History Series / WhiteCollar

* PoisonousFriend
** Mozzie has become a tame version of this in Season 3, as he constantly prods Neal to break all off his current relationships so they can live new (wealthy) lives after fencing the stolen Nazi treasure, despite Neal's doubts. [[spoiler:He only gets vicious in the season finale, and that's after he felt betrayed by Neal-and even then, he's willing to help.]]

* NiceHat: Caffrey's signature [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilby trilby]], picked up from a wealthy widow's donations to a thrift store.

-->''Vested Interest''

'''Diana''': ''No title. Whoever holds ‘em owns ‘em.''\\

-->'''Peter:''' The first time Kramer and I went after you for the Degas -- how’d you switch the paintings?\\

'''Peter:''' Fine, don’t tell me.

** A slightly existential example in “Controlling Interest”, after being dosed with a drug called ''Good Night Cinderella'' (twice), Neal has an epiphany, where he believes that he doesn’t feel guilty, and gets terrified of his own lack of ''morality''.
---> '''Neal:''' [Dr. Summers] was right. I’m not reformed. I mean, I like doing the things I do. You know, I like working with Peter, I like working with the FBI. ''[panicking]'' But I also like working against them! I like doing things I shouldn't, and I don't feel guilty, I don't feel remorse, I don't feel anything except…

* AesopAmnesia: Apparently, in Season 3, Neal has completely forgotten about the aesop of the episode "Countermeasures".

** In "Most Wanted", in order get Neal pardoned for fleeing FBI custody, Peter is forced to concoct a plan that requires Collins to win. In return for letting Neal go, Collins takes the credit for arresting the #4 fugitive on the FBI's Most Wanted List.

** And in the flashback episode, we see the mustache again!

** In the flashbacks in "Forging Bonds", Neal is naked and can possibly be seen by the neighbors through the window. Kate puts the hat on his head and says he's dressed enough. Neal does the exact same thing to Sara in "Scott Free" when she's wearing [[SexyShirtSwitch only his shirt]] at the loft, and adds that the sale of binoculars in the neighborhood has gone up because of her.

** Neal's tracking anklet serves as this in the series finale. [[spoiler:He spent most of Season 6 being entirely off-anklet due to being undercover in a semi-long-term, high-stakes operation. However, once they've caught the bad guys and Neal slips away with Keller, Neal--who knows that Keller plans to betray him--secretly puts his anklet back on to help Peter find him and and Keller in time to stop the latter.]]

*** In [=S04E7=], Peter lets a fixer control the interrogation and SherlockScan him and Diana, playing to her ego. He then tells her he thinks she's all bluff. She calls the Mayor to prove a point to him... Not realising that as City Hall logs are public record, Peter now knows her phone number, and can subpeona her records.

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: When June's old friend, fresh out of prison, shows up looking for another big score, semi-coerced by a violent acquaintance from prison, he and Neal end up working together under cover. Unfortunately, he lets slip a bit of info he shouldn't have had, and Neal has to dance on air to work his way out of it. RefugeInAudacity for the win.

--> '''Mozzie:''' The feds only have a partial list; the odds are miniscule that the Degas is even on it!\\

** Peter's efforts in trying help Neal find out the truth about his father end up inadvertently [[spoiler:getting Ellen murdered and forcing their only other lead to go into hiding]], since he put their names through the FBI database, which can accessed by corrupt officials.

* ShouldersUpNudity: Waist Up Nudity with Neal in flashback scene in "Forging Bonds", after Kate hogs the ModestyBedsheet all by herself, Neal just decided to [[ShamelessFanserviceGuy walk around naked in the apartment]], with the camera only showing him from the waist up.

* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: One of the main aesops of the series.

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler:In the Season 3 finale, Neal's jump between the passing trams was a truly audacious escape. It also happened in a public place in broad daylight, with lots of witnesses that the Kramer's team could interview for indisputable evidence that Neal broke his parole.]]

* InstantBirthJustAddWater: Played straight when Diana's water breaks. The baby is coming right then and there, and Mozzie (of all people) has to be the one delivering. A surprised Neal walks in on Diana and Mozzie holding the baby.

* CallBack

** In the flashbacks in "Forging Bonds", Neal is naked and can possibly be seen by the neighbors through the window. Kate puts the hat on his head and says he's dressed enough. Neal does the exact same thing to Sara in Scott Free when she's wearing [[SexyShirtSwitch only his shirt]] at the loft, and adds that the sale of binoculars in the neighborhood has gone up because of her.

