Neal not only faked his death, but stole millions of dollars in the process. If I were Peter, I would have felt extremely angry and betrayed by Neal's deceipt. What is it with Eastin? He writes his characters as rivals who forms a bond and manages to become best friends if not a family against all odds. Then that bond is broken by betrayal.
I'm guessing Mozzie was also in on the scam because of the queen card left behind in the storage container that Peter found. Mozzie laid low for an entire year to make sure Neal was in the free and clear before joining him? That's how I interpreted it anyway.
I'm not angry in how this series ended, just disappointed.
I took it as Mozzie really didn't know Neal was alive. Mozzie took the rest of the money and Neal simply left to protect those he loved. I think he left the card as a message to Mozzie if Mozzie was the one to find the unit and the rest as a message to Peter. As for Peter not being mad, well he thought Neal was dead, finding out he was alive would be a relief and since there hadn't been a robbery in Paris in the last year, Peter could feel pretty good that Neal had gone pretty much straight.
Interesting. I see your point. I just assumed the queen card left behind in the storage container was the same one Mozzie showed Peter at the end of the show. That plus Mozzie made a point to keep his distance from Peter after Neal's "death" and he made a quick exit from Peter and Elle's house when the bottle of wine showed up on the door step. I thought the wine bottle was the cue from Neal to Mozzie that it was okay to join him. Also, the wine bottle was the start for the trail of clues Neal left for Peter to follow so that Peter would know he was alive.
Maybe you're right. Neal faked his death and left to protect the people he loved. He left Mozzie the money so that his friend would be taken care. Neal left the clues for Peter so that his best friend would know he was still alive.
I really was upset when I thought Neal died. It was brilliant the way they did that and had a glimpse of Neal in Paris at the end. I'm surprised he left Mozzie.
Sadly after I wrote my response I found the interviews from Estin. You were right, I was wrong. Mozzie did go to join Neal in Paris and rob the Louvre. Peter is going to drop being a great dad and go chase Neal. I liked my ending better!
Well crap. I hadn't seen any of the interviews on this finale yet. If it's any consolation, you had me feeling better about the series ending if only for a short amount of time. I now stand by original statement about Eastin now more than ever. I'm still disappointed instead of angry though. I really didn't expect a satisfying ending from Eastin so I kind of braced myself in advance.
I've been on my Whit Collar mode all day. I decided to watch the polite episode before the final just to make it full circle. Now I've rewatched many episodes tonight. I did think that Neal would come back, was surprised that Mozzie was still around a year later. I thought that they may named the baby in some way Neal or Cafery. The way it ended with Peter finding out that Neal is alive and didn't go after him makes since, because Peter has believed before that Neal should have been set free.
Id agree, as Chuck's finale seem to work well(not the best, but not as bad HIMYM) though writers can't seem to get finales correct for any show I've seen in the last few years.
Enjoyed the ep and even though it was obvious that Neal's death was going to be a fake, I liked that moments leading up to it and the nice Mozzie/Peter moments. Nice and fitting close to this little show... Au Revoir indeed, White Collar
I liked this ending and it was exactly what I predicted last week - Neal fakes his death, steal the money and continue being not too good boy, exept I thought we as an audience won't know his fate for sure. I'm glad we do and that Peter eventually does, it allowed the show to end on the light note.
And I think it's pretty clear that Mozzie is with Neal. I guess he is the one who left the bottle of wine (it's almost Mozzie's signature!) with the clues and left the card in the container too. It wasn't the accident, that after speaking with Peter on the street and seeing how he's doing he showed him the card, it was on purpose. They (Moz and Neal) must have decided it's time to let Peter know the truth. Mozzie's visit was his goodbye.
i saw a comment which i kind of agree with saying that maybe one of the big reasons neal faked his death was to protect the ones he loves because keller did tell neal you screw over the pink panthers and they find out it was you they will hurt the ones you love but now that neal faked his death and all his loved ones except peter in the end who figures out it was a con think he is dead then when the pink panthers find out they will also find out that neal died meaning that they cant hurt the people neal loves because he is dead meaning that his friends will be safe from the pink panthers even if it means he never sees them again it was a risk worth taking for everyone to be safe.
