White Collar (2009–2014): Season 5, Episode 1 - At What Price - full transcript

Previously on White Collar...

Let me see it.

You understand how this works?

Yeah, I'm being released into
the custody of the FBI

under your supervision.

This is a temporary situation.

Help me catch the Dutchman,

you can make it permanent.

The Spanish Victory bond.

This is the only surviving copy.

Except it's a forgery.



I know who the Dutchman is.

Curtis Hagen.

You are a particular kind
of bastard!

FBI, you're under arrest.

Neal.

Ellen.

You and your father.

My mom told me he was dead.

But you told me the truth.

He was a dirty cop,

and he's not dead.

You grew up in Witness
Protection.

I was three when the marshals
took us away.

What happened?



They found a gun.

With his prints on it.

He killed a cop?

He confessed.

All the information I've found
on the others

since James's arrest.

Your dad told me

that our department is filled
with dirty cops.

And he's right about one thing:

There are dirty cops.

Senator Terrence Pratt.

He's got to be one of the dirty
cops Ellen was investigating.

He's the one.

We found the evidence box.

After all these years.

That box belongs
to Senator Pratt.

Where is it?

Where's what?

The evidence!

Pratt!

Put down the gun.

[Gunshot]

He's dead.

Don't move.

Peter, you have the right
to remain silent.

Neal, Peter's gun
killed Pratt.

There's gunshot residue
on Peter's hands.

It doesn't look good.

What'd you do, dad?

It was self defense.

You're gonna testify,

and you're gonna clear
Peter's name.

I can't do it.

[Buzzer sounds]

The irony of this
is not lost on me.

This is my fault.

My father is--

You can't take responsibility

for what James did.

He has completely disappeared.

Without his confession--

I know.

There was gunshot residue
on my hands,

my prints on the gun,

and no eye witnesses.

I would've arrested me.

Justice will prevail.

Let's damn well hope so.

I have some news
to cheer you up.

Federal prosecutor
is dropping charges?

No, not that good.

Diana's pregnant.

But how?

She decided to do it
on her own.

She's actually pretty far along.

There's so much I might miss.

Hi, hon.

Hi, hon.

I hate for you to see me
like this.

What I see is a man who's
gonna come back even stronger.

You're gonna beat this,
Peter Burke.

You're gonna come home to me.

I will.

I promise.

Neal, it's been six weeks.

I don't think I can take
another day,

much less years.

The indictment hearing
starts tomorrow.

I know.

But that only decides if he goes
to trial.

If he's indicted,

even if he's found innocent,

he can never serve
as an FBI agent again.

I don't care about his career.

All I care about is getting him
out of there.

I understand that, but--

You care.

That's right.
Of course.

Because his job is what's
keeping you

from joining him in prison.

I'm sorry, Neal.
It was wrong.

No, it's okay.

Peter cares.

And I can't be responsible
for taking away his badge.

That's why I want to clear him
before the indictment.

Get him home to you
as soon as possible.

Do we have any options?

We do,
but they mostly involve you two

going under new identities
in Alaska.

Anything less nuclear?

Not yet.

Well I've always wanted to
drive a snowmobile to work, so.

Do whatever you have to do,
okay?

Okay.

[Beeping]

Aha!

I did it!

Unless you found a way to get
Peter out of jail,

I don't want to hear about it.

It's a step in that direction.

I cracked your anklet.

What?

This fine piece of technology

took nine months

and most of your wine cabinet,

but because of this,

the FBI will no longer know
where you are.

You spent almost a year
working on this?

It was supposed to be
a surprise.

And for us to take a road trip
to the Jersey Shore.

But a prison break
is second best.

Moz, this is great.

But how are we going to convince
Peter to break out of prison?

Who says we have to
convince him?

What, are you going
to carry him out?

I don't have the upper-body
strength, sadly.

But we could douse him
with devil's breath.

We are not dousing him
with anything.

[Phone chimes]

Did you tell anyone we were
trying to help Peter?

And admit to assisting a suit?

My reputation would never
recover.

Why?

Because I didn't either.

"I can help Burke.
Opera house. 5:00 P.M.

Come alone."

[Rock music]

♪

He's with me.

Curtis Hagen.

Been a long time.

That it has.

And you never sent me
a thank you card.

It's because of me you're free
to walk around Manhattan.

