White Collar 5x13 (the finale)
Jan. 31st, 2014 01:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
citrinesunsetI'm sad White Collar is over for the season. Especially since there's no definitive news about renewal or filming for season 6 yet (waiting would be so much easier if I knew how long it'd be).
As far as finales go, this one didn't crush or shock me as much as I thought it might. I was nervous because of course, White Collar always has to end on a cliffhanger. But while seasons 3 and 4 left me nervous and wondering how on Earth the characters were going to make things right, this finale just makes me excited to see what happens next. I can't say I'm really nervous, though maybe I should be (the end of season 2 wasn't that nerve-wracking, IMO, but it led into season 3, which was full of drama and angst).
Anyway, my thoughts:
- I like Rebecca breaking out of prison dressed as a guard, a la Neal. Neal insists it wasn't intended as a message to him, and he's likely right about that (Rebecca broke out in a hurry--don't know if she was that picky about how she did it). But I do wonder if part of his insistence stems from his discomfort with Rebecca claiming they're alike. He's very adamant about pointing out that they're not.
- Also, I love Rebecca's new hairdo!
- June makes it sound like she woke up in the middle of the night because she heard Rebecca attack Mozzie, but it's clearly the next day. Why did it take so long? Also, I guess Neal was at the FBI headquarters all night, since he didn't go home.
- I'm surprised Peter brought back-up to Neal's apartment.
- I like that Neal pronounces "Chile" closer to the Spanish pronunciation.
- I love how concerned Diana is about Mozzie. I'm a huge fan of the growing friendship between them. And yay for Jones and Diana hunting down an antidote.
- Sign that I was way too prepared for a shocking twist: I spent most of this episode suspicious that Ranger Hopper was actually working with Rebecca. I thought his eagerness to help might be a trick. Doesn't make a ton of sense, I know, but I was ready for anything.
- Mozzie calling Peter by his name--a clear sign that he's in bad shape.
- Poor Mozzie. I really like his progression from not seeming too worried to starting to panic.
- I'm glad Mozzie is going to the hospital, finally.
- Though this isn't really a "fun" situation for them, it's great to have Peter and Neal on a treasure hunt together. Peter is great at this stuff. Peter and Neal should totally do a scavenger hunt together. Damn...now I want to write fic about that....
- What is that little display case with a pickaxe for? Is this like a museum with exhibits?
- In cringed when Neal reached into that dark hole. Who knows what could be in here (aside from a diamond)?
- Wow, so all this did just lead to a diamond. I'm a little surprised. I mean, not that a diamond worth 60 million is chump change, but still. It kind of pales compared to a music box that leads to a Nazi submarine. I wonder if this diamond is cursed like the Hope Diamond supposedly is.
- Yeah, this exchange is way too easy. No way would Rebecca give them that much leverage.
- So, was Rebecca following them the entire time?
- "Ah, it's the real me." I like Rebecca's snark when Neal compliments her hair.
- I'm surprised they don't try to take her while she's awestruck by the diamond. A little too risky while she has a gun, I guess.
- Gotta say, it's kind of fun to see Neal and Peter in a cell together.
- But what if Rebecca planted all the footprints by that one plant so that Jones and Diana would think it was too obvious and that it couldn't be that plant? In any case, yay! They found the right plant!
- Oh, Neal. That handcuff trick isn't actually that secret and novel. Of course Peter knows about it.
- Man, kicking down the door wasn't all that hard. I'm not sure how Neal was supposed to get those cuffs off, anyway.
- Oh, come on, Neal. Using the "pretend you want to run away with Rebecca" trick again is just pissing her off.
- Smart to swap the diamond out, though.
- Neal really hates Rebecca. I don't even think Keller riled him up this much.
- I'm really surprised that Rebecca gave up so easily. I was really nervous with her and Neal standing so close to the edge by the water. I was convinced that Rebecca was going to dive off the cliff. Or try to push Neal off.
- It's never a good sign when the main plot is resolved only halfway into the episode.
- That's quite the gun Peter has in the trunk of his car.
- LOL at Mozzie drinking wine in the hospital.
- And Neal is resting his feet on Neal's hospital bed.
- Good question, Elizabeth. Who does own the diamond? The state of New York, I guess.
- If they don't own the diamond, it's not a "legitimate" source of income.
- Time for a BMW commercial!
- Uh oh. Suspicious man (who looks slightly like Shia LeBeouf from an angle, but maybe it's just the scraggly beard) is watching Neal. Not good.
