WHITE COLLAR: ‘What Happens in Burma’

After an episode so solely focused on back story and the music box mystery, we were bound to face a week without any mention of the box – or Kate, Alex or Sara, for that matter.

We did, however, continue to learn more about Neal Caffrey and his background.

The Case of the Week

Peter and Neal are summoned by the undersecretary of Asian affairs, who asks them to help an American college student accused of stealing an enormous ruby from Burma (or Myanmar, as the country’s people prefer to call it).

Neal: No pigeons were harmed in the mining of this ruby.

The student – who, as it turns out, is the diplomat’s estranged son – is being held in a Burmese prison and is just one week from a conviction that will likely mean he never returns to the United States.

This case is completely out of the realm of Peter and Neal’s normal caseload – and, I suspect, out of their jurisdiction as well. The barely there connection is a rumor that the 237-carat ruby the American student is accused of stealing has, indeed, been stolen and is in Manhattan.

Who better to find a thief than a thief? Neal doesn’t disappoint, exhibiting a ridiculous knowledge of all things Burma and later taking Peter to a contact who sells stolen gems and just happens to have the ruby in question.

Jones: You just know these things?

Neal: Yeah, it’s why they keep me around.

Though Neal’s contact leads them to the man who did steal the gem, it’s not enough to exonerate the American student, who, we eventually learn, was in Myanmar filming a documentary about a rebel movement. Peter, Neal and the team only figure all this out after obtaining an unedited video of the student, which shows him using the letters on his t-shirt to send a message about his girlfriend. The girlfriend helpfully tells the FBI about the documentary, shows them footage that proves he did not steal the ruby, and reassures the diplomat that his son isn’t angry with him.

She also informs them that the Burmese government has already stolen the first copy of this film footage, and the only way to get it back and save the day is for Neal to steal it back.

Of course, he does so successfully and with a bit of panache, as well as Peter’s assistance. And despite the oft-played promo, they did not start an international incident.

The Neal Caffrey Mystery

Despite not addressing the music box myth at all, this episode – in some ways – picks up right where we left off. Fresh on the heels of an hour-long reminder that Peter knows a whole lot about Neal, we’re reminded that he doesn’t actually know much of anything about his childhood.

As they’re discussing the case of the diplomat’s son, Neal oh-so-casually drop the bomb that his dad was a cop!

Peter can’t let it go at that and bugs Neal throughout the case, itching for more information. At first Neal says he died a hero, but eventually, he admits that his dad was a dirty cop.

Wow. Major development here. I think Neal’s conversation with Mozzie was the most revealing (in that frustrating way of not really revealing anything at all).

Neal: Hey, Moz. You ever curious about your birth parents?

Mozzie: No thanks. I don’t need to look into the crystal ball of my future. Are you heading down that road again?

Neal: I was talking with Peter today, and my father came up.

Mozzie: You want to lie down on the couch? I’ve got my notepad…

Neal: No thanks, Dr. Freud.

Mozzie: I just find it fascinating, considering your patriarchal relationship with the suit and your penchant for breaking the law. Does Peter know?

Neal: I said he was a cop.

Mozzie: Ahh. You going to tell him? You know, he could be useful.

As soon as Mozzie said “patriarchal relationship,” I literally said, “Aha!” I really hadn’t thought of it that way; it always seemed more of a bromance. But if you consider that Peter has spent the past decade chasing after Neal and trying to get him to do the right thing, I guess I can see it.

That perspective certainly lends a new flavor to conversations like the one where Neal says, “If this were your son – or my son – I know what you would do.” Or even more clear, when Peter confronts Neal about stealing the hard drive from the Myanmar officials, he says, “I can’t protect you,” to which Neal responds, “I’m not asking you to.”

Hmmm…this is really making me re-evaluate the Peter and Neal relationship. What do you think?

More Thoughts & Questions

* How cute was Mozzie when he admitted to wallowing because Neal used another contact to get information about the ruby? (“Everyone’s your arch rival, Moz.”)
* When Neal told Peter that his dad died a hero, he said he grew up imitating him and got really good with guns. I found that statement interesting, because in most of the series, Neal hasn’t used a weapon. I feel like it’s been implied that he doesn’t like guns or isn’t familiar with them, but maybe that’s my imagination. Did this strike any chords with you?
* If a person happened to be keeping a Hot Neal Tally (hypothetically, of course), tonight’s episode did include a shirtless Neal and a sweaty, sleeveless tee Neal. If you’re keeping track.
* Mozzie and his smoking jacket tickled me. That’s all.

And just for fun…

Banter of the Week

Neal: Peter, you just burned a perfectly good alias.

Peter: Yeah, well, you named me after my dog.

Neal: Touche.

Peter: I was hoping I’d never have to share this with you…

Neal: The FBI has a gem vault and you didn’t tell me?

Peter: Like giving an alcoholic a drink.

Neal: How many jewels do I get to take?

Peter: Take?

Neal: Use. For this particular mission.

Peter: Tell me about your mother.

Neal: Not a chance.

Peter: Did she wear hats?

All right, White Collar fans, what did you think about this episode? Did you miss the music box mystery and all of Neal’s romantic possibilities? How long do you think we’ll have to wait to learn the truth about Neal’s father? And how much would you pay to see more of Peter’s razzle dazzle jazz hands?

Mary is embracing her new life as a stay-at-home mom, staying up late to rewatch the second season of Veronica Mars and catching up on How I Met Your Mother during [her daughter’s] naptime. Mary blogs about living an imperfect life at Giving Up on Perfect, writing about family, faith, books, food, celebrity look-alikes and chick flicks. You know, the important stuff.