That thing around your ankle.

It's because I caught you.

Nevertheless.

I was unable to negotiate
the same deal.

So you settled for a work
release program.

I thought murderers were
a high security risk.

I was never arrested
for murder.

Only forgery.

Oh.

It appears that

there's a demand for
world-renowned restorers.

I can work for $10 a day,

even if it does require
an armed escort.

Are they guarding you,

or guarding for you?

Bit of both, Caffrey.

You know how it goes.

Little bribery goes a long way.

Not long enough to let you go.

Sadly, no.

As you well know.

Otherwise you would've secured
Peter Burke's release.

What's your offer?

Pal up with him in prison?

Protect him?

That's not particularly big
picture now, is it?

I know how to make Peter Burke
a free man.

[Rock music]

This is a waste of my time.

If there were a way to free
Peter, I would have found it.

You have a federal prosecutor
breathing rather heavily

down Peter Burke's neck,
do you not?

We do.

What if I told you
I was the reason

he was so very determined

to take Peter Burke down?

If you had that kind of pull

I'd ask why you didn't use him
to get yourself out.

Would that I could.

Sadly he became
a federal prosecutor

after I was incarcerated.

I believe my patience has paid
off in other ways though.

What do you want?

I want you to do me a favor.

I need money, soon.

You can afford
to bribe guards.

I'm in need
of a much bigger sum.

Already have a target.

Simple little smash and grab.

I'd do it myself, but...

If you can pull this off,

we have a deal.

There's one more thing.

There always is.

Federal prosecutor's gonna
need a good reason to step away.

Not lose face.

You want me to provide
that reason?

Your old man's confession
should do quite nicely.

If I could find my father,
Peter would already be free.

Indeed.

But from one forger to another,

we both know there are many ways
to create another man's words.

You want me to forge
my father's confession?

Make it good.

I'll take care of the rest.

So the Dutchman appears out
of nowhere offering gifts,

and I'm not suspicious?

You're not alone.

But what other choice
do we have?

Like I said, we can--

That doesn't involve
a sky hook.

Moz, this is the only option
we've found

that doesn't have Peter
on the run.

I can make a believable
facsimile of James's voice,

there is one catch.

You need as close
a voice match as possible.

Like father, like son.

There are familial overlaps
of cadence and voice

that will be very helpful.

In spite of everything,
he's still my father.

If I record this,

he'll be a fugitive
for the rest of his life.

Neal,
James did that all by himself.

You're offering redemption
that he doesn't deserve.

Do you have any recording
of him?

- I'll need it for voice matching.
- Yeah.

He left me a voicemail
right before the con

at the Empire State Building.

It's the only thing I have.

Hey,
I'm running a little late,

but I'll be there.

I promise.

See you soon, son.

See you soon, son.

How'd that sound?

Uncomfortably tragic.

I should leave you alone.

No, no.
Moz, it's good to have you here.

Come on.

Peter Burke

has been accused
of first degree murder,

in the death
of Senator Terrence Pratt.

We are here today to decide

whether to indict him
on these charges.

I'd like to testify
on my own behalf.

Mr. Burke--

I want to speak to my history
as an agent,

and to my character.

Nothing you say will change
my decision.

Sit down.

Because,

as I was about to say,

new evidence has come to light.

[Bennett's voice]
My name is James Bennett.

I almost let an innocent man
take the fall for me,

but I can't let that happen.

I shot and killed
Senator Terrence Pratt...

[Bennett's voice]
the man who ruined my life,

using Peter Burke's gun.

Peter tried to convince me
to stay and face justice.

Instead, I ran.

The only thing he is guilty of

was trusting I would do
the right thing.

Unfortunately, this is as
close to the right thing

as I can manage.

I hope it's enough.

We analyzed the recording
this morning.

It's been authenticated
as the voice of James Bennett.

With this evidence in hand,

I see no other option
than to drop all charges.

[Murmuring]

Mr. Burke,

you are free to go.

[Applause]

- Good to see you, Peter.
- Mark, thanks.

- Good to see you, Peter.
- Thanks.

Good to have you back
in the office, Peter.

Good to be here, Clinton.

Thanks.

If you didn't come back,

I had dibs on this office.

Your feet are on my desk.

Welcome back, Agent Burke.

How'd you do it?

