Burn Notice - season 3 end

Well there is no question that a bunch of the loose endsa are getting sown up for the television show Burn Notice. The season ending episode was not a huge cliff hanger. It wasn't even a great episode. But it was very ominous.

As the episode starts we get a recap of the start of the series. We get a refresher in who caused Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) to be in Miami. We see how everything has been a long trip ever deeper into the web that "Management" has woven.

Honestly I didn't find Simon, the main bad guy that was orchestrating events from afar for the season, to be all that impressive. He might have been a murderer, but so have several of the people on this show. Possibly even Westen himself.

What was interesting was how little we saw of Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) and Sam (Bruce Campbell). Their roles were minor, almost side thoughts. True they did provide a critical bit of help through the episode, but they were just in the shadows and not really working with Michael. They were more like employees. Which is a dark forboding thing to notice.

Michael's mother, Maddie (Sharon Gless), on the other hand was quite prominent. She was the other side of the Westen personality. The side we have grown so interested in watching. She held out, resisting the pressure of the oppresive world of operatives to hold out hope and believe in the right thing.

That's what this episode was. A battle of what is right, and what is effective. Michael has to choose. And that was the choice he never truly made turning down Management the first time.

The first time was about the selfish interests of Westen. His misguided belief that he could just start over, back where he left off. His denial that he had to make a choice, because ultimately life is black and white not shades of gray.

3 times in this episode Westen had the chance to change his course. He could have taken a different path. He could have made a choice to do the right thing. But each time he did what was effective.

I surmised at the begining of this season, and a couple of seasons ago, that Westen was being set up. That the time off was really just a training exercise. A way for Management to mold and corrupt Westen so that he could ultimately embrace their offer. Slowly he changed, and finally too them up on the offer.

Thus we are left with a bigger cliff hanger than previously, without all the excitement and explosions. Michael Westen has isolated himself in the heart of Management. His friends have been pushed aside. His mother abandonded. He is walking the path that ultimately leads to the very people he struggled with in the beginning.

The last battle for Westen, and I think the last season for the series, will be the battle that he has with himself. He has gone too far to ever become a spy like he was before the burn notice. He no longer has the unconditional support of friends and family he once had. All that is left are the missions from Management, and the means by which he acheives them. Given time, the nature of the work is sure to eat at his soul.

I didn't like the way this episode ended the season. I do like the way that the story arc has finally beenset to close. I'm hoping that next season will be filled with this biggest battle. But you can see how all the actors are getting tired with their roles. The writers are running out of fresh places to go. This needs to lead to the season where either a monster is set loose, or is killed.

And somehow, either way, I don't think Michael Westen survives.

Burn Notice: Friendly Fire

So after the tepid start of the season, the next episode for Burn Notice picks up the pace a bit. It's more of the familiar, but at least this time the cast look and feel like they want to be involved in the acting.

Friendly Fire is more of what we enjoy about this show. Smart plans, stylish execution, and an interesting yet swarmy bad guy that you just want to dislike and see taken down. This is true of the Vega (Danny Trejo) and Rincon characters in the episode, and the Gilroy character for the seasonal arc.

You just have to love the outfit that Michael Westen wears to emphasize his role as a bad ass from hell. This episode truly had a flair of the exotic. And it was perfect.

The timing of misdirection, playing on deep-seated religous fears, and just the persona made watching the episode enjoyable. Plus it was interesting to watch Jeffery Donovan play a role that had a hint of mayhem to it. The snap-of-death was a great touch, when matched with the deep brooding look and the constant looking down.

The side story of Sam (Bruce Campbell) was a bit less interesting, though it did fill out a bit more about his character. Learning more about his past gives me the indication that something is about to happen to him in this story arc that most fans will not enjoy.

Then there is the lovestory between Westen and Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar). I can't buy it. I'm sorry but she is too damn skinny. I just can't see anyone wanting to be with a bunch of bones except a dog. Seriously the director and producers should let the woman gain 15 pounds, maybe 25.

