Carstairs Considers....: TV Show Review: Burn Notice

Monday, June 10, 2013

TV Show Review: Burn Notice - Season 6

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action, explosions, suspense

Cons: Turns a bit darker overall

The Bottom Line:

Michael grows darker

And the show follows with him

Missed lighter moments

"This is a Disaster." "It's Only a Pre-Disaster."

Every season offers the producers and writers chances to go new places with their characters. For season 6 of Burn Notice, that lead to some darker material than we’ve seen on the show before. Personally, I missed the lighter Burn Notice.

Season 6 picks up with the aftermath of season five. The big news here is that Michael Westen’s (Jeffrey Donovan) girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) is in prison for a crime she was framed for. With the help of Sam (Bruce Campbell) and Jesse (Coby Bell), Michael will do whatever it takes to get Fiona out of prison.

The biggest threat they need to take down is Anson (guest star Gere Burns), the man who burn Michael all those years ago and framed Fiona today. But getting at this man so used to hiding won’t be easy. Especially since he seems to have some help, which means there’s yet another level to this conspiracy.

The producers made a conscious decision this year to get away from the client of the week plots they’ve done in previous seasons. Or so they claimed. The first part of the season actually felt very familiar to me, the only difference being instead of someone hiring them to do a job, they were doing these jobs in exchange for help taking down Anson. These cases of the week did diminish some as the season went along and the overall story ramped up.

Fiona actually spends quite a bit of time in prison early in the season with her own plots and sub-plots that run parallel to what the guys are doing on the outside to get her freed. A few of those were interesting, but by the time we got her out, I was thrilled she was free.

But just about then, the season took a dark turn. While the show has always featured our character going up against overwhelming odds, things got out of hand in the second half. Despite the fact that the show has been dealing with smugglers, kidnappers, drug dealers, and other serious criminal elements, there was always been a bit of fun to it that helped lighten the mood. But here, things got personal and downright depressing. Yes, I kept watching, but it just wasn’t as enjoyable as it was before.

Of course, the show still comes complete with great action sequences every week. I certainly can’t complain about those.

The acting is still top notch. The actors were required to add some depth that wasn’t there before, and they did it well. While I haven’t mentioned her yet, I should say that Sharon Gless is still a regular as Michael’s mother Madeline. While her character doesn’t always drive the plot, I love it when she gets more involved in things.

There were 18 episodes this season and all of them are present in this set in their native wide screen and full surround. Extras consist of deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a commentary on "Shock Wave," the game changing episode of the season.

I still enjoyed season 6 of Burn Notice, but the darker tone kept it from being my favorite. If you aren’t familiar with the show, go back to the beginning for the run, wild ride. And if you are already a fan, you’ll still want to check this season out to find out just what happens next to Michael and his crew.

Season 6 Episodes:

1. Scorched Earth

2. Mixed Messages

3. Last Rites

4. Under the Gun

5. Split Decision

6. Shock Wave

7. Reunion

8. Unchained

9. Official Business

10. Desperate Times

11. Desperate Measures