(S01E10) "Please tell me there's surveillance video of this!" - Elizabeth, to Peter, about his flirting

After watching the head-scratching two-hour season premiere of 'Lost,' it's a relief to watch a show like 'White Collar.' Not that this show is two-dimensional, it's just that it's like a palate cleanser to watch a show that doesn't involve time travel, smoke monsters, alternate realities, and healing water pools.

Sure, this episode had organ harvesting and fake kidney removal scams, but it was easy to follow.

This was another one of those episodes that felt like some sort of personal detective-ish case that Neal and Peter were working on instead of an FBI case, and not just because it involved a friend of theirs. It's great to see Diahann Carroll again. It was obvious that the gang would help June (and someone in her family) at some point.

This was a good, fun episode, but part of me worries about these "case of the week" episodes. It's not that I need for every episode have something to do with Neal and Kate and Fowler. It's just that when I see Neal and Peter going undercover in some location, it's almost as if they're just another detective team on another TV show.

I was bored by the Peter end of the scam, all that so-called flirting and seduction inside the tent as he was pretending to be a chiropractor (God, for an agent he's a horrible liar, not too quick on his feet). I would rather have watched more of the Neal/Moz banter. I did enjoy that Elizabeth found the card in Peter's jacket and actually laughed at the fact that he had to flirt with the woman at the clinic instead of getting all out of character and upset. She even helped Peter flirt over the phone! I was rather cold about the Elizabeth character when the show first started, but she's written in a really fun, refreshing way.

As I said, there wasn't much of the Kate story in this episode, but it was a great (Kodak) moment when Neal said to Peter while under the effects of the drug that he was the only person in his life that he completely trusted. I'm not sure if the look on Peter's face was because he felt guilty about something he's keeping from Neal or if it's just because he felt guilty about not trusting him all the time and realized he had to get the tape from the camera. Either way it was a nice touch.

More thoughts:

- I enjoyed the 'Ocean's Eleven'-like plot to get the doctor to think his health was failing. Cruel, but fun.

- I'm glad the receptionist called Dr. Westlake after Neal and Moz lied their way into the clinic. I'm getting a little impatient by the fact that Neal can instantly charm anyone (female or male) and not get caught. Also a nice touch to see Neal actually get caught, ratted out, and injected with something to calm him down.

- I've said this before, but this is a really well-shot show. Love the camera angles and switches from day to night. I also love Neal's apartment with that great view of New York City. I'm also looking for a new apartment, so if there are any women out there who have a cool apartment available in the penthouse of a great building in the middle of a fantastic series, some place I can stay for a couple of hundred bucks a month if I help out once in a while, I'm open to it.

- Great to see a FAX MACHINE come to the rescue for the first time in a long time.

[Watch episodes of 'White Collar' and other shows at SlashControl.]