WHITE COLLAR: CRIME PAYS FOR USA NETWORKS

[SORRY, FOLKS. THIS TV REVIEW MIGHT SEEM A BIT DATED, BUT THIS ARTICLE WAS SUPPOSED TO SHOW UP ONLINE A LOT EARLIER THAN THIS. IN FACT, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UP BEFORE SPRING BEGAN. BUT, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.]



Neal Caffrey (played by Matt Bomer) is just about the classiest, smartest, gentlemanly white collar criminal that you’re ever likely to come across. His specialty is forgeries (to say nothing of the long con), whether they be art, jewelry, bonds, you name it, and he is practically untouchable.

Peter Burke (played by Tim DeKay) is the FBI agent who has been tasked to catch Neal, and with sheer intelligence, hard work, and dedication, he manages to pull this off and put this white collar criminal away for a very long time.

But Neal has special skills, and in exchange for getting out of jail (with an ankle bracelet, of course), he is willing to work with the FBI to put away some of the toughest to find criminals that network television has to offer. So begins USA’s new buddy crime dramady, WHITE COLLAR.

As with most USA shows, the balance between comedy and drama is perfect, like a well-mixed Manhattan. The writing is so intelligent, the viewer is actually likely to learn something (although that something would probably be illegal to practice, so be careful, folks), and the relationships between the characters seem well-defined, but as with all good shows, can be thrown up in the air without the slightest warning, as last year’s finale proved. This show is rich with betrayals, so it is always difficult to trust even the most innocuous of characters, which is good. It keeps the viewers on their toes, rather than sitting complacently by.

Not that the show isn’t pretty to look at. There is plenty of style to keep the more vacuous viewers paying attention. Neal’s world is one of high class, and he must always fit the role if he is to manipulate people into getting what he, and by extension the FBI, wants. But don’t be lured into a false sense of security; there is plenty of meat to sink your teeth into.

The only problem, and this holds true with other USA shows, like PSYCH (Verizon), MONK (Windex), and late THE DEAD ZONE (Visa), is that the product placement is a bit too blatant. When you change the course of action or even dialogue to mention a product, then your art can quickly become a commercial. During January 26’s episode, Neal fiddled around with the interface of a car that was, not surprisingly, a product of the show’s sponsor, Ford. Once the logo and technology were prominently displayed, and the characters had made mention of it, the story was free to continue. Most people don’t give a shit about this, but for those who do, it is kind of grating on the nerves. But if you can get past this bullshit, you are in for a hell of a show.

WHITE COLLAR
Tuesdays, 9 pm central
USA Networks