WHITE COLLAR returns with it’s fifth season premiere tonight on the USA Network. If you have never watched the show before it is about the unique partnership between slick con man Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) and FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) was upended in the highly buzzed about season three finale when Neal fled the country with Mozzie (Willie Garson).
The critically acclaimed series returned for a dramatic fourth season exploring Burke’s fate with the FBI, the whereabouts of Caffrey and whether or not their relationship will ever be the same again.
“White Collar” was created and is executive-produced by Jeff Eastin and comes from Fox Television Studios. Mark Goffman is an executive producer and Jeff F. King is a co-executive producer.
On tonight’s show With Peter in prison facing murder charges and every shred of evidence pointing to him for Senator Pratt’s untimely death, Neal must strike a deal with the devil to help try and clear Peter’s name He knows Peter did not commit the crime, in fact Neal’s biological father did. So Mozzie and Neal come up with a creative way to spring him loose. Nothing is off limits, even if it means owing a major debt.
Tonight’s season 5 premiere looks like it is going to be great and you won’t want to miss it, so be sure to tune in for our live coverage of USA Network’s “White Collar” at 9:00 PM EST! While you wait for our recap hit the comments and let us know how excited you are for the season 5 premiere of White Collar tonight.
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Peter is in the orange jumpsuit typical in jail when Neal comes to see him. He tells Neal the irony isn’t lost on him. Neal apologizes for his dad James leaving Peter holding the bag and that he will do everything he can to see that justice is done. Peter says with the evidence they had it was no wonder they arrested him.
Clinton visits with Peter later and tells him he has good news. He says Diane is pregnant and is pretty far along. Peter laments on all that he’s missing in jail. Elizabeth comes to see Peter and asks how he’s doing. They hold hands. He tells her he hates for her to see him like this and she says he’ll beat it and come home to her. He promises that he will.
Elizabeth tells Neal it’s been too long and she can’t take it anymore. He tells her that if Peter is indicted he’ll never work for the FBI again even if he’s not convicted. She says she doesn’t care about his career and Neal says he does and she snaps and says he cares about it because Peter is all that’s keeping him out of jail.
Neal says he needs to get him exonerated before he’s indicted because Peter cares about being able to stay with the FBI. He says the only way out is for them to go live in Alaska on the lam. She tells him to do whatever he has to so Peter can go free.
Neal finds Mozzie trying to crack his anklet and he’s done it. The FBI can’t track him anymore. Mozzie says the next step is to break Peter out. Neal asks if he told anyone they were trying to help Peter and he says no and asks why. Neal just got a message from someone who says he can help and to come meet him at the opera house. It’s Curtis Hagen – the artist and forger. He says it’s thanks to him that Neal is even able to walk around at all – despite the ankle monitor.
He’s out on work release every day working as a restorer of fine art. He’s got his guards bribed but they won’t let him escape. Curtis says he knows how to get Peter free!
Neal says he’s wasting his time because he’s already looked for every way out. Curtis says he’s the reason the prosecutor is so hot and heavy on Peter’s case. Neal asks what he wants and Curtis says he needs a large sum of money and he has a good target for a smash and grab but his guards are in the way. Neal agrees if he can get Peter out. Curtis says the prosecutor needs a reason to let Peter go without losing face and suggests that a confession from his father will work. He tells him to forge a confession from James and Curtis will take care of the rest.
Mozzie has some trepidation about trusting the Dutchman but Neal says it’s their only choice. Mozzie says he can fake Jame’s voice with Neal’s help. He’s hesitant because it will mean his father will be on the run for good. Mozzie says James did that to himself. Neal has a voice message from James they can use as a baseline. They get to work on the forgery.
In court, the grand jury reads off the charges and Peter say she wants to testify on his own behalf about his character. The prosecutor stops him and says there’s new evidence. They place the fake confession from “James” that relates the circumstances and how he used Peter’s gun. We see Neal reading the confession while Mozzie works his magic. The prosecutor says they verified the recording as James’ voice and have dropped all charges. He says that Peter is free to go! He’s in shock.
