White Collar Review: One to Go

The penultimate White Collar of the season, “Power Play,” kicks off with some screen time for the much missed Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen, who’s planning an event at a museum for a trader named Andrew Stanzler (guest star Richard Schiff). His assistant Brooke tells Elizabeth she may have information for the FBI about her boss. Elizabeth tells Peter (Tim DeKay) that Brooke suspects Stanzler is responsible for recent electrical blackouts across the city, which he’s been causing by withholding power during peak hours in order to spike rates. Brooke doesn’t want to go to the Bureau, nervous Stanzler could find out. Peter plans to come down to the museum and – at Elizabeth’s request – begrudgingly asks Neal (Matt Bomer) to meet him there.

Neal runs into Sara (Hilarie Burton), fresh from Argentina where she’s uncovered that Vincent Adler is after a German soldier named Gerhardt Wagner. Sara thinks the FBI will be the only entity with information on Wagner. Peter is late to the museum and Brooke is starting to crack under the pressure. Neal and Elizabeth quickly pass him off as her husband and Neal gains her trust, convincing her to come to the Bureau.

Later on at the Bureau, Peter lectures Neal about impersonating a federal officer. Peter wants to tell Brooke the truth, but Neal thinks that would make her run off. Elizabeth calls to let Peter know she’s arrived with Brooke, and takes Neal’s side in the argument. Peter tells the team to treat Neal as Agent Burke for the duration of the meeting. Brooke sits down with the dynamic duo and tells them all about Stanzler’s plan. Because the NYC power grid is a de-regulated market, someone with enough shares could create a shortage on their own. Brooke asks faux-Neal/real-Peter to leave so she can talk with faux-Peter/real-Neal alone. She tells Neal about a conversation she overheard that makes her think Stanzler is looking to hire a thief. Outside, Diana and Jones are loving the role reversal and Diana insists on taking some files into the office to Neal. After Brooke leaves, Diana shows Wagner’s classified file to the team. At the same time, the team plans to pass Peter off as a thief, since Stanzler already met Neal.

Peter and Sara meet at Neal’s place to go over more Wagner files. Turns out he operated a U-Boat and claimed to have info valuable to the U.S. Government, but escaped from a detention center at Ellis Island and disappeared with the information. Neal thinks it might be linked to the antennae he and Mozzie (Willie Garson)  have been working on from the fractal. Neal and Sara leave, Neal explaining he’s on his way to the gym to swim, when they realize they’re being followed by a hooded figure. When they see him, he jumps in a car and speeds off. They realize he knows Sara’s working with the FBI. Elizabeth gives Peter some tips on style and swagger to pull off being Neal for his meeting with Stanzler. I’m glad to see his charms aren’t lost on Mrs. Burke.

Brooke takes Peter to Stanzler, who impresses him with some breaking and entering knowledge about the museum. Stanzler asks Peter to steal a flash drive from another trader named Francis Luntz, who videotaped a meeting with Stanzler he doesn’t want to go public. Neal tells Peter about being followed, and then takes Sara and his fake FBI credentials to the Department of Immigration to get Wagner’s files. Sara and Neal start to get closer, as two people do while committing identity fraud to uncover lost immigration records. She tells him she knows what it’s like, being left with nothing but questions. Her sister ran away at a young age and left her with questions and now she wants to help Neal get some answers about Kate by finding Adler. Meanwhile, Peter receives instruction in all things con from his criminal Yoda, Mozzie, with some humorous assistance from June. Clearly June knew a lot more about her husband’s game than I first realized.

Neal joins the van team to help Peter with the theft of the flash drive while Mozzie joins Sara for research. Peter plants a bug on Stanzler and goes to Luntz’ mansion, where he breaks in. He finds the flash drive and downloads a copy to the van, where the team starts viewing the tape. The video shows Stanzler and Luntz discussing an executive at a hydroelectric company who’s flipping the switches to cause the blackouts. The three will meet at a party on Saturday, where of course our team will be waiting to intercept. Peter hands over the flash drive and retrieves his bug. Impressed, Stanzler offers Peter the job.

Stanzler’s plan is to bring Luntz in on his new arrangement with Wheelock. The team’s managed to get a camera on the jacket Stanzler will be wearing. At the party, Stanzler takes Peter aside and tells him to watch Luntz. Luntz believes Peter is Wheelock, which leades Peter to realize he’s about to be in trouble. The power goes out, and with some help from Neal and Jones, Peter is able to avoid being shot by Stanzler. Neal distracts Stanzler and Peter takes him down, cuffing both he and Luntz. Neal and Peter share a nice moment, talking about what it was like to switch roles for a while.

Neal goes back to researching with Sara, bringing her some leftovers from the party. Another blackout hits the city and Neal FINALLY gets some action! He and Sara start going at it rather passionately before Mozzie interrupts. He’s found Wagner, who changed his name to Michael Hunter before dying a few years ago. He does, however, have a surviving granddaughter named Alex Hunter!

We see Alex on the phone, telling a caller she’s heading to a location. We also see she’s being followed by the hooded figure from earlier.

I’ve been waiting for Alex to return ever since we learned she had history with Neal and Adler in the flashback episode a few weeks ago. Maybe the connection to her grandfather is why she was initially after the music box? It’s probably not off-base to guess that’s why she’s being followed at least. Either way, White Collar creator Jeff Eastin tweeted that next week’s finale will reveal all the mysteries of the music box once and for all.

For more on this episode, see “Trading Places” by Allison Toner.

Season 2, Episode 15 “Power Play” (original air date March 1, 2011)

White Collar’s Season Two finale airs Tuesday, March 8^th at 10:/9c on the USA Network.

Images courtesy of David Giesbrecht and USA Network.