White Collar is back on DVD in the UK for a second season following the jaw-dropping season one finale. At the end of the first season Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) narrowly escaped a plane explosion that killed his girlfriend Kate (Alexandra Daddario). In season two opener Withdrawal, Neal is still dealing with Kateās death whilst his job working with FBI agent Peter (Tim DeKay) is in jeopardy after he almost ran away.
The main thread that runs throughout season 2 is Neal trying to understand what happened to Kate and who was behind that. The music box puzzle from season one is still key to finding out answers whilst Neal looks back to his past to join the dots and uncovers a larger conspiracy at work. Of course throughout the season his relationship with Peter is frequently put the test with the FBI agent struggling to control him but also using his skills as a conman to his advantage. Mozzie (Willie Garson) returns for the season and gets some bigger stories this season including episode By The Book where he turns to the FBI to help locate a missing waitress he has feelings for.
The formula for White Collar remains largely the same as the first season. Each episode focuses on a different investigation whilst strands of the over-arching plot are pulled together around it. Neal uses every situation to try and further his own investigation into the death of Kate and often has to convince Peter to turn a blind eye to his antics.
Anyone who has seen the first season wonāt be surprised to learn that characters pop in and out of the show once again. Alex Hunter (Gloria Votsis) is back for several episodes and new character Sara Ellis (Hilarie Burton), an insurance investigator, appears in a six-episode arc as a potential love interest for Neal. Marsha Thomason joins the season as a regular and sheās provides a good sparring partner for Neal as Diana. Her accent is a little shoddy at times (sheās British playing American) but we love her character none-the-less.
Of course the star of the show is, and always will be, Matt Bomer. Neal Caffrey is the role that made him and he suits it perfectly. Oozing charisma and cool, Bomer convinces as the conman and itās hard to resist him. You find yourself going along with whatever he does without question. Itās no surprise that heās quickly rising as one of the best male actors in Hollywood. Tim DeKayās chemistry with Bomer is evident once again and the two make a great onscreen partnership. We do wish Tiffani Thiessen would get a bit more to do as Peterās wife Elizabeth as sheās a great actress but spends most of her time consoling or advising the characters. Will Garson on the other hand gets much more to do this season and provides the comic relief in the show.
Extras on the four-disc set include selected audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes and a gag reel.
Here in the UK weāre still fairly behind the US when it comes to White Collar but Alibi have shown season two and three back-to-back to allow us an opportunity to catch-up. If you havenāt seen the show yet, then get your hands on the boxsets of the first and second seasons. Season two ups the ante on the first season and we always love spending time in the company of the gorgeous Neal Caffrey. If you like your cop drama with comedy, charisma and action then youāll love White Collar.