White Collar is a show that prides itself on being as slick and easy going as con artist Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer). As the second season picks up you may feel a little lost if you strayed from the series previously. Neal’s girlfriend is apparently dead, there’s a mysterious box that is the key to everything, Neal has been arrested, and FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) is once again in need of Neal’s expert services. There’s a lot of head scratching going on when you begin watching the season two premiere, until you realize that a quirky Ocean’s 11 vibed USA series will focus more on the case of the week.
That’s exactly what “Withdrawal” delivers. An arrogant bank robber challenges Neal and Peter to rise to his level. It’s a constant back and forth of who’s the better con man and charmer. Though it would be nice if the storyline itself were less contrived, the characters make up for any other shortcomings White Collar has. The bad guy wins all along the way, until our heroes triumphantly rise victorious over the inflated hubris of the man who had no idea he was up against Peter and Neal.
For quite awhile now USA has been utilizing the “Characters Welcome” slogan to great effect. White Collar fits nicely into that niche, especially with the camaraderie between the two leads. But a perplexing twist at the end of the season two premiere hints that there may be more story to come. Perhaps even a well done story. This is something that USA shows have been missing, a great overarching story to complement some of the most memorable characters on television. We can always hope that White Collar has the guts to lead the way.
White Collar season 2 premieres Tuesday, July 13 at 9:00 PM ET on USA.
For more information, check out USA's White Collar website here.
