White Collar promotional poster

The pilot episode of White Collar was most definitely slick and smart, as well as charming, as Matt Bormer will charm the pants off anyone he meets as his suave alter ego Neal Caffrey.

This show most definitely fits in the USA Network’s slew of shows, which include Burn Notice and Royal Pains. It has good pacing and interesting chemistry between Matt Bormer and Tim DeKay, something that isn’t easy to fake. They work well on the screen, there is no denying this.

Basically, Dekay’s Burke is a white collar specialist who put Bormer’s Caffrey away a few years ago. In order to reduce his sentence a bit further, after having escaped a super max jail, Caffrey offers to help Burke to catch the illusive Dutchman, a criminal that Burke has also been chasing for a few years. This setup kind of reminds me of Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can as well as The Sting with Redford and Newman.

What’s also interesting, is that the guys don’t just keep this professional. They also involve their personal lives. Burke needs help to make his hot wife Elizabeth, played by Tiffani Thiessen, happy while Caffrey is searching for his wife that just vanished. All in all, a great show with good actors. I recommend it.

Warning: spoilers ahead

* * * * *

The big revelation in this episode is that the man who is holding Kate prisoner is from the FBI. At least that’s what the Interpol agent told Neal. The cases are interesting, but I’d like them to move forward with why Kate has been taken away. They are drip dropping around with this one, not letting us know much of the situation.

I also find it funny that Liz, Peter’s wife, has 100% confidence in Neal, a known felon. I mean, they haven’t known each other for very long, even though Burke has spent quite a bit of time chasing after Neal.

* * * * *

The FBI is missing an undercover agent. Agent Costa was trying to launder money through Shen. One of Caffrey’s aliases was involved with Shen. They want him to go undercover. They make it known that Holden is in town looking to launder some mula. Caffrey has go to play a poker version of dominoes.

The NYPD raids the game and the gangsters suspect Caffrey. They pull guns on him. The cops arrive and Caffrey has got to get out of there to maintain his cover. Burke didn’t want it to go down this way. Instead of meeting Burke, Neal gets a meeting with Shen again. The hot Asian chick picks him up and takes him to a condo. She takes off his watch. Neal has got a GSM device in the watch. She smashes it. She pulls a gun on Neal. She’s working for Interpol. She called the cops. She knows that Caffrey is posing as Holden. She says that if he helps her, he’ll get Kate. She knows where she is and knows what the man with the ring wants, or so she says.

The next day, Neal turns up. He doesn’t tell Burke about the offer from Interpol. They trace the tip off call to Mai Lin Wong. This is the Interpol girl. It doesn’t lead them to much but Burke records Mai Lin’s escort girl co-workers. Lauren runs Mai Lin’s face and finds out that she’s Interpol.

Liz tells Peter that there is only one reason Neal would keep something like this from him: Kate.

Burke finds Costa. He’s dead. He tells Neal that he knows about his Interpol friend. Burke tells him that it isn’t about Lao’s boss. He doesn’t have any. It’s about funding. If they arrest Lao on Chinese soil, they get more funding from China.

Mai Ling shows up at Neal’s place. She entices him with more info. Neal doesn’t really buy it. On the day of the bust, Mai Ling gives him a new account number, one that the FBI can’t trace. He gives Lao the money from Mai Ling’s account and then plays another hand of dominoes.

The flash drive Mai Ling gave Neal is empty. She phones him later and says that the one with Kate is FBI.

* * * * *

Relevant Posts and Links

• White Collar @ Wikipedia
• White Collar S01E01
• White Collar S01E02
• White Collar S01E03
• White Collar S01E04
• White Collar S01E05

White Collar promotional poster

The pilot episode of White Collar was most definitely slick and smart, as well as charming, as Matt Bormer will charm the pants off anyone he meets as his suave alter ego Neal Caffrey.

This show most definitely fits in the USA Network’s slew of shows, which include Burn Notice and Royal Pains. It has good pacing and interesting chemistry between Matt Bormer and Tim DeKay, something that isn’t easy to fake. They work well on the screen, there is no denying this.

Basically, Dekay’s Burke is a white collar specialist who put Bormer’s Caffrey away a few years ago. In order to reduce his sentence a bit further, after having escaped a super max jail, Caffrey offers to help Burke to catch the illusive Dutchman, a criminal that Burke has also been chasing for a few years. This setup kind of reminds me of Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can as well as The Sting with Redford and Newman.

What’s also interesting, is that the guys don’t just keep this professional. They also involve their personal lives. Burke needs help to make his hot wife Elizabeth, played by Tiffani Thiessen, happy while Caffrey is searching for his wife that just vanished. All in all, a great show with good actors. I recommend it.

Warning: spoilers ahead

The bottle leads Neal and Moz to Grand Central Station. They find a message from Kate telling him to move on.

Burke arrives. A 2-million dollar painting was stolen. The home owner is very young and says that the painting wasn’t insured. When the grandma died, she left the girl the painting and the house. Uncle Gary quickly lawyered up. Neal talks with Gary. He’s involved. He writes Neal a check for the man that was involved. The check is for $10,000 for Gerard Dorset.

Taryn Vanderzahn, a buyer from a gallery, convinced Dorset to meet with a “buyer”, namely Neal. Taryn is supremely hot. Her clear eyes bore through men like lasers.

Neal folds up Kate’s note and finds out that she wants to meet him on Friday.

Dorset comes over for the exchange. He spots some of the FBI surveillance. He pulls a gun on Neal and Taryn. He runs with the money and the painting. Burke has Neal and Taryn arrested.

It turns out that the painting was stolen from a museum in ’67. Julianna is brought in. Neal says that she’s a bad liar. Her grandma stole the painting. She took it because the grandmother was the little girl in the painting.

Dorset mentioned a girl named Brigitte who arrived from France yesterday. With Neal on the job, he finds Brigitte easy enough. Brigitte and her friend invite Neal and Peter up to their suite for a little party. Neal finds the painting easy enough. He takes it.

They lose Dorset and the painting. Dorset phones Neal. He wants the painting back. Dorset threatens Taryn. Neal talks it over with Moz. Neal decides to come clean to Burke.

Neal is whipping up a fake painting. It’s pretty good and Dorset is caught when Neal hands over the painting.

It turns out that Haustenburg was Julianna’s father. He willed the painting to her grandmother, but the museum chose to ignore the will. Neal left a little message for the curator on the fake painting to make sure that he accepted the fake.

At the meeting, he talks with Kate on the phone. He sees her in the distance. She says that the man who took her wants something that he hid. He wants all of Neal’s stashes. Only then will he let her return.

