Neal and Peter have uncovered the truth that Neal's girlfriend, Rebecca, is actually Rachel, a former MI-5 agent who has gone rogue. Feeling profoundly betrayed by her deception, Neal is determined to take any measures possible to have her arrested for the murders of Siegel and Hagen.
Tropes:
- An Aesop: Peter gently tells Neal that he can maybe learn something from his bad experience with Rachel, implying that a life based on deception is not worth it.
- Anger Born of Worry: Downplayed. Peter is mildly angry that Neal used himself as bait despite Peter explicitly telling him not to.
- The Bait: Peter is vehemently against using Neal as bait again, especially after Rachel discovers they know the truth about her, due to concerns about Neal’s safety. Nonetheless, Neal secretly goes ahead with it, without anyone’s knowledge.
- Becoming the Mask: After Rachel leaves a voicemail expressing her love for Neal, Neal and Peter observe her on the surveillance cameras they planted in her apartment. They see her packing up belongings from her previous life. Peter interprets Rachel’s message as genuine and believes she intends to maintain her “Rebecca” identity to stay close to Neal. To test this theory, Peter calls her under the pretense of investigating Neal to observe her reaction.
- Chained Heat: Neal chains his and Rachel's wrists together with handcuffs when he meets up with her, trying to prevent her from fleeing as the FBI arrives as a backup, but she shoots apart the handcuffs and attempts to run off.
- Destroy the Evidence: When Neal tricks Rebecca into giving him the USB stick with the video evidence of him stealing the Welsh gold coins, he stomps on it and destroys it so that it won’t fall into the FBI’s hands as they are about to arrive any moment.
- Emergency Stash: Neal and Peter wonder about Rachel's intentions when she only grazes Neal with the gunshot instead of shooting him head on. Neal speculates that she might have fired to prevent him from discovering something hidden in her apartment, and upon investigating, they both realize he was standing near a radiator at the time. When Neal notices a distinct sound on one side upon knocking on it, they open it and discover a zip bag containing multiple fake IDs and various currencies.
- Framed Clue: Neal advises the agents to check every place in Rachel’s apartment including behind her pictures. However, they do not find anything there.
- How Did You Know? I Didn't: After Neal has used himself as bait to capture Rachel, Peter asks him how he knew she wouldn’t shoot him. Neal doesn’t answer, but the look on his face says that he did not actually know that.
- If I Wanted You Dead...: When Peter wants to bench Neal after Rachel shoots at him, Neal argues that he would be dead she had actually wanted to kill him.
- Is That a Threat?: When Rachel calls Neal from prison at the end of the episode, he asks her if she is planning on threatening him:Rachel: There's no threat, just a promise. I'll see you soon.
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies: In an effort to safeguard Rachel and expose her deception, Neal pretends to break up with her for her own safety, claiming that he wants to protect her from his criminal life and people like Hagen.
- Karmic Nod:
- When Peter and Elizabeth discuss Rachel’s deception:Peter: A life of lies catches up to you, and it did for Neal.
- Neal later questions Peter on this, who is much more sympathetic this time and defies it:Neal: You think I deserve this, don’t you?
Peter: No one deserves this.
- When Peter and Elizabeth discuss Rachel’s deception:
- Love Confession: In an attempt to stall Rachel while the FBI searches through her apartment, Neal tells her that he has fallen in love with her. Rachel later calls Neal and leaves a voicemail, saying that she loves him too. While Peter thinks she might be saying the truth, Neal is doubtful and thinks she might still be manipulating him.
- Love Hurts: As the title of the episode already indicates, Neal being deeply betrayed by the woman he was falling in love with is a prominent aspect of the episode.Neal: I was excited about someone for the first time in a while.
- Manipulative Bastard:
- Neal is certain that Rachel has deliberately adopted a persona based on his ex-girlfriends to deliberately make him fall in love with her.
