White Collar Season Two : Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Review by JAM
Take one brazen thief with a sense of style and panache (Matt Bomer), a federal agent who plays things by the book (most of the time) ( Tim DeKay), a supporting cast that includes a bumbling, trustworthy criminal friend to the thief (Willie Garson), federal agents Jones (Sharif Atkins) and Barrigan (Marsha Thomason), and a former child star playing the smarter half in the agent’s marriage (Tiffani Thiessen), and now you have White Collar, a show that will steal your time and your thoughts as it paints a surreal picture, a Dali if you will.
Neal Caffrey (played by Matt Bomer) is our former (?) world class thief working alongside FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). As you might remember from the first season of White Collar, Peter seems to have a history with Neal with respect for his talents and the idea that maybe given the right choices, Neal might not make the wrong decisions. So the idea of a partnership is tossed between the two, giving Neal the chance to not have to stay behind the bars that trap him, the chance to live life without having to glance over his shoulder nonstop, and to do the right thing by putting others behind bars who are preying on society. Of course, there are a few catches. An ankle bracelet with GPS locator, a limited range of wandering in the city for a man who has traveled the world, and a hotel room almost as cramped as his cell are all hindrances to Neal’s freedom, but being the opportunistic man he is means the deal is consummated.
Neal is still a smooth operator, living life now with a seeming heart of gold while pursuing those that had killed his ex Kate (Alexandra Daddario). As the season comes to its close, the target lies on Neal’s former mentor Vincent Adler (Andrew McCarthy), a conman extraordinaire himself, on a quest for Nazi gold. Neal and Peter along with the help of the normal crew and Neal’s former flame Alex Hunter (Gloria Votsis) and current interest Sara Ellis (Hilarie Burton) find Adler and work to extract the revenge Neal has long sought. But things take a bit of a crazy turn and Neal may soon be back to his old ways. Can Neal find his way back, or does he even want to? And though Peter may not seem the brains of this operation, he knows Neal better than anyone. How will the next season play out? Catch up on Season Two and see what happens as Season Three is around the corner.
JAMS Ink on White CollarSeason One was Neal’s search to find that which he had lost, Kate, and his search to escape the ties that bind him to Peter and the FBI. Season Two is the search for revenge from those that had really killed Kate. From the pursuit of Fowler (Noah Emmerich) to the search for the key to the music box to the attempted assassination of Mozzie to the final confrontation of Adler, Neal searches high and low and pursues any lead possible while Peter works his own angles. For such an amazing team, they work solo so often that the trust level stays shaky which is probably needed when your main character is a thief, conman, and grifter. It keeps the watcher guessing and the stories fresh.
If you had read my Season One review, I mentioned keeping an eye on FBI agent Diana Lancing (Marsha Thomason) as she was one that I thought might become important. Well, I was right, even though they seemed to change her name to Diana Barrigan now. She is another member of Peter’s team that can keep Neal in his place and the witty banter the two have sometimes even throws the staid Peter off his game.
Since my Keep An Eye on last season worked so well with Diana, keep an eye on Sara Ellis (Hilarie Burton) in Season Three. She and Neal seem to have chemistry onscreen and between their characters as well. They may have some trust issues themselves as though they have attraction, their jobs (thief versus insurance investigator) are going to have many secrets that they cannot share with each other. It will be interesting how they work together as the season starts. I love her character and the episodes she has been in as she is another that keeps Neal on his toes, so I am interested in seeing where the two of them go, especially with the shock ending to Season Two.
Favorite Episode of Season Two – Episode 10 Burke’s Seven. Seeing the main characters on the show come together as a “con” team in order to save Peter and learn more about Mozzie’s attack is a lot of fun. It shows the strength of the ensemble, both as actors and characters themselves. It is also the first we see the faux couple (at the time) of Neal and Sara who will eventually work on the establishment of the actual relationship.
EXTRASI actually think these extras were quite a bit better than the Burn Notice extras from this year. I mean, they share the roasts that occupy both discs as each roast each other, but then White Collar takes the cake. The deleted scenes were okay here, but the gag reel included was pretty good. Definitely worth a look. You also have a cool look at Mozzie’s character in Slick Willie as Willie Garson shares as only he can, and if you enjoyed him here catch out the commentary on Forging Bonds since he joins in to the fun. I would also recommend checking out So Here’s the Deal if you are interested in the behind the camera portions of your favorite television shows. It is a pretty good look at things that are not always at the forefront of your thoughts as you are watching your television shows.
White Collar: Season Two from Twentieth Century Fox appeared on shelves on DVD on June 7, 2011. Pay for your copy, but steal some laughs and excitement as you watch one of the best shows on television.
Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at www.jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.
