Burn Notice - Season One
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 One of the best action/comedies in several years Burn Notice is an action/comedy with a small side of romance to round out the mix. Where similar shows fail in one or more ways, Burn Notice is close to flawless. The writing is smart and funny, the casting is spot-on, and the production values are very, very good for a basic cable series. The four main characters are all likable and sympathetic. For a "smart" show with well written dialogue, it's exceptional in that the dialogue seems focused on being entertaining rather than being a misguided effort to prove to the world just how clever the writers are. This is truly a show that has broad appeal -- I just sent my 86 year old Grandmother a set of dvds -- without pandering to achieve that status. I just hope that this excellent freshman outing is followed by a sophomore slump. Delicously fun to watch I was really disappointed when Jeffrey Donovan's other series on USA network (Touching Evil) was canceled. Imagine how thrilled I was to discover that he was starring in a new series with Bruce Campbell as his side kick! Burn Notice is well written, smart and refreshingly funny. It also has a talented cast that play well off of each other and are fun to watch. You are immediately drawn into the story with Jeffrey Donovan's voice over narration. There is never a dull moment, and you are excited to find out what happens next. *A summer to remembeR! After the CW canceled one of my favorite shows(Veronica Mars) and ended another one(Gilmore Girls), I was left with nothing to watch. I had to admit that I saw BURN NOTICE because of all the publicity they did for it, I'm glad I tuned in. From the 1st. episode I was hooked. Michael Westen and comp. are a great cast, the chemistry is wonderful, this show takes you away and that's sign of a good show. I loved it because it has the action and detective work of Veronica Mars but so much more, and the charm and wittiness of Gilmore Girls. Simple BURN NOTICE is: smart, witty, and action packed. What else can be said about a great show... The only but thing I can say it's that I had to wait a whole year to see a new season, but that is more a network problem. Thanks USA finally something good to watch. Great Summer Fun The show is about Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan), an American spy who doesn't work for any one agency. At the beginning of the first episode, in the middle of an under-the-table payoff to a local Nigerian terrorist group, Michael learns that he has been "Burned"; which is the spy equivalent of being fired. Unfortunately, this comes up in the middle of a deal, and trouble ensues. To make a long story short, Michael ends up passed out in his hometown of Miami. To be "Burned" means that a spy is completely cut off from everything and everybody; no agency will talk to him, his financial resources are nonexistent, and his name is red-flagged (which prevents him from traveling.) Naturally, the first thing Michael wants to do is to figure out why he was `burned' in the first place. This is hard to do, since Michael has next to no resources at his disposal. Also, he quickly learns that he is under surveillance. What he does have is a bitter gun-nut ex-girlfriend Fiona (whose accent disappears after episode 1, which was explained away with a single line); a retired spy buddy named Sam (played by the always entertaining Bruce Campbell); a small group of illicit contacts; and a nagging, chain-smoking, hypochondriac mother. It is through his mother that he gets his first `job.' To support himself, Michael becomes an unofficial private-investigator and problem solver. What's fun abut this show is how Michael solves these problems (with the help of his two sidekicks, Sam and Fiona.) As Michael says (who also does the voice-over), "Guns make you stupid. Better to fight your wars with duct tape. Duck tape makes you smart", not that he doesn't use guns when appropriate, he just prefers more creative solutions (think MacGyver.) Weather its running out a local drug lord, saving a kidnapped family, uncovering a minor conspiracy, helping a kid deal with bullies, or making a bomb; Michael has a clever solution to everything (get a small taste of that here.) Michael employs psychological manipulation ("People are more likely to believe a piece of information if they have to work a little bit for it"), technical skills, fast-thinking, and good-old-fashion combat. So, each episode there are two or more stories going on, Michael trying to find out why he was `burned' (each episode the mystery deepens, he soon discovers it is about much more then just him), and a new `case' for Michael to solve. But I am not even mentioning the relationship between the characters; Fiona and Michael have a tense romance brewing, which works quite well, Sam is always enjoyable (as well as his relationship with Fiona), and the relationship between Michael and his mother is hilarious (a spy who can deal with third-world dictators, but has a hard time dealing with his own mother.) The chemistry in this show is great. Michael's narrative of the show also works well; he doesn't explain the story as much as fills in some "spy-factoids"; such as "in the field, communicating silently is a must", or "A good trap doesn't scare people, it makes them curious." More then anything, Michael's narrative helps pull the various elements of the show together. There are some annoying aspects of this show; sometimes clunky dialogue, stylistic choices that felt thrown in (rap-music to shots of Miami), and I didn't think the relationship between Michael and his loser brother worked very well. Still, what makes this show fun is the sexy and lovable characters, the mystery, the action, and the comedy, and how the show pulls all of this together for a very enjoyable experience. But especially, it's fun to see highly competent, and mostly moral characters fight a variety of bad guys. While I don't think `burn notice' will win any Emmy's, it's a great summer show; which I am glad was picked up for a second season, if only to figure out what happens after the cliffhanger at the end of the first. | |||||||||||||
