'Burn Notice' - 'Neighborhood Watch': You got the knife, I got the briefcase
When Plan A fails, Plan B should always involve high-grade explosives.
Sam and Michael get to work on "Burn Notice."
Credit: USA
A quick review of last night's "Burn Notice" coming up just as soon as I promise there will be hitting involved at some point...
Midway through "Neighborhood Watch," Michael voiceovers that sometimes spies get too clever for their own good, and that's a trap that "Burn Notice" itself can fall into on occasion. We like to see Michael outsmart the bad guys, and navigate his shady post-spy existence, but sometimes we just want to see Mike, Sam and Fi break out the hardware and start shooting and blowing up everything in sight.
I don't know that I'm looking forward to another episode of Kendra, though, as I don't think I buy Navi Rawat as this smart and dangerous killer. More to the point, though, I think I'm starting to lose the thread on the larger arc about the evil group that Michael and Jesse are chasing. I know it's all basically a MacGuffin to put Michael with Jesse and to drive the story forward, in the same way that a lot of the stories in the middle passage of a "24" season were irrelevant time-fillers. But it's beginning to feel like this arc, contrary to Michael's advice, is outsmarting itself by getting more complicated than it needs to be.
What did everybody else think?
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
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July 2, 2010 at 9:33AM EST Reply to CommentI enjoyed seeing Bruce flip the switch from Sam the Drunk to Sam the Navy Seal.
sepinwall Yes. Very nice moment. Sam plays the clown, but he's just as capable as Mike and Fi.
July 2, 2010 at 9:40AM EST
July 2, 2010 at 9:34AM EST Reply to CommentAt this point I tend not to be invested in the seasonal story arc, as I find most of the weekly cases somewhat more interesting. Though this may be because we only get small tidbits relating to the large arc at hand, those of which are always given in small doses throughout episodes. But in addition, we're not exactly going to get very far until the final episode or two, so there's another reason.
The show can't exactly not consist of case of the week style episodes, and thus we've had them for years, which is why I mostly prefer them to the main story-arch. This definitely applies for this season, as I enjoy watching Jesse as an addition to the team and the episodes have been rather good.
This episode was good fun and I enjoyed the dealer storyline and how it was handled. So again, I find this show does entertain (most times) week in, week out. I wonder how next week's episode will feature a client juxtaposed with the Kendra storyline.
Sean Only one problem... we always know how the case of the week is going to turn out.
July 2, 2010 at 5:40PM ESTAside from the occasional zinger episode or two in each season (“False Flag,†“Bad Breaks,†“The Hunter,†“Long Way Back,†etc., come to mind), Mike, Sam and Fi are going to successfully help out the person in trouble and either get the bad guy(s) arrested or force them to leave town.
The person/people in trouble may get threatened or beat up, but always turn out fine. Mike, Sam and Fi are never in any real danger. Even the bad guy(s) are usually not harmed.
The case of the week is getting a little too predictable. The last thing I want to see is Burn Notice get overly repetitive with the COTW and move into that boring safe zone that shows like Psych or Monk freely wander around in.
SWG
July 2, 2010 at 9:35AM EST Reply to CommentI agree with you about Navi, she's pleasant but not in this kind of role.
Also, I've steadily lost interest in Burn Notice ever since they added the Jesse character. It feels as out of place as if they had cast a fan in a major role.
This show has done a very solid job with the three core characters but some of their supporting cast decisions lately aren't gelling.
jan
July 2, 2010 at 9:39AM EST Reply to CommentSo far I like Navi Rawat way better than Moon Bloodgood a couple of seasons ago, but we'll have to see how that plays out now that they've caught her. I thought last night's episode was a lot of fun, and I loved the explosions, the shooting, etc. It was interesting to see Benito Martinez in a role so far removed from his role on The Shield. I like Jesse okay so far. As long as we have plenty of Michael, Sam, Fiona, and even Maddie, I'm happy.
Box
July 2, 2010 at 10:22AM EST Reply to CommentI just can't keep driving over these logical potholes if the writers aren't willing to fill them up.
Jesse got burned, where should we hide him? How about Michael's moms house? It's always been safe in the past!
Jesse has to pull a fast move in this car we need to product place in this episode. How about the neighborhood drug dealer misses five easy shots from about 20 feet at a car executing a three point turn?
I used to look past these things because the show had great technical knowledge and I came away going "Wow, never knew a laser pointer could disable a camera!" Now I feel Michael plays this modern day Sun Tzu/Robin Hood and I have to learn things about myself. Boo.
