What I’m Watching: Burn Notice

Burn Notice: Season 3, Episode 7 “Shot in the Dark” (B+)

Here’s Michael Westen back on track, doing exactly what he always does, helping those in need as they come find him. The twist here was that a kid approached Michael on behalf of his mother (reminding me of a “Grey’s Anatomy” installment where Meredith yelled at a mother for doing nothing to stand up to abuse when her daughter shot her stepfather), and Michael dealing with children is something we haven’t seen much of, though it’s really quite fun when it occurs. Madeline’s involvement in that portion of the case was also humorous; she loves taking in the helpless families and offering them her own particular brand of comfort and affection. Seeing Jay Harrington of “Better Off Ted” as the dumb but evil guest star here was slightly strange, since he just doesn’t seem threatening, but it was entertaining to see him squirm once he realized that Michael was playing him. I also recognized Nicholas Lea, a.k.a. Alex Krycek from “The X-Files,” as the fearsome brother, and I really wish he had been given more of a part, since he’s capable of being truly seedy. Fiona’s lust for blood was particularly entertaining here, and I loved her line, “technically, he can run and bleed.” This team’s pretty stellar, and having them all show up in the same place and pretend to be hallucinations was a lot of fun. I know that some, like G1000, may disagree and prefer installments that deviate from the traditional formula, but I think this is an example of the show at its best.