Sunday, March 4, 2012

What I’m Watching: White Collar (Season Finale)


White Collar: Season 3, Episode 16 “Judgment Day” (B+)

This whole season, or at least its back half, has been building to Neal’s hearing. It’s great, therefore, to have snippets of each person testifying, with a wild city-spanning adventure thrown in for good measure. June and Sara did a particularly good job of throwing the judges for a loop by presenting unconventional arguments for why they like Neal, whereas Elizabeth found herself somewhat flabbergasted and not saying what she meant to at all. Jones’ testimony was to the point and honest, citing Neal’s character but stating that he should serve out the rest of his sentence. Neal gave a great closing statement for himself, though that’s sure to be negated by the events in the episode’s final moments. It’s a shame, really, considering how daring Neal was to make that leap between tram cars and then get saved by Mozzie in the ambulance and Diana in the car. And Sara and Peter had the perfect plan to get her boss to buy the painting so that it wouldn’t be stolen, but Kramer is just vindictive and wants Neal all to himself. Like any good friend, Peter tipped Neal off as best and subtly as he could, and now, for the first time, Neal is fully and truly on the run. I’m not sure where the show goes from here, but I’d love to see all the familiar faces, maybe excluding do-gooder Jones, helping Neal to survive in his new state as a presumably wanted fugitive. This shaped up to be a great season overall, and the fourth season, which was commissioned last August, is sure to be a blast as well.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Matthew Bomer as Neal

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