Contributor: Gregg Wright
Written by Daniel Shattuck
Directed by Russell Lee Fine
Once again, we have another episode that deviates from the more typical introduction to a case. This time, Neal finds himself being arrested by the NYPD while working undercover on a heist. Peter only barely succeeds in convincing the police chief in charge that Neal is an asset, and ends up starting a feud with said police chief that lasts for the entire episode. The heist that Neal took part in was being directed by a familiar face: Alex Hunter. The last we saw of Alex was in the final episode of season 2. So what’s she up to now?
The ever-paranoid Mozzie is, at first, fearful that Alex is out for revenge against the two of them for stealing the U-Boat treasure. She had been hunting it for a long time herself, after all. But Neal isn’t worried. He was the one who suggested that she come back to New York. Thus, Neal is in a perfect position to convince Alex to let him help her on her next big heist. But Alex isn’t the real target. The real plan is to get Alex to lead the feds to her new employer, a man interested in returning pieces of art to his own country, and hopefully help Alex out of the situation in the process.
Aside from some amusing shenanigans at Alex’s loft, the investigation unfolds in a relatively conventional way. The unusual twist of Peter and Mozzie going behind Neal’s back is probably the most interesting element in play here. It’s good to see Alex again, given her importance in relation to Neal and the music box arc, but I’m afraid I never found her particularly interesting. Attractive, yes, but not terribly interesting. She and Neal seem to work well together, though. One wonders why they were never more than just friends and occasional sexual partners.
Much of the conning on “White Collar” stretches credibility, but the manner in which Neal, Alex, and Mozzie conned their way into getting free, camera-less access to a part of the museum struck me as being just a bit too far-fetched. All three players sold their roles well enough, but I still struggle to accept that some good acting and an intercepted phone call was all it took to get such a ridiculous level of access, making the rest of the heist a walk in the park. Well… almost.
Evidently, Alex is still disappointed enough about losing the treasure to Neal that she’s willing to purposefully botch the heist and leave Neal to be nabbed by the authorities. The two botched heist are really part of a bigger plan to steal the goods from both heists, now stored in an NYPD evidence warehouse. I get the impression that Alex doesn’t plan on sharing any of her treasure with her employer. She conned everyone, it seems. She meets up with Neal one last time before leaving, though, and the two appear to be on good terms.
All in all, an effective A plot, but one that doesn’t really stand out. I found the B plot, with the debate over whether or not Sam can be trusted, to be more interesting. I just wish there was more to it. The Betamax tape is a major tease. The episode ends with Neal deciding to put his friends first and watch the Betamax tape with them before going with it to Sam. But, sadly, the episode ends just short of showing us what’s on the tape. It’s a tantalizing cliffhanger, but it results in virtually nothing new being revealed in regards to the larger conspiracy.
Score: 7/10
