(Warning: mild spoilers for several stories in the Caffrey Conversation AU.)
Peter's still very much in black-and-white mode when he first talks to Mozzie and decides to call him Dante. In his eyes, Mozzie is the bad guy who's leading Neal in a bad direction, and Peter is the good guy who will turn Neal's life around. It's black and white, good and bad, heaven versus hell. When Mozzie mentions that Dante also wrote about Paradise, Peter can't even go there; he just changes the subject.
By the end of Choirboy Caffrey I explicitly called out that Peter is becoming more aware of the gray areas in his work because of his association with Neal. More and more throughout the AU he's pulled into those gray areas and realizes that the FBI isn't 100% good and Mozzie isn't 100% bad. FBI Agent Hitchum first represents the corrupt element in the FBI, starting with an act of violence in Choirboy Caffrey that only scratches of the surface of what he's up to. By the end of Caffrey Flashback, it's clear Hitchum has a long history of corruption. Then in The Queen's Jewels, Silbrith introduces canon character Agent Fowler, who reinforces that Hitchum isn't the only bad apple. Needing to look at his fellow agents with distrust brings Peter closer to understanding Mozzie's point of view.
Meanwhile, Peter and Mozzie find more common areas through their friendship with Neal, who helps navigate their tentative alliance. Neal invites Mozzie to take a big step by going to the Federal Building in Caffrey Disclosure. Neal convinces Peter and Mozzie to participate in a con together at Masterson Music because they all agree that Stan Masterson is scum. There's still a contrast afterwards - Mozzie goes further than Peter can condone in bringing "justice" by taking away Stan's most prized assets.
Mozzie's friendship with Elizabeth was likely a turning point for Peter. He trusts his wife's judgment, and if she sees good in Mozzie, then Peter is willing to give the little guy some leeway. And of course that's on top of how cleverly Silbrith uses her FBI agent and science-fiction fan Travis to win Mozzie's approval and trust. To Mozzie's amazement, he's learning that there are FBI agents he can befriend and even admire. When Silbrith introduces Mozzie to Diana and Tricia in The Mirror, whole new worlds of collaboration are possible.
Mozzie might collaborate with Peter's team sometimes, but Peter wouldn't describe him as reformed. He keeps his hand in, working with gentlemen con artists like Gordon Taylor and Adrian Tulane. Nevertheless, Mozzie and Peter are finding common ground, and that's particularly clear when Peter manages by a hairsbreadth to justify Neal breaking into Huber's home in The Mirror; he agrees to participate even before he gets approval, and although he complains he accepts that Mozzie is the leader for this op.
In Caffrey Aloha, Mozzie has a Choirboy moment. Choirboy Caffrey is when Neal first brings a case to Peter. Likewise in Caffrey Aloha, Mozzie actually asks Neal to prevent a theft, accepting help from the FBI. Now that I think about it, I regret not having Peter ponder what a massive step that was for Mozzie. But I guess that's true to life. Sometimes we don't recognize the big steps when they first happen; then we look back in amazement at how far we've come.
No comments:
Post a Comment