Network: USA
Time: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Natalie Morales, Willie Garson, Tiffani Thiessen, Sharif Atkins
Summary: Neal and Alex pair up to go after the elusive music box at the Italian consulate. Meanwhile, Peter asks Diana to help him get rid of Fowler.
Review: Wow. That's the only word I had left after the first season finale of White Collar. Just wow.
There have been a few rocky episodes since White Collar returned after the winter hiatus. The story has focused so much on Neal finding Kate and rescuing her and, as a result, there's been a ton of tension between Neal and Peter. At no point did the show ever get bad per se, just rocky.
But not anymore.
While this episode obviously focused on Neal and Kate, it no longer creates the same kind of tension between Neal and Peter. Neal clearly trusts Peter again, so much so that he lets him in on his plan to steal the music box. And Peter seems to finally understand why Neal is doing what he's doing. There's a really nice moment where you see the pieces finally click into place for Peter, when he realizes Neal really loves Kate.
Let's talk for a minute about some familiar faces that reappeared in this episode. I, for one, would like to give Marsha Thomason a hearty welcome back to the show. She's changed a bit since she was Peter's underling. For one thing, she has her own identity, which she really hadn't developed in episode one. Also, she's tough as nails and really, really cool. And with the White Collar producers promising that she'll be a full cast member next season, I'm looking forward to seeing how she'll mesh with Jones and Cruz (particularly Cruz, since Natalie Morales basically replaces Thomason in the series).
Also back was Gloria Votsis, reprising her role as Neal's con-artist buddy Alex. She's another character I'd like to see have more screen time next season. She's another spunky, strong female character, and her sometimes-friend-sometimes-adversary relationship with Neal is always fun to watch.
So this whole episode basically centers around Neal and Alex (and Mozzie) plotting and attempting to steal the music box from the Italian consulate. The scheme they come up with is amazing (to those of us who have absolutely no conning abilities whatsoever). It was possibly my favorite scene of the entire season to watch.
Except, perhaps, the scene where Neal is shirtless and forging a statue. But we won't go there.
Everything clicked in this episode. Everyone's timing was good, the bad guys were bad in all the right ways, the plot was well-developed, and the ending was jaw-dropping. Literally.
I cannot wait for next season.
Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad
Comments? Leave them here.
Showing posts with label show: White Collar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label show: White Collar. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
White Collar - Bad Judgment
Network: USA
Time: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Natalie Morales, Tiffani Thiessen, Sharif Atkins
Summary: Peter and Neal find a connection between Fowler and a corrupt judge, and they devise a plan to take down both of them.
Review: After being only mildly impressed by White Collar's fall premiere, I watched last week's episode with a bit of trepidation. Fortunately, whatever small kinks were in the first episode were gone by this time, and I have nothing but rave reviews for this most recent episode.
Peter and Neal are back in action, and I'm glad they're not at odds with each other anymore. Oh, sure, there's always going to be a smidgen of distrust between them, but they're back to being as close as an FBI agent and an ex-con can be. And, more importantly, this episode marked the return of the wonderful Elizabeth/Neal relationship.
I need to say this now and have it in writing in case something goes horribly wrong with the future of this show: I love Elizabeth's character. In so many crime shows, the wife of the agent doesn't seem to understand her husband's job. She whines that he's not home enough or that he doesn't pay enough attention to her or that he puts his works first. Elizabeth does none of those things. She takes everything in stride, whether it's waking up to find a minion of FBI agents in her house or finding out her phone is bugged. Instead of getting mad at Peter, she rolls her eyes good-naturedly, gets up, and makes a pot of coffee.
In this episode, Peter thinks that Fowler may have bugged his house... again. So he calls in a Cleaner. And guess who waltzes in the door--Mozzie. Mozzie is a true criminal at heart, and Peter leaves Jones there to make sure nothing gets stolen in his house. He needn't have worried though. By the end of the episode, Elizabeth and Moz are the best of friends (and what is with Elizabeth becoming buddies with all the criminals?).
There was a lot of Mozzie in this episode, actually. Between his new relationship with Peter and Elizabeth (or, as he says, Suit and Mrs. Suit), the chemistry between him and Neal just gets better with each passing show. Mozzie doesn't get that Neal isn't the same criminal he used to be, but he's not mad at the change in his friend, he's amused. Which leads to some really funny conversations.
