What I’m Watching: Burn Notice

Burn Notice: Season 7, Episode 11 “Tipping Point” (B+)

Now this is what I’m talking about. After four weeks of iffy episodes that didn’t really get anywhere, all hell broke loose as Strong seemed a bit too overconfident that it was time to take down James and his operation. Michael teasing Sonya to get the location of their mission was a deceptively calm and lighthearted way to start the episode, which quickly got tense and serious following the major shootout in which Michael was definitely on the wrong side. James not wanting to go down with a fight was worrisome, and it’s never a good sign when Michael’s narration works against him, grounding part of his team and giving James new ideas of how to outwit an overconfident Strong. The best moment in the episode, before its final scene, of course, was the ultimate sign that this show is counting down to its end with Simon’s reappearance. It caught me by surprise, and it angered Michael enough to kill him rather brutally and to warn James and Sonya about the impending arrival of backup, blowing the mission in the process. Strong hiring Simon is almost enough to make Michael switch sides completely, and what’s most telling is that James seems convinced that Michael is telling the truth. Stepping in to save Sonya was noble, and it’s hard to know what could possibly come next, especially since Sam and Jesse are still on the other side of things. Fiona and Madeleine represent another group that will surely be affected by Michael’s actions. Either way, this hour has me pumped for the final two installments of this show, which returns on September 5th after a break for Labor Day next week.