Jump the Blast #20 & #21 - Falling Skies & White Collar

It's the final edition of Jump the Blast, so here comes a double-bill courtesy of regular reader David H. The first is taken from the pilot of sci-fi drama FALLING SKIES, with Ben Mason (Noah Wyle) flung through the air after an alien "mech" takes a shot at him. A well-timed jump, arms nicely spread apart, so he'll live to fight invading ETs another day. Perfect.

And finally, David's next submission comes from the season 1 finale of WHITE COLLAR, where notorious thief Neil Caffrey (Matthew Bomer) is about to get on a plane to escape the police, only for it to explode--along with his dreams of starting another life with his girlfriend. I particularly like the way the explosion appears to bend Caffrey's spine slightly, although the "jump" becomes more of a forward stumble in the end.

And that's it! I think 21 submissions since January is enough. I may revive this feature again someday, you never know, but not if I find something more popular. A huge thank you to the handful of people who submitted screengrabs over the past six months—specially Laura Schumacher, who was almost keeping the whole feature alive these past few months. It's a shame more people didn't get involved and e-mail me screengrabs, but also understandable. I hope it was in some way entertaining for everyone. It certainly helped plug a few gaps whenever there was a slow news day or nothing worth reviewing on TV. Um, like today!

If you want to take a look at all the Jump The Blast moments, simple click this link for a trip down memory flame...

Jump the Blast #19 - White Collar

Laura Shumacher's eye for explosions has come in handy once again, with this submission from the season 2 finale of WHITE COLLAR. The images above highlight a situation where master thief Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) and some bad guys looked inside a warehouse containing stolen Nazi art, only to find the loot's on fire and about to explode. That's some classic flame-avoidance, right there.

Have you noticed a shot in a film, trailer, advert, or TV show that features someone jumping/walking away from an explosion of some kind? If so, why not email me a screenshot and you can be credited in the next installment of "Jump the Blast".

WHITE COLLAR 1.3 - "Book Of Hours"

[SPOILERS] Oh, the beauty of Twitter. After watching this third episode, I posted a quick response about my qualms over continuing with White Collar, only to get a response from creator Jeff Eastin drop into my replies box. This led to a brief two-way chat about what I considered the pro's and con's of the show so far, which hopefully Mr. Eastin found helpful. It's certainly a worrisome time when a new show makes it to air, as the writers are still finding their feet and trying to hit a groove as quickly as possible before audiences grow weary. We're a fickle bunch...

"Book Of Hours" was split into two distinct chapters for me. I didn't really care for the premise (about an expensive Bible stolen from a mob boss' local church, apparently by a hobo who thought it could heal his sick dog), but I was eventually won over once the show started to add some more intriguing layers. This was primarily achieved by making Cafferty's (Matthew Bomer) intentions quite ambiguous, as the search for the missing Bible eventually led them to sexy art historian Maria Fiametta, with whom Cafferty convinced he could help move the book if she helps him escape his FBI custodians.

The subplot also pushed along the mystery over Cafferty's girlfriend's disappearance, as a map of the New York subway appeared on the label when in close contact with heat from a candle. It feels a little ridiculous that she's gone to this much trouble to leave clues for her boyfriend to find her, but it's certainly intriguing and a more compelling lead for Cafferty to follow without arousing suspicion in Burke (Tim DeKay). I just wish we really cared about their relationship, as she's little more than a cipher right now. It may have worked better if we'd had a few flashbacks to their life together in the pilot, as I don't feel emotionally invested in Cafferty's plight yet. Hopefully we'll get a few episodes from his girlfrend's current perspective soon, to help make her a real person in our minds and not just "the girlfriend". Seriously, even her name escapes me...

