Burn Notice

Burn Notice is a show I felt like has been around forever. It aired between 2007 - 2013. I remember liking the series for having that "help the helpless" feeling I got from older shows like The Pretender and Quantum Leap. Although at times I had to bite my teeth whenever they did actually kill someone (Someone compiled a kill count here). Then around season 5 I realized the plot shifted in the opposite direction when the main character, Michael Westen, decided to rebuild what he was trying to dismantle. Then season 6 went even more south when one of the main characters die. I guess that was the producer's way of telling you that things are going to get serious from here on out. I think most people will agree that they will stop liking a show when there is a cast change (See: Sliders).

I did watch the entire show all over again. However, I did not make any notes. Most of the summary I'm going to provide is from what I remember after finishing the series. So don't expect any notations about how long Sam had that nice red convertible before having to sacrifice it in the season finale or which episodes Michael's black Charger was out of commission (There was one episode where they even used ducktape to try and keep it running). And as weird as it sounds: Episodes 7 and 11 from Season 1 through 4 seem to be the best episodes. One thing to remember is the show was encountering a lot of problems shooting in Miami. There are a couple of episodes where the audio sounds odd because they had to re-record over high winds or the sounds of a jet engine airplane flying overhead. You will see it if you watch the gag reels.

So without extending this blog post any further, here's my list:

Pilot Note: The style of Madeline's hair, the extended Miami sexy figure transitional shots, the highly unusual and controversial club music, and Fiona's heavy Irish accent are all reduced to a more tolerable level after the initial episode. Although these things are highly distracting, most of the series relies heavily to what happens in this episode. It originally aired an hour long but does have an hour and half international version.

Season 1: Michael Weston goes through several agencies in search of why he received a Burn Notice - two FBI agents, CSS agent, and a NSA agent.
Season 1 Finale: Gets a phone call from a woman and pulls his car into a semi-trailer not knowing what will happen next.
Memorable Episode: Episode 7 "Broken Rules" Michael poses as a crazed thief competing for a crime gang's territory.

Season 2: Michael Weston is coerced by an unknown organization. He investigates (Agent) Carla and (Asset) Victor while accomplishing small tasks for them.
Season 2 Finale: Jumps out of a plane miles away from the shore.
Memorable Episode: Episode 7 "Rough Seas" - Michael must pretend to be a well-known chemist to find out what happened to a batch of drugs.
Memorable Episode: Episode 11 "Hot Spot" Michael and the gang dress up to help a football coach stop a gang of car thieves

Season 3a (1-9): Without protection from the organization, a Miami Detective Paxson begins investigating Michael Weston. He is also contacted by a freelance spy broker Tom Strickler that says he can make everything go away. In the process, Michael keeps in touch with an undercover CIA agent.
Season 3b (10-16): Former MI6 Spy Gilroy watches and then recruits Michael into accomplishing tasks for a high-paying job.
Memorable Episode: Episode 7 "Shot in the Dark" - Michael comes to the aid of a teenage boy with a violent and abusive stepfather who is trying to take custody away from his mother by convincing a man he is crazy.
Memorable Episode: Episode 11 "Friendly Fire" - Michael helps track down a child predator for one of Sam's old friends, and winds up igniting a war between two rival gang leaders.

Season 4: While doing a job for a man named Vaughn, Michael unintentionally burns a spy (Jesse Porter) that works for the DOD. He then works with him (without him knowing the truth at first) to try and undo the Burn Notice. The search leads them to a couple of assassins from previous seasons - Simon, Larry, Tyler Brennan - while gaining the assistance of a congressman and Jesse's old handler Marv.
Season 4 Finale: Michael and Fi hold out against Vaughn and his men while waiting for Sam to come rescue them.
Memorable Episodes: Episode 7 "Past and Future Tense" Michael helps a former Cold War spy against a Russian team.

Season 5 Note: Within the first five minutes of Season 5, a video montage shows Michael completely dismantling the organization. This is perhaps the moment people feel as if it isn't worth watching the show anymore. I do find the CIA murder investigation in the first half of the season interesting but the show turns sour when for the first time (I feel) Michael intentionally does wrong all for what he thinks is for the greater good.
Season 5a (1-12): Michael Weston unofficially works with the CIA but is framed for murdering his partner. He hides his involvement from a CIA investigator for as long as possible while searching for the truth.
Season 5b (13-18): The last undiscovered member of the organization Anson tricks Fi into detonating a bomb that kills people. He then uses the evidence to blackmail Michael into rebuilding what he tore down.
Season 5 Finale: Fi turns herself in and Michael's CIA team falls apart when Anson foils their mission.

Season 6 and 7 Note: Despite the overarching storylines contained in the previous seasons, each episode could be watched individually for their own self-contained plot. At this point the so-called "clients" are a thing in the past and the series decides to maintain an extended grittier version of Michael Weston. Jesse is added to the introduction and a collaboration of previous episodes compound what people must know to understand the current one. Questions about morality and sacrifice drown out whatever enjoyment the series once had.
Season 6a (1-6): Michael chases down Anson while Fi tries to survive prison. Both Nate and Anson get killed by a sniper.
Season 6b (7-18): Michael discovers who killed Nate and who hired him. Michael gets in a lot of heat from killing the corrupted CIA agent and attempts to get help from an unordinary source for leaving the country. In the meantime, Fi gets assignments from the CIA.
Season 7: In exchange for keeping his friends and family out of prison for being part of murdering a CIA operative, Michael Weston agrees to track down and put a stop to a terrorist organization. But instead of stopping them, Michael Weston starts to believe in working for the cause (sounds weird I know). His friends help clear his mind.

 

 4-21-2017