What was it, Castle, and Eleventh Hour before it, that recently had murders during one of the fashion world’s biggest parties? Have you ever seen some of those designs? I could see the models killing one another to not be forced to wear them, but other than that, it would seem like a coked-up, but non-violent crowd.
Sadly, I think this might be the last episode I get to watch early; I think USA Network only decided to pre-screen two episodes for the media (yeah, that’s right!). On the one hand, it’s fun to sit down with this show before anyone else gets to see it — as I’m writing this, you’ve all only had a few days to digest the pilot — but on the other hand, it would be nice to watch the show on a much larger screen. I know, it was my choice … but would you sit on White Collar if you had the chance to see it early?
I’m still trying to figure out the connection between “Govat” and “The Ghost” — there needn’t be one, except Caffrey supplied the latter nickname for the sake of the audience as if it were a translation of the former. It’s no Hebrew word that I’ve ever heard of, but I’m still checking.
I loved seeing Burke and Caffrey stocking up for the party in an FBI confiscated items warehouse. Between that, the place in Belize (no mention of the trip?), and the loft that Burke tried to sell Caffrey on as a location … there’s got to be tons more of that stuff yet to come. It would be extremely amusing if that’s true to life.
I was surprised that Caffrey seemingly tied his name to the party. No, the FBI had no connection to it, but wouldn’t people who know him know that he should be in prison right about now? It would be plausible to assume that he was nameless on the “invites,” but since the idea was that he was using his connections to put it together, one would have to gather that his name was circulating out there somewhere.
I mean, he wasn’t surprised when Natalie Morales’ character, who he mistook for a model, knew his name. She, of course, is really Agent Lauren Cruz. I hope she’s not replacing Marsha Thomason’s Diana, who was noticeably missing this week. No offense to her fans, but I really didn’t enjoy Morales — and I think Thomason is awesome — so I’m not into the swap, if that’s what it is.
I was also slightly disappointed that her character seems to be filling a role that I was glad to see missing in the pilot: sexual creature playing opposite Caffrey. I think he has enough going on with this Kate business, plus his uncontrollable flirting. I liked that Diana was gay, and that Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) — who was better this week — is very much in love with her husband. I don’t think White Collar needs the sexual banter and tension that Cruz already brought tonight.
But episode two absolutely did not disappoint. To Ryan, and anyone else who might be getting a different impression, I’m finding this show to be exceptional. It’s not perfect, and I’m always going to have threads (get it?) at which to pull, but I really, really love it.
Some other notables:
And great show! I’m really loving it.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Oct 30, 2009 @ 23:00 EST5EDT
I have to admit that I totally geeked out when I saw Natalie Morales’s name in the opening credits.
Wendy Watson! I miss The Middleman.
If anyone questioned Caffrey at the party, he could simply say he was still “in prison,” show off his ankle bracelet, and I’d bet any of the female partygoers would be even more charmed.
I don’t have any problems if you like Thomason better as an actor, but you really haven’t seen what Morales can do yet (I’ve only seen Thomason on Make It or Break It and about two minutes of Lost, so that’s fair). I think Diana was a more interesting character than what we’ve seen of Cruz so far, but I feel that’s more the fault of the writers than the actor, as I submit that Morales could easily have rocked the Diana role.
I knew that her character on White Collar could in no way be as cool, confident and sarcastic as Dub Dub from The Middleman, but was just happy to see her continue to get work rather than fade into obscurity. I think she played Cruz just as the showrunners wanted: young and professional, but nothing more. Hopefully both she and Jones will be developed more as the series progresses.
Since it was a pilot to series change, and Diana was not mentioned at all, I fear that Cruz is a replacement, which is regrettable. I would have liked to have seen their scenes together, and even seen Diana jokingly flirt with her. At least we’re getting James Rebhorn out of the deal, so that softens the blow somewhat. Loved that he can even intimidate Caffrey a little.
More than models, I liked that Burke knew fashion for his job, which surprised Caffrey.
The watch was elegant, but bulky and to my mind ugly. It also had no markings on the dial, hence Peter’s difficulty telling the time.
Caffrey making Burke look more like a heavy, then asking him to say “AH’LL BE BAHK” was the funniest part of the hour.
I like that Burke knows when to hang back, but still doesn’t let Caffrey walk all over him, unlike the serious partners on other man-child shows.
I assumed that in Kate’s circumstance, any hidden message was better than none at all, so she took the best chance she could get. And in her defense, Neal just is that good.
