tj_teejay | White Collar - 3x10 "Countdown" (Reply)

YES! Yes yes yes!! Finally a season three episode I can like. Do like. Love, even. Mwaahh! I want to hug this episode. Very much and very tightly.

There was so much angst in this, and so much resolution. I had several "Yes!" moments throughout, and there was much tentative squeeing going on. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Eastin and Mr. Powell, for finally addressing and resolving what season three has been belaboring for far too long, what made it strained and awkward and ornery.

I also had a knot in my stomach pretty much the whole time. In a good, angst junkie kind of way. I was at the edge of my seat. I was yearning for this, and the season three finally delivered. (I mean, geez, took you guys long enough!)

But let's go through this chronologically.

I already loved the first scene. The tension between Neal and Moz, Neal finding ways to get close enough to Moz to having Mozzie talk to him. And finally (FINALLY!) the confession that Neal has doubts. (My first YES! moment.) "I have a life here. I run on this, and New York is just a memory for me." Mozzie needed to know, needed to finally be told to his face what he might have suspected for a while. (Because, come on, Mozzie is neither blind nor stupid or inobservant.)
Agent Kramer. We meet Peter's mentor. That was interesting. I tried to google whether the Fiorentino theft at the Smithsonian was real (and what the chocolate wrapped in foil was about) but came up empty. Maybe I looked for the wrong thing. And from Neal's suave smile, I have a feeling it was a Caffrey job from back in the day. Kramer certainly implied that.
So they bring Neal in on the Degas case. The plot thickens. And uh oh! Neal is in deep shit.
"What's the éminence gris of the art crimes unit like?" - "Take Peter, add years of experience and less inclination to cut us slack..." I am in love with the dialogue in this episode. Also... "Why is there a giant hourglass on my table?" Yep, the moment would have to come where Neal'd have to choose.
Loved, loved, loved the dialogue between Kramer and Peter about Neal. I don't think up to now Peter really realized how close he and Neal have gotten, and how many implications that has on both his career and his life. Things are getting down to the emotional nitty gritty, and I'm loving it. And bonus points for Peter for still believing that Neal can change. I wish Peter knew just how much he has.
I only picked up on the second viewing that Rusty is called that for his hair color... But that whole chase scene seemed a little bogus. If Peter was earnestly chasing the guy, he surely took his time. I get why they had to play it out like that. Neal had to have a chance to speak to Mozzie in between. Still, that somehow felt a little too plot-devicey.
Uh oh, of course they had to bring Agent Matthews back. But Neal pulled off another con on her, at least until after all the important shit was over. And, uhm... is it wrong that I can picture Neal with Matthews more than I can picture him with Sara? You know, romantically?
Which brings me to something I find grossly unfair. How is it that Jones is featured in every single episode and is still only a guest star, and Hilarie Burton is only in about every second episode of season three and is a regular? Seems unfair to me. They really need to fix that.
"The lady's also his muscle." YES!!! You go, Diana!
The scene in the van with Kramer and Neal was well done. "Well, maybe Peter doesn't consider you as much of a partner as you think." Uh-huh.
Next YES! moment was when Neal and Peter talk in his office. I'm not sure why Neal is so surprised at Peter keeping things from him. Caffrey pride that's getting in the way? I'm sure having shoved it in Neal's face must have hurt. "Do you remember what you said to me, the day I first accused you of stealing the art? What was it, Neal?" – "Prove it." – "Be careful what you wish for." My next YES!
Keller with a hat looks ridiculous. Not a hat guy. And how come Keller got popped in the shoulder in the Palace but doesn't seem to have a scratch on him? It can't have been so much time that's passed. Or was that shot a miss? It did seem like it clipped Keller in the shoulder.
Looking at Neal's tracking data that Peter stares at, I'm confused. I thought June's mansion was supposed to be on Riverside Drive. That's on the west side of Manhattan. The dot on Peter's screen that's supposed to indicate Neal's location (in his loft) is clearly on the east side of Manhattan. But I did love Elizabeth's line: "You'd think that thing had sports scores on it." Like I said, I'm loving the dialogue in this episode. (Did Tiffani have a cold? She sounded stuffy-nosed in that scene.)
Toothpick? What's with the toothpick? That's new... But Neal forging the Degas, I don't know. Again, it kinda seems like a stretch that Neal can forge a Degas overnight so well that Kramer (years of experience, remember?) would say it's the best he's ever seen.
And, uhm, is it good or bad that I was distracted by the plot and dialogue enough to not even want to gush over wifebeatered Bomer?
Okay, the forgery swapping con was a little bogus, and a little too bullshitty, but—again—I'm willing to take it at face value because I liked this episode too much to want to pick it apart and uncover more plotholes than were already obvious.
"~~Guards! Make sure the Prince doesn't leave this room until I come and get 'im. You stay in the room and make sure he doesn't leave.~~ Under no circumstances is he to leave. He has no medical condition. He's had enough water, and he's been to the bathroom. If he calls you, don't answer. If he requests anything, don't acquiesce. Am I clear? I'm the only person to open that door. I'll be back down later." Hee!!!
Neal sliding into the elevator (and recovering his Trilby) was awesomely kickass! "That was close." – "Got my pulse going." That last part almost seemed like a Bomer adlib.
Parachuting down the building... Uhm... That seemed so over-the-top. And I can't believe Neal would just shrug the 'chute off at the bottom and walk away without anyone noticing or a huge crowd gathering to watch it. A little too plot-devicey there. Again, I'm willing to turn a blind eye.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I know how much you wanted this." Do you really? Also, what does this mean? Neal said something recently about never apologizing for a con. Is he apologizing now (even though Peter doesn't realize it)?
"I can't say with conviction that he's reformed yet, but I can tell he wants to be here." How? You've barely known the man for two days. I mean, sometimes a little outside perspective can be a good thing, but I'd like think Peter knows Neal way better than Kramer does.
"You're Neal Caffrey, infamous conman and forger." – "Guilty as charged." Neal, you've been maaaaade! But our infamous conman and forger is so smart that he has a way out without Matthews being able to snitch on him. Smooth!
"Melissa, working with Peter has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me." (And let's conveniently not mention the 'but'.) My next (but not last) YES! moment! And I'd like to believe it's not just another part of Neal's con but was actually the truth. If it was, we surely got more honest Neal in this episode than we've gotten all season. I like.
"I've never known you to pass up a good Bordeaux." So the moment of truth. The hurt puppy dog on Neal kills me all over. He's such a softie when it comes to people he cares about. It's obvious he doesn't want to disappoint Moz—or betray him. But he's also come to realize that he can't keep Mozzie at arm's length any longer about his true intentions. "There are things about this life I'm not ready to give up. I can always walk out that door, Moz, I can never walk back in." YES! moment! And the parts of my wishful thinking brain want to believe Mozzie isn't going to cut and run with the treasure right away. Because I wanna believe "See you around, Neal" wasn't just an empty platitude.
And now we get... to the cliffhangery part. Keller is such a great villain to love to hate. And it's always personal when he resurfaces. "Cause I've seen the treasure. Yeah, your boy Caffrey's got it." So, would Peter just take that at face value? From Keller? But I get that Peter still has suspicions about Neal's motives and involvement, and Keller's information is all Peter needs to get his back up.
Okay, this thing about Keller repeating to Peter what he just told El, what was that about? Does he have Peter's phone tapped? Or was he actually in Peter's house to listen to that conversation before he took El?
"Peter..." – "He took. My wife." Gaaah, that just about killed me! That scene, it was beyond powerful. I was literally all stomach knots and balled fists. Holy fucking crap! I mean, shit, the looks on both Peter's and Neal's faces! It is made of fucking epic emotional angst win. This screams for angsty, h/c-y fanfics all the way through January. Do want. Badly. (And I've already read, like, three that were the kind of angsty goodness I crave like overpriced Lindor chocolate.)