I don't know what
you're talking about.

I don't believe for a second
James Bennett made that call.

Not without his son
convincing him.

I don't know how you found
your father,

or how you got him to leave
that message, but...

thank you.

I can't admit to an FBI agent

that I consorted
with a fugitive.

Come on.

[Cell phone ringing]

Hello?

I do so apologize for
interrupting the homecoming.

How rude of me.

But you're on my clock now.

Oh, you're right.

You fulfilled your end
of the bargain.

Now it's my turn.

[Chair squeaking]

I missed that squeak.

[Knocking on door]

Bruce, come on in.
Yeah.

Come on in.

Thought I saw you earlier.

Didn't want to interrupt
a moment.

That was one nice moment.

Well, FBI section chiefs

have a tendency to stick out
in a crowd.

Ah.

I'm afraid to ask you what
you're doing in New York and...

and what's in there,
but I'm gonna.

It's your future, Peter.

Right, have a seat.

Washington?

I don't--I don't understand.

You've attracted the attention
of some very important people,

and they see potential in you.

Bruce,
I just got out of prison.

You took down
a corrupt senator.

That alone is a huge
accomplishment.

But add your track record
to that...

And now they want me in D.C.?

Not right away.

This is a good office.

It's a nice space.

But the one next door
has a much nicer view,

and it's vacant.

The ASAC's office?

They want me to run
White Collar division?

Consider it a stepping stone
to D.C.

I'm flattered.
I--

This is all sudden.

I know.

Think about it.

Yeah.

- Talk to El.
- Yeah.

I'll be around.

Thanks, Bruce.

Hey, boss.

Diana.

Look at you.
I--

how long have I been away?

Not that long.

I kept it quiet
as long as I could.

Oh, I hope nobody gave you
a hard time.

No, everyone's been great.

I just wanted to stay in
the field as long as possible.

But eventually,
no amount of loose blouse

was gonna hide this little guy.

Little guy?

Yeah, it's a boy.

Uh, you know, I--

I don't mean to be indelicate,
but--

It's not Neal's.

No, I wasn't going--

I'm kidding.

Oh, you--

No, I went to a clinic.

His father is a world-class chef
with one hell of an IQ.

Good, and his mother
is the best damn agent

I ever worked with.

It's a good combo.

So you gonna take
that ASAC job?

Oh.

You heard.

No, I guessed.

That office has been empty
for a while

and you would fill it nicely.

I don't know.

It's a big change.

You know, I was scared about

whether I'd be able to balance
a career and a baby.

But once I decided,
I knew I could do it.

Now I'm excited to do it.

Change can be good, Peter.

Tinted varnish treatment?

You disapprove.

I prefer watercolors
for restoration.

It allows any alterations
to be reversible.

Something to be said
for irreversible decisions,

don't you think?

I'm here, aren't I?

Target.

There's a vault on the eighth
floor of the Reinhart Building.

What's inside it?

Coins.

Minted from Welsh gold.

Three times the value
of normal gold.

And the only worthwhile thing
about the welsh.

Get your money
a different way.

No.

This is what I want.

I've a debt of my own and this
is the required form of payment.

In two days.

Why so fast?

Because that's when I need it.

Look, I've worked under your
rather urgent deadline.

Are you telling me you can't
get this done under mine?

Magnetic field,
motion detectors,

dual-control combination lock.

We're gonna go through
all of this for pocket change?

$2 million in gold coins

isn't exactly pocket change.

This building is a fortress,
Neal.

Fortresses have fallen all
throughout history.

All it took was someone finding
the weak spot.

Well, with all that security,

we better find a way in that

doesn't involve marching through
the front door.

Maybe we don't go through
the front door.

What if we pull a back draft?

I've put my inner firebug
to bed.

Best not to awaken him.

Well, there are other ways to
bring the fire department to us.

Well, even if we could,

this is not the kind of building
that clears easily.

But the building next door is.

They share a wall.

So we get the fire department
to clear that,

we break in and then disappear
inside the crowd.

This could work.

You said you cracked
the anklet, right?

Yeah.

Okay, this device...

is synced to your anklet.

I flip the switch,

and that's it.

The tracker says you're standing
right where you are.

I am standing where I am.

Yeah, right now you are.

But this captures the signal
and loops it back to the FBI.

So you can walk away.