Overall, "Book Of Hours" was better than last week's episode but it still didn't have the swagger and charm of the pilot. I really want to believe in Burke as a brilliant FBI agent and Cafferty his counterpart from the opposite side of the tracks, but neither seem exemplary right now. There should be a compelling Ying/Yang feel to their characters, both men should learn something from the other, and there should be a certain degree of real tension in their relationship, but it's all a bit too comfortable and smooth right now. Sometimes I forget Cafferty's even supposed to be a genius conman/hustler, as he hasn't brought many of those skills to bear on the past two episodes. He's charming and suave, but the danger's missing. It took guest star Kirk Acevedo (formerly of Fringe, now typecast as a Fed?) to remind us that Cafferty's mere presence is supposed to be a bone of contention in the department.

I'll stick with White Collar for a few more weeks at least, as everything deserves a chance and "Book Of Hours" was a definite improvement over "Threads", but I personally hope they start having fun with the idea that an exemplary FBI man has been partnered with a genius swindler. So far, this isn't quite the Catch Me If You Can, Midnight Run and 48 Hours mash-up that the pilot appeared to introduce.


6 November 2009
USA Network, 9/8c

written by: Tom Garrigus directed by: John T. Kretchmer starring: Matthew Bomer (Neal Caffrey), Tim DeKay (Peter Burke), Natalie Morales (Agent Lauren Cruz), Willie Garson (Mozzie) & Tiffani Thiessen (Elizabeth Burke)

WHITE COLLAR 1.2 - "Threads"

[SPOILERS] Not for the first time, the episode immediately succeeding a fun pilot proves to be a slight let-down. "Threads" found some form towards the end, but there was definitely something lacking in how it went about things...

Agent Burke (Tim DeKay) and his department are on the tail of renowned Israeli counterfeiter Ghovat/"The Ghost" (Carlo Rota), after a model for NYC's Fashion Week witnessed him killing a business associate. At Caffrey's (Matthew Bomer) suggestion, they throw a luxuriant party on a terrace to lure Ghovat out into the open, suspecting he's in town to make an important sale.

The main reason I lost patience with "Threads" was because the storyline didn't interest me, and there wasn't much in the Burke/Caffrey dynamic that appealed this week. If Caffrey's supposed to be a superlative hustler, we really need to see it; all he does here is suggest a few ker-azy ideas, pick a pocket, and demonstrate a way to jam someone's cell phone from triggering plastique explosives. I really need something more enthralling than that if I'm to get excited by the idea of a successful Fed and a brilliant conman working together.

Still, there was a plausible way to get Burke's wife Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) involved in the story (she planned the party designed to attract Ghovat); the plot thickened regarding Caffrey's runaway girlfriend, who left him a secret clue to her whereabouts during their last meeting in prison, which Caffrey notices after getting hold of the security tape from Burke; and two new cast additions have potential -- James Rebhorn as Burke's plain-speaking boss who dislikes Cafferty, and The Middleman's Natalie Morales as Agent Lauren Cruz (effectively a heterosexual replacement for Marsha Thomason's lesbian Fed from the pilot, who can wear some slinky dresses and flirt with Cafferty.) She'll hopefully get more to do soon and look a tad more plausible in the role, considering she's rake thin but had no problem taking down some brawny bad guys. And it's a hangover from her days on The Middleman, but Morales' presence still has me waiting for her to utter sarcastic pop-culture quips.

Overall, this is still a young show learning to walk, so we can cut White Collar some slack for now. I just hope they give Caffrey more opportunities to impress us with his tricks and knowledge, and the stories are as developed as the pilot's was. It seems likely White Collar won't stretch far beyond Psych or Monk levels of complexity, though, in which case I'll probably drop out unless they build Burke/Cafferty into a duo worth watching despite its toothless nature.


