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Jan. 26th, 2011 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gyzymRight, so, White Collar.
I didn't hate it, although I didn't enjoy watching it as much as I could have. It was...er, well, I've never had the singular experience of watching my own fic be so completely and utterly jossed before. Oh, Captain Americaverse, I hardly knew ye. But even that wasn't so bad, really--I maintain that Stupid Is As Stupid Does could have happened within the confines of the new timeline (shut up shut up let me have my small comforts), even if that one where Peter caught Neal seven times is beyond borked.
That said, I think I spoke too soon last week when I said I trust the writers to fill in plot holes, because oh man. The one that irked me most this episode is: in first season, Neal mentioned that he and Kate used to pass notes in code towards the end, when Peter was closing in on them. Which, okay, fine, that little bit of exposition was used towards furthering some kind of plot device, I don't recall what. I actually liked that detail, up until last night. Because now that details means the timeline doesn't make sense.
No, think about it. Neal spends 6 months or so with Adler, he and Kate get together maybe halfway through that. Then it's...theoretically a year or two, right, running the smaller cons with Mozzie, and then Neal suggests Copenhagen and Kate leaves him. He mentions that he was with Alex in the hospital in Copenhagen, that he ran a number of increasingly brash cons to get Kate's attention--that's got to be at least a year, folks. Probably closer to two, if we're to believe most of the career that's made so famous (remember that college class being taught on him?) occurred during that time. Which means the last time that he and Kate were realistically close enough to be passing coding missives was actually a year or maybe two before Peter caught him. In the span of a four year career (and--really? Neal Caffrey's famous criminal career adds up to four years?), that's not the end, not really. Plus, why would he and Kate be passing coded messages while sharing an apartment?
I recognize that this is a small thing to nitpick on, I do, and maybe I should hold onto my faith in the writing on this show and assume it's an intentional mistake. But it doesn't feel that way, and it bums me out.
THAT SAID: bb!Satchmo and bb!Neal and bb!Diana, all adorable, and my love for Sharif Atkins has actually reached critical mass. And it was really interesting to see the parallels between El and Kate, in everything from looks to job to behavior. Obviously some of those parallels are intentional, but I wonder if they intended that when they cast her. All and all, it was a good time, enjoyable, just...I don't know. I WANT TO BELIEVE, WHITE COLLAR. I WANT TO BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
On a totally random side note: Alexandra Daddario, what is UP with those two pieces of curly hair at your forehead?? It was more noticeable in some shots than others, but oh my god, I swear I spent half of every scene she was in going, "Is this some kind of horrible new trend? Is this hair damage?? Why wouldn't they fix that?!?!"
I know that makes me neurotic, but I make no apologies. ♥
I didn't hate it, although I didn't enjoy watching it as much as I could have. It was...er, well, I've never had the singular experience of watching my own fic be so completely and utterly jossed before. Oh, Captain Americaverse, I hardly knew ye. But even that wasn't so bad, really--I maintain that Stupid Is As Stupid Does could have happened within the confines of the new timeline (shut up shut up let me have my small comforts), even if that one where Peter caught Neal seven times is beyond borked.
That said, I think I spoke too soon last week when I said I trust the writers to fill in plot holes, because oh man. The one that irked me most this episode is: in first season, Neal mentioned that he and Kate used to pass notes in code towards the end, when Peter was closing in on them. Which, okay, fine, that little bit of exposition was used towards furthering some kind of plot device, I don't recall what. I actually liked that detail, up until last night. Because now that details means the timeline doesn't make sense.
No, think about it. Neal spends 6 months or so with Adler, he and Kate get together maybe halfway through that. Then it's...theoretically a year or two, right, running the smaller cons with Mozzie, and then Neal suggests Copenhagen and Kate leaves him. He mentions that he was with Alex in the hospital in Copenhagen, that he ran a number of increasingly brash cons to get Kate's attention--that's got to be at least a year, folks. Probably closer to two, if we're to believe most of the career that's made so famous (remember that college class being taught on him?) occurred during that time. Which means the last time that he and Kate were realistically close enough to be passing coding missives was actually a year or maybe two before Peter caught him. In the span of a four year career (and--really? Neal Caffrey's famous criminal career adds up to four years?), that's not the end, not really. Plus, why would he and Kate be passing coded messages while sharing an apartment?
I recognize that this is a small thing to nitpick on, I do, and maybe I should hold onto my faith in the writing on this show and assume it's an intentional mistake. But it doesn't feel that way, and it bums me out.
THAT SAID: bb!Satchmo and bb!Neal and bb!Diana, all adorable, and my love for Sharif Atkins has actually reached critical mass. And it was really interesting to see the parallels between El and Kate, in everything from looks to job to behavior. Obviously some of those parallels are intentional, but I wonder if they intended that when they cast her. All and all, it was a good time, enjoyable, just...I don't know. I WANT TO BELIEVE, WHITE COLLAR. I WANT TO BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
On a totally random side note: Alexandra Daddario, what is UP with those two pieces of curly hair at your forehead?? It was more noticeable in some shots than others, but oh my god, I swear I spent half of every scene she was in going, "Is this some kind of horrible new trend? Is this hair damage?? Why wouldn't they fix that?!?!"
I know that makes me neurotic, but I make no apologies. ♥
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 06:37 pm (UTC)On the other hand, I see why Neal's still chasing after Kate: they never got a resolution, and he doesn't like unfinished business.