And it shows me staying
right here?

Exactly.

The only catch is that you
and your anklet

have to come back here
to turn it off.

Otherwise, your signal can jump
locations suddenly.

They'll know it was hacked.

Nice work, Moz.

[Knocking on door]

Come in.

Hey.

Hey.

Got a minute?

Well, always for you, suit.

Welcome back, I think.

What?

You.

Barging in here.

Trying to figure out
if we're up to something.

It's nice.

Are you up to something?

See?

Like old times.

[Chuckles]

Can I get you a beer?

Yeah, that would be great.
Thanks.

Uh...

I've been offered to run
the White Collar division.

I'm gonna take it.

With everything that happened,
I just feel that...

Yeah.
Yeah, of course.

And there's a chance that it
could lead to more.

In Washington.

Washington?

Wow, it's--

Congratulations, Peter.

Yeah, thanks.

I've made sure that your deal
stays in place.

Never would have doubted you.

I'm proud of you, you know.

I'm sure you were tempted
to break me out,

to find a loophole or con
someone into getting me free.

But you didn't.

It says a lot.

Oh.

Justice prevails.

That it did.

I know what you're thinking
and no.

You can't use this to preach
conspiracy theories.

Of course.

I will however speak
conspiracy truths.

Even with the anklet showing
me at home

this can't in any way point back
to us.

Promise me, Moz.

Very well.

Nothing conspiratorial
of any kind.

How depressing.

Perfect!
Use that.

Hey, is that a guy up there?

I'm gonna jump!

Excuse me.

We have an emergency situation
here.

If everyone could please
evacuate the building

in an orderly manner.

Let's go.

Appreciate your cooperation.

Shouldn't be too long.

Thank you so much.

♪

Don't move another step!

Okay.

I'm only here to talk,
that's all.

You have my word.

Why are you doing this?

That's a good question.

One I asked myself lately.

Have you lost somebody?

Or your job?

Is this about the government?

About all the secrets
that they're keeping from us?

Of course not!

That would be crazy.

I get a lot of jumpers.

Spout off a lot of stuff
that sounds crazy,

and then you think about it
a little bit and

it makes you wonder.

If they're really crazy
or not.

I'm just saying that if you
have anything

that you want to say to me,

I'm here to listen.

This one guy told me

that the Vatican had evidence
of alien life.

How far-fetched.

The world's most secretive
organization

keeping alien technology
for their own gain.

Yeah, I suppose you're right.

What about
the Kennedy assassinations?

I can't take this anymore!

I'm gonna jump!

Whoa! Hey!
Hey!

I thought we were having
a conversation.

Relax, man.

Conspiracy theories
are not real.

Okay.

Okay, buddy.

I believe you.

I misread you,

and I'm sorry.

So why are you here?

[Cell phone chimes]

Oh, why do you think?

Because somebody hurt you.

Let's go with that.

Okay, bye.

Okay, hold on.

You're gonna have to be held
in psychiatric custody.

72-hour hold
for your own protection.

All right, I'll take him down
to the sergeant on duty.

All right, don't take your
eyes off of him.

I won't.

Come on,
quicker, quicker, quicker.

I need to take the tanks.

It's time to load up
the equipment.

Yeah, I'll take care of them,
all right?

Come on, you know the rules.

The lieutenant's watching.

Look--

Thank you.

This is heavy.

Did I miss something?

Why'd you just give away
our gold?

They would've seen my face.

I'll grab the coins once
the lieutenant's back is turned.

[Horn honks, siren blares]

I think his back
is now turned.

So out of the frying pan,
into the firehouse.

I didn't have a choice.

Well the good news
is that the tanks

look just like
all the other ones.

The one with the gold in it
will be a little heavier.

It'll pass a cursory
examination, but not much else.

Even with this uniform,
if I step foot in there,

they'll know I'm not
one of them.

So the direct approach is out.

Yep.

Hey, we can wait until the
fire truck takes another call.

If the tanks weren't used,
they'll still be on the truck.

Yeah, I can grab them...
[Cell phone rings]

while they're dealing
with their emergency.

That'll have to be the plan.

Peter's calling me in.

All right, I'll set up camp
outside the station.

As soon as I can get away,
I'll meet you.

We've got a case.

We?

Aren't you ASAC now?

Paper work goes through
next week.