* * * * *

Relevant Posts and Links

• White Collar @ Wikipedia
• White Collar S01E01
• White Collar S01E02
• White Collar S01E03
• White Collar S01E04

White Collar promotional poster

The pilot episode of White Collar was most definitely slick and smart, as well as charming, as Matt Bormer will charm the pants off anyone he meets as his suave alter ego Neal Caffrey.

This show most definitely fits in the USA Network’s slew of shows, which include Burn Notice and Royal Pains. It has good pacing and interesting chemistry between Matt Bormer and Tim DeKay, something that isn’t easy to fake. They work well on the screen, there is no denying this.

Basically, Dekay’s Burke is a white collar specialist who put Bormer’s Caffrey away a few years ago. In order to reduce his sentence a bit further, after having escaped a super max jail, Caffrey offers to help Burke to catch the illusive Dutchman, a criminal that Burke has also been chasing for a few years. This setup kind of reminds me of Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can as well as The Sting with Redford and Newman.

What’s also interesting, is that the guys don’t just keep this professional. They also involve their personal lives. Burke needs help to make his hot wife Elizabeth, played by Tiffani Thiessen, happy while Caffrey is searching for his wife that just vanished. All in all, a great show with good actors. I recommend it.

Warning: spoilers ahead

Liz shows up at the office with her friend Dana. She says that the FBI issued a warrant for her husband’s arrest a month after he was discharged. He’s on the run. He was involved with some Iraqi missing gold artifacts. He’s going to be turning himself into Burke. He says that someone working for the State Department asked him to bring over some gold. He refused. His name is Patrick Ames.

Burke questions Ames. He doesn’t say much and Peter sees the telltale burns on the arms that Neal mentioned he would find on the bodyguard. Burke wants to reexamine all of the gold.

All of the prints on the gold are left-handed, which is improbable. Neal deduces that Mitchell was having drinks with whoever lifted his prints. When Burke asks Dana, who’s staying with him, she starts to cry. Liz sends him away. Dana says that they had a fight because of John went out for drinks with him. It was a journalist of some kind. She was embedded with John’s unit. He also lost his cap that night. Burke finds out that she’s Alisha Teagan.

Neal and Peter go to interview Alisha. When the security guard informs Alisha about the FBI, she gets really worried. Neal gets himself into the studio pretty easily. Alisha tries to avoid meeting Burke. Caffrey pretends that he’s the new sports anchor. The coffee and donuts he brought work well. Neal follows Alisha to her desk where she stashes some papers before going out to see Burke. While Burke is questioning her, Caffrey goes to her desk. He photocopies the info. It’s a pawn shop ticket. Burke doesn’t want to know about it. Peter gets Moz on the case.

While looking at the bottle, Neal figures out that X marks the spot on the Bordeau bottle. Moz is coming over with his little treasure. Burke comes over with some beer. Burke looks at the coin that Moz brought over. It’s an old dinar. This means that Alisha is guilty and involved. Caffrey goes to the station and pretends that he’s got a story for her. He shows her the coin.

Alisha goes to Burke. She confesses. She was the mule. She says that it’s all on Ames. She says that she doesn’t know where the gold is.

Burke wants her to smoke out Ames. She tells him that the FBI is getting close and that the case against Mitchell is falling apart. She has a private buyer. Neal poses as one. Things go south because of Alisha. Ames tries to do a runner, but Burke is after him. The gold was always hiding in plain sight. Moz helps out by driving over Ames.

* * * * *

Relevant Posts and Links

• White Collar @ Wikipedia
• White Collar S01E01
• White Collar S01E02
• White Collar S01E03

As of January 19, 2010, the USA Network will be moving most of it’s popular shows to other nights.  Here’s the new line up:

• WHITE COLLAR moves from Fridays at 10 pm to Tuesdays at 10 pm.  I agree that WC had to be moved because it was occupying the time-slot that PSYCH usually enjoys.  I don’t know that Tuesday is necessarily the best night to move a new drama to, but USA is probably trying to see how well this show stands on it’s own with out a lead in like MONK for help.  I think WC would probably do well or stand a better chance paired with BURN NOTICE on Thursdays.  It comes back from it’s “winter hiatus” on January 19, 2010, a little more than month after it goes on break on December 4, 2009.
• BURN NOTICE is actually pretty lucky, since it gets to move back to it’s original time-slot of 10 pm on Thursdays.  It’s a show that’s much more suited to a later time.  Plus the only other thing on Thursdays at 10 is ABC’s god awful PRIVATE PRACTICE, so I don’t think BN’s got much in terms of time-slot competition that’s really going to harm it.  BURN NOTICE resumes it’s third season on January 21, 2010 at 10 pm.
• PSYCH gets to move to Wednesdays at 10 pm from the much better suited Fridays.  I will definitely be watching it, but it’s got to watch out for CSI: NY (it would be rather hilarious for PSYCH to mock it’s time-slot competitor; “And this is my partner Lt Dan”).  This is, in my opinion, a risky move on USA’s part.  I do believe it shows that USA has faith that PSYCH is a good show and truly wants to grow it’s audience, but will the network be kind if the show doesn’t pull in good ratings?  I know the network has renewed this gem for a fifth season, but they still have the option of not going forward with it (see the cancellation of LOIS AND CLARK:  TNAOS.  ABC had them renewed for a fifth season and then un-renewed them at the last minute).  PSYCH resumes it’s (0utstanding) 4th season on January 27, 2010 at 10 pm.

I really hope that the USA network advertises the hell out of these moves, because they are drastic moves for mid-season.  Fans need to know where to find their favorite shows and new viewers need to be wooed.  I have no doubt that the marketing campaigns will be clever, but will they be enough to keep everyone informed of the changes?  Only time (and ratings) will tell.

White Collar promotional poster

The pilot episode of White Collar was most definitely slick and smart, as well as charming, as Matt Bormer will charm the pants off anyone he meets as his suave alter ego Neal Caffrey.

This show most definitely fits in the USA Network’s slew of shows, which include Burn Notice and Royal Pains. It has good pacing and interesting chemistry between Matt Bormer and Tim DeKay, something that isn’t easy to fake. They work well on the screen, there is no denying this.

Basically, Dekay’s Burke is a white collar specialist who put Bormer’s Caffrey away a few years ago. In order to reduce his sentence a bit further, after having escaped a super max jail, Caffrey offers to help Burke to catch the illusive Dutchman, a criminal that Burke has also been chasing for a few years. This setup kind of reminds me of Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can as well as The Sting with Redford and Newman.

