WC Character Studies: Seven Women, Nine Episodes
Although the three main protagonists of White Collar are Peter, Neal and Mozzie, the show makes up for it with a lot of female side characters. I want to take a look at the development of those seven characters by analyzing nine episodes which were important in establishing them.
The Pilot: The pilot introduces four female characters. The first one we see on screen is Diana Barrigan, and her first appearance sets the tone for the future. From the very beginning, she is the competent one, the one Peter trusts. The second one is Kate Moreau, although we don’t meet her directly, but see her in a video and later in a picture. The third is Elizabeth Burke. Her first appearance is a little sketchy, since all the scenes with her only happen in relation to Peter. She’ll develop later on, but at the beginning, she is very much reduced to the role of Peter’s faithful wife. The fourth is June (no surname given). Her appearance is short (after the meetings with Neal and Peter she doesn’t turn up again, although she gets mentioned a couple of times), but memorable. But overall the pilot is mostly about Neal and his relationship to other characters, including the female ones. Diana is able to work with him on a professional basis, but takes a defensive stance otherwise. Elizabeth used to be jealous of him, but Neal is able to win her over quite easily. June becomes his benefactor, but she is such a classy and smart lady, that you never can be sure who is conning whom. And Kate is established early on as Neal’s motivation.
Threads: This episode marks the first appearance of Lauren Cruz, but it’s very much the “Elizabeth Episode” of the show. First of all, she gets a career. Neal’s claim that she is the best event planner in town may be an exaggeration, but we get to see her in her element, as a successful businesswoman in her own right. But in my eyes the scene in the park, in which Elizabeth gives Peter the wristwatch, is even more important in redefining their marriage. In the pilot, we saw Elizabeth as the wife who (again) waits with dinner for her husband - that’s as old fashioned as it gets. This time around we see them meeting in the park, trying to make some time for each other in between their demanding jobs. There is no question any longer that this is a modern marriage: Elizabeth has her own money she can use to buy Peter expensive presents. But it’s actually when Elizabeth gives Peter his old watch back that her character is firmly established as the strong woman she is: She is obviously not happy about her husband being in danger (who would be?), but she takes it in stride and she trusts that her Peter will be back home - right on the dot. The beauty is that although it’s an Elizabeth Episode, it doesn’t distract from the case at all.
Flip of the Coin: Lauren was a character who faded into the background very quickly, but if there is some kind of “Lauren Episode”, this one is it. I have to admit, I was never too fond of her character. I can’t say that I disliked her, but she always seemed to be a cheap replacement for Diana. She basically gets her job, and she dislikes Neal - or at least she pretends to. I think my main problem with the character was that for all her similarities to Diana, there were some differences which made her much less likable. They are both very confident and snippy towards Neal. The thing is: Diana is basically Peter’s right hand, while Lauren is the new kid on the block. Diana is entitled to her attitude; Lauren should prove herself before acting the way she does, especially towards Jones, who has seniority. When Diana is snippy toward Neal, it’s always about a private matter (no, she isn’t there to bring him coffee, and no, she won’t allow him to charm her), but she is able to work very professionally with him. Lauren makes disparaging remarks while she is supposed to watch and protect him. With Diana, there is no question that she has no interest in Neal, but Lauren often acts somewhat flirty or jealous. That’s at this point of the show a little bit worrying, since Neal is supposed to be pining after Kate, not starting a new relationship.
I think the scene between the file cabinets at the beginning of this episode is the one where a possible future relationship is suggested most heavily. But it’s also one of the few scenes which redeem Lauren at least a little bit. We learn that she got a very high score on her exam at Quantico (thus giving an explanation for her self-assured attitude), and that she always wanted to work under Peter, because he is a legend in her eyes. If she is out to prove herself, a lot of her behavior is understandable. But at the end of the day (or the episode), she is again the agent who takes a threat to Neal’s life far too lightly, even if she shows good instincts by pulling her weapon in time.
Overall, I wouldn’t say that she was a bad character, but she couldn’t compare to Diana, and it was far too early in the show to introduce a possible permanent love interest for Neal. Luckily the writers decided against taking this path.
Home Invasion: I admit I was first very wary when Alex Hunter turned up on screen. An old love interest coming back into Neal’s life seemed to be a little bit sudden. But I was also somewhat intrigued. Although the details were a little bit fuzzy, it was the first time we actually learned something about Neal’s past aside from his crimes and his relationship to Kate. This episode set up a pattern for the whole show: Whenever Alex turns up it results in friction between Peter and Neal. Personally, I best like episodes in which Neal pulls on his leash a little bit, and Alex always gives him a good reason to do exactly that.
Another female character who is allowed to shine in this episode is June. We have seen her protective stance and her unfailing judgment concerning Neal’s female visitors before, but this is the first time it’s useful for the plot.
Out of the Box: This episode is important in more than one regard. First of all, it’s the last one where Lauren is featured and the first one where Diana comes back. This makes a nice transition. Normally, with a cast change like this, the old character is suddenly gone and the next one turns up in their place during the next season. Well, we never really get an explanation why Lauren left the team either, but at least we get a really good one why Diana comes back.
