what happens when you have almost a year between ending the filming of one season and starting the filming of the next.

Wrong about curmudgeonly, hee! Poor Neal, rather obviously taken aback. HOW OLD ARE YOU???

Love the new handler blowing smoke up Neal’s butt - “Neal is the best there is …”

Finally, El’s concerned about Neal. But Peter (who should have stripped to his skin) handles it all wrong.

What have we learned here - Peter’s not talking to Neal

And El know how to be subtle sexy wife.

Peter bringing Neal coffee isn't going to work. Not at this stage of the game.

Love Neal reminding Peter that he's been following him for almost a decade!!!!

Snarky Diana is snarky! I'd blame the caffeine, but she's pregnant.

Little Star - MOZZIE???? Art work and antiquities...definitely Mozzie.

Europe in the 40‘s, Islamic art - Silk Road Ceramics? So most definitely Mozzie.

AND I WAS RIGHT.

What's with the firebug theme going on this season?

We're at the break. Time for the Beemer Commercial. All I can say is YUM, and the car isn’t bad either.

And we're back

Of course Moz has contingency plans…

Teeth? Fire?

Oh, Moz!

Emil Berliner?

Computer forensics??? This kid is a little to much like Neal - can do everything without any obvious training.

They know it’s mozzie - but that's a neat trick with the sketches, Neal.

Damnit Neal!

Awww, Jones going to bat for Diana. He's a mensch - I've always thought so,

Neal is bored - love how he's annoying Siegel. But he's supposed to be doing that with Peter.

Teddy Winters - barely on the grid

Moz is Lady Liberty - ROTFLMAO!!!! A Statue of Liberty with Glasses and a desperately receding hairline.

Oh wow, we've just learned his real name … omg

You do look like a “Teddy” - "I prefer Theodore"

He has a real estate portfolio!!!! (YES!!!!!!! I've been Kripke'd)

Heaven off the table a long time ago - awww. The boys have scruples, they just don't realize it.

They’ve faked Neal’s death before? I guess Monterrey?

Oh, Moz - you crack me up! Mechanical monkeys

Diana - I LOVE YOU - you are so smart. And so cranky and tired and nervous.

Neal and Diana - together again. But Neal - don't let her go alone!

For a building the burned down, it’s an awfully cold scene ...just saying

Hagen - the evidence is upstairs. Peter - don’t be so silly - telling Neal that?

Diana… what are you doing? I know you're tough, but you're eight months pregnant. Isn't your baby more important than your career?

Apparently not. You're badass Berrigan and you can do anything, right?

Moz - you're pissing me off - running away when someone desperately needs help?

And, NO - thank goodness, you're not. Damn it...show you’re making me cry

Mozzie’s delivering Diana’s baby

What’s Peter up to? He seems way too enamored of Neal's new handler.

Ah - Peter can’t send Neal back to prison. At the end of the day - that's always going to be the kicker. Kramer could do it, Siegel could do it, but Peter can't.

Peter - what do you see? Neal's hat? Did he leave it behind deliberately?

Dancing Neal! Love the little bow at the end!

Oh, Peter! Ever suspicious and rightfully so. But you are so torn.

You'd think that there would be cameras INSIDE the evidence room, right?

And cut to Neal and Moz and Diana and the baby.

"I’m a dad!" "Not even close!" "I’m a midwife!"

Awwww - Mozzie has a new career.

Peter - are you really so clueless???

Theo???

Noble? Regal?

Diana’s now in very deep now. At least Moz is a decent human being and won't hold it over Diana. Not like Hagen and Neal...

Which brings us to the end - Neal wondering if it's ever going to be over.

And it's not - did we expect otherwise?



Anyway - this is the Dish, Season Five, Episode Two - Out of the Frying Pan. Remember to play nice. Share your thinky and not-so-thinky thoughts. But in the kindest possible way, 'kay?

Comments

[countess_k]

I love seeing you doing dishes again. Your squees are a delight and I like it how you give me a new way to look at every episode.

I was a little pissed at Peter in this episode. He came off as too evil and suspicious of Neal. I thought he agreed what happened last season wasn't Neal's fault. I thought after so many years of working together he and Neal had reached a little bit of trust. But I guess it's the constant reminder (from Kramer, and now Siegel) that he's in too deep, and too attached to his CI, that makes him try so hard to act the opposite.

I wasn't too impressed with Siegel. He came off as too clean cut and boring. I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop, to either reveal an evil Kramer-esque core, or an obsessed Collins-like desire to catch Neal in the act. Otherwise there's no point for the guy to be around, unless it is to take Peter away from Neal aa his new best buddy which would piss off fans.

