The pilot episode of White Collar was most definitely slick and smart, as well as charming, as Matt Bormer will charm the pants off anyone he meets as his suave alter ego Neal Caffrey.
This show most definitely fits in the USA Network’s slew of shows, which include Burn Notice and Royal Pains. It has good pacing and interesting chemistry between Matt Bormer and Tim DeKay, something that isn’t easy to fake. They work well on the screen, there is no denying this.
Basically, Dekay’s Burke is a white collar specialist who put Bormer’s Caffrey away a few years ago. In order to reduce his sentence a bit further, after having escaped a super max jail, Caffrey offers to help Burke to catch the illusive Dutchman, a criminal that Burke has also been chasing for a few years. This setup kind of reminds me of Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can as well as The Sting with Redford and Newman.
What’s also interesting, is that the guys don’t just keep this professional. They also involve their personal lives. Burke needs help to make his hot wife Elizabeth, played by Tiffani Thiessen, happy while Caffrey is searching for his wife that just vanished. All in all, a great show with good actors. I recommend it.
Warning: spoilers ahead
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Alex is back with problems and Neal helps her out, while arresting a bunch of kids who have been doing copycat crimes all over the city.
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A famous painting was stolen from a major gallery. The theft was leaked by the thieves to generate interest.
Neal asks Moz. Alex is in town. The missing painting was fenced in Dubai. She’s here to talk to Moz.
A bunch of forgeries have been fenced overseas. The original never leaves the country. They have a copycat on their hands. Someone is trying to copycat Neal’s heists.
An art student was commissioned to paint 7 reproductions. He stayed to watch who picked them up since they she didn’t want to meet. They trace her. Her name is Veronica Naylon. In the one class she is acing, they are teaching the students about Neal Caffrey’s crimes.
Alex is in trouble. Moz hooked her up with Russell Smith to get some Krugerrands. He’s planning on selling her out to the people who are looking for her.
Burke sends Neal into the class to snuff them out. Some of the people in class exchange knowing glances. Neal spots them all. The professor is involved. Neal muscles himself in and the prof invites him for drinks.
It turns out that the crew have been copycat stealing a lot of art over the last few years.
Neal goes back to see the students. He susses out the leader and makes him look foolish by working with Alex. The prof arrives. Neal plans on making the feds believe that the kids are going to steal Russell’s Kurgerrands. That’s when Alex is going to fence them to him.
It works out but Burke discovers that Smith was trying to get Alex Hunter. He’s pissed. They have been waiting for hours. The case is gone from the locker. They got the locker from the back.
Burke asks Moz and Neal what was going on. He discovers that Smith used to work for the mob. Burke plans on playing a mob guy looking for his Krugerrands.
Oswald fences the painting and the Krugerrands to Alex Hunter. He gets pinched in the middle of it. Alex gets a flight out of the States to Italy. They have blamed Smith for everything.
Then they arrest the kids.
Diana calls Burke. There is something hidden in the box.
Neal intercepts Alex before she leaves. She lifted the Matisse that Oswald stole. She gives him the last piece of the music box. It’s a cherub key.
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