White Collar: What Happened To Neal Caffrey In (& After) The Finale

Just what happened to con-man-turned-FBI-consultant Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) in White Collar's series finale and after the show ended is a true culmination of his character arc. White Collar followed Caffrey as he was released from prison for his numerous crimes under the supervision of FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). Caffrey became a criminal informal on the FBI version of a work-release program. Burke was understandably apprehensive since Neal was known for manipulating people, but he eventually gave him a shot. The pair developed an unlikely partnership and became genuine friends.

Fans are excited to see Neal reunite with Peter Burke on the small screen in an upcoming revival. The USA Network series wrapped its six-year run in 2014 with a shortened season of just six episodes. At the end of White Collar, Neal and Peter teamed up one last time, chasing down the nefarious group known as the Pink Panthers. Not everything, however, went according to plan.

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How White Collar Ended

White Collar Seemingly Ended With A Big Death

There was certainly going to be some twist involved...

After Neal and Peter teamed up to both figure out the identities of the Pink Panthers and apprehend them, the FBI successfully nabbed the criminals. Some parts of their operation went awry, resulting in Neal getting in a shooting match with his blue-collar counterpart, Matthew Keller (Ross McCall).

Peter was able to take down Keller, who was running away with stolen money, by shooting him in the head, but not before he shot Neal in the chest. As the paramedics wheeled Neal to the hospital, he was reunited with Peter, whom he called his best friend. Later on, doctors delivered the bad news: Neal was dead. That was supposed to be how White Collar ended. Then again, it's Neal Caffrey, the man who always managed to one-up those around him, so there was certainly going to be some twist involved for fans of the show.

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The White Collar Ending Twist

Neal Caffrey Had One Last Con

Neal faked his death.

A year after Neal's supposed death, Peter and his wife, Elizabeth (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen), look after their son, aptly named Neal. Peter caught up with Mozzie (Willie Garson) - Neal's right-hand man who's back in the streets of New York scamming people with his card games. The encounter made Peter suspicious about their fallen friend's demise, prompting him to visit Neal's storage locker.

As he discovered the paraphernalia he used to pull off his scheme to escape, he realized that he was effectively conned by his former informant. Neal had worked out another plan with some crisis actors, such as the EMT who attended to him and the hospital doctor who confirmed his death. To cap it all off, Neal faked his death by taking medication to slow down his heartbeat just enough to make sure that all his bases were covered.

In the real end of White Collar, Neal is seen strolling the streets of Paris, France, implying that he's up for a new job, this time in Europe. This is backed by the newspaper headline Peter saw in his storage unit about the Louvre getting additional security. Chances are that Neal was studying the ins and outs of the world-renowned museum in the hopes of scoring one of its valuable displays.

Instead of feeling betrayed or motivated to go after Neal again, Peter just let a smile out. While he had always suspected that Neal would become a criminal again following his release, Neal had managed to do a lot of good leading up to that point. Peter, it is implied, is simply happy that his former partner is alive and well, despite the fact that he's once again possibly up to no good.

The White Collar ending confirms that, despite Neal spending years leading a mostly straight life in New York as Peter's criminal informant, deep down, he will always want to live an exciting, albeit sometimes dangerous, life. His illegal endeavors don't seem to have anything to do with money anymore - he just likes the thrill of pulling off these elaborate schemes. With Europe having a richer arts scene, Neal has a wider variety of future prospects - it wouldn't be surprising if he went from one country to another pulling off various heists.

The White Collar series finale aired on December 18, 2014. A revival was confirmed in June 2024.

A White Collar Revival Could Change Neal's Fate

It Could Also Explain Neal Leaving In The First Place

Whatever brings Neal and Peter back into one another’s lives in the revival must be big.

A White Collar revival is on the way with original show creator Jeff Eastin penning the scripts. Original cast members Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, and Tiffani Thiessen are confirmed to reprise their roles as Neal, Peter, and Elizabeth, respectively. Because the original series saw Neal fake his death and escape to a new country though, the revival series has a chance to change his fate.

That’s not to say that the revival series will kill Neal for good, but it could give the audience the reasoning behind Neal’s decision to fake his death and leave his friends behind and see him come clean about his decision. While he’d schemed about getting away from the ever-watchful eye of his FBI colleagues in the past, he regretted abandoning them and actually formed friendships with those he worked with, particularly Peter.

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Neal deciding to fake his death and leave the life he built behind seems both perfectly in character for the con man who craves adventure, but also completely out of character for the man who values his friendships so fiercely. Did he leave simply because he was tired of working in the FBI or because he was ready to move on to a new adventure? And just who helped him pull it off? Those are questions the revival series can answer for long-time fans of the show.

After all, Neal leaves Peter, Elizabeth, and seemingly even Mozzie in the dark about deciding to fake his death. Mozzie is the one person he usually lets in on his schemes, and with actor Willie Garson passing away in 2021, the revival won’t be able to include Mozzie directly, but can explain just how much he knew about Neal’s plan, if anything.

Whatever brings Neal and Peter back into one another’s lives in the revival must be big. The White Collar revival will have to give Neal and Peter, as well as the audience, some sort of closure about him faking his death before it can really delve into the new story.

172 9.5/10

White Collar

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-PG Mystery Crime Comedy Drama Release Date 2009 - 2014-00-00 Network USA

Cast

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• Matt Bomer Neal Caffrey
• Tim Dekay Peter Burke

Seasons 6 Creator(s) Jeff Eastin Powered by

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