... on a properly chaperoned date, this might be the eventual outcome. White Collar is a network show so there's nothing to frighten the horses (or the god-fearing denizens of the flyover states) but it has a good heart, well-cast leads and explores enough moral and personal conundrums to keep undemanding but intelligent viewers watching. I like the characters. Against all the odds, I'm already watching the fourth season.
For all it's simplistic world view, the main characters engage you. Real life? Absolutely not. But the show presents moral dilemmas that flesh out the facile story lines and allow the main characters to gain some depth. It's still mind candy but that's OK.
If I have one issue with the show, it's the contempt that it has for its audience. Most of the time, it doesn't show but occasionally the script reveals that disdain. Do you know the difference between China and Japan? Is the Spanish language indistinguishable from Portuguese? According to the writers or perhaps the producers of White Collar the correct answers are No and Yes respectively!
Seriously? The show and you deserve better. These are not mistakes, they are cynical shortcuts, assumptions that the audience will not be able to tell the difference. Even Sam Goldwyn's legendary freedom with historical facts pails before this onslaught of convenient nonsense.
Is this a problem? It should be. Does it spoil the show? Don't let it. Watch the show anyway.
Addendum I've now watched the entire show. It remains consistently good right up to the final episode which is a cracker. Yes, the occasional disregard for the audience is still there, witness the birthdate of Neil's father's partner (1934? Really?) but the show's strengths outweigh all of that. And that final episode? Wow!
For all it's simplistic world view, the main characters engage you. Real life? Absolutely not. But the show presents moral dilemmas that flesh out the facile story lines and allow the main characters to gain some depth. It's still mind candy but that's OK.
If I have one issue with the show, it's the contempt that it has for its audience. Most of the time, it doesn't show but occasionally the script reveals that disdain. Do you know the difference between China and Japan? Is the Spanish language indistinguishable from Portuguese? According to the writers or perhaps the producers of White Collar the correct answers are No and Yes respectively!
Seriously? The show and you deserve better. These are not mistakes, they are cynical shortcuts, assumptions that the audience will not be able to tell the difference. Even Sam Goldwyn's legendary freedom with historical facts pails before this onslaught of convenient nonsense.
Is this a problem? It should be. Does it spoil the show? Don't let it. Watch the show anyway.
Addendum I've now watched the entire show. It remains consistently good right up to the final episode which is a cracker. Yes, the occasional disregard for the audience is still there, witness the birthdate of Neil's father's partner (1934? Really?) but the show's strengths outweigh all of that. And that final episode? Wow!