But going beyond my personal tastes, you can see where this is headed too. The fact that they are getting so close, again for them, only means that the major story arc is going to cause an issue neither can like with. There's just no room in war for love, and their business is war.

Was this the best episode of the show ever? No. Not even close. But it was one of the more stylish, and far better than average. It definitely was better than the season opening episode. It was more of a reason to keep watching the series, at the very least.

So what can we conclude at this point? Not much. Just that Michael and Fiona are going to get very close and then very far apart. Sam will have a major crisis that no one will be able to help him with.

I also suspect that the original people responsible for Michael getting his burn notice are coming back. With a vengance. They haven't forgotten about the wayward spy that cost them their Miami operations. The fact that he has survived, and flourished to a degree means they want his services more than ever.

Gilroy is a trap. He is the means to push Westen further away from ever working for the U.S. and good guys. He is their way in. Perhaps by providing Michael with a choice he cannot refuse. Work for us, or let the monster that Gilroy is continue to be loose in Miami and the world.

That's how I see the long major arc turning out. And that would be quite a season ending situation. Westen stuck with that choice of 2 evils and no option out of it.

Perhaps the season will go in a different direction, but the clue is in this episode. Westen and crew helped a bad guy to take down a bigger bad guy. The net result still kept a negative in place, all for the price of removing a child molester who deserved to be in jail (or worse).

It's a slippery slope down, and if it spirals it could be a vortex that takes everything with it. Which would be great television to watch happen. But we will see how close I am to the truth.

Burn Notice is back for season 4

The latest season of USA Networks hit show Burn Notice starteed last night. All the characters that we love are back, as is the main theme of the show. But somehow there seems to be something off.

The episode was the usual mix of Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) going out to help some innocent from criminals that only care about money and a longer arcing background issue. In the first season that issue was finding out who burned him and ended his career as a spy. In the next season it was Westen trying to get back into the spy biz. Now its some unknown radical mecenary that wants to use Westen for some unknown reason or else all of the friends and family of Westen will go bye bye.

The concept is solid enough. It adds a flavor of danger and imminent need. But maybe its a touch too much like season 2 to feel original.

Let's leave that for the moment. The episode at hand had a woman whose husband was killed in a car insurance scam. He was doing it because the family needed money badly. Now the bad guys are thretening the family that if they don't sue the city, and hand over any restitutions, well you can imagine what will happen.

The team goes to work and with a mix of good timing, bad timing, and a touch of over the top acting (on purpose) the bad guys are outwitted in their own game. The only difference this time is that Westen's mother (Sharon Gless) was drawn into the plan. And in this she ws forced to act like the operatives that everyone else on the team has been. That means that a budding friendship was destroyed, and in terms without question, while placing this innocent's (Tyne Daly) job at risk.

But by the end of the episode all has worked out for the best. Even the relationship between Michael and his mother improves after he arranges things to ensure that his mother's former new asset friend will not lose her job.

And then we learn that the mysterious figure has a plan that Michael Westen and crew must do. The plan, and exactly who this is is still not clear. But it just feels so much like Carla at that arc's start.

In fact the whole episode felt like something I'd seen before. The actors seemed somewhat bored. It was nothing blatant or easily identified, but over the episode you just felt like this was all done before. It wasn't the usual crisp pace and more or less intense acting. It was just there.

Still there have been bad episodes in this series before. The writting has dropped off and an arc has had missteps before it became a interesting foreground storyline. But the question remains if season 4 is just after the peak of the show. Did it jump the shark by saving Fiona (a still too thin Gabrielle Anwar) and killing (literally) Westen's chance at getting back into the official operative world?

As a fan I won't judge the series yet. As a ctitic I have my doubts at what might be next. Either way, the next 2 or 3 episodes at the most will likely reveal what state the show is now in and what future it might have.

Catching up with Burn Notice

So with the holiday on my heels I took the time to catch up with my favorite spy without a job. Yes, Michael Westen of Burn Notice has been quite busy. And the 3rd season of the show has not let me down.

