White Collar: The New Dynamic Duo

“The most unforgettable characters on television,” boasts USA Network. The network “is not only a place where characters live, it’s a place where characters come alive.” After viewing the highly anticipated premiere of White Collar, I congratulate them on creating another dynamic duo in the characters of Neal Caffrey and Peter Burke.

The episode begins with Neal Caffrey, conman extraordinaire, breaking out of a super max prison by walking out the front door dressed as a guard. Peter Burke, FBI agent in the white-collar division and the only person to ever catch Neal, is pulled away from his current case, tracking the elusive Dutchman, to once again find him.

After watching video of jail visitors and because he knows Neal so well, Peter realizes that Neal broke out to find his ex-girlfriend, Kate. Peter quickly locates Neal at Kate’s empty apartment.

Before re-arresting Neal, the two surprisingly chat until Neal notices a fiber on Peter’s suit. He explains to Peter what the fiber is, who in return mentions it must be from his current case involving the Dutchman. You can almost see the light bulb go on in Neal’s head. One week later at a meeting in prison, Neal petitions to be released to help Peter find the Dutchman. At first, Peter is opposed but he changes his mind and the unlikely crime fighting partnership is born.

Neal is outfitted with an ankle monitor and released into the custody of the FBI, under Peter’s supervision. If he runs, he goes back to jail forever but if he helps catch the Dutchman, he could be free. Neal must stay in a sleazy motel and is confined to two miles from the motel or he will activate the monitor. True to form, the suave Neal befriends an older, well-to-do lady, June, who invites him to move into her beautiful mansion (1.6 miles away) and wear her late husband Byron’s vintage, “rat-pack” like clothing.

A tip leads Neal and Peter to the airport where they interrogate a classic book dealer who is trying to bring a suspiciously large quantity of inexpensive Spanish Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs books into the country. The dealer winds up dead after a man claiming to be his attorney is last seen with him.

Neal deduces that the books were only needed for a blank page of parchment in the front of each book. They retrace the book dealer’s steps and confirm that he examined a Spanish Victory bond, issued during the war in 1944, at the National Archives. After Neal takes a closer look, he proclaims it is a forgery.

After some brainstorming, Neal and Peter realize that the Dutchman has the original bond and is planning to forge six hundred copies, with the paper from the books, that he will cash for a profit of approximately one hundred and fifty million dollars.

Neal’s friend Mozzie appears at June’s house and is enlisted to help find the Dutchman and Kate. With Mozzie’s help, clues are discovered that lead them to an artist, Curtis Hagen, whom Neal believes is the Dutchman, and the warehouse with the printing presses. He also locates Kate in San Diego.

Peter does not have enough information to gain a search warrant for the warehouse and the duo is under more pressure because the FBI believes that Hagen plans to flee the country in one week.

After reading a book on warrant law, Neal comes up with a plan. He goes to the warehouse and gains access, which sets off his ankle monitor to alert the FBI. This allows Peter to use exigent circumstances, which states that the FBI can pursue a fugitive (Neal) onto private property, seize evidence in plain view (the fake bonds) and arrest Hagen. Neal has saved the day.

Nicely woven through the episode is the subplot of Peter’s search for the perfect anniversary present for his wife, Elizabeth. In the end, he surprises her with tickets for a vacation in Belize.

The show culminates with Peter informing Neal that he will not be sent back to jail. Instead, he becomes an FBI consultant for four years under Peter’s supervision.

USA has another superb show! There was natural chemistry between the characters. The dialogue was light-hearted and funny. Multiple times, I found myself laughing out loud at the banter between Neal and Peter. Lastly, thank you USA for choosing Matt Bomer to play Neal because he is gorgeous! I welcome these characters into my Friday nights!

For another take on this episode, check out Fridays Just Got Hotter by Renata Sellitti.

Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot (originally aired October 23, 2009)

For more on White Collar, click here.

Fridays at 10/9c on USA Network

Photographs courtesy of USA and Electric Artists