So after the tepid start of the season, the next episode for Burn Notice picks up the pace a bit. It's more of the familiar, but at least this time the cast look and feel like they want to be involved in the acting.
Friendly Fire is more of what we enjoy about this show. Smart plans, stylish execution, and an interesting yet swarmy bad guy that you just want to dislike and see taken down. This is true of the Vega (Danny Trejo) and Rincon characters in the episode, and the Gilroy character for the seasonal arc.
You just have to love the outfit that Michael Westen wears to emphasize his role as a bad ass from hell. This episode truly had a flair of the exotic. And it was perfect.
The timing of misdirection, playing on deep-seated religous fears, and just the persona made watching the episode enjoyable. Plus it was interesting to watch Jeffery Donovan play a role that had a hint of mayhem to it. The snap-of-death was a great touch, when matched with the deep brooding look and the constant looking down.
The side story of Sam (Bruce Campbell) was a bit less interesting, though it did fill out a bit more about his character. Learning more about his past gives me the indication that something is about to happen to him in this story arc that most fans will not enjoy.
Then there is the lovestory between Westen and Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar). I can't buy it. I'm sorry but she is too damn skinny. I just can't see anyone wanting to be with a bunch of bones except a dog. Seriously the director and producers should let the woman gain 15 pounds, maybe 25.
But going beyond my personal tastes, you can see where this is headed too. The fact that they are getting so close, again for them, only means that the major story arc is going to cause an issue neither can like with. There's just no room in war for love, and their business is war.
Was this the best episode of the show ever? No. Not even close. But it was one of the more stylish, and far better than average. It definitely was better than the season opening episode. It was more of a reason to keep watching the series, at the very least.
So what can we conclude at this point? Not much. Just that Michael and Fiona are going to get very close and then very far apart. Sam will have a major crisis that no one will be able to help him with.
I also suspect that the original people responsible for Michael getting his burn notice are coming back. With a vengance. They haven't forgotten about the wayward spy that cost them their Miami operations. The fact that he has survived, and flourished to a degree means they want his services more than ever.
Gilroy is a trap. He is the means to push Westen further away from ever working for the U.S. and good guys. He is their way in. Perhaps by providing Michael with a choice he cannot refuse. Work for us, or let the monster that Gilroy is continue to be loose in Miami and the world.
That's how I see the long major arc turning out. And that would be quite a season ending situation. Westen stuck with that choice of 2 evils and no option out of it.
Perhaps the season will go in a different direction, but the clue is in this episode. Westen and crew helped a bad guy to take down a bigger bad guy. The net result still kept a negative in place, all for the price of removing a child molester who deserved to be in jail (or worse).
It's a slippery slope down, and if it spirals it could be a vortex that takes everything with it. Which would be great television to watch happen. But we will see how close I am to the truth.
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