Source: TV Guide Magazine
Date: April 7, 2010
Come season two, White Collar’s characters will be up to their necks in drama, said the cast and crew at a Paley Center panel discussion in Beverly Hills. The one-hour character driven series’ first fourteen episodes ended with a bang—and quite literally. A bomb exploded on the plane that Neal Caffrey was steps away from boarding. A lucky break for him—except that Kate, the love of his life was already on board.
“Nothing is as it appears to be,” series creator Jeff Eastin told TV Guide Magazine.
Tell that to Neal! “It’s going to hit him pretty hard, but he isn’t somebody who sits and wallows in it. He’s somebody who is going to cover it up and take action,” said Matt Bomer, who plays the charming ex-con turned FBI informant. “There will definitely be the search to figure out how this happened to Kate, who did it, and how I can avenge it in whatever way possible. At the same time, Neal will cooperate with the FBI and will continue to tow the line between co-worker and ex-con.”
“That’s what we’ll deal with in these first few episodes—how Neal copes with it. Then, we’re going to jump ahead in time a little bit, so that we don’t have Neal too brooding for too long,” acknowledged Eastin.
Might Neal seek comfort in the arms of a recent ally? “Alex is definitely back in season two. We’re going to play that up. We’ll find out a lot more about what happened between her and Kate and Neal—back before Peter got him,” divulged Eastin. “One of the things I really want to do is an episode where we actually see firsthand that Peter caught Neal. We’ll [also] flashback to see how Kate met Neal, how Mozzie and Neal met. That’s what’s going to happen hopefully during the second half of season two,” continued Eastin. “We’ll actually find out more about a lot of the character’s backgrounds. We’ll learn why Mozzie is called Mozzie.”
Fans of Peter and Neal’s dynamic—fear not! “Peter and Neal will still be going at it in a love/hate way,” said Tim DeKay. “I can promise the same witty dialogue, the same capers from week to week with fun whodunits. It’s a very sexy set!”
In addition to the usual shenanigans, Mozzie has something new up his sleeve. “Mozzie has a lady friend,” divulged Willie Garson. “We’re starting to look for that [actress]. I have my suggestion. I’ve been trying to get someone hired for the job. We’ll see if I’m successful.” Any hints on who? “No. God no!”
However, Garson would speak to actress Tiffani Thiessen’s second season involvement. “They’re not working her [real life] pregnancy into the storyline. We’re going to shoot some stuff with her here this week and we’ll incorporate that into the episodes. Then we’ll wait until after she delivers to move forward.”
Someone from the Paley Center’s audience had other ideas for the actress. When a female fan suggested Thiessen’s character should get involved in future tomfoolery, the actress laughed, “I have to lose the baby first! I can’t run around in heels!” Eastin acknowledged it as a possibility. “I’ve got to get back in shape! Fast!” she deadpanned.
The USA Network series won’t begin filming until next week, but the show’s creator is already clear on where the season is headed. “Ultimately we’ll find out what secret the music box has. That’s going to be the big reveal in season two,” said Eastin.
Bomer is ironically looking forward to something else. “The anklet will definitely be there,” he laughed. “Candy is my affectionate nickname for the anklet. Candy the canklet is what I call it. I have a feeling she’ll be back for as long as I’m around!”
More hijinks and hilarity are bound to ensue when White Collar’s second season airs in July.