White Collar: Neal's New Handler?

As much as I love this show, I find it difficult to recap. Part of me gets so engrossed by the series that I forget to take notes. Another part doesn't want to over-think it in the event the drama isn't actually as magical as I like to believe. Plus, I sometimes don't fully comprehend the "how" and "why" behind Mozzie and Neal's plots... they just work! But, I will keep trying, at least in the short-term. I don't know how I feel about Neal's desire to return to his previous ways, except he probably misses the rush. What I can complain about, however, is how quickly the show dumped Neal's new handler - for a drama, they sure are quick on the return to status quo over and over!

And, for anyone interested, here is Mozzie's List: Dirty Decurtis, Lady Gillar, Poppa Gussy, Johnny Death, Zev.  Marni Paws, Louie L., Louie C., Angry Jerry.

White Collar "One Last Stakeout" (S05E03): Peter tells Neal that Hagen is free again, and Hagen asks Neal to steal the 13th chapter of a book from an art gallery. Neal chats up one of the curators, and learns the first page of every chapter is gilded, though the book isn't supposed to be opened.

David Giesbrecht/USA Network

Neal and Mozzie plan to double-cross Zev, by having him steal something, giving Neal an excuse to be there and steal the chapter himself. [that seems so risky to me, though!] Neal and David stake it out, but Peter unexpectedly shows up and almost ruins everything. Mozzie has to entertain David, but when Zev gets there early and is fast, Neal has to set off the alarm... only they both still get out. The curator's card being used makes it look like she was involved, so she's brought in, forcing Neal to act like he was doing reconnaissance by talking to her. [if he hadn't cut her off, though, I don't think it would have worked.] She loses her job for allowing her keycard to be stolen, even if the painting was recovered. [that sucks, but I understand.] Peter thinks that it's his own fault it happened, because he distracted Neal on the stake-out, so he takes over the case. Peter and Neal figure out how to catch Zev, as his fingerprints are on wires he hacked to get out. [Neal's prints will be on his set of wires, too!]
Mozzie makes a copy of the pages for himself to research before Neal turns it over to Hagen, and back at the office, Peter promotes Jones to his old position. 

David asks Neal where he should live in New York, and because money is no object (his grandfather had a monopoly on elevator buttons), Neal suggests Greenwich Village. Before he gets a place, however, David's body is found on a corner.

White Collar "Controlling Interest" (S05E04): It's been 15 days and the entire office has been working on solving David's murder, though there are no leads, and it is still believed that it was a mugging gone wrong. Though David's wallet and firearm are still missing, Peter pulls the bulk of the team from the case so that they can return to their regular work. Neal has been on house arrest during this time, but Peter brings him back so the two of them can continue working together. This is good for Neal, as Mozzie staying with him (no more safehouses or capital) has been driving him crazy. They were to start on an accounting case, but Griffith comes in to confess to another crime, so that steals their focus. [I don't understand why the guy went to the FBI and not the police.]

But Griffith only remembers portions of his crime. He doesn't know where he heard of a vault that would have $2M, and isn't sure how he did it, but has some money that has been listed as stolen, but the lead suspect of that case, Jacoby, was never proved. Griffith is medicated and seeing a psychiatrist, and his psychiatrist is also overseeing the guy whom the FBI believes stole that money. [I would think that similar psychiatrists would be a red flag, but this one apparently works specifically with "reformed criminals."] Neal gets a session with the psychiatrist, but she drugs him and he isn't sure what he told her. [why didn't they have him wired??] A tox screen reveals he took "Goodnight, Cinderella," and Mozzie doses him with more in an attempt to jog some memories of the conversation. [I wonder if that works? seems unlikely.] It starts off well, but when Neal starts confronting Mozzie, Mozzie takes a personal minute, and Neal runs to Peter. [and Peter and Elizabeth apparently have no idea that Neal is under the influence...] Peter and Mozzie talk to Neal some more and learn that the psychiatrist called Jacoby as soon as Neal told the psychiatrist that the FBI will prosecute Griffith. Peter and Jones go to see Griffith, and catch Jacoby in the process. [I thought that was weird.]

When Peter and Neal go to investigate the vault, nothing has been reported missing, so they need a warrant to see it. [haha, because you can't report stolen money being stolen!] Neal makes Peter an ID on the spot, and they go in and demand a new employee get them started on some paperwork to open a vault, then have Neal check the computer for who owns the robbed vault. Nightowl Holdings uses it, and that's a dummy corp linked to Jacoby's old nickname. So, when Neal returns to the psychiatrist, he drugs her but makes it look like she accidentally dosed herself, and he gets a confession from her on tape, as well as the location of the money. Neal steals the $2M to give to Mozzie to get him back on his feet, and realizes that he likes to steal things, so maybe he isn't "reformed" after all. [the whole "because it was there" thing rubbed me the wrong way a little, though.]