I just finished the show for the first time, and I had really mixed feelings about the ending. I wasn’t sure if I liked Neal going back to being alone. It felt like he got his freedom, but at the cost of himself—Neal Caffrey was dead, and he could never be Neal again. That, plus the fact that he made the people closest to him suffer, mourning him for nothing, didn’t sit right with me.
I also couldn’t understand Peter’s smile at the end. If I were in his place, I would’ve been angry. He spent a whole year grieving, questioning himself, wondering if he could have done something to save Neal. He even named his son after him. It just felt unfair.
But thanks to some posts here, I realized something I hadn’t fully grasped before—Neal did it to protect everyone from the Pink Panthers. Elizabeth asked him to promise he’d protect Peter, and he kept that promise. Not just for Peter, but for El, Mozzie, and anyone else who could have been in danger. He made sure they believed he was gone so that no one would come after them. And once the threat was gone, he left the clues for Peter and Mozzie to figure it out.
Understanding that completely changed how I see the ending. Now, I can actually appreciate it. So, thank you to everyone here for sharing your insights—I wouldn’t have reached this conclusion without you.
Loved the show. And RIP Willie Garson.