Burn Notice - Episode 4.02 - Fast Friends - Recap

In the second episode of the new season of Burn Notice, everyone's favorite burnt spy has to try to save a spy he just burned (Coby Bell) from death while keeping the secret that not only is Michael a burnee, he's also a burner.

There are two kinds of Burn Notice episodes, ones that focus on the client of the week, and ones that focus on the overall story arc. This episode mixed both expertly. When Michael finds out the company he is working for is going to dispose of Jesse in a similar fashion to Michael, Michael reaches out to Jesse only to find out there are some really bad guys hunting the newly burned spy. When Michael helps him out of the jam, he offers to help his new client in order to not only keep him alive, but to gain his trust. As Weston does what he does best, he conflicts with Jesse, as Jesse is a hot trigger, where as Weston is a smooth, think first kind of guy. Despite the conflict, Weston puts on one of his best characters and get the bad guys caught with a whole bunch of guns. When he finds out all is not done, he has to go back in there and work with Jesse before he is executed. It seems like just another day in the life of Michael Weston, but the catch is the whole time, Weston is keeping the secret that he is the reason why Jesse is no longer employed, and Jesse doesn't seem to happy about it, on top of the fact Jesse specializes in counter-intelligence, meaning he specializes in working over spies. Finally, in the end, he is able to get Jesse out in one piece, only to have him renting out Weston's mothers garage, keeping Weston under cover.

This was an excellent episode, with something I thought would be a one and done storyline in Jesse turning into something Weston will have to keep struggling with for some time to come. It also seems like Jesse is more of a Fiona type character, and a trigger-happy loner, rather than a team player. And how is Weston going to continue to work for a company that just burned Jesse without him knowing? Either way, its a new dynamic to the show, which is refreshing, while keeping the same dynamic of Weston and his friends helping the little guy.

The spy work this episode was stronger than the last, but there wasn't the patented gadget making we know and love from Weston, leaving us hoping for next week to see some home made bomb, or cell phone bug. Overall, a great episode, leaving me wondering how the rest of the season will work. It definitely seems like the small tweak in the show will provide some great excitement in the coming weeks.