** In the flashbacks in "Forging Bonds", Neal is naked and can possibly be seen by the neighbors through the window. Kate puts the hat on his head and says he's dressed enough. Neal does the exact same thing to Sara in Scott Free when she's wearing [[SexyShirtSwitch only a dressed in his shirt] at the loft, and adds that the sale of binoculars in the neighborhood has gone up because of her.

* NotSoDifferent: After we find out a little more about Fowler's past, it's quite clear that he was very much like Burke in his early career and it is quite possible that Burke may have fallen like Fowler if the situation was right. Likewise, if Neal had continued his life of crime, he could have very well turned out to be like some of the criminals he helped Burke arrest. "Payback" suggests this as well that if Neal continues his lifestyle, he'll end up always looking for a con to the point of, functionally, acting like a (classy) addict well into old age and ending up alone, penniless, and ultimately, an empty shell with nothing in the world - not even money or fine things - but trying to hold on to something he's losing.

* DeathTrap[=/=]DrowningPit: [[spoiler:Adler, the man who killed Kate]] puts Alex, Neal, and Peter in one of these. Why? Apparently, ForTheEvulz.
* DelayedWire: The con used in "The Dentist of Detroit".

** [[spoiler: Neal's final con in the series completely relied on knowing Keller would betray him. He even admits that is is utterly predictable/]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: Peter burns one of Neal's remaining valid aliases just because he introduced him to a jewel smuggler as "Mr. Satchmo", the name of Peter's dog.

* BirthDeathJuxtaposition: A metaphorical one. When Mozzie's true name of [[spoiler:Theodore Williams]] is revealed and on the FBI radar, he finds he needs to kill off this identity. Diana, who was 8 months pregnant at the time, decided to name her baby after him [[spoiler:as a secret thank you for Mozzie helping in her delivery]]. Neal lampshades this trope.

** An utterly devastating example is evident in "In The Wind". Neal discovers the truth about his father, mainly that [[spoiler: he really did kill a cop]]. The manner in which he confronts his father is laced with ''anger'', but at the same time, hidden acceptance. This is drastically different than the 18-year old who ran away from home at just the mere ''mention'' of [[spoiler: "murder".]]

** An utterly devastating example is evident in "In The Wind". Neal discovers the truth about his father, mainly that [[spoiler: he really did kill a cop]]. The manner in which he confronts his father is laced with ''anger'', but at the same time, hidden acceptance. This is drastically differnet than the 18-year old who ran away from home at just the mere ''mention'' of [[spoiler: "murder".]]

* ConsummateLiar: Neal is this, except when it comes to directly lying to Peter. He has ''stretched the boundaries'', [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness rarely]], but he's much worse at deceiving him than anyone else. The one time he straight up lied to Peter,[[spoiler: about his progress with finding the evidence box in Season 4]] it took the latter by surprise so much he figured out that [[spoiler: Elizabeth put him up to it]].

* ConsummateLiar: Neal is this, except when it comes to directly lying to Peter. He has done it, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness rarely]], but he's much worse at lying to him than anyone else. As the cast includes a lot of con artists and other white collar criminals, there are numerous characters, both among Neal's friends and enemies, who could fit this description, as well.

** Bancroft using the two-fingered, "You! Here. Now." gesture, and Peter picking up on its use.

---> '''Neal:''' [Dr. Summers] was right. I’m not reformed. I mean, I like doing the things I do. You know, I like working with Peter, I like working with the FBI. ''[panicking]''But I also like working against them! I like doing things I shouldn't, and I don't feel guilty, I don't feel remorse, I don't feel anything except…

--> '''Neal:''' [Dr. Summers] was right. I’m not reformed. I mean, I like doing the things I do. You know, I like working with Peter, I like working with the FBI. ''[panicking]''But I also like working against them! I like doing things I shouldn't, and I don't feel guilty, I don't feel remorse, I don't feel anything except…

--> '''Neal:''' She(Dr Summers) was right. I’m not reformed. I mean, I like doing the things I do. You know, I like working with Peter, I like working with the FBI. ''[panicking]''But I also like working against them! I like doing things I shouldn't, and I don't feel guilty, I don't feel remorse, I don't feel anything except…
* MysteriousInformant: Mozzie
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Quite a few characters (Peter, Elizabeth, Alex, Kate...) share their names with Russian monarchs. There's also Neal's standard alias ''Nicholas'' Halden, and Mozzie checks into the hospital as ''Ivan'' Bliminse.

--> '''Neal:''' She(Dr Summers) was right. I’m not reformed. I mean, I like doing the things I do. You know, I like working with Peter, I like working with the FBI. ''[panicking]'' I like doing things I shouldn't, and I don't feel guilty, I don't feel remorse, I don't feel anything except…