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Neal Caffrey & Peter Burke Have The Best Relationship In White Collar, And None Of The Others Come Close


White Collar is a police procedural show that follows a con man who is compelled to work with the FBI, and the agent who locked him up, but over the course of the show, Peter and Neal’s relationship becomes the series’ true center. White Collar distinguishes itself from other crime dramas because of the central characters. A con man who struggles to leave his old life behind, and a straight-laced FBI agent who tries to do everything by the book.




These characters clearly start out on opposite sides, and as they communicate with their other friends and romantic partners, it becomes clear how frustrated they are with their uneasy alliance. This is made even more apparent since Peter Burke, played by Tim DeKay, was the agent who captured Neal Caffrey, played by Matt Bomer. But, despite their differences, the relationship that blossoms between Peter and Neal becomes the most satisfying, enduring, and interesting partnership in the entire show.


Neal Caffrey & Peter Burke Have An Enemies To Friends Story Arc

From Rivals To Best Friends


As mentioned above, the relationship between Peter and Neal starts out on rocky ground. Neal is a criminal mastermind who coordinates and successfully pulls off huge heists the world over. While Peter, a seasoned FBI agent is the man assigned to Caffrey’s investigation, he finds himself always falling just a few steps behind, as he frequently comes close to capturing his rival, but misses at the last moment. This game of cat and mouse between the pair goes on for three years, with Neal managing to steal priceless works of art, defraud banks, and commit elaborate crimes undetected.

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While the capture of the elusive Neal Caffrey is surely a huge win for agent Burke, the moment is soured by the fact that the only charge that Neal ended up with a conviction for was bond forgery, and a measly four-year sentence, despite his laundry list of crimes. However, when Neal escapes prison a few months before his release in White Collar, Peter finds himself with an unlikely, and largely undesirable partner. Burke is assigned to work with Neal, using the con man as a criminal informant, and over the course of their partnership, they begin to become friends.

While Neal Caffrey’s Girlfriends Come And Go, Peter Burke Is A Constant

Neal Caffrey Was A Real Heartbreaker

For Neal, a former criminal who is only abiding by the law because of his current status as a prisoner, it’s a huge adjustment to work on the side of the law, and help his former rival, Peter, to apprehend other criminals. It feels like a betrayal to the life he lived before, and he begins to reintroduce elements that help him remain connected to his criminal past. His best friend, Mozzie, remains very connected in this criminal world, and Neal begins dating women who also have a dangerous side.


Burke is assigned to work with Neal, using the con man as a criminal informant, and over the course of their partnership, they begin to become friends.

However, the biggest constant in Neal’s life during this time was Peter Burke. Every day, the pair work closely together, they talk for hours, they eat together, and they grow closer together. While they begin on opposite sides, with little appreciation or understanding of each other, their familiarity breeds friendship. Neal begins to enjoy his work with the FBI, and using his skills for legitimate reasons, where he can do real good, and help the people who are harmed or wronged due to crime. And while the job has its risks, it’s not the same as working with people who you can never trust and always watching your back.


Peter Burke’s Wife Is Perfect, But He Spends Most Of His Time Next To Neal

Elizabeth Burke Is A Great Partner, But Neal Is Always There

While the connection with Neal becomes his most important one, Peter has someone else that he has an even bigger commitment to. Elizabeth Burke, played by Tiffani Thiessen, is, by all accounts, a perfect wife. She is intelligent, independent, strong-willed, always ready to offer advice, incredibly supportive of her husband’s career, despite the dangers, and funny. For Peter, she is his soulmate, and she helps to make him a better man, while offering perfect understanding and affection during times of doubt and struggle. But despite all of this, the relationship between Peter and Elizabeth is not as important as Neal and Peter’s in White Collar.


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While Elizabeth helps to propel her husband forward, and they lift each other up, Neal challenges Peter in a way that promotes serious growth. Elizabeth makes Peter a better version of himself, but Neal makes Peter a better and more well-rounded person. This relationship doesn’t fulfill romantic needs, and it isn’t going to last forever, but for right now, and the entire run of White Collar, it’s the most important, the most interesting, and the most dynamic relationship of the show, and none of the others come close.


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