Not wasteful at all. I have enjoyed the show, the characters, and the storylines told. I will miss the show and will follow the actors in other projects that they have and will do in the future. I don't watch many "cop-ish" shows, but this one is different and reminds of the movie "Catch me if you can", which I read an interview with the creator Eastin, that he wanted Abagnale to cameo in the last episode, but was unable to.
I loved the ending. I would've hated it if Neal had really died. I understand that Neal lied to Peter and Mozzie because he thought that they would never be safe with him. But he trusted Peter giving him the key of the container and I'm sure Peter will tell Mozzie. I'm surprised that Peter didn't remember about the key for a year,though. PS: I'm going to miss this show so much...Neal and Peter is the best bromance of the tv!
It was a very good episode and in the spirit of the characters. My take was this: Neal left Mozzie and Peter in the dark, only revealing he is alive 1 year later.
ok but i mean should i stick with the headcanon of Neal, Peter, Elizabeth and Mozzie as happy family with no death faking and Neal getting married to Sara and then having little Conrad and Connie instead of what actually happened?
They did make a point to repeat on several occasions that the Panthers would kill Neal and all the people he cared about if they ever found out that Neal double-crossed them. Just before Keller ‘shoots’ Neal, he points out that it won’t be long before the news that Neal is out of prison (meaning, he betrayed the thieves) reaches the Panthers, so, even if the FBI grants him his freedom, Neal is about to lose everything and everyone he cares about. Also, Neal tells El that he will stop at nothing to ensure that Peter is safe just before the heist. After that, he fakes his own death, makes sure that Keller is out of the game, so he cannot tell the truth about what happened and/or hurt Peter or El anymore, and leaves the city he called his home and people he referred to as his family to protect them. I really don’t see what it is that you’re so angry about.
After watching the finale, I was sure Mozzie took the money, and that the only reason Neal even bothered with the money was so that Mozzie got the big score he wanted...
I loved the finale, even though I found it heartbreaking that Neal must have been planning on leaving everyone he loved behind right from the point when, after being told that the Panthers would kill the family and friends of anyone who betrayed them, he tried to convince Peter to let this case go, only to find that if they don’t get the thieves Peter’s career in the FBI is over. I thought the finale was much more straightforward than could be expected, especially after Matt Bomer’s comments about the ending being ambiguous. I’m surprised that some of you found it controversial, to be honest. Of course, it could be that I’m ignoring something that doesn’t fit with my, currently very satisfying, version of what happened in the finale :-) Again, I haven’t read any post-finale interviews, and I’m not sure I’m going to, as I loved the series and I really don’t feel like tainting the good memories by the interviews that had other commenters so upset. Bottom line: this is one of my favourite series of all time and I’ll remember it fondly.
I was pretty obvious, wasn't it? XD And I still cried through the last couple of minutes of the episode. And after. I can't remember the last time anything made me this emotional XD
Because he wasn’t a thief – he didn’t *betray* them; he was doing his job. It was all about being able to trust your own people (that is – other thieves). The fact that the police etc. would be after them is part of the game, but the law enforcement does what you expect them to do, so there’s no point in taking offense. Also, if the Panthers were to start killing all agents that went after them, they would probably end up inadvertently bringing all the agencies together – giving the law enforcement extra motivation to go after them with everything they got. How is that different from the Panthers going after Peter because of Neal’s betrayal? It would be a single incident at the point when they had little to lose, I suppose. Plus, there were more people they could get to even more easily, for example, June and her family, El and her child. Finally, I would imagine that having a police officer infiltrate any gang more than anything reflects badly on the group that wasn’t able to determine that the person was a cop, whereas if they were to let it go when someone betrays them – they would have to constantly watch their backs as the moment someone makes a better offer they can expect one of their own to stab them in the back. Consequently, it would be much easier to find someone to kill a thief/traitor than an FBI agent/infiltrator. That’s my take on this, at least.
