White Collar - 2x16 "Under The Radar"
Mar. 10th, 2011 10:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tj_teejayI already wrote a few bits and pieces about the episode in comments over at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rabidchild67 's journal, but I have more to say about this one. I actually have something to say about previous episodes as well, but there is only so much time I have in between all the business trips and icon challenges and pesky real life things taking time away from online shenanigans.
I gotta say, I have mixed feeling about "Under the Radar". My initial reaction, frankly, was disappointment. Not hugely so, but in my head I had been building up all this anticipation of some major cliffhanger that Matt and Tim and others had been hinting at in the weeks preceding the airdate. And then, when the end credits rolled, I was like, "That's it? Where's the cliffhanger?"
I was also expecting something that was more intense, but that's probably because I'm such a sucker for angst that secretly I had been hoping we would see more of it. I'd already taken a peek at the stills of the episode over on mattbomerfan.com. There were a bunch of them of Neal, Peter and Alex bound by the wrists, lying in the dry dock, so maybe that played into me thinking there'd be something more perilously torturous going on. Overall, I think the word I'd use to summarize the episode is "anticlimactic". So, what happened? Did the writers spend all their angsty, intense plot resources and energy on "Point Blank"? (And remind me to rant a little about the lack of fallout from that episode.)
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like "Under the Radar". There were quite a few things that I did like. First off, it's not that the episode wasn't intense. I was on the edge of my seat (figuratively, of course, because I was lying on the couch) during the whole breaking-into-the-U-boat scene. I had a few Oh-Shit! moments, like when they turn on the water hoses after dumping Neal, Peter and Alex in the dry dock or when Adler abducted Neal and Peter. (Notice the subtle shaking of his head from Neal when Adler tells Peter to get in the car? Brownie points for Peter for getting in anyway.)
So let's get to the juicy parts.
Aaaaaand... pet peeve time: German spelling (or lack of it). I mean, come on, folks, it's not that hard to research how things are spelled in other languages. If you want to lead people to believe something is genuinely German, then don't blow it by using spelling that is totally bogus. Whatever they wrote on the TNT wasn't German. Yes, you could make out what it was supposed to say, but there were letters in there that didn't belong. It kinda looked like they copied it off a tiny, very blurry picture and just used letters that they thought were correct but really weren't. Like using a B where an E should be. Epic fail.
Just for those who are interested, on the fuse box, it says "RUNDFUNKGERÄT - ÜBERMITTELN", which just sounds awkward in German. I would associate a Rundfunkgerät with a radio, but only the kind that you can listen to music broadcasts with. And while "übermitteln" does mean "transmit", I think the German word for transmitting they were looking for was "übertragen". What's worse, on the TNT it said, "GEFABRLICHER EXPLOEAVSTOFF - HALTEN SIE TROCKEN", which has multiple spelling errors. (It should be "GEFÄHRLICHER EXPLOSIVSTOFF - BITTE TROCKEN HALTEN".) In English that'd be like "DAHGEROUS EKPLOZIFS - THIS KEEP DRY". See, it just reeks of dilettantism. I mean, seriously? They couldn't afford a consultant who was halfway fluent in German to proofread this stuff? (I'd even do it for free if they'd let me.)
Kinda random, but I have much love for this particular quote of Peter's: "If I see jars of fetuses with little black mustaches, I'm turning around." That made me chuckle out loud. Also, my mental movie projector loaded a new reel. Gee, thanks.
And before I finish, I promised I'd rant a little about lack of fallout from "Point Blank". What do I mean with that? Well, the Neal almost killing Fowler thing screamed all kinds of 'WRONG' -- and what happened? Nothing. Not a word to Neal that he messed up. Not an inkling of punishment from Peter. Not even any berating or harsh words or disappointed looks. I mean, sure, I can understand that Peter would cut Neal some slack with Mozzie knocking on death's door, but still... I can't believe Peter just gave Neal a pat on the shoulder and signaled, "No worries, Neal. It's okay to steal a gun, break into a museum and shoot at crooks that may have killed your girlfriend." Now, White Collar writers, if you wanted less obviously constructed trust-issues conflict between Neal and Peter, there would have been your chance.
rabidchild67 's journal, but I have more to say about this one. I actually have something to say about previous episodes as well, but there is only so much time I have in between all the business trips and icon challenges and pesky real life things taking time away from online shenanigans.I gotta say, I have mixed feeling about "Under the Radar". My initial reaction, frankly, was disappointment. Not hugely so, but in my head I had been building up all this anticipation of some major cliffhanger that Matt and Tim and others had been hinting at in the weeks preceding the airdate. And then, when the end credits rolled, I was like, "That's it? Where's the cliffhanger?"
