Burn Notice - Lesser Evil with Michael Shanks
The season 2 finale of Burn Notice was packed full of action, intrigue, plot twists and big reveals. This was riveting television that kept me glued to my seat. From the point where Michael and Victor team up to the end of the episode, the action is non-stop and the quips are flying too. Sam, Fi and Maddy all have great lines and active roles. Every scene with Victor and Michael together is golden. The ending? The ending is a killer.
~~~Spoilers ahead~~~
The finale follows directly from last week's episode which ended with Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) overpowering and capturing Victor Stecker-Epps (Michael Shanks). It turns out that Victor is, indeed, the person who tried to kill all of Carla's operatives, including Michael. But as the episode unfolds we discover Victor's tragic backstory.
Michael: "...you tried to kill me four times."
Victor: "That seems a little high. Wait - you're counting the chair?
Victor's not the maniacal psychopath we've been led to believe he is. He's a man whose wife and four year old son were killed the day he got his burn notice - all of which was engineered by Carla as part of his "recruitment". For five years, Victor has been chafing under Carla's control with no one to turn to and the only thing that has kept him going is the thought of getting revenge. It's this reveal, verified by Fi and Michael, which turns Victor from Michael's enemy into Michael's client.
Victor: "Wait, you're going to help me? I get to be one of Michael Westen's clients? One of the desperate people to whom you lend your razor sharp mind and fists of fury?"
Michael: Lucky you.
It just as Sam said last week - Victor is like Michael on rabies. Or make that, what Michael easily could have been if he didn't have Sam, Fi, and his mom to turn to. Michael and his crew all realize that and empathize with Victor.
Naturally, as a Michael Shanks fan, I'd been hoping there would be a way to turn this into a recurring role. My hopes were raised when Victor came clean with Michael and became his client. I thought Michael Shanks did a good job of showing Victor’s pain and weariness after years of living alone under Carla's thumb, his wife and son both dead at her command. Finally after five years, Victor had someone to trust, someone who shared his agenda of taking down the organization that had ruined his life. Michael and Victor head out to make things happen.
Some of the highpoints:
Sam has been sent to get Maddy out of town - specifically to Disneyworld. Sam surprises her exercising in her living room to Jack LaLane with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth.
Maddy: Why in god's name would I want to go to Disney world?
Sam: Because it's a magical kingdom with lots of witnesses and great security.
Before they can leave Maddy's house, the bad guys show up. Sam asks Maddy if she has any Christmas lights then gives her an impromptu lesson on rigging explosives. Laying on the living room floor while bad guys outside shoot at them, Sam and Maddy, used Christmas lights, powdered non-dairy creamer and gunpowder to rig the house to blow. That was fabulous. Once they escape the bad guys, Maddy insists that Sam leave her and go help Michael. She's a tough old bird, calmly walking into a crowd of other 60-something folks and hiding in the open.
Victor and Michael on the run from Carla's guys hole up in a parking garage to change cars. Victor snags a rear view mirror covered in fluffy fuchsia fur to use for peeking around corners. That bit of festive frou-frou contrasts wildly with the life and death nature of their activities.
Fi and Victor respect each other's skills with explosives. As Fi circumvents the boobytrap Victor warned them about on his boat, she remarks to Michael that Victor should teach classes. Later, after, she rigs several cars to explode, Victor says to Michael in an admiring way, "Where did you find her?"
Michael and Victor manage to snag a file that Victor has compiled on Carla and hidden in plain sight. It contains all the things she's been up to that the Management wouldn't like. The plan is to take that file, blackmail their way out of the organization then take Victor's boat to Cuba and lie low for awhile.
As the old maxim goes, the best laid plans often go astray and this certainly holds true here. Incriminating file in hand, Victor and Michael board the boat. As Victor steps back outside to cast off, a shot rings out. He staggers back in, hit in the chest. Carla and her goons are outside. Management is helicoptering in, about to land. Carla is desperate to get that file and kill Victor and possibly Michael. She calls Michael on the boat, but Michael refuses to give her Victor:
Carla: "He's a psychopath!"
Michael: "He's what you made him."
Victor, knowing he's dying anyway, reluctant to end up in the hands of Carla and her ilk, asks Michael to make sure that he's dead. He put his pistol to his heart, but needs Michael's help to pull the trigger. Even then, Victor is still playing the odds, calculating angles, and looking for the win.
Victor: It's over ... the only question is whether you're the traitor who helped me or the ace operative who shot me."
In one of the saddest, most powerful scenes of the series, Michael complies. The acting by both Jeffrey Donovan and Michael Shanks is superb. There are no melodramatic histrionics here, just a subtle, gut wrenching anguish. Victor goes out a tragic hero, using his death to help Michael survive.
In the meantime, Fi and Sam have arrived at the standoff at the boat. Hopelessly outnumbered, Fi manages to get off one shot from a rifle, shooting Carla in the side. As Sam and Fi scamper off under fire from Carla's goons, The Management's helicopter lands.
Michael Westen gets in the helicopter which immediately takes off. The Management is played by John Mahoney, who also played Martin, the father of Niles and Fraiser Crane on the sitcom Fraiser. There's no blue collar geniality here. Management is a hard man to whom people are pawns to be used and nothing else. When Michael saw that he wants out, Management insists that if it weren't for the organization, Westen would be besieged by enemies, insisting that Westen needs their protection. While flying over the ocean, Management opens the door to the helicopter and tells Michael if he wants out he can leave then and there.
Heeding Victor's last words, get out if you get a chance, Michael steps out. Dropping into the water, he begins the long swim to shore.
Overall, this was a kickass ep and an excellent finale. I've been watching the show since the very beginning and greatly enjoy it. Having Michael Shanks as the guest for a mini-arc was the icing on an already tasty cake.
