Burn Notice is another one of USA Network's "blue sky" TV shows (Monk, Psych, White Collar, etc.), a lighthearted espionage series with a likable cast, an intrigue plot, and a bit of a slow start.
Burn Notice is about Michael Westen, a spy who got burned and dumped in Miami. With the help of his ex-girlfriend Fiona and old friend Sam Axe, he tries to do random tasks to make money and help his family while also trying to figure out who burned him. I really like the burn subplot, I like that each episode tries to further it in some way, along with the season's arc about the FBI trailing Michael. This was easily the most compelling stuff of the season, and the best episodes are the ones that make strides in it. On the other hand, the episodic "random tasks" end up being not as exciting for me. The basic storylines are fairly standard (helping a fugitive escape, saving someone from kidnapping, etc.), so the only times I was really engaged was whenever Michael had to help out someone unexperienced, like the aforementioned fugitive who absolutely sucks at avoiding cops. Procedural shows like this (Psych and Person Of Interest are good examples) had a similar rough start though, so I'm hoping that come Season 2, Burn Notice starts to experiment with these more episodic tales.
As for the cast, I mostly like them a lot. Michael Westen is a likable protagonist, and I especially love his narration throughout the episodes. I'm not entirely sure how realistic his advice is, but his commentary on action movie tropes is still really fresh and entertaining. Fiona and Sam are also great side characters with a strong dynamic with Michael. I especially like Sam, who's played by the great Bruce Campbell, so he obviously has a lot of the most badass moments in the series. Michael's family on the other hand (his brother Nate and his mom Madeleine) aren't as likable, rather they end up holding him back a bit. Thankfully, they don't appear as often as the core trio, so they don't drag down the show that much. As for the antagonists, they're alright, but the show constantly switches out villains regardless of whether or not they're good. The bumbling FBI agents in the first five episodes were awful, but the far more charismatic and smarmy Jason Bly was awesome. The only problem is he only appeared in two episodes. Similarly, the enigmatic Phillip Cowen died in the episode he appeared. I hope the show tries to stick with a villain for a bit longer next time, because they have some great ideas here.
While this season wasn't anything amazing, it did have some episodes worth noting:
Broken Rules: I don't think I mentioned this, but I love that trend of shows pulling midseason finales because it's an excuse to expect some big shift in the story arc. Case in point, Broken Rules managed to balance a somewhat entertaining job about terrorizing a crime boss while also containing Michael and Bly's incredibly fun rivalry throughout the episode. The final few minutes where Michael blackmails Bly, gets his dossier, and ends up sleeping with Fiona is an eventful end to this first half of the season.
Dead Drop: The first part of the season's finale was a far more plot-driven episode than most in this season. It was so plot-heavy that Sam and Fiona had to take care of the job, which was a nice change of pace. I like Michael's intriguing game with Cowan, the fact that his family is starting to get concerned, and I especially like Fiona bringing up if he really wants to go back to the CIA. But the real highlight is the last five minutes with has Sam captured, Fi and Michael on the run, and Cowan reveal he isn't the burner only to get suddenly killed off, serving as an insane cliffhanger for the finale.
Loose Ends: While it wasn't as climactic and tense as Dead Drop, this was a pretty alright finale. Harrick wasn't an amazing final villain for the season, but it gave a chance for the whole cast to be badass in their own ways with some of the show's largest set pieces. The cliffhanger was also pretty great, and I hope it leads to some genuine progress on the Burn Notice arc next season.
Overall, Burn Notice's first season was incredibly standard. I liked the cast, and the burn notice arc was definitely compelling, but the clients of the week were mostly forgettable, and none of the episodes truly wowed me yet.
2/5 Stars
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