When last we saw Michael, his sort of girlfriend Fiona, and boozy buddy Sam the group that put out the burn notice that created the problems for Michael had just decided to give him a taste of what freedom is like. Following the adage of be careful what you ask for, the show is shoveling the repercussions down Michael’s throat. So far, not one has been good.

The reason is that with his unwanted employers gone, and no other Government Agency willing to go near Westen, all protection he had is gone. That means the police suddenly have links to our trio, and so does every Government with a chip on their shoulder for something Westen did to them in the past.

So far, as of the 4th episode, Sam has been audited. Fiona has had her background checked, as have Nate (Michael’s brother) and likely his mom. Michael himself though is really getting it thick. He has been betrayed by a former friend with an inferiority complex, weathered the return of Brennan, and hounded by police officer Paxson at every turn.

I really like the Paxson character. She is a no bull hard-line detective that goes after her suspects like a pitbull. You might even think she could like Michael, if she wasn’t so possessed with busting him for anything. Of course trying to get her fired, and succeeding in costing the job of her partner, in one episode didn’t help smooth things between the 2.

Probably the best episode so far was the one with Brennan. His return was exactly what you might expect. Pissed off for being double crossed last season, wanting to exact revenge and get paid doing it. His weapon of choice? Do what I say or brother Nate dies, painfully.

The episode shows off Westen’s skills and the speed of his mind versus a character virtually as smart and definitely more ruthless. The fact that Michael is smart enough to pull in the help of Sam, Fiona, and recurring character Barry really makes the difference. Though I found his major bluff at the end of the show to be particularly brilliant. It plays off of his obvious compassion for children, a fact it seems that even the bad guys have noticed.

I hand it to the writers for doing their jobs well. Having reached the peak of the initial quest in the show last season there were big questions to what might happen next. Could the show continue and be interesting? What would be the new motivation? Would any of it make sense?

As of the 4th episode all the questions have been answered with a positive. Perhaps the only issue I have with the show so far is that Officer Paxson has been mostly taken out of the picture. She added a complexity that was fun to watch, especially as she timed her entrances to be of the most distraction and hindrance to the crew at work. Though she may play a part in future episodes.

But the new questions facing the trio are interesting, if not as volatile as in the first 2 seasons. Fiona wants Michael to stay in Florida and have their relationship grow. Michael wants to get back to the life he had before, while protecting his family from the huge list of people that really would rather he was dead and grieving their loss. Sam though seems content to have a friend around, especially if he can buy a round or 5 from time to time.

Ultimately though the fact that a spy can’t just stop and not have a major organization behind them will catch up with Westen. His prospective employers from season 1 and 2 have not given up on keeping Westen in their fold. They are simply biding their time to re-enter his life when he is at his lowest and most needy point. And you can see it coming.

It seems highly likely that Brennan will be back yet again, and may be the final key to forcing Michael to submit to Management’s offer.

If the writing keeps the current pace and quality, I expect that the show will have 1 or 2 more seasons before the running plot just gets either too absurd, or repetitive. So if you haven’t had the time to watch the current season, I’d recommend looking out for the repeats. And if you can make the time, catch the first runs as they hit each week.

Burn Notice season ending episode

The season end to Burn Notice was not quite what I expected. From the start of the season I was lead to believe a different outcome was in store. And some believed the show was starting to become to A-Team like in its storyline. Little did we all know.

In one episode we lost Victor and Carla, met the management, and wondered if Michael has placed himself into hotter water than he started off with. It was an episode that begs the statement

“Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.”

Now I stated in the season opening episode that I expected the fatal flaw of Michael to be his attachment to families in need and children. That was capitalized on by Victor in this episode. But much to my surprise it was not a double cross as I would have expected from this character.

I liked this episode. Bullets flew, bombs blew up, and the logical result of someone getting shot and dead actually happened. But there were twists in exactly how that all played out. With a logical reason for the show to continue to go on.

