What I’m Watching: Burn Notice

Burn Notice: Season 3, Episode 13 “Enemies Closer” (B+)

I think this is the first time I’ve seen everything truly hit the fan and elicit real rage from all of the characters. Fiona and Madeline have shown their fair share of resentment towards Michael, but I haven’t seen that kind of fury in Sam before. Michael also doesn’t actually yell that much, especially not at his friends. There were death threats aplenty in this episode, setting the stakes as all the more serious this time around. “Burn Notice,” more than most shows I currently watch, likes to incorporate recurring characters on a regular basis. For someone like me who didn’t watch season one, it’s hard to recall whether we’ve seen these people before or whether we’re simply supposed to take Michael’s word for it that this is an old friend of his who has now become a client. In any case, Michael sure has made a lot of enemies over the years who aren’t quite enemies but still manage to drag him into all of their illicit business and then come crying to him for help when things go sour. It’s refreshing to see that Michael isn’t messing around with Gilroy anymore and stop playing dumb, at least a little bit. Nate’s arrival with his new wife didn’t quite go over well, and while Madeline’s dislike of her new daughter-in-law was entertaining, it was Michael’s reaction that was perhaps the most interesting and enjoyable. Clearly, Michael is the number one son since Nate’s never around and is hardly as dependable as Michael, but it’s weird to think of Michael having any family besides his three trusted companions: Fiona, Sam, and his mother.