What I’m Watching: White Collar

White Collar: Season 1, Episode 4 “Flip of the Coin” (B+)

Over the past few weeks, it has been the relationship between Neal and Peter that’s proven truly interesting, and this time it’s the three-way dynamic between Neal, Peter, and Mozzie that really makes this episode work. The slippery Mozzie’s complete inability to act suave and take the hint when Neal tried to indicate cleverly that Peter was in the room was quite amusing, and Peter’s subsequent inviting in of the bald con artist was even better. Peter claims he’s keeping tabs on Mozzie, but it’s still nice to see the two of them actually interact. Neal’s displeasure with the car given to him to use as a high-roller by the FBI led to an impressive procurement by the tag-team of him and Mozzie, whose function as his driver proved crucial to the success of the FBI’s mission. That final moment where Mozzie hit the perpetrator (anyone else recognize Garret Dillahunt from "The Sarah Connor Chronicles"?) with his limo and said to an awestruck but amused Peter “I was never here” was terrific. The back-and-forth between Neal and Peter is wondrous because it’s based on a genuine, competitive friendship rather than animosity. Peter delights in leaving Neal in the lobby, and Neal is thrilled by the opportunity to one-up Peter by gaining access to the building in an altogether different way. Neal slipping in to the building with a host of coffees in his arms was a cool move, and all this talk of Neal being a renowned con artist is really fun.