Bricks Are A Girl’s Best Friend. Review: White Collar - “Diamond Exchange”

Season 5, Episode 13

Air Date: Thursday, January 30, 2014, 9/8c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“This is what we do Neal, you and me. Let’s track this.” – Peter

“Diamond Exchange” consists of 58 wonderful minutes that do a great job of ending the series as Neal (Matt Bomer) and Peter (Tim Dekay) hug and say goodbye. It’s hard to believe that after five seasons…oops, wait, we don’t know whether there will or won’t be a season six so, with two minutes left…quick, toss in a cliffhanger and then fade to black.

For five seasons, Neal has taken on various criminals but never one who mirrors him as much as Rebecca (Bridget Regan), even down to the way they both escaped from prison, as Peter notes.

Peter: “Is this some kind of message? Anything you can do I can do too?

Neal: “I doubt it.”

Peter: “She walked right out the door in uniform. Same way you did once.”

Last October, I had the chance to participate in a conference call interview with Bomer and Dekay. We talked about how much New York is a character of its own on the show. One of the things Dekay was excited about was filming the scenes for “Diamond Exchange.” He told me, “And we were filming at all these places and it continually surprises us. I mean we – the finale films in this place called Fort Totten; that’s out in Queens, and who knew that that place, this giant old military base, was out in Queens. I mean, there are always places like that every season.” You can read the full interview here.

This is what sets White Collar apart from many of the other shows pretending to take place in New York. The scenes filmed at Fort Totten are visually stunning, providing an added realism you can’t get from a building a set. Let’s not forget the Cunard Cruise Line Building and Central Park, among other iconic New York locations utilized by White Collar;, and heck, someone needs to write a book called, “The History of the Set Locations on White Collar.”

While the main focus of “Diamond Exchange” is capturing Rebecca, one of the scenes that stands out takes place between Jones (Sharif Atkins) and Diana (Marsha Thomason). It isn’t what is said; rather, it’s what we, the audience, know given Diana, Mozzie, and Jones’ shared history. Just the look on Diana’s face alone tells us she is not going to let Mozzie down. Not to mention Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen), who doesn’t leave Mozzie’s side. The writers deserve a lot of credit for taking what could have been a cut and dry police drama and making a show about the complexities of the relationships within.

My only real criticism is Rebecca’s capture. Yes, the dialogue between her and Neal is intense but let’s not forget that when Rebecca killed Agent Siegel (Warren Kole) for getting in her way a few episodes ago, she escaped from prison. Yet, when Neal pulls a switch-a-roo on her with the diamond, she just gives up, sitting next to Neal while waiting for the police to arrive. It just seems too easy, and feels like the writers, who keep pushing the love angle, wanted one last scene with the two together.

I doubt I am the only one who had a tough time watching the scene towards the end at Peter and Elizabeth’s house. I think the writers have been peppering episodes throughout the season with hints about changes coming for the couple. It’s interesting that for the last several episodes, Elizabeth has been trying to get Peter to come over to Neal’s side and see things his way, yet when Peter finally does, it’s at a huge price to his marriage.

It worries me how much “Diamond Exchange” feels like a series finale with everything being tied up with a nice, neat little bow and characters saying their goodbyes. It is a suitable way to end the series but thankfully, some last minute twists change things. Are they enough for another season?

So, who is the mystery man (Toby Moore) involved in the last minute twist?. I have said before I thought there was someone more powerful than Rebecca involved in some way. Rebecca obviously did her research on Neal but did she really need to find info all the way back to his childhood? So here is my wild speculation: Toby Moore’s character is actually Neal’s brother who works for Neal’s mother. While under WitSec protection, the never before seen Mrs. Caffrey-Bennett built a criminal empire. All these years, she’s been keeping an eye on Neal through her various criminal connections. She is the one who turned the former MI5 agent Rachel Turner (aka Rebecca). Rebecca had heard many stories about Neal from his mother and when she learned about the diamond, Rebecca realized she could go rogue, using Neal to get the diamond. So after this whole escapade, is Mrs. Caffery-Bennet responsible for having her other son involved with what happens to Neal?

There has been a lot of talk online about whether this episode was actually the series finale, and whether there will be a season six. People are reading interviews and watching the show looking for signs. As many pointed out, there is a scene at the end of “Diamond Exchange” where Mozzie and Neal are standing in the street gazing at a sign that simply says “END.”

I’m just as guilty for fueling these concerns when I pointed out that previous renewal announcements for White Collar have come during the third month of every season, which for this season, would have been December, 2013. It worries me that the show’s creator, Jeff Eastin, has been absent for much of the season, not to mention three White Collar episodes were dropped to better accommodate Eastin’s Graceland schedule, causing many to speculate he has lost interest in the show.

But the truth is we simply don’t know. People are merely expressing their thoughts, concerns, and opinions. The powers that be are not talking. As both a fan and reviewer, I certainly hope there is a season six but for now, I am going to take some time to appreciate what a great season this has been.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Diamond Exchange.”

For more on the show, visit the official website at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/.

Follow the show on Twitter @WhiteCollarUSA.

LIKE White Collar on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/whitecollar.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.