When I first heard the premise of the show, I was confused. A criminal working with the FBI to catch other criminals? As long as you suspend your disbelief for this ludicrous idea, you should enjoy the series very much. It doesn't place much credence in realism as few USA show do, but it does put a bonus on smart dialogue and great cinematography.
Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) is a white collar criminal who escapes from prison. The man who caught him, Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) is sent to re-catch him and this is where the glorious partnership begins. The story isn't all too impressive. They catch some guy making counterfeit Spanish Victory bonds. There have been so many crime procedurals made, and so many currently on television, so the crime itself is hard to make into the keynote of the series which gladly it isn't in White Collar
The best parts of the episode are whenever Caffrey and Burke are interacting. Their wonderful chemistry translates into good TV. Sometimes Caffrey is like his father, then maybe his brother, Bomer still has all the charm from Chuck and really steals the screen. He's charming, fun, and all the other words associated with that.
On the other hand, Burke is hard-working and too dedicated at times. His wife Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) is not at the top of priorities though she has plenty of patience for him. There were some heartwarming scenes between them which I liked.
There will be an ongoing story with Neal's ex-girlfriend Kate who is somewhere out there in the world. Neal has a weird fixation with her (or he's just a romantic) and broke out of prison for her, missing her by just two days. He gets his friend Mozzie (Willie Garson) to look for her, but so far, there's been no luck other than a photo. In the photo, there's an hand touching her shoulder. Neal recognizes the ring on the hand and knows there's bad news.
Fitting in perfectly with Royal Pains, Burn Notice, Monk, and Psych, White Collar is sure to be a ratings hit. Whether it can keep the quality of the pilot over the course of the series is another question. I really like what I see so far and will keep watching.
Score: 9.5/10
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