The voiceover for this week’s episode promised an intense roller coaster of a ride and Burn Notice delivered that in parts. Unfortunately, it was not the thrill ride from start to finish that I had expected and hoped for.
Michael and Jesse have worked well together thus-far, but they were tested this week as they have differing philosophies about interrogating Kendra. This just proves how different Michael and Jesse are at this juncture in their careers. Jesse has everything to lose and his pace is frenetic and rushed, his need for answers overwhelming patience. And while Michael methodically considers all angles before diving in, Jesse is unwilling to wait. Michael’s calmness is a great counterpoint, his assertion that he is the leader, not with yelled words, but with a tone of command, really shows how this character has benefited from having Jesse around.
Kendra has been an interesting character, her sarcasm and tough as nails exterior adding a layer to the character and story arc. Jesse and Michael’s interrogation of her brings more of the same. Kendra is hardcore, even bashing her head against the table repeatedly. She was both admirable and chilling when she went to such lengths to prove her point. But that shows where Kendra sees Jesse and Michael and the pecking order.
Sam isn’t warming to Jesse and only agrees to work with him when Michael cajoles him into it. This is a very good thing, as Fiona has a line on some work with a high-end forger, Buddy. Buddy has run afoul of a client and believes that he is being killed. He had to make two small items for his last client, a custom job.
When Michael and Fiona go to a warehouse, it explodes and they need to use some fancy footwork to get inside and discover what was so important that it needed to be destroyed rather than discovered. They determine that the client trying to kill Buddy is interested in stealing an antiquity.
They approach Mr. Blocklage, the sword’s owner, and attempt to warn him of the impeding theft, but he doesn’t take them seriously. Michael and Fiona are forced to take some files from the company. They quickly center on a suspect, but it seems too obvious.
When Buddy is set up to a meeting with Fiona that she did not organize, Michael and Fiona know the thief is ready to make a move on buddy—his second. They save the day by injuring Buddy and preventing him from entering a building wired to explode.
Kendra and Jesse spar verbally, with Kendra maintaining more control than she should. Jesse is more easily manipulated by his emotions than a man of his history should, and this could prove to be a weak link in the future.
Buddy is bumbling and wasn’t a character I warmed to or was interested in. This secondary story seemed to mesh less successfully than other episodes this season. As a result, I was much less engaged. Having said that, Alan Dale as Mr. Bocklage is a scene stealer!
While the antiquity angle was new and interesting, it felt a bit like Burn Notice trying to emulate White Collar and was not one of my favorite episodes of the season. I found myself missing the Kendra storyline when we were focusing on the Buddy sub story, and jarred by the intercuts to Kendra and Jesse. I also found myself missing Madeline and her sense of humor. This episode just fell flat to me.
While Burn Notice has grabbed and held my attention for much of the season, only parts of this episode worked for me.
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