I was also expecting something that was more intense, but that's probably because I'm such a sucker for angst that secretly I had been hoping we would see more of it. I'd already taken a peek at the stills of the episode over on mattbomerfan.com. There were a bunch of them of Neal, Peter and Alex bound by the wrists, lying in the dry dock, so maybe that played into me thinking there'd be something more perilously torturous going on. Overall, I think the word I'd use to summarize the episode is "anticlimactic". So, what happened? Did the writers spend all their angsty, intense plot resources and energy on "Point Blank"? (And remind me to rant a little about the lack of fallout from that episode.)
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like "Under the Radar". There were quite a few things that I did like. First off, it's not that the episode wasn't intense. I was on the edge of my seat (figuratively, of course, because I was lying on the couch) during the whole breaking-into-the-U-boat scene. I had a few Oh-Shit! moments, like when they turn on the water hoses after dumping Neal, Peter and Alex in the dry dock or when Adler abducted Neal and Peter. (Notice the subtle shaking of his head from Neal when Adler tells Peter to get in the car? Brownie points for Peter for getting in anyway.)
So let's get to the juicy parts.
1) The explosion -- who dunnit?
Who planned and set off the explosion? Did anyone even plan it or was it an accident? Wish I knew how to hazard a guess. My gut feeling is that someone did indeed plan it. But this leaves the question why Neal's painting was in the warehouse. Was someone trying to set him up? And if so, what would be the point of putting Neal's painting there? They couldn't know that, by chance, a chunk of it would float out through the window into FBI hands. So IMHO that leaves two options: a) Neal indeed pulled a pretty brilliant heist and emptied the U-boat before it blew up (then again, why would he put his own painting in there?) or b) Someone set Neal up but didn't expect for the U-boat to explode.
I have a lot of issues with option a). First of all, DO NOT WANT! I just simply don't want Neal to be the bad guy. That maybe be awfully cliché and naïve on my part, but I want to believe in the good in people. Of course I know that, deep down, Neal is still a con man with a foible for valuable art. But I just really really want to believe that at this point in his life, he wouldn't pull a heist on such a grand scale. I'd like to believe he's had enough of a taste of the good and honest life to know better than to throw that away with such force. There may be the occasional lapse of judgment on Neal's part where he's transgressing the boundaries of the law, but I refuse to believe he'd do something so huge that even Peter couldn't protect him from. (Because there is no way that Peter could keep Neal out of jail if it turned out he emptied the U-boat -- not that I can see Peter wanting to do it.)
Other indications that option a) is not too likely: Neal's surprise at finding the key to the storage hold on his table, Neal's surprise (and subsequent glee) at finding the treasure in the storage hold, and most of all, Neal's disappointment and betrayal at Peter thinking he orchestrated the heist. Can we agree on Neal not having done it?
So, if we'll go with option b), who would have an interest in setting Neal up? Adler? I mean, it's not entirely impossible that he's still alive. Peter shot him, yes, but we never get confirmation that he's actually dead. Maybe Adler had a strong suspicion Neal wouldn't agree to his offer and included Neal as the scapegoat in his plan. Alex? Does she maybe have more of an ulterior motive here -- say, oh, greed? Truth be told, I've never liked her all that much, and I wouldn't put it past her to steal from Adler. Granted, it would be seriously evil of her to set Neal up, but I think her sense of self-preservation trumps her loyalty to Neal. Fowler? Nah, he's out of the picture. Someone else entirely? A new player that's going to be introduced in season three? Who knows?rabidchild67 suggested it was Neal's father (assuming he's still alive). Not impossible either, but not something I readily want to embrace.
Next question: Why did Adler say to Neal, "You won't get away with this?" An indication that Neal is the culprit? (In my head the little voice keeps screaming, "Do not want!!") I am going to try to convince myself that Adler simply suspected that Neal blew the sub up. Uh-huh. *nods* That must be it.
Other indications that option a) is not too likely: Neal's surprise at finding the key to the storage hold on his table, Neal's surprise (and subsequent glee) at finding the treasure in the storage hold, and most of all, Neal's disappointment and betrayal at Peter thinking he orchestrated the heist. Can we agree on Neal not having done it?