(We're please not gonna nitpick just how it happened that the whole team was at Peter's house before he was—been there, done that in another entry.)

So there is our big cliffhanger. And I can't even say I hate it that much. There is a certain kind of bitter loathing involved because there's gonna be a five months wait until the resolution, but I think the bittersweet fanfic potential makes up for it. In a very twisted kind of way. January will come around soon enough. I'm not too antsy right now because I kinda wanna milk it for what it is first. Does that make any sense?

If I may borrow this from

rabidchild67 , Fics I Need Right Now™:

Tag to the last scene. I wanna read what unravels next, especially between Neal and Peter. Is Peter gonna yell at Neal? Is he gonna give him the silent treatment? Is he gonna throw Neal out or letting Neal help with the investigation?
Even though rabidchild67 already kinda wrote it, I wanna see more of what happens in the long run. Is Peter going to shun Neal because he blames him? Is Neal gonna confess to Peter about the treasure, about Moz? Is Neal gonna explain that he's made a conscious decision not to run? I wanna see all of that addressed.
Kickass El. What is Keller doing with her? Did she fight back? Is Keller treating her okay? Is she going to be whumped?
Emotional Peter!Whump. Some intense worry about his wife after the first rush of adrenaline and frenzy dies down and the situation sinks in. Maybe some angsty Neal/Peter conflict where Neal tries to be helpful or even lend emotional support and Peter doesn't let him get close.
Emotional, self-loathing Neal!Whump of Neal beating himself up over getting El kidnapped.
Mozzie learns about the kidnapping. What will he do? Has he already run? Would he give up the treasure to accomodate Keller's ransom demand?

So.... anyone?