As I was watching last night’s White Collar season finale, I just wanted to re-link to the piece I wrote about the series six weeks ago. “Judgment Day” embodied most of the things that make White Collar so great: The plots twists and turns didn’t exist just because it was a finale, they instead worked … Continue reading Season finale review: White Collar, “Judgment Day”
Tag: Mozzie
Character depth welcome: On why White Collar is far and away USA Network’s best series
You may or may not know this, but I am in the midst of completing my MA thesis on USA Network and the “Characters Welcome” brand campaign (among other things). I say this to point out that I have spent a good deal of time with USA Network’s slate of programming over the past year … Continue reading Character depth welcome: On why White Collar is far and away USA Network’s best series
Mid-season finale: White Collar, “Countdown”
I'm kinda-sorta coming out of my self-induced new series hiatus to talk about the mid-season finale of White Collar. I HOPE YOU PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE SACRIFICES I MAKE FOR YOU. But seriously, hiatus or not, I'd feel remissed to not talk about one of my favorite series as it comes to a temporary stopping point … Continue reading Mid-season finale: White Collar, “Countdown”
White Collar, “The Dentist of Detroit”
I haven't written about White Collar since the season premiere. This is disappointing. But you know what else is disappointing this season of White Collar. Perhaps it's just my personal taste, but I cannot get into this season's overarching plot. After the season two finale and this season's premiere, I voiced my concerns over the … Continue reading White Collar, “The Dentist of Detroit”
Season Premiere — White Collar, “On Guard”
In my review of the White Collar season two finale, I wrote the following: But for whatever reason, this series has a problem with its cliffhangers. This might sound weird, but I think the White Collar writers try too hard to make their cliffhangers cliffhanger-y. With any cliffhanger, there’s an obvious intent to shock and surprise the … Continue reading Season Premiere — White Collar, “On Guard”
Season Finale — White Collar, “Under The Radar”
I have noticeably mixed feelings about the season finale of White Collar. On one hand, "Under the Radar" was a solidly-execution to the Adler story and all the drama that's been driving the series from the very beginning. On the other hand, it features yet another problematic cliffhanger from a series that seems destined to … Continue reading Season Finale — White Collar, “Under The Radar”
White Collar, “Power Play”
When you have two fantastic leads like White Collar does, that can get you through even the worst of episodes or any sort of gimmick. "Power Play" might use a gimmick device in its storytelling, but it is certainly not one of the series' worst episodes. After last week's middling and disappointing effort, "Power Play" … Continue reading White Collar, “Power Play”
White Collar, “Payback”
After a week off White Collar returns with "Payback," an episode that probably won't stand out amid some of the season's best but still had a lot to offer. Series like this, with fairly stagnant week-to-week storytelling -- and I don't mean that in a particularly bad way -- always benefit from recurring villains and … Continue reading White Collar, “Payback”
White Collar, “What Happens in Burma”
After the first two episodes of season 2.5 focused on the major narratives, White Collar fell comfortably back into its procedural charms with "What Happens in Burma." And unlike most series where I'd rather spend time discussing the overall threads, I find myself enjoying episodes like this one much more. I don't have an overt … Continue reading White Collar, “What Happens in Burma”
White Collar, “Forging Bonds”
Flashback episodes are always, always tricky. And I always say this. But that is because it's true. As a writer, you run the risk of spending too much time on pointless details, creating backstories that aren't important or generally going against what the fans thought happened "back then." This seems to be particularly true for … Continue reading White Collar, “Forging Bonds”
Mid-season premiere: White Collar, “Burke’s Seven”
White Collar is a program that gets a good deal of mileage out of the general likability of its characters and the chemistry the actors have with one another. The overarching "mythology" of the series is not awful or completely muddled like the last few years of Burn Notice, but it's also seemingly less important … Continue reading Mid-season premiere: White Collar, “Burke’s Seven”
Summer Finale — White Collar, “Point Blank”
White Collar's second season has been fantastic from start to finish, but I found myself dreading the summer finale anyway. Why you ask? USA cliffhanger dread, of course. I've discussed ad nauseam my issues with how USA series organize their arcs and right after that post, Burn Notice turned in a mid-season finale that proved … Continue reading Summer Finale — White Collar, “Point Blank”
White Collar, “Prisoner’s Dilemma”
Obvious statement coming: A telltale sign of a good television series is when it produces an average episode and as a viewer, you can let some of the negative things slide because you're wrapped up in the characters you enjoy spending time with. I didn't really think about White Collar being there, and in many … Continue reading White Collar, “Prisoner’s Dilemma”
White Collar, “By The Book”
With procedurals and lighter fare, the easiest way to mix things up a little bit is to re-position the lens of focus onto a supporting player and this week, White Collar dips into that pool with a Mozzie-centric episode. For the most part, this season of White Collar hasn't been stale in any way so … Continue reading White Collar, “By The Book”
