White Collar: If It's Not One Thing, It's Another

Short seasons are no my friend. I have never gotten into an HBO show (well, let's not count Fraggle Rock, okay?), and maybe that's part of the reason. I watch most television shows for the characters, not the storylines, so waiting an unknown number of months to find out what's going to happen next isn't a huge draw for me. White Collar is a particularly special case, as it has not even been renewed for a sixth season, and creator Jeff Eastin has been attached to several other projects for a while now. I will not be happy if this was the end of the drama, but I will say that this entire season has had a different feel than those prior, and sometimes that is telling. While I don't want Peter and Elizabeth to move to Washington, the prospect of converting Elizabeth into a weekend character appeals to me - Peter is just as interesting without her. But, the show just spent most of the season without Diana, their other female regular, so I'm doubting that's going to be how the situation is handled. I guess only time will tell. 

White Collar "Diamond Exchange" (S05E13): Peter and Neal look at the footage of Rebecca breaking out of prison. Change of appearance, stealing a car that blends in, and grabbing new credentials are her next priorities. [have you ever thought about what you would do if you needed to drastically change the way you looked in a hurry?] First, however, she goes to Neal's to knock out Mozzie, injecting him with her own chemical combination. She calls Neal to say that he must give her the diamond to get the antidote for Mozzie, who only has hours to live. [how rude!] The mastermind works hard to crack the code, and comes up with coordinates for Fort Totten in Queens. [I still don't understand how he deciphered those symbols into numbers!] They head there and find a 33-step tower which leads them to a hexagon. 33 degrees from that, a brick structure has fake blocks in it, leading Neal and Peter to the diamond. [this was all a bit too easy, especially after Mozzie was taken away to the hospital!] But, Rebecca followed them to the fort, and locks them inside without weapons or phones. Of course, the guys break out, and Neal goes after Rebecca (who is trying to take off in a helicopter) as Peter calls for backup. Neal swapped the diamond for a piece of brick, keeping Rebecca there as the helicopter flies away, fearful of the law enforcement headed their way. She is taken down once again.

While the fort stuff is happening, Diana looks into thefts of pharmaceuticals to try figuring out what is poisoning Mozzie, and learns that Rebecca stole a ton of herbs to throw the feds off the track. Jones thinks it's nightshade, based on where Rebecca spent her time at the greenhouse, so he tells Elizabeth to demand doctors treat Mozzie with the antidote for that, and he makes a quick recovery. When Peter and Neal arrive, the latter is able to hold the diamond before Peter turns it in to the State Department.

David Giesbrecht/USA Network

Peter then recommends Neal be given his freedom, and believes that he'll be released before long. Similarly, Neal wants to "give up the life," and find out what he is if he's not a criminal. [interesting!] However, Peter then learns that the FBI Director says the Cape Verde incident blew Neal's chances at an early release. In reality, that's just the PR version, the truth is that Neal is too great an asset to lose. [that sucks.] Because of this, Peter wants to give up heading to Washington, DC, angry at the bureaucracy, though Elizabeth wants to follow through with her plans to work at the National Gallery. Something shady is happening, though, as Neal is followed and then kidnapped.