Clinton and Elizabeth are waiting for Peter on the courthouse steps. She runs to him and hugs him. The next day Peter walks into the FBI office and is greeted by applause from all. Clinton shakes his hand. He sees Neal at his desk tossing his ball – in the office that once was Peter’s. He tells him to get his feet off his desk. Peter asks how he did it and says there’s no way James would have mad the confession without Neal convincing him. Neal says he can’t admit to an FBI agent that he was consorting with a felon.
Neal’s phone rings – it’s Curtis and he says they’ve got work to do. Neal agrees to help him since he held up his end of the bargain.
Peter rocks in his chair and says he missed the squeak. Bruce comes in (his section chief) and Peter says he’s scared to ask him why He’s in New York. Bruce hands him a folder and says it’s his future. Bruce says there are some important people in DC who have been keeping an eye on him. They want him in DC – but not right away. He offers him the ASAC office – he’ll be in charge of the white collar division. Bruce tells him to talk to El and think about it.
Diana comes to see Peter and he comments on how pregnant she is. She tells him it’s a boy and she says she went to a clinic and that the donor is a world class chef with a genius IQ. She asks if he’s going to take the ASAC job and he says he’s not sure. She tells him that if she can balance being an agent and a baby he can handle the change to being boss.
Neal meets with Curtis and they discuss his restoration of a painting. Curtis gives him some info on a vault of gold coins – Welsh gold – three times the value of regular gold. Neal says it’s too much and he says it has to be this mark and has to be within the next three days. Neal isn’t happy but takes the info and goes.
Mozzie is horrified at all the security surrounding the gold. Neal says maybe they can afford going through the front door. Neal suggests a backdraft approach. If they can get the fire department on site they can come in through the building next door while the FD runs interference.
Mozzie demonstrates how to use the hack on the ankle bracelet. He says that once you activate it, it will show you where you are standing but that when you turn it off you have to be back at that same point.
Peter comes in and Neal tells him it’s like old times with him barging in to see if he and Moz are up to something. Neal offers him a beer and Peter tells him about the promotion offer and that he maybe has a future in DC. Neal congratulates him and toasts him. Peter tells him he’s made sure Neal’s deal stays in place and he says he never doubted him. Peter says he’s proud of him for not finding a loophole or cheating the system to get him out and Neal says justice prevailed. Peter agrees.
Neal and Moz talk and make their final plans for the heist! Neal points out to a woman on the street that there’s a guy on the roof – it’s Moz – he’s yelling “I’m going to jump!”
There’s a crowd on the street videoing the “jumper” and Neal suits up in fireman gear and heads in to the building. He comes into the office they need access to and tells the workers there’s an emergency and they need to evacuate. They all leave. He goes to work on the wall! He uses an instrument that reads heat signatures and then takes an axe to the wall.
On the rooftop, a negotiator comes to talk with the “suicidal” Moz. She asks why he’s doing it and starts rattling off reasons. She asks if it’s because of all the secrets the government is keeping from them and he says – of course not, that would be crazy!
Neal is through the wall and has a torch ready to cut into the vault.
She says she has a lot of jumpers upset about the government. She tells him that she’s there to listen.
Neal is in the vault and pulls out the gold coins. He unpacks them from their crates and puts them in his fake oxygen tank.
She tells him she’s heard that the Vatican has alien information they’re keeping from them all. He tells her he can’t take it any more and is going to jump. He tells her that conspiracy theories aren’t real and she tells him to calm down that she just misread him. She asks him why he’s there and he gets a text on his cell phone. He says he’s good and gets down – she tells him he has to go in for a psychiatric hold and Neal shows up and says he’ll walk it down.
One of the firemen insists on taking Neal’s tank and it is driven off in the fire truck. Back at the apartment they try to figure out how to get the tank full of gold out of the fire truck. Mozzie says when they go out on the next call he’ll follow the truck and steal it. Neal says he has to handle it because Peter just called him in to the office.
