Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen (not you, Caffrey), because I have seen the future of White Collar, and it is good.
That’s right … I had the opportunity to preview the first two episodes of the show’s second season, premiering this coming Tuesday night, July 13, and I have to tell you: You won’t be disappointed. Light SPOILERS ahead.
The second season picks up soon after the first left off — the plane that Neal and Kate were boarding to freedom exploded, killing Kate (I doubt it), and leaving Neal to mourn her loss. And after some hoops have been jumped and some documents signed, Neal and Peter are once again working together to put white collar criminals behind bars. And find Kate’s killer. And the music box. And figure out what Fowler was up to.
You see, that’s the one thing that didn’t sit well with me throughout these two great episodes — the show has reached a point where all of the other nonsense is distracting. Because I’ll let you in on a little secret: I don’t know what was different, but something about the way the case-of-the-week was handled in these two episodes was fantastic. Just fantastic.
You know what else was fantastic? Diana (Marsha Thomason). That’s right … for all those who asked, “Why not the canned Natalie Morales (Lauren Cruz)? What’s Thomason got that Morales doesn’t?” Get back to me after you’ve seen the first two episodes of season two. Diana is awesome, and fits in almost as well as Jones, who I was so excited to see a lot of.
Also fantastic (lots of good vibes in these two hours)? Mozzie. And not just alone or with Neal, but also with Peter, who he spends a hell of a lot of time with. They are the funniest pairing since … well, Neal and Peter, who raise the bar on their buddy banter and shenanigans.
Speaking of, earlier this week Matt Bomer (Neal) and Tim DeKay (Peter) participated in another of their entertaining conference calls. While most of the conversation was either vague or irrelevant to the show, there were a handful of tidbits worth repeating.
In a similar vein to last season, when we met one or two of his nemeses, the second season will introduce yet another criminal looking to settle a score with Neal, this time played by Hilarie Burton. Bomer called her a high class repo man … looks like another lesson in the con game, ala Michael Westen’s pointers, is in order.
The theme of trust on the show was mentioned in passing; Matt called it a shifting dynamic … I say it’s either boring, or pointless, for the level of trust between Neal and Peter to be constantly increasing and decreasing. It’s a dumb plot device, and it also can’t help their working relationship for Peter to be second-guessing Neal every other week. Here’s hoping it’s something that was left behind in season one.
And for Chuck fans, when asked if he thought that Caffrey could take Bryce Larkin in a fight, Bomer said the following: “Oh! Neal could outsmart him, but if you’re talking about a UFC cage match, Bryce would definitely win.” So there’s that.
And possibly coming sometime beyond the first half of season two? A duet between Neal and June (Diahann Carroll) … I didn’t even know Bomer could sing!
Feel like I’m not giving away a lot? Well, there really isn’t that much to reveal. The best part about this show is the relationships, which I can’t and won’t ruin for you. And the cases are gelling together nicely, but there’s no point in revealing the scams to you at this stage. I will, however, tell you this: So far the guest stars are fantastic. I am a huge fan of Tim Matheson (how is it that it’s his replacement VP that lands more gigs?), and David Alan Basche is fantastic (there’s that word again) as a corrupt politician who hires Neal … oops! Almost got me!
Seriously though, there’s just a pleasant feeling to be had watching this cast of characters make hay out of Manhattan. Elizabeth Burke, who I had finally started to enjoy toward the end of last season, has yet to make an appearance, but between Peter, Neal, Jones, Diana, and Mozzie, she was hardly missed. The show still insists on sticking Caffrey in those revolting hats, but I suppose it would be boring for me to only have positive things to say.
Which brings me back to what I said before about “the nonsense.” I do believe that Neal needs to uncover the mystery behind Kate’s disappearance, the music box, and “Mentor.” However, while I enjoyed the Kate story line last season, I think it detracts this time around, mainly because there (supposedly) is no Kate. Now, once Neal learns that Kate’s alive and was running from him yet again (not a spoiler, just my theory), I’m sure I’ll see things differently. But the hunt for what Fowler was doing adds up to a whole lot of clandestine nonsense that pulls the viewer out of the bigger picture, which is a fun, light show with a great ensemble.
