Fast forward to this week’s episode. After being revealed to the team, Jacob Starky is now a wanted man. As Fi and Sam watch his house (only watch the house are their instructions), they are forced to get Jacob out, when a group of armed thugs arrive to snuff out Jacob. Using Jacob, the team attempts to contact his “employer” and get a big reveal as to who is behind the “Frame Michael Westen Plan.” Meanwhile, Michael does his client of the week stint for a woman whose ex-husband (John) has not returned their son (Tommy) to her when scheduled. The boy’s father recently lost his brother in Afghanistan and has suffered severe mental trauma because of it. As a former Ranger, Michael and the deceased brother share that connection. Michael goes to speak with the husband, but he freaks out, pulls a gun on Michael and runs away with his son. Unfortunately, the father has become disillusioned and angry and has taken up with some anti-government paramilitary extremists in their fortified training camp. After concocting a plan to get Tommy out, Michael brings in Fi, Jesse, and Sam to help in the escape/rescue. After diverting the attention of the militia to a nearby vacant house, Michael goes in, talks some sense into John, and leaves with Tommy.

By the end of the episode, Jacob is convinced that his employer is trying to kill him, and that helping Michael is the best way for him to keep his hide intact. Finally, after attempting to contact the boss, the team gets a response from the Bahamas telling Jacob to come there for a meet. Obviously Michael, not Jacob will be attending the “meeting.”

I’ve noticed that over the past several years, more and more TV shows are using extremist paramilitary militias as the villains. A few years ago, Criminal Minds used them and even referenced the infamous Ruby Ridge hostage crisis as a backdrop for a storyline. Don’t get me wrong, paramilitary groups are very real, and when used in TV shows, they provide a great antagonist for the hero to contend with, but I do think that they can be overused and the whole concept can become kind of stagnant.

So next week, we get an appearance from Bush frontman (or Mr. Gwen Stefani if you prefer) Gavin Rossdale as one of Fiona’s ex-boyfriends, and I have to admit, I am a bit curious as to what he will bring to the Burn Notice table. Until next week folks. Take care.
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As the investigation into Max’s death progresses, Michael (with the help of Jesse) locates the place the burner cell was purchased and used to call the police to Max’s murder scene. Jesse and Fi also get ahold of the store’s security tapes so they can be reviewed to find the killer. The plan is to have Maddy watch the tapes, so they blackmail the owner into giving them a free carton of cigarettes to go with the tapes. As the episode ends, Michael shows up at Maddy’s house for the unveiling. Maddy has some questions for Michael, and it is apparent that she is disturbed by what she found. As they watch the video, they see the burner phone purchaser enter, buy, and leave. The problem is…the culprit looks and moves exactly like Michael Westen!

So obviously now, the show is headed in a look-a-like direction, which will bring some additional craziness to Michael’s already crazy life. My first thought after seeing the look-a-like was, ‘hmm, I wonder if that’s Larry (our favorite undead spy). Larry was worked with Michael enough, and is skilled enough, to mimic Michael’s gait, posture, and he has the resources to duplicate Michael’s face using makeup and possibly prosthetics. So far, I like Agent Pearce. She has the tenacity of Detective Paxson (insofar as getting what she wants and never quitting) and, I assume, the voracity of Carla. I for one can’t wait to see what happens. Take care folks.
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During all of this, Michael and Max have their own CIA mission to retrieve data from a target’s tablet device. In order to get into the tightly secured building where the tablet is, Michael and Max sabotage the building’s A/C unit and then pose as repairmen sent to fix it. After downloading the data they were sent in for, they turn back on the A/C and leave without anyone suspecting anything.

When we meet Eve (played by Aviva Farber, who is best known for her role in the film Superbad), Michael pulls his normal routine of a fake identity, to enlist her help with an encryption job. Eve turns out to be a rather ruthless antagonist and almost kills Michael (after she said he would get to live while she runs away with a lot of money and the data he asked her to unencrypt). Eventually, Michael is able to find out what he needs to know to help Paul. By the time it’s all over, Eve is in jail and Paul’s server is destroyed. After this, Michael goes to meet Max for his debriefing. When Michael arrives, he finds Max shot and dying. Max tells him to say goodbye to his wife for him, and then he dies. Michael hears someone and chases after them. They get into a gunfight and Michael realizes that he is holding the murder weapon and must be being framed. He calls Fi, who shows up in the restored Charger and rescues Michael.

