Did Season 6 just address all my complaints with Burn Notice? I think it did! The clients of the week took a back seat, Jason Bly (my favorite antagonist) gets a bigger role, the stakes are higher, they even fixed that inaccurate title sequence! It feels like this season was made exactly for me, and it kinda revitalized my interest in the series.
Season 6 had a different structure compared to most of the other seasons, containing three six-episode-long story arcs. I really like this format, storylines never go on too long, and the minimal usage of client of the week episodes mean that way more ground is covered. The first arc (Episodes 1-6) deals with the fallout of Season 5. Fiona is in prison, and Michael is chasing Anson. It's a strong start to the season and I really enjoy both storylines, Fiona being targeted by nearly everyone in prison is really tense and gives her a lot of fun fight scenes, while Michael's team-up with Anson's mole Rebecca was really cool too. The second arc (Episodes 7-12) is about Michael getting revenge for Nate's death, learning that his old handler Card and a sniper Gray are responsible. This arc was the weakest for me and makes some frustrating decisions like sending Pearce off (-.5 points from the final score), but I did really like the antagonists, especially Tom Card since he was played by Dr Cox from Scrubs so he's just naturally entertaining to watch. The Panama stuff was pretty cool too. The third arc (Episodes 13-18) is about the team going on the run after Michael killed Card. I don't love fugitive arcs, but this one was pretty good and way better than the "who killed Max" storyline. The CIA bloodhound Riley was a great antagonist, the tension was constantly ramping up, and I never felt like the stakes weren't real, though I wasn't too big a fan of the smuggler Schmidt. I think the multiple villains and arcs may make Season 6 feel a bit disjointed, but all of the storylines landed for me here compared to something like Season 3.
Right from the very first episode of the season, I noticed something different in Season 6, and not just that Jesse was included in the title sequence and Fiona wasn't a "trigger happy ex-girlfriend" anymore. The tone was darker and there was a stronger focus on character drama, and I loved it. I won't deny that the light and breezy tone of the show's first half was a ton of fun, but since it didn't have many compelling episodic storylines to back it up, I do much prefer the more engaging dramatic tone. And when I say the client of the week storylines were minimal, I really mean it. Some episodes like Reunion and Last Rites kinda had one, but that's just the minority of the season. Otherwise, nearly every episode was entirely focused on the main storyline, never feeling like it was trying to fill in time. Each arc made way for the next one. I also thought the character work this season was great, like it genuinely made me love characters I didn't previously like. Madeline and Pearce pretty much become full-fledged members of the team (until Pearce left right when she was getting interesting), and Fiona's time in prison is really compelling. It helps that the actors really took it up a notch, and I mean all of them.
There were way more episodes I liked compared to most of the other seasons, but these were the highlights:
Scorched Earth: This was such an amazing premiere, like a massive bump in quality since Season 5. Sam's conflict with Michael about letting Fiona turn herself in was his most compelling material in years, Fiona's subplot with Bly was amazing, and Madeline having to shoot someone for the first time was really intense.
Shock Wave: The first arc of the season ends on an incredibly tense, action-packed, and dramatic episode that feels like it a finale at points. Obviously the high point is that shocking final battle where Anson and Nate are killed, both satisfying and pretty devastating. The subplots were great too, like Fiona's great escape from prison, and the surprisingly entertaining subplot with Sam and Barry.
Desperate Times: While Measures had the fun Michael/Gray team-up, this was easily the better Panama episode and a strong midseason finale for the series. The new location was cool, the action was fun, and the big cliffhanger where the team gets stranded is exciting. My favorite part though was the subplot about Madeline looking into Nate's death and the subsequent reveal of Card being the bad guy.
Means & Ends: While the main storyline about Fiona's friend from prison was a fine if unremarkable way to tie up that loose end, the rest of the episode was great, from the loft being burned down to Gray apologizing to Madeline to that big final confrontation.
You Can Run: While Sam has been captured multiple times before, Jesse's interrogation this episode felt different considering the fact that he doesn't have quite the same history. This is also the point where Riley becomes way more brutal and unforgiving, amping up the tension to insane degrees. Oh, and Bly's back again.
Game Change: Another great Burn Notice finale. Just like You Can Run, Riley resorting to illegal tactics show just how frustrated she's starting to get with her inability to capture Michael. The final standoff with Riley was incredibly tense, Bly's death hit me really hard, the action was fun, and I really liked the cliffhanger of Michael breaking the promises he made to literally everyone.
Overall, if you like the lighthearted Miami fun of the first five seasons, you might not love this darker sixth season. But for me, this is easily my favorite season yet. The strong character work, the fast pace, the darker tone, the focus on the main storyline, and the presence of Bly, all made this for an incredibly engaging season.
4.5/5 Stars
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