Burn Notice - Season 2.5: Do No Harm
Starring: Jeffrey Donovan, Bruce Campbell, Gabrielle Anwar, Sharon Gless, Tricia Helfer
Created By: Matt Nix
Premieres: Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10/9c on USA
With USA’s Monk bowing out after the next season we need someone to turn to for our crime solving. Only – and this is apparently just me – I prefer my crime solving and capers to involve something a bit more dangerous and intriguing. Enter Burn Notice, which resumes its second season on January 22nd. When last we left off Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) had been nearly blown up, and the truth about his burn was possibly even further off than anyone had anticipated.
The show returns with its usual flair for the brightly colored world of Miami, shifty bad guys who get their comeuppance from Westen and crew, and snarky commentary about the spy world from our hero. The season two return is a bit of a showpiece for what happens to a spy emotionally when things go wrong. For most of the series the mystery caper of the week has been a throwaway plotline. Any generic scam could do, but this premiere focuses on what happens when the spy becomes emotionally involved.
After being blown up Michael takes a lot of things personally. He’s on edge, wary of everyone, and when he meets a suicidal dad and his sick son the hard edged spy does the unadvisable: he gets emotionally invested. Other than that aspect, along with Fiona’s (Gabrielle Anwar) attachment to the kid, the season two return premiere plays out like any other episode of Burn Notice. In other words, it’s a lot of fun and we get a smidge more info about Carla (Tricia Helfer) and her plans for Michael.
Carla wants Michael to track down who tried to kill him. This wasn’t surprising at all, except that Michael really thought she was the one who put the hit out on him. As she explains, why would they want their best new operative dead? So now Westen is on the hunt for the enemy of his enemy in the hopes they will provide the answers Carla refuses to share.
Once again Donovan returns with an overly abundant amount of charm, despite being a bit banged up from the blast. And anyone who wants to know if Sam (Bruce Campbell) could take Michael will have their answer. It’s Sam who is the most level headed of the trio this time around, taking the punches (and giving them) to get his friend to realize going off half-cocked is perhaps not the most efficient way to run an operation.
If you were hoping for answers from Burn Notice upon its return, you’ll be a little disappointed. Right when the show was picking up steam for the main plot it was cut off, and the return doesn’t pick that thread up with the same fervor. We’re back into the thick of the show, and despite wanting to know everything I’m happy to be immersed again into the spy world of sunny Miami.
