Season 5, Episode 6
Air Date: Thursday, November 21, 2013, 9/8c on USA
Rating:
“You say problem, I say opportunity.” – Mozzie
For a while now, I have been wondering if something is going on behind the scenes of White Collar. The series’ creator, Jeff Eastin, has been noticeably silent, and Thursday brought the announcement that co-executive producer Joe Henderson had left the show. That leaves me to wonder who is steering the ship? This is reflected in “Ice Breaker,” which, while a good episode, feels out of pace with this season’s time line.
“Ice Breaker” is the first time watching White Collar that the editing seems off. I don’t know if scenes were cut or simply not written but there are several times when it seems like part of the scene is missing. I especially felt this in the scene where Neal is searching Sergei’s office. I got the feeling there was more to the scene as Neal is finding bits and pieces of what went into making the forged passports. Did he pocket some of what he finds? I would have liked it had that scene and others been explored more.
Am I the only one who finds it odd that everyone keeps referring to Rebecca Lowe (Bridget Regan) as Neal’s love interest? Seems more like she is still a mark given her knowledge about the Codex. If there is any kind of relationship between the two, it is more out of guilt on Neal’s part for wrecking her life. Will a real relationship evolve as Neal corrupts her or is he simply using her to get what he needs? Speaking of the Codex, if there is no chapter 13, doesn’t that mean Neal stole chapter 14, or is there a deeper meaning to what Neal is in possession of? Could this be the ultimate set-up by Hagan in that Neal stole something that does not exist?
Earlier in the season, I said this could be White Collar’s strongest season. I may have jumped the gun a bit as now we are surrounded with several mysteries. I guess we’ll have to see how they play out before my statement can be backed up. That isn’t to say this has been a bad season but rather, a distracted one. The continuity is an issue for me as major plot points have been either forgotten or ignored. Peter also seems to be all over the place. Two million dollars go missing and Peter barely blinks, but Neal goes missing for an hour or two and Peter spends hours trying to figure out where he went and what he was doing. Maybe it’s just me but one of Peter’s agents was murdered and he seems more worried about where Neal went. Last I checked, Neal never killed anyone.
Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Ice Breaker.”
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All photos © 2013 USA Network, a division of NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Greg Staffa
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