So, if we'll go with option b), who would have an interest in setting Neal up? Adler? I mean, it's not entirely impossible that he's still alive. Peter shot him, yes, but we never get confirmation that he's actually dead. Maybe Adler had a strong suspicion Neal wouldn't agree to his offer and included Neal as the scapegoat in his plan. Alex? Does she maybe have more of an ulterior motive here -- say, oh, greed? Truth be told, I've never liked her all that much, and I wouldn't put it past her to steal from Adler. Granted, it would be seriously evil of her to set Neal up, but I think her sense of self-preservation trumps her loyalty to Neal. Fowler? Nah, he's out of the picture. Someone else entirely? A new player that's going to be introduced in season three? Who knows?
rabidchild67 suggested it was Neal's father (assuming he's still alive). Not impossible either, but not something I readily want to embrace.Next question: Why did Adler say to Neal, "You won't get away with this?" An indication that Neal is the culprit? (In my head the little voice keeps screaming, "Do not want!!") I am going to try to convince myself that Adler simply suspected that Neal blew the sub up. Uh-huh. *nods* That must be it.
2) Vincent Adler
For the fact that I think the writers wanted to make Adler the new Fowler, he came across as remarkably unmenacing. Or is that just me? Also, his villainy was short-lived, he barely got half a season before he was offed. Unless he's not dead (c.f. the above). I liked the jibe at the "father figure" issue. And I also liked that Neal told Adler he was nothing like him, and that he should go to hell. (Go Neal!) So Neal's father figure graduated from Adler to Burke. *nods* Yes, Neal, that is definitely a worthy improvement. I'm proud of you for wanting to look up to an upstanding family man instead of a grand-scale fraudster and thief.
Though, hang on a minute. This brings us to...
3) Neal/Peter trust issues
BANG! Here we go. The writers' sledgehammer (or rather hedge shears) to the Neal/Peter trust ribbon that came down like a 16-ton anvil. And I have a bit of a problem with it, because, damn, it feels so constructed. I'm not sure if that's perhaps due to the fact that I'm so involved in the fandom and know so many behind-the-scenes bits and pieces. We've heard Matt and Tim talk quite a lot about how the show is built upon the fundamental concept of Neal and Peter never fully trusting each other. I even recall one of them (I think it was Tim) saying that the moment they both completely trust each other, the show is over.
And here's where things become predictable. In order to have enough can(n)on fodder for another season, something big had to happen for Neal and Peter to stop being as 'trusty buddy' as they had been during the second half of season 2. What could possibly happen to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery? Hey, how about something conveniently floating through a window and into Peter's hands that causes him to suspect Neal to have emptied Adler's U-boat to keep or sell the invaluable artwork for his own gain? Plot device "trust issue revival" -- check.
I guess now it remains to be seen just how long they're going to ride that wave. Is it going to fuel another half or full season, to give Burke and Caffrey grounds for regaining a certain level of trust? Or are we going to see this resolved in the first 10 minutes of episode 3x01, because there's a really harmless explanation as to why Neal's painting was in the warehouse? I'm not sure I like either scenario such a lot. Something more middle groundy would be nice. (Because, yes, I'm a sucker for conflict sometimes, as long as it gets resolved eventually.)
However, can I just say I loved how Matt delivered the "Then prove it" line? (And we know Peter will, if there is anything to prove.) And is it just my imagination, or does Neal look like he's about to cry as he says it? (Did I mention I'm just as much of a sucker for tear duct action?) Meep. I can totally see fan fiction in the works where Neal walks away and finds a dark corner to sit down and shed a few silent tears of anger and disappointment. Ahem...
Here's another interesting question: Would Peter have so readily shot Adler if he'd found the piece of Neal's painting before stumbling onto Neal being held at gunpoint?
4) Neal and Sara
I think we all knew it was coming, at the latest when we heard the announcement that Hilarie Burton was going to be a series regular in season 3. I have mixed feelings about that as well. While I belong to the estimated 10% of hardcore White Collar fans who aren't into slash or OT3, I'm not sure I wanna ship Neal/Sara. But I think it's a good sign that I'm not hating her guts, so let's just go from there and keep an open mind.