True. In that sense I get the sacrifice, but IDK it still feels a little like Neal just wanted an excuse to freely rob the louvre type thing to me. I preferred the original ending Eastin talked about where Neal became an FBI consultant and one day is offered a job by Mozzie and flips a coin on whether or not to take it.
Even then the series never showed how powerful the panthers were. All it did was show five guys (one who had a gun) who were supposedly incredibly well connected but it never demonstrated why they should be feared. So I just feel like it wasn't earned this whole I need to fake my death to protect the ones I love schtick.
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It was fairly obvious Neal faked his death but wow, that hurt so much. And I knew they'd name the baby after him! So I got it half right.
ReplyDeleteBut Peter wasn't angry Neal faked his death? What.
Great series finale!
Neal not only faked his death, but stole millions of dollars in the process. If I were Peter, I would have felt extremely angry and betrayed by Neal's deceipt. What is it with Eastin? He writes his characters as rivals who forms a bond and manages to become best friends if not a family against all odds. Then that bond is broken by betrayal.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing Mozzie was also in on the scam because of the queen card left behind in the storage container that Peter found. Mozzie laid low for an entire year to make sure Neal was in the free and clear before joining him? That's how I interpreted it anyway.
I'm not angry in how this series ended, just disappointed.
I took it as Mozzie really didn't know Neal was alive. Mozzie took the rest of the money and Neal simply left to protect those he loved. I think he left the card as a message to Mozzie if Mozzie was the one to find the unit and the rest as a message to Peter. As for Peter not being mad, well he thought Neal was dead, finding out he was alive would be a relief and since there hadn't been a robbery in Paris in the last year, Peter could feel pretty good that Neal had gone pretty much straight.
ReplyDeleteso is the ending Chuck-level or HIMYM-level?
ReplyDeleteI really liked Chuck's ending. It was poignant, true to the characters and series. HIMYM's not so much.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting really sick of death faking in finales.
ReplyDeleteI loved how it took Peter a year to finally investigate.
ReplyDeletePeter looked like a proud father for a moment when he understood his eldest son is still alive.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I see your point. I just assumed the queen card left behind in the storage container was the same one Mozzie showed Peter at the end of the show. That plus Mozzie made a point to keep his distance from Peter after Neal's "death" and he made a quick exit from Peter and Elle's house when the bottle of wine showed up on the door step. I thought the wine bottle was the cue from Neal to Mozzie that it was okay to join him. Also, the wine bottle was the start for the trail of clues Neal left for Peter to follow so that Peter would know he was alive.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you're right. Neal faked his death and left to protect the people he loved. He left Mozzie the money so that his friend would be taken care. Neal left the clues for Peter so that his best friend would know he was still alive.
I really was upset when I thought Neal died. It was brilliant the way they did that and had a glimpse of Neal in Paris at the end. I'm surprised he left Mozzie.
ReplyDeleteYou are right. But I am surprised that he didn't take Mozzie with him.
ReplyDeleteSadly after I wrote my response I found the interviews from Estin. You were right, I was wrong. Mozzie did go to join Neal in Paris and rob the Louvre. Peter is going to drop being a great dad and go chase Neal. I liked my ending better!
ReplyDeleteThat could be.
ReplyDeleteWell crap. I hadn't seen any of the interviews on this finale yet. If it's any consolation, you had me feeling better about the series ending if only for a short amount of time. I now stand by original statement about Eastin now more than ever. I'm still disappointed instead of angry though. I really didn't expect a satisfying ending from Eastin so I kind of braced myself in advance.
ReplyDeleteI've been on my Whit Collar mode all day. I decided to watch the polite episode before the final just to make it full circle. Now I've rewatched many episodes tonight. I did think that Neal would come back, was surprised that Mozzie was still around a year later. I thought that they may named the baby in some way Neal or Cafery. The way it ended with Peter finding out that Neal is alive and didn't go after him makes since, because Peter has believed before that Neal should have been set free.
