sinkwriter

I liked that Stuart was still living with Howard's mom. I thought that was a terrific twist at the end of last year, and I like that Stuart seems happy at long last. He'd been having such a crappy time of it; he deserves some fun and laughs. It's a little odd that it's with Howard's mom, I can see why Howard would find that weird, but at the same time I think Howard's just jealous deep down because he can't (or doesn't know how to) have that kind of relationship with his mom. It's also nice that Howard's mom sounds like she's having fun hanging out with Stuart. That phone message was funny, as was Howard's stunned silence about it. I liked Stephen Root as the pharmaceutical boss. I've missed him since News Radio. And I liked how his character and Penny began to bond over their collective fear of Bernadette, who IS scary sometimes.

Totally agree! I was bummed when Mark was chosen. Not because I have anything against Mark, but because if Tom says Tony's audition video is his choice, then I have to imagine it's going to be entertaining in some really great way because Tom has a terrific sense of humor. I wanted to know what it was about Tony's audition video that should be seen. I was disappointed that even after Tom's comment, people still voted for Mark. So disappointed. And I didn't really care to hear "Call Me Maybe" again. I was rooting for Lea to revisit her dance. Alas... disappointed in the voting audience all around last night.

I was cool with it, because I think seeing the singers on a show about dancing is a pain. It annoys me when we're watching some really amazing dancing and then the cameras keep cutting to the singer. I don't want to see the singers; I want to see the pro dancers do beautiful dances. Cutting to the singer distracts. I wanted Michael to go home, but if there was a second choice, Tavis was it. He just didn't seem to be having any fun.

I know! I thought, what are you doing letting her get up on that thing with an already injured ankle? What if she falls and makes the injury worse? Part of me wonders if perhaps he was using it as a "dazzle" moment to distract the voting audience just in case the rest of her dance got messed up because of her injury. They'd focus more on "Wasn't it cool how she balanced on that bass??" and less on "Yeah, but her steps fell apart because you could tell she was in pain." It did look very cool to me that she was able to do that move, but thankfully she also managed to make it through her song without major errors because of the injury. I thought she was a trooper, and the song was fun.

It's a good snarky comment (and I don't think he meant it maliciously or accusingly), but I think I preferred how Witney handled Alfonso's frustration over how Artem handled Lea's. Witney saw that Alfonso was frustrated, she heard him say, "I have to figure this out!!" and instead she said, "No, WE will figure it out. Talk to me about what you're struggling with, and we'll find a solution together." If I were Alfonso, I would have felt much less pressure after that comment. Or at least comforted that my dance partner was willing to support me through the tough spots. The way Artem talked to Lea may have been mildly funny, but it didn't make me think of them as a team working together to find solutions so that they can do great dances. Of course he's already "got it" -- he's the pro; he'd already have it whether he was working with Lea or someone else. It's his job to help HER get it. If she's not getting it, perhaps he needs to come up with more creative solutions to help her. I think Lea pulled it off and did a terrific job, but Artem didn't really endear himself to me on that response. I'll give him a pass for now because he does seem to genuinely care about and enjoy dancing with Lea.

I'm wondering if she said it to verbally push him off the topic, because he sounded like he was insisting a bit too hard that she HAS TO wear a bikini because it's called "Girls in Bikinis." Well, Michael, maybe she doesn't want to wear a bikini around you. Maybe that makes her uncomfortable. She shouldn't have to wear something completely skimpy just because it's your favorite song. Frankly, I think he had the least amount of improvement from one week to the next and I'd be okay with him being the next one out. Him or Tavis, but I give Tavis an edge over Michael because of Michael's skeevy behavior.

I thought Lea was a lot of fun to watch tonight. Can't really say anything about technique because I have no idea, but she had terrific energy. One of my favorite performances of the night, along with Alfonso. I don't usually pay much attention to the band, but boy was that the wrong (way too high) key for the singer who did Betsey's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"! Cyndi's got an unusual voice, so some of her songs have tough range and I can have compassion for that, but... wow, was that bad. Yikes.

I'd have to watch the clip again because I don't remember what she was wearing (if she was in costume), but from my memory it seemed like that clip was back in her own home, before she left to come to L.A. At least, that's what it seemed like to me, like they were praying for her journey and her time spent with the evil sinners of L.A. (LOL, I'm kidding).

