Finally after months of advertising do we get to watch this awesome show. I enjoyed the very limited commercial breaks, the first time I’ve ever seen a show go almost an entire half hour before having one. Even with all the extra time it was still very fast-moving. Loved the story and the characters. One episode in and I’m already hooked.
First scene we meet Neal Caffrey, con artist extraordinaire. He is in his prison cell shaving. What’s the special occasion? He is breaking out of a super max prison. Luckily for him it seems that the guard don’t know him very well since they just let him walk out the front door. Once he’s out he hot-wires a truck and leaves the prison. Neal makes a few changes and upgrades his ride before driving farther.
Next we meet FBI agent Peter Burke who is not having as good of day. He is working on a big case that literally blows up in his face. All that remains from the explosion is a thin red piece of something that none of the police can identify. Just to make his day worst, he learns that Neal Caffrey has escaped and the U. S. Marshalls want his help in recapturing him.
Peter goes to the prison to talk with the Marshalls. They are all curious of why Neal would escape now with only three months remaining on his sentence. Video footage reveals that Neal’s girlfriend Kate left him. The best start to finding Neal is visiting Kate.
Peter enters Kate’s house and finds Neal sitting on the floor holding a wine bottle. He says that the wine bottle means goodbye. Poor guy only missed her by two days and now he’s heading back to prison for four additional years. Even though he’s a criminal you can’t help but feel sorry for him. Before he’s arrested he spots the unidentified evidence from the explosion. Neal asks Burke if he will meet him in one week at the prison if he tells him what it is right there. Burke agrees to the meeting and learns that it’s a security fiber from the new Canadian hundred dollar bill.
Neal was right so Peter sticks to his word and goes to the prison. Neal wants to make a deal, be released into Peter’s custody and he’ll help him solve the case of the man he calls The Dutchman. Peter denies the offer but returns and accepts it the next day however if Neal tries to run again he’s back in prison for life.
Peter takes Neal to his new home, a really run down hotel. Honestly, I’d rather be in prison than in that dump. Not surprisingly, Neal protests to the arrangement and also wonders about getting clothes. Peter tells him with his anklet he can go anywhere within two miles of that hotel and that there is a thrift store down the road.
At the thrift store, Neal meets a rich widow who is donating some of her late husband’s designer clothes. She tells him that she has a whole closet full of clothes stored in her guest bedroom. Neal asks her if she lives close by and she says not far. Looks like Neal has found a new home.
Peter goes to the hotel to get Neal and finds a note saying “Dear Peter, I have moved 1.6 miles. XOXO Neal” Peter heads to the new address and finds out its a mansion. He goes in and finds Neal having breakfast on the roof. While Neal dresses, Peter haves some coffee and talks to the widow telling her that Neal is a fugitive. To his surprise, she responds “so was Byron”.
They go down to the airport where some guy has been stopped for having a giant load of the Spanish version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Peter goes in to have a chat with the guy but before he can answer anything his lawyer arrives. Peter leaves and asks a cop why he was not informed of the guy’s call before he went in. When the cop says that there was no call, they all rush back to the interrogation room to find the guy dead, a needle sticking in his throat.
After a closer look at the books, Neal figured out what is so important about them. The paper is going to be used to create a forgery because of how old it is. Inside the dead guy’s wallet, they find a card and find a visitors pass to the national archives.
A man at the archives remembers the guy and says he looked at the Spanish Victory bond. Neal takes a look at the bond at the archives and determines that the one there is a forgery because the paint used to make it is still drying. Next time this man may want to pay more attention to his visitors.
Neal says that if they were forging the bonds they could make 150 million dollars. Peter still cannot figure out why the guy would steal the original bond and replace it with a forgery. Neal quickly figures out that they would check the forgeries with the original in order to authenticate them. Elizabeth, Peter’s wife, calls to find out where he is. She lies about having not cooked dinner for them. Knowing that he will not be home anytime soon, she lets their dog eat his plate.
