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12 september 13-19, 2007 | entertaining u newspaper
burn notice
USA’s clever spy dramedy
BY RICK GRANT rickgrant01@comcast.net
Reviving the witty repartee between male and
female leads ala the old Moonlighting series was
Matt Nix’s concept when he pitched Burn Notice to
the USA decision makers. But his protagonist was
an ex-CIA agent, Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan)
who was “burned,” which in spy jargon means fi red.
He was stripped of his security clearance, his bank
account was frozen, and he was stranded in Miami
with no fi nancial resources.
As Michael struggles to scrape-up private
investigative work, his ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrille
Anwar) surfaces. She was an ex-IRA operative who
helped Michael in his fi eld work. Feisty Fiona has
special spy skills but is a pain in Michael’s neck.
Together, they have a shaky personal relationship
but work well together professionally. Michael’s only
friend is Sam, a washed-up military intelligence contact
who is informing on Michael to the FBI.
Against the backdrop of bikini-clad babes and
colorful art-deco South Beach locations, Michael
takes PI jobs under the police’s radar to make ends
meet. Michael’s brash, chain-smoking mother, Madeline
(Sharon Gless), lives in Miami. She continually
pisses-off Michael with her raunchy social life and
her incessant criticism of Michael’s free-wheeling
lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Michael is looking for the CIA suit
that burned him and had him blacklisted, limiting his
options. The hook of the premise is Michael’s use of
his spy craft to deal with some dangerous bad guys
and relying on Fiona and Sam to help him pull off his
cons and stings. He has even made deals with the
Armenian Mafi a to help him complete his missions.
Amid the foot chases and gun gags, Michael
and Fiona bicker and utter witty barbs at one another.
This sexual tension culminates in Michael and Fiona
resuming their sex life. Michael thinks it’s a mistake,
yet, he needs Fiona. She can go places that he can’t
and use her femme fatale charms to gain access to
high security sites. Although Sam is informing on
Michael, he also helps him on certain operations.
In this shadowy world of ex-secret agents, trust no
one.
When Michael was working for the CIA, his
career took him to Eastern Europe and the OPEC
countries as a covert operative. Now, he faces a
new reality in Miami. On the positive side, Miami is
seething with shady characters who need his services
for cash money up front. Avoiding the FBI is
easy, it’s the Armenian mob that is a problem. These
gangsters make Mafi a goons look like boy scouts.
Fiona is stunningly beautiful but deadly. She is trigger
happy and a problem for Michael. But her fi ery
personality complements Michael’s need for a continuous
adrenaline high. They make a volatile team,
but get the job done.
A former Navy Seal and military intelligence
offi cer, Sam looks good in either a suit or in Bermuda
shorts with a Hawaiian shirt holding a drink in his
hand. He plays various roles for Michael’s complex
stings. Michael can always fi nd Sam at his favorite
hotel bar next to the swimming pool sipping cocktails
while trying to pick up chicks.
Michael’s cantankerous mom is widowed and
looking for a new man. Michael would rather she
move to a foreign country, but since she’s living in
the same city, he humors her. She’s good for a place
to stay and a small loan when things get tough.
Jeffrey Donovan, who is a familiar face from
innumerable television shows and movies, has created
a likeable character that looks sharp in a light
blazer while he kicks butt. His suave witty persona
endears him to TV viewers like James Garner did in
The Rockford Files. His advanced spy craft comes
in handy when dealing with a legion of bad guys and
giving the FBI the slip.
The show is a certifi ed hit and has already
been renewed for next season. It runs on Thursdays
on USA at 10 pm ET