“Why are you a cop?”
“Because I like it, and I’m good at it, and that kid is a killer.”

Returning for its eighth¹ season this Sunday, April 19 at 9/8c, Law & Order: Criminal Intent doesn’t have the cachet of its sister or the mothership, but it keeps trudging along at a high level of competency. Originally built around the mesmerizing performance of Vincent D’Onofrio, the workload on him proved to be too great, so an ingenius solution was devised. L&O vet Chris Noth was brought in to take lead on alternate episodes, halving D’Onofrio’s burden.

That worked successfully for three seasons, swapping cases back and forth between brainy and intuitive Det. Goren and mesomorphic Det. Logan. But Mr. Big was ready to move on (again) and Dick Wolf and his EPs Walon Green, Ed Zuckerman, and John David Coles decided to go another way with Jeff Goldblum.

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1. ! [↩]

I’m not sure what to say about tonight’s season finale. It did everything Burn Notice does well, only bigger. Much, much, BIGGER. Two big car chases, bombs and fireballs, and the biggest blowup to Michael’s situation we’ve seen since the season one finale made this the most packed hour I can recall. Despite all the action, there was still time for humor and a lot of real emotion, making the long wait until June and new episodes that much more of a drag.

Whereas last week was so much fun because Jay Karnes played such a compelling and capable villain, this week was exciting because Michael Shanks played such a compelling and capable client. It’s a real shame we’ve seen the last of Victor.

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Well it wasn’t the right time when we met. It wasn’t the right time when we started dating. It wasn’t the right time when I moved to Miami. No, it was the right time to tell me when she showed up on your front step. Is that about right?

We’re winding down the season and ratcheting up the tension for Michael and friends. First and foremost, Michael needs to deal with the threat Victor poses, so he tells Carla a story, leaving out only the one small detail that her pet has bitten through his leash. He needs Carla to get the suits and sunglasses detail to back off so his hunter can approach, so it’s time to start opening up.

Maybe he should have started that a little bit sooner, at least to Fiona.

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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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