What’s also interesting, is that the guys don’t just keep this professional. They also involve their personal lives. Burke needs help to make his hot wife Elizabeth, played by Tiffani Thiessen, happy while Caffrey is searching for his wife that just vanished. All in all, a great show with good actors. I recommend it.

Warning: spoilers ahead

The team gets contacted by some mob guys. He says that the bible was stolen from his church. He wants Burke to investigate. It’s 500 years old. Burke gets him to shut down his bookmaking operation in a restaurant.

Moz and Neal are trying to figure out the clue hidden in the bottle that Kate left for him. He gets called by Burke. The bible is known as the Healing Bible from Naples. Moz and Neal think that the bible was stolen because of its miraculous properties.

The father says that he let a homeless man sleep in the sanctuary. That night, the bible was stolen. The father says that someone close to the homeless man is sick. Steve says that someone asked him to take the bible from the church. He says that he can ID the man, but he sounds a bit loopy.

Steve is a vet from Iraq. He found his dog Lucy there. She’s sick. That’s why he took the bible.

Berelli’s nephew just got shot. He’s the one who asked Steve to get the bible. He’s Berelli’s #2. Burke finds out that Ruiz is running organized crime. He gets kicked off the scene by Ruiz. Ruiz doesn’t want to share any intel because of Caffrey. Burke tells Caffrey to do his magic to get some intel. Caffrey gets Moz to impersonate an FBI agent to get into the nephew’s place. He lets Caffrey in through the back. Paul was researching medieval history. He had an appointment with a medieval art scholar named Maria Fiametta. She wrote about the black art markets. They meet her and she says that the bible is not a bible, but a Book of Hours. She denies knowing Paul and hits on Neal.

Burke tells Caffrey that Maria was lying about Paul. They think that she’s got the bible. She also knew who Neal was, a master forger. Burke wants to float it around that Caffrey is back in the game. Elizabeth suggests that Neal asks her out. They get a warrant and plant a bug in her place. She brings Neal back to her place and notices something amiss immediately. A vase was moved. The bug was planted in the vase. She’s on edge. She checks her security footage and sees what went on in her place. Neal also notices something amiss and drops the bug in her wine. He offers to fence it for her for $250K.

Ruiz finds out that the prof paid off Paul with $10K.

Neal has to pretend to go with her and cut his ankle bracelet. They leave in a red SL55 AMG. When they go to do the exchange, she pulls a gun on him. She killed Paul. She shoots him. He uses the bible as a vest.

Neal hands off the bible to some FBI guy. That FBI guy is Moz. He was only giving it to Steve. Berelli offers to help Steve with Lucy.

Kate drew a map of the NYC subway on the bottle with lemon juice. It is revealed when Neal has the bottle next to a candle.

* * * * *

Relevant Posts and Links

• White Collar @ Wikipedia
• White Collar S01E01
• White Collar S01E02

Kayla Ewell looks radiantly beautiful on the November cover of Beauty Entertainment Magazine. Inside BE!, you’ll see a bevy of hot new stars, celebs and salon people. To subscribe, visit http://www.saloncity.com or http://www.amazon.com. To view November’s digital edition of BE! click on: Kayla Ewell Stars on BE!’s November 2009 Cover!

• On Monday, Beverly Hills 90210 will start from the beginning during the 5pm time slot and no longer air at 6pm. The morning episodes will continue with season 3.
• Tonight there’s a marathon of White Collar, which co-stars Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Valerie, Beverly Hills 90210).
• PEOPLE.com has a Thanksgiving video featuring Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills 90210).
• EW.com has an article on buying Gossip Girl-inspired fashion online.

Jason Kelly, freelance marketing and public relations consultant looks at why the UK marketing and public relations sector is suffering because of its growth during Britain’s service industry boom – when did Britain become blue collar allergic? 

Britain may have started the industrial revolution, but as normal we stood back smiling at our industrial landscape whilst other nations took it to the next level of evolution! Just like the England Football Team when they score a goal, industry sat back to admired its skill and success,  and then  decided engineering and manufacturing was no longer in style.

For the past twenty years or so Britain’s industries have become more service-based than production-based, manufacturing was sent overseas to nations who now have a stronger economic prowess then we do. Instead Britain decided the white collar looked smarter than the blue collar and so the service industry established itself – so much so that the creative industry evolved. Employing thousands of people across Britain the creative industry is made up of marketing and communications firms offering online and offline services to support finance houses, customer service management organisations and the retail and leisure industries.

Already countries who are more dependent on traditional-based industry are claiming they are either out of a recession, or are seeing sunnier days ahead; accept for the UK that is. While other nations are preparing for good times, the UK is still swimming uphill trying to trade anything it can find to drive revenues back into the UK economy.

It’s not all bad, some larger agencies are managing to hang on to clients, but other businesses with smaller balance sheets are seeing staff numbers cut and even firms closing – will the UK creative industry go the same way as the UK manufacturing industry?  

The UK Government needs to support traditional based industries by offering incentives, such as fiscal-based packages (that work) – to support UK-based manufacturers, whilst at the same time making Britain an attractive location for overseas firms to set up operations. More investment needs to be given to attract the entrepreneur – I know there are programmes already available, but the Government needs to make this a priority. Government-based business support organisations need to ditch their current thinking processes that both start-ups and established-based firms only need help with producing business plans or promotion during overseas trade fairs.

Maybe the Government should support traditional-based industries and the creative sector by commissioning the creative agencies to reenergise  ‘blue collar pride’!

I haven’t been watching much TV lately. Reruns of Leverage on occasion, the occasional Biggest Loser episode. (I’m an addict! I can’t stop myself! I feel so unclean!) Mostly, I’m just biding my time until Chuck returns (NBC didn’t bring it back early and no one told me, right? RIGHT?).

But I’d heard about this show, White Collar, right? And it’s got Bryce Larkin from Chuck, right? And he’s playing this con man who works for the FBI. I’m like, hey! Con man, FBI? The explosions are practically guaranteed.

And then someone would throw themselves through the air seconds before things burst into flames.

Sadly, after watching two episodes, I saw there was only one explosion and it was really lame. Also, it was telegraphed from 20 miles away. As. Was. Everything. Else.

I went into the show expecting some fun times. A little con here, a little gunplay there, a little Bryce Larkin doing cool spy stuff.

You know, like bleeding all over a computer.

Wrong. Damn. Show.

