Thoughts on Burn Notice, a new love of mine
I have so much love for Burn Notice. It's smart, snappy, entertaining and also very funny. I last saw Jeffrey Donovan when he played Kyle, Jarod's brother in The Pretender. When I read about Burn Notice, I wasn't really interested, mainly because I associated Donovan with Kyle. Nonetheless, now I adore him. He's not good-looking per se, sometimes he looks like a young Val Kilmer mixed in with a bit of Ben Browder plus a dash of Stephen Baldwin about the smile. Mostly I like his irreverent humour. If anyone's looking for a new, good show to watch, Burn Notice is definitely it. I smiled my way through the plane trip to France, let down only by my iPod batteries :0
When spies get fired, they don't get a letter from human resources. They get BURNED...
Blurb: The action/spy genre gets a refreshing update with USA Network's newest original series, Burn Notice. Jeffrey Donovan stars as Michael Westen, an international spy who suddenly finds himself blacklisted. Dumped in his hometown of Miami without money or resources, Michael struggles to put his life back together and find out why he's been burned. In the meantime, he uses his unique skills and training to help people in need ... mostly people who can't get help from the police.
Michael is joined by Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) an ex-IRA operative, who also happens to be an ex-girlfriend; and Sam (Bruce Campbell), a washed-out military intelligence contact who's being used by the feds to keep tabs on Michael.
He's also forced to confront the family he went halfway around the world to get away from - particularly his mother, Madeline (Sharon Gless) who couldn't be happier to have her son back in town.
Spoilers for the season 2 Pretender episode Red Rock Jarod :)
When Jarod responds to an email he believes was sent to him by Sydney, Jarod finds himself in the hands of someone he once thought dead. Jarod also meets a boy who is in need of a heart transplant. Meanwhile, Miss Parker closes in on Jarod. But she's in for a surprise when she meets his captor. In this episode, Jarod and Kyle are reunited.
Jarod tries hard to reach his tormented and twisted brother.
And finally Kyle understands why Jarod does the things he does, helping people ...
Alas, before he can do good, he is killed.
And his last legacy is that Jarod gives his heart to a young boy
How wonderfully 'right' it seems then that the actor who plays Kyle then goes on to play Michael Westen, a man who ends up 'doing good' on a weekly basis despite himself :)
This is Michael Westen (he's developed a tan since his Pretender days ;):
After 10 years of serving his country working in Eastern Europe and the OPEC countries as a covert operative, in the middle of a dangerous mission in Nigeria, Michael's "contact" informs him that he has been "burned" i.e. his job has been terminated.
His life is in danger, his bank accounts are frozen, they dump him in Miami, and flag him on every government list known to man. They don't kill him for some reason but they make it so that he can't work again.
Michael's different mission is to find out who issued his burn notice and why he was blacklisted so that he can put his life back together.
He needs to fund his cause so in order to survive in Miami, he joins forces with his only two "friends" left in the world.
Sam (Bruce Campbell) a washed-out military intelligence contact whom the feds have keeping an eye on Michael. These days Sam's life revolves around mojitos, Sugar Mommas and bikini watching. Nonetheless, even though he's 'spying' on Michael, he's reliable and loyal.
And Fiona Glenanne (Gabrielle Anwar) an ex-IRA operative who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend. Since leaving the IRA, she has since gone out on her own, picking up odd jobs and using her skills in explosives, lock picking, tracking, weapons, and hand-to-hand combat to make a living.
Fiona is definitely trigger-happy. Michael's reluctant to re-kindle the very complicated relationship but Fiona is stubborn and loyal. I love her so much. She's totally the anti-heroine, not at all like what you're supposed to like in a heroine but she's so funny, brave and loyal.
Michael has to deal with his mother again, even though part of the reason he took up the job was to run away from his family :)
Now, Michael makes a living by helping those in need, usually people are desperate but can't go to the police. Using his training, his Magyver-like talents and his sardonic sense of humour, Michael becomes a reluctant hero. The whole A Team, Littlest Hobo, The Pretender gig could become old fast, but there's something really adorable about the way Michael, Sam and Fiona work together.
The show is funny and characters are introduced with a pithy summary:
Michael is surprisingly likeable and Westen plays him perfectly - a combination of cool, flip, sensitive and repressed.
I personally find Fiona and Michael a hilarious and delightful combination.
He'll never say what he feels but he does admit that what he had/has with Fiona comes closest