- Rachel continues her manipulation of Neal, displaying her ruthlessness. Even as Neal pretends to cease his criminal activities for her safety, she persists in voicing doubts about his ability to do so, thus attacking his vulnerable spot.
- Moral Event Horizon: In-universe, Rebecca has crossed it for Neal with killing Siegel, as this is the first thing he confronts her with when she asks him why he set her up by calling in the FBI.
- Multiple Identity IDs: Rebecca has a bag with different IDs and currencies hidden in the radiator by her window.
- Phoney Call: In a phone call to Peter, Neal pretends to excuse himself from work, using the reason that he wants to take care of Rachel. However, the real motive behind the call is to discreetly inform Peter that Rachel is at his place, prompting Peter to begin the search immediately instead of waiting.
- Pulling the Thread: Peter devises a clever ruse, falsely claiming that Neal is under investigation to deceive Rachel. Working together, Peter and Neal want to observe Rachel's reaction when she thinks she might lose Neal. Neal then arranges a public meeting and discreetly brings undercover FBI agents with him. During their encounter, Rachel warns Neal about the FBI investigating him. Curious about her next move, Neal pretends to distance himself, pretending trying to protect her. However, Rachel becomes aware of Neal's setup and the surrounding FBI agents, prompting her to flee the scene.
- Rank Up: Peter has decided to accept the new position offered to him in Washington as Section Chief, starting in only two weeks.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Neal and Rachel give one to each other at the end, when Neal has lured Rachel into a trap:Rachel: You're a con man. You could have convinced yourself, but instead, you choose to stay shackled.
Neal: And yet, still freer than you. You're always running from one identity to the next because you can't face the truth.
Rachel: What's that?
Neal: That you hate who you really are. - Rock Bottom: Trying to cheer up Neal, Peter tells him that his next girlfriend can only be better.
- Rogue Agent: It is revealed that Rachel is a former MI-5 agent who has gone rogue.
- Skewed Priorities: After Rachel shoots at him, Neal complains about his ruined jacket rather than his injured arm.
- Taking a Third Option: Neal and Mozzie realize that Neal is in trouble after he calls Rebecca and pretends that he has the location of the diamond and wants to exchange it for the video evidence of him stealing the Welsh gold coins:Mozzie: So, best-case scenario — you meet with her, she brings the video. The feds show up, arrest her, and find the video.
Neal: All the blackmail Hagen has on me is exposed, and I go back to jail.
Mozzie: That's the best-case scenario.
Neal: Worst-case—she discovers I don't know the location, realizes I'm trying to pull one over on her...
Mozzie: And I find myself reciting Proust over your grave.
Neal: Looks like I need to find a third scenario. - Using You All Along: Rachel is behind everything and has manipulated Neal from the beginning. He notes how she probably studied his ex-girlfriend to create the perfect woman for him to fall in love with.
- The Villain Knows Where You Live: Played with. Rachel does not actually threaten Elizabeth, but because she has compiled a file on Elizabeth, Peter sends her to Washington temporarily for her own safety.
- Villain Respect: Rachel shows Neal respect for his bold attempt to trick her into making a mistake while he has the FBI as backup:Rachel: I have to hand it to you — almost worked. […] Letting me make the decision to come clean to you — that was very clever.
- Wardrobe Wound: Neal is more upset that Rachel destroyed his jacket when she shot at him than the fact that she grazed his arm too.
- We Need a Distraction: Neal distracts Rachel while the FBI raids her apartment by talking to her in his apartment.
- We Will Meet Again: In a phone call from prison, Rachel tells Neal this:Rachel: I’ll see you soon.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Having forgiven Neal, Peter announces that he wants Jones to be Neal’s new handler, encouraging Neal to move on as well:Neal: In light of recent events, I'm not sure that's the best idea.
Peter: You helped bring in Siegel's killer. That's the only thing you should feel responsible for. If anyone sees it differently, they should come talk to me.
