Season 5, Episode 4
Air Date: Thursday, November 7, 2013, 9/8c on USA
Rating:
“You will never be more than what you are.” Dr. Mara Summers
One of the things White Collar doesn’t do is dwell on things. If there is an issue, like Mozzie (Willie Garson) getting shot or Peter (Tim Dekay) being in jail, it’s often quickly resolved in order to move the story forward. While this is fine at times, White Collar also misses out on opportunities to delve deeper into issues. With the murder of Agent Siegel (Warren Kole), I thought the writers would focus at least one episode on figuring out who killed him, and how the characters deal with his death. Instead, Peter tells the White Collar division, “The best way we can honor David Siegel is by doing our jobs.” And once again another opportunity missed. I do believe, however, that seeds have been planted to take this storyline further in the future but I would have preferred for the characters’ emotions to be shown now, while at their rawest
This brings me to my next complaint—the drugs. I don’t mean for this to be an anti-drug rant but I have never found scenes where a character is drunk or on drugs to be that funny. It seems that often, these scenes are used to remove any inhibitions a character might have in order to make them say or do something they wouldn’t ordinarly do or say had they not been in that inebriated state. Confessions of love or, in Neal’s case, confessions of wrong doings are often the end result. These people are not usually held accountable because after all they were not themselves. Of all the questions Peter could ask Neal, how surprised were you to hear him ask about Siegel? Should Peter have taken advantage of that situation? Thankfully, Mozzie has great timing and shows up just in time. Talk about being “saved by the bell!”
Yes, it feels great to see Neal and Peter get their man, so to speak, but is this the type of man Peter should be? Maybe it’s the fan in me talking but the Peter in my mind does not drug bad people in order to get a confession. Plus, given all of Peter’s talk about crossing lines, and the difference between right and wrong, I was extremely disappointed in him. Peter may bend the line but he does not break it. He doesn’t do illegal things so when you have a character like Peter Burke and he crosses that line, the character loses something.
That being said, “Controlling Interests” does have some nice moments, especially now that Neal and Peter are working together again. I mentioned the scene where Peter rattles off Neal’s list of crimes; it is classic White Collar in that it has a wonderful mix humor and seriousness as Neal and Peter play off each other. I also like the idea of Neal trying to comfort another criminal, Nate Griffith (David Call), who is trying to do right but continues to struggle with his past while Neal is reflecting on his own demons. We see more of Neal wrestling with who he is in the scenes with Dr. Summers, especially when she pushes him, which results in a very interesting conversation about whether Neal can change and whether he even wants to.
Overall, I was disappointed by this episode. Hagen (Mark Sheppard) is still on the loose and Siegel is dead, issues that are glossed over in “Controlling Interests.” So, has Peter finally grown comfortable crossing a line if the end justifies the means? What do you think?
Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Controlling Interests.”
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All photos © 2013 USA Network, a division of NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Greg Staffa
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