#WhiteCollar Summer Finale – Recap: [Pretty Good Episode] Sam Might be Neal’s Father!!!
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Well, this week’s episode, “Gloves Off,” not only explored what happens a person has TWO besties, it devolved into essentially a playground tussle over the matter!
“I understand he’s your asset.” – Sam | “Yeah. That’s part of the arrangement.” – Peter
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WHAT HAPPENED?
At the beginning of the episode, Peter and Neal make a pact to not share Ellen’s video with anyone–not even Sam. Neal comes awfully close to breaking that deal relatively quickly and invites Sam over the next day to chat. He does not ultimately show the video to him, but a large part of the reason why he doesn’t is likely because Elizabeth showed up with gelato.
Even Mozzie picks up on the fact that one or both Neal and Peter will break the pact when he observes: “Clearly, they’re lying to each other.
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It’s during the case of the week that Neal inadvertently sets up an actual physical fight that’s been building between him and Peter for weeks. Neal is trying to take someone down for insider trading, who bizarrely shares tips with people who pony up $25k to take part in an underground boxing ring. Only the winners get the tips. Neal sets Peter up as a former FBI agent who provides him with insider tips.
Put the randomness of a boxing ring appealing to insider traders aside, and the pay-off of the actual fight is well worth it. Not only is it well choreographed, but you have a genuine feeling of suspense who will win between Peter and Neal. While Peter is supposed to win, so that Neal’s boss can give Peter, an FBI agent, the insider tip, once Neal finds out Peter confronted Sam, he decides to wail on him in the ring.
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Ultimately, it appears that Neal gives up and still lets Peter win. (I don’t think Peter has that good of a hook.) And while Neal can be somewhat upset that Peter went to see Sam even though he explicitly told him not to, at the same time, Peter is right to be suspicious.
“You still don’t trust me,” Neal tells Peter near the end of the episode. After the actions of Neal all season long despite Peter putting his career on the line to get Neal forgiven for cutting his anklet last season, he has every right to.
Mozzie does warn Neal that Peter is “your second best friend.” But by the end of the episode, Neal says they’re done in one of the rare times he’s raised his voice with Peter. With the summer finale next week, it’s likely the pair will reconcile since Sam appears to be in deep, deep trouble.
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SOME THOUGHTS:
- White Collar isn’t simply the story of a con man gone good. It’s actually an examination of a friendship between two grown men, but the joke is that it’s the sort of friendship the rest of us experienced in elementary school.
- Honestly, that childish dynamic makes tons of sense in the world of White Collar: Much like the FBI, friendships often entail several levels of security clearance depending on your place on the totem pole. Like, if your second-best friend tells you a secret, you can only share that secret with your first-best friend, as your first-best friend has the highest level of security clearance possible.
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But major conflicts arise when the second-best friend believes that he or she is actually your first-best friend: THEN what are the proper clearance levels of secrets disclosure? This conflict is bound to happen when you weight relationships like this, but often your two best friends will TEST their security clearances by forbidding you to disclose information to the other, which is always the first step toward a huge friendship meltdown. That’s basically what “Gloves Off” was all about.
- Well, While I felt the beginning of the distrust and anger between Neal and Peter came out of nowhere, especially since their friendship seemed so incredibly strong in the beginning of the season, the place they’re in now feels natural, interesting and narratively strong. Then again, if they wind up as friends again as quickly as Neal was allowed to come back to the US, or Peter got back into White Collar, then the build-up will seem like nothing but a giant tease.
That’s all folks. What did you think of @WhiteCollarUSA Summer Penultimate Episode? See you next week for its mid-season finale, and in the meantime, just hit the comments with any thoughts or ideas of yours! 
#AJS/AMS [Image: USA Network]
John Dalton Adam (@JohnDaltonAdam)
September 12, 2012
This season is so far so AMAZING!!! Good Job Jeff!!!
Natalia Clinton (@NataliaClinton)
September 12, 2012
Next week’s gonna be more AWESOME!!!! #MidSeasonFinale
Alex James Satria (@AlexJSatria)
September 12, 2012
SHIRTLESS NEAL AND PETER, Nothing’s Better! lol
Rick James Tayler (@RickJamesTayler)
September 12, 2012
WHAT AN EPISODE!!!!