'Burn Notice' - 'Guilty as Charged': We all live in a black submarine
The summer season comes to a muddled end
Jesse (Coby Bell) and Michael (Jeffrey Donovan) had a showdown on "Burn Notice."
A quick review of the "Burn Notice" summer finale coming up just as soon as I sign for your submersible...
"Burn Notice" is, as I've mentioned before, coming back in November, rather than the usual wait until January or later to wrap up the season. I'm glad for that, both because I like it when all the episodes air closer together, and also because I wasn't that crazy about "Guilty as Charged" and don't want it to be my last memory of the show for too long.
Even in seasons or half-seasons that have flaws, "Burn Notice" tends to nail its finales, so I was particularly disappointed that "Guilty as Charged" didn't do much to move me.
Matt Nix has said that the show USA wants is the one he's been giving them - which is to say, something that each week is maybe 80% standalone and 20% serialized. Clearly, he got exemptions at the ends of season two and three to have Michael deal solely with that year's big villain, but for the rest of each season, the format is the format. And given how complicated this season's arc has become - and how little time has been spent on it in any given week - I don't think sticking to the usual structure served us well in this mid-season finale. I remain as in the dark as Michael about what all these different factions are about, and whether I'm supposed to care about any endgame beyond the team getting Jesse's job back, and wasn't happy with how much time in the hour was spent on the kidnapping case. When the show has successfully balanced a standalone case with big finale developments, it's been because the standalone put someone we cared about in danger (Sam taken prisoner by the bad guys at the end of season one, or Fi being threatened by old enemies in the middle of last season), and compared to that, a random kidnap victim - even a five-year-old girl - doesn't quite rate.
I liked some of the usual bits of spycraft like Michael getting the sub and Michael comparing what he does to a magician's trick, and as a "Party Down" and "Parks and Recreation" fan, I was amused that the sleazy lawyer was named Adam Scott, but this was an uneven half-season of the show, and "Guilty as Charged" was a fairly muddled capper to it.
What did everybody else think?
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August 27, 2010 at 11:48AM EST Reply to CommentI thought there were really no surprises. The "Royal Pains" summer finale, on the other hand...
delacourte Yeah,seriously. The irony is,I was really looking forward to the BN season finale,lukewarm on the other one,and of course...
August 27, 2010 at 11:18PM ESTRazorback
August 27, 2010 at 12:16PM EST Reply to CommentOnce again you nail exactly how I feel about an episode and a show. I could not believe they were sticking with the procedural bit when there was so much serialized story to mine. At this point, they might as well completely abandon the serial element and stick to him just being burned and surviving mission to mission as a spy for hire. I no longer care about who was burned by whom or how they are going to get back.
JanieJones Alan summed up my feelings about the episode. I don't know what it was with BN this summer but I still have 5 or 6 eps. sitting on the dvr to watch from this summer. I don't think it was the addition of Jesse (for me).
August 27, 2010 at 5:55PM ESTI fell asleep during the mid summer finale (I recorded), never a good sign, especially as I hold BN near and dear to my heart.
Here's to November and the BN that I love.
Liz
August 27, 2010 at 12:20PM EST Reply to CommentI was looking forward to your review, because I had some mixed feelings about the summer finale and figured you would help sort things out. And you did, thanks!
After last week's intense ending (at least it seemed so to me), I was expecting the finale to hit the ground running with the repercussions of that development. Instead, it seemed there was this sense of "well, Jesse knows and now he wants to kill Michael, but what can ya do?" I agree with you that the writers would have done well to ditch the standalone story (a story which would have been fine during the regular season), and focus entirely on Michael/Vaughn/Jesse/Barrett. Robert Patrick got underused here, and I think there could have been a lot more done with Jesse, too.
But in spite of this, I did enjoy the action at the end. I was happy to see Jesse in action finally (effective or not), Michael-in-jeopardy worked for me, and the car crash freaked me out. Although yeah, some of it didn't make sense, I'm a sucker for the action. It was fun.
Mark S.
August 27, 2010 at 12:21PM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...
Mark S. Let's try that again. I agree with everything you wrote. The procedural part of the episode was weak and the serialized portion was too rushed. I have no idea why we even had a shootout at the end or what the various groups hope to get out of the situation.
August 27, 2010 at 12:24PM ESTMediocre episode all around.
Kujo
August 27, 2010 at 12:37PM EST Reply to CommentYeah, spending so much time on the kidnapping story made little sense. The finale should be the one ep where the focus is just on the serialized arc.
Definitely a lackluster finale. The Jesse arc pretty much played out like I thought it would. He ends up helping Michael, albeit in a strange way.