There was no conning. Well, hardly any conning. No interesting conning, anyway. No gunplay. I mean, it is called “White Collar,” which is like, what, business crimes? But still, guns!! And did Bryce Larkin do anything interesting??! No! He moped about his girlfriend who is a trapped in a really boring season-long side arc/his lameass motivation and smirked a bit.

Not that there's anything wrong with his smirk, it's just not as entertaining as watching him jump over stuff and shoot people.

And, to add insult to injury, the pilot featured that guy. That guy has been in episodes of my favorite shows (Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice, Leverage) and I didn’t like him then! What made White Collar think I would like him in a much, much weaker show? Look, I know you Fireflyers/Whedonites have a soft spot for that guy, but he always plays the same smarmy guy, which is fine and hooray for finding a niche, but stop being on every show, Jesus.

Seriously, I am sick of seeing you on my television screen.

Plus (and this was really annoying), White Collar cast Tiffani Thiessen as the boring FBI guy’s boring perfect wife, and so the whole time, I kept going, “Hey, when did she drop the -Amber?”

And the suspenders! What happened to the suspenders?!

I was considering watching a third episode to see if things picked up, but then I decided no, because if a television show can’t do a fashion week episode and make me care, then what could they possibly do to improve it? Zombies and ninjas can’t save everything, you know.

RELEVANT QUESTIONS–DON’T READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!!!

Matt in Montclair, Calif.: Is Southland really that good? Should I give it a shot on TNT?
We say yes, and so does Ben McKenzie: “People just need to watch it, and after 15 minutes, you’ll decide whether you like it or not. If you’re into a sort of grittier, darker cop show without the sheen that a lot of networks put on their shows, you’ll like it. It’s very character driven, it’s hard-hitting, there’s a lot of action, but there’s also some romance, so it’s a real show you can follow week to week.” And maybe if you start watching, TNT will take note and order up some more episodes (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Monica in New Orleans: Anything good coming up on Gossip Girl?
Chuck is going to visit Bart’s grave on the anniversary of his death, and when he gets there, he won’t be the only one paying his respects. Any guesses on who’ll pop up? I’m hearing that not one but two family members could be making surprising returns.

Brianna: How about something on One Tree Hill? Anything juicy?
How’s this: A source tells me Haley and Quinn’s sister Taylor is going to come back to Tree Hill.

Cian33: 90210 is so much better this year! I hope you are watching. What can you dish?
Agreed! It is way better than season one, in case any of you are missing it. I’m told there’s a sex scandal in the works: Naomi is going to accuse a teacher of sexual harassment.

Irene in Newport News, Va.: I’m loving White Collar! Any scoop?
Ever since the White Collar pilot, we’ve found that the everyday eps of this USA series have been a smidgen flimsier than we’d like, but the midseason finale on Dec. 4 is the sharp and snappy standard we’d like to see from the show. What happens? Well, Neal (Matthew Bomer) is finally confronted with a criminal nemesis worthy of his talents, Elizabeth Burke’s (Tiffani Thiessen) presence on the show starts to make sense, and there is a huge (huge!) reveal about Agent Burke (Tim McKay) that involves something pretty important from Neal’s past.

Credit: E! Online

***

Note: Bejamin McKenzie played Ryan on The O.C. and Tiffani Thiessen played Valerie on Beverly Hills 90210.

Top Chef: Culinary Olympics

How I Met Your Mother: Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap

The Venture Brothers: Self Medication

The Big Bang Theory: The Vengeance Formulation

Castle: Love Me Dead

White Collar: Threads

This post was supposed to happen yesterday. Whooooooooops.

Tonight:
8pm – Heroes on NBC
8pm – House on FOX
9pm – Trauma on NBC
9pm – Lie to Me on FOX
10pm – Castle on ABC

TUESDAY:
8pm – V on ABC
8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Top 12) on FOX
8pm – NCIS on CBS
9pm – NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS

WEDNESDAY:
8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Results) on FOX
9pm – Glee on FOX
10pm – CSI: NY on CBS

THURSDAY:
8pm – FlashForward on ABC
8pm – Bones on FOX
9pm – Fringe on FOX

FRIDAY:
10pm – White Collar on USA

SATURDAY:
11:30pm – Saturday Night Live on NBC

Nothing particularly exciting this week.

Melted Brain To-Do:

• Last week’s FlashForward/Instant Replay
• Finish catching up on NCIS: LA
• Catch up on Fringe
• Catch up on V
• Hindsight: BSG
• Catch up on White Collar?
• Last week’s SNL?

The end.

Currently my two favorite shows on television (or Hulu as I don’t have cable) are Psych and Burn Notice. I’ve watched all but the last 2 seasons of Monk and am now into White Collar. Dating back to my childhood USA Sunday morning had Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Late night TV was Duckman and Weird Science. USA is always putting together some of the best television imaginable. For wrestling fans they have Monday Night Raw. I have to say that USA puts together my favorite shows and has for many years.

Omg, do you watch White Collar? It’s a new white-collar crime thriller-dramedy on the USA Network. The show’s about Neil Caffrey (played by Matt Bomer) who was once a white-collar criminal and who now secretly works for the FBI. He helps them solve high-end crime and stuff.

Blah Blah Blah. All that really matters is that the lead character is amahzing. Like…scorching hot. Plus, he’s a big-ole gay!

When I saw advertisements for White Collar in the subway I nearly passed out. And when the show’s actually on, I couldn’t care less about who got murdered/what got stolen, etc. I’m looking at Matt Bomer. Because, um, that’s what the show is really about. I’m sure the execs over at USA were all, “Put this dude in a show and everybody will watch it.” Yup. It’s funny how desperate TV studios can get for viewers. Look at how they even made the show’s logo match Bomer’s crisp blue eyes. Aww.

White Collar has quickly become one of my favorite new shows. It’s exciting, action-packed, and not to mention one of the most beautifully shot series I have seen. It centers around the unlikely partnership between FBI Agent Peter Burke and Ex-Con Man Neil Caffrey (Tim DeKay and Matt Bomer respectively). The show also has an incredible supporting cast: Willie Garson, Natalie Morales and Tiffani Thiessen (who plays Elizabeth Burke, Peter’s wife). I recently had the chance to participate in a conference call with Tiffani (one of my childhood heroes, of course), where she talked about her new role, the USA network and what drew her to the project.

On what made her want to be a part of the show: Ever since I read the script, which has been a little over a year ago now, I fell in love with it.  I fell in love with the characters.  I fell in love with the show, and more and more, when the cast was brought together, the more excitement I had for the show and wanting to be a part of it.  This is really the first time I feel like in my whole entire career which has been over 25, 26 years of doing this that I finally feel like I’m kind of playing a role a little closer to home for me, which is kind of exciting.

