The levels Burn Notice has taken its viewers through actually seems like a realistic portrayal of espionage and what it takes a burned spy to get back into the game at the level he once was.  It also seems like a video game, with realistic parameters.  No superheroes, although Michael Westen does have some rather extraordinary skills.  No supervillains.  No ulterior worlds.

Michael Westen went from being a burned spy followed by FBI agents to a man who is now partnered with a syndication referred to as “Management.”  But, the levels he had to go through were quite impressive.  Just like a video game.

He had several handlers he had to dodge and eventually he managed to get them all out of his life.  The final handler had actually hired a handler of her own to.well, “handle” Michael.  But, that eventually didn’t work out and that handler actually became a client of his when Michael finally learned the back story.  This led to Michael’s first visit with Management and he was offered a position.  This is where some confusion begins.  But, I think I can explain it.

What happens next is Michael turns down this new opportunity, which begins a whole new chapter in his life.  I was under the impression that this is what Michael wanted all along.  So, what is Management then if Michael doesn’t want a position with this secret organization?

He endures being arrested and being followed by a detective who has heartburn for him.  He has enemies who come running to take advantage of him any way they can.  It gets worse as higher level opportunities come after him left and right.  I’m not going to mention the useless attempts with Strickler.  That ended with Strickler’s death and an agent’s death who didn’t want involved in the first place.

It gets really heated when Gilroy steps into the picture.  Their little play of cat and mouse has Michael running all over Miami doing errands and trying to figure out what it all means.  But Gilroy, it turns out is not up on his game as much as he would have us believe.  After helping Simon, a once burned spy himself, escape from prison, Gilroy becomes Simon’s next victim.  It becomes Michael’s job to recapture Simon and that launches him back into the hands of the Management where the first episode of this new season begins.

The Management, who burned Michael in the first place, has now recruited him to partner with them.  His first assignment, to investigate – first, who helped Simon escape – and “B”, I’m not sure.  I caught-on to the idea that it’s a war that Management doesn’t know how to handle and everyone who has tried ended up dead.  Other than that, we’ll just have to learn as Michael learns.

But, I would have to say that the show delivers.  I have often been disappointed when a show has promised to raise the bar and take things to another level.  They always seem to flop.  Lack of imagination.  Laziness of writers.  I’m not sure what the problem could be.  But, Burn Notice has not failed.  In fact, Michael is now responsible for burning a spy himself.  His relationship with the Management is like being married to a giant squid that lurks at the bottom of the ocean, but with tentacles that literally reach into everything.

Compromised information that Michael gathered from a military installation has to be blamed on someone.  So, a spy takes a fall.  You can see that Michael isn’t too happy about the turn about, but what can he do?  Or, what does he do?

Posted under Burn Notice, Celebrity, Jeffrey Donovan, Reviews

Burn Notice is the real world equivalent to video games.  Ok, we’re not really even there yet.  It’s television.  It’s Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless.

You know, Cagney & Lacey.  She was Cagney.

Anyway, so they’re actors.  Michael Weston isn’t a real life operative who runs around Miami saving innocent people.  He’s an actor who walks off the set after a long day and goes home.

But, a video game is worse.  First of all, it doesn’t prove real parameters.  And just like Burn Notice, video games can be turned off at the end of the day and the player can go about living a somewhat normal life.

So, where does Burn Notice surpass the video games?

Actually, that’s easy.  For viewers, we get to see a man in action.  What would it be like if a man were actually burned from the CIA and ended up in Miami with all of his assets frozen and no identity, but the one he left behind years ago?

But, it’s more than that.  It keeps us interested because Michael Weston has gone through stages.  Each one harder than the one before.  Not many shows can say that.  They become stagnant and are unable to get us any further, which ultimately leads to their end.

With Michael Weston’s journey, we have watched him start over.  FBI were following him just to see what he was up to and they were relying on Michael’s best friend Sam to be their informant.  Sam only told them what would serve Michael’s interests best, so that worked out for him.

But then, the FBI were called off the job and an agent was put on him.  He made life a little tough and almost had Michael backed into a corner, ready to give up the spy business.  But in true Michael Weston style that we have all grown to love, he turns the books and the agent is taken off the case.

An assassin enters the picture and Michael takes care of that too.  But just when you think no one can get at Michael Weston, a handler is called to, well, “Handle” him.  Season One ends with a meeting he has been building up for since he first was burned.

Season Two picks up where Season One left off with Michael Weston driving a borrowed car into the back of a dark trailer.  It appears that we have reached a level we didn’t know existed.

Now, Michael Weston has a “boss” but he’s a rogue agent.  In other words, he’s not back yet.  But, he’s on his way.  His handler sends him on missions and through contact with her, Michael is like a grabby little kid.  If you put candy out in front of him, he will take it.  But, Michael Weston will look at it and diagnose it.  He won’t eat it.  Candy dangled in front of Michael Weston is just a source of information that gets him to where he wants to go.

Michael takes little by little and learns more and more about his handler.  Then, as he gets close she hires another rogue agent to keep a tighter check on Michael.  They get into some sticky stuff together and it all turns out good.  But then, as fast as the agent comes into his life he is gone.

Now, the world is chaos for the CIA and his handler.  It’s working out real well for Michael Weston, until he is almost killed in an explosion.  But, without skipping a beat Michael returns the next episode ready to find the man who tried to kill him.

Michael steadily gets closer and closer to the man who tried to kill him and by the end of Season Two, he has him in custody.  It appears that his old handler, the rogue agent is the culprit.  But, Michael decides to form an alliance with him to go after Carla.  It’s the perfect plan because when Fi finally gets her chance to take Carla out, she does so with precision.  But, that’s not until Michael’s newly formed alliance is also shot.

With two agents down, it appears that Michael has an oppening.  Management picks him up in a helicopter to ask him if he wants the position.  When Michael declines, his only way out is to jump out of the helicopter into the water below.  No more handlers.  But, no more protection either.

Very logical, very precise step by step levels that viewers loved following.  But, now what?  The New Season is coming and we can only hold on for the ride.

Posted under Bruce Campbell, Burn Notice, Cagney & Lacey, Gabrielle Anwar, Jeffrey Donovan, Sharon Gless