Past seasons mid season finales were much better.
Leigh I agree. And I feel sort of bad about that. I was so impressed with the show the first season: the novelty of the story and the perfectly selected cast. I'm mightily bummed that it's feeling tired. An aside: there were times when I felt Bruce Campbell was phoning it in. I wonder if he's got his boxers in a wad over the Jesse addition.
August 27, 2010 at 12:58PM ESTLeon
August 27, 2010 at 1:41PM EST Reply to CommentI think That Burn Notice is Dead. The addition of Jesse(worst decision ever made) Has made me stop watching. Jesse needs to be killed off before USA cancels the show. Jesse has ruined the whole set up of what worked so well the first 4 season. I think that the only way out is for Jesse to die( a horrible death) and Bruce Campbell get more screen time. This show needs to be reset and reworked now that Jesse has literally destroyed everything the show had.
UnHoly Diver USA re-upped BN for 2 more years back in April, so the chances of it being canceled are slim. That said, I can see signs of the show beginning to go down the 24/Prison Break road; great concept in the short-term, but tiresome long-term.
August 27, 2010 at 2:06PM ESTVisionOn Sorry, your shipper attitude is not my view nor is it the view of others I know.
August 28, 2010 at 12:34AM ESTI have no problem with Jessie before he was flipped and thought he fit in well and added some good interaction with the cast (especially with Sharon Gless) to make this season's usual formulas more interesting.
tim Look, I get comment boards are often a bunch of like-minded folks agreeing with themselves, but the idea that the addition of Jesse/Colby Bell was anything less than great is just crazy. Sam and Fiona have mined their relationship with Michael as much as they could (save for a real weird thing like Sam falling for Michael). Adding a competent and entertaining second alpha male brought back some life to the series. Otherwise, it's just more of Fiona's hectoring and Sam's laid back drinking. Yawn
August 29, 2010 at 9:52PM ESTMandy
August 27, 2010 at 1:50PM EST Reply to CommentGlad I wasn't the only one who was underwhelmed with that. Sort of a bummer.
August 27, 2010 at 1:54PM EST Reply to CommentI think the consensus is pretty clear. Not a terrible episode, but a disappointing finale.
One other annoying thing that stood out for me. When Vaughn double-crosses Michael and tries to capture Barrett, not only does Barrett escape, but he drives right through Vaughn's men. They actually parked their vehicles in a way that made it easy for the T-1000 to drive right out!
Dave C. I had a problem with that, too, but it paled in comparison to wondering what Sam and Fi (and to a lesser extent, Jesse) were doing after Michael was shot. You're holding guns and things have gone to hell. Any chance you might use them instead of just standing around?
August 27, 2010 at 2:39PM ESTAlso, I'm sure the guy who picked up the briefcase is going to be Jesse. If it is, how did he beat everyone there when he didn't have a vehicle and had to run through a firefight to get there?
Sean Both Mark and Dave make great points.
August 27, 2010 at 6:06PM ESTThat last scene was really botched by the writer(s) of this episode. I didn't understand (or catch) what the hell Sam and Fi were doing after Jesse takes out Barrett's guys (or did Sam and Fi assist?). I guess I have to re-watch the last five minutes again.
And then to have Vaughn and his team completely blow the ambush and allow the escape paints "management" as this amateur-ish organization when I thought it was supposed to be a very professional bad ass outfit.
Very poorly written.
cgeye Why would a Big Bad who's so frakking strapped he has his own killa drones be so vulnerable to an ambush?
August 28, 2010 at 2:07AM ESTWouldn't he have spy satellite photos of the area before he even stepped foot in the sitch, with infrared spots marking both Vaughn's and Michael's team?
And after Mike punked him about his po' security setup, wouldn't he have doublechecked their abilities to, I dunno, *protect him*?
If Barrett knows his Big Bad is Vaughn, and Vaughn has a Miami base, why in the hell would he meet Michael without suffocating reinforcement? And if he knows Simon's been captured by Vaughn, why would he trust anyone who Simon told about the book?
All this confusion, and the kidnapping of a FIVE YEAR OLD GIRL (their emphasis) who's the daughter of a lawyer so deep in illegal bizness he's going all-in Mafioso, to get his revenge? Rewind Mike's last scene with him -- that mouthpiece is going to war, which Mike helped start with the shooting and the thing....
Tell me one thing in this episode Michael hasn't made worse, and for no appreciable progress in his own situation, or in the safety of his family or friends. At this point, I consider Michael Westen a blathering fool who's better lecturing the listener like an Aspie with a gun fetish than actually being what he says he wants to be: A competent spy.
