WHITE COLLAR Season 3 “Neighborhood Watch” Joe Manganiello, Lola Glaudini

WHITE COLLAR
Advance Review Season 3 Episode 13 “Neighborhood Watch”
Guest stars: Joe Manganiello, Lola Glaudini
Directed by: Andrew McCarthy
Written by: Jeff F. King
Air date: January 31, 2012
January 26, 2012
By Valerie Leung
Warning: minor spoilers

Vincent Adler is alive! Well, not exactly, but he does rate a special mention in this homage to Hitchcock’s classic “Rear Window”, directed by Andrew McCarthy, who played Adler last season. 

Following on from Elizabeth’s (Tiffani Thiessen) kidnapping and rescue a couple of weeks ago, husband Peter (Tim DeKay) is, not surprisingly, concerned about his wife and how she is coping.  Truth be told, I think the experience has been more traumatic for Peter and Neal (Matt Bomer), and the audience, than smart-and-feisty El.  After all, “Elizabeth is like a terrifying amalgamation of Danica Patrick and the Man from U.N.C.L.E.”

When El hears a conversation over the police scanner between two men suspiciously discussing a big pay day, she is curious and tells her husband about it.  Peter thinks she is paranoid but he and Neal indulge her and check out the place where the two men had arranged to meet.  No major crime is committed and nobody suspicious turns up at the meeting place except for El, who is convinced something bad is afoot and decides to call on the one person who would believe her – Mozzie (Willie Garson).

We all know Mozzie has a soft spot for Mrs. Suit and it is a lot of fun to see the two of them working together following the suspects fearlessly to a house only a couple of doors down from the Burkes’.  Not wanting to worry Peter until they have more solid evidence of their new neighbors, Ben (Joe Manganiello) and Rebecca (Lola Glaudini) Ryan, being anything but upstanding citizens, Elizabeth and Mozzie enlist Neal’s help to check out the neighbors.

Peter reluctantly goes to dinner at the Ryans’, unaware of his wife’s ulterior motives, while Neal and Mozzie are on stakeout (sans devilled ham) outside.  Peter does his best to engage his hosts in pleasant dinner conversation while Elizabeth engages in some sleuthing on her own.  When Peter realizes they had all been in on “Operation Dinner Roll” together, El apologizes that she did not want to cry wolf (which made me laugh, given Manganiello’s alter ego as Alcide, the werewolf, on TRUE BLOOD). 

To work out who and what the Ryans plan to rob, Neal goes undercover as (what else?) a parolee who befriends Ben.  But don’t worry, Neal is not quite returning to the dark side.
Ben: I thought you were one of us?
Neal: I was.

Despite the fact that the Hitchcock classic has been done many times over on the big and small screens, it does not take away the fun I had while watching this episode.  Here are some reasons why you will enjoy “Neighborhood Watch”:

I like to think that I learn something new every time I watch WHITE COLLAR.  I mean, I actually asked a friend who was in the printing business about splitting paper the other day.  So, this week, I learned that a “1050” is code for noise complaint, and apparently there is a special government-issued set of lock picks that is illegal for the general public to own.

All the fun times aside, with all that has gone on with the treasure, Keller and the kidnapping, has Mozzie won back your favor?  With Neal’s commutation hearing drawing ever-closer, do you trust Mozzie will guide Neal down the right path?  Clearly Elizabeth still trusts Neal and Mozzie to do the right thing and believe they are good people, but will Peter testify in favor of releasing Neal from his anklet at the hearing?  There are so many questions yet to be answered in the remaining episodes.  In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the fun ride that is “Neighborhood Watch”.