White Collar – “Au Revoir” Series Finale Retrospective. Back to Basics.

Season 6, Episode 6

Air Date: Thursday, December 18, 2014, 9/8c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“You’re the only one who saw the good in me.” – Neal

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Goodbye Neal.

As I prepared to write this review, it occurred to me that in all my years of watching television, I’ve never really had to say goodbye to one of my favorite shows before. Sure, shows I’ve loved have been canceled and others have stayed on for too many seasons. And, I was late to the game with shows like Breaking Bad and Dexter, making me more of a casual fan. But few shows make it to a point when you find yourself having to say farewell for good. The closest show to White Collar for me, as far as level of overall enjoyment, where I loved the cast of characters and wanted a few more seasons, was Chuck, which Matt Bomer guest starred in.

Fans who follow me know I’m a big White Collar fan. It’s no coincidence the show was the first review I wrote for my outlet, Your Entertainment Corner, in 2012. What you might not know is when White Collar first aired on October 23, 2009, my life was falling apart after a work injury cost me my job. On December 17, 2009, I lost my home and became homeless for three years. By the time I lost my house, only seven episodes of the series had aired but I was already hooked. I loved the bromance between Neal (Matt Bomer) and Peter (Tim Dekay) and how, despite being called a police procedural, White Collar is a story about friendship. Too often, critics toss out words like ‘chemistry’ but when it comes to White Collar and the cast, the term fits.

When you’re homeless, it is easy to give up because seeing any light at the end of the tunnel becomes very difficult. Sometimes, surviving means finding little things that make you look ahead one step at a time. For me, that little thing became White Collar. Days the show would air were days I would treat myself to a cheap motel room instead of sleeping in my car. It gave me a chance to take a hot shower and sleep on a bed, but more importantly, it gave me a chance to watch my favorite show and connect with the characters. To some that might sound silly but for me, it meant I was thinking about the future.

I shared my story in a tweet to some of the cast. I was surprised and honored when Marsha Thomason, who plays Diana, and a few others in the cast responded. White Collar creator Jeff Eastin even wished me a Happy Birthday while I was homeless. Jeff, if you’re reading this, my 40th birthday is January 4, just saying. I think that accessibility is part of what made White Collar so endearing. The fact that a homeless guy can interact with a cast and be treated like everyone else shows what kind of people are involved in the show. These kinds of fan interaction via social media were still very new at the time and only furthered my appreciation for the cast.

Little did I know a few years later, I would be covering White Collar and writing reviews. My biggest professional thrill came when I got to partake in a conference call on October 10, 2013 with Matt Bomer and Tim Dekay. You can read the transcript here. Talking to them, it was easy to hear their passion and love for the show in their voices.

Go get him, Peter.

Unlike many dramas, White Collar never relied on sex, language or violence to entice viewers. Sure, there might have been a scene or two, or ten, with Neal’s shirt off and maybe an intimate scene here or there, but it never felt excessive or over the top. The use of violence was rare and cautiously used only when it furthered the story line. Instead, the writers focused on great storytelling and entertaining characters. It is a show families of all ages could watch and enjoy.

As a former realtor, I was constantly told, “Location, location, location.” The same applied to White Collar, which, unlike other shows that use Canadian cities as a substitute for New York, was shot in the Big Apple. The location scouts for the show did an amazing job of finding unique locations within the city to shoot scenes. Many White Collar fans from all over the world have traveled to New York just to visit some of these sites, like June’s (Diahann Carroll) house on 351 Riverside Drive. These fan favorite locations have become so popular, when USA Network sent screeners to the press this season, they included a map of New York highlighting locations from every season.

So long, Mozzie.

The news that season six would be White Collar’s final season hit fans hard. Many of the cast also felt the show was ending too early. Willie Garson, who plays Mozzie, told the press during a conference call, “It came too quickly and we were not prepared for the show to end. We just went to work and quickly summed it up. I think it came out in a really elegant way. I was surprised at how lovely the final episode actually is; we did our best.”

As much as I hate to admit it, all good things must come to an end. Sure, we can dwell on the fact that White Collar is ending too soon, but I choose to appreciate all the wonderful things the show gave to its fans. A part of me sees some irony in how the show that helped me get through homelessness aired its final episode on the five-year anniversary of my first full day as a homeless man. Jeff Eastin even has a cameo in “Au Revoir” playing a homeless man I’ve named Greg.

I was nervous as the finale approached. Season six, at times, felt rushed and people like Eastin kept talking about how the ending would be shocking. I didn’t want shocking; I wanted to feel happy about the ending. Thankfully, there was a little of both.