And after he gets his wish and becomes A Real Spy (and ain't it peculiar, 10 years after, that such a wish is so popular one in our dramas, even the light escapist USA ones?), what agency is powerful enough to protect him, his criminal friends and his family, once he goes back into the field? He gets his sweet job in Afghanistan, and his mom's a sitting target for any disgruntled drug lord or vengeful scammer. Has this boy thought this thing through? Really? That's the problem with being a champion of the poor and needy: They keep on needing you, and you can't walk away.
DougMac
August 27, 2010 at 2:00PM EST Reply to CommentSurprisingly underwhelmed and disappointed. All your points ring true, and on top of that there was a lot of sloppy camera work and the awkward, intrusive product placement for MGD 64's from last season made a comeback too
Tripper Speaking of product placement, if someone makes a getaway in that freakin blue Hyundai one more time, I think my head will explode.
August 27, 2010 at 2:13PM ESTKristina
August 27, 2010 at 2:55PM EST Reply to CommentTotally agree. Really, really sick of the case-of-the week crap; it makes it really hard to care about the overall story when we hardly get enough information to keep us interested. I can barely remember what the overall story this season is, with the obvious exception of Jesse, and that's only because he was shoved in our faces every week (although he did grow on me, and I think his storyline added another element to the standalone weekly stories). Still, I would be just as happy to see them move away from the throwaway cases and spend more time on the serialized aspect--you know, the part that's supposed to keep us interested.
MikeF
August 27, 2010 at 3:33PM EST Reply to CommentA huge unsatisfying plot-hole: why didn't Sam and Fi use their guns in the shootout? All we saw was Jesse shooting to try and save Michael. Sam and Fi just stood there watching...
jrix My thought was in the confusion of Vaughn's men rushing the bridge AND Jesse's emergence rattled them. Also if they gave away their cover by trying to save Michael from a pretty hairy situation that he didn't have great odds in surviving anyways, they couldn't help him further if he somehow managed to get out of it myself. Fi and Sam often cover for Michael, and they almost always give him a long rope and the chance to fix it himself.
August 27, 2010 at 4:05PM ESTMaybe that was sort of their train of thought until all the "unexpected" surprises (for them, anyways) just de-railed everything.
That was my reaction, anyways.
Col Bat Guano That was a hell of a road block they set up.
August 27, 2010 at 11:12PM ESTDave P
August 27, 2010 at 4:25PM EST Reply to CommentThis is spot on. Right before I looked for your review I said the same thing to a co-worker who just started with the show this season and loves it. I said I was surprised when they brought in the random job of the week plot instead of spending that time wrapping up all the threads of the season. Or any of the the threads.
I understand the networks issue with serialization. I think with DVRs and HULU and Netflix things are changing faster than they think, but they still have a legitimate concern, especially for shows that air during vacation season. But for me the COTW becomes the same old, same old really fast. I don't even care what the clients problem is because it'll be wrapped up nice and tidy like an episode of the Brady Bunch at the end of the hour.
I think British TV has it right. They air a series with fewer number or shows in a season, and maybe with the idea of only having 2-3 seasons total, or even just one. So there can be a fully realized serial arc and a conclusion. When a show has to put out 12-24 episodes every season, and has to be able to run in perpetuity, it's just too much pressure on the writers to keep it fresh.
How great could Burn Notice have been if the creators only figured on doing 2 seasons of 10 episodes max?
Dave lame as hell. People would eventually get tired of seeing the same re-runs over and over. Networks would lose money, and eventually TV would be non existent. Okay, maybe it wouldn't be that bad. But it'd be bad.
November 11, 2010 at 10:43PM ESTrhys1882
August 27, 2010 at 5:27PM EST Reply to CommentJesse shooting Michael did help him. If he hadn't, Michael would have been restrained by two beefy security guys in the back of Barrett's truck. Instead, it was just Michael and Barrett in the truck - which allowed him to make the desperate play of tipping the truck because Barrett had to drive and also try to keep a gun on him. That would not have happened if Michael was sitting between the two "black t-shirt and sunglasses" men in the back of the truck with guns pointed at him. Jesse killed one guy and kept the other pinned with gunfire - neutralizing Barrett's security and giving Michael a window to save himself.
