You know why I think your father wired the car the way he did? Because I think he thought if he was the only one who could fix it that we’d always need him. Be more useful, you know. Part of the family.

After the incredible highs of last week, we could expect this week’s episode to let up on the gas a little, but what Burn Notice does so well is mix more introspective episodes with the ones that go boom. An episode where the CotW revolves around a father seeking vengeance for his murdered daughter is a good time to step back, examine relationships, and add resonance to all the characters. In counterpoint, Madeline shows she can be self-sufficient, changing the dynamic of her relationship with Michael in interesting ways.

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No attacking the hosts. No leaving early. No calling the police. I see one cop, I kill three of you. I see two cops, six people die. You can do the math. Now, mess up my party by breaking one of my rules and you can expect me to overreact.

Jason Bly, how I’ve missed you. Don’t get me wrong: Tricia Helfer has been a fun foil¹ for Michael, but I thought season one really sparked once Bly came on the scene and that they got rid of him too quickly. Alex Carter has a particular blend of sly wit and intensity that – for my money – pairs up especially well with Jeffrey Donovan’s.

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1. And, she’s not so bad to look at, either. [↩]

Some spy gets blacklisted goes freelance, he could be standing right in front of you; you wouldn’t even know it.

After the incredible highs of the last two weeks, we had to expect we’d eventually have a bit of a let down. Fortunately, this is Burn Notice, where even the off episodes are eminently entertaining. Plus, we can always count on Fiona and the FX guys to give us some tasty explosions.

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Fiona: Michael McBride. Sometimes I wonder if he’s the one I fell in love with.
Michael: I wouldn’t be surprised. We caused a lot of mayhem, you and I. He was your type of guy.
Fiona: Yes you were. Where did he go?
Michael: Oh you know how it is with cover IDs. You become who you need to be.
Fiona: And everyone gets to guess who you really are.

The dance between Fiona and Michael had been picking up steam before the long winter break and really sped up last week when Campbell broke up with Fi. She’s known for a long time that her feelings for Michael run deep, but her detour with Campbell let her bury them for a time. Now they’re resurfacing, but making her question who Michael really is and wheter he ever felt for her the way she feels for him.

By episode’s end she’ll have the answer.

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Michael’s old toys. Most of them are blown up or taken apart, but I bet we can find a few good ones.

My normal conceit when doing a Burn Notice review is to do a short recap in the character Michael took on for the scam, but I’m not feeling Donny¹ so you’re stuck with me tonight. That’s probably more appropriate for this more serious, straight-ahead episode anyway. This one was raw and more emotional than we’ve ever seen before.

The Recap

Mikey go boom. When we last left Michael Westen, he was diving from his landing inches ahead of a shockwave. Tonight: the aftermath.

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1. He’s a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. [↩]

They said this thing: ‘As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens another man.’ And I realized, Proverbs 27:17? That’s you and me. You showed me the way. – Michael Westen

You might wonder how I got there, you know? I’ve been down for so long, with my ex and everyone against me, I never thought I’d find a way out of this hole. But thanks to Michael and this job he got me involved in, I couldn’t sleep. So I came downstairs to watch TV and I there was a bible program on. It was like they were talking right to me. Like God was telling me everything’s going to be okay.

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What’s that? You didn’t think what? What? You didn’t think Roth would ever get arrested for selling cocaine? What then chucklehead? He’s gonna flip! - Michael Westen

Oh, Mike and I go way back. ’91 or ’92, the Balkans. He’s a good kid. And he knows the score, too. I’ve taken a look at his dossier, and I’m glad he finally figured out how to get paid for what he’s good at. Still a little soft, though.

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Last time you were in town you nearly got her killed. That’s not going to happen again. – Michael Westen

Oh man, oh man. I-I-I don’t think I can do this. Do I have to…what…no. I-I-I really have to go…can I just…why don’t you just…No. No. Okay, okay, okay. It’s okay. Fine. Michael’s going to be late so I’m…do I have to…okay. I’m Jackson and I’ll be going in a minute, I swear. Michael’s going to be right back.

The Recap

Michael and Fiona have a meeting with her friend to ask about the sniper rifle. What? No. He’s an arms dealer. That’s not good. He’s an arms dealer in the middle of a deal with some angry B-B-Bulgarians and he makes Michael be his bodyguard? That’s really not good. At least they make it out in time, even if watching Fiona drive the Saab to shake off that SUV made me a little woozy. It’s okay. They’re okay.

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I’m Jimmy Glynn. Mike asked me to talk to you rats about tonight’s episode. There was a wicked awesome monsoon in Phoenix earlier that knocked out satellite coverage, so this is a little later than usual.

The Recap

Mike takes Carla’s crossword puzzle and tracks down his new wrangler, Victor. He looks like a fruit in a flowered shirt, but he pulls a .22 on Mike pretty damn quick. He hands Mike a cellphone and tells him he needs to keep it with him all the time.

Mike knows while he’s working with Victor, things are gonna be dicey for his ma, so he sends Sam to stay with her. When Sam gets there, he thinks some mook’s setting up cameras, but it’s just a friend of the family helping Madeline out with her VCR. A mook who needs help from Mike. That’s where I come in.

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My name’s Joseph. You’ll have to forgive me if this recapitulation of tonight’s episode does not meet your normal plebian tastes. Michael Westen asked for the best and I can give no less.

The Recap

Michael and Fiona continue to surveil the mail drop where Carla’s post office box is located. A long, boring process with which I am happy not to be involved. An older woman collects the mail and Michael follows her to a nondescript building with no visible security. Ordering a pizza, Michael has the delivery driver behave erratically to explore a theory. The building is watched by a covert team. Later that evening, Michael mounts a webcam on a nearby building to monitor the comings and goings of the security team.

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