Now, I have to wait until June - JUNE! - until Season 3 begins airing. At least we have the eps up on line at Hulu and at the Network. I plan to watch them a lot, but I think it's time I got the DVDs.
~~~Spoilers ahead~~~
The finale follows directly from last week's episode which ended with Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) overpowering and capturing Victor Stecker-Epps (Michael Shanks). It turns out that Victor is, indeed, the person who tried to kill all of Carla's operatives, including Michael. But as the episode unfolds we discover Victor's tragic backstory.
Michael: "...you tried to kill me four times."
Victor: "That seems a little high. Wait - you're counting the chair?
Victor's not the maniacal psychopath we've been led to believe he is. He's a man whose wife and four year old son were killed the day he got his burn notice - all of which was engineered by Carla as part of his "recruitment". For five years, Victor has been chafing under Carla's control with no one to turn to and the only thing that has kept him going is the thought of getting revenge. It's this reveal, verified by Fi and Michael, which turns Victor from Michael's enemy into Michael's client.
Victor: "Wait, you're going to help me? I get to be one of Michael Westen's clients? One of the desperate people to whom you lend your razor sharp mind and fists of fury?"
Michael: Lucky you.
It just as Sam said last week - Victor is like Michael on rabies. Or make that, what Michael easily could have been if he didn't have Sam, Fi, and his mom to turn to. Michael and his crew all realize that and empathize with Victor.
Naturally, as a Michael Shanks fan, I'd been hoping there would be a way to turn this into a recurring role. My hopes were raised when Victor came clean with Michael and became his client. I thought Michael Shanks did a good job of showing Victor’s pain and weariness after years of living alone under Carla's thumb, his wife and son both dead at her command. Finally after five years, Victor had someone to trust, someone who shared his agenda of taking down the organization that had ruined his life. Michael and Victor head out to make things happen.
Some of the highpoints:
Sam has been sent to get Maddy out of town - specifically to Disneyworld. Sam surprises her exercising in her living room to Jack LaLane with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth.
Maddy: Why in god's name would I want to go to Disney world?
Sam: Because it's a magical kingdom with lots of witnesses and great security.
Before they can leave Maddy's house, the bad guys show up. Sam asks Maddy if she has any Christmas lights then gives her an impromptu lesson on rigging explosives. Laying on the living room floor while bad guys outside shoot at them, Sam and Maddy, used Christmas lights, powdered non-dairy creamer and gunpowder to rig the house to blow. That was fabulous. Once they escape the bad guys, Maddy insists that Sam leave her and go help Michael. She's a tough old bird, calmly walking into a crowd of other 60-something folks and hiding in the open.
Victor and Michael on the run from Carla's guys hole up in a parking garage to change cars. Victor snags a rear view mirror covered in fluffy fuchsia fur to use for peeking around corners. That bit of festive frou-frou contrasts wildly with the life and death nature of their activities.
Fi and Victor respect each other's skills with explosives. As Fi circumvents the boobytrap Victor warned them about on his boat, she remarks to Michael that Victor should teach classes. Later, after, she rigs several cars to explode, Victor says to Michael in an admiring way, "Where did you find her?"
Michael and Victor manage to snag a file that Victor has compiled on Carla and hidden in plain sight. It contains all the things she's been up to that the Management wouldn't like. The plan is to take that file, blackmail their way out of the organization then take Victor's boat to Cuba and lie low for awhile.
As the old maxim goes, the best laid plans often go astray and this certainly holds true here. Incriminating file in hand, Victor and Michael board the boat. As Victor steps back outside to cast off, a shot rings out. He staggers back in, hit in the chest. Carla and her goons are outside. Management is helicoptering in, about to land. Carla is desperate to get that file and kill Victor and possibly Michael. She calls Michael on the boat, but Michael refuses to give her Victor:
Carla: "He's a psychopath!"
Michael: "He's what you made him."
Victor, knowing he's dying anyway, reluctant to end up in the hands of Carla and her ilk, asks Michael to make sure that he's dead. He put his pistol to his heart, but needs Michael's help to pull the trigger. Even then, Victor is still playing the odds, calculating angles, and looking for the win.
Victor: It's over ... the only question is whether you're the traitor who helped me or the ace operative who shot me."
In one of the saddest, most powerful scenes of the series, Michael complies. The acting by both Jeffrey Donovan and Michael Shanks is superb. There are no melodramatic histrionics here, just a subtle, gut wrenching anguish. Victor goes out a tragic hero, using his death to help Michael survive.
In the meantime, Fi and Sam have arrived at the standoff at the boat. Hopelessly outnumbered, Fi manages to get off one shot from a rifle, shooting Carla in the side. As Sam and Fi scamper off under fire from Carla's goons, The Management's helicopter lands.
Michael Westen gets in the helicopter which immediately takes off. The Management is played by John Mahoney, who also played Martin, the father of Niles and Fraiser Crane on the sitcom Fraiser. There's no blue collar geniality here. Management is a hard man to whom people are pawns to be used and nothing else. When Michael saw that he wants out, Management insists that if it weren't for the organization, Westen would be besieged by enemies, insisting that Westen needs their protection. While flying over the ocean, Management opens the door to the helicopter and tells Michael if he wants out he can leave then and there.
Heeding Victor's last words, get out if you get a chance, Michael steps out. Dropping into the water, he begins the long swim to shore.
Overall, this was a kickass ep and an excellent finale. I've been watching the show since the very beginning and greatly enjoy it. Having Michael Shanks as the guest for a mini-arc was the icing on an already tasty cake.
Now, I have to wait until June - JUNE! - until Season 3 begins airing. At least we have the eps up on line at Hulu and at the Network. I plan to watch them a lot, but I think it's time I got the DVDs.