Today, I'm a field agent
with a bad guy to catch.

One last case.

What is it?

Please don't say mortgage fraud.

Gold coins.

$1.8 million worth of them.

Stolen from a private vault.

Sounds like a good one
to end on, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Feels about right.

Lucky for us, lots of people
recorded today's jumper.

Unluckily, we still haven't been
able to get a clear shot of him.

We're pretty sure, however,

that he was a distraction
for this.

Our thieves broke into
a travel agency

in order to burrow into
the building next door.

That way they evaded the
security system of the building

and got away with the gold.

It's a back draft.

A back draft?

Set a jumper,
call the fire department,

they'll clear out the building

and you can steal whatever you
want while they watch the show.

Well, whoever he was,

he slipped away before anyone
could properly I.D. him.

And he was high up enough
that no one in the crowd

could get a clear picture
of him.

He's just the distraction.

It's the guy who grabbed
the loot that you need to catch.

I agree, but we don't have
eyes on him yet either.

How would you go in?

I'd go into the travel agency
posing as a vacationer.

Go out with everyone to watch
the jumper,

then double back.

Once I grabbed the coins,
I'd change clothes

and blend in with the crowd.

What about the equipment
to get through the vault?

He could dress as
a businessman,

carry it in a briefcase.

Pause the video.

What are you thinking?

What if the thief
had the equipment with him

the entire time?

Go back about seven seconds.

There.

Why carry a pair of compressed
air tanks

if there isn't a fire?

He could fit an acetylene
torch in one

and stash the gold in the other.

Comb through the footage.

Let's see if we can put a face
on this guy.

Jones, find out which
fire department responded.

You think this was
an inside job?

I'm leaning towards
an impersonator,

but either way, the firehouse,
that's our best lead.

[Cell phone rings]

Are you en route
to the firehouse?

I'm about to be.

Unfortunately, so is Peter.

Well...

that's an odd choice
of strategy.

He's investigating
the coin heist

and he's already traced it
to the firehouse.

Well, the suit is more than
welcome to check it out.

But the fire truck we need
will be elsewhere.

What did you do, Moz?

Oh, relax.

My inner firebug
is well under control.

All right, good work.

We found our firehouse.
You coming?

Sure.

Great.

Are we stealing this?

Oh, they called it a promotion
for the ASAC job.

Should have held out
for a private jet.

One promotion at a time.

Oh, you gonna slide down
the pole?

No!

- But you're tempted.
- Yeah.

All right, I'll be in
in a minute.

All right.

[Phone line trilling]

How'd it go?

Empty-handedly.

They must have unloaded
the tanks at the station.

You need to stall the suit.

The suit is currently
in the station.

Then he's about to hit
the jackpot.

All right, head this way.
I'll see what I can do.

She's a beaut, isn't she?

Uh-huh.

Peter Burke, FBI.

This is my consultant,
Neal Caffrey.

Lt. Gannon.

Your office told me you'd
be comin

first off, my guys are legit.

Oh, I'm sure they are.

We believe the man
we're looking for

was impersonating a member
of your company.

So what do you have on him?

Not much.

He's roughly 6-feet tall.

Solid build.

Well, that really narrows
the field.

Where are your men?

Out on a call.

Just me and the kid.

Hey, probie.

Forget the boots,

guys are gonna be hungry when
they get back.

Fire up those burners.

I'm curious about some
of your equipment.

Your compressed air tanks
in particular.

Tanks are upstairs.

But without a warrant
and all that,

you know, I got to cover my--

Legal bases.
I understand.

Well, is there anyone Peter
could call?

Sure, we could phone
my supervisor.

That'd be great.

[Fire alarm beeping]

Grease fire?

Probie,
you've got to be kidding me.

No, no, no.
Hold on. Hold on.

It's his first fire.
Let's see how he handles it.

Moz, I got them.

Come to the back of
the building.

Second floor window.

Okay, throw me the tank.

The tanks won't fit
out the window.

Well, tossing handfuls
of coins at me

isn't gonna do us much good.

Hold on a second.

[Fire alarm continues beeping]

That's what I get for hiring
my sister's kid.

Sorry.

Jackpot.

Well,
hopefully for your second fire

you won't start it yourself.

Sorry about your jacket.

We'll have to figure out a way
to replace it.