One last thing: I wished the dialogue was a little less on-the-nose. Peter telling Neal where the evidence box is was enough. Adding to it how important it was to Crowley's Hagen's case was a little over the top. So was Neal's declaration at the end that this was "just the beginning."

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

ROTF, that's a spot-on summary ! Love it ! And the show, too. :-)

[sinfulslasher]

Loved the ep! Like, really loved it. SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!!! They're setting up every single character to have their big moment in some way, and that's just awesome! \o/

Love the new handler, love how he blew smoke up Neal's ass (aka how he knew how to handle such a CI). I'm just wondering if Neal really fell for it or knows he's being played. Either way, there's the cat-and-mouse play again that I used to love in the early seasons with Peter, so yay! :D

The scene between the handler and Peter about sending the CI back to prison? See, Peter totally couldn't do it with Neal, and that's exactly why he brought in a new handler! He's too close to Neal, they're family, so Peter can't be objective and do what's right. Because, in all honesty, he should've sent Neal back dozens of times by now, with all the shit Neal has pulled over the years. Kramer was right when he told Peter that Neal is, first and foremost, a CI and not a friend. That hasn't been true for Peter in many years, and he needs to distance himself from Neal for his own good - and Neal's. I love that the show is finally going there, because there have been times when I wanted to slap Peter for letting Neal off the hook so easily. Neal's like a child - there are no consequences for his behavior, and so he feels he's right in what he did. Kid needs to learn that his actions do have consequences. With Hagen in the game and Neal committing more crimes in the first two eps than he did in all of season 4 (it seems *g*), this is all gonna blow up in his face thanks to his new handler...and then there'll be Peter to the rescue! \o/

Um, okay. Long babble is long.

To sum it all up: sweaty!Neal dancing, awesome Moz being hilarious, preggers!Diana being snarky, the Burkes being adorkably cute (I so ship them!), the new handler being a great adversary for Neal, and OMG the potential new plotlines!!!

Happy Gaby is happy! :D :D :D

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I have a great love for this episode. It felt so old-school to me, layered with the knowledge that Peter has about Neal the man (beyond Neal the con). I just want to snuggle Mozzie for being a mentch. And a goofball. He was a *great* Statue of Liberty. And I loved the use of music in this episode. Diana saying she didn't know the person who helped her deliver the baby I read (as I said elsewhere) as her acknowledging that she didn't know that side of Mozzie. I am a happy Nomi today about this ep.

[kanarek13]

Oh, this episode is pure love ♥ After the awesome premiere we are now settling in the new order of things, and yet there are so many familiar things that are making me squee and squirm :D

This episode is first and foremost a lot of fun, all the characters have wonderful moments, some made me laugh, some made me go awwww. You have mentioned all of them \o/

Two things that have kinda stood out for me. The current state of affairs between Neal and Peter is obviously different, but it feels like it is something they both need, maybe not on a long-term basis, but just for a while. It kinda gives them a chance to see that their friendship is not gonna crumble just because they take a step back, even if it's a bit awkward at first. But yeah, who are we kidding? I give them no longer than half a season before they are back to invading each other's personal space in most adorable ways ever :D :D :D

Also, I loved that talk between Peter and Siegel, when Siegel told him about his CI and how he arrested him for forgery and put him back behind bars. OMG, I wanted to hug Peter so much because the look on his face was speaking volumes. This was as good confirmation as he was ever gonna get that this change was needed. He wouldn't be able to do it, he would move heaven and earth to get Neal out of yet another mess, even though he knows damn well what the job requires him to do. Awwwwwwww, he loves Neal so much ♥

Oh, and I just have to say - Peter is so damn sexy when his gut detector is vibrating like a plucked Caffrey string :P

I'm sure there is more I should say but I don't remember :D

All in all, YAY, this is so much fun :D

[ladyrose42.livejournal.com]

I thought it was pretty funny when Neal challenged his new handler on age. Did Neal think he deserved an older agent (that father/big brother thing) or just easy to over on older more understanding agent.
When Peter gave his credentials, it seemed like a set -down in responbitilities from Chicago, unless NYC is just over all bigger. And did White Collar or Peter's closure rate decline from previous statements.
Mozzie: GAD! He's working, he's statue Liberty, he's opera lover, he's everything Our Teddy Bear Mozart is Teddy!
Pregnant Diana delivering - kind of expected plot twist, but done for Mozzie. Oh well!
Evidence room: no bars and locked doors and RIFD entrances?? for the FBI?? But we get to see Neal "dance" and pull the wool over everyone's eyes. Sneaky Neal.
Overall, good episode. There is just so much stuffed in an hour's time.
PS Teeth, does that mean Moz has dentures or what. Didn't quite follow that logic (DH and baseball distraction)

[doctor-fangeek.livejournal.com]

I don't have anything really to add here...I just had a ton of fun watching this episode and genuinely LOL'd at a couple of points.