Robin Tho' I liked the end scene at first glance, it has A LOT of holes once you think about it. The only reason I can think that Fi and Sam did nothing to prevent Barrett from grabbing Mike is that there was too much physical distance between them, and they all risked getting killed in the fire fight; but still - Fi and Sam pick this moment to do nothing? Highly out of character. And why didn't Jesse shoot Barrett as well?? Additionally, why would Fi and Sam rig the bridge with bombs if Michael was going to use a sub to get Barrett out of there? However, if they did rig it, why didn't they blow it seeing as Vaughns vehicles and men were on it? Takes care of them right there, then they could have saved Michael and the Bible (if Jesse had shot Barrett, which would have made sense). Why would Michael, who knows Vaughn is shady, tell him the day of the meeting with Barrett? How did whoever took the Bible, get there? Barrett wasn't followed. This person arrives seconds after the accident? And happens to be present exactly where Michael makes his move, which couldn't have been predicted? Big, big holes. The only saving grace is that this is a mid-season, not a season, finale. I don't agree that the show is done by any means - I still love it. But, Nix is running the risk of not fooling anyone anymore with his shell game of who the bad guys are...I don't think even he knows, and you can only get away with that for so long. He may have too much control over the show right now (executive producing + writing too many eps solo?), and that can be a death knell as it can shut out the balancing ideas of other writers, etc.
August 27, 2010 at 6:13PM ESTWills
August 27, 2010 at 6:38PM EST Reply to Commenty didnt sam use his gun? i know they never really shoot anyone besides when michael killed his terrible handler but cmon you have a sniper rifle sam, use it
Chrissy
August 27, 2010 at 11:35PM EST Reply to CommentAgreed, this was very weak. I thought it made Michael look stupid not to have anticipated Vaughn's double-cross; he really thought he'd be left alone for the end game?
Also didn't need the standalone, but if they were going to do it, I wish it had made more sense. Why kidnap the defense attorney's kid - he's already on your side and has a vested interest in winning. Kidnap the prosecutor's kid, the judge's kid, a juror's kid...also, the defense attorney is the most likely to have contacts who can foil your plan (which he did). I also kept worrying about that random bouncer dude who didn't really seem to deserve getting thrown to the wolves like that. He may have been in with the bad guys, but, if so, that wasn't clear.
One thing this episode did do is remind me that I like Jesse; I was actually sad when the camera panned across the gang and he wasn't there.
cgeye Well, megadittoes.... We've all seen THE RUNAWAY JURY, know about jury tampering -- what that criminal fool tried to accomplish he could have done sooner in the process by simply buying his way into a mistrial, then worked from the top down to buy the trial outright, for a price far less than what he spent on bullets. It was so supremely boneheaded that I expected a twist that never came -- that the goon was forced to kidnap the child by Vaughn, who also told Barry to point the father in the right direction, to distract Michael at the one time he needed to focus on nothing else. Why are all of Westen's Big Bads so clueless about his main gig, and never take advantage of his bleeding heart?
August 28, 2010 at 2:15AM ESTJim
August 28, 2010 at 1:24AM EST Reply to CommentI have to say this was the most disappointing 'finale' of Burn Notice to date. The last 5-10 minutes made no sense to me, nor will I bother rewatching to figure out what it should have meant. It's sad Burn Notice has become that kind of show because it used to be really smart. I felt like they threw in a bunch of action sequences just to say, "Look at our really cool finale." Not only was the ending highly melodramatic, but the lead actor in peril story is such a cliche. Jeffrey Donovan is the lead of the series. Watching his character take a bullet to the shoulder and survive a violent car crash means nothing to me, because when the show comes back Michael will have a little patch on the bullet wound and will be back to chasing whatever it is he's chasing for whatever reason. I know I won't be coming back with him.
Ed W
August 29, 2010 at 11:30AM EST Reply to CommentIt made no sense to me that neither Jesse or Sam shot the big bad when he was standing over Michael, about to drag him away. He was wide open, an easy shot for a skilled shooter with a good rifle.
This show is essentially a modern Maguyver. I realized that during the first season and stopped expecting the serialized plot to go anywhere interesting.
OldDarth
August 29, 2010 at 5:28PM EST Reply to CommentIf the show continues to fumble the serialized story line like it did into this midseason finale I may switch going and getting a bowl of cereal instead of watching this show any further.
Thinking Honeynut Cheerios.....
September 3, 2010 at 1:12PM EST Reply to CommentI kind of think the kidnapping plot will tie in to the next season premier somehow because of the way Micheal talked about how the situation was not totally resolved with the girl's dad.
I'm wondering if it's all going to be connected to the serial plot somehow. Like maybe the girl's dad will have to save Micheal's life, or the girl's dad's connections will have to work some magic.
I love the show and every time I watch it, I find myself saying "THIS SHOW IS SO COOL!" so I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt for awhile.
Danny
November 11, 2010 at 10:40PM EST Reply to CommentJesse didnt want o kill Michael, That was the whole thing. Jesse had a change of heart at the end of the episode and shot THROUGH Michael to shoot the guy that had Michael by the balls, so to speak.