White Collar Review: Suits Go Rogue

FBI Agent Peter Burke is a straight and narrow, by the book type of individual. But this week, the book is thrown out the window when the suit goes “rogue” and on the run to help a fellow FBI agent.

We join White Collar on a Saturday morning breakfast with Mr. and Mrs. Burke (welcome back El!). Not a relaxed Saturday morning, because both are on their cell phones for work and must rush off, but they plan a date later for a movie, bottle of wine, and Peter’s famous pot roast.

On the way to the Bureau, Neal, who is not thrilled about working on the weekend, tells Peter about an art exhibit, “White Bored,” that he wants to go see. Peter declines an offer to go but says that Neal can go to the exhibit, which is out of his radius, if he finds an FBI agent escort.

At the office, they discover their bosses’ boss Bancroft (Joe Morton) and the U.S. marshals, including a cocky and uncooperative Marshal John Deckard (Max Martini), are there to bring in Peter’s team on a case. It involves Peter’s former white collar colleague, Agent Jack Franklin (Jeremy Davidson), who is a fugitive and suspected of revealing locations of federal witnesses, some of which have been murdered. Franklin was demoted from the white collar unit for having an inappropriate relationship with his CI (confidential informant). Peter is determined to find Franklin before the Marshals because he is “one of us.”

Peter and Neal decide to question Franklin’s CI, Rebecca Vidal, who sells luxury cars. Peter and Rebecca go for a test drive in a hot Ferrari, where Peter reveals that he is with the FBI. Rebecca insists that she hasn’t seen Franklin and doesn’t know where he is. Trying to appeal to her, Peter says, “my CI is who I turn to when I need help,” and explains that he would be willing to listen to Franklin if he contacts Rebecca. Meanwhile, back at the car dealer, Neal, posed as Nick Halden, sells a car, and gets into Rebecca’s computer and learns that she took one of her aliases out for an hour and a half test drive the day before. Neal and Peter suspect she was actually with Agent Franklin.

Back at the FBI office, Diana found the actual case file Franklin was working on before he was transferred. Inside the file, there are surveillance pictures of witnesses plus Marshal Deckard and a defense lawyer, Stan Volker. But why? Deckard quickly shows up at the bureau because he is tracking Neal’s anklet. Peter doesn’t share the latest discovery and goes home to work and start his “date night” pot roast.

At the Burkes’, Peter’s cooking is interrupted by Franklin who is willing to talk. Franklin explains that Marshal Deckard is the one who was selling the witness locations and working with Volker. Franklin can prove it because there is a hard copy of the evidence in Volker’s office.

Meanwhile, Neal makes a quick pit stop at his apartment where Mozzie is working on the cockpit tape. Moz discovered the phone number that Kate called but it was a store bought burner cell phone.

Peter and Franklin rush to Volker’s office only to find Deckard, who is there destroying evidence and starts shooting at them. Agents Burke and Franklin get away from Deckard with some help from their CIs by commandeering Volker’s Lamborghini. A victorious Peter tells Franklin, “my CI beat your CI.” They later meet up with Jones and Neal, who disables the GPS on the Lamborghini. To clear Agent Franklin’s name and expose Marshal Deckard for the crimes, he and Peter go on the run.

Neal arranges for help—Mozzie to the rescue as he provides a hideout, his “Tuesday” safehouse, “somewhere no suit has ever gone,” for Peter and Franklin. Mozzie’s “Tuesday” is amazing—an abandoned warehouse but decorated with Buddhist décor including a Zen sand garden. Peter asks, “Mozzie, how would you like to participate in a government sanctioned con?” Mozzie replies, “Involving a dirty marshal, Stan and one of his prized Lamborghinis? How about yes.”

So the government sanctioned con begins…Mozzie visits El for date night to explain about Peter being on the run but also that he is safe. They also share a bottle of “vino.” Meanwhile, Neal and Jones, who are keeping tabs on Deckard, are in a surveillance van outside the Burkes’ home. Neal discovers that Deckard has a key to his anklet, which he later lifts.

Deckard, Neal and Jones tail Mozzie as leaves the Burkes’. Mozzie heads to the luxury car dealer. Mozzie tells Franklin’s CI, Rebecca, to pretend that she knows him to help clear Franklin’s name. Diana shows up with the defense attorney, Volker, who believes they are there about his stolen car. Outside, Neal receives a phone call with both Peter and their boss, Bancroft, on the line telling Neal to run a “prisoner’s dilemma” on Deckard and Volker. Their plot is successful—they get Volker to rat on Deckard and arrest them both. Later, good news for Franklin…he has been cleared of all charges and reinstated into the white collar department.

While the rest of the agents leave the bureau, Mozzie calls Neal to tell him he knew who Kate called: Agent Garrett Fowler. Neal, while holding the key to his anklet, says, “now I need to find him.” But before Neal can leave, in a surprising twist, Bancroft asks Neal if he wants to attend the “White Bored” exhibit with him, which Neal has been dying to see.

The episode closes with Peter, on his cell phone with El, going to “Tuesday” to bring a new rake to Mozzie but when he arrives, Tuesday is empty except for a note that says “J. Edgar Hoover was here” in the sand.

Another week and another superb White Collar episode. At this point, I expect nothing less. White Collar had many fantastic elements in this week’s episode including the return of Mrs. Suit. To quote Mozzie, “it was nice to see you, Mrs. Suit.” I was thrilled to have Elizabeth back in this episode. Hooray for no more green screens! The cast just felt complete with her back.

We were also invited into Mozzie’s home, “Tuesday,” which he frequents on Wednesdays. How Mozzie-like! And what a change of pace for Agent By The Book Burke driving hot cars around New York and being on the run. Plus, this episode was overflowing with what I like to call Mozzie-isms, i.e., “mi casa es suit casa.”

The voice behind the Mozzie-isms, the White Collar writers, deserve plenty of recognition for their topnotch writing and creative banter that they entertain us with each week. Kudos and keep it coming!

I can’t believe it but only two White Collar episodes left this summer. I guess what they say is true, time flies when you’re having fun.

Season 2, Episode 7: Prisoner’s Dilemma (originally aired August 24, 2010)

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Tuesdays at 9/8c on USA Network

Images courtesy of David Giesbrecht and the USA Network.