- I love that Peter is pushing for Neal's release. It was maybe a little premature for him to tell Neal, but I'm glad he did. Neal deserves to know that Peter is pulling for him. Also, Peter obviously believes it's a done deal.
- "I will be the house guest who never leaves." Aw, Neal.
- Aw, hug!
- Neal says it's been five years since he saw Paris, but it's been longer than that. He's been on the anklet for more than two years now, and he spent four years in prison. It has to be at least six years, probably closer to seven or eight.
- Mozzie has a point--Neal may have a tricky time living the lifestyle he prefers if he goes straight. I don't see Neal facing too much difficulty. I think he's talented and charming enough that he could find a legitimate use for his skills as a consultant or expert of some sort. But even a good paying job may not give him all the luxuries he's used to having. I mean, look at Sara--she seems to make good money with Sterling Bosch, but even she acknowledged that the sort of things Neal wants are outside of her ability to have.
- Poor Neal. He was so excited about having the anklet off. It's a shame he got his hopes up. I thought it was probably too good to be true, but it's disappointing. I wish the show would actually go in that direction.
- And poor Peter, too. I think this definitely renews some doubts he's had about the system that he wants to believe in, as evidenced by him deciding to turn down the new job.
- And now Neal is back in "cut all strings" mode, which isn't good.
- Peter clearly wasn't thinking about Elizabeth's new job when he asked her about staying in New York. In a way, I like that Elizabeth is willing to continue with her plans. But I can't say I find it very believable that she got a job with the National Gallery so easily in the first place.
- I'm glad Peter wants to stay with his position in New York. I think he's right--the politics and bureaucracy would get to him.
- Kidnapped! Neal looks/sounds terrified when those guys jump him. And the ending is rather creepy (some of the cinematography looks kind of grainy). And I'm betting everyone, including Peter, will think he ran because he didn't get his release (which will cause much drama and make it harder for them to rescue him).
- But who is this mysterious kidnapper? His line about being the last person who will know where Neal is is quite ominous--implies he doesn't intend to release Neal or ransom him. So who is this guy? Neal's evil half-brother? Adler's secret illegitimate son? Someone connected to Rebecca? And what does he intend to do to Neal? I'm imagining something like holding him prisoner and forcing him to do forgeries indefinitely. Oh, man, there's so much potential for fic here, isn't there?
As far as finales go, this one didn't crush or shock me as much as I thought it might. I was nervous because of course, White Collar always has to end on a cliffhanger. But while seasons 3 and 4 left me nervous and wondering how on Earth the characters were going to make things right, this finale just makes me excited to see what happens next. I can't say I'm really nervous, though maybe I should be (the end of season 2 wasn't that nerve-wracking, IMO, but it led into season 3, which was full of drama and angst).
Anyway, my thoughts:
- I like Rebecca breaking out of prison dressed as a guard, a la Neal. Neal insists it wasn't intended as a message to him, and he's likely right about that (Rebecca broke out in a hurry--don't know if she was that picky about how she did it). But I do wonder if part of his insistence stems from his discomfort with Rebecca claiming they're alike. He's very adamant about pointing out that they're not.
- Also, I love Rebecca's new hairdo!
- June makes it sound like she woke up in the middle of the night because she heard Rebecca attack Mozzie, but it's clearly the next day. Why did it take so long? Also, I guess Neal was at the FBI headquarters all night, since he didn't go home.
- I'm surprised Peter brought back-up to Neal's apartment.
- I like that Neal pronounces "Chile" closer to the Spanish pronunciation.
- I love how concerned Diana is about Mozzie. I'm a huge fan of the growing friendship between them. And yay for Jones and Diana hunting down an antidote.
- Sign that I was way too prepared for a shocking twist: I spent most of this episode suspicious that Ranger Hopper was actually working with Rebecca. I thought his eagerness to help might be a trick. Doesn't make a ton of sense, I know, but I was ready for anything.
- Mozzie calling Peter by his name--a clear sign that he's in bad shape.
- Poor Mozzie. I really like his progression from not seeming too worried to starting to panic.
- I'm glad Mozzie is going to the hospital, finally.
- Though this isn't really a "fun" situation for them, it's great to have Peter and Neal on a treasure hunt together. Peter is great at this stuff. Peter and Neal should totally do a scavenger hunt together. Damn...now I want to write fic about that....
- What is that little display case with a pickaxe for? Is this like a museum with exhibits?