There probably aren't that many small town girls of any race who have managed to build a multimillion dollar business by the time they graduate from high school. That is some serious business! Seriously though... wow! I had no idea about her, so this is interesting to me. That is really impressive.

It's a little sad LoLo didn't get a chance to try to do better, but I think it was the right call. She seemed to be the worst of the evening last night (in performance and in attitude).

Thank you for saying that! She kept rubbing his pecs while calling them abs, and I just thought, WTF? Seriously?

My favorites from last night: Alfonso (I remember him all the way back from when he was on Silver Spoons with Rick Schroeder! Go, Alfonso!) Randy (wow, didn't expect to like him at all, but he was terrific) Lea (I used to like watching her in Caroline in the City, so it was cool to see her former costar Amy Pietz cheering her on) Jonathan (at one point I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head, he was going for it so enthusiastically) Surprising runner-up for sheer entertainment: Tommy Chong. I don't see him going the distance, but he was naturally funny and had some decent moves. Most of the time guys his age on the show are so stiff and don't seem to have any rhythm, but he moved pretty well and looked like he was having a blast. Fun to watch, so far. But I do think if he keeps joking about being a stoner every week, that could get old. I can't remember being wow'ed by anyone else at the moment. I'd like to defend Betsey Johnson. Yeah, she had the major mishap with the boa, but beyond that she had way more rhythm and natural movement than LoLo Jones, yet she got scored lower than LoLo. I think she got robbed. If she goes home right off the bat, I call unfair. I'll also be a little bummed because she seems like a lot of fun and willing to go for it, and you can't argue with that insane flexibility of hers. At her age? That's fantastic.

I couldn't stand Julianne. I haven't watched this show since the beginning, so I had no major feelings one way or another about her becoming a judge. However... even though she did have some generally helpful things to point out, I was completely annoyed and distracted by her running commentary about how hot some of the men were. Even Tom finally pointed out, "You've hit on at least 3 of the men tonight!" It was way too much and so obnoxious. It's bad enough that Carrie Ann goes on and on and on about the sexiness of the guys, and then Bruno chimes in with his inappropriate comments that can range from hilarious to embarrassing; we don't need another judge fawning over the hot sexy guys, or in Julianne's case, any guy that had a pulse, sheesh!

I'm guessing that as a competitive athlete LoLo was just really frustrated with herself, knowing she could have done better and had done better in rehearsal. It's too bad she couldn't lighten up a little more about it -- her face looked a bit mad throughout the rest of the show as she watched how well others did. It makes her look like a poor sport, but I'd almost bet she's not; she just couldn't separate from her frustration with herself.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THE EMMYS TONIGHT!!!

Finally got a chance to see The Normal Heart. Actually, it's taken me almost three months to 'gear up' to watch it, because I knew it would be heartbreaking and I wasn't ready to watch it. But finally I did, last night. There are no good words. Just devastating. Every actor in the project gave it their complete all and then some, and Matt... oh, man... Matt killed me. All of them stomped my heart to pieces, but Matt's horrific physical transformation as well as his complete capturing of the emotional devastation of the virus was shattering. He was incredible. I'm rooting hard for him to win all the awards next week. He deserves them. Such an intense production. I was left feeling completely drained with the kind of headache you get from a really hard cry (and believe me, all of it made me sob). I felt upset and angry and frustrated and like "What now? How can I help? What can I do?"

Dom and "the old guy"?? That is Mr. Scott Bakula. Respect! (LOL.) Seriously though, I like that Lynn challenges Dom and his behavior. I'm really curious to see where things will go for them (and everyone else) next season. Have they said when season 2 will start to air?

Right on, Helena Dax! I'm sure rooting for him too. I haven't watched the Emmys in more than a few years, but I'll watch this year because -- whether or not he wins -- I want to see Matt's talent get celebrated. That said -- I hope he wins! :)

Exciting news! Matt Bomer has been nominated for an Emmy as Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series/Movie for his work in The Normal Heart. Matt's reaction, as mentioned in Variety (where there's also a picture of him and Mark Ruffolo from the film): Matt Bomer, Supporting Actor in a Mini/Movie, “The Normal Heart” "It's surreal," said first-time nominee Matt Bomer. "What I'm most excited about is that so many were recognized. I saw first-hand how hard so many worked -- Danny Moder, the cinematographer, wardrobe, editing. This play and this film has meant so much to so many people. Everybody really believed in the story. For me, it was a dream come true. I would have been happy doing it in a regional theater. It'll take a week to kick in. Maybe it never will." CONGRATULATIONS, MATT! So well deserved.

