White Collar: The Complete First Season (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)I don't think I've ever quite heard of a show quite like "White Collar," a clever new mystery show in which the FBI decides to employ a brilliant criminal to help them bust other "white collar" criminals. While it has an intriguing new twist on the odd-couple cop show, it also has brilliantly witty writing, a murky conspiracy within the FBI, and some excellent actors with plenty of chemistry -- and it promises to get even better.
While searching for a thief known as the Dutchman, FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) hears that gentleman thief/conman/counterfeiter Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer)-- who he put in prison -- has escaped, only to allow himself to be recaptured. Caffrey is desperate to find his girlfriend Kate, and so he makes Burke an offer: free him from prison, and he'll help him catch the Dutchman.
Though he's dubious about Neal, Peter reluctantly agrees. After only a few hours out, Neal has a new wardrobe, a luxurious apartment and a wealthy landlady who doesn't care that he's a former thief. And he's working for the FBI.
Together, the odd partners tackle a bunch of tricky white-collar cases: data hidden in a designer dress, a priceless Bible stolen from a mobster, a painting with a dodgy trail, smuggled Iraqi artifacts, clashes with Interpol in Chinatown, a jewel robbery, infiltrating Wall Street, real estate fraud, an illegal organ-trafficking ring, priceless wine bottles, and a kidnapper who is gunning for Neal. And as Neal tries to unravel the clues that Kate has left him, he and Peter become entangled in a shadowy conspiracy within the FBI...
The first season of "White Collar" is a lot like Neal Caffrey -- elegant, smart and charming, to the point where you don't really care that it has some painfully unrealistic moments (trotting their only witness onto a rooftop party with the KILLER nearby?), and a few slow spots. Fortunately, the writers seem to be smoothing the lumps out.
And the writers have a knack for winding together the one-off cases with an overarcing plot about a corrupt FBI agent who is conspiring against Neal and Peter. There's plenty of hilarious dialogue ("It's a loft, seized in a DEA bust -- fifteen hundred square feet, service elevator. It's perfect!" "Is that a chalk outline?" "I'm sure they've cleaned that up by now") and suspenseful little scenes where Neal and/or Mozzie disguise themselves to infiltrate secure places where the FBI can't go without a warrant.
But the show's heart is DeKay and Bomer. DeKay is a snappy, sharp-edged FBI agent who is willing to bend the rules to get the job done, and respects Neal more than he'll admit. And Bomer is a sort of 21st-century Remington Steele: boyishly handsome, clever, charming, refined, and a little bit rakish. At the same time, you really feel sorry for him because of the loss of Kate, and the hints that she may be in on the plot against him.
There's also a solid supporting cast -- Tiffani Thiessen as Peter's loving, long-suffering wife, and Willie Garson as the hilarious Mozzie ("I just said that to a guy who enjoys killing people with his bare hands!"). Also good performances by Diahann Carroll and Noah Emmerich.
It sounds like just another odd-couple cop show, but "White Collar Season 1" has the benefit of excellent writing, acting and some grippingly suspenseful plots. Definitely check it out.

