There has been a recurring theme through the first five seasons of White Collar revolving around Agent Burke (Tim DeKay) acting as a father figure to his con artist consultant, Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer).

Who Is Matthew Keller Working For On 'White Collar'?

In Thursday's (Nov. 13) episode, Peter actually plays Neal's father for some undercover work for the case of the week. This sixth and final season is "a love letter" to the fans who are deeply invested in the Peter-Neal relationship, according to show creator Jeff Eastin.

He further told Zap2it on Wednesday, "That's definitely the most common fan observation, that Peter is Neal's father figure."

How Will Neal React To Rebecca's Death On 'White Collar'?  

Eastin added, "Neal's always had a soul, but Peter really gave him the morality to go with that soul." There's an exclusive clip of tomorrow's episode, "Return to Sender," that gives a nod to fans in regard to the relationship displayed between Peter and Neal over the seasons in the Zap2it article.

As the series draws to a close, there's a bit of transition for Peter, especially since Elizabeth just revealed that she's pregnant. It's the start of a whole new chapter in the Burkes' lives, but it's one the writers didn't want to introduce until close to the end of the show. Eastin explained the thought process behind leaving Peter and Elizabeth childless until now.

"The Burkes being childless was a decision I made pretty early on. There's a moment in the pilot where Elizabeth makes dinner for two and Peter doesn't come home because he's working late. That becomes the motif throughout the series, and we were always afraid of giving the Burkes a kid and suddenly he's an irresponsible father as opposed to a dedicated lawman," he said.

Eastin concluded, "But everybody always asks why the Burkes, who are this great couple, deeply in love, why don't they have kids? We always said if Peter got closer to a job where it's more feasible, they would. This final season we were able to make that happen."

Peter's clearly moving away from acting as Neal's father figure as he becomes a father in his own right, which raises the question of whether they'll remain in each other's lives once the series concludes.

Below watch the promo from tomorrow's episode.

White Collar airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on USA.