Review - White Collar Season 1 Episode 2 Threads

Every show has a drop in quality for the second episode, and in the case of White Collar, there was no exception. The dialogue was less spiffy and the episode was overall less snappy. Nevertheless, the episode was good and I was thoroughly enjoyed it. Our expectations for the show should not be shaped by the pilot, but if White Collar continues with episodes like this, it should become a solid show.

The team of Caffrey and Burke continues to be delightful and fun to watch. The crime wasn't particularly interesting, but Caffrey's inside knowledge proved helpful again. It's still a huge stretch to see so much lenience given to Caffrey and how much money the FBI let him spend. Basically to the FBI, white collar criminals can do whatever they want as long as they can be helpful.

I liked seeing Burke's wife Elizabeth more incorporated into the story. I'm still not sure how she fits into the show and this week, the scenes between her and Burke didn't quite work.

The story with Neal's ex-girlfriend is really interesting and I hope we get little tidbits every week. She may be an abstract concept that never gets resolved, but she provides a good reason for Neal to be cooperative.
Once slightly big change was the removal of the lesbian agent and replacement with Lauren (Natalie Morales), mostly likely for sexual tension. I hate casting changes, but since it's only the second episode, it's fine.

Score: 8.8/10