ReplyDeleteId agree, as Chuck's finale seem to work well(not the best, but not as bad HIMYM) though writers can't seem to get finales correct for any show I've seen in the last few years.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think back on Graceland somewhat, but it might just be USA with the fake death scenes for its characters.
ReplyDeletethe only series finales that have actually resolved the series and not given us some idiotic ambigous crap have been Smallville and Fringe
ReplyDeleteso in your opinion is it worth watching?
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the ep and even though it was obvious that Neal's death was going to be a fake, I liked that moments leading up to it and the nice Mozzie/Peter moments. Nice and fitting close to this little show... Au Revoir indeed, White Collar
ReplyDeleteWell at least with Chuck they're back together again.
ReplyDeleteDexter's was awful but I knew it would be, unlike HIMYM's
ReplyDeleteI liked this ending and it was exactly what I predicted last week - Neal fakes his death, steal the money and continue being not too good boy, exept I thought we as an audience won't know his fate for sure. I'm glad we do and that Peter eventually does, it allowed the show to end on the light note.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think it's pretty clear that Mozzie is with Neal. I guess he is the one who left the bottle of wine (it's almost Mozzie's signature!) with the clues and left the card in the container too. It wasn't the accident, that after speaking with Peter on the street and seeing how he's doing he showed him the card, it was on purpose. They (Moz and Neal) must have decided it's time to let Peter know the truth. Mozzie's visit was his goodbye.
i saw a comment which i kind of agree with saying that maybe one of the big reasons neal faked his death was to protect the ones he loves because keller did tell neal you screw over the pink panthers and they find out it was you they will hurt the ones you love but now that neal faked his death and all his loved ones except peter in the end who figures out it was a con think he is dead then when the pink panthers find out they will also find out that neal died meaning that they cant hurt the people neal loves because he is dead meaning that his friends will be safe from the pink panthers even if it means he never sees them again it was a risk worth taking for everyone to be safe.
ReplyDeleteNothing will ever top HIMYM in horrific finales. But the more I think about Neal hurting his family like that for no reason, the angrier I get.
ReplyDeleteThe more I think about how Neal hurt his family like that for no reason, the angrier I get. What the hell.
ReplyDeletedamn, so he didn't go straight and go to London and find Sara to have little Connie and Conrad
ReplyDeletewait so the Panthers are still active? they didn't take them down?
ReplyDeletethe pink panthers are in jail but im guessing they could still cause some damage if they wanted to
ReplyDeleteI hope he does. New headcanon.
ReplyDeletei would love that so much, so: Neal Caffrey con man, good man or both?
ReplyDeleteNot wasteful at all. I have enjoyed the show, the characters, and the storylines told. I will miss the show and will follow the actors in other projects that they have and will do in the future. I don't watch many "cop-ish" shows, but this one is different and reminds of the movie "Catch me if you can", which I read an interview with the creator Eastin, that he wanted Abagnale to cameo in the last episode, but was unable to.
ReplyDeleteI loved the ending. I would've hated it if Neal had really died. I understand that Neal lied to Peter and Mozzie because he thought that they would never be safe with him. But he trusted Peter giving him the key of the container and I'm sure Peter will tell Mozzie. I'm surprised that Peter didn't remember about the key for a year,though.
ReplyDeletePS: I'm going to miss this show so much...Neal and Peter is the best bromance of the tv!
It was a very good episode and in the spirit of the characters.
ReplyDeleteMy take was this:
Neal left Mozzie and Peter in the dark, only revealing he is alive 1 year later.
ok but i mean should i stick with the headcanon of Neal, Peter, Elizabeth and Mozzie as happy family with no death faking and Neal getting married to Sara and then having little Conrad and Connie instead of what actually happened?
ReplyDeleteeven after what happened
ReplyDeletethanks and the Neal question?