Another character who takes her leave is Kate. There has been a lot of speculation if Kate will be back later on, but I’m fairly sure that she is really dead and we will see her only in the occasional flashback episode. Otherwise I would be very disappointed with the writers.
Every female recurring character the show introduced so far gets featured in this one; we see Elizabeth at her workplace, June shows her mischievous side again, but overall, this one is the “Alex Episode” of the show.
Until this episode, Alex was mostly a plot device, someone who could further the plot of the music box story arc and cause a little bit trouble for Neal, but nothing more. Her existence is quite convenient for the writers, because they can let her turn up and drop information about the music box whenever needed for the plot. But in “Out of the Box”, her character gets properly explored for the first time.
The scene when Neal and Alex are reminiscing about their heist reveals a closeness which will be hard to match for future love interests. Alex knows Neal, maybe even better than he knows himself. It’s obvious that she is emotionally very invested in him, but she is too smart not to know that Neal’s heart is elsewhere. The writers don’t give a hint what happened next after the scene when they are both naked in the pool. Did they or not? I don’t care either way, because I know whatever happened, Alex would never make the mistake of misunderstanding Neal’s intentions.
Alex is Neal’s criminal equal. She may not be a forger, but she can charm other people just as well as Neal and might be an even better thief. And she is one of the few people who manage to get one over on Neal, when she vanishes with the music box, leaving him behind. Neal uses all his charm to con her for his own purpose, but she won’t have any of it and at the end of the day she uses him to get what she wants.
I can’t help but feel for Alex, being in love with a man who can’t give her more than a deep friendship. But since this episode, I also admire her for her smarts.
Need to Know: I think nobody would argue that this is the “Diana Episode” of the show. Diana’s and Neal’s long talk in the hotel room could have been boring, if the purpose were simply to tell Diana’s story. But in the overall context, this scene is about so much more.
Until this episode, the relationship between Neal and Diana was a strictly professional one. Diana got involved in the music box case to help Peter, not Neal. She might have developed a sort of understanding why her boss is so invested in helping Neal, but overall she kept her distance from the con man. In “Need to Know” she is forced to acknowledge Neal as a person with feelings for the first time.
I really liked Diana’s back-story. Growing up in the world of high diplomacy, she got a unique insight into politics which should be useful in navigating through FBI politics. Spending her childhood in hotel rooms, she surely hadn’t had a lot of opportunity to make friends. A bodyguard who more or less brought her up suggests that she doesn’t have a close relationship with her immediate family either. All those details are a good explanation why she is so easily ready to risk everything for Peter.
The story with the bodyguard who died for her is perhaps a little bit overdramatic, but it works in this context, because it gives her a motivation. And in sharing this motivation with Neal, while he shares a story about Kate (his motivation), they give each other a token of trust. It’s a good transition to the “I somewhat like you but if you try to con me, I will hurt you”-attitude, Diana displays in later episodes.
Unfinished Business: When I first saw Sara Ellis on screen I was all for her. She seemed to be such a strong character. I really loved it that there was a non-lesbian, unmarried female character who didn’t fall for Neal’s charms. And she seemed to be someone who could keep Neal on his toes. The writers managed to destroy this positive first impression in the very same episode.
I know that there are many fans of Sara Ellis (or the actress?) out there. But compared to the other characters, her development was rushed and uneven. Elizabeth, June, Diana, Lauren, Alex and Kate - they all got introduced first, and got “their” episodes later … often much later. Sara Ellis appears on screen and I get told her personal woes at length. But why should I care? I just met the character, I’m not invested enough already to hear her life story. Plus, it’s not a very flattering life story. It’s sad that Sara has no family left and it’s difficult for a career woman to have a relationship, but what kind of person goes through life without making one or two friends along the way?
Sara is a character that oozes strength at her first appearance, but seems to be full of weaknesses if you look behind her façade. Her attitude towards Neal doesn’t even last one episode. As soon as he puts just a little effort into charming her, she falls for him hook, line and sinker. (I harbor this fantasy that Neal actually gave her the real Raphael, because it would be so him to double a con). The start of their relationship is as cliché as it gets. When I see Neal with her, I’m always questioning if that is really Neal who is speaking to her, or is he unconsciously adopting the personality he had to create to con her?
Critics of Sara often speak about a lack of chemistry or the clothes she wears. Well, chemistry is subjective, and I suspect that the clothes are simply another case of overdone product placement. But plot-wise she sticks out like a sore thumb. Most of the times she appears on screen, she seems to be forced in; an insurance investigator who works with the white collar unit makes sense, a witness who camps out in the FBI office doesn’t.
While I like it when the side characters of the show get explored a little bit, they shouldn’t distract too much from the main theme of the show: the partnership between a con man and a FBI agent. “Unfinished Business” had a very promising beginning. Peter sent Neal undercover, ignoring his objections. When Neal used his codeword, nobody came to his aid, and he nearly got killed by Sara. But none of those points got addressed in the episode, because they focused too much on Sara. Taking this into consideration it’s understandable that so many fans feel that Sara got shoehorned into the show.
