Well, this is what I get for refusing to read spoilers or watch previews for upcoming shows. I had no idea that last night’s episode of Burn Notice was the Season 2 finale! I was expecting them to run 12 episodes, like in Season 1, but I guess the WGA strike took its toll on summer series as well as regular primetime series. Anyway, I was pretty pleased with the finale as a whole, and thought it did a decent job of setting things up for Season 3.
Odd Job of the Week: This one comes courtesy of Fiona’s new boyfriend Campbell, who, as a paramedic, treated a man who was beaten up pretty badly. Henry, the victim, is the head of a security company that provides bodyguards to high-profile clients. He was approached by a would-be kidnapper named Lesher, who demands that Henry help arrange the abduction of Isabella Arroyo, the daughter of a Venezuelan oil baron. Michael poses as a bodyguard that Lesher thinks he can control, and then ends up handling the situation — as usual.
Burn Notice Progress: Michael used his keycard to gain entry into the building that the sniper visited last week. While inside, he realizes that the sniper was setting up a conference room to use as his shooting platform. Carla then shows up, giving Sam an opportunity to put a tracking device on her motorcycle. Michael successfully exits the building without being seen.
Sam follows Carla to a hotel, and gets a room there so he can put her under surveillance. Luckily enough, Carla conducts her meetings out by the pool, where Sam can conveniently see everything that’s going on. Michael breaks into her room, finds some files about the upcoming hit, and realizes it’s going to go down soon. He, Fiona, and Sam trail Carla to a beach, only to figure out too late that she knows they’re there.
Michael takes off on a stolen motorcycle to try to stop the sniper, with Carla in hot pursuit. He gets away from her and makes it back to his apartment, where he gets a call from Sam saying that the sniper is dead. His house was blown up by a device rigged to the door. It dawns on Michael that Carla probably set up the same thing at his place, so he eases the door open, and sure enough, there’s a huge explosion. Michael’ jumps over the railing, but we can’t see if he’s okay or not.
Character Development: Nate is back in town, this time to celebrate the fact that he started his own business (a limo company). Madeline reveals that she took out a second mortgage on her house in order to help Nate buy his limo, at which point Michael reminds her about Nate’s track record. Later, Nate is arrested for allegedly using his company as a front to launder money, and Madeline is faced with losing the house. This twist comes courtesy of Carla.
My Reaction: As I said, I thought this was a pretty good season finale. I don’t like cliffhanger endings, so fortunately the writers didn’t go that route here. I know we didn’t see exactly what happened to Michael, but let’s face it: he will survive. There wouldn’t be a show without him, so this definitely doesn’t qualify as a cliffhanger.
One thing that jumped out at me tonight was the way Fiona and Michael kept giving each other those longing looks during the entire ep. What was up with that whole thing? Please don’t tell me they’re going to get back together! Fiona is a much better character when she stands on her own, so the last thing I want is for her to hook up with Michael again. They’re not a good couple on screen, and I don’t think the actors have much romantic chemistry with each other. They’re terrific as friends and colleagues, but not as lovers.
I actually liked the Odd Job of the Week in this episode, not necessarily because of the whole kidnapping angle, but because of the way Michael got himself out of the situation. The “finding the Lord” bit was great — especially because it’s never been used before on the show and because of the way Jeffrey Donovan played the part. He totally reminded me of Jules from Pulp Fiction when he was pumping rounds into Lesher’s car, saying that he needed to repent. That was awesome!
Anyway, Burn Notice didn’t disappoint this season, so I’ll definitely be tuning in next summer. Come back for more recaps then, and in the meantime, my Grey’s Anatomy recaps will start up next week.