In the car, Neal asks Peter if he has any plans for his anniversary. Peter forgot about it completely. Neal tries to help him out and asks what she likes. Peter has no idea. Annoyed by his own blindness, Peter takes his anger out on Neal saying “at least my wife didn’t change her identity and flee the country just to get away from me”. Ouch, what a jerk thing to say.
Back home, Neal hears something and grabs a cane to use as a weapon. He slowly walks forward until he realizes it’s his friend Mozzie. Neal shows him his ankle bracelet and asks if he could pick it. Mozzie says no way. He also does not know where Kate is. Neal asks him to keep looking for her and to find out who created the fake Victory Bond.
Peter is at home doing some snooping for things his wife likes. His investigation is cut short when his phone rings. Neal Caffery’s ankle bracelet has been activated and he’s not with Peter. Peter goes rushing to leave his house only to find Neal in his living room talking to his wife. He says he’s going to put Neal back in prison and dials his cell phone. While its ringing Neal says that he knows who made the bond and the guy, Chris Haggen, signed it. He proves it, on the pants in the painting there are the initials CH. The same man is doing a restoration at a church downtown.
They go to the church but the priest tells them they can’t come in because they are closed for restoration. Peter doesn’t even try to press the matter and turns to leave. Man really has no backbone. Neal who actually does pulls the priest aside for a chat. He tells him that his friend has been tempted by other women and needs some spiritual intervention at this church because it’s where he was married. The priest understands because it’s not uncommon for a man his age and gives them five minutes.
They go up to Chris’ painting and Neal points out the same initials on it. They are interrupted by Chris himself who recognizes Neal. He tells them both to leave. On their way out the priest tells Peter to listen to the spirits and not the flesh.
Back in his office, Peter asks Neal for relationship advice again. He’s been stalking his wife. Even though she’s his wife that’s creepy. Neal suggests that instead of trying to find something she likes do something he promised her because that is why it did not work for him and Kate. They get interrupted and told that they have a week to solve the case because Hagen was tipped off by Neal.
Neal has another meeting with Mozzie. He has a picture of Kate and there is another guy’s hand on her shoulder. Neal tells Mozzie that unless he solves this crime in a week he goes back to prison.
Neal tries to bring up finding Kate with Peter. Peter tells him that he needs to let it go and come to terms with being dumped. While they’re walking down the street, Neal spots Mozzie smoking and tells Peter that he wants to grab a smoke. Mozzie slips a few clues to Neal as he hands him one of his special cigarettes. Neal tears off the filter like Mozzie said and finds a note with information that will let him solve the case.
They go down to a warehouse where Hagen is running his printing business but cannot go in without a warrant. Peter is upset because they don’t have enough proof yet to get a warrant. Neal wants to know why they can’t just go in the front door since they know what he’s doing. Peter tells him to read the book about the statute and limitations and slides it over to him.
Neal stays up late reading the book then gets an idea after looking down at his ankle bracelet. He takes the car keys and leaves his house.
Peter is awoken by his cell phone in the middle of the night. He thinks Neal has gone after Kate and leaves his house.
It turns out Neal has not gone after Kate but to the warehouse where he gets out and starts taking pictures. The thugs get angry and drag him into the building. They throw him into a room. Neal locks the door when Hagen comes preventing them from being able to kill him or get him back outside in time. Hagen says that he is gonna kill him but police sirens are already in the distance. Neal lifts up his pants, showing Hagen his ankle bracelet.
Peter, happy now that he knows what Neal is doing, tells the police to knock down the doors because they have a fugitive in that building. They can legally seize all the evidence and arrest Hagen and his crew without a warrant under the circumstances. Neal jokes that Peter should arrest him. Peter, who is amused, says that he will let it go.
Peter has finally solved his anniversary problem. On top of the mansion where Neal lives they have set it up to make it look like a beach. He has been promising her to take her to the Caribbean for years. Now he says that he has time and pulls out two tickets to Belize.
Neal asks Peter the next morning if she liked it. Peter says she loved it and they’ll be back in a week. He also pulls out a consultant badge for Neal.