Lunatic96 Do you realize how inaccurate handguns actually are? Unless you're a trained expert marksman, it's almost impossible to hit something from distance, not to mention the adrenaline the drug dealer is undoubtedly experiencing from having the car crash into things.
July 2, 2010 at 10:57AM EST
July 2, 2010 at 11:48AM ESTChuck
July 2, 2010 at 10:30AM EST Reply to CommentRhys Coiro will always be Billy Walsh to me, and that's not a good thing.
Darius I thought that was him. I liked him as Billy Walsh though.
July 2, 2010 at 12:14PM EST
July 2, 2010 at 3:16PM EST
July 2, 2010 at 10:37AM EST Reply to CommentMichael and Co., pursuing an evil group...
Nathan Ford and Co., forced to pursue an evil mastermind...
This is simply lazy storytelling and what typically happens in the third and fourth seasons of shows like this.
I'd be glued to the television for the crossover, though.
Matt Yes, exactly! These are my two favorite shows but they are beginning to mix in my mind. Might as well just combine them and be done with it.
July 2, 2010 at 11:19AM EST
July 2, 2010 at 11:08AM EST Reply to CommentWas David's girlfriend in this episode also his wife from The Shield?
sepinwall No. Justina Machado, who was in this episode, was Rico's wife on Six Feet Under. Aceveda's wife was played by Camillia Sanes.
July 2, 2010 at 11:11AM EST
July 2, 2010 at 11:23AM ESTGridlock "I've dealt with this before"
July 3, 2010 at 7:08AM ESTM.A.Peel
July 2, 2010 at 12:49PM EST Reply to CommentI like the addition of Jesse, but agree that the larger story arc is getting lost. Also don't understand what Michael and Fi's relationaship is again. It was FWB last season. When Jeffery Donovan and Matt Nix were at Paley Center LA in May, Donovan said," At the heart of the show is the love between Fiona and Michael, and why it's so great is that it's more realistic that people probably want to admit." But that's not so clear now. This is a short clip from that session.
http://bit.ly/aQxRNI
IScreen
July 2, 2010 at 1:47PM EST Reply to Comment"So "Neighborhood Watch" started with Michael trying to be clever, first with Audrey the assassin..."
Um,isn't her name "Kendra"? At least, as far as we know?
sepinwall It is, indeed, Kendra. No idea how "Audrey" got stuck in my head. Fixed.
July 2, 2010 at 1:59PM ESTDisappointed BN Fan
July 2, 2010 at 8:07PM EST Reply to Comment"So 'Neighborhood Watch' started with Michael trying to be clever..."
I believe this describes every episode of Burn Notice, ever.
(Loved the reference to Omar's line. One of my favorite moments of S2.)
tim
July 2, 2010 at 9:21PM EST Reply to CommentI'm more fond of the out-smarting the criminals, since the shooting a million times at the ground and blowing stuff where no one gets hurt sounds a heckuva lot like the A Team from when I was 11
Steve A
July 2, 2010 at 11:48PM EST Reply to CommentDid everyone miss the blatant, unapologetic commercial nod to the Hyundai Genesis coupe that Jesse drives? Michael gushes over the precision handling and (it doesn't hurt to have) 300+ horsepower under the hood. For me, this was the saddest moment in the history of Burn Notice.
Gridlock That'd be the 150bhp front wheel drive Hyundai, too.
July 3, 2010 at 7:06AM ESTMike W How could any one miss it? There is still a bump where they hit me over the head with it.
July 4, 2010 at 11:09AM EST
July 6, 2010 at 3:52PM ESTklg19
July 3, 2010 at 12:56PM EST Reply to CommentFunny to read your comment about the season-long arc, because as I was watching this episode I found myself remarking aloud, "Who was Kassar again? What is the story he's part of? Why did Kendra kill him?"
I have literally forgotten everything that has to do with the season-long story, but I don't mind Jesse. It's hilarious to me that he's living at Maddie's and now also dragging Michael into cases like Maddie does.
My favorite part of this episode, though, was the look of sheer joy on Fi's face as she shot her rifle and detonated her explosives. She just gets better and better.
Mary Ann
July 3, 2010 at 7:30PM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...
Mary Ann
July 3, 2010 at 7:38PM EST Reply to CommentThis made me laugh:
Jesse: Another bag? What is this -- every explosive you own?
Fiona: You don't know me very well.
OldDarth
July 4, 2010 at 12:46PM EST Reply to CommentShow is falling back into the rut of Season 3. Not only is Michael not getting very far with Jesse's Burn Notice, he is doing nothing about his own.
Mary Ann
July 10, 2010 at 11:48AM EST Reply to CommentThey like this