No longer will Michael be trying to find who burned him, nor why. His big motivation will undoubtedly be surviving the attacks of all the enemies he has garnered in his lifetime as an operative. If his mother hated the sudden need to move before, she really is going to have problems now.

Add to this the fact that there will likely be trouble in Paradise for Fiona, and Sam. Fiona has the very real proposition of being a target, or having to see Michael compromised into a man she does not love. Sam will have to deal with the repercussions of picking Michael over the safety of the family he was entrusted to guard. Neither is a positive.

Michael will likely have the most precarious position. He is open to attack by everyone he has ever crossed. He cannot go forward with the love of his life without causing her more potential danger than their work usually entails. His deep seated need to protect and shield his family from his work has evaporated. His trusted friend has broken his trust. And in the background, a shadowy group waits to be his savior – at the cost of his soul.

Will Michael become the next Carla? Will he be warped into a maniacal form of Victor? How long can he withstand the forces that wish to destroy him with the limited resources he can gather? How tainted is his soul after executing Victor?

These are all questions that need to be addressed in the next season of Burn Notice. The manner in which they come up, and are answered may well determine the life of the show.

One thing that struck me, at the end of this season, is the narration of Michael. While before it was just interesting and more of a thought in his mind kind of exposition, I came to a new understanding. That is if the show goes where I think it will (ultimately leading to his replacing Carla).

Thus his commentary is more a memoir, or tale of woe to those he will be recruiting. This is Michael explaining how he came to be in the employ of the Company, possibly even in its upper management. It’s a tale similar to the Godfather series of films in that our protagonist seems incapable of escaping the horrors and suffering he ultimately inflicts.

The season ending episode did do one thing very well. It gave me a reason to check out next season. There isn’t much more, or better, that a television show can do for the audience. Bravo.

Burn Notice starts new season after a bang

The new season of Burn Notice on USA Network has started. Not with a bang, but the aftermath of one.



In last seasons cliffhanger we saw our favorite ex-spy virtually blown up, which can never be good for the spirit nor the body. And it wasn’t as we quickly see.

Michael () is in very bad shape. Injured he barely has enough time to assess his near death before he is under chase again. And he is not happy about it.

Now let me take a step back for a moment. I did not start out as a fan of this program. In fact, I rarely bothered to watch the initial episodes. But as this new season approached I had the chance to see several episodes back to back. Add to that the occasional episode I saw during the first run. Combined this has caught my interest.

One of the biggest factors for my interest is Bruce Campbell (Sam Axe on the show). I am a fan of his characters and find his presence on the small and large screen to be fun and comforting. He adds a bit of whimsy to his characters and any situation he is in. And for this show his character takes away from the drama and constant action without distraction. Without his character you would be left with a very bad version of James Bond in Miami.

One of the worst things about the show is Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar). Often called Fi, she is the other side of Bruce Campbell’s Sam. She is violent, short-tempered, and near anorexic. She is supposed to be an expert fighter and the ex-girlfriend of our star Michael. I can understand why she is an ex. With due respect she needs to eat a cheeseburger, or 20.

There is a difference of being skinny and looking anorexic to me. As she looks like slightly more than bones I am always amazed when she is in any physical confrontation, like when the wind is blowing. Let alone anytime she gets into an actual fight. Perhaps that is why her character is successful, no one would ever expect her to survive hitting anyone, let alone getting hit.

And of course I should mention Jeffrey Donovan playing Michael, our ex-operative seeking vengeance. He is played well as the balance between the 2 extremes of his cohorts. He is intelligent without feeling like the omniscient Bond. He practices often giving credibility to what he can do. The narratives that occur on the show (voiced by his character), explaining critical decisions or responses, make perfect sense and fill in otherwise obvious plot holes.