30 October 2009
USA Network, 10/9c

written by: Clifton Campbell directed by: Dennie Gordon starring: Matthew Bomer (Neal Caffrey), Tim DeKay (Peter Burke), Natalie Morales (Agent Lauren Cruz), Kim Shaw (Juliana),Willie Garson (Mozzie), Tiffani Thiessen (Elizabeth Burke), Sharif Atkins (Jones), Carlo Rota (Ghovat), Kent Davis (Christian), Mike DiGiacinto (Barelli's Driver), Natalia Klimas (Brigette), Heidi Kristoffer (Claire) & James Schram (Itailian Naval Officer)

WHITE COLLAR 1.1 - "Pilot"

[SPOILERS] Arriving on the airwaves with little fanfare is USA Network's frothy White Collar, a crime series about a FBI agent and a master criminal who work together to crack "white collar" crimes. The everyman Fed is Peter Stokes (Tim DeKay), the guy who caught notorious conman Neil Caffrey (Matthew Bomer) and sent him to jail for four years. This pilot opens with Caffrey escaping his super-max cell a few months shy of his release date, and when Stokes realizes the humane reasons for Caffrey's prison break and is given a lead in a current case thanks to Caffrey's expertise, he arranges for Caffrey to be released into his custody as a consultant...

It's classic buddy cop stuff, with a twist, as both men may be opposite sides of the same coin but there's no 48 Hours-style animosity between the pair -- even thought one's esponsible for the other's incarceration. Instead, Stokes and Caffrey feel more like half-brothers whose lives drifted in opposite directions, and the only real antagonism is by-the-book Stokes' jealousy that Caffrey's self-assurance can blag him a $700 per month residence with a munificent millionairess and her sizzling 22-year-old granddaughter.

The "Pilot" did a brilliant job of laying out its premise and making you like the characters, while the storyline about an art thief known as "The Dutchman" was actually more sophisticated than you'd expect from a show with a knockabout tone. There were some fun moments and interesting twists to the case, and writer Jeff Eastin managed to weave in some clever touches while imparting some fun insider knowledge about the art of forgery.

But its greatest assets are its leads, with both actors playing to their strengths. Tim DeKay always makes for a likeable everyman (see: Carnivale), but he's also believable as a Federal agent of skill and moral decency. Matthew Bomer is also very good as the handsome, rebellious swindler, channeling the roguish charm he brought to his role as Bryce Larkin in a few episodes of Chuck. Most promisingly, there's a fun dynamic between the two actors and their partnership is undoubtedly the main reason to stick around for more.

Overall, there were only three minor concerns about this pilot for me: one, it felt too long at an hour (without adverts), and would have been much snappier as a traditional 43-minutes; two, lesbian FBI agent Diana Lancing (Marsha Thomason) didn't really click with me, so I'm pleased to hear Thomason's been replaced by The Middleman's Natalie Morales post-pilot; and three, for me it was obvious who would be the villain once I noticed Mark Sheppard's name in the credits!

White Collar doesn't really beg to be watched, but this was an enjoyable start and I really enjoyed watching DeKay and Bomer together. They reminded me of the Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio characters in a Catch Me If You Can sequel set in modern times. Bomer's character even chose to wear a Brat Pack-styled suit straight from the swinging '60s. And if any of that sounds appealing you should grab this show by its collar.


23 October 2009
USA Network, 10/9c

written by: Jeff Eastin directed by: Bronwen Hughes starring: Tim DeKay (Peter Stokes), Matthew Bomer (Neil Caffrey), Tiffani Thiessen (Elizabeth Burke), Marsha Thomason (Diana Lancing), James Biberi (Gaines), Anthony Bradford (FBI Rookie), Diahann Carroll (June), Alexandra Daddario (Kate), Tony Devon (Calabrese), Michael Gaston (Thompson), Billy Griffith (Prison Guard), Mike Houston (Customs Official), Derek Milman (FBI Technician), Christopher Moser (Customs Agent), Norman Outlaw (Prisoner), Kim Shaw (Juliana), Mark Sheppard (Curtis Hagen), Stephen Singer (Vincent), Antwon Temoney (Prisoner), Rob Tode (FBI Audio Tech #2), Denise Vasi (Cindy) & Mark Vincent (Spanish Guard)