On the audition process: It was an interesting audition process.  I’ll be totally honest.  I went in and read for this before they even cast Tim’s role of Peter.  I did great.  I was put on a short list, and then months go by and didn’t hear back because they hadn’t cast the role of Peter yet. Then, they finally cast the role of Peter with Tim, which I was ecstatic about because I was such a huge fan of Tim’s work that I was hoping to get called back again and be able to read with him.  They actually had moved on and started looking at some other girls for the role.  Funny enough, they were looking at girls younger than I was, which I thought was kind of funny.  A month or so goes by, and they have not cast the role of Elizabeth. I finally got a call again.  They said they really wanted to bring me back again and see what the chemistry could be like between Tim and I, and we blew it out of the park.  The moment I met him and we read, it just was right.  It just fit perfectly, and so I read with him once for a chemistry read, and then I went in and tested for the show with him with a couple other girls.  I was told that USA usually takes a few weeks to make decisions, but I was told later that night that I got the role, so I was very excited.

On her character’s background:  I think you’ll start to see background on all of our characters, especially the guys.  Surely, this show is definitely the guys’ show.  It’s Matt and Tim’s show, and Willie and I definitely play more of a supporting role, but you will definitely see much more of me in the further episodes as you’re coming along.  Last week or two weeks ago you saw a little bit more of what I really do for a living and kind of my career, which is really nice to kind of see because we really never saw that in the pilot, and it was something that we kind of came up with actually after we shot the pilot. They’re definitely putting more of what I do outside of my relationship with Tim into the show a little bit, and that’ll continue on even, hopefully, in seasons from here on out, which hopefully there’ll be five to ten years of White Collar.  In general, I can’t give you exact specifics, ideas of what’s going to be happening, but I can promise you you’ll see a lot more of her.

On becoming a new mother (she is expecting):   You know, that’s a very good question in the sense that I really don’t know being that I am a first-time mom, so it’ll be a very different kind of thing for me being that I’ll be working and being a mother at the same time.  There are millions of people who do it.  My mom did it herself, so I know I can handle it, but it’ll be a very new experience, so it’s hard to say what is going to be like.  It’ll be all brand new for me.

On whether her pregnancy will be incorporated into the show: I don’t know.  That’s actually going to be up to the writers and the executive producers and USA and Fox and everybody involved.  I’m going to be still somewhat not too pregnant along when we’re finally coming to the end of the season.  We really don’t have too much more left, so it’s really up to them if they want to.  I’m open to whatever they feel.  We tried to time it to a certain degree so I wouldn’t show too, too much.

On her character’s relationship with Peter:   I don’t know if I would actually use the word strained.  I think in every marriage there’s always the challenge of making time and making priorities in their relationship when people have careers, and what you will start to see more and more is my career, being that it takes up a lot of my time as well.  I think it’s going to give a lot of, not so much looking into Peter’s career and how it affects our marriage.  There’s also my side of it as well. I think she is very understanding to that.  She’s been living with it for so long and knows what he does for a living, and she knows what she married.  I don’t think there’s a strain to it.  I think there’s a challenge.  I think probably the challenge is the word I could use for that.  I think what Neal brings into it is that I think my husband on the show is very kind of black and white in the way he thinks, and I think Neal is definitely much more colorful, and I think he will definitely teach my husband a little more of the colorful side of being romantic and all those things that you do need in a marriage as well.

On her on-screen marriage: I really try, and Tim and I both have long talks about this as well as our creator, Jeff, that we really wanted this to be a relationship that does work on TV, not one that has a lot of problems, not one that you constantly see drama, which you see a lot on TV. Funny enough, Tim and I come from marriages that work, that really do work like that, so I think we really take it from just our own experiences.  Tim’s been married for quite some time to a wonderful woman and has two great kids.  My husband and I have this wonderful relationship and humor has a lot to do with it, communication, all those things I feel that are so, so important.  I take those just being from my parents who’ve been married for over 45 years.  My grandparents were married for 67 years.  It’s important, so I feel like I take from my own life and really try to bring what I can to the relationship and the characters.

On whether she wants to direct an episode of White Collar:  Yes, they definitely know directing is something that’s in my thinking of wanting to do more and more, and it all really just depends on time and all that.  I wanted to make sure that when we started the show my focus was on my character and what I’m doing as an actress.  Now with my new role coming as a mother, it’s going to be a little more challenging, but it’s definitely something I want to do more of, so yes.

On what her 2nd choice career would be:   It’s so funny.  Last year when we did the pilot, we really didn’t know what Elizabeth’s character was going to do for a living.  They had some ideas, and they kind of changed it, and then I had come to Jeff Eastin, our creator of the show and said, you know, it’s funny.  I think it could work, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do if I wasn’t an actor.  I’d always wanted to be an event planner, and I think it could work really well for Elizabeth’s character being that she’s in New York City.  We could really show the city in a different light, and they loved it.  I have to say funny enough, that was my idea, and that’s exactly what I would do if I wasn’t an actor.

  On how her previous roles have prepared her for this one:  It’s funny.  I think I’ve made this statement before a few times, but it is really true is that this is the first character in over 25 years of me doing this that I actually feel like it’s the closest to me that I’ve played in all the different shows and movies that I’ve done in my career.  I think it’s more about myself and my own experience that I can bring to Elizabeth.  She has this really solid wonderful marriage.  I feel like I have that with my own husband.  She’s career-driven, which I feel like I am.  It’s all those things that you put towards a character like her that I feel that are definitely very much me.

On being a part of a USA Network show: [It's] absolutely exciting.  I tell them this all the time that I feel blessed to be on such an amazing network.  This is the first time I’ve ever done a cable show, and I’m utterly thrilled and over-the-moon with the fact that they’re so supportive and they’re so behind their shows, and they really do give such a great chance of us really trying to make it.  It’s nice.  It’s nice to feel like we’re really wanted in a sense and really have a lot of passion behind us.  It’s a lovely, lovely feeling.

  On the challenges she has faced creating a new character, when people remember her for her past roles:  Yes, well, it’s bittersweet at times.  There’s good and bad.  There are people who of course followed my career and who have loved the shows that I’ve done in the past and are always up to seeing something new of myself or any of my past co-stars, which is really wonderful.  Then there’s always people who have opinions, and of course, that’s how the world works, and that’s A-OK. Some people were really open and loving to the fact that I’m actually playing a role that’s quite different than what I’ve played in the past.  Like I said, it’s definitely much more close to home for me, this character, but some people had a hard time with it.  Some people didn’t believe the relationship between Tim and I, which is so funny to me because we had chemistry from day one, but that’s how the entertainment business works.  That’s how people are, and that’s okay.  Everybody has their opinions.