But even with that noise, season two of White Collar looks to be brilliant. Check it out for yourself starting Tuesday night, July 13. And don’t forget to get back to me on Diana!
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jul 08, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
I’m really looking forward to having “White Collar” back again. Thanks for the spoiler-light preview! (Matt Bomer fans should run, not walk, to a bookstore or newsstand to see Entertainment Weekly’s wet photos of him in their “Summer Must List” issue).
No mention of the Burn Notice crossover/connections?
I know it doesn’t always seem like it, but Aryeh is full of love. He just doesn’t give it out too freely. Give the “Cantankerous Kid” a day or two and his heart will grow 3 sizes by then.
It’s not a character flaw. If my kids were still as little and cute as his boy I’d be saving all my love for them, too. Not that I don’t love them with my very life, but when they’re teenagers and you give them HTC EVO 4G phones for their birthdays and all you get is a tiny smile, a quick thanks and the forceful wind that can only be formed by the vacuum left when 2 bodies exit the vicinity at light speed it just doesn’t feel the same.
I still remember when a hug was worth all the tea in China, now I get texts telling me to quit commenting on their FB pages because I’m embarassing them. It’s not that I’m saying anything even remotely embarassing, it’s the fact that I exist that’s embarassing. :o)
*POST AUTHOR*
I think you should teach a course in raising teens. I actually might pay to attend that. :)
Man, I don’t think anybody can give an effective course in raising teens. Mom can take one position and Dad can take the opposite, but somehow in a teenager’s mind you’re both wrong.
It’s easier to herd cats while putting toothpaste back into the tube than it is to understand teens. They make women seem downright easy to figure out!
*POST AUTHOR*
No idea what you’re talking about. What crossover/connections?
The only crossover/connection I can even come close to recalling was an extremely brief appearance by both Bomer and Donovan in a rap video for Royal Pains. I’d certainly welcome a crossover and if one’s coming I’m excited, but while both shows have a healthy dose of humor in them they differ greatly in tone. I’m afraid it might come off as too forced, but I would be more than willing to keep an open mind about it. There’s no way it could be worse than the CSI three-way story where Langston dropped in on his fellow partners in forensics in Miami and New York. I’m not even sure I feel comfortable admitting I watched that.
The universe is coming to an end, although I knew that a couple of days ago when I suggested you do one of your infamous “poop” columns on a USA Networks original show. The fact that we have some overlap in TV love didn’t seem possible to me until that day and since then I’ve been going around the city I live in removing all the anti-Aryeh graffitti I’ve laid down. Damn, it’s hard to get spray paint off concrete!
I’m so excited about the return of White Collar I’m not wearing one, but two Depends® undergarments!
*POST AUTHOR*
You forget that I’m the one who wondered whether this season of Chuck was for me….
At my age I forget a lot of things. I don’t even remember if you like or hate Chuck or if you liked every other episode or only the ones that Big Mike was in.
*POST AUTHOR*
I’m just saying it’s not as rare as you think. I like Castle, too. ;)
Stop it! You’re starting to scare me!!
I’m so excited for the new season of White Collar – I’m really looking forward to seeing where they take things after Kate’s murder/death – mostly because I don’t know if I believe that she is really most sincerely dead, necessarily. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just another fake out somehow, by whoever it is that was behind Fowler’s actions.
And of course I love the Peter/Neal relationship, so I’m pleased to hear that that seems front and center!
There was talk about a possible crossover episode with Burn Notice. But since both major characters are pretty much locked in to their locations the talk then focused on Mozzi who might be related to Sam Ax from Burn Notice and they could crossover. I remember reading that Matt Nix was in favor of this.
Neal isn’t really locked into his location, just on a leash attached to the FBI. There’s absolutely no reason Peter and Neal couldn’t take a trip to Miami and Neal’s already proven that he’s not a flight risk with or without the ankle monitor. It could be done for sure.
*POST AUTHOR*
It’s news to me (which doesn’t mean anything). But I can see Neal getting a pass to hit the Hamptons for a weekend….