One of the things that impresses me about the structure of White Collar is that the initiating incident is James Bennett unsuccessfully stealing money from a police investigation. (I know we don't know this is where the story really starts-- why clever, talented, likable Neal Caffrey has a busted moral compass-- until season four, but bear with me.) The finale is about his son, Neal Caffrey, successfully stealing money from an FBI investigation, using the skills he learned from his adoptive father, Peter Burke. It's a neatly-written parallel.
Would the heist have worked without Neal's influence? Rewatching season six, it's clear that Woodford is pretty bad at his job. His team includes not one but two moles. His plan to steal the money will probably get a bunch of people killed, including some of his team. He cultivates an environment of distrust and enmity, which impedes smooth operations. And his Mondrian's a fake.
Neal comes up with a better and less dangerous plan, thanks to Peter's inspiration about the pneumatic system. Not only that, he turns a group of thieves into an effective team. Neal figures out what each Panther is good at, gives them free reign in that area, and praises and appreciates them for their skills. When people get distracted, he redirects them to the real goal. Where did he learn these leadership skills? Peter. Neal in season one was a lone wolf-- in season six, he's an effective leader, having watched Peter at work.
So we end the story closing the loop-- Neal successfully stole from law enforcement, unlike his father, because of his time with Peter. But in some ways, the results are much the same as the last time. After James tried stealing the money, young Neal lost his family, his community, and his name. Guess what happened at the end of White Collar?
Those toxic family patterns, they'll sneak right up on you, no matter how smart you think are.
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