Okay, okay, one thing I do really like about this episode is the entire conversation Peter, Mozzie and Neal have over drinks late one night. It's Peter's first time meeting Mozzie, and Neal desperately wants Mozzie to leave out of fear that Mozzie will say something that Neal doesn't want Peter to know, but Peter entices him to stay, and they end up getting a little drunk together and talking about the fine line of rules versus freedom. Peter: Is this why you guys do it? Is this what it's all about? Mozzie: It's not about the stuff. Neal (shaking his head, warning): Moz. Mozzie: It's about doing what we want to do. Who cares about nine to fives and 401ks? Playing by the rules only makes borders that just take away everything that's good about living life. Neal: Moz, Moz, you lived in a storage unit. Mozzie: Yeah, but I live there, man. I lived. Long as I don't have to live under anyone else's time or dime, I'm a free man. I can do whatever want. And I feel a bit of pain for Peter during that scene, as he looks at this stolen coin in their possession and knows there's nothing he can do about it, that he can't use it to convict the bad guy (or in this case, the bad 'girl,' because it's the female journalist who's guilty). He's a little drunk, and going on about not being able to use the very damning evidence they found. And Mozzie's making it worse by pointing out that they're "your rules, tin man, not mine." And Neal's practically begging Peter to hand over the coin, because it's a temptation and a dangerous piece of property that Peter shouldn't have in his possession. But Peter keeps talking... Peter: I can see it now, FBI agent illegally obtains evidence, news at eleven. It just breaks my heart. Because this is evidence of the difference between him and Neal. Peter's trying so hard to be upstanding and have integrity in the work he does, and here are these two guys who don't play by the rules and live and think very differently from him, but they also manage to use their twisted connections to get the evidence needed to convict a bad person of a terrible crime. And Peter can't play that way. But if he could... it's a bit of the "devil on your shoulder" kind of scene, where Peter gets a taste of "If I could just use this coin..." But he can't and he won't, and that's why he's a good man and a good agent. But I also like that as this season progresses, Peter learns that sometimes going over the line or outside of the box is a necessary thing, and a 'grey area' that he never considered before. Neal learns more structure, here and there, and Peter learns to bend a bit. Sometimes for good reasons, and sometimes to his (and Neal's) detriment. It's a fascinating question, though, about how far one would be willing to go, and where the line gets drawn, and how the line sometimes moves. So even though this isn't one of my favorite episodes from the season because of a seemingly never-ending case, it's still made better by a hell of a lot of interesting character stuff throughout the episode. For Neal, for Mozzie, and especially for Peter.

I've never been a huge fan of "Flip of the Coin." I'm not sure why. There's some cute stuff with Neal and Mozzie, there's humor with Neal and Peter, and I like how Neal gets into the tv studio by pretending to be the new sports anchor and bringing coffee for everyone so the guard has to let him through since his hands are full. And it's funny how Neal digs through the journalist's desk while Peter's trying to hold her off. I like that they manage to catch that journalist for her part in all of it by staging a 'story' for her to cover, interviewing Neal who busts her. And I like that Peter officially meets Mozzie in this episode. I like the relationship stuff between Neal and Peter, the way we start to see them talking (even off hours) and slowly becoming partners. (And the close-up shots of the two of them in the opening scene are delicious. They both have beautiful eyes. LOL. Just sayin'.) And they make me laugh with their "Clue" commentary (and how they're starting to finish each other's sentences, just a little bit): Peter: What are you thinking? Neal: I'm thinking it was the accountant. In the law office. Peter: With the illegal wire transfer. Neal: Either that or Colonel Mustard in the library. Peter: We can pull prints on the candle stick. But for some reason the case itself doesn't do much for me. I suppose I should feel invested because it's Elizabeth's friend and her husband's in trouble and he's being framed, which sucks for him, but in an overall sense I just find it kind of boring. And Elizabeth's friend is kind of annoying, especially with all the crying that freaks out Peter. Plus, just the fact that Peter can't handle her tears becomes too much of a silly 'bit' for me. In short, I love the Peter-Neal relationship building scenes throughout this episode, but I think it's one of my least favorite episodes of the season. Especially noticeable because in great contrast I really love the episode that follows this one. But commentary on that's going to have to wait for another night! *GRIN* What does everyone else think of this episode? Do you love it? Do you find it boring? Is it a favorite or least favorite or just somewhere in between?