Of course they have chemistry. They have sparks. But deep down, very secretly, Neal wants the white picket fence existence that Peter has. Of course he can't have that, at least not as long as he's wearing the anklet. Maybe Sara's a step in the right direction, but she surely isn't picket fence material. Can you see her with a dog and a kid? She'd be terrified they'd ruin her Chanel dress. (I'm sure she took her clothes to the dry cleaner's right after the visit to the Burkes to get rid of all the Satchmo hairs.) Would I rather see Neal with Alex? Hell no! I've never liked her all that much (Gloria Votsis' acting skills notwithstanding), and I don't trust her as far as I can throw her.
It's been well established that Neal is a true romantic. He'd do anything for the woman he loves (like, oh, break out of jail?). Cue Tracy Chapman song. "Two weeks in a Virginia jail, for my lover, for my lover. 20,000 dollar bail, for my lover, for my lover." Can I see him do anything for Sara Ellis? I'm afraid not.
What I did like about the whole thing is that they've given Sara a reason to be careful with Neal. The kiss between him and Alex... I can accept that it was a spur-of-the-moment, relief-driven knee jerk reaction that didn't involve any actual romantic love feelings. The over-analyzing me would now say that this was another plot device to have a reason for dragging out the Sara/Neal courting over most of season 3, with possibly more trust issues thrown in to give them a few obstacles. Uhm, Jeff Eastin: Predictable much? Or am I overthinking this? Am I being too harsh?
I will circle the scene at the Burkes with Peter, El, Sara and Neal ("You guys are very quiet. You want some more wine?") with imaginary hearts. The man-talk between Peter and Neal and the woman-talk between El and Sara was made of all kinds of win. "You trust Neal?" - "Wow, that's a loaded question." (Yeah, isn't it?) "Neal is a lot of things, but when it counts, you can trust him." You go, El! Mmmwah! Also, uhm... "Nice ass." LOL! I can't believe they got away with that. I hope that was an ad-lib! For the fact that I think the writers wanted to make Adler the new Fowler, he came across as remarkably unmenacing. Or is that just me? Also, his villainy was short-lived, he barely got half a season before he was offed. Unless he's not dead (c.f. the above). I liked the jibe at the "father figure" issue. And I also liked that Neal told Adler he was nothing like him, and that he should go to hell. (Go Neal!) So Neal's father figure graduated from Adler to Burke. *nods* Yes, Neal, that is definitely a worthy improvement. I'm proud of you for wanting to look up to an upstanding family man instead of a grand-scale fraudster and thief.
Though, hang on a minute. This brings us to...
3) Neal/Peter trust issues
BANG! Here we go. The writers' sledgehammer (or rather hedge shears) to the Neal/Peter trust ribbon that came down like a 16-ton anvil. And I have a bit of a problem with it, because, damn, it feels so constructed. I'm not sure if that's perhaps due to the fact that I'm so involved in the fandom and know so many behind-the-scenes bits and pieces. We've heard Matt and Tim talk quite a lot about how the show is built upon the fundamental concept of Neal and Peter never fully trusting each other. I even recall one of them (I think it was Tim) saying that the moment they both completely trust each other, the show is over.
And here's where things become predictable. In order to have enough can(n)on fodder for another season, something big had to happen for Neal and Peter to stop being as 'trusty buddy' as they had been during the second half of season 2. What could possibly happen to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery? Hey, how about something conveniently floating through a window and into Peter's hands that causes him to suspect Neal to have emptied Adler's U-boat to keep or sell the invaluable artwork for his own gain? Plot device "trust issue revival" -- check.
I guess now it remains to be seen just how long they're going to ride that wave. Is it going to fuel another half or full season, to give Burke and Caffrey grounds for regaining a certain level of trust? Or are we going to see this resolved in the first 10 minutes of episode 3x01, because there's a really harmless explanation as to why Neal's painting was in the warehouse? I'm not sure I like either scenario such a lot. Something more middle groundy would be nice. (Because, yes, I'm a sucker for conflict sometimes, as long as it gets resolved eventually.)
However, can I just say I loved how Matt delivered the "Then prove it" line? (And we know Peter will, if there is anything to prove.) And is it just my imagination, or does Neal look like he's about to cry as he says it? (Did I mention I'm just as much of a sucker for tear duct action?) Meep. I can totally see fan fiction in the works where Neal walks away and finds a dark corner to sit down and shed a few silent tears of anger and disappointment. Ahem...
