Entertainment

Is 'White Collar' Season 6 Its Last Season?

by Christine DiStasio

I had ample time to prepare for this moment and yet I still feel so lost thinking about the end of White Collar. I'll never forget how quickly I got sucked into the series when my boyfriend and I accidentally started watching it on Netflix. And now, look where we are: getting ready to say our final goodbyes to Neal Caffrey. The White Collar Season 6 premiere will air on November 6 and it's the beginning of the end. In case you've been living under a rock, White Collar Season 6 will be the show's final season and it'll only be six episodes long. Which makes me feel significantly worse about watching Matt Bomer getting brutally murdered on American Horror Story: Freak Show on Wednesday night.

First of all, can I just say that six episodes doesn't feel like nearly enough for me to say a proper goodbye to everything Neal Caffrey and I have built over the past five seasons of White Collar? There have been ups and downs, times where I've questioned his motives, times where I've felt indignant for him when things didn't go his way, and times when I've bitten my nails down to nubs during many of his missions with Burke. In case it's been totally lost on you, I'm emotionally invested in Neal's wellbeing and in his incredible bromance with Peter Burke. I could sing the praises of White Collar for hours and yet it wouldn't change the fact that, after six episodes, we'll all be forced to say goodbye to one of USA's best shows. (Or rather, THE best show, but I'm biased.)

Back in September, USA president Chris McCumber opened up to THR about what fans can expect from White Collar 's final heist, confirmed the series' ending, and revealed that he clearly feels our pain with this goodbye. McCumber said of the series finale, "Saying goodbye to White Collar – and Neal and Peter – after six successful seasons is incredibly difficult," before praising the work of everyone involved with the series. Ugh, the tears, I feel them coming.

You might think I'm being dramatic — how could I possibly love a series THAT much? Well, mostly because of these reasons:

Matt Bomer

I mean, do I really need to explain why I'll miss seeing Matt Bomer on my TV every week? AND, on top of that, do I really need to give you a list of reasons why Bomer's Neal Caffrey won all of our hearts by being the smoothest, most charming criminal of all time? Obviously not. I think you get it.

Neal & Burke's Bromance

I've said it at least 100 times and I'm saying it again now — Neal and Peter Burke's relationship is one of the best bromances on television. And, no, it's not just because they're totally adorable like in the above GIF, but because there's actual conflict between them that they continue to care about each other through no matter what. Neal loves Burke and Burke loves Neal, even when they're hiding things from one another or not trusting one another. They're magical.

The Consistent & Not-Preachy Struggles Between Right & Wrong

If there's one thing White Collar absolutely excels at, it's accurately representing the struggle between doing what's right and what's wrong and the times in between when you have to do what's wrong to be right. Neal himself is a walking example of a person struggling to be better, but getting sucked into doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Even Burke, being an FBI agent and under oath, has a hard time deciding which side he belongs on. Rather than preaching what's right and wrong, White Collar hangs out in the gray area and it's perfection.

The Supporting Cast

Yes, we all love Neal and Burke, but the supporting cast of White Collar is actually pretty stellar also. Tiffani Thiessen kills it as Elle Burke, the tough, resourceful, party-planning wife of Tim DeKay's Peter Burke. And Willie Garson's Mozzie is off-the-charts hilarious with his dead-pan, even if he'd be a terrible roommate.

Because Sometimes It Reminds Me Of National Treasure

The White Collar Season 5 finale could've easily been the next National Treasure film. (Wherever you are, Nicolas Cage, you're welcome.) Look, if you don't like National Treasure, that's fine, but it's one of my favorite films and Season 5's overarching plot featured Free Masons and a fake Hope Diamond. I'm going to miss that nostalgia — especially since it's taking about 1,000 years for the next National Treasure to arrive. Damnit.

Images: David Giesbrecht/USA Network; notmygifs, moonchild30, matt-and-bomer, person-interest-in-you/Tumblr; Rebloggy