White Collar, 1.7 & 1.8

[rm]

Holy shit.



So is Neal the viewpoint character? Is the true quandry not whether Neal can be trusted, but whether Peter can?

Because I gotta tell you, right now? I don't trust Peter at all. Actually, I trust Peter some, but hot damn I'm angry at him. It's like how I have no time of day for people who can't keep their life vaguely organized but think they're entitled to some luscious little bevvy of subs calling them Master Whatever. Peter has done a fucking number of Neal's already screwed up head and now, in my book, he's obligated to actually give something of a shit about Neal on some level other than how useful/entertaining he is. Which means being a little bit careful of him. Whatever Peter's game is with Kate -- and remember, we only have his narrative of it to Neal -- is not being careful of Neal. And it's not okay! And here's the thing, like Neal, I want to like Peter. And I want to trust Peter.

But OMFGWTF is wrong with you, Peter?

Because, you know what, Peter is fucked up. He is, in fact, out of his damn mind regarding Neal and I'm not sure he even gets that, hence the shitty, careless, highly what the fuck behavior going on here as regards Neal's sanity and this Kate bullshit.

WOW, I am so pissed.

ANYWAY. Meanwhile. I still kinda hate the Kate plotline. Because I just can't see her and Neal together. But it is what it is, and it sure makes all the other dynamics way fascinating.

You know, I thought I had something intelligent to say here, but I could just go for screens on Neal's big eyes and his need for Peter to actually be what he says he is, so yeah. I'll shut up now.

Peter is being an asshole dom, and Neal's hanging himself with his own intelligence. And it's about Kate so they can avoid talking about it or some shit.

NOT COOL, PETER.

Also how much did I love Neal's "Just because I don't like guns doesn't mean I can't use one."

Comments

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

You have a unique perspective--I'm really enjoying your reaction posts.

This one surprises me--what do you think Peter's motivation is? I had a different response; these two episodes were when it first hit me how much Peter actually does care deeply about Neal. In 1x7, he calls Neal his "partner," is pretty livid at Fowler for catching him, and puts protecting Neal above doing his job. (Even before Neal shows up in his kitchen with justifications, Peter's searching for him via "road blocks and wanted posters," which he knows won't work.)

So then he goes to see Kate, which seemed to me like Peter letting his protective instincts toward Neal take over his common sense. I kind of hate the characterization of Kate as this evil siren jezebel woman tempting poor woobie Neal to the dark side, but at the same time I love Peter getting all "he's awesome and he's mine and you can't have him."

Whatever Peter's game is with Kate -- and remember, we only have his narrative of it to Neal -- is not being careful of Neal.

This is what surprises me, because I saw Peter's interaction with Kate as being entirely about Peter trying to protect Neal, in a way that's unwise because Peter's gotten so caught up in his affection for Neal that it's overpowering his better judgment. I love that Kate is Neal's weakness and Neal is Peter's.

That whole scene in the comic book suffocation chamber thing (OMG, this show!) is one of my favorites, too. Because we get the life-and-death honesty of Neal's trust for Peter, but then we get reciprocation from Peter. After Neal finds the emergency switch, Peter pulls out his gun and is about to open the door so that Neal can breathe, even though he's outnumbered and the other guy has a way bigger gun. There's a definite possibility that the other guy would've shot first or that they'd both have shot each other. Thankfully the FBI shows up just in time, but for a moment there I think Peter was totally about to risk his life for Neal.

Also how much did I love Neal's "Just because I don't like guns doesn't mean I can't use one."

That was seriously awesome.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I don't know what Peter's motivation is. And I do think it's obvious he cares deeply about Neal, and that's actually why I'm so furious. Peter's not evil, just thick and being careless. I think we know how deeply Peter cares about Neal. Peter maybe even knows how deeply Peter cares about Neal. But he doesn't get the implications of that for his own behavior, how it tests his loyalties or how really vulnerable Neal is to him. And that's why I'm really fucking irate at the character.

Even if Peter's interaction with Kate is exactly as he says it is and about his concern for Neal, having done that and waited to tell Neal about it -- even if it was the right choice for Neal's physical safety (i.e., get the job done first), really, obviously, unavoidably was going to hurt Neal both as regards his relationship with Kate and his relationship with Peter. And we saw that happen. And I'm just like "Peter, HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT THIS PLAN IS NOT SO BRILLIANT."

Granted, I'd tracked on Peter's ring a few episode's back. So I wasn't surprised so much as I was like "you fucker."

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

And I'm just like "Peter, HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT THIS PLAN IS NOT SO BRILLIANT."

Heh, but it's the same way Neal's "I'll just break out of prison with three months left on my sentence so I can go find Kate" plan is not so brilliant. They both make stupid decisions re: protecting the people they love.

I don't think Peter kept his meeting with Kate from Neal because he wanted Neal to get the job done first so much as he was afraid of how Neal would react. He tells El earlier in the episode that he's afraid to tell Neal because he doesn't think Neal trusts him enough to understand. Then after the "I trust you with my life" suffocation chamber thing, Peter realizes that Neal does trust him and so he correspondingly trusts Neal enough to listen to the truth and understand that Peter meant well. And I think Neal gets it-- he doesn't accept Peter's insistence that Kate doesn't care about him, but he does believe that Peter was trying to look out for him.

So yeah it hurt their relationship briefly, but then Peter explained and now they love each other again. Or whatever. I guess I didn't see it as malicious on Peter's part, and yeah it was careless, but it was careless because HE JUST LOVES NEAL SO MUCH.

unavoidably was going to hurt Neal both as regards his relationship with Kate and his relationship with Peter

Well, Peter's intentionally trying to hurt Neal's relationship with Kate, because he thinks Kate is bad for Neal. (And um, he's pretty objectively right--even if Kate is as pure as the driven snow, Neal keeps making stupid decisions and endangering himself because of his feelings for her.)

I don't really think Peter's interference is okay (if I was Neal, I'd be pissed), but at the same time it makes me-as-a-viewer love Peter more because of how emotionally entangled and overprotective he is toward Neal.

[rm.livejournal.com]

See, I'm totally buying everything you have to say, and it's not like Peter had a lot of good choices there, but I'm still like "dude, not cool" and I'm still questioning what else we're going to find out about Peter and whether or not he's as trustworthy as we all (audience and Neal) want to believe he is.

It's really a case of Peter being, I think, very tone deaf to the situation he's in. Much like how he didn't know what to buy for El for their anniversary.

As regards of my "get the job done first" comment, what I meant is that I think Peter was like "this will be volatile, and this operation is dangerous, so I can't let Neal freak out before we're in the clear on this." Which, you know, for already having done something stupid, was the right call on Peter's part.