Burn Notice 3.11 - Friendly Fire

Plot: Michael gets to meet Mason Gilroy (Chris Vance), who has something planned in Miami, and is trying to decide whether to work with Michael, or simply kill him. For the time being, he's decided to look into Michael and see what sort of person he is. Michael, concerned about the kind of work Gilroy does, has to convince him that Mike's his sort of guy. Fortunately, an old friend of Sam's comes along with an opportunity. Perhaps "friend" is the wrong word.

Mack's trying to track down a child predator named Rincon, who has gone to ground in Miami. But the whole neighborhood is on the lookout for anybody who looks like a cop. So Michael gets to play a mysterious guy who is searching for Rincon, and he ropes the local gang leader, Omar (Jacob Vargas), into doing the searching. Omar, for a local gang leader, is a pretty decent sort. He deals drugs, but it's baby formula mostly. He doesn't seem to tolerate a lot of misbehavior in his neighborhood, and he takes care of problems himself.

Except Omar has problems, a rival gang leader named Vega (Danny Trejo). Oh, and Vega and Rincon just happen to be partners. Michael has to not only convince Omar he's a bigger threat than Vega, he also has to keep Omar from getting wiped for looking into Vega's business. All without making Gilroy suspicious of his motives. And it works! Gilroy wants to work together! But they'll talk later. Mike's a little busy, letting Fiona know he's not dead yet.

Meanwhile, Madeline has taken it upon herself to find out what the problem is between Sam and Mack. Because Sam isn't drinking right now. Yes, it's a true RED ALERT situation.

The Players: Gilroy (Freelance Psychopath), Mack (Sam' Old Friend), Mack (Sam's Former Friend), Rincon (Child Predator & Cop Killer), Omar (King of the Barrio), Vega (Scalp Collector)

Quote of the Episode: Michael - 'The devil wants Rincon's soul. I just want the man.'

Does Fiona blow anything up? Let's see, there was a car, a couple of ice cream carts, I imagine she made the explosive they put on the support braces of the warehouse door. Yeah, busy episode for Fi.

Sam Axe Drink Count: 1 (34 overall). I'm not even sure he drank that one, since he was listening to Mack's sales pitch. And here's a relevant exchange.  Maddy - 'He's not himself, with the drinking.' Mack - 'Well now, Sam's always liked his beer.' Maddy - 'I mean he's NOT drinking!'

Sam Getting Hit Count: 0 (2 overall). Sam landed a couple on Mack, though. Another relevant quote: Sam - 'There's a code. You don't sit in another man's canoe.'

Michael Fake Laugh Count: 0 (4 overall). This was not a role that used laughter.

Other: Mike's alias for the week is "Louis". I'm sure there's some significance there, perhaps to Lucifer, but I don't, that's stretching it a bit. Is there a dishonored saint named Louis?

Every time I say "Sam and Mack", I'm tempted to shout "FREELANCE POLICE!" I know, that was Sam and Max, but it's really close, you know?

I think this might be my favorite episode of this show. Not just this season, all seasons. I love Gilroy as a threat. He has that cultured, stylish aspect to him that makes him more interesting to me somehow. I suppose the fact that he can be ruthless, based off his killing of Diego and his rep, but also sort of playful. Having a sniper watching his first meeting with Mike, but only having him shoot the champagne glass on the balcony with Fi, which was several feet away from her (I also like that Fi was merely annoyed by that). He has a definite appreciation for Michael's style that's beyond simply appreciating someone who is good at his work. He legitimately enjoys the job, and likes people who do it not just well, but with a flair all their own. Maybe that's why I like him, he appreciates some of the same things I do? Plus, Vance has a great accent. I wanted to use some Gilroy quotes, but without the accent they just don't work as well.

As stylish as Gilroy is, Michael outdoes this week. The whole identity of Louis, the black-and-red ensemble, the slicked back hair, the low voice, that shifts between gravelly and raspy depending on need (I think it's more gravel when he's being aggressive, raspy when he's being calm). And, of course, all the snaps triggering explosions. There's so much theatricality to it. I love striding confidently down the middle of the street (in slo-mo, no less) towards the warehouse. Absolute confidence and calm. It's like Michael became Batman for an episode. Maybe the Shadow is a better comparison. The whole bit at the end, responding to Rincon's "Go to hell." with 'Come with me.' before snapping his fingers. Making the big show of snapping the handcuffs.

What makes it work though, is that we see it work. We see how badly he spooks Omar when he walks up behind him after stealing the van. Omar insists Louis is flesh and blood, but you wonder who he's trying to convince. When Louis comes for the address where Rincon is hiding, he walks right through Omar's guys, and not one of them makes even the slightest move to stop him, even though Omar clearly wasn't expecting him. Nobody wants to cross Louis by that point. He's in their heads.

At the same time, I like Omar, too. I know we're supposed to. He's a gang leader, but not in the sense we usually think of them in fiction. He's does clearly steal, we know that's how he gets all the medicines, and he doesn't give them away, but I presume he sells them at affordable prices, and by Vega's own comments, people in the neighborhood seem to be doing well. It isn't just that the place is clean and orderly. You can get that with a dictatorship, and people are still miserable. But the neighborhood seems pretty happy, everyone's just sort of hanging out, relaxing, talking, eating. You don't see anyone squabbling, and presumably, that's Omar. Beyond that, it's that while Omar is clearly no stranger to violence, he recognizes it isn't the first option. In his first meeting with Louis, one of his guys suggests beating Louis' ass. Omar gives him a look and he quiets down. Omar has numbers and firepower, but he isn't going to resort to that when Louis has a gun at the head of one of his guys. Omar clearly wants to fight Vega when the 'scalp collector' first shows up, but he reins himself in. Barely. He can't stop himself from slugging one of Vega's goons that harasses a woman, and he gets a little short with Vega, but he understands the situation. He can't win a straight up war with this guy, and he certainly doesn't want to start it in broad daylight in his neighborhood.

That's the bit Vega misses, which becomes abundantly clear at the end. Vega mocks Omar, because no one from showed up to help Omar. He ridicules him because one of Omar's guys spilled his guts after "only" one hour of Vega cutting him up. One wonders exactly how much weight that guy lost in that hour, and whether he survived. Smart money for the second question is "no". But that's what Vega misses about Omar. Vega thinks everyone exists to serve him, and while Omar expects loyalty from his guys, he fights to protect them and the people in his territory. Which is what I like to see in a leader. It's one of the things Vega underestimates. He wouldn't alone, unarmed against a rival gang, so he can't see Omar trying it. He just sees a crushed foe.

Jeez, and I'm finally getting around to Maddy and Sam. Suffice to sat, I like her admission that not only is Sam Michael's best friend, he's hers as well. Though it does make the horrible wreckage of her aborted friendship with Tina last week even sadder. But I appreciate her approach. She tries talking to Sam directly, he shuts her down. So she goes to Mack. He has less experience with Madeline, so he's not ready for how stubborn she can be. Plus, I think her concern touched him, and he feels guilty. Having all the facts, she then tries to get Sam to forgive Mack, easing into it with a joke about her figurines, then getting serious. That doesn't take, and she gets a little frustrated, but it gets the ball rolling. I think it helps Sam doesn't seem to be a serious grudge holder. If that's just his personality, or if it's because he knows he's down things that need forgiving as well.