White Collar has always done finales well and this one was no exception.  The writing was tight, the story telling was compelling and kept my heart pounding.  The interwoven scenes at the commutation hearing were welcomed breathers and opportunities to reflect on the turns in the story that led up to this point.

I felt that Neal connected with Peter on a more personal level this episode.  He may (like you) not have any appreciation for baseball, but he certainly understands the kind of passion Peter holds for the sport.  I don't think he was ever truly aware of that side of Peter.  For all Neal knew, Peter's only passion was…

One possible motivation Diana could have for supporting Neal's commutation is to protect Peter.  Sooner or later Neal is going to break another law and she may rather see that happen when Neal is no longer Peter's direct responsibility.  Peter is risking his career and good reputation by taking Neal under his wing and…

Re: honesty.  It's always confounding to me that Neal, who lies for a
living (albeit never *directly* to Peter), feels entitled to be given
nothing but the truth by Peter.  He must hold Peter to a higher standard
than himself.

Well, they certainly keep reminding us of that darn painting every other episode ;)  I avoid spoilers at all costs, so I don't know, but considering Sara is back in the picture it's quite possible.

Re: coded letters.  I don't think it's been fully revealed where Neal kept his stash of money/loot that he accumulated prior to going to prison.  We know that he neither told Kate nor Mozzie the true location.  I believe this lack of trust was a point of contention between Mozz and Neal in one of the very early…

The anklet must definitely stay on.  Part of the appeal of the show is the 24/7 bondage.  Amirite?

Yeah, the slo-mo walk and bad-ass background music was cringe-worthy.  They do that quite a bit on the show and sometimes it works out.  This wasn't one of those times.

The Peter/Neal dynamic meanders fluidly between mentor/protege, brother/brother, cop/criminal, father/son and an old married couple (my favorite!).  Of those, I feel that the father/son constellation is being pushed a little too hard by the writers, to the point that those scenes are distractingly noticeable and…

After the last three episodes were largely inconsequential for the overall story arc, I was much relieved to see the pace pick up.  Even off screen, Kramer asserts himself as a presence in the room and a true threat to Neal's visions of an anklet-free existence.  You gotta love Diana for her unwavering loyalty to…

I think Peter is a true Renaissance man under that beer-swigging, all-American boyscout persona he puts forward.  He has a classical education and knows more about art and the finer things in life than he lets on.  He has surprised Neal and the viewers of the show with the occasional unexpected display of knowledge. …

What I gathered among all the convoluted plot of the violin was that the string actually broke the whatchamacallit piece of the violin.  What confounds me more is that a professional violinist wouldn't recognize that one of the strings doesn't look (and presumably doesn't sound) right.  Alas, I we could carry on…

I don't remember exactly, but I think there was a reference to Neal
being the "proprietor of a bakery" later that season when Mozzie needed a
reference to go undercover as a waiter.  So he may have held onto it
for a short time at least.  Not sure if he'd be much use for cake QC, since Neal looks like he hasn't eaten…

According to some speculations, Neal's past thefts/forgeries are somewhere in the billions.  That number is likely highly inflated, if you consider his age.  My best guess is that there are a number of crimes attributed to him that he didn't commit.  As with the (yawn) music box, he chooses not to correct those…

S01E07 (Free Fall).  Neal buys the bakery so he can escape from the judge's chamber by jumping out of the window onto the bakery's marquee.  I suspect The Greatest Cake was a tongue-in-cheek reference to The Great Escape.

According to Twitter, writer Channing Powell invented Mis.Rule with
inspiration from street artist Banksy.

And she'd still be taller than Mozzie! (Sorry, Willie.)

I'm with you.  I prefer the heavier, darker material.  My preference may
skew my perception, but I think the writing and performances are
typically better in those serious episodes.  I occasionally wonder what the show may have developed into on a
different network than always-sunny USA.

I had the same thought about the photos and the globe in the ex's apartment.  But  the cases-of-the-week on this show rarely follow the rules of logic.  And who really cares?  The criminal cases are simply part of the glossy framework around the characters, along with the lustrous fruit bowls and the spotless glass…

True dat.  The inconsistency of her character is annoying.  She's an only child one week, then suddenly has a tragic sob story of a missing sister to tell a few episodes down the line.  I feel there is all this artificially hyped drama around her character and her "romance" with Neal, and Burton's limited acting range…