White Collar - Out of the Box, S01E14 - Season Finale

I, like many others, was never particularly interested in the Kate angle of the story. Certainly, Neal (Matthew Bomer) loved her very much, and, since we loved him, we could not disregard her existence entirely. She was his weakness and he would do whatever it took for her. But that's not why we watched. We love the bromance between Neal and Peter (Tim DeKay). That is friendship, that is trust, and that remains despite how much they both stick to their guns when it comes to what's important to them.

As Neal got closer to getting the music box, closer to Kate, Peter continued to threaten to arrest him if he did anything illegal. Good thing that Neal has Fowler (Noah Emmerich) on his side, ready to thwart Peter. And thwart he did. He has a knack for going after weaknesses, and as much as Kate is a weakness to Neal, Ellie (Tiffani Thiessen) is a weakness to Peter. How guilty did Neal feel when he found out that Ellie's livelihood was put at risk through his involvement! Good thing he has connections to help her earn back her reputation quickly.

I really loved watching Neal at work, carving the beautiful and perfect replica of that statue so that he could hide the tools he would later need to get it out. I also really liked that Alex (Gloria Votsis) betrayed him, though I was less convinced of her reasons for coming back. Still, it worked and it's nice to know that she has an opening to be a continued presence in her life. I like her a whole lot better than Kate.

Yet when the whole thing was finished and Fowler arrested with the help of Agent Lancing (Marsha Thomason) - which finally told us what had happened to her and where she had gone, Peter and Neal were left saying their good byes. How believable was that scene? Peter begging Neal not to go, telling him that his life was here, that he was helping too many people to give it all up, while Neal kept trying to justify it after all he went through to be with Kate. Meanwhile she just sat there on that plane, waiting for him, not fighting for him. And then the plane blew up. And Neal, hesitant a moment before, had to be tackled by Peter so that he would not run straight into the wreckage.

Whoever messed with Peter and Neal had better watch out; it's only just beginning.