- In cringed when Neal reached into that dark hole. Who knows what could be in here (aside from a diamond)?
- Wow, so all this did just lead to a diamond. I'm a little surprised. I mean, not that a diamond worth 60 million is chump change, but still. It kind of pales compared to a music box that leads to a Nazi submarine. I wonder if this diamond is cursed like the Hope Diamond supposedly is.
- Yeah, this exchange is way too easy. No way would Rebecca give them that much leverage.
- So, was Rebecca following them the entire time?
- "Ah, it's the real me." I like Rebecca's snark when Neal compliments her hair.
- I'm surprised they don't try to take her while she's awestruck by the diamond. A little too risky while she has a gun, I guess.
- Gotta say, it's kind of fun to see Neal and Peter in a cell together.
- But what if Rebecca planted all the footprints by that one plant so that Jones and Diana would think it was too obvious and that it couldn't be that plant? In any case, yay! They found the right plant!
- Oh, Neal. That handcuff trick isn't actually that secret and novel. Of course Peter knows about it.
- Man, kicking down the door wasn't all that hard. I'm not sure how Neal was supposed to get those cuffs off, anyway.
- Oh, come on, Neal. Using the "pretend you want to run away with Rebecca" trick again is just pissing her off.
- Smart to swap the diamond out, though.
- Neal really hates Rebecca. I don't even think Keller riled him up this much.
- I'm really surprised that Rebecca gave up so easily. I was really nervous with her and Neal standing so close to the edge by the water. I was convinced that Rebecca was going to dive off the cliff. Or try to push Neal off.
- It's never a good sign when the main plot is resolved only halfway into the episode.
- That's quite the gun Peter has in the trunk of his car.
- LOL at Mozzie drinking wine in the hospital.
- And Neal is resting his feet on Neal's hospital bed.
- Good question, Elizabeth. Who does own the diamond? The state of New York, I guess.
- If they don't own the diamond, it's not a "legitimate" source of income.
- Time for a BMW commercial!
- Uh oh. Suspicious man (who looks slightly like Shia LeBeouf from an angle, but maybe it's just the scraggly beard) is watching Neal. Not good.
- I love that Peter is pushing for Neal's release. It was maybe a little premature for him to tell Neal, but I'm glad he did. Neal deserves to know that Peter is pulling for him. Also, Peter obviously believes it's a done deal.
- "I will be the house guest who never leaves." Aw, Neal.
- Aw, hug!
- Neal says it's been five years since he saw Paris, but it's been longer than that. He's been on the anklet for more than two years now, and he spent four years in prison. It has to be at least six years, probably closer to seven or eight.
- Mozzie has a point--Neal may have a tricky time living the lifestyle he prefers if he goes straight. I don't see Neal facing too much difficulty. I think he's talented and charming enough that he could find a legitimate use for his skills as a consultant or expert of some sort. But even a good paying job may not give him all the luxuries he's used to having. I mean, look at Sara--she seems to make good money with Sterling Bosch, but even she acknowledged that the sort of things Neal wants are outside of her ability to have.
- Poor Neal. He was so excited about having the anklet off. It's a shame he got his hopes up. I thought it was probably too good to be true, but it's disappointing. I wish the show would actually go in that direction.
- And poor Peter, too. I think this definitely renews some doubts he's had about the system that he wants to believe in, as evidenced by him deciding to turn down the new job.
- And now Neal is back in "cut all strings" mode, which isn't good.
- Peter clearly wasn't thinking about Elizabeth's new job when he asked her about staying in New York. In a way, I like that Elizabeth is willing to continue with her plans. But I can't say I find it very believable that she got a job with the National Gallery so easily in the first place.
- I'm glad Peter wants to stay with his position in New York. I think he's right--the politics and bureaucracy would get to him.
- Kidnapped! Neal looks/sounds terrified when those guys jump him. And the ending is rather creepy (some of the cinematography looks kind of grainy). And I'm betting everyone, including Peter, will think he ran because he didn't get his release (which will cause much drama and make it harder for them to rescue him).
- But who is this mysterious kidnapper? His line about being the last person who will know where Neal is is quite ominous--implies he doesn't intend to release Neal or ransom him. So who is this guy? Neal's evil half-brother? Adler's secret illegitimate son? Someone connected to Rebecca? And what does he intend to do to Neal? I'm imagining something like holding him prisoner and forcing him to do forgeries indefinitely. Oh, man, there's so much potential for fic here, isn't there?
