Mind Games

White Collar is no stranger to board games. Mozzie uses Monopoly to plot strategy. He and June play high-stakes Candy Land. Although Neal is more a fan of chess, recently he and Sara adopted Clue as their strategy tool. He even briefly wonders if a game based on Bewitched wouldn't be more appropriate. But for the expert gamer, nothing beats the psychological games which are played without boards, and the game pieces are real people.

Warning for minor spoilers to Harlequin's Shadow

In Harlequin's Shadow, everyone's playing a game of mental strategy. Klaus and Rolf have teamed up in a chess match against Neal and Peter with their pawns Bianka and Kramer obeying their orders on the chessboard. Over at White Collar, the team has embraced the U-boat con as a gigantic version of SpyParty.

Henry and Neal are equally adept at mind games and take particular delight in playing against each other. Nowhere is that more evident than the Clueless con. If anyone takes Neal to task for tricking Henry about his feelings toward Sara, he'll point out that Henry started it. It was Henry who arranged for Neal and Sara to volunteer at a homeless shelter in the spring of 2004, hoping that romantic sparks would ensue (Caffrey Flashback). It wasn't that Neal minded, but when Henry didn't 'fess up to his scheme, Neal reasoned he also had full license to keep Henry in the dark. The current con can be considered an extension of that earlier game.

At the speakeasy party, Neal has momentary misgivings about fooling his friends. He appreciates their efforts on his behalf. But at the party, it's clear how much Henry and Elizabeth enjoy being co-conspirators. Under the circumstances, why would Neal possibly want to deprive them of the pleasure of continuing the game a little longer? Sara hasn't raised any objections. She seems quite willing to go along with whatever makes Neal happy. She's also getting a taste of what she's in for. Sara's far too smart not to understand this won't be the last game of secrets Neal and Henry play.

Related posts:
Game Theory, Caffrey Conversation Style
The Clueless Con: a Winning Strategy

Harlequin's Shadow on Archive of Our Own
Harlequin's Shadow on FanFiction