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The Dr. Is In. Retrospective: White Collar – “Controlling Interests”

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

I’m going to just come out and say it—this episode simply did not work for me on many levels but I’m not 100% sure why. Something feels off and I don’t know whether it’s because the writers are setting the characters up for something big (like an emotional breakdown for someone) or something else entirely.

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

The writing for Peter during some of the scenes in “Controlling Interests” bothers me. I have always enjoyed Peter’s uneasiness when Neal (Matt Bomer) is pulling a con, best illustrated by Peter’s ‘I don’t want to know’ attitude. But in “At What Price,” Peter came to the realization that this bend-but-don’t-break mentality was no longer working. So he re-evaluates his relationship with Neal and draws a more black and white line between them. I was excited to see how the writers would mix this up and was curious to see how long this new Peter would last. Turns out once Peter returns to the field, it’s only a matter of seconds before the old Peter reasserts himself. But what bothers me is instead of going back to the line being more gray, Peter ignores the line completely and seems perfectly comfortable doing so. Next thing we know, Peter is sporting a fake ID Neal made, saying, “Technically, I should get a court order to go through that computer.” Fans will focus on the fact that the scene where Neal makes the ID badges is cool and they are right, but I am talking about Peter’s actions.

There is a big difference between Peter going undercover and pretending to be Neal’s parole officer, and Peter using a fake ID to gain illegal access to a computer. There used to be a line Peter would not cross. Later, when Peter rambles off the list of Neal’s criminal activities to Dr. Mara Summers (Elizabeth Marvel) in order to entice her to treat Neal, Neal tells her “money may not be a problem for a guy like me,” and Peter replies, “I didn’t hear that.” The look Peter gives Summers and the tone of his voice when answering Neal, well …THAT is the Peter Burke I want to see because he knows he is in a gray area and is uncomfortable with it.

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!”

I was looking at fans’ reactions on Twitter during “Controlling Interests” and many wanted to know why Neal wasn’t wearing a wire while in with the doctor. Jim Campolongo, the Supervising Producer for White Collar and writer of “Controlling Interests,” responded, “It would be inadmissible for Neal to wear a wire because of doc/patient confidentiality.” This brings me to the second part of my drug complaint—drugging Dr. Summers in order to get her confession. I admit there is a part of me that loved seeing Neal get even with her but to learn Peter was OK with it? So, wearing a wire would not work legally but fake ID to gain access to a computer illegally, and later drugging a doctor in order to get her confession on tape is ok?

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

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.
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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.