Ep 4. Dentist of Detroit

Fire up your favorite search engine. Find "Dentist of Detroit," episode four of season three of the hit show "White Collar." Get ready for an hour of high-stakes drama, where nothing is quite as it seems.

First thing's first: if you're not caught up on "White Collar," you might want to pause and watch the first few seasons before diving into this episode. A quick recap: the show follows con artist Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) as he teams up with FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) to solve white-collar crimes. Over the course of the first two seasons, Neal and Peter developed a close friendship and partnership, even as Neal's checkered past continually threatens to catch up with him.

In season three, Neal is still on the outs with the FBI after his attempt to clear his name and find his long-lost love interests left him on the wrong side of the law. But when a dangerous black-market art dealer called "the Dutchman" starts shaking things up, Neal and Peter find themselves back in cahoots trying to bring him down.

That leads us to "Dentist of Detroit." The episode starts with a bang as Neal and Peter bust into a high-end art dealership and arrest the owner...only to have their suspect kidnapped right out of their hands. It quickly becomes clear that the Dutchman is behind the kidnapping, and he's using it as leverage to get Neal to do his dirty work.

The task at hand? Steal a valuable diamond from the Michigan Science Center. Peter is understandably skeptical about Neal's ability to pull off such a heist, but they both know they don't have much of a choice. So Neal teams up with Mozzie (Willie Garson), his loyal confidant and fellow con artist, to come up with a plan.

That's where the titular "dentist of Detroit" comes in. The dentist is a small-time criminal with a shady past, played with great nuance by guest star Michael Weston. Neal and Mozzie enlist his help to break into the science museum and pull off the heist, promising him a cut of the diamond's value in exchange.

As always, things don't go quite as planned. The team narrowly avoids detection as they work to crack the museum's security system, but they hit a snag when they realize that the diamond is actually a fake. It's all an elaborate trap set by the Dutchman to get Neal and Peter off his trail.

The episode is packed with tense moments as Neal and his crew race against the clock to figure out the Dutchman's true plan and stop him once and for all. Along the way, we see some great character development for several key players. Diana (Marsha Thomason), one of Peter's fellow agents, gets a chance to show off her skills and quick thinking. And Mozzie continues to be one of the show's most entertaining and unpredictable characters, always ready with a quip or a scheme.

As with most "White Collar" episodes, the plot of "Dentist of Detroit" is smart, twisty, and full of surprises. It's a great showcase for the show's strengths, from its inventive heist setups to its lovable characters. Whether you're a diehard fan or a newcomer to the series, this episode is a must-see.