4x13 Empire City Squee !

[aragarna]

1 -  This was fun !
FINALLY !!
You have no idea how long I've waited for a "light" episode. (Well, you can guess. I don't think we had something as cool and light since Diminishing Returns, and even then, Peter was only half-heartly enjoying the case).
So, finally, here, an episode with almost a real case of week (it was brought by Mozzie, but it still was a legitimate investigation). No tragedy, nobody risking his/her life, noone loosing a job, his faith, his illusion... It was FUN, just like White Collar is supposed to be. White Collar is a fun series. That's "Blue Sky" USA, not "NCIS" CBS ! White Collar, to me, is about the unlikely partnership of an FBI agent and a conman. Not about the tragedy of a lost boy.
And finally, the season arc is sent in the background for a little while. A little bit at the beginning, a little bit at the end, and no interference with the case. I remember people complaining about how the treasure arc was dragged for too long in season 3, but at least, in between we had real, unrelated and fun episodes.
So, this one made me happy. :-)

2 - Peter's smart !!
Peter knows that Neal doesn't lie to him. More than that, he takes Neal's word that he doesn't lie to him. And true to his words in 4x10, Peter keeps faith that Neal lied to him, for a reason. Which he is going to find out. And Peter loves trying to outsmart Neal. He loves the challenge, and he loves the competition. Probably more than he should... He is not angry, he is excited...
To El's dispair, but he doesn't really care. Because, yeah, that episode made it clear. Yes, El did something wrong last week, BUT, she somehow has her reasons. She had shared her concerns with Peter before the accident. She didn't want him to go to deep in the Pratt case. He ended up in the hospital nonetheless. And from what Peter told Jones, this week, she expressed her concerns to Peter again, after the accident. She wants him to take it easy, so Peter is now hidding his search for the key from El !! (that last bit doesn't fit with the "Peter's smart" part I, know).
Wow I can see conflict for the Burkes here !! (But I'm confident that they are solid enough to handle this, so I am not that concerned.)
And to those that were worried about El creating a conflict between Peter and Neal and re-launching the trust issue, it seems that's not what it's about. It seems more about Peter and El than Peter and Neal. But it is very much about Peter, El and Neal.
And I find this situation interesting (and long overdue!)

3 - Diahann Carroll !
I have to say, I didn't know Diahann Carroll before the show (I didn't know anyone but Sharif Atkins...), and never had the curiosity to look her up. But oh man, can that woman sing ! She truly has a nice voice. And it would have been a shame not to showcase it.
I really enjoy the whole Cotton Club thing. Even though I know close to nothing about it either, I like when White Collar plays with the mythology of NYC (And knowing nothing about baseball didn't prevent me from enjoying the Yankee Stadium myth in Stealing Home either)

Also, I am one of those who like when the show share the spotlights with all the characters. We see so much of Peter and Neal all the time, we can give a little bit of time to the other characters to develop. All the characters of the show are beautiful and well-rounded, it would be a waste not to show them. So, yay for June, Mozzie and Diana, in this one !

4 - Directed by Tim DeKay !
One of the many things I like about White Collar is the great directing. That's a thing I appreciate in films and series, and rarely notice in series. But it is obvious that in White Collar, they make an effort to make cool shots, whether it's to highlight the beauty of the city, or in a scene at the FBI office.
And here, Tim makes those established codes his, and even plays with them, using June's singing pieces, and the classic city transition shots to set the tone and the rythm: classy, jazzy, sparkling.

5 - LOL !!
Can you believe that Mozzie is a much better driver than Peter ? 5 red lights and not a scratch !! ^^

:-)

Comments

[winterstar95.livejournal.com]

Wish I could share your squee. I cannot. My opinions are on my own journal. Glad you loved it, though!

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've seen your post. I didn't read it fully though, because I prefer focusing on the positive. I find that reading ranting posts takes the fun out of it. Not that I am completely satisfied with this season, but I just don't want to focus on the negative aspects. Sharing squees is much more fun than sharing rants. ;-)

[nieseryjna.livejournal.com]

oh I fully, fully agree with your sqeee, it was great episode, brought back my love to WC after some fiasco last week. June was perfect! And Peter knowing about Neal and the corks wheee!

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think it was really time for a light un-father-related episode ! :-)

[kerrylang.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that you liked it so much. I will see if my post at Elr's LJ gets more positive when I saw the ep a second time.