femmefan1946, I don't know why, but when I read that statement I could almost picture Castle taking that info and creating a character in one of his mystery novels out of it. A writer for the government...hmmmmm, suspicious and intriguing... what sort of writing? I can almost hear his hilarious mind coming up with an unassuming protagonist, one that's a writer, working for the government, minding her (or his) own business when she accidentally comes across something that shouldn't be seen. Something some people might kill for. And then she's on the run, trying to protect this information she found and get it to the right people. *GRIN* A little bit "Pelican Brief" but with some new twist involving government and big business and modern day media. Can't you picture it? (Heeee.)

Episode 3, "Book of Hours." In the pilot Peter spent a lot of time telling Neal "no." In the second episode he went to bat for Neal by convincing Hughes to try things Neal's way (with the party) and even Peter stepped a little outside his own boundaries by using Tara and Neal as bait, sending them to the restaurant with Tara in the infamous dress in order to get Gavotte's attention. But I think this is the first episode where Peter actually nudges Neal to do something outside the FBI parameters. Peter: I can't do much of anything. Ruiz is not willing to share the case file. Neal: So where's that leave us? Peter (significantly): Like I said, I can't do much of anything. Neal: (thoughtful pause) Wow, you know getting a little chilly, by this water, aren’t you? Think I can I borrow your jacket? (Peter gives him a look) I swear to you Peter, under no circumstances will I impersonate the FBI. Cut to Mozzie wearing the jacket. (Heh.) Over the course of the series, the lines that Neal and Peter each cross or don't cross get blurred, so it's interesting to see where it all started. I love Mozzie's humor in this episode, conning the cop into letting him into the mob guy's apartment, effortlessly shooting sarcasm right back at Neal when Neal teases him about his FBI "toilet-swabbing" timeframe, and sharing this hilarious little bon mot: Neal: Now you look pretty comfortable in that FBI windbreaker. Maybe it's time to consider a new career path. Mozzie: No, I prefer to keep my soul. Nice symbolism in this episode. The stolen 'Book of Hours' is a religious artifact, and all through this episode Peter has to trust his instincts and hope that Neal won't screw him over. As Elizabeth tells him, he has to take a 'leap of faith.' So while Hughes is concerned that Neal will steal the book, and Agent Ruiz of Organized Crime doesn't care if Neal gets shot on the job (and even threatens Neal by saying he'd let the mob take him home), Peter reluctantly stands up for Neal and hopes he'll do the right thing when the moment calls for it. I think it's the first time we see Peter really nervous about it, even seems visually uncomfortable about Ruiz's accusation that Neal might be conning him, showing he's not quite there yet when it comes to trusting Neal. They have a long way to go at this point in their partnership, but I like that because it's realistic and provides a stepping stone for their relationship to develop. I like the episode. I think it's interesting, I like the tension throughout, the showdown where Neal is almost shot were it not for the thick book saving his life, and there are some funny moments that tickle. Like Neal mocking Mozzie's ability to test the wine bottle properly in his 'lab' aka the storage space, and Ruiz getting disgusted by Neal's 'thorough' pat-down of the suspect Maria (and Maria's close scan of Neal). I also like the Elizabeth-Peter relationship in this episode. I like that she gets involved in the discussion of the case and ends up helping in a small way. She's also funny, showing a bit of a saucy intense side when she comes home bitching out one of her vendors on the phone, and again when Peter asks if Neal thinks Maria the suspect will take the bait and go out with Neal and Elizabeth immediately answers yes. The look Peter gives her, and the nonchalant "Well, what do you want? He's good-looking" sort of shrug she gives him in return is really funny. And Neal's shell game example is entertaining too. Especially when Peter starts dictating which pieces should stand for which players in the case: "Make Maria the salt shaker." Neal, a little snappish: "She's the coffee mug, okay?" LOL. And of course, the relationship between Peter and Neal takes another baby step forward when Neal is almost shot. I like that Peter yells out, "Man down! Man down!" as if Neal is a member of his FBI team. Good stuff! Side question: does anyone know, is this the only time Ruiz appears in the show? I didn't like him, but I liked the tension he brought to the White Collar team, stirring up the waters around them, creating doubt in Hughes and Peter. He seems like a good character to use naturally as a troublemaker for Peter and Neal. And as I mentioned above, it's clear he has no care whatsoever for Neal's well-being, so it would have been an interesting move to have him have to work with Caffrey again. He's the polar opposite of Peter and has no interest in trusting or befriending a con.

