‘White Collar’ RECAP: Season 5 Ep. 4: Neal Says I like Working Against Peter in ‘Controlling Interest’
The preliminary investigation in the death of Agent David Siegel reveals that it is the case of indiscriminate mugging that went wrong. With Agent Siegel dead, Neal is without a handler and there is the risk of him going back to the prison. He is under-house arrest and is feeling responsible for the death of Agent Siegel. Mozzie says that federal bureau of invasion has put Neal in a dog-house.
Mozzie is giving him company by staying at his place as all his money and safe-houses have gone thanks to FBI's case against his real name. Neal isn't enjoying his company much. Also, he is unable to make much progress on the page from the rare book, which he had stolen from the museum for Curtis Hagen.
Peter has new assignment for him and he tells Neal that they are both going to work on it. Neal finds the case boring and pretends to snore when Peter start tell him the detail. Peter tells Neal that he make the choice. However, Neal is saved from the boring assignment when a man, Nate Griffith, walks in with a bundle of cash, which has blood on it. He is a convicted felon but has turned over his life. Griffith does not remember the source of the money and asks the FBI to help him. He has a son and he does not want his son to know that his father cannot change.
Griffith tells Peter whatever he remembers. He mentions about Kaptan Securities and that he had heard -- from where he does not remember -- about 2 million cash in security vault 4, there, and he could not stop himself. He mentions that a locker Grand Central has rest of the money. He was going to retrieve but an accident set his mind right. Griffith has been taking medications prescribed by a psychiatrist, Dr Summers.
The White Collar team finds the locker empty. Peter and Neal visit Kaptan Securities. The man there does not let them see the vault. However, Neal is able to find a way to dupe the new guy at Kaptan Securities and get the detail that vault belongs to Niteowl Holdings, which is a dummy corporation used as a front. Clinton informs Peters that the cash came from an armoured car heist. The person, Jacobi, who did the heist, and Griffith have one thing in common: Dr Summers. Jacobi does not know about the money stolen from the vault as Peter finds out.
Peter and Neal visit Dr Summers. Dr Summers tells them that she is not interested in taking pro bono cases. However, she agrees to do a session with Neal when he assures her that he is loaded. At the session, Dr Summers tells Neal that he is too interesting to be normal. Neal tells her that he steals for the same reason that she steals, "it is there." Dr Summers spikes his drink and when he wakes-up, Neal does not remember what he told her.
However, Mozzie has a solution, 'Goodnight Cinderella'. Under its influence, Neal tries to remember what he told Dr Summers. Mozzie eggs him on to remember. Neal remembers that Dr Summers asked about what FBI knew and if they had any proof. Neal, still under the influence, tells Mozzie to get on the streets and rebuild his life as he is smart and resourceful. He also tells Mozzie that he likes FBI and working with Peter but he like working against Peter, and does not feel guilty and suffers from any remorse when he does that.
When Mozzie goes out of the room to get composed, Neal disappears to visit Peter's place. Peter asks him if knew what happened to David Siegel. Neal says he does not after a pause. Mozzie reaches on time to tell Peter that the influence of the drug will go away in 15 min, and they need information about Dr Summers before that. Neal is able to recall the number on which the doctor had called after asking him the questions. It is Jacobi's number.
Neal goes for a second session with Dr Summers, and this time he drugs her and gets a confession from her. Dr Summers reveals everything but Peter is unable to locate the money from the address mentioned by her.
Neal gives that money to Mozzie and asks him to rebuild his life. He stole the money because it was there, he tells Mozzie. Neal also want to stop being a puppet and taking orders from the masters, and he says that he is back in the game. He says that when the time comes, he is ready to cut all the strings.