don't be dull, be fannish

You know, the whole Kramer arc in WhiCo's S3 was really painful, especially in the light of S5, because in S3 Peter stood firmly against Kramer and by Neal - but in S5 he did exactly what Kramer had done to Neal, called him a criminal and told him he would never change. After everything Neal had done for him, Peter turned into Kramer. So in the light of that, watching S3 was even more painful.

And it was lotsa painful as it was, because Kramer wanted to take Neal away from Peter, he wanted to transfer Neal to Washington, slap the anklet on him indefinitely and threaten Neal with a life sentence to force him to work for him, Kramer, and only for him. It was one thing to make Neal serve his 4 years but a life sentence? Peter got so furious when he heard what Kramer had in store for Neal and that made him help Neal even though he wouldn't have done it otherwise, but he just would not, could not stand for this, for Neal basically being Kramer's slave for life. Because what Kramer wanted to do to Neal really was slavery, he wanted to take away Neal's free will, completely. Peter rather wanted Neal on the run than... this.

And at the commutation hearing... both Elizabeth and Jones really pissed me off. She wouldn't want Neal dating her sister? Really? REALLY? You might say many things about Neal, but when he loves someone, he would die for them. And she said THAT at his commutation hearing? Are you fucking kidding me? And Jones - he said that Neal was his friend but then he dissed everything about him. No, Neal was not his friend, he has never been his friend. He was just a tool for Jones and in that regard, Jones was no better than Kramer, because he has never seen Neal as a person, only as a thing that helped them solve cases, an additional computer or whatever.

Which is something that really pissed me off about this show in general - as much as I adore WhiCo: Neal helped the NY branch of WhiCo reached a solve rate of 94%! Unprecedented thing. And who got all the accolades? Peter Burke. Because in the eyes of the Bureau, Neal didn't deserve it, even though it wasn't until he joined the unit that their solve rate jumped 20+%. But that didn't matter to anyone, ever. Because Neal was just a CI. Only Kramer took notice - and he was determined to exploit Neal by trying to slap a life sentence on him so that the Bureau wouldn't lose him as a tool. Jesus! Yes, I feel very strongly about this because the FBI was using Neal to their benefit with not even a thank-you and yet they still made it sound like they were doing Neal a favor because he was a convict.

So yeah, after this and after how Peter behaved towards Neal in S5, I actually rooted for Neal to take off and it's also the reason why I'm very happy about how the show ended.

"" (Watch on YouTube)

This is one of the best Neal Caffrey vids that I've ever seen. Just... wow! It's exactly like the show itself: sleek, beautiful, dangerous. Mwah!

Having seen the WhiCo series finale, I'm now paying more attention to Neal and Mozzie's relationship while re-watching the show from the beginning. And let me tell you, their rapport is nothing short of amazing, especially in the first few episodes of S2, while Neal's grieving for Kate. The way Mozzie's helping Neal - and the way Neal looks at Mozzie in those moments, with so much fondness. It's fantastic.

And Peter's always been protective of Neal but never more than during their hunt for Fowler. Peter's so worried about Neal in these episodes, it's heart wrenching.

I still don't like how Sara was introduced. Sometimes, it seems to me that writers tend to overdo it when introducing new female characters, like they need them make a huge splash immediately. But that leads to a very grating first impression. And in the case of Sara I never got over it and I never warmed up to her, even though they did tone down her "action!girl" stunts.

At this point in the series, I prefer Alex for Neal as a love interest, not Kate or Sara. The scene where Alex gives Neal the cherub from the music box, there's something really magical about the way she kisses him, so very gently. The whole scene is beautiful.

Man, Hard Sell! First Neal as a stock broker, impressing his team with his skills. And then Peter, telling Kate to fuck off and leave Neal be, because...

"[Neal]'s good. Because he’s the smartest guy I’ve ever met and I’m tired of watching you twist his heart around. He’s my friend. Let him go."

Peter's realization that Kate didn't love Neal, that she had never loved him, that she was only using him. That got Peter so angry because he knew that Neal deserved better, that Neal ruined his life for this girl who wasn't worth the filth on his shoes. And Peter and Mozzie actually agreed on that! Wonderful.

Bad Judgment or the ep where El met Mozzie and they became the best of friends! Hilarious.