 On what makes White Collar a show that should last many seasons:   Well, I think a few reasons.  People are already enjoying it.  We’ve had a lot of great feedback and a lot of great critics really loving the characters and the storylines and the show and us on it, which is exciting, the fact that we are on a network like USA.  They are so behind us, and they really put us out there, and it’s nice to have the passion behind us because I think that helps a lot.  These network shows, sometimes they don’t give it a chance, and it’s nice to know that we have somebody who’s really given us a chance.  I think we, knock on wood, I think you’re going to see us for awhile.

  On her favorite moment so far:  Wow, that’s hard.  I think there are a couple episodes coming up that I’m definitely a little heavier in, which is kind of nice to really get to explore my character a little bit, but each episode is so exciting and so fun, and it’s such a ride that it’s hard for me to pick out one more than the other or one little bit more than the other.  That’s a hard choice.  I have to think about that a little longer, and I know we wouldn’t have time.

On being  a part of a male dominated cast: It’s great, actually.  It’s not my first time, so I feel like I’m definitely, I have the experience.  With past shows, I did a show called Fastlane that was literally me and two guys.  It’s funny.  I don’t know why, but I tend to gravitate to shows that have a lot of male co-stars. I grew up with two brothers, so I guess it’s just normal for me to be around guys.  It’s fun.  It’s where I feel comfortable, I have to say.

On the pressure of the business: It’s all there.  It will never go away.  I don’t think our business and the entertainment business in general will ever just be okay with how people are.  I think we’re in a business that critiques everything we do, and you kind of just take it with a grain of salt.  I look at my grandmother, and I think she’s aged beautifully, so I hope that I could be a smidgen of how she’s aged. There’s nothing you can do.  All you can do is take of yourself and do the things that make you feel good and make you healthy and age appropriately, but there’s always going to be people out there are going to say something, and there’s nothing you can do about it.  Like I said, you have to take it with a grain of salt.

On her input regarding Elizabeth’s character development: It’s interesting.  We are very lucky to be on a show (and that’s all of us across the board) that our executive producers and writers are very open to anything we have to say, which is so nice because not a lot of shows are like that.  They believe a collaboration always works best, and not that we are there writing the show, nor is that what we’re supposed to be doing, but they’re always very open to any time we have a question or concern or have an idea, they’re always open.  It’s nice to be able to get on the phone or sit down with them and talk with them about it, and we all feel that way, which is really great.

On whether we will see an episode centered around Elizabeth: I don’t know.  That’s a question that really I can’t answer.  Again, I say the show really is Matt and Tim.  It’s their show, and it was from day one.  I knew that coming in.  I came in knowing that this role was supportive, which I was completely happy with. It’s funny.  I’ve been doing this for so long that I was actually okay not having to work every day and having the weight of a new show on my shoulders.  As well as I really just fell in love with this character, and I fell in love with the cast that they started to put together, but you’ll see definitely, there’s an episode coming up that I’m much more heavy in, and you’ll see that every now and then that I’ll be a little heavier in certain episodes. It’s not something you’re going to see every week because, again, it’s not my show.  I’m a supportive role on the show.

On what she would tell viewers about why they should tune into White Collar: Oh gosh, well, besides having really cute guys on the show, it’s definitely the type of TV and movies that I like to see.  I’m a huge fan of The Thomas Crown Affair and those kinds of feels of movies and shows and 48 Hours, which is so interesting, Catch Me If You Can, things like that.  If people are really into those kinds of movies and those kind of story-telling, they have to watch this show.  It is so absolutely entertaining.  The characters are so rich and so fun to watch and follow. As well as you see New York City in a completely different way.  It’s shot in a beautiful way.  It’s interesting, a lot of shows that are shot in New York City can be a little more dark and gray, and this show really, I think, kind of captures New York City in a really beautiful light, and it’s nice.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 10 pm for an all new episode of White Collar!

Just a quick update today on some anticipated release and return dates. Over the past month or so, I’ve mentioned that I was looking forward to the return of four of my favorite shows and I speculated on whether or not Scarecrow & Mrs. King would finally be released on DVD.

Well, I am excited to announce that earlier this week, the first season of Scarecrow & Mrs. King did become available for pre-order on Amazon. It will be released in March and I will definitely be splurging on that!

Other good news this week is the report that Burn Notice will return on January 28 and Psych will return on January 29. As a side note, White Collar will move to Thursdays after Burn Notice for the second half of its season. [Oh my gosh, that means I will have six (6) shows on Thursday nights.] It should be noted that USA has yet to make an official announcement about these return dates, but they do seem likely.

Finally, two exciting return dates were announced yesterday. First, Lost will return on Tuesday, February 2. I am very pleased that it will be on Tuesdays. I had heard rumors that it might go to Thursday, which, if you just read the above paragraph, you realize would have been disastrous for me. However, Tuesday is terrific because it will come on right after NCIS.

The second announcement from yesterday is probably the one I am most excited about: Chuck will be returning January 10 with a two hour season premiere. So glad I don’t have to wait until March!

I leave you with a sneak peek at Season 3 of Chuck:

• Peraê, eraê: a comédia que eu não assisti nenhum episódio na vida, a.k.a Seinfield, estará de volta? Ou melhor, esteve de volta? Para quem não sabe, Seinfield foi considerada a melhor série de comédia da história, tem episódios considerados os melhores da história, blá blá e blá. Parece que rolou uma gravação entre o elenco do seriado, de um episódio da série Curb Your Enthusiasm. Eu não entendi direito.

O que importa mesmo é que o pessoal de lá foi preso em 1998 (e por isso acabou a série) por se recusar a ajudar alguém em um assalto. Ah, esquece. Muita complicação por série antiga.

• O episódio dessa semana de House (episódio 7) deu uma revigorada na série. O diagnóstico foi bacana, o paciente igualmente. Só ainda continuo achando: dêem mais foco para os diagnósticos e menos para as vidas pessoais do povo de lá. Eu lá quero saber aonde uma bixessual chamada Treze viaja?
• E White Collar? Ainda não sei o que sinto por essa série. Boa, ruim, péssima, ou ótima. Só sei de uma coisa: é com o ator que fez o espião-do-mal-bem em Chuck. Veremos.
• The Big Bang Thory: ainda não vi o de ontem. Verei em uma meia hora. Me aguarde.
• Two and a Half Man: me mordam, mas eu ainda não tinha visto em minha vida Two and a Half Man. Só sei de uma coisa: gostei, e muito. Compete com 30 Rock e The Big Bang Theory para o título de minha série favorita.

