White Collar: Season 3, Episode 11 “Checkmate” (C+)
I’m not sure what it was about the return of this series that didn’t do it for me. In its absence, what I came to expect from USA was mainly action and danger, in the form of “Burn Notice” and “Covert Affairs,” and perhaps that’s why this premiere was disappointing. USA had this whole “Where is Elizabeth Burke” campaign, and to see her sitting comfortably with Keller solved what could have been a compelling, enduring mystery in less than five minutes. And she also managed to pull off the most effortless escape ever, tricking her captor into going to the drugstore – where he used a credit card! – and then actually putting in some work to break the glass with a chair and escape. The themes in this episode didn’t mix, as Elizabeth was never really in harm’s way but Neal had to work extra hard to ensure that Keller wouldn’t kill anyone. It looked like Neal might be in trouble as soon as Elizabeth was free, but, despite an aggressive move with a Raphael painting, Peter came to Neal’s aid so that Neal could then shoot Keller in the leg, again preventing anything severe from actually happening. Fortunately, Keller’s confession was good for everyone, and now Neal might be free of his anklet, which could change the show in interesting ways. After this lackluster premiere, I’m not sure I want to stick around given how unexciting this show is in comparison to the other Tuesday night fare on TV, but it may just have been that the Keller storyline dragged on way too long, so I’ll give it another week.
No comments:
Post a Comment