Season 1 episode 2! "Threads." I grew to like Cruz, but in this episode I was thrown because I didn't know where Diana went and I liked her and wanted her to come back. It always bothered me that they didn't really explain it for a while, not until the powers that be decided to bring her back. Then I think they explained that she'd gone for a 'better' job in D.C. I wouldn't say this is one of my favorite episodes of the season, but it does have a lot going for it. First off, it's got a lot of funny moments. Hughes -- may he Rest In Peace, James Rebhorn, who played the wonderful stately Hughes -- is on fire in this episode, showing a lot of annoyance at Neal's audacity, sarcastically commenting on Neal's plan to have a party filled with models: "Hey, Jones, you like models? Jones like models, too." Heh. And later, he tells Neal the only thing he gets to do is go for a coffee run. And my favorite Rebhorn moment of the episode: Hughes yelling at Neal for putting his hand up during an FBI meeting is priceless. *GRIN* And it's not just Hughes that's funny. Neal putting the sunglasses on Peter and instructing to say "I'll be back" like Arnold Schwarzeneger is pretty entertaining. "You know, Peter, for the record, you looked much scarier than [the other guy's goon]." *GRIN* Then you've got Mozzie commenting on Neal's 2-mile radius: "That's a lot in New York. Remember Jimmy Dimako? The feds had his anklet set at 22 feet. He had to take a shower with one foot out of the tub." Neal shakes his head, looking annoyed: "That's not true." Mozzie concedes: "Okay. Maybe 30 feet." Heeeee. I liked the Neal-Mozzie relationship in this episode. Their camaraderie came through in all their scenes, especially the one where Mozzie calls Neal out for testing their friendship (to see whether Mozzie or Kate would sell him out). Mozzie's in fine form, reminding Neal how he's the one who's always been there for Neal. And he's funny too, mocking Neal's letter to (or from) Kate, how the set-up for the hidden code within it could have been cracked by anyone familiar with Mad Magazine. LOL. Neal was all, 'Hey, we got more sophisticated with our codes as we went along, okay?!' Heeee. There's some nice character detail in this episode as well: I liked that we see Neal is squeamish about dead bodies. He's a charmer, a con man, a thief and a forger, but he's not a murderer. He doesn't like guns, and he doesn't like violence. He likes fun and flirtation, the game and the "dance" of it all. So it's a nice character detail to see him standing as far off on the sidelines as he can during the scene where Dimitri's body is found (stabbed, with the corner of a couture gown stuffed in his mouth). We can see how uncomfortable he is, just being there in the room with the body. He looks away a lot, and his face looks like he wants to throw up and get the hell out of the room. LOL. Nice touch. I also like that there's balance and we get to see another side to Peter too. He makes a comment about the dress being couture, and Neal gives him a surprised look, clearly having underestimated his handler's knowledge. And Peter marvelously just shrugs: "We [at White Collar Division] deal with a lot of knock-offs. Ask me what I know about a Prada bag sometime." Heeee. We also get to see how awesome Peter is. Even when he's interrogating the guy who made the dress (and clearly allowed a mini flashdrive of potentially illegal content to be smuggled within the lining of the dress), even when he could throw the book at the guy for lying to him and pretending he didn't know Gavotte, instead Peter reins it in and shifts gears during the conversation. He knows that it's more important to get the full information than to give the guy a hard time, especially when he realizes the guy did it to protect his family. So he softens his approach, and he listens. I love the way Tim DeKay played that scene. Some really nice work, there. We also got a decent villain in Gavotte. He was clever, he outwitted the good guys instead of immediately falling for the simplest con, escaped their reach a few times, and he had a good edge to him. We knew he was violent, had even murdered more than once, so he wasn't to be taken lightly. And he wasn't just a clever forger like Neal. He was what Neal could have been if he had no moral compass. Side note: I loved the tension in the moment after they find out Tara's been taken by Gavotte and then the burner cell phone starts buzzing in an evidence bag on the table in an FBI conference room. Wonderfully spooky. And later, instead of his plan simply being fouled by the good guys jamming his cell phone (which would trigger the bomb around Tara's waist), Gavotte then pulls out a gun and points it at a defenseless and alone Caffrey. The "oh shit" look on Neal's face in that moment is priceless. He clearly hadn't planned on something like that happening. It just goes to show that Neal is good with sharp off-the-cuff ideas, but sometimes those can get him into deeper trouble. I like the consequences of that showing up in this moment, going up