I'm a huge fan of Burn Notice, and it is one of my top 3 shows on TV. That being said, the fifth season of the hit USA show has felt off. While it's only been five episodes, and those episodes include all our favorites, Sam, Jesse, Fiona, Madeline and Michael, the ultimate goal of Michael finding the people that burned him seemed over, and the lack of an overall story arc makes the episode seem boring, despite the gunfights and car chases. The previous episode seemed to change everything, with Michael's CIA handler getting murdered and Michael getting framed. Not only does the super spy have an arc, he also, for a change, has no idea what's going on, which is good.
The episode starts off with the introduction of Michael's new handler, who starts off practically accusing him of the murder. When Westen plays it cool, she lets him know she won't stop until the truth is found. I'm assuming the handler will be a big part in future episodes, and right now, Michael is forced to try to find the killer, without it being known he was the one who ended up with the gun.
Meanwhile, we get the case of the week in an Army sniper with CIA potential in Ethan. He reminds us of a young Michael, who simply wants revenge for his sister getting nearly killed by her boyfriend. Things start off very simple, but get complicated quick, when we find out the boyfriend is not the issue, it's a medical con and the con artists, Ramsey beat her up. While Michael just wants to take care of the problem like a spy would, Ethen just wants to put a bullet in the accused.
Jesse is brought back in, for a slightly bigger role, finally, after several episodes of being on the sideline. Jesse provided the comedy for this episode, observing Fiona's changes to Michael's loft, "Is that Potpourri? You're killing me." Jesse also provides Michael with the only lead in his investigation of Max's murder in a lead to a video tape of the supposed accused.
Michael sets up a sting, offering the Ramsey a life too good to be true, all the time, trying to show a young, reckless Army sniper how to be calm, and make him realize his actions affect others. It was good to see Michael take on the role of mentor. Madeline had a good scene, where she talked about Michael coming back after his first tour, angry and reckless, and now look how he turned out.
While bringing the client to turn over his operation, bribing him with a bugged watch, and Jesse's Porsche, with the help of Ethen, Michael convinces the Ramsey to give up his operation and his crew. Finally, he convinces the bad guy to tie up the loose ends and burn his house down, and kill the Ethen's sister. As he walks into the hospital, he is caught for attempted murder, and thrown in jail with the same people he gave up. The Ethan realizes he may have a future with the CIA, thanks Michael and leaves, but I really hope he returns. Seeing Michael mentor a younger version of himself is really good and brings a new layer to Michael Westen.
Back to the case at hand, we see Madeline visibly shaken. It looks like she's seen a ghost. Michael says the person on that tape killed his friend, and when we see the tape, we see someone looking exactly like Michael Westen. It's an obvious dead end for Michael, and a continued search for next week, all the while trying to keep himself off the top of the suspect list.
This was a fantastic episode. We see the whole crew doing what they do best; we have a really good overall story arc, with Westen seeing the light of the tunnel, only to have it closed down with the murder of his partner, and we have a great client in a guy who really resembles a young Michael. I'm hoping this is the start of a great arc. This is the kind of Burn Notice we are used to, and I hope it sticks around.