Forging Bonds: Kate is a very special case, because although she is “present” all the time, we don’t see much of her. We see video footage and photos, hear audio footage and messages, but until “Forging Bonds” there are actually only two instances she appears on screen: the phone call at Grand Central Station and her meeting with Peter in the hotel room (I don’t count the plane, because she is barely visible there).
The phone call is the one and only time we get an unfiltered view of her (and even then her voice gets transported through a medium). During the (longer) scene in the hotel room, we see her through Peter’s eyes. He tells Neal what he saw, and similar to a crime show in which a suspect might or might not tell the truth about what happened, the scene which the audience sees is colored by Peter’s opinion. Likewise we don’t see the “real” Kate in Forging Bonds; we get to know Neal’s Kate.
There is no question that Neal is very much in love with Kate and sees her as perfect. For him, it’s definitely love at first sight. And it’s understandable why he likes her: She has those innocent blue eyes, knowledge about art and she appeals to his protective instincts.
There are some hints in this episode which paint a less idealized picture of Kate. She is receptive to Neal’s flirting although she has a boyfriend. She takes to the criminal life very easily, and while her heists are more humble than Neal’s, she manages to evade the FBI for years. The audience can decide for itself if Kate was innocent, evil or something in between. But she surely wasn’t the helpless damsel in distress Neal likes to see in her.
Countermeasures: There are other episodes in which June has an important role, but in this one we learn a lot about her and her relationship with Byron. It’s a little bit puzzling that the pictures of her and Byron are in black and white (this would be appropriate if they were from the Rat Pack time (early 60s), but they are supposedly from the middle of the 80s - and June looks really young for someone in her 40s, too), though I suppose this enhances the “long ago” feel.
There is no question that June and Byron were very much in love with each other. June’s stories always have a flair of adventure, creating the impression that her life has been a long string of memorable moments. But realistically, it can’t have been that easy. A black woman in the 60s with her husband in prison (and perhaps already with a child to care for)? June surely needed a lot of spunk to hold her family together. The periods of separation surely put a strain on the marriage, even if Byron managed to keep the cash flowing.
Or perhaps June did. A poker joint in her own house? No way she wasn’t involved. Her good judgment might have been very useful for Byron. She may have officially been the “wife” of a criminal, but I think, she was also the “partner” of a criminal - perhaps even the mind behind some of their operations. Watching “Countermeasures”, I wasn’t really sure who was conning whom. Isn’t it a little bit convenient that she mentions to Neal everything Ford showed interest in? She said that she knew what kind of man Ford was - so perhaps she didn’t want to question his story herself, but she did give Neal enough hints to do it for her. And when she says at the end of the episode that she wanted to dance again, does she really mean simply dancing, or does she mean that she felt drawn back to her old game - because old con women never die either.
Seven side characters, nine episodes … and I have to say I consider every character somewhat interesting by herself. I like Diana’s sharp, competent but also sophisticated characterization. I like that Elizabeth is a modern woman with a working marriage. I like the unique presentation the writers used for Kate and her ambiguity. I like June’s portrayal of an older woman who not only has a lot of interesting stories to tell, but still knows how to spice her life up a little bit. I liked that Lauren, while not necessarily a sympathetic character, was allowed to be more than just eye candy after all. I like Alex’s flair of mystery and the contradiction of (by definition not trustworthy) thief and fence, who nevertheless displays very true and steady feelings for Neal. And even if I prefer women who have strength on the inside over women whose outward strength conceals their inner weaknesses, it’s at least something which gives Sara’s character another layer.
But what’s sometimes off is the way the characters relate to each other. Lauren’s attitude towards Neal was understandable, and could even have been a good plot point if she had been more critical and less flirty. But making disparaging remarks in earshot of her new boss? Way overdone. Peter’s obvious respect towards June makes me pause sometimes too. It doesn’t fit with his overall attitude towards criminals and people who get their riches in a less than honest way; although this can get explained away as a case of “first impression stuck” (and who could disregard such a classy lady?). With Kate, I’m often unsure where to fit her in … how much time did she and Neal actually spend together before he went to Copenhagen? When did Keller make his appearance? Why did Mozzie teach her to be a criminal if he disliked her or did his dislike slowly grow because of Neal’s ongoing obsession? While I like Kate as an ambiguous character, I really hope that future references to her are more conclusive in this regard.
What doesn’t work for me at all are scenes between Sara and Mozzie. Mr. Paranoid works with an insurance investigator (who is perhaps searching for some of the pieces he fenced) and doesn’t act weirded out at all? One moment he compliments her and shows some sort of strange admiration, the next he warns her off Neal? And Sara likes him nevertheless? Strange and stranger. I’m also puzzled that Sara is able to walk into the FBI, read their top secret files and use a conference room while delaying a whole task force. One should expect that Peter would react poorly to someone trying to take over his territory (he certainly doesn’t like it when Neal does it). And Sara and Neal … even with the strange story about her sister in “Power Play” I totally don’t get why she should risk her reputation and her life for the art thief she hunted for years and who deceived her for his own gain.
As it stands, I’m not really interested in seeing more of Sara Ellis … but, to quote Mozzie: Fate has the tendency to put in front of you what you most want to leave behind.
(Beta-read by mam711)