My only complaint about this episode is the same complaint I always have--the last two minutes. I don't know why, but the last scene of each episode just annoys me. It usually shows Neal learning new information that he plans on dealing with himself. This episode was no different, except my reaction changed. Instead of worry that this would somehow taint the Peter/Neal relationship, I rolled my eyes and said, "Neal, you always wind up telling Peter everything anyway. Why are you bothering to try and hide?" I don't know how much longer the writers think they can use that trick as a cliffhanger, but, by this point, I don't expect Nealto keep any secrets from Peter for longer than half an episode.
So, great episode. I'm glad to see the banter between the characters return to the witty repartee I've come to expect from this show. I'm not quite ready to give this a 5/5 yet, but it's well on its way. I can't wait for more.
Time: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Natalie Morales, Tiffani Thiessen, Sharif Atkins
Summary: Peter and Neal find a connection between Fowler and a corrupt judge, and they devise a plan to take down both of them.
Review: After being only mildly impressed by White Collar's fall premiere, I watched last week's episode with a bit of trepidation. Fortunately, whatever small kinks were in the first episode were gone by this time, and I have nothing but rave reviews for this most recent episode.
Peter and Neal are back in action, and I'm glad they're not at odds with each other anymore. Oh, sure, there's always going to be a smidgen of distrust between them, but they're back to being as close as an FBI agent and an ex-con can be. And, more importantly, this episode marked the return of the wonderful Elizabeth/Neal relationship.
I need to say this now and have it in writing in case something goes horribly wrong with the future of this show: I love Elizabeth's character. In so many crime shows, the wife of the agent doesn't seem to understand her husband's job. She whines that he's not home enough or that he doesn't pay enough attention to her or that he puts his works first. Elizabeth does none of those things. She takes everything in stride, whether it's waking up to find a minion of FBI agents in her house or finding out her phone is bugged. Instead of getting mad at Peter, she rolls her eyes good-naturedly, gets up, and makes a pot of coffee.
In this episode, Peter thinks that Fowler may have bugged his house... again. So he calls in a Cleaner. And guess who waltzes in the door--Mozzie. Mozzie is a true criminal at heart, and Peter leaves Jones there to make sure nothing gets stolen in his house. He needn't have worried though. By the end of the episode, Elizabeth and Moz are the best of friends (and what is with Elizabeth becoming buddies with all the criminals?).
There was a lot of Mozzie in this episode, actually. Between his new relationship with Peter and Elizabeth (or, as he says, Suit and Mrs. Suit), the chemistry between him and Neal just gets better with each passing show. Mozzie doesn't get that Neal isn't the same criminal he used to be, but he's not mad at the change in his friend, he's amused. Which leads to some really funny conversations.
My only complaint about this episode is the same complaint I always have--the last two minutes. I don't know why, but the last scene of each episode just annoys me. It usually shows Neal learning new information that he plans on dealing with himself. This episode was no different, except my reaction changed. Instead of worry that this would somehow taint the Peter/Neal relationship, I rolled my eyes and said, "Neal, you always wind up telling Peter everything anyway. Why are you bothering to try and hide?" I don't know how much longer the writers think they can use that trick as a cliffhanger, but, by this point, I don't expect Nealto keep any secrets from Peter for longer than half an episode.
So, great episode. I'm glad to see the banter between the characters return to the witty repartee I've come to expect from this show. I'm not quite ready to give this a 5/5 yet, but it's well on its way. I can't wait for more.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
White Collar - Hard Sell
Network: USA
Time: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Natalie Morales, Tiffani Thiessen, Sharif Atkins, Alexandra Daddario
Summary: Peter and Neal go undercover to take down a corrupt group of Wall Street brokers. If they fail, Neal's deal with the FBI could be negated.
Review: When we last left our heroes, Neal was the suspect in a jewelry heist and he escaped from FBI custody. Also, Peter had a secret meeting with Kate. Now that we've returned, things have patched up somewhat, but the trust that binds Neal and Peter is tenuous at best, and much of the episode is spent watching Neal act like a spoiled twelve-year-old with an attitude problem. Neal's certainly never been the most mature character on cable television (or, you know, in the top 25), but this was a new low of immaturity, especially when he risked exposing Peter in an undercover mission because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. I expected him to cross his arms and stomp his foot and demand Peter tell him the truth.
