We’re back to Summer TV! Which means USA rolls out their new and returning shows. White Collar comes back to our television screens after leaving us with quite the cliffhanger. All of that Nazi treasure we thought burned to ground ended up in the hands of Neal, unbeknownst to him.
As was the case last season, I’m really enjoying this storytelling paradigm White Collar is setting up. One where we’re not only getting a fun, enjoyable case of the week, but there’s also plenty of storytelling going on amongst our favorite cops and robbers pushing the plot forward.
Last season’s finale set up quite a few plot elements going forward and it’s something White Collar wasted no time in pushing further. I was wondering just how far this stunt of Mozzie’s (who we now know stole the Nazi treasure) was going to push this relationship between Peter and Neal back. Thankfully, I had plenty of time to think about how much fun it would be to watch Peter and Neal go at it like the old days in another one of their games of cat and mouse. Now, I’m very excited to see where all of this goes and can’t wait to see how it all comes to a head.
Speaking of cat and mouse, it’s nice to see how much change Matt Bomer was able to reflect in watching Neal struggle with his old life and this new one he’s built with Peter and those who are now close to him. That pull of his old life is still so strong and fraught with temptation that even the allure of this new life that is starting to emerge, the one Peter has, the one Neal wants, still isn’t enough.
In doing so, Neal ends up perhaps reigniting one of his greatest enemies: Peter. The one man who can see past Neal’s conman shell and could appreciate the man for who he is and the qualities that make him more than some simple conman. Peter’s hunches haven’t let him down yet and just how far will Neal go to cover up his trail? And how far is Peter going to go to find it?
Does anyone really care about the case of the week? It’s fun to watch, but I’d rather talk about the characters than the case. We got to see Neal dredge up another one of his aliases, Gary Rydell, and watch him con another con. My favorite part? Watching all of the stolen treasury money hidden in the air vents of the fencing gym waft down. I was a little disappointed we didn’t see Scrooge McDuck take a dive.
All in all, this season of White Collar is shaping up to be the best yet. I can’t wait to see where they take me.
Additional thoughts:
- I’m ready for some estrogen in this show, Elizabeth and Sara needed more to do this episode. I’m glad Elizabeth got to do at least something because usually she’s relegated to cheerleader for Peter and almost nothing else.
- I am finally not creeped out by Elizabeth and Peter, usually she feels way too young for him, but this episode it finally felt like they were compatible to me.
- No June this week, but we did get her granddaughter Cindy! I’m hoping she’s recurring now that All My Children is coming to a close.
