White Collar: The Boys Are Back

I’m so glad USA picked up White Collar for a second season, if only to allow the Peter/Neal friendship additional room to blossom. They were finally beginning to trust each other at the end of season 1, showing glimmerings of becoming one of the great buddy cop pairings. Or rather the “bad cop, good criminal” pairing. When the show returns for its sophomore season, the guys’ affection for each other is even more evident and even – *gasp* – vocalized, solidifying their friendship.

Matt Bomer is back as Neal Caffrey

Not that Neal and Peter are all hugs and “I love you man” back slaps. With their relationship as a foundation, the cons and double cons and triple secret cons with a twist are much easier to accept. Also, the bickering, teasing, and zingers are more amusing. Neal insists on pushing the boundaries of Peter’s patience; Peter continues to lay down the law, with the occasional surprising not-by-the-book maneuver.

Willie Garson’s Mozzie gets in on the fun, too. As part of Neal’s support team, he and Peter work together to make sure their friend holds it together following Kate’s death in last season’s explosive finale. Mozzie’s insistence on covert communication annoys Peter, but it’s a testament to how much he cares for Neal that he puts up with it. Mozzie and Peter find themselves paired up during a case in the season’s second episode with more chuckle-worthy results.

Marsha Thomason returns as Diana Barrigan, the agent who transferred to DC early in season 1. She’s back in New York to work with Peter again, although girlfriend Christie isn’t thrilled by the move. We get some intrigue with her character, particularly in the final scenes of the season premiere. Can she be trusted? Let’s hope so considering she and Neal end up awfully close in the season’s second episode. Sharif Atkins’ Clinton Jones is barely seen in the first two episodes, and I’m not sure why. He’s a solid presence when we do see him, but he isn’t part of the action. Rounding out the main cast is Tiffani Thiessen as Peter’s wife Elizabeth, although we only get a couple of brief scenes with her thanks to Tiffani’s real-life pregnancy. We’ll see more of her later in the season, fortunately. I like the relationship between her and Peter, and throwing Neal in the mix tends to bring surprising results.

Tim Dekay returns as Peter Burke

What really struck me after watching the first two episodes of White Collar‘s new season is how comfortable everyone is with their characters, and with each other. Now that the characters are established, the writers are able to play with interactions, lending some depth to the field of players. Instead of relying as heavily on Neal and Peter as they did in season 1, they confidently give the supporting cast some heavy lifting. Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay are still the stars of this show, however, deftly weaving together comedy and drama, truth and lies, contentment and sadness.

The show’s only weakness last season was the less than sturdy crimes of the week, but with the focus on character-driven plots, that was easy to forgive. The cons are still wobbly this season, but there is some promise. Tim Matheson guest stars in the premiere (which he also directs) in what looks like a set up for a recurring role as a villain. The music box and Agent Fowler are carryovers from last season that are addressed briefly to let us know that they haven’t been forgotten. It’s shaping up to be a strong sophomore effort from the White Collar crew. Now if we could just get rid of Neal’s hat…

White Collar returns to USA Network on Tuesday, July 13 at 9/8c.