Ah! E tem podcast vindo por essa semana. Ainda não sei com quem gravarei, mas terá!

If you haven’t already, watch one of the History channel’s documentaries on the Third Reich. They are so detailed, and some of the information given is mind blowing. It chills my blood to see some of the footage they show.

On another note, USA Network’s White Collar is the best show on TV I’ve seen in years.

As for my injury, it’s healing very slowly, but I’m confident that I will be fully recovered by Thanksgiving Day.

Well this was a less than stellar week for me. Which is unfortunate, because I’m pretty proud of the few things I did get around to doing. Remember that to-do list from a couple days ago? Yeah. Not too much progress on that front. Some, to be fair – I’ve done a lot of thinking about “Wheels,” at least. But I haven’t even gotten all my watching done with. Hopefully the large amount of extra sleep I got today will help me get back on my game.

Anyway, here’s what’s coming up this week:

Tonight:
9pm – Three Rivers on CBS

MONDAY:
8pm – Heroes on NBC
8pm – House on FOX
9pm – Trauma on NBC
9pm – Lie to Me on FOX
10pm – Castle on ABC

TUESDAY:
8pm – V on ABC
8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Top 14) on FOX
8pm – NCIS on CBS
9pm – NCIS: LA on CBS

WEDNESDAY:
8pm – So You Think You Can Dance (Results) on FOX
9pm – Glee on FOX
10pm – CSI: NY on CBS

THURSDAY:
8pm – FlashForward on ABC
8pm – Bones on FOX
9pm – Fringe on FOX
10pm – Project Runway (Season Finale!) on Lifetime

FRIDAY:
8pm – Shrek the Third on ABC
10pm – White Collar on USA

Why do I mention Shrek the Third? Because I haven’t seen it. And hopefully putting it in this schedule will remind me to watch it. Because obviously I won’t be doing anything else with my Friday night.

SATURDAY:
11:30pm – Saturday Night Live (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the Dave Matthews Band)

Hopefully it will be better than this weekend’s January Jones disaster.

I guess the biggest news is that Project Runway will finally be over after this week (thank god, because this season has been a disaster). The most important thing for Melted Brain is that I need to make serious headway on my to-do list, revised below:

• “Wheels” review (thinking yes, writing no)
• V review (haven’t even watched last week’s yet)
• Hindsight: Battlestar Galactica (it’s about halfway done)
• general getting of head out of ass (work in progress)

As I like to do every so often, I am going to go through a bunch of shows I’ve been watching to write some general thoughts on the show and any exciting or upsetting news that I may have heard about it.

Survivor Samoa- One thing I like about this show is that they try and make certain that the women have an equal opportunity at most things. Very often, the physical competitions are divided so it’s women vs women and men vs men, elimination/immunity challenges tend to include equalizers like puzzles or skills that aren’t strength based. (I find this admirable since MTV’s RW/RR Challenges seem incapable of doing this. Remember the Battle of the Sexes’ final challenge?) About other aspects of the show: Russel has figured out something very basic–if there is no exile island, then the immunity idol must be hidden at camp. And if it is hidden at camp it must be an identifiable location so that clues can be given to find it. So twice now he has just wandered around camp searching the few places that it could be, and found it. Why has no one else taken this approach? Especially after he found it the first time? I will say that Russel, while I can’t stand him and don’t understand why so many people have gone along with him for so long, is quite the player. He’s super manipulative and strategic. And nice blindside this week.

Vampire Diaries- I have a few distinct issues with this show. 1) It bugs me that Elenia and Bonnie look exactly like their ancestors Katherine and Emily. They couldn’t just hire other actors for the three seconds that they are on screen? 2) Quite killing the interesting people! Vicky and that friend of Stefan’s were both interesting story lines that I would have liked to see develop a lot further. 3) Elenia is the dullest person ever. I mean really, she’s possibly the worst main character in existence. Otherwise, I think they did some clever stuff this week. Especially because there is obviously more to come from Damon, plus all the new vamps. Is Logan one of them?

Dollhouse- Probably the most upsetting, though not surprising, news of the week is the cancellation of Dollhouse. The show was getting really good this season, finally focusing on the entire cast instead of just Echo and Paul Ballard. There are so many things that Fox did wrong with this show (formulaic first season, poor advertising, horrible timeslot, not airing epitaph one) but I do think that Joss Whedon would be more suited for Syfy or some of other cable station (one thing he will have to do is have a cheaper budget though because Dollhouse, for example, is too expensive to produce for Syfy). At least the full season two will be aired. If you haven’t checked out this show already, I really recommend it. What I like about Joss is that he takes things further and uses his shows to examine human behavior and morality in a way that most shows do not.

FlashForward- After a bit of a lull following the series premiere, the show has really picked up steam again. The last few weeks have been some of the best episodes yet and they call into question everything that’s been revealed so far. And then call that into question. A few, interesting twists have come into play now and you can’t help but wonder what everyone is going to do as conspiracies and cover ups seem to multiply and desperation leads to some pretty crazy behavior.

V- Also on the upsetting news of the week, I did not realize that V would only be airing four episodes before going on hiatus until March. That’s pretty lame. The show’s second episode was just as good as the first (which says something about the show since I’ve found that most Sci Fi has a great pilot and a weak follow up). I have no idea what will be filling the time slot during the months off, but I really wish the networks would stop doing that.

Smallville- On the good news, this series has really improved from the last few years and it’s showing in the ratings. Despite being in its ninth season and on a Friday, the show has actually seen increases every week in its viewership. Perhaps everyone is just glad to be rid of Lana Lang for good or they like the playing with Lois Lane. Either way, the plots are better. Lex Luthor is gone for now which is actually fine by me. We looked into Oliver’s story more. Chloe has proven herself to be more interesting than ever before. Lois is just kind of crazy but entertaining. Sadly, Clark continues to be somewhat dull. There’s only so much entertainment to be had from a guy whose entire storyline revolves around “being the perfect hero.”

Ugly Betty- Another show that has become more interesting than before. It takes a look at dealing with grief, poor self esteem, jealousy, being gay in high school, what a mother would do for her daughter…In other words, real issues instead of just scheming against each other which, while interesting in Gossip Girl, isn’t suited for this show as much. Not to say some scheming isn’t good. I just don’t think in this show that should be the entire story. I think also the dad’s story about being wanted in Mexico or wherever just wasn’t as interesting as Justin learning to deal with being in high school.