against Gavotte, face to face. And it also shows Neal that he's got good people who have his back... as Lauren comes running in and tackles Gavotte, taking him down. It shows Neal another option in life, that he could use his cleverness to do good things and have people in his life whom he can trust. Speaking of which, we get to see that Peter takes chances more than once in this episode, relying on Neal. Beyond the pilot and the big chance he took in making a deal to get Neal out of prison in the first place, Peter takes his first big chance on Neal here, going to bat for him when talking to Hughes about what sting to run in order to catch Gavotte, and then later asks Neal, "What would you do?" when they're trying to plan for every possibility so they can stop Gavotte and get Tara back safely. That's especially interesting to me. It lays some groundwork for the development of the Peter-Neal relationship which is always good. He wants to believe in Neal's abilities and trust him. It's not easy to do, but he wants to do it. Again, like he did with his interrogation suspect, he listens and considers his options rather than immediately saying no (which he said a lot in the pilot episode). Both Peter and Neal are starting to soften the tiniest bit toward one another, and I like watching those kinds of exchanges. I also like the Peter-Elizabeth relationship in this episode. They had a sweet, fun flirtation, and you can see they have a solid relationship where she reads him really well ("Relax, honey, you're not in trouble" - "Oh, thank god, "). This is the ep where she gives him the watch that doesn't suit him, and then she can tell later that he's just being nice but that it's just not 'him.' She's a bit too 'perfect' but they're so cute together that I can't help but like them. And the moment when she insists he wear his own, familiar watch so that he can keep his head in the game during the big dangerous final attempt to stop Gavotte is a tender moment for the two of them. Love that. Very well played by Tiffani and Tim. Also interesting: Neal gets a first taste of having to be responsible for someone else's well-being, which I don't think he's necessarily had to think about much before this. His con ideas to catch the murderer Gavotte were clever but the model/witness still gets kidnapped and he's partly to blame for it. What's thought-provoking to me about the anklet radius conversation between Mozzie and Neal mentioned earlier is how desperate Neal seems to be to get his anklet off. He and Peter are both still learning to trust one another -- Peter's taking tentative steps to trust Neal's instincts, while Neal still hasn't settled in enough into the role of C.I. for Peter. He might be enjoying the game playing and the coming up with clever con ideas in order to help the FBI catch bad guys, but it isn't something he necessarily feels tied to. He wants to be gone. And when the party idea falls through, he knows he's messed up and his reaction is the desire to run. He tries to see if Mozzie can get him out of the anklet, looks a bit desperate when Mozzie again tells him it's not possible yet. And then the model gets taken, and things change. He didn't just mess up in general; his off-the-cuff fun plan for a party and smart ass comments to Gavotte over the phone at the restaurant ended up getting a woman kidnapped by a murderer who would likely kill her. So it was good to see Neal's conscience emerge, where he couldn't let her get hurt because of him. Neal wants to make sure the situation gets fixed and he takes great risks to make sure he corrects his mistakes. He's lucky Gavotte didn't shoot him in that final confrontation. (Again, I do love that Lauren Cruz takes the guy out. That was fun.) Anyway, it's not in my top 10 favorite episodes but has some interesting character elements and funny moments. What does everyone else think of this episode? Side note for fun: in the final action scene with the explosives in the belt, there's Bethesda Fountain in the background. I may have mentioned this before, but a couple years ago my sister and I went to NYC for a long weekend, and we happened to visit that very fountain. (Along with "June's house"!) I have pictures! Like with other NYC-based shows like Sex and the City, you could probably make a whole trip out of checking out the White Collar landmarks -- hotels, parks, bridges, restaurants, etc. It's very fun to watch this show and see some of the iconic NYC monuments that we saw on our trip. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it.

Having just rewatched the pilot episode last night, I did love the twist involving "exigent circumstances" where Neal gets himself "kidnapped" and brought into the facility, knowing that it was outside his radius and Peter would be forced to come after him... allowing Peter the reason to go into the building and see all the evidence in plain sight. Very clever. Of course, they made themselves an enemy in Curtis Hagen by doing that, which was fun too. Hagen (to Neal): "You are a particular kind of bastard!" LOL.