It was nice seeing El thinking of Neal. It was nice seeing a Peter and Neal walk & talk, and the banter about Peter's coffee mug. Little Star is Mozzie! Grumpy!Diana. Stalwart!Clinton. And any episode that starts with Neal dressed in a tank top and learning choreography has at least *something* going for it. :-)

I know some people like the continuing trust issues and others hate them (I'm not strongly in either camp), but while I was just sad at the end of the premiere (which I did like), this episode I thought really did have a bit of a S1 feel to it, with Peter knowing Neal is up to something, and Neal knowing that Peter knows (not the what, but that there's *something* up), and the sense that Peter wants to figure it out not so much because he's "after" Neal (a la the treasure), but because, as he told El, Neal always has a reason.

Also, Neal dancing. And nipples. :-)

[sheenianni.livejournal.com]

Loved, loved, LOVED this episode!!! Did I say I loved this episode?

This is what imagined when they said that they were returning to the dynamics of Season 1. This is what I've been looking forward for seven months. It's the show at its best, with some tension but still fun, with the opening scene of Neal dancing to Mozart, with Peter and Neal obviously fond of each other even if on opposite sides, with all the characters getting the space they deserved.

I lifted an eyebrow at Diana suddenly being eight months pregnant, but that was my only pet peeve for the episode. (That and that they made made "my" Mozzie's real name in Conspiracies out of canon, LOL).

But this is the White Collar that I fell in love with. I don't think I've enjoyed an episode this much since Season 3, and I suspect that this one will be one of my top favorites. Mozzie finally being exposed (though not caught), Neal breaking the law and doing what needs to be done for the people he loves, Peter torn between being an agent and being a friend, Diana, so tough and so vulnerable - all the wonderful nuances of their relationships!

Loved Diana finding Mozzie and the subsequent birth, LOVED all the Neal-Mozzie moments (and Di-Neal moments), loved the scene at the hospital...

SQUEEEE!!!!!

Diana with her desperate need to prove herself - of course we know how capable she is.

Heaven being off the table... aww, boys!

When it looked like Mozzie was going to run, I almost yelled at the screen even though I couldn't believe that the show would throw away all that character building... and for once they didn't disappoint.

And the whole sequence - Neal destroying the evidence, Diana giving birth with Mozzie's encouragement and Peter going to catch Neal - with the music playing - that was so well directed, so dramatic yet fun and awesome!!!

Mozzie as the Statue of Liberty :D

And him keeping the name because of his parents... so Moz :(

Even the new handler looks like an interesting character.

Also, Jones! His moments of appearance were short but perfect.

Can we please keep this style of the show? Pretty please?

And of course it's not over - it's only begun. But unlike after last episode, I'm not dreading it - I'm looking forward to it. So many options, so many possibilities...

My love for the show is back :)

[damietta.livejournal.com]

I loved the episode. There were many fun moments (the bow, the head rub, the sighs), but it also set up from some interesting moments. Moments such as the throw away line that Siegel put his last CI back in prison because he caught him committing a crime (ohh Peter's look), and then Hagen's squeezing Moz and Neal ... how far will that go and for how long?

It would be nice if Teddy Winters left his fortune to a unknown to the FBI Caffrey alias.

[joy2190.livejournal.com]

Love your breathless real-time summary! Still recovering from laughing so much at Statue of Liberty Mozzie and Neal's expression when he saw him!

New handler scares me as I can't quite shake his memory from that creepy cult series. For one horrible moment I thought he was going to say he killed his Chicago CI.

Curtis Hagen, so wonderfully bad. Looks like exciting times ahead.

Quick question - first section of broadcast, when Peter and Neal were first in the building before meeting the new handler, Peter made some comment to Neal about him/handlers which I couldn't make out (even after several replays). Anyone out there catch it?

[elainasaunt.livejournal.com]

I had to listen to it twice (just watched it, late) - it was "you're the expert on handlers."

[joy2190.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[maiac.livejournal.com]

This is just how I felt, watching the episode.

...And I'm wondering how long Peter, Jones and Diana can keep Seigel from finding out about Mozzie, and what will happen when Seigel finally meets him.