TV Show Review: Burn Notice - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Plenty of action, suspense, and laughs

Cons: Slow to get burning

The Bottom Line:

A bit slow at first

But soon stunts will have you hooked

On fun spy thriller

"My Name is Michael Westen.  I Used to be a Spy."

When the first season of Burn Notice premiered summer of 2007, I gave the pilot a half hearted chance, but I turned it off part way through. As the season progressed and I kept hearing how great it was, I wished I had given it more of a chance. So when I had the opportunity to do just that, I jumped on it. I've got to say that I am now hooked on the show.

Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) is a spy and very good at it. Or at least he was. One day, while in the middle of a covert mission, he is burned. For us civilians, that means fired. Barely managing to escape with his life, he passes out and wakes up in Miami with no money and no idea what happened. Worse yet, Miami is him home town, and that means dealing with his Mother (Sharon Gless) who he hasn't seen in years.

Michael is determined to figure out who did this to him and why so he can get back to work. So while he slowly gathers pieces of that puzzle, he picks up odd jobs as a private investigator. When he needs back up (which is often), he teams up with ex-IRA weapons smuggler (and ex-girlfriend) Fiona (Gabriella Anwar) and friend and former FBI agent (who is reporting on him to the FBI) Sam (Bruce Campbell).

And together the three of them take on plenty of hard cases. They deal with kidnapped sons, drug dealers, smugglers, arms dealers, and assassins. Meanwhile, Michael is piecing together why he was burned. All this leads to a gripping and explosive season finale with a great cliffhanger.

If I had to describe the show in one phrase, I'd call it an action, adventure, spy show with humor. How's that for a mouthful? You can't in any way take away from the action and adventure part of the show. Each episode features our three heroes up against overwhelming odds. Even when I know they'll win in the end, I can't see how they will do it. There are narrow escapes and explosions galore. Michael usually gets into a fist fight at least once an episode. And all these stories hold together. There are no glaring plot holes or contradictions.

Yet you can't get away from the humor either. There's at least one good laugh per episode, maybe more. And I think that's what turned me off early on. The humor comes from our three leads (Michael, Fiona, and Sam) and their relationship rather then any bumbling action. For that to work, you need to get to know the characters first. And that takes time to build no matter how great everything else is. But it was well worth that time. Sam loves his drinks, and Fiona is ready to blow anyone and everyone up. Michael gives us voiceovers on spy stuff techniques, and those hold some laughs as well. Mix in a little sarcasm, and you've got some good laughs in between the chases and explosions.

And I've got to praise the actors and their chemistry. Jeffrey Donovan, Gabriella Anwar, and Bruce Campbell are all absolutely believable. They make the jokes work because we buy their relationships.

Technically, the show has four leads with Sharon Gless rounding out the cast. However, there are a couple episodes she's not in and plenty more where she's basically given one or two scenes. They use her to try to humanize Michael, who can be a slick above the ordinary character. And this way they can delved into Michael's past in a very dysfunctional family. It works, but I can take or leave the character. She's not horrid, but I'm not convinced she adds enough to the show to be a true regular. But maybe that's just me.

The first season has come out just in time for the second season to start. The four disc set contains the extended pilot, the nine regular episodes, and the two hour finale. That's 12 episodes, just spaced out a little differently. The picture is widescreen and the surround sound is nice. In an interesting take on the commentary, the cast and crew do commentaries on select scenes in every episode. There's also a gag real that's worth watching. Frankly, the montages are pointless and can be skipped.

I'm glad I gave Burn Notice a second chance. The first season starts a little slowly, but it quickly gets entertaining. Now, how long until season two starts?

Season 1 Episodes:

1. Pilot

2. Identity

3. Fight or Flight

4. Old Friends

5. Family Business

6. Unpaid Debts

7. Broken Rules

8. Wanted Man

9. Hard Bargain

10. False Flag

11. Dead Drop (aka Loose Ends Part I)

12. Loose Ends Part II