Let’s get what didn’t work out of the way. The big hype this season, other than it being the final season, was Neal and Peter were going up against the legendary Pink Panthers, a notorious real life group of thieves. I wanted a David and Goliath battle worthy of Neal’s freedom but the story line never took shape. By the end of the finale, I wondered what exactly the Panthers’ role was in any of this.

Neal and Peter stole the stamp to prove themselves.
Mozzie broke into the computer room with the help of Neal and Keller (Ross McCall).
Mozzie created the machine to decode it.
Neal scrapped the Panthers’ plan for one of his own.
Neal snuck into the airport, and then escorted Peter, who was driving in, along with the other Panthers.
Neal and Keller picked the safe lock.
Neal and Peter fed most of the money through the tube.

Aside from receiving stolen goods from Neal and Peter, what did the Panthers really do? Well, other than kill a guy thought to be the mole. I never felt the threat or danger; instead, the Panthers simply followed Neal’s lead and then were put in prison for life.

Through much of “Au Revoir,” I felt cautiously concerned about the impending fate of the characters I had grown to love. Maybe it was my own anxiety, but the first half of “Au Revoir” felt off to me. The money heist lacked some of the excitement I felt during other episodes when Peter teamed up with Neal for a con.

As a critic, you sometimes wear different hats — one as a critic and one as a fan. By the time Neal was shot, I was wearing both hats. As a critic, I wasn’t buying it; we had been told the finale would be shocking and for the last week, the White Collar social media team has been telling fans to make sure they watch until the very end. Given there was still around 15 minutes in the episode when Keller shoots Neal, I felt confident Neal would turn up alive somewhere.

The fan part of me was less calm, thinking, “You bastards, you &*^%$% killed off Neal.” Thankfully, my critic side helped calm my fan side down long enough to make it to the end.

Regardless of which side you were on, watching Dekay and Garson’s performances is gut wrenching when they come to terms with Neal’s presumed death. The emotions portrayed feel genuine and, at times, difficult to watch. The only thing that kept me from totally losing it was my critic side reassuring me, “He’s not dead.”

Mozzie and Peter’s final scene together is a truly heartfelt moment. To see Garson’s character, which began as a minor roll, develop into such a meaningful one has been fascinating to watch. Even Mozzie’s use of the term “The Suit” has evolved from one of contempt to one of friendship, and that makes me smile.

Just as the fan part of me was starting to question my critic’s side, Peter discovers the bottle. The critic in me quickly wondered why an experienced FBI agent who has been kidnapped more than once, and recently took down one of the biggest groups of thieves, would take a bottle left on his porch with no note, immediately open it, and have a drink with his wife Elle (Tiffani Thiessen). The fan part of me was still thinking, “You bastards, you &*^%$% killed off Neal.”

I love ah-ah moments and during “Au Revoir,” as Peter is looking at the cork and the music starts playing, he suddenly looks up, realizing something important. At that instant, my critic side turned to my fan side smiling as if to say, “I told you so.”

Despite not fully believing Neal is dead, the last 15 minutes are so beautifully done, any complaints about the Panthers or how the title “Au Revoir” hints a spoiler completely disappear.

Baby Neal.

Months ago, I was asked how I would like to see White Collar end. I replied, “The “House” ending only with a gunshot instead of fire,” adding I wanted the Burke baby to be named Neal. I was referring to the season finale of the Fox series House. After House (Hugh Laurie) fakes his death in a fire, his best friend Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) receives a cryptic message, slowly realizing House is alive. For all intents and purposes, that is exactly the ending we got, and as a fan, I am very happy to have gotten the ending I was hoping for.

I don’t envy any show creator who has to end their show after a few seasons. Garson told us in a conference call, “I think it’s a really hard thing to end a show that satisfies everyone. I think ours will be pretty successful and not for the reason that you think it is.”

Frankly, I couldn’t agree more. Fans upset about the show’s early demise seem so enraptured with its beautiful ending, it seemed to help soften the blow. Eastin has accomplished something few show creators have been able to do — create an ending fans truly embrace and love.

In my humble opinion, the final scene in Paris as Neal puts on his iconic fedora is by far the best scene of “Au Revoir.” What a way to end the series!

To Jeff Eastin, Matt Bomer, Tim Dekay, Willie Garson, Marsha Thomason, Tiffani Thiessen, Sharif Atkins, Ross McCall, and the rest of the cast and crew, I thank you from the bottom of my heart as a critic and mostly as a fan for six truly memorable and entertaining seasons.

Let me know what you think of “Au Revoir.” Leave your comments below or tweet me @StaffaRoadTrip.

For more on the show, visit the official website at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/.

Follow the show on Twitter @WhiteCollarUSA.

LIKE White Collar on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/whitecollar.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.