No, no, no.
That's all right.

My--my wife's been trying to get
rid of it for years.

She'll be happy.

Right, Neal?

Neal?

[Whistling]

Hey, I found these.

You're late.

Fire's out.

- What happened to your jacket?
- You're breathing it.

Let's look at these tanks.

Marc Chagall was smuggled out
of Nazi occupied France

with a forged visa
provided by this country

and brought to New York.

An innocent man was set free
through illegal means--I get it.

This is the address and unit
number of a secure drop site.

The key's inside as well.

What's the gold for, Hagen?

Why's that matter to you?

Because I can tell when
I've stepped into a trap.

You lied about having
a debt to pay.

I think the gold was used to
bribe the federal prosecutor

on Peter's case.

Well, if that's true,
that would be very kind of me.

You gave me a target
with only one approach

in the time provided--
through the travel agency.

You figured out
what I want yet?

Me.

Where were the cameras hidden?

Well, one was
up in the corner.

But I really feel this one
best captures the moment.

Love the fireman's uniform.

It adds a little color
to the blackmail.

What do you want?

My appeal's coming up.

You're gonna help set me free.

So on top of your new,
yet-to-be-determined FBI handler

you now have a criminal handler
to deal with?

Look, we both knew
what I was getting into.

And it's worth it
to get Peter back.

If Hagen has a federal
prosecutor in his pocket,

why does he need you?

All the prosecutor can do is
force the case back to appeal.

We have to make sure
the appeal goes through.

I've defended worse people
in court.

He's not looking for
a lawyer, Moz.

There's evidence at the FBI.

Bonds that Hagen forged back
when Peter and I caught him.

- He wants us to destroy them.
- Yeah.

Out of the firehouse
and back into the frying pan.

What you looking at?

- Neal Caffrey standing still.
- Mm. That happens?

Happened four straight hours
yesterday.

Hmm.

Right smack dab in the middle
of the room.

Well, maybe he was meditating.

Or changing a very-hard-to-reach
light bulb.

That's some light bulb.

My question is whether Neal
was ever there to begin with.

He could go off anklet
without you knowing?

Isn't that impossible?

Impossible is what Neal
Caffrey specializes in.

He knew I was facing jail,

and that if I was found guilty,

he'd be heading back as well.

I'd imagine he focused a lot of
time at cracking that anklet.

Yeah, but if he succeeded
and you got out anyways...

He suddenly has a

get-away-from-handler
free card.

Where is this all coming from?

[Sighs]

We found the air tanks
that had the coins

at the fire station

empty.

There was a moment
when Neal was alone with them.

It didn't feel right.

You think Neal had something
to do with the coin heist?

I don't know.

Neal doesn't steal
without a reason.

And I can't think of a single
reason why he would do this.

It keeps nagging at me.

Okay.
You're doing it again.

You're getting
emotionally invested.

This is the reason
you landed yourself in jail.

You're right.

It's time for a change.

[Knocking on door]

Come in.

Hey.

What time is it?

You been working a while?

Ah, you know how it is
when you're painting.

You get into a zone.

Can't say I do.

My job
is all about perspective.

Being able
to look at a situation

and evaluate all the angles.

I realize
I can't do that anymore.

What are you talking about?

Jones and Diana,

everyone
in the White Collar offices,

we're all family and...

you're a part of that family.

You're also a criminal.

I forget that a lot.

And until you've served out
your sentence,

that's exactly what you are.

I've made mistakes because I let
emotions cloud my judgment,

and I can't let my next handler
make those same mistakes.

You're choosing someone
from outside the office

to be my new handler.

Someone with the right
perspective.

Someone who will see you
as you are.

A criminal.

This is in your best interest.

Could have sworn the other day

you told me how proud of me
you were.

I am.
I--

I am.

Neal.

I can't risk you going back.

I don't like this any more
than you do.

But it's the way it has to be.

Do I want to know
what's in the box?

Got a new anklet in.

Any particular reason?

Felt it was time
for an upgrade.

This is an all-new one
with a new chip set.

Looks the same on the outside.

I think there's a metaphor there
somewhere.

[Anklet beeps]

You know, it's scary.

What's that?

It feels strange
when it's not on.

Like I'm missing something.

That's how used to it
I've gotten.

See you tomorrow.

Good-bye, Peter.