Saturday, December 5, 2009

"White Collar" mid-season finale recap: "Free Fall"


So, I know I already posted a review of the mid-season finale of USA's charming new caper drama "White Collar," but I wanted to take a few brief moments to talk about the episode itself, now that you've (presumably) seen it.
That said, episode spoilers are below.
OK, I'd primarily like to talk about that last scene. What do you think it means? Do you really think Peter is bad? I sincerely doubt it and, if he is, my esteem of the show will fall immensely. Making Peter evil with no real lead-up to that reveal would just be kind of a cop-out; a way to generate some cheap gasps and thrills.
I think the real reason he's following Kate is probably more complicated. Perhaps he senses Kate is using Neal, and he's trying to keep her away from him. Or maybe she's the one who helped Peter catch Neal in the first place, and he doesn't want Neal to find out about it.
Whatever the reason, I'm really hoping the show deals with it in a satisfying way. I'm a little worried about that as, though the series is great fun, it is a bit slight. I hope this twist isn't just explained away in five minutes, but that it adds a little weight to the show. Even if Peter isn't evil, he is betraying Neal. That betrayal will add a layer of complexity to the relationship between the two leads, and complexity is just what this show needs a little more of.
What did you think?

1 comment:

TL said...

I'm actually really disappointed by this turnaround; Neal and Peter's relationship is my favorite part of the show and I'm not sure I trust the show to be able to handle this change well.

I guess in a month we'll find out?