Burn Notice 1.10 - False Flag

Plot: Having nearly been killed by an assassin sent by the man who burned him, Michael has decided to take the fight to Mr. Cowan. Which means he needs some fake identification so he can get to D.C. After some missteps (which also teach us the FBI still keeps tabs on him, even if he isn't under active surveillance), he turns to Lucy, who isn't sure she can help with that, but does pass along a job. A gentle and teary woman named Evelyn is looking for her son, who was whisked away by her abusive husband Doug. That hits sort of a sore spot with Michael, who becomes grimly determined to find Jasper for her, over Fi's objections that he's getting too involved.

Turns out Fiona was right to be concerned, because Jasper's mom is already dead, Doug's hiding because he's about testify on some black market work a shipping company he was employed by was involved in, oh, and Evelyn's out to silence Doug. And she's pretty good at what she does, especially with the advantage of being in Mike's head.

The Players: Lucy (Security Consultant), Evelyn (The Client), Evelyn (The Assassin).

Quote of the Episode: Fiona - 'Ah, the damsel in distress.' Michael - 'She said it was an emergency, Fiona. What do you want me to do?' Fi - 'Be her knight in shining armor, of course.'

Does Fiona blow anything up? No.

Sam Axe Drink Count: 2 (31 overall).

Sam Getting Hit Count: 0 (4 overall).

Mike's Fake Laugh Count: 1 (11 overall).

Other: This is the start of semi-regular trend of Michael getting fooled by seemingly weepy women who are actually highly dangerous. His inability to learn from these repeated occurrences will get a little annoying.

Props to Lucy Lawless and the makeup department on Evelyn. When she's playing the distressed mother, it's all white, flowing dresses, hair down and framing her face, and she cries at the drop of a hat. Once the cat's out of the bag, she shifts to more black clothing, but more critically, she opts for pants, boots, shirts and jackets that are more functional. She pulls her hair back, and narrows her eyes a bit. Also, I think they used blush on Lawless or something when she's pretending, because her face has a softer, more gentle look. It could just be the change in hair, but I'm not sure that alone would account for how more sharper (as in razor-edged, like you'd cut yourself if you touched her) she looks when she's all business.

There is a fairly ridiculous scene where she starts driving the Charger at the shack Mike and Doug are holed up in, but even though it couldn't have been more than 20 or 30 meters, Michael somehow has time to concoct a bomb from a propane tank, aerosol canister, and duct tape, then step outside, throw it and shoot it, and she still hadn't reached the porch by then. Did Evelyn think she was driving Miss Daisy? Or was she just trying to scare them into leaving cover?

Aside from that, she was a good character. Might have been fun as a repeat troublemaker, but I guess Dead Larry will fill that niche. Anyway, next week we look at the finale for Season 1. Phillip Cowan is on his way to Miami! Good luck, Michael.