tj_teejay | White Collar: Burke's Seven

For the fangirl in me, the last couple of weeks have really been leading up to that moment last night when I got home from work and could switch on the TV to watch the White Collar season 2.5 premiere. Rarely has a new episode of a TV show been met with such anticipation from my side. I'm about 20 years too old to indulge in such enamored silliness, but I'm old enough to know not to care and just revel in it for as long as it lasts.

So... let's take a look at what "Burke's Seven" brought.

While I was watching the episode, I was completely captivated. The whole time. There was no outright squeeage. I just watched and watched and watched, trying to soak it all up. Because, yes, the episode was intense and busy. In a very good way. And the strangest thing was, I was almost sure that after it ended, I would want to jump up, run to the computer and read others' opinions and blog about it myself. It actually turned out quite the opposite. I can't even say why, but I was spent after watching it, not wanting to do anything of the sort. I ended up watching last week's Medium episode right afterwards. Maybe I needed something to come down from the intensity of it. The fangirl in me had suddenly gone very quiet.

I did go back online and read a few things here and there, but it was none of the frantic OMG-I-need-to-soak-everything-up-I-can-find! I actually ended up chatting with

crism79 on Live Messenger for about an hour (thank you, I had a blast!). We did talk about the episode, of course. Still, my enthusiasm was strangely lacking for all the abundance of squeeage I had been exhibiting pre-Jan 18th.

I know I need to watch the episode again. Multiple times. There was so, so much. And I'm still trying to sort out my thoughts about it to put it into coherent language. So here's a run-down of my preliminary reactions:

Yes, yes, yes, Mozzie was actually really shot! (Okay, that came out wrong.) For the longest time (up until last night, actually), I was sure that they were going to play a completely different angle. I had the strong suspicion that it was all a setup to catch Larssen and that Mozzie wasn't really shot. Which was not something I think I would have liked.
The above made for the angsty scenes I had been hoping for. Of course they weren't at the intensity level that McPunisher-Me would have loved to see, but I knew that would never happen on the show anyway, so I was very content (in a McPunisher kind of way) with the Neal-standing-by-Mozzie's-window and the Mozzie-wakes-up scene. Those were possibly my two favorite scenes in the whole episode. Peter's soft, sympathetic voice coaxing Neal into helping him catch Larssen made me want to hug both Tim and Jeff Eastin. And Neal, because Neal could always use a hug.
Neal vs. Larssen in shady archways: I mean, Neal, WTF were you thinking? Did Peter not get you up to speed on that Larssen used to be Special Forces, not to mention the guy is an armed assassin?! A delicate guy like you going up against a bull of a man like Larssen, without guns or other weapons? Major, major stupidity. Which leads to the question: Why did Larssen not draw his gun and off Neal right there?
"It's not for me, it's for Moz." Loved that scene. Neal has a big heart. (Which makes me wanna hug him again.)
"I don't have a heart." Yes, you do, Little Guy. Everything about that scene has a special place in my heart, from the fact that Neal fell asleep in the chair by his friend's bedside to the way he sits on Mozzie's bed with a sweet, happy, relieved smile on his face when he tells his friend, "Look on the bright side. You're not dead." Ivan Bliminse was a nice touch too. I had always wondered what name they'd use for Mozzie upon admitting him.
Mozzie's quick recovery: A little too quick, if you ask me. The bullet missed his heart by 2mm. Clearly, that would indicate open chest sugery. There is no way someone gets wheeled around to the cafeteria a day or two after that (plus, with so few signs of discomfort). But I get it. Creative freedom at its best. The episode would not have worked any other way, so I can look past that.
The Return of Sara Ellis: I actually kinda liked it. I've never been anti Sara. Granted, she's not my first choice if I had to pick a romantic interest for Neal, but I liked how they made that part play very subtly. The gunshot wedding banter was cute, and the scene between her and Neal in his apartment was sweet and felt right. I can dig that they seem to start developing a mutual understanding and possibly even liking for each other.
Burke's Seven: Go, Peter! And Go, Clinton! Very happy that Peter brought Jones into the whole music box secret. They make a great team. Loved Elizabeth rocking the phone conversation. Loved Elizabeth in this one, period. No more fake-looking green screen. PLEASE! Also, I always love it when roles get reversed between Neal and Peter. But since the episode was so chock-full of resolving the BIG things, you almost didn't notice all the subtle nuances. This was like "Out of the Box", "Prisoner's Dilemma" and "Point Blank" all rolled into one. So in this one we had Peter have his badge taken and Neal turning towards the system instead of cheating it. And it almost felt like an afterthought because of, you know, the BIG things.
Talking about Neal turning towards the system, I read something where someone made a comment as to why Neal didn't get majorly pissed when they tried to get Larssen the justice way--and failed. And this person has a point. Neal should have been livid and bitter that they had no choice but let Larssen walk free, not to mention that it cost Peter his badge. So, uhm, Mr. Eastin... What do you have to say for yourself? (Deleted scene fic, anyone?)
Peter on horseback = love. I have a soft spot for horses. I have an even softer spot for people who can ride horses. Peter Burke chasing suspects through the park on a horse is both somehow hilarious and cool. (Side note: Tim said in an interview that the day they filmed this, he was so doped out from cold medication that he almost fell off the horse. Poor guy.)
The music box code: Fractals? And, uhm, who? This should prove interesting, and I can't wait to see where it is going to lead. Nice setup for the flashback episode next week. I hope we're going to learn a lot more about Neal's back story and this whole "the guy who created Neal Caffrey" mystery. (And please don't post any spoilers if you wish to comment on this, I'm the biggest spoilerphobe.)

The rest of the episode is somehow still locked away in compartments of my brain currently not accessible. I might post an addendum to this later if I remember more discussion-worthy points. And for those of you who watch