White Collar – USA

Real Teen Award
- The Living Destiny Award

The Gist

Neal Caffrey is a master criminal.  A thief, master forger and all around con-man, he’s never been convicted, or even caught.  FBI agent Peter Burke has been after him for two years.  And then one day, he catches him, and Neal goes to jail.  But Neal escapes from jail, and when Peter catches him again, Neal proposes a deal: spend the remainder of his jail time as a consultant for the FBI.  And Peter agrees, so Neal goes to work catching white collar criminals just like him.  Neal always has a hidden agenda, though, and while he works with Peter, he also works with his friend Moz to find Kate, his lost love.

What We Think

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Number of Seasons: 2

When this show was first about to come out, I decided I would just try it out, to see if I liked it or not.  Fast forward a month and a half, and seven episodes.  I have this distinct memory of me having a total spaz attack on the couch after the end of the seventh episode (when the season broke for a month), with my sister sitting on the chair beside me, alternately saying ‘calm down’ and ‘whaaaaat?’.  Suffice to say, I stuck with the show.  The second season just came out, and I’m watching that now.  So many new seasons of shows come out in the summer, my DVR is full to bursting.  But anyway: White Collar.  Very entertaining show.  if you haven’t noticed by now, I’m kind of a cop show fiend.  Cop shows are without a doubt my favorite type of show ever made, and most of my favorite shows are cop shows (with the exception of Glee).

The con-man Neal Caffrey is basically perfect.  He’s smart, sly, savvy and suave.  And since I’m on such and ‘s’ word roll, he’s also very sexy.  Very, very sexy.  And he wears some nice outfits.  Always in suits and ties with slick-looking hats.  (There’s another ‘s’ word!)  He’s charming and good at getting people to trust him (especially any straight women…).  He is the ultimate criminal.  Peter Burke is also a great FBI agent.  He’s strict and serious about his job, but he has just the right amount of humor and ability to stray from the rules and regulations to work really well with Neal.  He and Neal make an incredible team, made funnier by their constant witty banter.  Peter’s wife, Elizabeth, isn’t in many episodes, but she is a strong character in the one’s she is in.  She is smart and level-headed, but also compassionate.  She helps Peter through his work, but she helps Neal as well, and she helps Peter understand Neal (and vice versa).  While all these characters are amazing, but my favorite is definitely Mozzie, Neal’s friend, sidekick, and all around partner-in-crime.  Mozzie is a strange, short little man who has a very high level of paranoia and more conspiracy theories than the entire government.  Every time he sees Peter, he insists on calling him ‘suit’, as though he had no other name.  He doesn’t trust ‘the feds’, but he always helps Neal with his plans,  whether they be law-assisting or law-breaking.  He is very bizarre, and is good at pretending to be other people.  He also has a law degree (from online), so he plays Neal’s lawyer whenever Neal needs a lawyer (which is rather often).

The plot of White Collar is super addicting.  An ex-con working with the FBI and catching current cons?  Pretty ingenious.  The crimes are all just like real life happenings in New York, but they’re all exciting and riveting too.  And every crime is different.  There have been organized crime groups and sketchy Interpol agents, followed by a huge jewel heist and suspicions, followed again by corrupt Wall Street agents and shocking admissions.  There’s always something new, and there’s always something to hold my attention for another week.

This show is doing extremely well for one only in its second season, and is holding its own amid a sea of cop shows.  With exciting stories, great characters, lots of crazy twists, and one very sexy con-man, this one is something to watch out for.  I know I’m impressed!

Real Teen Rating~ A: Definitely check it out!!