A Klingon, a Vulcan, and a Viking Walk into a Bar

In her April post about why she loves loopy Neal, Penna explored some of the many uses she's made of a loopy Neal. We've both found loopiness a handy tool to bring buried emotions to the forefront, set a mood, provide revelations, or simply add a little lightheartedness to a tense situation.

Costumes can also be used for many of the same purposes. In canon, Peter Burke is typically a strict taskmaster. The writers wisely made him appear much more approachable when they had him mention his fondness for Vikings and hats with horns. (Season 2, Episode 12: "What Happens in Burma") In the same season, we discover Peter is also fixated on destroying all copies of photos showing him with a mustache. Penna wrote how loopiness could make Neal less intimidating. In Neal's eyes, it's Peter who needs to lighten up and now he has the perfect weapon.

(Caution: Mild spoilers for The Woman in Blue and The Mirror)

Peter is fully aware of why Neal teases him about costumes and is not above taking advantage of it. In The Woman in Blue, he dons a costume to help Neal relax before a stressful undercover job. He appreciates costumes as a useful tool for undercover work and is willing to put up with a little teasing for the sake of the mission. In a weak moment, Peter confessed to me he aenjoyed playing Julius Caesar to Neal's Mark Antony.

At the sci-fi convention in The Mirror, Peter succeeds in avoiding a costume, but the other team members are happy to indulge in cosplay. Next to Neal, Diana is the best actor on the team. She's played a sultry Cleopatra (The Woman in Blue) and a flirtatious Christmas elf (An Evening with Genji). Compared to those outrageous outfits, dressing as Uhuru is almost like wearing work attire.

For Jones, costumes provide a way to break out of the conservative toe-the-line FBI agent mold he displays at work. That fun-loving side doesn't have much of an opportunity to reveal itself in canon episodes, but that isn't true in our series. In The Woman in Blue, we learn that he's an avid video gamer, preferring strategic games. In the same story, he gets the chance to play a Roman general. Thanks to Travis, Jones's ultimate alter-ego is revealed when he is transformed into a Klingon. Jones the Klingon has a swagger that Jones the FBI agent envies.

Mozzie frequently adopts disguises for running a con. At the sci-fi convention, he has the chance to be whoever he'd like, and it's no wonder that he picked that bartender/gamemaster/merchant extraordinaire—Quark.

Not all costumes are physical. As a child, Travis began copying Spock's mannerisms to defend himself from bullies. By channeling Spock he was able to lessen the hurt. At Tac-Con Travis is able to pay homage to his hero.

Neal enjoys wearing costumes but doesn't normally adopt disguises for a con. His costumes are psychological. He buries his true nature under the mask of a different personality. It's what makes him a master con artist, but psychological costumes can be much harder to shed than physical ones.

Will Peter ever be able to indulge his fantasy and wear a Viking costume? Will Mozzie and Jones adopt Nazi disguises for a joint operation? Will a Vulcan, a Klingon, and a Viking ever walk into Quark's bar? It's only a matter of time.

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