Here's another interesting question: Would Peter have so readily shot Adler if he'd found the piece of Neal's painting before stumbling onto Neal being held at gunpoint?
4) Neal and Sara
I think we all knew it was coming, at the latest when we heard the announcement that Hilarie Burton was going to be a series regular in season 3. I have mixed feelings about that as well. While I belong to the estimated 10% of hardcore White Collar fans who aren't into slash or OT3, I'm not sure I wanna ship Neal/Sara. But I think it's a good sign that I'm not hating her guts, so let's just go from there and keep an open mind.
Of course they have chemistry. They have sparks. But deep down, very secretly, Neal wants the white picket fence existence that Peter has. Of course he can't have that, at least not as long as he's wearing the anklet. Maybe Sara's a step in the right direction, but she surely isn't picket fence material. Can you see her with a dog and a kid? She'd be terrified they'd ruin her Chanel dress. (I'm sure she took her clothes to the dry cleaner's right after the visit to the Burkes to get rid of all the Satchmo hairs.) Would I rather see Neal with Alex? Hell no! I've never liked her all that much (Gloria Votsis' acting skills notwithstanding), and I don't trust her as far as I can throw her.
It's been well established that Neal is a true romantic. He'd do anything for the woman he loves (like, oh, break out of jail?). Cue Tracy Chapman song. "Two weeks in a Virginia jail, for my lover, for my lover. 20,000 dollar bail, for my lover, for my lover." Can I see him do anything for Sara Ellis? I'm afraid not.
What I did like about the whole thing is that they've given Sara a reason to be careful with Neal. The kiss between him and Alex... I can accept that it was a spur-of-the-moment, relief-driven knee jerk reaction that didn't involve any actual romantic love feelings. The over-analyzing me would now say that this was another plot device to have a reason for dragging out the Sara/Neal courting over most of season 3, with possibly more trust issues thrown in to give them a few obstacles. Uhm, Jeff Eastin: Predictable much? Or am I overthinking this? Am I being too harsh?
Aaaaaand... pet peeve time: German spelling (or lack of it). I mean, come on, folks, it's not that hard to research how things are spelled in other languages. If you want to lead people to believe something is genuinely German, then don't blow it by using spelling that is totally bogus. Whatever they wrote on the TNT wasn't German. Yes, you could make out what it was supposed to say, but there were letters in there that didn't belong. It kinda looked like they copied it off a tiny, very blurry picture and just used letters that they thought were correct but really weren't. Like using a B where an E should be. Epic fail.
Just for those who are interested, on the fuse box, it says "RUNDFUNKGERÄT - ÜBERMITTELN", which just sounds awkward in German. I would associate a Rundfunkgerät with a radio, but only the kind that you can listen to music broadcasts with. And while "übermitteln" does mean "transmit", I think the German word for transmitting they were looking for was "übertragen". What's worse, on the TNT it said, "GEFABRLICHER EXPLOEAVSTOFF - HALTEN SIE TROCKEN", which has multiple spelling errors. (It should be "GEFÄHRLICHER EXPLOSIVSTOFF - BITTE TROCKEN HALTEN".) In English that'd be like "DAHGEROUS EKPLOZIFS - THIS KEEP DRY". See, it just reeks of dilettantism. I mean, seriously? They couldn't afford a consultant who was halfway fluent in German to proofread this stuff? (I'd even do it for free if they'd let me.)
Kinda random, but I have much love for this particular quote of Peter's: "If I see jars of fetuses with little black mustaches, I'm turning around." That made me chuckle out loud. Also, my mental movie projector loaded a new reel. Gee, thanks.
And before I finish, I promised I'd rant a little about lack of fallout from "Point Blank". What do I mean with that? Well, the Neal almost killing Fowler thing screamed all kinds of 'WRONG' -- and what happened? Nothing. Not a word to Neal that he messed up. Not an inkling of punishment from Peter. Not even any berating or harsh words or disappointed looks. I mean, sure, I can understand that Peter would cut Neal some slack with Mozzie knocking on death's door, but still... I can't believe Peter just gave Neal a pat on the shoulder and signaled, "No worries, Neal. It's okay to steal a gun, break into a museum and shoot at crooks that may have killed your girlfriend." Now, White Collar writers, if you wanted less obviously constructed trust-issues conflict between Neal and Peter, there would have been your chance.