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White Collar: Season One (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Looks like the USA Network has got another banging hit in its lineup. WHITE COLLAR, an easy-breezy crime drama, swipes heavily from the buddy cop genre, and that this beaten-to-death premise (which owes a lot to 48 HOURS) works for this series is purely because of the appeal of the two leads, and specifically Matt Bomer. This is not to dis his semi-rumpled co-star Tim DeKay, but clearly this show rises or collapses on how effectively Bomer brings the sexy. Tim Dekay - while also charming in a more low-key sort of way - works best as Bomer's exasperated foil.
Sophisticated con artist Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) - convicted of bond forgery but suspected of many other crimes - is hailed as "quite the Renaissance criminal." He has only three to four months left to serve in his prison sentence when Kate, the love of his life, breaks up with him and then amscrays for parts unknown. Demonstrating that a maximum-security prison isn't a deterrent if you're crazy in love, Caffrey breaks out of stir to try to find his girl. Except that he gets caught, and gets caught by the same dogged FBI guy who nabbed him the first time, Peter Burke (Tim DeKay).
Agent Burke toils away in the white collar crime division in the Big Apple and, before he got pulled away into again running down Caffrey, he was steadily getting baffled by a cunning master forger called the Dutchman. But the long-awaited break surfaces when Caffrey proposes a deal: Caffrey will help Burke catch the Dutchman if Caffrey is remanded to Burke's custody and be out and about in the real world. It's plain to both that the real reason for Caffrey's offer is so that Caffrey can keep looking for his lost love. Burke reluctantly takes the deal. Caffrey gets fitted for a GPS tracking anklet. And off they go to make a serious dent on the Friday Nielsen ratings.
WHITE COLLAR debuted this past Friday, October 23rd, and it was so much fun watching it that I went and saw the repeat airing a few hours later. Matt Bomer - who also played Bryce Larkin in Chuck - The Complete First Season - is projected to be the show's breakout star, and it looks like he's got the goods. But it helps that the writers saddled his roguish character with a romantic streak. Meanwhile, Tim DeKay holds up his end, making lemonade with his more thankless role. DeKay is really good at doing that "exasperated and ill-at-ease" thing, and nothing ruffles his by-the-book FBI agent's feathers quite as much as the ridiculous ease with which Caffrey persistently finagles his way to the cushy things in life. Given that $700 is what it cost to house and feed Caffrey while behind bars, the same amount is allotted to finance his new digs on this shaky "work release program." Initially assigned to a very seedy flophouse, Caffrey moments later charms his way into becoming a house guest in an uber-luxurious penthouse. Along the way, he also lands some very sleek threads. He airily describes his new wardrobe as "classic Rat Pack." Burke grinds his teeth, yet can't resist sipping from Caffrey's excellent coffee, from sampling a taste of the good life. It's immediately apparent that Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay demonstrate a terrific give-and-go rapport. Their characters aren't exactly overtly adversarial, but they are trying to one-up each other in subtle ways. It's fun to watch.
As these two start to build a working relationship, their respective personal lives are touched on. For Caffrey, this involves touching base with his street contact (nicely placed by Willie Garson) and searching for his vanished girlfriend Kate. For the workaholic Burke, it's all about balancing career and marriage, except that the scales tend to tilt in favor of career. Tiffani Thiessen plays Burke's impossibly understanding, long-suffering wife Elizabeth, and since this is Tiffani Thiessen, I'm guessing there are fireworks scheduled ahead for Elizabeth Burke.
Like other shows on the USA Network (MONK, BURN NOTICE, PSYCH), WHITE COLLAR flaunts a playful side. In it's key conceit ("It takes a thief..."), it actually shares more in common with a series on TNT, the very good Leverage: The First Season, and with Spielberg's cool con flick Catch Me If You Can (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition). This isn't one of those cable shows that tries to be ambitious (MAD MEN, SONS OF ANARCHY). And, as great as MAD MEN is, there are times when I'm in the mood to just be entertained and not have to think or analyze things too much or get mired in serious angst. WHITE COLLAR is irresistible comfort food for the mind. I just saw the 90 minute pilot, and I thought: So what if maybe things fall in place a little too conveniently in this show? So what if the unlikely partners develop camaraderie maybe just a tad too effortlessly? So what if the "collar of the week" isn't all that compelling? The point is that the show knows its strength rests on showcasing its ridiculously likable two leads. And maybe there's someone on television currently more rakish and dashing than Neal Caffrey. But, for the life of me, I'm drawing a blank.

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In this clever and thrilling new TV series, charming con man Neal Caffey (Matthew Bomer), escapes from a maximum-security prison, only to be recaptured by his nemesis, FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). With few options, Caffey agrees to help the bureau bring down other elusive criminals in exchange for his eventual freedom. But before long, Caffey finds himself playing a game of cat and mouse with those who want him back in prison or dead. Co-starring Tiffani Thiessen (Beverly Hills, 90210), White Collar is sewn with surprising twists, engaging characters and riveting excitement.

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