After stealing all the art from the U-Boat, Neal, on several occasions, has had to break in, steal, and deceive right in front of the FBI. With Mozzie's help, he pulled off the jobs without a hitch and it's gotten him pretty far. "Countdown" is possibly the hardest test yet, as Neal must deceive Melissa and replace the stolen forgery with a fake, all with Peter right in front of him. It's expected that Neal would succeed on all counts, but the way he pulls it off has the flare that makes the show so fun.
Despite my disappointment with Keller surviving last week's episode, his decision to kidnap Elizabeth is a great twist that puts even more stress on Neal and Peter's relationship. Keller knows of Neal's treasure, which Neal has desperately tried to keep hidden, and wants Peter's help. Now, if Neal wants to maintain his relationship with Peter, he'll either have to tell the truth or come up with another elaborate lie. In any case, the deception that began at the end of the second season is still as compelling as ever.
Score: 8.8/10