Peter tells him they have a new case – gold coins stolen from a private vault! Uh-oh!
In the conference room, the FBI agents watch footage of the jumper that they say was a distraction for the gold coin theft. Peter shows everyone the photos and Neal tells them it’s called a backdraft. Clinton says it worked because no one was able to get a close look at the jumper. Neal says the jumper is useless because they need the thief. Peter asks how he would have done it and Neal says he would go into the travel agent posing as someone who wanted a vacation and then go out with the crowd when the suicide vacated the building and then sneak back in. He says he would have hidden the equipment needed in a briefcase.
Peter jumps on that and then shows a photograph of a fireman wearing tanks that wouldn’t be needed since there was no fire. Neal agrees the torch could go in one tank and the loot in another. Peter says they need to get to the firehouse. Neal calls Mozzie and says that he and Peter are on the way to the firehouse but Moz has already called in a fake fire to get the fire engine they used out of the station.
Peter and Neal hoop in Peter’s new BMW he got as a promotion gift. They get to the fire station and Neal calls Moz and he says that they unloaded to tanks so the loot has to be in the fire station and he has to redirect Peter. The fire chief tells Peter his men are legitimate and Peter says their theory is that the thief was posing as a fireman.
Peter asks about the equipment and the chief says that the tanks are upstairs but they need a warrant. Neal asks if there’s someone Peter can call and they head off. When the probie fireman turns his back on the lunch prep, Neal steals his whisk. The guy walks off and Neal gets to work. He rubs oil on the stove and when the guy turns it on, a grease fire breaks out. Peter goes to help but the chief says to let the probie take care of it so he can see how he does it.
Neal calls Moz and tells him to come to the back of the building. He opens the window and realizes the tank won’t fit out the window.
The probie grabs Peter’s jacket and throws it out the window.
Neal throws a firehouse out the window and Moz grabs a stroller from the dumpster. He funnels the coins down the hose to Moz who unloads them into the stroller. Moz says – jackpot.
The fire is out and the chief apologizes for the destruction of his jacket – he looks for Neal and realizes he’s not there. He comes walking in with blankets to help but Peter says it’s too late – the fire is out. They proceed to search the tanks.
Curtis gives Neal and address of a secure drop site to dump the gold. He asks why he needed the gold and says he thinks he needed it to bribe the federal prosecutor. Neal realizes Curtis set him up and had cameras rigged in the travel agency to get footage of Neal. Curtis tells Neal he has to help him at his upcoming probation hearing!
Neal explains it all to Moz and they discuss that he will have a new FBI handler now that Peter is promoted and a new criminal handler in Curtis. He says that Curtis wants him to destroy evidence the FBI has against him. Moz says they are out of the fire house and into the fire.
Peter looks at Neal’s tracker from the day before and wonders why he was in one spot – one exact spot for four hours. Peter says that Neal no doubt spent a lot of time cracking the tracker bracelet and that it will be an issue for the next handler. Peter tells Elizabeth about Neal disappearing for a moment at the fire station. He tells her that Neal doesn’t steal without a reason and wonders if he stole the coins – why he stole the coins. He tells her it’s time for a change.
Peter comes to see Neal who is sitting still and painting. He tells him that he gets in the zone when he’s painting. Peters tells him he finds it hard to have perspective sometimes and that Neal is part of the family at the office but that he’s a criminal and that he forgets it sometimes. He said he’s made mistakes handling Neal and that he needs someone who will see Neal as he is. Neal says – as a criminal – and Peter agrees that it’s the best thing for Neal because he can’t risk Neal going back to jail. He tells him it’s the way it has to be.
Peter has a box with him and says it’s a new anklet with a new chipset. Neal says it looks the same on the outside and he thinks that’s a metaphor for something. He takes off the old one and tells Peter it feels strange when it’s not on – that that’s how accustomed to it he’s gotten. Peter says he’ll see him tomorrow and Neal says – good-bye Peter.