White Collar 3.1-3.10

[meganbmoore]

You know, I have issues with the writers deciding to use Nazi treasure for Neal's big morality crisis. Many issues that I have seen discussed elsewhere, and I REALLY wish that, at some point inthe last 10 (actually, 11) someone had commented on exactly where it would have come from. However, I...actually don't have much of an issue with that not occurring to Neal and Mozzie. Like the Leverage crew (and, IMO, Neal is very much like Parker, only more assimilated into society) they see their crimes as victimless crimes. Hurting people is out of the question, and you don't take something unles that person is more corrupt thanyou, or has the insurance to help them recover. (I'm not saying I share this philosophy, just that this is Hollywood's take on romanticizing criminals.) Every time Neal's been tempted in the last 2 seasons, there's been someone who would be hurt if he gave in. It's like when they basically found a warehouse full of money in Leverage. on the one hand, all that beautiful money, currently owned by the evil and corrupt. On the other hand, there's the veteran's hospital full of men hurt because of that money, needing prosthetics, facial reconstruction, years of rehab, etc.

Keeping the Nazi treasure isn't a victimless crime, but there is no direct, physical victim sitting there saying "that vase was my grandmothers. It was taken when her home was raided right before she was going to join my parents and I in England." (If there had been, we'd be right back to that girl and her grandmother's painting way back when.) So, yeah, HUGE issues with that narrative choice, but less so with the characters' choice.

Anyway:

-Mozzie flashback! He...was a ridiculously cute baby.

-Is Alex completely gone now? I miss her.

-I like Sara/Neal, but more as "friends with semi-exclusive benefits" than "OTP!" (and I think the show itself couldn't really decide which it wanted them to be). But I'm so glad she basically went "OH HELL NO!" when she discovered the treasure. (Also, I kind of think Neal sometimes thinks they're starring in a remake of Thomas Crown Affair, and that she'll hunt him down if he runs off with treasure.) One difference-one GOOD difference-between this show and a lot of others is that, in many shows, Sara telling Keller the IP address for the feed would have been treated as an unforgivable breach of trust and Neal would have railed more than Mozzie did and talked about how he couldn't trust her again. Instead, it was (rightly) treated as his games and secrets putting her in a dangerous situation and her doing what appeared to be the only option she had. (And after his temper tantrum, Mozzie apparently got over it on her part and filed "threatened Sara" in his list of grievances against Keller.) I really hope she isn't gone for good now, though.

-I am so very happy that the stupid "Daddy issues" stuff with Neal that showed up in that one episode never ever resurfaced.

-I wonder if Keller taking Elizabeth is going to be used to keep Moz from leaving.