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Recap / White Collar S05 E03 "One Last Stakeout"

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Hagen continues to blackmail Neal and instructs him to steal a chapter from the Marconi codex at a museum, threatening to send the video of Neal stealing the coins to the FBI if he doesn't comply. To carry out the heist, Neal strategically ensures another criminal learns about a valuable painting at the museum, knowing that he would be tempted to steal it, creating the perfect distraction for Neal to take the chapter unnoticed during the commotion caused by the art theft.


  • Affectionate Pickpocket: Neal puts his arm around Rebecca to discreetly steal her ID badge.
  • Blackmail: Once again facing Hagen’s blackmail, Neal is forced to steal a chapter of the Mosconi index from a museum.
  • The Charmer: Neal flirts with Rebecca, a curator at the museum, to get information on the codex and to steal her ID badge. When the FBI discovers that they know each other, Neal lies that he was talking to her to find out if she is involved in the robbery.
  • Corrupt Bureaucrat: Neal wonders why Siegel became an FBI agent when he could have become anything else due to his wealth. Siegel responds that all the bankers stockbrokers and trust fund kids he grew up were criminals and he wanted to use his privilege to do something against it.
  • Double-Meaning Title: Peter surprises Neal by showing up unannounced during his and Siegler’s stakeout, stating his wish to participate in one final stakeout with Neal. This also ends up being Siegler’s last stakeout as he is shot dead at the end of the episode.
  • Hired to Hunt Yourself: Just like in the last episode, Neal is almost forced to investigate himself when the FBI suspects there was an accomplice in the museum heist who stole Rebecca's ID.
  • I Have No Son!: Agent Siegel's reveals that his family disowned him after he arrested several of their friends.
  • Just One Little Mistake: Played with. While explaining to Peter how he would have carried out the robbery, Neal realizes that he actually took off his gloves when he cut the wiring of the security door, meaning that he left his fingerprints at the crime scene. However, as no one realized that a chapter of the codex was stolen, this mistake has no consequences in this episode.
  • Metaphorically True: How Neal justifies deceiving Rebecca:
    Neal: I never lied about my name. About anything, actually.
    Rebecca: You sure did leave out a lot.
  • One Last Job: Despite his promotion, Peter teams up with Neal for "one last case" to catch the museum thief.
  • Prison Changes People: Subverted. Hagen tells Neal that prison changed him but the only actual change is that Hagen no longer does the dirty work himself and lets other people do it for him.
  • Rank Up: Peter promotes Clinton to acting S.S.A. (supervisory special agent).
  • Secretly Wealthy: Agent Siegler reveals to Neal that he actually has significant wealth and could easily afford an apartment anywhere in New York.
  • Shoo the Dog: Peter suddenly shows up at Neal and Siegel's stakeout while Siegel is away, disrupting Neal's plans. In order to get Peter to leave, Neal says a couple of hurtful things to him:
    Neal: You and I aren't partners anymore. And you wanted to go. You should just go.
  • Stalker Shot: Agent Siegler watches from his car as Neal delivers the stolen chapter to Hagen.
  • Smokescreen Crime: Neal and Mozzie trick another criminal, Zev, into stealing a painting from the museum while Neal seizes the opportunity to steal the chapter from the codex.
  • Trapped in Containment: Zev's robbery sets off the alarm which sets off the security doors. One of them traps Neal inside the museum and he has to cut the wiring of the door to escape.
  • Wealthy Yacht Owner: After finding out that Agent Siegler is rich, Neal asks him if he owns a yacht. At first, Siegler doesn't want to talk about it but eventually admits that he used to own a yacht called "Stephanie."
  • Wham Shot: Agent Siegler lies lifelessly on the street, having been shot dead in broad daylight.
  • What Would X Do?: Peter takes Neal to the museum and ask him how he would have carried out the robbery.
  • You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Neal and Peter reminisce about about their first case together:
    Peter: Look how far we've come since that case.
    Neal: You've come.
    Peter: Excuse me?
    Neal: Well, you're in Hughes's office, with a well-deserved promotion. I'm still on an anklet, just with somebody new holding the leash.
    Peter: You've gone from an incarcerated con man to an invaluable part of this FBI team. That is nothing to sniff at.

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