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

With news that a White Collar revival is in the works, fans are revisiting the series. Here’s what happened to Neal Caffrey in the finale & beyond.

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.

With recent reports of a potential White Collar revival in the works, however, fans are excited to see Neal reunite with Peter Burke on the small screen. 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.

How White Collar Ended

White Collar Seemingly Ended With A Big Death

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.

The White Collar Ending Twist

Neal Caffrey Had One Last Con

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 silly 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.