What I’m Watching: White Collar

White Collar: Season 2, Episode 13 “Countermeasures” (B+)

It seems that Neal goes undercover nearly every episode, yet it never gets old. This does mark the first time, unless I’m forgetting something, that Neal has actually been an accomplice to an armed robbery, and that just makes it all the more entertaining. Neal just seems to delight so much in anything that he does, and it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t do a magnificent job of doing pretty much everything. June isn’t featured all that much anymore on this show, and therefore it’s fun to have her be somewhat front and center and have her good friends Neal and Mozzie able to rise to her defense when they realize she’s being conned. It’s nice to see Lando Calrissian, a.k.a. Billy Dee Williams, over thirty years after “The Empire Strikes Back,” as June’s less-than-trustworthy old friend. I enjoyed Elizabeth’s involvement in this episode, and how, after being categorically turned down by Peter, Neal immediately called her and asked her to be a part of his scheme. Elizabeth’s willingness to play along, combined with her barely flinching at the news, was also quite entertaining, and I like how she’s really become one of the team, even if she’s only called in occasionally. Speaking of being part of the team, I was thrilled to hear that Hilarie Burton, onetime “One Tree Hill” resident and current infrequent portrayer of Sara Ellis, is going to be joining the cast full-time next season. In my mind, that’s a fantastic addition, and I’m excited to see her interact with Neal and everyone else some more on a more regular basis.