Luckily for himself, Neal and the audience, Peter is more mature than most, and, when he found out what Neal was whining about, he was honest with him and told him exactly what happened (the details of which are classified; go watch the episode). At least, we're led to assume he's being honest. He could, I suppose, be lying through his teeth. But we got flashbacks, so that makes me assume it's the truth.
Due to the strained relationship, the normally engaging banter between Neal and Peter was lacking for much of the episode, giving it a slightly slow feeling. It wasn't horrible, but it was a far cry from the first half the season, where every character was pithy and clever. Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay acted their parts well, but it's just not as much fun to watch two people who are fighting than it is to watch them affectionately exasperated with each other.
However, I really enjoyed this episode, even with the weird chemistry between Peter and Neal. The Wall Street scam was really interesting. I appreciated the characters they created for the guy in charge, his partner, and the man who "hired" Neal. And I really enjoyed the last few minutes of the case, especially the interaction between Peter and Neal as they started to get their situation untangled (again, I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't seen it, but, for those who have, think kill switch).
And, as is typical for a White Collar episode, there was a twist in the last minute and a half of the episode. Just when you think everything's resolved, they throw something new in the mix to keep you coming back next week. And, as is typical for a White Collar episode, I hated that last minute and a half. I find cliffhangers to be a necessary evil at the best of times, but the White Collar ones always seem superfluous, like they're only there because they thing they won't be able to retain their audience if they don't do it. Unnecessary plot twists just don't do it for me, and I generally wish they'd just leave them out.
All in all, there were a lot of positives to this episode that I haven't named, and just a few negatives that I did. So, while the review does seem skewed a little towards the negative, the episode was actually a lot of fun, and I'm really glad this show has returned.
Time: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Natalie Morales, Tiffani Thiessen, Sharif Atkins, Alexandra Daddario
Summary: Peter and Neal go undercover to take down a corrupt group of Wall Street brokers. If they fail, Neal's deal with the FBI could be negated.
Review: When we last left our heroes, Neal was the suspect in a jewelry heist and he escaped from FBI custody. Also, Peter had a secret meeting with Kate. Now that we've returned, things have patched up somewhat, but the trust that binds Neal and Peter is tenuous at best, and much of the episode is spent watching Neal act like a spoiled twelve-year-old with an attitude problem. Neal's certainly never been the most mature character on cable television (or, you know, in the top 25), but this was a new low of immaturity, especially when he risked exposing Peter in an undercover mission because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. I expected him to cross his arms and stomp his foot and demand Peter tell him the truth.
Luckily for himself, Neal and the audience, Peter is more mature than most, and, when he found out what Neal was whining about, he was honest with him and told him exactly what happened (the details of which are classified; go watch the episode). At least, we're led to assume he's being honest. He could, I suppose, be lying through his teeth. But we got flashbacks, so that makes me assume it's the truth.
Due to the strained relationship, the normally engaging banter between Neal and Peter was lacking for much of the episode, giving it a slightly slow feeling. It wasn't horrible, but it was a far cry from the first half the season, where every character was pithy and clever. Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay acted their parts well, but it's just not as much fun to watch two people who are fighting than it is to watch them affectionately exasperated with each other.
However, I really enjoyed this episode, even with the weird chemistry between Peter and Neal. The Wall Street scam was really interesting. I appreciated the characters they created for the guy in charge, his partner, and the man who "hired" Neal. And I really enjoyed the last few minutes of the case, especially the interaction between Peter and Neal as they started to get their situation untangled (again, I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't seen it, but, for those who have, think kill switch).
And, as is typical for a White Collar episode, there was a twist in the last minute and a half of the episode. Just when you think everything's resolved, they throw something new in the mix to keep you coming back next week. And, as is typical for a White Collar episode, I hated that last minute and a half. I find cliffhangers to be a necessary evil at the best of times, but the White Collar ones always seem superfluous, like they're only there because they thing they won't be able to retain their audience if they don't do it. Unnecessary plot twists just don't do it for me, and I generally wish they'd just leave them out.
All in all, there were a lot of positives to this episode that I haven't named, and just a few negatives that I did. So, while the review does seem skewed a little towards the negative, the episode was actually a lot of fun, and I'm really glad this show has returned.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