The big question at the end of the episode is: Who is trying to frame Michael and why. Some speculation is that Max faked his death (while others think that his dying words to Michael about saying goodbye to his wife will lead Michael to clues). Other speculate that it may be Larry (our favorite un-dead spy), or Michael’s boss Raines. As for me…I’m not sure nor do I care to make any sort of speculation as to who it may be. All I know is that this is going to be an interesting storyline and I for one can’t wait to see where it goes. Til next week folks. Take care
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This week’s episode featured the return of Nate Westen (played as always by Seth Peterson), and now it appears that Nate is now a father. The client of the week is Jessica, the widow of a gambler buddy of Nate’s and owner of a yogurt shop, who is now being harassed by a loan shark named Wallace (played by Michael O’Keefe of Caddyshack fame) and his thug Carter. Carter is interested in obtaining Jessica’s boat as payment. Doing what he does, Michael approaches Wallace and Carter as another loan shark who offers to help Carter get the boat (he has a Las Vegas friend who can do magic with legal documents). Carter bites Michael’s bait, but Wallace isn’t convinced at first. When Michael provides the “ownership” documents, Wallace and Carter are both sold. Michael (obviously unbeknownst to Carter and Wallace) is planning on making the boat appear to be part of a police investigation, in hopes of turning Wallace and Carter off of the boat idea.

The second part of Michael’s plan involves making Carter appear to be an undercover cop so that Wallace will turn on him. Using Sam and Fi’s assistance, Michael gets them to plant a lockbox of police equipment under the floor of Carter’s home. After borrowing Jesse from his day job to pose as a police clerk, Michael presents the evidence to Wallace that the boat is under investigation by the police, which leads to the typical ‘your man must be an undercover cop’ routine. Wallace bites, and heads with Michael to Carter’s place. When Michael, Wallace and his other goons arrive at Carter’s, Michael encourages them to check the house. After some searching, Wallace’s men find Carter’s lockbox. But it’s not the one Fi and Sam planted…Carter is actually an undercover FBI agent. Using his skills, Michael manages to pass a message to Carter (and cuts his restraints). When Michael, Wallace, and Wallace’s goons get to the execution place, Carter escapes and is corralled by Sam and Fi, who help him escape. Michael has Sam and Fi work with Carter to make sure that he finishes the case he started. Michael convinces Wallace to leave Miami with all of his paperwork and files, and that he (Michael) can set them all up with new identities. Needless to say, Wallace falls right into Carter and the FBI’s hands while attempting to flee. Jessica is safe, Nate is happy, and Michael’s “payment” for helping, is a “Free Yogurt for Life” card from Jessica’s store. I’d say Michael is definitely happy about that.

Part of the episode focuses on Michael’s addiction to reviewing his file. As a former addict himself, Nate encourages Michael to keep digging into the past for answers. Fi is starting to get irritated with how much time Michael spends reviewing the files and how it is affecting their life living together. This was another episode where Jesse only appears for about 30-45 seconds total. I don’t get why Coby Bell is listed as a regular on the show, when he’s barely even on it. If they don’t start getting him more screen time, I think they need to remove him from regular to recurring guest star. By far my favorite moment of the episode was when Nate asked Maddy to support the baby’s head while holding her, to which Maddy replies that she has “done this a couple of times,” and Nate just shuts up. Who can argue with that point? Certainly not Nate.

That’s it for me this week folks. I’ll see you next week when Burn Notice guest stars Paul Wight (aka Big Show from WWE). Until then…stay frosty.
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This week has Michael doing his 2 things at once routine that we’ve become so accustomed to. First, he has his gig for the C.I.A., and then he has his do-gooder, help the little person in trouble gig, which is brought to him courtesy of Jesse. This week, Michael is assigned to watch a British engineer (and CIA asset) at a conference in Miami and to ensure that he is not lured into a compromising situation, which is what the CIA’s intelligence has gathered for the chatter they have heard. With Michael doing double duty, he is forced to recruit Fi to help watch the asset and act as a diversion to anyone who would try to approach him and get what information they need from him. Fi is the perfect fit for the part, since the engineer typically uses conferences as a way to cheat on his wife of 20+ years. In typical Fiona fashion, she not only keeps the asset safe, but also manages to “persuade” the wayward engineer to go back to his wife as a faithful husband.

On the other end of the storyline, Michael, Sam, Fi, Jesse, and even Maddie are involved in helping to bring down a human trafficking ring in Miami that specializes in Japanese women and is run by members of the Yakuza (essentially the Japanese version of the Italian mafia). Jesse met a woman whose cousin was abducted by the traffickers and is being held in Miami. Sam, Fi, and Jesse are able to capture one member of the trafficking ring and get him to a secluded spot where nobody will be able to bother them during their interrogation. When the normal means of getting the subject to talk fail, Maddie forcibly volunteers herself to help gain the “prisoner’s” trust, much to Michael’s dismay. In order to keep his “I’m the boss” cover in tact, Michael has to berate and get physical with Maddie. Michael harnesses his father’s temperament and acts it out on Maddie, who even seems shocked at how well Michael does it. In the end though, it all works out and the kidnapped women are rescued and the Yakuza guys are locked up and extradited back to Japan.

