Burn Notice 6.6 - Shock Wave

Plot: Fiona's almost out of prison! Michael just needs to catch Anson, and thanks to Rebecca he knows exactly where to look: A crappy motel in Atlantic City. Unfortunately, the Brits aren't too happy about someone - an Irish someone, no less - who blew up their consulate not being executed. They've arranged to get custody of Fi for a few hours so they can interrogate her themselves. Personally, I'd be worried they were going to shackle and poison her, but their actual plan is bring her in through the front door not as a prisoner, but like an asset, on camera. Once word of that hits Ireland, her family will be under fire, literally.

At least, I think that's the implication. it's the best explanation I've come up with. Anyway, Fi needs to avoid this just long enough for Michael to take care of business. Which doesn't mean fleeing prison, only making them think she did. It's time for one more deal with Ayn, an arrangement that gets them both an early release. All Fi has to do is hide in a hole in a wall until the Brits get fed up and leave. Ayn gets a recommendation for parole from the warden in exchange for finding Fi (who Ayn hid in the first place), everybody wins. Except the Brits, but they won enough from about 1588 through 1945.

Michael is aware of none of this, which is for the best. He's not handling the stress he has well as it is. He's gotten his information to Pearce, who immediately deduces that Mike's informant is the missing Rebecca. That Michael's hid a traitor to the Agency from them honks Pearce off enough that she lays down the law about who will be running this op (her), and who won't be coming along (Sam). Nate, however, will be attending, as transportation and to keep the number of people in the loop small. Don't feel too bad for Sam. He ends up helping Barry stay alive, as some of the weapons' dealers Fi turned in are out for blood, and barry was a little slow to accept the FBI's offer of protection in exchange for his books. Which leaves Sam fending off an armed assault team with only Barry, a shotgun with 5 shells, and whatever he can find in an isolated palatial estate as help. Actually, go ahead and feel bad for Sam.

But save some of that pity for Nate, who can't stop trying to be helpful, and Mike can't stop biting his head off for it, eventually telling Nate to leave for the unforgivable act of ordering four pizzas delivered to a single motel room, apparently a huge tip off there's a sting in progress. Nate almost breaks down crying, but sucks it up and departs. As it turns out, that may have saved the day, because Anson sent a streetwalker to pick up the package in his place, and was talking to her through a cellphone whose calls were being forwarded through another cell. So when Mike and Co. storm in they find two phones on a bed, and the only one near enough to stop Anson's escape is. . . Nate. And he does. Go Nate! Up yours, Michael!

Oh, that's a cruel way to end it. Takes all the fun out of it.Everybody was doing a slow-mo job of victory towards Nate and his prisoner, then someone shot Anson, and the bullet passed through and hit Nate, and they both died. What the hell, Burn Notice?

The Players: Arthur Meyers (British Spy/Not At All Pleased), Ayn (Inmate Who Can Get Things), Barry (The Client), Garrett Hartley (Cold-Blooded Sonofabitch)

Quote of the Episode: Nate - 'Hey asshole, Michael Westen says hello.'

Does Fiona blow anything up? No, she's still in prison. Sam however, destroys an entire building, so he's keeping the spirit alive.

Sam Axe Drink Count: 6 (10 overall). It took a third of the season, but Sam's drink per episode average is finally over 1.

Sam Getting Hit Count: 0 (4 overall).

Michael's Fake Laugh Count: 0 (0 overall). If you thought he wasn't laughing before. . .

Other: Michael is briefly "Manny", when Nate pretends to work at the hotel to get rid of noisy party people.

I may have overestimated Sam's drinks. But he said his family doesn't waste beer. Figure one for the fake badge, one for the improvised mortar, it looked like at least three for the smoke bombs, and then the regular beer. That one had a surprisingly dark comment from Sam. 'No, this is a regular beer. Just takes the sting off the fact I'm going to die. Most days, it feels a little less immediate.'

Wow. I hadn't ever pictured Sam as drinking to avoid contemplating his own mortality. The ladies' man stuff (which has been toned down as he's been with Elsa for the last season plus), sure, but not the drinking so much. I figured he enjoyed it, and maybe it helped forget some of the ugly missions. But the ugly missions for Sam probably all involve people dying. Either his friends, or innocent people that got caught up.