Unless he gave it all to charity, of course Neal has a stash. I just don’t think he told either Kate or Mozzie the truth. What would be really funny is if he goes to retrieve it and all that’s left in the storage room is a note from Burke.
*POST AUTHOR*
He’s still “in prison”? So how’d he get early release with an anklet?
It’s hard to differentiate between the actress and the character … I’ll say I enjoyed the nook they crafted for Diana in one episode better than what they did for Cruz. I also see a lot more potential for the former.
It wasn’t so surprising that Burke knew fashion, considering his job, but it was funny seeing Caffrey’s double-take. I saw the watch when I watched it later with my wife – it was better than the gold one in the warehouse, but definitely not “all that.”
I’m just saying assuming Caffrey would see the tape would require a whole bunch of circumstances she could never envision – wouldn’t it have made more sense for her to leave clues in the apartment that she knew he’d escape to go to?
“A note from Burke” … that would be extremely funny. :)
For the party to work at all, we have to assume that the FBI kept Caffrey’s escape as quiet as they could. Police and criminals might know about it, but it wasn’t in the media, so the fashion crowd wouldn’t have known. After that, Burke even commented to the warden that there were only four months left on Caffrey’s sentence, and he was a well-behaved prisoner with privileges. It would be easy for any of the models or designers, who wouldn’t know the particulars of Caffrey’s sentencing anyway, to believe he’d been released early, but restricted to the neighborhood where the party was being held.
It is a shame that we’ve lost the gay character, but it would be worse if they had made Cruz a clone. I feel that’s the extent of the added potential, since we really did not know very much about Diana either.
I assume the man with the ring was smart enough to find anything Kate left in her apartment, and intercept any mail she sent to Caffrey in prison. He probably had someone escorting her the entire time before and after the prison visit, so she did what she could. Unless she’s evil, of course.
*POST AUTHOR*
Well, then you’re assuming everyone had their calendars marked for Caffrey’s release date. :) At the very least, I’d expect that people who knew he was in prison would be asking him about his release.
You’re probably right, but I still say it’s a stretch that Kate could have worked out that Neal would gain access to the tape of their visit. It’s insignificant, and I assume the important part was the message, and how cool her sending it and him figuring it out was, but I still wonder.
I was responding to your comment “wouldn’t people who know him know that he should be in prison right about now?” above. Yes, my point was that most of the people wouldn’t know his prison schedule, and the dates worked out that he could easily have credibly lied to those who did know. I’m not sure what you’re objecting to in my rationalization.
Kate didn’t have to assume anything like that. She could have trusted that Neal would see through her fake breakup and be watching her hands for a signal. It’s only because he fell for her distraction that he missed it and was forced to scrounge up the video recording.
Caffrey’s got the kind of frame that can pull off the classic suits, and the hat was very sharp. :)
*POST AUTHOR*
No, nothing (this time). I just find it strange that never did the question arise, that we know of, about Caffrey and prison. That’s all. :-)
The second episode was a little disappointing for me. I understand that we are supposed to assume that Neal has been Peter’s partner for a little while, but I didn’t really like how comfortable he was at the FBI (or his involvement in the briefing).
The writing was definitely off from the pilot episode and seemed a little forced. The plot was a little blah, and I’m not too sure about Diana’s replacement. I think Neal could use a little smack down every now and then (even though I think Matt B. is the cat’s pajamas).
I guess we’ll have to suffer through the “creature of the week” episodes to build up enough Kate-mystery arc clues. Still, I really like the chemistry between Peter and Neal and have faith that this was just an off episode.
Wardrobe department, can we PLEASE put Matt back in the vintage suits? The cop-wear just didn’t suit him.
*POST AUTHOR*
Really? I feel like he looks so stupid in that vintage wear. What’s with the hats?
I feel like he’d be a preppy guy. ;)
Oh no, when it’s a full suit, it’s great. I think the Ocean’s Eleven/Rat Pack look works for him.
The vest/shirt/hat combo is just plain awful, not to mention that it looks like the clothes have been shrink-wrapped to fit him. Bad wardrobe choices.
I’ll wait for the new thread to beat up this past week’s episode.
*POST AUTHOR*
Maybe the suits wouldn’t be quite so bad if he didn’t wear skinny ties and tiny hats. ;)
Did anyone notice when Elizabeth gave Burke the watch she had ‘the ring’ *insert ominous sounds* that the guy in the picture with Caffrey’s girl had?
*POST AUTHOR*
Seriously? I totally missed it because of the big blank spot and insert instructions on the screener – is that right?