#plus coming back to me working theory that all Neal truly wants deep down is loving parents… yeah this is smarting

[firebirdsdaughter]

The tragedy about the conflict of s3…

… Is that neither of them wanted it.

Okay, Neal kinda wanted it, I’m sure. Temptation. But he didn’t act on it, and he didn’t want it like this. Neal’s fault in this is that he could have walked away or said something at any point after, but he didn’t want to be in this situation. Mozzie forced him into it.

Peter sure as hell didn’t want it either. You can tell by how he either freezes up or get uncharacteristically emotional whenever it’s brought up. Esp by this point he genuinely cares deeply about Neal and wants him to get clean. The three things Peter loves most in the world are literally El, the law, and Neal at this point. He’s full on adopted this kid. He wants to be wrong, but he can’t compromise his belief in the laws and the system and the truth to not pursue it. He hates it, it takes so much out of him, and I think seeing Neal be hurt by his suspicions makes it all the worse, but this is Peter, finding the truth is who he is. S1 and 2 were slowly building the trust and relationship between them, and from Peter’s perspective, Neal may have just completely destroyed that. Thrown away everything he thought they had, and Peter’s attempts to help him go straight. But as much as it hurts him, he keeps the painting scrap out of evidence bc he wants to know first. He doesn’t want it to go on record and to have the whole Bureau come down on Neal. Despite himself he still wants to give the kid a modicum of chance—he also shows awareness that it could have been Mozzie or Alex.

And like I said above, Neal hates it, too. And not just being under suspicion again. At first, having Peter, the one person he completely trusts, accusing him, from his perspective, out of the blue after he just nearly got shot, after Peter just killed a man to protect him… Like that clearly just breaks his heart. Even during the opening interrogation, when he’s calmed down some, he’s still got that wounded look in his eyes—although I think he’s also clocking Peter’s unhappiness by that point bc it’s less offended and just sad. By that point he knows the treasure survived, but he does know he didn’t do it. He’s hurt by Peter’s suspicion of him but now he knows there’s a reason to be suspicious and he is hiding something.  But even after he finds out that Mozzie did it… Even from the onset, he’s not quite truly happy. And even though he knows it’s now justified, that there’s very possibly evidence connecting it to him/them… Even though he goes along at first… You can tell there’s something off. Old Neal would be much more excited, not hesitating and looking vaguely shell shocked. And I think when he finds out it was Mozzie and that Mozzie took it ‘for them,’ he feels like he has betrayed Peter. He gets visibly more awkward about deflecting, which I think is actually honest as opposed to a deception. He’s letting his real emotions dictate his behaviour—he’s genuinely hurt by Peter’s suspicion, he genuinely cares what Peter thinks, he’s genuinely uncomfortable with his new position. But even after all of it, Neal instantly realises that Peter is still protecting him by w/holding the painting scrap—and I think that realisation is the stepping stone for his character development the rest of the season, bc in that moment, he realises he hasn’t wholly lost Peter, and not in a ‘I can still play him way.’ In a ‘thank god he doesn’t hate me now’ way, bc Neal doesn’t want Peter to hate him, he never did, and he esp doesn’t now. As early as s1 he didn’t want to let him down, and now he feels like Peter’s completely cut him off—only to be given that one bit of hope for making things better. Which is what makes him believe in everything else.

Neither of them wanted to be put at odds like this.

#White Collar #pls gods someone talk to me about WC I'm DYING #I love that they didn't make Peter 100% insisting that Neal did it #he acknowledges that Mozzie or Alex could have but also correctly suspects that that would mean Neal's involved somehow #also those two scenes just kill me #Peter talking to El about it and the way he says that he can't involve the FBI bc if it's true they'll take Neal down #and then adds himself as an afterthought #and then when Mozzie and Neal are discussing it and realise Peter is avoiding involving the FBI Neal's immediate thought #is that Peter is still protecting him #Mozzie brushes it off by Neal's unconvinced by that which makes sense he saw Peter shoot a man to protect him #sure James never did that #anyway it's such an absolutely heartbreaking mess and I love them still caring for each other despite it #plus coming back to me working theory that all Neal truly wants deep down is loving parents… yeah this is smarting #like this is how you do an argument between these two they get mad they fight it's natural #but they love each other the first two seasons made them a full family #as may a parent and child can tell you you can fight and still express care #fight and not go too far #Peter who was sure that Neal was involved in the theft but kept the evidence off record anyway #would never indifferently shuffle Neal off to another handler or tell him he was just a criminal #this is the real Peter the Peter who would probably be angry and want space after something like that #and would struggle w/ it for a while but would NEVER tell Neal he only did it bc he was a criminal #bc THIS was done solely bc they were criminals #Adopt a Felon 101