Mozzie’s Yellow Girlfriend. Retrospective: White Collar - “Empire City”

Airdate: Tuesday, February 5, 2013, 10/9c on USA

Rating: ★★★★★

Mozzie (Willie Garson) has always seemed to have an ear to the ground. In “Empire City,” we learn he sometimes moonlights as a cabbie using the pseudonym “Hal Hoover” in order to gather information and conspiracy theories from all over New York City. Mozzie puts his alter ego to good use when he picks up Neal (Matt Bomer) to continue their search to find what the key shaped like the New York skyline unlocks.

There are three important things Neal is unaware of. First is that Peter (Tim DeKay) knows Neal lied to him and he’s hurt by that. As Peter tells Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen), “Neil doesn’t lie to me, he hides the truth, he withholds it, but he….doesn’t lie to me.” Second is that Peter not only is monitoring his search, but is conducting a search of his own with a copy of the key. And last, but certainly not least, is that it was Elizabeth who told Neal to lie to protect Peter. I really enjoy how the trust between Peter and Neal has evolved over the course of the series. It’s no longer conman vs. Fed, these two have become real friends. As much as the lie hurt Peter, I think it hurt Neal even more. Will this have future consequences? More importantly, how will Peter react if he finds out it was Elizabeth who told Neal to lie. Time will tell but I think they’ll be able to get past this.

Neal and Mozzie’s search is interrupted when Mozzie notices another taxi with the same medallion number as his. “Mine is legal,” Mozzie shouts as he attempts to chase the illegal taxi, running several stop lights in the process. Needless to say, the cops pull him over and Peter is called in to straighten things out. While Peter has questions about Mozzie and his cab driving motives, he also realizes the good that results from this, stating, “The upstanding citizen Hal Hoover has brought me a case.” Peter agrees to look into the illegal medallions that sometimes can go for over a million dollars.

What are Neal (Matt Bomer) and Peter (Tim DeKay) planning

The investigation leads Neal and Peter to brothers, Angelo (Keith Robinson) and Delmon Wells (Bill Ballamy), who are reopening the Cotton Club, a famous Harlem Jazz Music Night Club that operated from 1923 to 1940. Diana (Marsha Thomason) is sent in undercover as a cigar girl and discovers Angelo is illegally selling taxi medallions. There was a real feeling of music appreciation in “Empire City.” as it really made me reflect not only about jazz, but music as a whole. “You ever wonder where it comes from? Our need for music?” asks Diana.

June (Diahann Carroll) bringing down the house

Needing a distraction to ensure their plan goes smoothly, Neal and Peter enlist the help of Neal’s landlord, June (Diahann Carroll).

Carroll doesn’t often play a large part in White Collar but in “Empire City,” she shines. Much like the “Burke’s Seven” episode, it’s up to the entire White Collar gang to pull off this sting and they do it brilliantly.

Later, while standing on a pier in Queens, Neal realizes what the key unlocks. Holding it up to the skyline it blocks out all the buildings except the Empire State building. Monitoring his tracking anklet, Peter realizes where Neil is and the importance of that pier to Neal. Using a pamphlet that shows the skyline view, Peter is able to use his key to see what Neal saw.

“Empire City” marks the second White Collar episode to be directed by Tim DeKay. Mozzie was at his quirky best spewing out worthless bits of information to anyone who would listen. As much as Peter dislikes Mozzie, they have developed a unique friendship that has been fun to watch. But as the show shifted to the Cotton Club, the pace and feel really slowed down allowing us to appreciate the jazz history. Mozzie was gone for much of the second half, allowing the focus to shift to June. Carroll has an amazing voice and I was surprised to learn of her work not only as an actress, but as a singer. In 1968, she was the first African American to star in a television series, Julia. That’s quite a fete for that time period.

I absolutely loved the first half of “Empire City.” I also loved the second half, but I’m just not sure I loved both halves in the same episode. It felt like two different stories were quickly merged into one. I would have rather seen one episode that focused more on Mozzie and his secret cabbie life, and another episode about June and the jazz world. But that’s just me.

Tune in to White Collar, Tuesdays at 9/8c, only on the USA Network. For more on the show, visit the official website at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/whitecollar/

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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.