Season 5, Episode 12
Air Date: Thursday, January 23, 2014, 9/8c on USA
Rating:
“I was always a badass.” – Diana
While I have really enjoyed this season of White Collar, there have been times where I felt things were forgotten or put on hold. Things like Siegel’s (Warren Kole) death, which was all but ignored most of the season. At other times, things were not fleshed out enough, and I wonder whether creator Jeff Eastin’s focus on Graceland played a part in that. I would have welcomed a flashback scene with Rebecca explaining what happened between her and Siegel that led to his murder. How much had he really figured out about her?
Peter: “Rebecca not only conned him, she broke his heart. What Neal needs right now is rules, structure.”
Elizabeth: “Or, what he needs is to figure out what he wants in his life. Maybe this was a wake-up call for Neal.”
Peter: “One question for you, just one.”
Neal: “Shoot.”
Peter: “Do you think you can go straight?”
Neal: “Yes.”
It is a powerful scene that I thought should have been explored more by the writers.
It’s a surprising admission by Peter, especially given his earlier ”Once a con always a con” speech he gave Neal earlier in the season. Had the kitchen scene taken place with Peter and Neal having an honest discussion instead of being between Peter and Elizabeth, the later scene would have been even more powerful.
The meeting between Neal and Rebecca is interesting but I found her interaction with Peter much more intriguing. She explains she had Peter in her sights but knew it would hurt Neal if she pulled the trigger. It feels like we are still missing a piece to Rebecca’s past, and the reasoning behind all the research that went into finding out about the White Collar Unit. Is someone from the past funding all of this? Did they help Rebecca escape or did she do it on her own?
Funny moments
- Mozzie driving the babysitter so crazy she quits
- Mozzie with the baby
- Neal getting caught with his pants down.
“Taking Stock” welcomes Diana back and it truly is a joy to have Thomason back on screen. Four babies were used to play little Theo but I wonder if the photo she places on her desk is a prop or her real baby. Whichever, he certainly is cute!
With only one more episode this season, it’s driving me nuts how much this penultimate episode feels like a build-up to a series finale rather than a season ending. Of course, I felt the same way after last week’s episode too. I hope USA Network makes an announcement about season six soon.
Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Taking Stock.”
For more on the show, visit the official website at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/.
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All photos © 2013-14 USA Network, a division of NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Greg Staffa
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