TVSquad

(S01E05) I don't think I've sighed as hard as I sighed during the opening scene of this episode of White Collar in a long time. Caffrey and Moz find a note hidden by Kate ... in Grand Central Station? And not even in the station, but in the corner of the building outside. Did I miss some massive clue that Caffrey was following to find the exact location of the note shoved into a crack? Or are we just supposed to assume he's so smart and perceptive that he can find an old note within three minutes of showing up in front of the building? If I missed something, it was silly. If that's exactly how it went down, then it was kinda stupid.

Fun episode, though!

(S01E04) "Yeah, and I didn't even have to go to prison first." - Lauren, after Caffrey pointed out that she just joined the team

I want Neal Caffrey's life. He gets out of jail by promising to help the FBI with cases with his expertise in ... well, just about everything. And he gets to do it from the penthouse apartment of an incredibly cool Manhattan mansion. This is a lesson for all the kids out there. If you are going to be a criminal, make sure those crimes are in fields where the U.S. government will have no choice but to take you out of jail and have you help them because they can't solve cases without you.

Oh, and I also want Peter Burke's dog.

(S01E03) "I like my miracles with more smiting and lightning." - Burke

Would the FBI really help a bad guy get a church Bible back? Sure, it turned out to be a very important Bible, but the way that Barelli just comes into the FBI and asks for their help in getting the book back and the chief takes him seriously from the get-go didn't ring true to me. Sure, Burke told him to just go to the local police, but then the chief pulls him aside and says that he doesn't need the Archdiocese breathing down his neck about it. That just seemed like a way for the writers to justify the plot in the first place.

(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.

(S01E01) USA Network likes to remind us that characters are welcome. Thankfully, that's not just a slogan, as all of their shows actually do have great lead characters. And this holds true for the latest light comedy-action drama White Collar.

Sure, there's similar DNA that runs though a lot of the USA shows. Burn Notice, Royal Pains, and White Collar all have a similar setup and feel to them, but when the shows are actually good (like all of these shows are) that's not a problem. I don't know if there's anything "deep" about this show, but it's entertaining as hell.

(S01E08) Well... that sucks. Not the episode, but the fact that there won't be any more episodes. I actually thought that the show had hit full speed at the end of last week's episode when Will popped up with his gun trained on Marlow. With the three boys back together again working to bring down Freed, and Marlow more convinced than ever that things were not what they seem, it could have been the perfect kickoff to the second half of the season.

Instead, we are left with what was a pretty entertaining hour of television, but one that suffered greatly from ten pounds of plot stuffed in a five pound bag, and the fact that so many of the questions that were brought up will never have an answer. Really, short of confirmation that the TV Squad readers correctly fingered Agent Chambers as Freed's man inside the FBI, they didn't really give us much at all in the way of answers.

(S01E07) I guess George Costanza was right about fugitive sex. This week, both Jay and Tyler took advantage of their fugitive status to get some action. I would have thought that the guys had better things to do in New York--clearing their names, finding the terrorists, etc. Then again, who am I to complain about scenes that feature a shirtless Matthew Bomer?

OK, it's not going away immediately, a la Smith or Kidnapped, but after the next two episodes, Traveler is gone for good, and this news comes from the creator himself.

Creator/producer Dave DiGilio has been keeping a blog over at TVGuide.com, and he reveals that the network has let the contracts of the actors on the show lapse and that the next two episodes of the show (the show returns July 11) mark the end of the series. And while it's not the final final decision on the show, when the creator of a show says it's true, that's definitely a sign. Though it's not like they didn't see it coming, after the show was put in as a summer replacement, the episodes cut, etc.

He also gives some cool behind-the-scenes scoop of epsiode "The Reunion."

(S01E06) This week finds Jay and Tyler back in New York, Will trying to track down Maya's killer, and the FBI still a step behind as Marlow heads to Boston. It was a crazy, fast paced episode that gave a lot of answers, but there was also that nagging little question in the back of my head. Holy smokes, only two episodes left? Are they going to be able to wrap all of this up? We'll see, but for now, let's talk about "The Trader."

Traveler is a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Sure, the premise looked intriguing and I'm a sucker for conspiracy/good guys on the run shows, but I had this feeling that ABC pushed it to the summer for a reason and it might be one of those shows that worked better as a long miniseries than a multi-season thing.

But it's quite good, and if they can find a way to continue it that would be great (hey, Richard Kimble was on the run for several seasons). Creator David DiGilio has posted a note at the IMDB thanking fans for watching the show and giving a few hints on how you can let ABC know you want the show renewed.

DiGilio is also keeping a blog at TV Guide where he answers a lot of questions from viewers.

[thanks to Savan for the tip]

(S01E05) This week's episode shifted the focus away from Jay and Tyler's perspective to that of Will Traveler. After several weeks of watching the guys figure out how they were framed, it was time to learn more about the people behind the set-up. Neal McDonough still doesn't have a name, but we did get the name of someone who could be a bigger threat to Jay, Tyler, and even Will.

(S01E04) This week, Jay and Tyler made another stop on their Tour of Innocence: Deer Harbor, Maine. I like the pattern of having each episode feature a different location with a new set of clues. There really haven't been any weak episodes yet, which may be a good sign for the show's future.

(S01E03) I don't know that any of us can ever really understand the machinations that go into making the network schedule. After watching the first three episodes of Traveler though, I'm left scratching my head wondering just what it was that kept this one tucked away for so long. I'll give in where The Nine is concerned, because the pilot was very good. But how this one got passed over for Six Degrees, Men In Trees, and the collection of little sit-coms that couldn't is beyond me.

(S01E01 & S01E02) Ask and you shall receive, folks! TV Squad is officially covering ABC's Traveler. The show's third episode, "New Haven," airs this Wednesday, so it's time to play catch-up.The pilot episode and "The Retreat" provided a thorough look at all the key players and mysteries.

Traveler was originally on ABC's fall schedule, but it kept getting bumped back. Now it's the end of the regular network television season, and Traveler is finally getting a chance to air. Why is this? After seeing the pilot, I suspect it is because ABC was worried that the show would get lost in a sea of new dramatic serials that premiered last fall. It seems like a reasonable assumption, because there really isn't anything wrong with this series. I'm not jumping for joy over it, but I do find it somewhat intriguing.

The premise of Traveler is this: Three best friends (Jay, Tyler, and Will Traveler) graduate from Yale and plan to go on a two-month, cross-country road trip. Only, it all comes to an end on the first afternoon when there's a terrorist bombing in a NYC museum that they're in. Jay and Tyler get out, but Will is gone. And so is his stuff from the hotel. Jay and Tyler end up becoming suspects in the bombing (trust me, it makes sense), and, instead of turning themselves in, they decide to go "underground" and try to find out who this Will Traveler person really is.