ReplyDeleteThey did make a point to repeat on several occasions that
ReplyDeletethe Panthers would kill Neal and all the people he cared about if they ever
found out that Neal double-crossed them. Just before Keller ‘shoots’ Neal, he
points out that it won’t be long before the news that Neal is out of prison
(meaning, he betrayed the thieves) reaches the Panthers, so, even if the FBI
grants him his freedom, Neal is about to lose everything and everyone he cares
about. Also, Neal tells El that he will stop at nothing to ensure that Peter is
safe just before the heist. After that, he fakes his own death, makes sure that
Keller is out of the game, so he cannot tell the truth about what happened
and/or hurt Peter or El anymore, and leaves the city he called his home and people
he referred to as his family to protect them. I really don’t see what it is
that you’re so angry about.
Yeah, it took me a while to realize that Neal was only trying to protect his family from the Panthers and I'm totally okay with it now.
ReplyDeleteWhy wouldn’t it be necessary? Seeing how they kept reminding
ReplyDeleteus about the consequences of betraying the Panthers...
Just ignore the interviews :-) It's not in the series, so you can safely stick to your interpretation and remember the show fondly.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the finale, I was sure Mozzie took the money, and that the only reason Neal even bothered with the money was so that Mozzie got the big score he wanted...
ReplyDeleteI loved the finale, even though I found it heartbreaking
ReplyDeletethat Neal must have been planning on leaving everyone he loved behind right from
the point when, after being told that the Panthers would kill the family and
friends of anyone who betrayed them, he tried to convince Peter to let this
case go, only to find that if they don’t get the thieves Peter’s career in the
FBI is over. I thought the finale was much more straightforward than could be
expected, especially after Matt Bomer’s comments about the ending being
ambiguous. I’m surprised that some of you found it controversial, to be honest.
Of course, it could be that I’m ignoring something that doesn’t fit with my,
currently very satisfying, version of what happened in the finale :-) Again, I
haven’t read any post-finale interviews, and I’m not sure I’m going to, as I
loved the series and I really don’t feel like tainting the good memories by the
interviews that had other commenters so upset. Bottom line: this is one of my
favourite series of all time and I’ll remember it fondly.
I was pretty obvious, wasn't it? XD And I still cried through the last couple of minutes of the episode. And after. I can't remember the last time anything made me this emotional XD
ReplyDeleteTrue, but why wouldn't they also go after Peter or any FBI agent.
ReplyDeleteBecause he wasn’t a thief – he didn’t *betray* them; he was
ReplyDeletedoing his job. It was all about being able to trust your own people (that is –
other thieves). The fact that the police etc. would be after them is part of
the game, but the law enforcement does what you expect them to do, so there’s
no point in taking offense. Also, if the Panthers were to start killing all
agents that went after them, they would probably end up inadvertently bringing
all the agencies together – giving the law enforcement extra motivation to go
after them with everything they got. How is that different from the Panthers going
after Peter because of Neal’s betrayal? It would be a single incident at the
point when they had little to lose, I suppose. Plus, there were more people
they could get to even more easily, for example, June and her family, El and
her child. Finally, I would imagine that having a police officer infiltrate any
gang more than anything reflects badly on the group that wasn’t able to
determine that the person was a cop, whereas if they were to let it go when
someone betrays them – they would have to constantly watch their backs as the
moment someone makes a better offer they can expect one of their own to stab them
in the back. Consequently, it would be much easier to find someone to kill a thief/traitor
than an FBI agent/infiltrator. That’s my take on this, at least.
Watch the finale, you'll feel better when you do.
ReplyDeleteTrue. In that sense I get the sacrifice, but IDK it still feels a little like Neal just wanted an excuse to freely rob the louvre type thing to me. I preferred the original ending Eastin talked about where Neal became an FBI consultant and one day is offered a job by Mozzie and flips a coin on whether or not to take it.
ReplyDeleteEven then the series never showed how powerful the panthers were. All it did was show five guys (one who had a gun) who were supposedly incredibly well connected but it never demonstrated why they should be feared. So I just feel like it wasn't earned this whole I need to fake my death to protect the ones I love schtick.
ReplyDelete