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 fired. He was stripped of his security clearance, his bank account was frozen, and he was stranded in Miami with no financial 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 field 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 Mafia 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 Mafia goons look like boy scouts. Fiona is stunningly beautiful but deadly. She is trigger happy and a problem for Michael. But her fiery 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 officer, 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 find 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 certified hit and has already been renewed for next season. It runs on Thursdays on USA at 10 pm ET
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
