The USA network has had many great TV shows but White Collar ranks among the very best. The drama series was widely praised by critics during its run, with four out of its six seasons getting an impressive 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The series revolved around an FBI agent named Peter Burke and a con artist named Neal Caffrey who worked as a criminal informant to the Bureau. Despite the show coming to an end in 2014, creator Jeff Eastin has hinted that it could make a comeback soon. Here are the best episodes of White Collar, according to IMDb.
Out Of The Box (8.5)
The episode saw Neal and Alex Hunter planning a heist to steal the music box after learning about its location in Manhattan. Fowler and Peter ended up fighting while Neil made his demands clear. In order for him to gove up the box, he wanted Kate in return.
Before Neal fled with Kate, Peter rushed to the airstrip to convince him to stay with the Bureau. Neal insisted on leaving but before he boarded the plane, it exploded with Kate already in it. Neal stared in horror, in what has to be one of the most emotional moments of the series.
Under The Radar (8.6)
In Season 2's finale, Sara finally discovered what Adler was really trying so hard to find. The team was also convinced that Alex had details about the submarine so they sought to find her. Unfortunately, Adler kidnapped Alex, Neal, and Peter.
He then put them in the same warehouse where he was keeping the submarine. The team soon realized that Peter and Neal were not responding to calls as usual so a search was put out to find them. The kidnapped trio would later find a major treasure on a boat.
Burke's Seven (8.6)
In this episode, it looked like audiences were about to be presented with a major on-screen death after Mozzie was shot by an assassin. Luckily, quick medical intervention saved his life. The assassin was then revealed to be a man named Julian Larssen.
Neal agreed to follow proper procedures in determining who hired him but it was obvious he wasn't going to follow any rules. Revenge was written all over his eyes. Larssen was also arrested but he still managed to frame Burke as the shooter.
Forging Bonds (8.6)
Apart from the obvious product placement where Ford Fusion Hybrid was displayed a lot, Season 2's eleventh episode zoomed in on Peter and Neal's partnership. Peter demanded that Neal tell him everything he knew. He had become worried after learning about Kate. However, since this meant Peter's past being dug up, he told Neal that everything he said would be a secret between them.
Neal thus told him everything, including when he came to the city and how he got to knew Mozzie. He also described in detail how he met Kate and Alex. Finally, he concluded by describing the secret crime which finally caught Peter's eye.
Checkmate (8.6)
Matthew Keller had kidnapped Burke's wife but Burke thought he was bluffing so Matthew showed him proof. He wanted the Nazi treasure in order to spare her life. Matthew thus promised Burker that his henchman Leonard Grant would kill her if he didn't cave to his demands.
Neal had also decided to hand over the treasure but found out that it had already been taking. Later, he set up a trap to catch Matthew after realizing that handing over the treasure won't change a thing. He'd still kill the witness anyway.
Countdown (8.7)
Mozzie came clean by admitting that he sold a valuable item from the treasure to compel the undecided Neal to make a decision on their future. Peter also sought Agent Kramer's services to investigate Caffrey, whom they believed knew where the treasure was.
Neal then made Mozzie track the item so that he could replace it with a fake one in Elliott Richmond's house. And as if the problems weren't enough already, Matthew Keller came back, determined to do whatever it takes to get the treasure.
Judgement Day (8.7)
The third season had plenty of episodes and thus did a great job at solving all storylines. In the finale, Neal was able to avoid harsh punishment for stealing the painting. This was all thanks to Peter. He also revealed his plans to continue providing his services to the FBI.
However, Agent Kramer wasn't willing to hear any of that. He wanted to take Neal back to DC before Peter warned Neal about the agent's intentions. Neal thus opted to escape. He fled the country before any judgment could be made.
Diamond Exchange (8.7)
Season Five's finale was packed with drama. After a hectic search, Peter and Neal found Mozzie, who had been injected with a strange substance. The devious Rebecca who gave everyone headaches throughout the season then confessed that she had poisoned Mozzie and would only give out the antidote in exchange for the diamond.
Later on, Rebecca was able to take Peter and Neal hostage after they found the diamond. Rebecca tried to escape with the diamond after locking the two up but it turned out that Peter had switched it with a fake one. Meanwhile, Mozzie was treated at a hospital.
Live Feed (8.8)
Season Five's tenth episode saw Peter getting offered a promotion that meant he had to move to DC. However, he wasn't willing to go immediately since he wanted to solveSiegel's murder first. Quite similar to Hank's DEA promotion story in Breaking Bad.
Rebecca was also held hostage by Hagan while Peter sought to investigate the forgery of a painting. He was always overworking, wasn't he? Hagan was later arrested but in usual movie fashion, he was shot by a sniper before he could give the authorities any information.
Au Revoir (9.4)
The series finale was properly titled "Au Revoir" which is French for "Goodbye." In the episode, The Panthers' plan proceeded as scheduled though Mozzie intercepted some of the cash. The feds also ended up arresting everyone at the end of it all.
Keller also betrayed the crew and shot Neal before Peter found him and killed him too. Neal was through to be dead but was he? Flash forward to a year later: Peter and El were shown spending time with son Neal. A mysterious delivery of an expensive wine bottle then led him to discover that Neal had faked his death.