Good Intentions. Review: White Collar - “No Good Deed”

Season 5, Episode 9

Air Date: Thursday, December 19, 2013, 9/8c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

“Sometimes the ends do justify the means.” – Neal

When one of the gold coins Peter (Tim DeKay) has been searching for shows up at a pawn shop, he figures he is one step closer to figuring out what Neal (Matt Bomer) is up to. Will Neal and Mozzie (Willie Garson) be able to shake Peter off their trail, or will Peter finally learn the truth about being set free from jail?

When an episode starts off the way “No Good Deed” does, with all the touching and strategically placed sheets on Neal and Rebecca (Bridget Regan), you know it’s only a matter of time before the crap hits the fan. I don’t see these two living happily ever after, and I continue to wonder if Rebecca is the mastermind behind all the events surrounding the codex. After all, she expressed no interest in learning more about Hagen (Mark Sheppard), and seems to drop by every time Neal and Mozzie are planning something…not to mention asking way too many questions for her own good.

“No Good Deed” is one of those classic cat and mouse White Collar episodes where Peter and Neal work together but with different agendas. I especially enjoyed the banter when Peter tries to trigger reactions from Neal as Neal pretends he has no clue what Peter is talking about. Meanwhile, Mozzie seems to be one step ahead of both of them as he clears the way for Neal. The flower shop scenes are especially enjoyable to watch as Mozzie tries to convince fence Karl Decker (Micah Hauptman) that the FBI is onto him.

I wish they would do a Mozzie-centric episode. Too often, criminals like Decker are introduced and the audience is clueless about their seemingly huge backstory. It would be fun to have an episode at the beginning of the season that introduces us to some of the other criminals Mozzie deals with who will appear later in the season. I still hope we learn the reasoning behind Mozzie’s list of those whom he believes to have done him wrong.

Back in October, 2013, I had the opportunity to participate in a conference call with Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay. During the call, Matt summed up this season, and looking back, I found his words to be fitting given the events of “No Good Deed”:

“This season for Neal is about best intentions going awry. And he’s feeling the sins of the father and, you know, has to skirt issues of trust to try to find some wiggle room to make reparations for what ultimately was his fault in terms of Peter’s future as an FBI agent, as a husband. And so – but what I found the writers built over the course of this season which was interesting, was this sort of mounting resentment that he had these best intentions and was putting forth his best efforts and doing everything he knew how to help Peter, and that went, in his opinion, somewhat unappreciated.” You may read the full transcript of the conference call here.

“No Good Deed” personifies what Matt said as everything that has happened this season comes to a head during an emotional confrontation between Peter and Neal. Despite knowing this showdown was coming, I still found it intriguing as both lay out sound reasoning for why each had to do what they did.

While the Neal and Peter dynamic is interesting to watch, the real surprise for me is Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen). Over the course of the season,we’ve seen more than a few cracks in the Burkes’ seemingly perfect relationship. It’s heartbreaking to watch as Peter explains the situation to Elizabeth and she takes Neal’s side.

Elizabeth: “This is all my fault. I asked Neal to do whatever he could to help you.”

Peter: “Honey, Neal broke the law; you didn’t.”

Elizabeth: “I’m glad he did.”

Elizabeth’s last line is one of this season’s most powerful because it represents a fundamental split in thinking between the Burkes. There is no gray area for Elizabeth as she disagrees with her husband on this, laying things out for Peter: “Do what you have to do. But just be damn sure you need to do it.”

Neal did what he felt he had to do out of his love for Peter. Now, Peter finds himself in a tricky position. With only four episodes left in the season, how will Peter’s decision impact not only his relationship with Neal but with his wife?

Random thoughts.

At the end, Peter shows up late at the office late. Was he simply tying up loose ends with the gold coins or is there more to it than that?

How cute is the effort Mozzie puts into his lunch dates with Elizabeth?

How did Mozzie know the custodian in the church would know the Masonic handshake?

Remember Agent David Siegel (Warren Kole)? Seriously, I am asking cause I think the writers forgot they killed him off.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “No Good Deed.”

White Collar returns Thursday, January 9, 2014 with all new episodes. For more on the show, visit the official website at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/.

Follow the show on Twitter @WhiteCollarUSA.

LIKE White Collar on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/whitecollar.

Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
Latest Posts (view them )..

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.