That being said, I like the Sam and Barry subplot. I like that the show will occasionally throw just two of the characters together and let them play off each other. Last week we got a little Jesse and Nate, this week it's Barry and Sam. They're very different (Sam asking if Barry had been an all-state QB, and Barry responding he played Nathan Detroit), but they have some similarities. Both a little vain, very confident in their looks and prowess with the ladies, both sometimes considered disgusting by Fiona, both fond of mojitos. There's enough compare and contrast there to make for something interesting.

The Ayn and Fiona relationship's been a nice build as well. Ayn's gradually become more willing to listen to Fi's requests, and not dismiss them, because Fi has demonstrated that if Ayn requests something, Fiona will come through. Fiona's a straight shooter, and so is Ayn in her way (she has rules, she stick to them), and so each knows they can deal with the other. I'm not sure they're friends exactly, but trusted associates sounds about right.

I'm not sure I'm right about why Fi's concerned either, but it was the explanation that made the most sense. It took me three viewings just to come to that conclusion. I think because I couldn't picture the British bringing her in without her being cuffed. And if she's cuffed, no one would think she was an asset, because she's obviously a prisoner. So for awhile I thought she was worried the British government would retaliate against her family, but if they believe she blew up their consulate, they could have done that already.

I love just about everything about this episode. Sam got to do some cool stuff solo. Fiona got to outsmart some Brit spy who thought he was hot stuff. Anson got punched in the face, captured, and then shot. Unfortunately, Nate also died, and that kind of ruined the whole thing. Damn it, I wanted to enjoy Anson's ultimate defeat unambiguously. How can I do that when Nate dies? Though, that wound seemed kind of far to the side to be that swiftly fatal. It was pretty far to the side, so I'm not sure what it hit. It would have missed his lungs, kidneys, and liver, I'm pretty sure.

I've been thinking about the responsibility for it, and the different outcomes. Pearce vetoed Sam coming along, not out of any dislike for him personally, but because she knows her bosses hate his guts, and that would be bad if Anson slipped away again. I'm not sure it's advisable to be that worried about failure before you've even begun, but given Anson's track record, it's understandable. But Pearce vetoed Sam I think also because she wanted to rap Michael on the nose for hiding Rebecca from her. He tried all this two-faced stuff last season, and that went pretty bad. And now it looks like he hasn't learned anything. He's hiding things again when Anson's on the loose. I get his reasons. Rebecca was his only link to Anson, and she wanted no part of the Agency. And it worked out, they found Anson. But I also get why Pearce is pissed, because he's pulling the same crap and if it blows up, that's going to be twice she wishes she kept him under her thumb.

So I was thinking if Sam had been allowed to go, how things turn out. Barry dies, obviously. Even if you figure that Nate stays home because they have Sam, that means Barry has to rely on Nate and/or Maddy to protect him from Hartley. All that would ensure is more dead bodies next to Barry's. If Nate goes anyway, because he's a low key option for transport, does Sam keep Nate reined in, or keep Mike from going overboard on Nate? If not, then the end result is the same. Mike runs Nate off, then has to call him to save the day, and Nate dies. If Sam can exert an influence, then no one is anywhere near Anson, and he gets away. Unless the shooter was waiting the whole time, in which case Anson dies alone. Maybe. Anson said he knew where a lot of bodies were buried, and that's why they'd never keep him locked up. True, better to silence him (Confession: I know how this plotline ends already). But if he was going to get away clean, then he might not have been shot. No need to silence him.

Two things I noticed when Michael called Nate that made me sad. One, when Nate responds to Michael's questions with hostility, Michael promises he will apologize later. The other thing is that when Mike calls him, Nate's sitting at a slot machine, pumping in coins. He's supposed to be avoiding gambling, that was why he moved back to Miami last season. 'Family helps', and all that. And sometimes, family hurts.

One last thought. Mike told Nate to find Anson, but stay away from him. Nate ignored him. This led to Anson being punched in the face - always satisfying - but also Nate dying. But it hasn't exactly been subtle this season about Nate not understanding the risks, but not really being trained enough to get away with it. His comment to Sam about busting in on Sharif's ass, and Sam asking him to say it like he understands how dangerous it is. Getting sloppy with the cattle prod last week while he was helping Jesse. Nate was always game, but he didn't have enough game, if that makes sense. Maybe Mike should have realized that, and he probably did. That's probably why he told Nate to observe, but did he really think Nate would listen, with a chance for redemption after that ass-chewing Michael gave him?