Also, I'm beginning to think that Kate's prison visits were part of a long con. I think Adler contacted her when Neal was arrested, and they've been playing him for that long, because they thought he had the box. Once the box was found, Kate was a liability on the whole thing, so out she goes. Adler has the measure of Neal better than Neal does. Almost as good as Peter.
BB!Satch, BB!Diana and BB!Neal were all adorable. Poor Diana got ambushed on her first day.
Also love the throwbacks to a bunch of old episodes. (homing pigeons, Jimmy Burker/Jimmy the Snitch (they've got to be the same person), there were a few more, too.
Like I said, really good in places, but not so good in others.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 06:39 pm (UTC)I recognize that this is a small thing to nitpick on, I do, and maybe I should hold onto my faith in the writing on this show and assume it's an intentional mistake. But it doesn't feel that way, and it bums me out.
This is not a small nitpick. This is a humongous issue. Pretty much all of what happened in season 1 is BS because of this episode. I believed for the most part that Neal and Kate spent a lot of time together, and it seems like they barely spent any time together at all.
I still don't get Neal's almost-creepy obsession with her. The writers totally missed it. She was an artist...why didn't they have her do the artsy talk to Neal? Why couldn't she have stolen the Raphael? Instead, we're left with a plastic doll with no substance. I have no idea why Neal practically ruined his life for her.
THAT SAID: bb!Satchmo and bb!Neal and bb!Diana, all adorable, and my love for Sharif Atkins has actually reached critical mass. And it was really interesting to see the parallels between El and Kate, in everything from looks to job to behavior. Obviously some of those parallels are intentional, but I wonder if they intended that when they cast her. All and all, it was a good time, enjoyable, just...I don't know. I WANT TO BELIEVE, WHITE COLLAR. I WANT TO BELIEVE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
This.
BB Satchmo chewing on BB Neal's file was too adorable. I almost melted. Really what saved the episode (barely) for me was the interaction between "real-time" Peter and Neal. The rest was entertaining but it made no sense. :p
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 06:44 pm (UTC)How much of Kate was true, and how much wasn't? Did you notice right at the very beginning, when Neal first meets Kate, how she walks off with Adler? He bends down and kisses her cheek and they walk arm and arm away. I thought that was vaguely strange. How deep is their connection?
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 06:49 pm (UTC)AND NEAL'S JAMES BOND VOICE!
BB!SATCHMO TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE!
THE BOYS HAVING ALLLLLLLL NIGHT!
THAT TANKTOP NEAL WAS WEARING!
JONES REMARKING ON THE FACT THAT PEOPLE TALK AND HE KNOWS PETER IS IN LOVE WITH NEAL!
I tried to only focus on the things I liked... And ignore how boring Kate is and how weird the timeline was. Ah well, they tried.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 07:03 pm (UTC)(Alexandria had nice breasts I got to see them on multiple takes, That naked dancing thing? Even in my pants I got so teased by that - someone snapped some iphone photos and they put a little photo of it on my chair just to make it worse. Those are Willie's old toupees, why didn't his friends love him enough to tell him to take those rugs off?, Do you think Willie wore them during sex? That's kind of funny and horrifying to think about. Look there's Nate, isn't he the cutest! Seeing him on set makes me wonder if Kit will be like that in a few years?...)
that helped whitewash the multiple canon jossing O_o of my own stories and of the show's own backstory as well!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 07:04 pm (UTC)Particularly about head canon / fic getting completely jossed. I estimate that about 125,000 words of my fic is now purely A/U.
Sigh.
Just think of the pretty. And the nekkid dance. And bb!Sachmo and Assertive!Jones (oh, what happened to you, man?)
And it's snowing here.
Most, most unhappy about that.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-26 07:24 pm (UTC)weird timelines aside, I loved the hell out of this episode. Apart from Kate. Neal is like I LOVE YOU FOREVER YOU ARE AMAZING, HEARTS IN MY EYES, and she is like, "I am incredibly dull and irritating, blah." No.
I THINK THE STYLISTS ARE JUST BAD AT STRAIGHTENING HER HAIR MAYBE?
no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 12:18 am (UTC)To a certain degree, the idea occurs to me that Kate could be an even longer con than that; Adler could have paid her off to leave him, could have helped set him up for capture by tipping the Feds to her location originally, could have etc etc etc. It'll be interesting to see where they go with it :D
no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 12:20 am (UTC)I really, really want Kate to be a badass amazing character, and her consistent failure to be such is a huge disappointment for me. BUT I KEEP HOPING.
And I agree, real-time Peter & Neal: amazing.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 12:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 12:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 12:22 am (UTC)Although, lol, at this point I'm so used to the snow that it's kind of a non-issue when it comes up here. BEST OF LUCK, THOUGH :D
no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 12:25 am (UTC)It'll be fascinating to see where the rest of this season goes!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 12:26 am (UTC)Oh White Collar, why do you do this to me?
JDSD THE THING ABOUT KATE THOUGH IS THAT SHE'S LIKE. A watered down mildly creepy version of Elizabeth in a lot of ways, and if I felt like getting off my ass and actually writing it, I'd do an AU where Peter met and married Kate instead of El, and Neal fell in love with El instead of Kate. THEY'D BE SUCH DIFFERENT PEOPLE IT WOULD BE SO FASCINATING :D :D :D
no subject
Date: 2011-01-27 12:48 am (UTC)