Ep 2. Threads

Neal Caffrey, an accomplished criminal who has been serving time for fraud, has struck a deal with the FBI agent Peter Burke – in exchange for his early release from prison, Neal must use his skills as a thief and con man to help Burke solve white collar crimes. In episode two, titled “Threads”, Neal gets an opportunity to do just that.

The episode begins with a wealthy socialite named Bridgette living her best life at a party. Neal meets her there, pretending to be a playboy millionaire named Nick Halden, and manages to charm her into giving him her phone number. The next morning, Neal is at Peter’s office, where he’s reviewing a case involving a pair of thieves who’ve been stealing high-end textiles from fashion companies. Neal believes Bridgette may have some information on the case, given her connections to the fashion world.

Peter agrees to let Neal talk to Bridgette, but only if he wears a tracking anklet so that his movements can be monitored. Neal agrees to the condition and meets up with Bridgette for a date. He manages to get her to bring up the textile thefts, but she doesn’t seem particularly helpful, claiming not to know much about it.

Meanwhile, Peter and his team are investigating the scene of the latest textile heist. They identify a possible suspect, a man named Vincent Adler. Peter learns that Adler was once a business partner of Neal’s, and that Neal might have some knowledge of his current whereabouts. Peter convinces Neal to come clean about his past, and Neal reveals that Adler was the mastermind behind the biggest con operation he was ever involved in.

Neal contacts Mozzie, his old partner, and asks him to help him find Adler. Mozzie agrees, but only if Neal helps him with a little job first. The job involves infiltrating an auction, where Mozzie plans to sell a fake painting. As part of the scam, Neal disguises himself as a wealthy art collector and bids on the painting, driving up the price. The plan works, and Mozzie ends up making a lot of money from the sale.

With Mozzie’s help, Neal and Peter are able to track Adler down. They confront him and demand to know the location of the stolen textiles. Adler agrees to help them recover the items, but he also has a proposal for Neal – he wants him to join him in a new, lucrative con operation. Neal is tempted, but ultimately decides to stick with Peter and the FBI.

In the end, Neal and Peter return the stolen textiles to the fashion companies, and the thieves are caught and brought to justice. Neal, wearing his tracking anklet, joins Peter at a restaurant, where they discuss their next case. The episode ends with Neal looking out the window and wondering whether he made the right choice in turning down Adler’s offer.