This episode had several perks to it that helped serve it up as a very good episode. First. A couple times during the show, Michael’s new handler Max tries to sneak up on Michael, and both times, Michael greets him before Max gets within 10 feet of him, much to Max’s chagrin. Second. It appears Fi is looking for a new place to live. Early in the episode, she and Michael are checking out an apartment, when Michael (of course) gets called away. Fi notes later that the apartment was nice, but there was no place for her to display her snow globes. The big shocker (I guess) is at the end of the episode when Michael shows Fi the shelves he is making for her to keep her  snow globes on…in his, I mean, THEIR loft. After 4 seasons, Michael finally decides that he wants Fi to live with him! Last but not least, is the insight we got into Michael’s father, as imitated by Michael. We always knew that Papa Westen was 3 things: a drunk, an abuser, and of course a major ass. But it wasn’t until this episode that we got any glimpse of what it was like in the Westen household prior to Papa Westen’s passing. It’s now much more obvious that Michael, Nate, and Maddie’s lives were deeply effected by papa’s behavior. But if it had not been for Papa Westen being an asshole, we wouldn’t get to live each week with an amazing spy who has captivated and enthralled us for 4 years. See you all next week.
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When we pick up in season 5, Michael has one target left on his list and he is the key to bringing the organization to a crashing halt. Joining him in his quest is his new handler Max (played by former Melrose Place alum Grant Show). Backing them up is their boss Reese (played by Dylan Baker, who I remember most from the 1991 John Candy film Delirious). Michael and Max are able to find their target, but before they can take him into custody, the target kills himself, seemingly leaving Michael with no alternatives left to find out and finally destroy the people that ruined his life.

Contributing very little to the episode, but still always major players are Sam and Fiona. Something different this season, is that Michael and Fi are now living together, and I can only imagine what kind of craziness will ensue from their newly developed cohabitation. Former spy Jesse Porter is back this season, although I’m not sure how much he’ll be involved with the show.

Overall, the first episode of the season was a great starting point for the running storyline, and I can’t wait to see how it develops and where it goes from here. Anyone who watched the episode was treated and maybe a bit surprised to see a slimmed down version of Sam Axe and his portrayer (the always awesome) Bruce Campbell. Obviously when Bruce did the Sam Axe prequel movie, he busted his butt and got himself into shape, which can only be a good thing. From what I’ve read, we are going to be getting a lot of cool special guests this season, and I can’t wait for them to start popping up. Until next week fans. See you then.
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Everything he thinks, and has figured out, is in for a change. Throw in his usual Robin Hood escapades and Season Four of Burn Notice is proof that sometimes as a television show progresses it can move past its premise and remain appointment television.

As Season Four progresses, the key thing that Matt Nix as showrunner is proving is that the long term goal of the program isn’t Michael Westen as the same sort of vigilante he’s been in the past. This is him figuring out things he wasn’t supposed to be about the people who burned him and why, leading to a shocking conclusion and violent finale that sets up season five in a remarkably different way than before.

It’s a really bold step from Nix, who could’ve ridden out another couple seasons with Westen slowly but surely working his way around while engaging in his usual sorts of shenanigans, but he does it in a quick and efficient manner. This is a radical shift change, especially with the introduction of a new character in Jesse (Bell) who Michael needs to accomplish his mission as well as keep some information secret from. It’s a different dynamic as it throws off the chemistry between Donovan, Anwar and Campbell to this degree: it makes it that much more interesting. All three have grown to the point where as actors they might have gotten comfortable with one another; Bell’s introduction into the cast in a major role, as well as the advancement of the series’ overall arching plot at a natural pace, gives Burn Notice a more nuanced dynamic.

This isn’t the same comfort zone; Nix is pushing the show in a different direction and it works wonderfully. He has the same crew that works together wonderfully, with some old guest stars popping in for some memorable episodes, and continues to bring out intriguing and engaging storylines. We get to see Michael Westen more in his element as opposed to being out in the cold trying to figure it out. It makes for a better show because now we get to see the vaunted skill set of the character in a more functional setting than beating up a goon of the week.

Where does the show go from here? Who knows. Burn Notice has been so consistently good that Season Five has a lot to live up to.

Presented in a widescreen format with a Dolby Digital format, Burn Notice has a terrific a/v presentation. Miami is a beautiful place and Burn Notice has always managed to take advantage of it. The transfer brings it out wonderfully as well.


Sam Axe’s Guide to Ladies and Libations is a piece on Bruce Campbell’s character Sam.

Best Laid Plans: the Stunts of Burn Notice is a piece on the stunt work done in the series. It’s a rehash of the same extra from last season’s release on how they try to make every stunt an actual stunt and not CGI, et al.

A Gag Reel and Deleted Scenes, as well as Commentary Tracks, are scattered throughout the set on various episodes.


Burn Notice is one of the best things on television and manages to continue to do so by taking big risks with its structure for a large payoff.


20th Century Fox presents Burn Notice (Season Four). Created by Matt Nix. Starring Bruce Campbell, Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Coby Bell. Running time: 773 minutes. Not Rated. Released on DVD: June 7, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
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