Neal (Matt Bomer) faked his death in the White Collar ending, leaving many viewers wondering how the con artist managed to pull off the elaborate rouse. After six seasons, the USA Network series bowed out in 2014 with Neal successfully executing his most ambitious con yet: tricking people into believing he has died. Looking back on the show, it doesn’t seem likely that he could accomplish the job alone — he could’ve gotten help from Sara Ellis (Hilarie Burton).
Throughout White Collar‘s six seasons, Neal is established as clever and ingenious. Coupled with his ability to charm his way into anything, it makes him a great con artist. That being said, he is not without any weaknesses. While he can successfully pull off most of his cons during the show, he always has help from Mozzie, Peter, or the whole FBI squad. Given how elaborate his fake death plan is as White Collar ended in season 6, it’s difficult to believe that he didn’t have any assistance planning and executing the job.
While White Collar ends on a shortened six-episode final season, series creator Jeff Eastin crafts a clever and satisfying conclusion for the show. As the FBI nabs the Pink Panthers, Neal is killed off in a shooting incident with Matthew Keller (Ross McCall). In his final conversation with Peter (Tim DeKay), he earnestly calls the FBI agent his best friend.
A year after the tragedy, the series shows the cast moving on with Peter reuniting with Mozzie (Willie Garson) — Neal’s right-hand man, who is back on the streets scamming people with his silly card games. This encounter sparks Peter’s suspicions that his formal criminal informant may have faked his death. Peter checks his storage locker and realizes that Neal has indeed tricked him. White Collar‘s parting shot reveals Neal strolling the streets of Paris, potentially planning his next job.
Neal has a very small group of people he fully trusts, and he dupes all of them — even Mozzie, evidenced by his heartbroken reaction to Neal’s death. There is also the fact he remains in New York, pulling small schemes on the streets. There is only one person he knows wouldn’t rat him out — Sara, his ex-girlfriend. Introduced in White Collar season 2, Sarah is an insurance investigator with Sterling-Bosch who testified against Neal a few years back regarding a missing Raphael painting.
Because of this, her relationship with Neal starts as contentious, but as she becomes an integral part of Peter’s extended team, they develop a romantic relationship. They break up after she discovers Neal and Mozzie are hiding a massive treasure, but that doesn’t stop her from having feelings for him. They rekindle their relationship until she moves to London. White Collar never features Sara again. Despite being an insurance investigator, the show establishes Sara is not opposed to breaking minor laws to get what she wants.
Fans saw this when she teams up with Neal multiple times. Based on her final appearance, it is clear that she still has feelings for the con man. Living in a different country decreases her risk of getting involved, making her more willing to help Neal pull off his scheme. While she may not have been there, she could have brought in the doctor and EMT who were in on the scheme.
This scenario also effectively brings Sara back into the picture just in time for the possible White Collar revival. As she’s supposedly based in London, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that she secretly meets up with Neal to catch, or maybe even begin another affair. Given the character’s popularity, seeing her factor in a planned sequel will be a welcome surprise for fans. With that said, it has been four years since White Collar creator Jeff Eastin started talking about a revival.
Most recently, Matt Bomer said there are still “legitimate” talks about the show returning. “There is nothing I would want than to be on a set with this group of people again,” Bomer said (via Deadline). “There are real conversations happening. There seems to be a lot of excitement about it.” In other news, Bomer said that Mozzie would be part of the new show in spirit, as actor Willie Garson died in 2021. “I think it’s a way for him to, in some ways, still be a part of the show,” Bomer admitted.