Burn Notice has always had a pretty difficult time with its client of the week storylines, especially given how much more interesting the burn notice arc is. Season 5, however, is the point where it starts to feel actively damaging to the show.
In terms of its burn notice arc, Season 5 should be one of the most interesting in the whole show. The season starts with Michael pretty much working with the CIA part-time, and it's an amazing chance of pace for the series. As a matter of fact, the premiere is actually one of my favorite episodes of the season because of this. In Episode 4, Michael is framed when his CIA handler is murdered, so he starts trying to find the real killer without drawing suspicion. This storyline introduces Pearce, a CIA agent who butts heads with Michael. I think she's fine, a bit abrasive, but a way more compelling character than Season 3's Paxson. Halfway through, we even learn who was responsible for the burn notice, as the show shifts to Michael being blackmailed into working for him to save Fiona from getting arrested (which she does anyway come the season finale). I actually really like how tragic this season ended up being, it makes a lot of sense that Anson (the burner) would be the hardest enemy to defeat, and the fact that he seems like five steps ahead of Michael leaves me excited to see how he'll be defeated.
However, while the burn notice stuff this season is absolutely excellent, the over reliance on clients of the week mean it all ends up feeling a bit half-baked. Michael working at the CIA taking down the NOC list was a super exciting premise, but it was nearly all off-screen. Michael trying to avoid being framed for killing Max is a really cool idea, but the fact that he keeps going on these detours means it feels a bit lacking in stakes. It doesn't help that this season doesn't even feel like it's trying to make its clients of the week stand out, stuff like the bank robbery episode or Michael playing the devil or Fiona getting an episode to herself is just nonexistent this season. And when large portions of most of the episodes this season end up being boring, I end up beginning to lose interest in the show. As a matter of fact, something you'd notice from my usual seasonal highlights is that my favorite episodes this season ended up being the ones with a stronger focus on the main burn notice storyline.
Speaking of which, here they are:
Company Man: I pretty much already wrote about why I like this episode so much. It was a welcome change of pace for the show, and I enjoyed watching Michael interact with the CIA. I also liked that Michael's friends were still able to appear, and the surprisingly dark ending was really cool.
Dead To Rights: Easily the best episode of the season (and likely the best midseason finale too), Dead To Rights is one of the biggest and most shocking episodes in the series. We finally learn who burned Michael (Anson), we get our final battle with Larry (come on, there's no way he's surviving an explosion), and a crazy cliffhanger (Michael working for the man who burned him?!). Even with my gripes with this season, this episode is just plain amazing.
Depth Perception: I haven't seen Fall Of Sam Axe, so the recurring character doesn't really mean much to me. Rather, the real highlight of this episode was getting to see Michael and Anson be forced to work together. It's one of the only clever concepts this season had, and was easily one of the season's most memorable episodes.
Fail Safe: Fail Safe is a weird finale, it's a fairly unsatisfying and tragic ending, but it goes for the same vibe as Company Man, with Michael leading a CIA group. The big final confrontation at the airport definitely felt like a finale, and the cliffhanger about Fiona turning herself was pretty great too.
Overall, Season 5 had a great main storyline, with some big reveals and an overall darker and more tragic tone. However, it feels like the show isn't even trying with the client of the week storylines anymore, and they just take screen time away from the show's more interesting elements.
3/5 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment