You know, I think it's interesting that you read that final scene as Peter throwing Neal out of the White Collar family, because I'd read it in exactly the opposite way: that Peter openly acknowledges that Neal's part of the White Collar unit "family", part of his family, and because of that he's having to bring in someone from outside the department to handle Neal -- everyone else, including himself, has become too emotionally involved. It's basically the opposite of throwing him out: he's not reassigning Neal outside the department, just partnering him with someone who isn't emotionally compromised by having gotten too fond of Neal over the years, as is the case with everyone in White Collar now.

Basically, he's decided that he can't continue to be both Neal's handler and friend, so given the choice he's choosing to continue to be Neal's friend over being his handler. Which is a decision I would've thought a lot more of the fandom would be all over, honestly -- in a way it's the ultimate acknowledgement of the thing the show has spent the last few years building up to, that when it comes right down to it Peter is irrevocably and utterly emotionally compromised by Neal; there's no sorting things into "professional" and "personal" boxes anymore. And he openly acknowledged that he thinks of Neal as family; I think this is the first time that he's come right out and said it. And I think the way he says goodbye at the end makes it obvious that he doesn't want things to change too much; Neal might be taking this as a final goodbye, because Neal likes big gestures and isn't so much for emotional in-betweens, but Peter isn't.

(Now whether Peter's "solution" is a good idea, or will actually work, is a different story; Neal's amply proven in the past that setting firmer boundaries just results in Neal finding creative new ways to break those boundaries. I doubt if Peter is going to hand Neal over to someone terribly hardassed -- there's no way Peter wouldn't vet any new handler six ways from Sunday, and his poor replacement handler is probably going to get Peter looking over his shoulder constantly. *g* I do think some space is good right now for all three of them -- Neal, Peter and El -- but I suspect they'll be terrible at actually maintaining it ...)

I think the thing about the rift between them this season that breaks my heart is that they're both trying so hard to do the right thing: Neal making a deal with the devil to do what he feels is best for Peter, and Peter ripping his own heart out to do what he thinks is best for Neal. I can understand Neal feeling rejected and hurt right now, but I can't imagine him being so petty as to hold a grudge long-term -- last season Peter forgave Neal easily for beating him up and throwing him out of his life; Peter pushing Neal away this time is far gentler and more loving than Neal's rejection in 4x09. I mean, like I said, I can understand Neal being hurt and upset about it (in both cases, actually; it's not like I hate Neal for rejecting Peter in 4x09, either), but if Peter backing off a bit is truly an unforgivable offense in Neal's eyes ... then Peter really has been throwing his friendship down a black hole all this time. But I don't believe so.

Like I was saying to veleda_k, I think Peter openly acknowledging that Neal is a criminal is a good thing for both of them -- it's harsh but it's true, and Peter has basically spent the last four seasons trying to push Neal to be something he's not. Neal is never going to settle happily into a law-abiding life, he's never going to be happy working for the FBI, and the trouble isn't that Peter hasn't believed in Neal all this time, it's that he's believed in Neal too much. Peter's hung too much of his own happiness on Neal making a particular set of choices (not to break the law, not to do criminal things, to settle down and to be happy in a 9-to-5 life) -- but that isn't who Neal is; he's always going to reach for those extralegal solutions when he's backed against a wall, and I think eventually the person who's going to need to change in order for the two of them to settle into some kind of long-term friendly truce isn't Neal, but Peter, who needs to recognize that he's always seen Neal through rose-colored glasses and needs to learn to see and accept all of Neal, the good and the bad, not just the parts he wants to see. (In fairness, I think Neal himself has a slightly idealized view of his own future; veleda_k and I were talking about this, too, and it's hard to imagine Neal being happy with the quiet suburban existence that he thinks he wants -- his attraction to women like Kate and Sara who are basically the opposite of housewifely women like El says a lot about what he really wants, deep down.)

... basically, I guess, I think this is painful for them in the short term but in the long term it's a good step towards both of them eventually being able to approach each other somewhat more as equals rather than boss/subordinate or mentor/mentee, and towards Peter getting a better understanding of who Neal actually is rather than who he wants Neal to be.