I know that Vital Signs is a fan favorite - but honestly? Not mine. There was this great scene where Neal confessed to Peter that Peter was the only person that Neal trusted and that was wonderful, but... The rest of the ep? Eh. My favorite bits were the scene where Neal was sitting on the the windowsill, eating Chinese, while they brainstormed and when Neal immediately offered his help to June, no questions asked. Beautiful.

Home Invasion and Daniel Pika! LOL! And Alex... I think Alex has always loved Neal, in her own, conwoman way. But the funniest thing was when Peter invaded Neal's home, LOL!

I started watching WhiCo from the beginning again. After that finale, after I bawled my eyes out so hard I woke up all sore-eyed and headachy this morning, I had to go back just to see again how it all started.

You see, in the very first episode, you see Peter and Mozzie, you see Kate and you think, yeah, Kate's the most important person in Neal's life. Peter likes Neal, he has a soft spot for him, but only as far as Neal being his CI. And Mozzie, he didn't visit Neal once in prison, he's an acquaintance of Neal's, a friend of his but not a close one...

And then you see the finale and you realize, not Kate, not any of the women in Neal's life, not even El and June whom Neal loves - that scene with June in the finale, Neal's expression, broke my heart - but Peter and Mozzie, these two are the most important people in Neal's life. It's a really strange juxtaposition of the premiere and the finale, Neal being Peter's CI vs. Neal being Peter's best friend slash little brother slash son, Neal being Mozzie's old partner in crime vs. Neal being the center of Mozzie's universe. There's so much depth there, so much love.

( Spoilers for 606! )

God, I'm still so emotional about the finale. And when I watch the old episodes, knowing how it all ends... I'm so very glad that the last season and the last episode in particular was about Peter, Neal and Mozzie and their relationship, that the writers didn't bring back any of Neal's flings, that they didn't dilute it with shipping, that it was all about friendship and the depth of it. Going back and watching the series from the beginning, knowing how it ends, makes for a richer viewing experience. It makes everything a little more beautiful because in the light of the finale, you know what is and will in the future be really important to Neal.

( My episode reaction and musings on what will happen in the series finale based on the promo and vague spoilers posted a long time ago! )

I can't believe there's only one episode left... ;_;

I'm now more than ever convinced that Neal will fake his own death in the series finale. There are canonical hints for that: ( spoilers for 601-603! ) And there are also hints in the general spoilers for the series finale: ( vague spoilers posted before the show came back! ) And there was also the Mozzie related thing: ( spoiler! )

I also think that Peter will quit the FBI and that Neal's death will be partially the reason for that, because he will be grieving for him - he admitted many times that Neal was like a son or a younger brother to him. I think the FBI will once again try to screw Neal over and Peter will finally grow disgusted with the bureau. As he said in the very first episode, that's not how things were supposed to go, you get caught, you do your time. This, the bureau keeping Neal on a leash indefinitely? Peter will not stand for that. Also, the talk Peter and El had in this ep, about ( spoilers! ) And then there's the Diana and Jones related thing that said ( spoilers! )

So yeah, I think Neal will "die" and only leave a small clue for Peter that he might be alive, a clue Peter will decide to keep to himself. And I think that will be the perfect ending.

I know, I know I haven't seen S5 yet, but I would never catch up and I don't want to be spoiled for how the show will end, so...

I loved the premiere, all the wonderful Peter&Neal moments, all the wonderful Neal&Mozzie moments... I loved everything except for the Elizabeth bit, the you-know-what. Why? Just, WHY?! That was so unnecessary and rather 1950, to be honest, because of course Elizabeth will ( spoilers! )

But, man... As I wrote on Tumblr, I've always adored Neal because... well, it's hard to explain and I bet I will be accused of woobiefying him, but... Neal is rather... magical, ephemeral, almost otherworldly. He's not made for the day-to-day hardships and routine. And I think that at the end of the show, Peter will let Neal go, not the FBI, but Peter, that he will let Neal run and cover for him, possibly pretend he died or something. Why? Well, in the S6 promo, Peter said, "Is your freedom worth your life?!" and Neal answered, "It might be!" And after ( spoilers ), I think Peter will let Neal go because he will be afraid he might end up the same way. And Peter would rather see Neal free than... that.

I think I'll pull out my DVDs and watch the show from the beginning...

"" (Watch on YouTube)

Why do I have the feeling that WhiCo will end with Neal faking his death?

I'm on White Collar with the prettiest man in the world. Even Jensen says so. Matt Bomer is totally my man crush.

Link

Aww... Just... aww. I can't wait to see him back on WhiCo! \o/