TVSquad

(S01E02) "Please don't try anything. I have five bars and free long distance. I can be far away and still cause you pain." - bad guy with phone bomb

First the bad news.

I can buy the FBI spending $5000 on a party featuring 65 supermodels and a rooftop terrace to catch a crook. I can buy a rich woman giving a complete stranger an apartment for $700 a month even though he's an ex-con. I can buy a fancy dress with some security device inside of it that a master criminal would kill for. There's a lot of stuff I'll buy in a show like this.

What I can't buy is that hat Matthew Bomer insists on wearing. He wants to be Rat Pack-era cool but with the hat and the vest and rolled up sleeves, he looks more like he's doing a fashion shoot for Details or maybe fronting a boy band.

The good news is that the second episode of White Collar was good. It wasn't new-and-shiny good like the pilot was, with it's great introduction to these characters and series set-up, but it was fun and shot stylishly like the pilot. I like James Rebhorn being introduced as the chief too. He's good in these authority roles.

I'm glad they have the subplot of Caffrey and his shady pal (Willie Garson) looking for Caffrey's ex-girlfriend Kate. I can sense a danger that this show could turn into a formula "case of the week" type show, so having a deeper reason for Caffrey wanting to be out of jail is a good thing (and gives Garson more to do too). I also like how the Burke/Caffrey relationship is still not 100% concrete. Burke will give him the tape of Kate at the jail if Caffrey solves the Ghost case (which is solved in a fun but rather easy way, if you ask me). Meanwhile, Caffrey is lying that he wants the tape for closure. He wants to find her. So they're both still working on the trust thing.

As I said last week, I love that the show is filmed in NYC. If there's one thing I don't like about Burn Notice is that I don't like is the location. Too hot. I hate heat and humidity, and it makes me uncomfortable to watch Michael Westen in a suit running around Miami. I like White Collar's location better. I know, I know, weather is a weird aspect to focus on in a review of a light action drama, but there you go. Give me the cooler weather and gray skyscrapers of NYC any day.

Two quick notes:

- Yes, Diana, the gay junior agent, is gone. Not sure why, but Marsha Thomason is out after the pilot and Natalie Morales is now the female agent on the team, Lauren Cruz.

- USA Network really has to stop it with that Bon Jovi promo they're running. I like the idea of showing a montage of all of the USA Network "heroes" (from White Collar, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Monk, Psych, etc), but Bon Jovi is one of the worst bands in North America and I cringe every single time it comes on. I'm sure it's online but I'm not going to link to it here.

[Watch clips and episodes of White Collar and other shows at SlashControl.]