Liese,

I get where you are coming from. I actually felt this way about nearly all of the characters in the first couple of episodes (pilot included) and it took me awhile, because of this, for me to warm up to the show.

Now, I suppose the only people I'm really rooting for now are Peggy and Joan. For example, nearly every one of the older male characters have said something incredibly racist (Japanese, African Americans, Jews, etc.) over the seasons and the discussion of the Civil Rights movement that have been occurring this season is really uncomfortable.

Yes, this is all time appropriate, but given the public political discussions in the US at this time, I am ill-humored about it.

This is not unlike Weiner and friends' take on the Sopranos. Those were odious people at their core - all equally flawed, but more physically violent - and yet they wrote them in such a way that the audience could root for them.

I can't Mad Men, and I couldn't watch The Sopranos for that very reason.

I thought there was a line at the end when the bad guy did his double cross about how her aunt said that their family name would hurt more than help with getting the audience with Title Granting Guy?

I don't remember the details of that, but the aunt wasn't in on the con so she probably didn't realize the significance of what she told him.

I thought it was a scandal that Charlotte had specifically been embroiled in that was a problem, not the family name. But I had forgotten all about it until Nora mentioned it, so i may well have gotten it wrong.

I assumed that it was her Aunt. Sophie really is a part of that titled family. What sell out are you referring to?

I'm rewatching even as I type! Keller's reason for not helping Sophie move her merch and stealing it from her instead was that her auntie had informed him that due to her "little royal scandal", associating with Sophie would "ruin his chances of advancement". The question is, did Auntie do that behind Sophie's back, or were they collaborating as part of the con? I think the latter, because it wouldn't be a good idea for the Duchess to be associated with Keller when he was arrested.

Sophie told the crew she'd spent 7 years establishing the Charlotte persona. But she and "auntie" spoke like they'd known each other for a long time before Sophie "ran off" eight years ago and broke dear William's heart, causing him to drink himself to death. Nate asked Sophie how real the Duchess persona was and she didn't answer. Later she claimed that "Charlotte" was a "stage name", which I can't make fit into the rest of the story, but she grabbed her blank name-tag when she denied the name, so... maybe she was lying? Who knows? It was impossible to tell from the others' faces. Damn that Rogers and his sneaky writers. Not only can we not parse the clues, we can't even be sure what is and is not a clue!

Oh, here's my other sad White Collar nitpick -- if they were really trying, the dinner bill would have been higher than $2K for five people.

if they were really trying, the dinner bill would have been higher than $2K for five people.

You are so NY. I was horrified, myself.

$400 a person is a lot, obviously, but a couple of minutes of looking tells me you can get a $90 entree at Delmonico's, and that's before the expensive wine. Per Se is what, $250 for just the food?

Actually, now that you do the math, $400 per person is...not that horrendous.

I mean, horrendous, but I can see easily how to do that at restaurants I've eaten at.

That just boggles my mind, but paying $40 for dinner is expensive for me.