White Collar- while not as exciting as the first episode (it has become a bit formulaic at the moment) there are some things that leave me interested in the show. The first is that Neal Caffrey is an interesting character. The second is the questions about his girlfriend. It is clear that more was happening than that she was just dumping him and now Neal is trying to find her. I’m hoping we’ll get more than cursory mentions of that in episodes to come. More chasing her and a little less of chasing random bad guys. It does bother me a little that he’s supposed to be this huge romantic in love with this girl and meanwhile he’s hitting on the new FBI agent transferred in to work with them.

Ghost Whisperer- I think one thing I dislike about this show is that the son, Aiden, is kind of weird looking and a bit annoying. Would have been nice for them to have gotten a cuter kid. But oh well. This week they introduced a frightened child-ghost who is hiding with Aiden at the very end which could lead to some great story soon. I wish they would get back to the Shinees and Shadows stuff a little more. (And I think we will be seeing that soon.) I dislike shows that are formulaic with little bigger arch. This show has a bigger story but they tend to ignore it for the majority of the time which is unfortunate. Show us more of Aiden’s skills, show us who he can see. And it would be cool to see more real murders instead of just misguided ghosts.

Merlin- I know this show didn’t do well this summer when it came to the US, but I was watching it last year (online of course) and I really enjoyed it. I would like to learn more about Morgana (we got some hints with the introduction of her half sister Morgose–come on practically the same name!) but I think this season is pushing along well. Especially with the whole magic good or bad dilemma. Arthur and Uther are constantly being forced to rethink their stances only to be hurt by magic and revert back to hatred again. I can’t wait for the day when Morgana and Merlin’s magic is revealed. It would be nice to see more occasions where they almost get caught.

Legend of the Seeker- As I’ve said before, watching this show inspired me to read the entire 12 book (sort of 13 book) series. This season looks even more exciting with the introduction of Cara, a Mord Sith who has allied herself with Richard. I would like them to go more into depth about how the Mord Sith are created as that is an interesting/terrifying story. Meanwhile, I’d also like to stop seeing scenes of the underworld. (For one thing, it’s depressing to think that no matter what type of life you live you are doomed once you die and for another, it’s just not a very well executed bit of imagery.) I’m looking forward to seeing what else they are planning since they have changed things enough from the books to leave you surprised by how things turn out while sticking to the heart and emotion of most of it. (And while leaving out a bit of the preaching.)

As you can see, I’m a real sucker for Fantasy (which would explain why I’m writing a fantasy book–currently 400+ pages in). Any shows you have some complaints or good news about?

White Collar promotional poster

The pilot episode of White Collar was most definitely slick and smart, as well as charming, as Matt Bormer will charm the pants off anyone he meets as his suave alter ego Neal Caffrey.

This show most definitely fits in the USA Network’s slew of shows, which include Burn Notice and Royal Pains. It has good pacing and interesting chemistry between Matt Bormer and Tim DeKay, something that isn’t easy to fake. They work well on the screen, there is no denying this.

Basically, Dekay’s Burke is a white collar specialist who put Bormer’s Caffrey away a few years ago. In order to reduce his sentence a bit further, after having escaped a super max jail, Caffrey offers to help Burke to catch the illusive Dutchman, a criminal that Burke has also been chasing for a few years. This setup kind of reminds me of Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can as well as The Sting with Redford and Newman.

What’s also interesting, is that the guys don’t just keep this professional. They also involve their personal lives. Burke needs help to make his hot wife Elizabeth, played by Tiffani Thiessen, happy while Caffrey is searching for his wife that just vanished. All in all, a great show with good actors. I recommend it.

Warning: spoilers ahead

They are after an Israeli counterfeiter called the Ghost. They are interviewing a witness. An Israeli model named Tara was at a party. She saw the Ghost and someone else arguing. The other guy was murdered. They didn’t see her hiding in the closet. Guvat killed a known associate.

Burke thinks that this is linked to NYC’s fashion week. Caffrey thinks that they can throw a party and have Tara will ID him. Caffrey says that Elizabeth will help them out and give them a good deal. That’s Burke’s wife. They go through the FBI seized goods for supplies. Burke wants to throw the party in a seized loft. Caffrey has got a better idea. It’s a rooftop garden. Neal meets Lauren Cruze, a hot FBI agent that was transferred to the task force.

They find a guy speaking Hebrew at the party. They are sure that Guvat is here. Guvat dumps his phone on another guy. This happened after Caffrey swiped Dmitri’s phone. They get the wrong guy and Guvat is making his way away.

Moz comes to see Caffrey. He still wants to find Kate. He told Kate that he kept all of this spoils in San Diego. Some guy is making her look for it. When Kate came to say goodbye, he thinks that Kate might have left him a message. Moz tells him to ask for the footage.

They didn’t lose Guvat. They are tailing him.

Elizabeth is meeting Burke in a park. She got him something. It’s a new watch.

They trace Dmitri and the model Guvat was with. He is at a photo shoot. Dmitri is a buyer. Caffret poses as a rival buyer. He meets Guvat at a hotel, but is killed shortly after.

Dmitri was killed with a dress. They find a place for a high tech security system. It’s basically a USB flash drive. They find the designer. He says that his son was kidnapped. Guvat is responsible. He had to smuggle something in using the dress. Once in the US, his son was released. The designer says that Guvat took the wrong dress. They are analyzing the data on it. They use the dress as bait. Tara is modeling it. Guvat calls and offers 5 million for the dress. Caffrey says that he wants 10. Guvat says that he tried to reason with him and hangs up.

Tara was kidnapped on her way to the safehouse. Guvat phones Caffrey. Guvat wants Burke to make the exchange. He found his card on Tara.

The thread in the dress holds the holographic code of the latest European currencies. They will be putting a counterfeit one on it.

Guvat calls him and tells him to run to the fountain. He doesn’t want any of the FBI surveillance to move. Guvat tells Burke that Tara is modeling an explosive belt that can be remote detonated with a cell phone. Caffrey gets an idea. They will try and jam Guvat’s phone. Everyone keeps dialing it. Cruze tackles him.

Caffrey gets to watch the tape of Kate. He sees her signaling him ‘Bottle’ in Morse code. It’s the bottle that she left for him.

* * * * *

Relevant Posts and Links

• White Collar @ Wikipedia
• White Collar S01E01