Recently I attended author Gail Carriger's class about the Heroine's Journey. In the class she gave an example of a show that began as a Heroine's Journey, and how viewers felt betrayed when it changed into a Hero's Journey. That was a lightbulb moment for me regarding my feelings about White Collar. My final dissatisfaction with the show ties into the fact that the first few seasons had given me an expectation that wasn't delivered in the final seasons. That dissatisfaction drove the direction I took with the Caffrey Conversation series.
First I should point out that Hero's or Heroine's Journey does not require the main character to be a specific gender. Also, I highly recommend attending one of Gail's upcoming talks on the Heroine's Journey and I'm going to cover only a few elements of the class here.
The Hero's Journey focuses on a character who is strongest when alone, and thus will face the toughest challenges and villains solo. In the end, this character will not be able to fit into society and will be solidified as a loner. Often, the Hero's Journey has a sad ending. Readers of this type of story typically are looking for excitement.
The Heroine's Journey focuses on a character who is strongest among peers or a found family, and thus will face the toughest challenges and villains as the leader of a team. In the end, this character will be part of a community. Usually, the Heroine's Journey has a happy ending. Readers of this type of story typically are looking for comfort.
That brings us to White Collar, and specifically Neal Caffrey. In the early seasons it feels like Neal is on a Heroine's Journey. He is gathering a family around him, including June, Mozzie, Sara, Jones, Diana, and of course Peter and Elizabeth Burke. When Neal goes off on his own he tends to make things worse, and when he partners with Peter on his adventures they seem to be unstoppable -- their case closure rate is phenomenal and they're able to overcome challenges from both the criminal world and the FBI.
That raised my hopes for a conclusion where Neal successfully completes his commitment to the FBI and has a happy ending, surrounded by people he loves.
However, that's not how the series ended. He was increasingly at odds with Peter. Sara was gone. Neal went undercover -- alone -- with a dangerous group and finally faked his death, leaving everyone behind. There was a glimmer of hope that he was open to being found again, but that felt like a token gesture for fans who'd joined a Heroine's Journey and had the rug pulled out from under us.
And that brings us to the Caffrey Conversation. It is unabashedly a Heroine's Journey. Neal is strongest when he lets his friends and family into his life, and they have convinced him that it's better to face challenges together. Silbrith and I have talked about how we might end our AU. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that we will definitely have a happy ending, and Neal will not be alone at the end.
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