Burn Notice Review
Nov. 5th, 2008 05:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meridian_roseBurn Notice is fantastic. With its wry humour and explanatory voiceovers it’s a joy to watch. The premise is simple: each week Michael Westen, tries to find out who burnt him; that is, got him fired from the spy business. Unfortunately to do so he needs contacts and cash, neither of which are forthcoming. So Westen is forced to take on cases that will benefit from his spy skills; cases where the authorities can’t or won’t get involved, or where clients have been framed. These are often cases undertaken for very little money but underneath it all, Westen is a nice guy, and besides, he needs whatever he can get his hands on; sometimes the reward is the form of information or favours that are a suitable substitute.
During each episode he gives his wry observations on the spy game (a broken home is a good training ground for a spy since you’re used to getting knocked around and never get homesick) and demonstrates how to make practical use of those spy skills, be it making a decoy “bomb” that looks real but has no explosive, setting up a perimeter alarm with a floodlight and a mobile phone, or simply getting rid of the next door drug dealer. It’s a bit like MacGyver but without the self-righteousness.
Westen is aided and abetted by ex-girlfriend Fiona – ex-IRA, bounty hunter, sexy as hell and hard as nails – and friend Sam Axe – (Bruce Campbell, brilliant as always) ex-spy with a penchant for sunbathing at a pool with a decent bar. Sam is working both sides, informing on Westen to the Feds and using this connection to set the Feds on bad guys Westen identifies during his work.
Smart, sexy, self-deprecating, Burn Notice features the vivid colours and party atmosphere of
It’s been renewed, there’s a CD soundtrack and a planned tie-in novel; I’m pleasantly surprised at the success of this show. The
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Date: 2017-01-26 06:08 am (UTC)noagosjh
Date: 2017-01-26 11:28 pm (UTC)