Another thing I like about the entire show is that everyone can be hurt. Being caught in an explosion leaves bruises, being punched can make you bleed. Nothing is worse than watching a character being beat down by 3 guys and standing up without a scratch, or being caught in an explosion and 5 minutes later running around as if they just got out of the gym with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Back to the new season. It follows the usual theme of someone needing Michael’s help while he is sporadically interrupted by Carla. Though now Carla (Tricia Helfer – the 2 best thing about Battlestar Galactica) and Michael are seemingly aligned in learning who tried to kill him - thus hinder Carla’s interests. Carla, and perhaps a well-funded organization behind her, are responsible for Michael having lost his profession. Michael despises this group, and Carla, who enforce his subservience via threats on his family.

And as the show is progressing family is a bigger and bigger theme in our ex-spy’s life. In several episodes he has gone against his training and better judgment to come to the aid of children, and families, in need. This is his fatal flaw I believe. And I expect will be used against him at some point.

The season opening show was good. I won’t go further into details of the episode beyond the fact that it is again the needs of a child that motivates him. And that the mysterious Carla and her organization may not be as large or well-funded as we may have first thought.

The reason I am interested in this program is that it is intelligent. Yes there are explosions every episode, and yes most of the shots miss everything as if it were an episode of the A-Team. But Michael and the team think through their missions. It’s more akin to the original Mission Impossible than the average television fare.

Is the show absolutely compelling? No. But if you spend the time to catch up with the histories of the characters, you will find yourself interested in the on-going story arcs and subtlies of the program.

Burn Notice is not the best program on televison right now, nor the most watched (the 2 are not often related) but it is a worthwhile departure from the norm. It’s a program that you can watch and remember what you have seen afterward, which these days is hard to find.

Movie trailers for fall 2008

Ok time for a couple of quick movie previews. The following movies will be coming out later this year, and a couple of them I will preview and/or review later. But this will give you a taste of what is to be expected.

First on the list is Max Payne. This is supposed to be the movie version of a successful video game. Yes, yet another videogame converted to a movie. Now will that mean it will be good? That’s a question as while Mark Wahlberg is in the film (and he does a decent action film – see The Big Hit) they have departed from the games storyline to give it a Constantine style theme. It seems the writers never bothered to play Max Payne, or they thought the gritty New York cop on a vendetta (and more than a few painkillers) was not intriguing enough. As long as it’s better than last years Hitman video game-to-movie flop it will be successful.



Then there is the 3rd remake of the Punisher comic book. Yes another comic book to movie attempt. This one is Punisher: War Zone. Now Marvel has been trying to get this right time and again. The prior 2 tries were so bad that they can’t even be called laughable. This one looks to be a bit grittier and darker, which sounds more like the character in the comics. Will Ray Stevenson be the man to finally bring this to life or will it be another straight to DVD bargain bin write-off for Marvel? The trailer says it will work, the history says failure. More soon.



A film that will be out shortly is Bangkok Dangerous. This is the chance for Nicholas Cage to resurrect himself from the horrible films he had out earlier this year (NEXT and Ghost Rider). It looks like this time he actually did some acting, though the character and action scenes remind me of his role in the film ConAir. A hitman looking to get revenge, and paid, can be a great idea and the setting in Bangkok won’t hurt.





Of course there is one thing that serious movie fans might want to know. This is a remake, an Americanized version of a film from 2000



Moving on to something that should keep us guessing is Eagle Eye. The premise seems fresh, so I have no idea where Hollywood came up with it. Considering the low-brow, unimaginative, boring, illogical nature of most movies these days this is a big surprise. Random people are used to act on behalf of an unknown group for an unknown reason, and the Government has a hard-on to get these average joes fast. (I wonder if the writers from USA Network’s Burn Notice were involved with this?)



Now a probable winner of a film should be the next 007 movie Quantum of Solace. The new blonde and more hands on physical James Bond (Daniel Craig) did a great job in Casino Royale. This next film looks to follow on that story directly. Bond is bitter and twisted in this film, and it’s bollocks for M or anyone else in his way. A more emotional and violent Bond film, this should keep the franchise alive and well.



Well this is a film that will certainly make money. Saw V. There really isn’t much more to say. The only trailer is very unclear, beyond the fact that someone is having a very bad day.



More reviews and trailers coming soon.