Episode Summary: After being sentenced to twenty years at Barksdale, Matthew Keller contacts the Department of Justice claiming to have information critical to national security. He, however, refuses to speak with Homeland Security, and insists on divulging the information only to Agent Peter Burke. Both Agent Burke and Neal Caffrey are doubtful that Keller has actual information pertinent to national security, but FBI Director Reese Hughes urges Agent Burke to look into it.Continue reading...
Agent Burke and Caffrey pays Keller a visit only to find him to be afforded some luxuries no other regular inmate at Hawthorne Fed would have received. Keller, reluctant to be transferred to a less appealing prison filled with the Russian mobsters he had swindled, wants to strike a deal with the government. He claims to have information about a maker of forged passports whose work is of interest to terrorists and smugglers. In exchange for this information, Keller would like to have his transfer to Barksdale revoked.
Agent Burke and Caffrey look into Jason Lang, the photographer whom Keller identified as a forger terrorists contact for fake passports. Burke was able to uncover a connection between Lang and Keller for the two were suspected to have worked together on the Belmont bond forgeries where Keller ended up shot twice supposedly by Lang. Agent Burke and Caffrey conclude that Keller’s agenda is to have his request to remain at Hawthorne Fed, and to get back at an old partner who had shot him. Although convinced that this is Keller’s plan, Burke and Caffrey still pay a visit to Lang as a courtesy to Hughes who expects them to catch a forger. They find Lang in his luxurious studio; he had obviously transformed himself from a shoddy forger into a successful photographer. However, Caffrey finds the equipment in his studio perfect for creating phony passports, which according to Agent Burke is enough evidence for a judge to issue them a warrant. Agent Burke confronts Lang, but the man flees forcing Agent Burke to run after him. Caffrey disobeys Burke’s order for him to stay at the studio, and becomes witness to Burke’s abduction.
As per Lang’s instructions, Burke drops his cellphone for Caffrey to retrieve later when Keller calls to inform him that he is to play his game, and refusing to do so will cost Agent Burke’s life. Caffrey rushes to the prison to confront Keller, and learns of the inmate’s demands. He wants Caffrey to procure two and a half million dollars for him to allow him to pay off his debt to the Russians before his transfer to Barksdale. Caffrey claims not to have that kind of money, but Keller is aware of something Caffrey had stolen in Scotland that would amount to what Keller requires. Regrettably, Caffrey had already disposed of this.
Neal informs the FBI of Peter’s abduction including the demand Keller had requested. Unfortunately, FBI Director Hughes makes it clear that the FBI does not negotiate especially with criminals already locked up in prison fearing for their lives. His plan is for the FBI to track Lang, and rescue Peter. Moreover, he already strayed away from procedure, and ordered the transfer of Keller to Barksdale instead of keeping him in Hawthorne as per the protocol. Elizabeth gets word of her husband’s abduction, and arrives at the FBI headquarters. Learning that the FBI has put in motion, the biggest manhunt in a decade brings little comfort to Elizabeth, since Keller would have foreseen this plan of action from the FBI. Caffrey devices a plan of his own afraid that the FBI will not accede to Keller’s demands. In fact, Mozz had already received a strange call from an unidentifiable caller, and Neal has instructed him to meet him at Madison Square Park with a hammer. Agent Diana Barrigan escorts Caffrey home to ensure that he does not interfere with the FBI’s plan. However, hearing what Keller is capable of doing having been witness to the man’s unremorseful will to commit murder, Diana allows Neal to push through with his plan to engage Keller in order to keep Peter alive.
Neal meets with Mozzie at Madison Square Park at the place where Neal had once planned to propose to Kate, and where he envisioned his kids running around in the playground. Neal takes the hammer and removes the McNally solitaire he had hidden in a sculpture at the park; it was the last of his loot. He was to give the ring worth two and a half million dollars to Kate, but accepting that she is gone, and that Peter’s life depends on it; Neal is willing to part with it to pay for Peter’s ransom.
Peter has tried to strike a deal with his captor to no avail leaving him to figure out a way to escape. He finds the ticket from the dry cleaner still pinned in his suit. The suit that was the cause of his argument with his wife earlier that day may end up saving his life. The goons return with information to Lang about Neal heading to the meeting point for the exchange. Moreover, Peter hears Lang ask about Ridgefield, which he knows to be the private security firm the government uses to transfer prisoners. Peter concludes that the money Keller will receive from Neal will be used to pay off Ridgefield whom they paid off to let Keller escape. In addition, hearing the conversation within his earshot verifies his conclusion that Keller plans to kill him himself.
Mozz arrives at the Burkes house to provide comfort to Elizabeth who has been kept out of the loop regarding her husband’s rescue. He informs her that Neal is on his way to make the exchange to ensure Peter’s safety. Moreover, he drops a bug in the house to allow Elizabeth to listen into calls the FBI agents in her house receive. Meanwhile, Neal meets with Lang at a park, and demands that he receive proof that Peter is alive. After some urging, Lang agrees to provide him proof of life in the form of a question that Peter only knows the answer to. Reluctant to have Neal speak with Peter, Lang is to text the question to his goon, and the goon is to text Peter’s answer back. Neal asked what cell phone number he used the first time Peter caught him, and he replies with a message hidden in the phone number. Peter’s message is “No Transfer”.
Agent Barrigan calls Agent Jones who is supervising Keller’s transfer to relay to him Peter’s message. Unfortunately, the transfer is already in progress such that the guards who were paid off to allow Keller escape have ignored Agent Jones’ call. Moreover, they decided to put in motion Keller’s escape. Agent Jones calls Agent Barrigan to inform her of Keller’s escape made possible by Caffrey’s ransom. With his rescuers still not in sight, Peter makes one last attempt to negotiate with Lang to no avail, and so he moves on with his other plan now that he has successfully picked the lock of his handcuffs. Peter provokes Lang who is not a good shot into shooting him forcing the man to put his arm inside the cell that he may have the gun aimed only a few feet away from Peter. This allowed Peter to attack the man leaving him unconscious on the ground after Lang hit his head hard on the bars. Peter uses Lang’s cellphone to call the FBI, and to ask Neal to talk him through a jailbreak. Peter informs Neal that the cell door has a Fossbender ES320 electronic keypad, which according to Neal requires shorting the backup before cutting the electricity because not doing so will only activate the lock’s redundancy mechanism. Neal receives specifications of the electronic lock from Diana. Neal instructs Peter to open the inside panel of the fuse box, and to strip the neutral wire. Next, he is to use a light bulb’s filament and attach it to the battery of his cellphone allowing it to create a surge, shorting the power, and releasing the locking mechanism. Unfortunately, because this requires the cell phone’s battery, Peter needs to hang up. The FBI manages to trace Peter’s location, but Lang has regained consciousness, and is struggling to reach for his gun. Peter hangs up leaving the FBI in the dark about his fate. A minute later, they receive a call from Peter informing him that he has escaped, and that he has Lang at gunpoint. The FBI finally arrive arresting Lang. Keller is nowhere in sight; the man never showed up, and must not have planned on coming. Peter returns the ring to Neal, and informs him that the FBI has no hold on it if the ring is legitimately his. Although the ring was never reported stolen, Neal refuses to reclaim it, and suggests that it be sent to the Scotland Royal Museum. Soon after, Elizabeth arrives with the FBI team stationed at her house relieved to see that her husband is safe and unscathed. Meanwhile, Neal receives a call from Keller gloating of his escape that Neal inadvertently helped succeed.
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