Critical Myth

This one is about on the level of the previous episode. I wouldn’t yet call this a slump, but my personal enjoyment of the last two episodes is slightly less than it has been. I’m actually struggling a bit to grasp exactly why that is. For some reason the last two episodes, while good, have felt just slightly more average than what I’m used to.

Peter and Neal have both been steadily working behind each other’s backs to solve the mystery of Kate and the music box. Peter is the first to find out, but instead of getting angry, he sets some ground rules. Neal can continue his investigation, but only if Diana is given access. Naturally, Mozzie is extremely resistant to having another Fed interfering with his business.

In any given episode of “White Collar” you’ll see a central story element that drives the humor and fun while also serving to highlight important character aspects. This time we get to see a bit of a role-reversal, with Peter going undercover and living the high life. It’s reminiscent of the format of the previous episode, in which Peter has to go on the run while Neal is on the other side of the law. It’s handled just as well, meaning that the potential of the idea wasn’t fully realized. The undercover bit occurs frequently on “White Collar”, and we usually see Neal take on that role. So it was nice to see Peter getting to have some of the fun for once, with Neal on hand to highlight the humor of the situation.

But as I said, having Peter go undercover is pretty obviously intended to put the focus on an element of Peter’s character. The situation causes Peter to casually re-think his direction in life. A lot of this is brought about by Neal, who is quite amused by the idea of Peter as the wealthy company man. Peter never takes the idea very seriously. And in the end, he takes note of the fact that he’d never have met Elizabeth if he’d taken a different route. It’s a bit obvious, but it’s good to see that Peter is proud of his life and his work with the FBI.

This episode serves as a good example of exactly who Neal Caffrey really is. Neal leaves nothing to chance. As a con, he’s learned to manipulate everything to achieve his goals. Neal is also good at manipulating people; guding the conversation in his direction, giving people ideas and making them think they came up with it, etc. Part of what makes him so great at this is his strong sense of empathy. This makes Neal’s interactions with other people feel like more than just shallow manipulation. As incredibly calculated and skilled as Neal is, he will often come to care about people. It’s an integral part of what makes Neal such a good person, but it could also become his greatest weakness somewhere down the road.

Major characters don’t often end up in major peril on “White Collar”, so Peter’s poisoning was a good break from the usual. It’s still not as suspenseful as it could be, but it’s a step in the right direction. I love the light-hearted fun, and it can be relaxing to watch a show where you can generally know that things are going to turn out OK in the end, but an actual sense of danger would serve the show well.

By the end of the episode, Neal learns about what Peter has been up to. He’s bothered, but the two men know that they can’t really get mad at each other, considering that they’re both guilty of the same thing. So they press forward. Peter shows Neal the music box, and the need for a key, which Neal then reveals to have had for a while now. And we cut to black as Peter and Neal open the box. So essentially, the episode is a setup for the following episode’s reveal. Now let’s just hope the contents of the box are worth the long build-up.

Rating: 7/10

Guest Reviewer: Gregg Wright

“White Collar” is always worth watching, but I’d put this episode slightly below the rest of the episodes that have aired this season. It’s a solid enough offering, and it picks up a bit in the second half, but it’s just not quite as funny or memorable as the usual “White Collar” episode.

The concept of Peter having to go on the run while Neal and his team are forced to work against him, while secretly aiding him, has a lot of potential. But they didn’t utilize it as well as they could have. Neal gets to make some jokes about the role-reversal, but the humor and the conflict could have been milked a lot more. The criminal plot of the episode was, frankly, a bit boring.

About halfway through the episode we end up at one of Mozzie’s many safe-houses. It’s an amusing concept, made funnier by Mozzie’s eccentric behavior and off-beat line delivery. I’d love to see more of Mozzie’s safe-houses in future episodes, if they’re as cool as “Tuesday” is.

It was nice to see Tiffani Thiessen back again on the actual sets. She may not have a lot to do on the show, but her presence has always felt like a natural inclusion to the character dynamic.

I’m liking Joe Morton’s character, Bancroft. Maybe it’s just because of Joe Morton, but I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him in future episodes. He’s warming up to the team already, and he seems like a good person to have as an ally, especially considering his status level at the FBI.

A lot of the time, “White Collar” will find a clever way of integrating the larger story arc into the stand-alone events of an episode, but they didn’t even bother this time. Instead, we get a brief scene at the end with Mozzie telling Peter that Garret Fowler, the main recurring baddie of season 1, was on the other end of the line when Kate called from the plane. Fowler had previously set up the deal between Neal and Kate at the end of season 1. In the call, Kate had told Fowler that Peter was there. Fowler asked why Peter was there, to which Kate replied that she didn’t know, and then said something about changing the plan (I still can’t quite make it out). And then, BOOM. So what do we make of that?

We already knew that Fowler was involved with whoever wanted the music box, and that he was integral in the plot to control Kate. And by using her, they knew they could use Neal to get the music box. I wish I could remember better how everything went down in the season 1 finale. The deal was that Neal would deliver the music box to Fowler, who would then deliver it to his superiors, while Neal and Kate would be given a new life. Had Fowler already lost the music box when he talked to Kate on the phone? It would make sense for Fowler to blow up the plane after not getting the music box. But I can’t help but think that someone else must be involved. Might the “mystery man” from episode 2 be connected to this third party?

Rating: 7/10