TV Show Review: Burn Notice - Season 7

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Acting, action, and ending

Cons: Darker than earlier seasons

The Bottom Line:

Grab yogurt cartons

And sit down for one last rush

With this great burned spy

"I Hate to Say It, Sammy, But I Think This Thing is Far From Over."

In the last 15 years, TV has changed dramatically.  Instead of mostly stand alone episodes, many TV shows tell multi-episode stories.  That’s why I respect it when show runners and TV networks set end dates for series I love.  It gives the show runner a chance to end the story how they want to without dragging things out too much.

Of course, sometimes the tenor of the show has changed.  That was the case with Burn Notice.  I got into the show just before season 2 started airing, and I’ve been a loyal viewer ever since.  However, with season 6 the show got darker, and that continued with Season 7 of the show.

When season 7 picks up, it has been nine months since we last saw Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) and his friends.  In that time, no one has even heard from Michael.  That’s because as part of the deal that got his friends released from CIA custody, he’s been deep under cover in the Dominican Republic to take down a terrorist organization.  If he can do this, maybe he and everyone else in his life will finally be free.

Of course, as he finally gets in with the group, he finds he needs help and he begins reaching out to his friends again.  Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell) and Jesse (Coby Bell) are more than ready to help, but Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) has moved on; she even has a new boyfriend.  And Michael’s mom Madeline (Sharon Gless) just wants her son to come home so she doesn’t lose anyone else.  Will that even be a possibility or will he wind up exposed and dead?

The darkness of season 6 continued with season 7, and I didn’t like that.  The show had always put our heroes up against overwhelming odds, but here the odds seemed worse than normal.  The humor that the show had often had also dimmed.  There were still some good lines, but I missed the mood lightener it had presented.

Of course, a few episodes before the end, there was a twist that really darkened things.  I was not a fan of that at all.

So it was with much reluctance that I sat down to watch the series finale.  But I was very pleasantly surprised with how things ended.  No, it wasn’t all light and warmth, but it was very satisfying, and even more importantly, it felt right.  We sent these characters out with style after seven years.

And I loved the nods to some of the elements of the series in the finale, too.

The show has always been known for its action, and that was still a strong point here.  The stunts and explosions are as big as ever.  I will admit that one or two were a little obviously fake, but most of the time I believe what I’m watching.

These actors have always brought their characters to wonderful life, and this season was no exception.  In fact, while I didn’t like some of the places the plot went, I always bought it thanks to the great acting.

There were 13 episodes in this final season, and they are presented here in their native wide screen and full surround sound on four discs.  Looking for extras?  You'll get the standard deleted scenes and gag reel as well as a featurette on how the end of the show was created.

So if you are a fan of Burn Notice, you owe it to yourself to find out how things end.  It may not be quite the journey you hope for, but the end of Season 7 will satisfy.

Season 7 Episodes:

1. New Deal

2. Forget Me Not

3. Down Range

4. Brothers in Arms

5. Exit Plan

6. All or Nothing

7. Psychological Warfare

8. Nature of the Beast

9. Bitter Pill

10. Things Unseen

11. Tipping Point

12. Sea Change

13. Reckoning