Burn Notice 6.7 - Reunion

Plot: Anson's dead, Nate's dead, Fiona's out of prison. Now what? Now Michael finds the person responsible for Nate's death, and when it turns out Rebecca has flown the coop (the coop in this case being a room at Elsa's hotel), Mike's after her. Well, it'll give him something to do other than wonder why his mother won't return his calls.

In the midst of that, Sam is called away on a request from Elsa herself. Her son, Evan, stole a diamond tennis bracelet, which she wants back, and Sam agrees to retrieve it, with Jesse's help. As it turns out, evan wanted to use it to pay off some debt he owed to Morris. Morris would prefer Evan pay those debts by heisting a truck full of expensive champagne from a nightclub. As it turns out, the truck is actually a rolling drug lab, and the owner would like it back, which is less of a problem, and more of a resource.

After a foul-up at the fake id place, Mike and Fiona find Rebecca at . . . Mike's loft! Where she bleeds on his floor as she explains she didn't kill Nate. And Michael ultimately believes her and lets her leave. He does not offer to patch up her shoulder, which is kind of a dick move since he's the one who shot her. Then again, she shot him in the chest and it's just fortunate he was wearing Kevlar.

The Players: Elsa (Sam's Lady Friend), Evan (Spoiled Punk), Morris (Not A Decent Guy)

Quote of the Episode: Michael - 'Honey, it's gonna be all right. He has doughnuts!'

Does Fiona blow anything up? No, but give her time. She's still at the stage where she's enjoying the little things she missed in prison. Like the sound of chambering a round.

Sam Axe Drink Count: 2 (12 overall).

Sam Getting Hit Count: 1 (5 overall).

Michael's Fake Laugh Count: 0 (0 overall).

Other: Michael doesn't use any fake names, but he does introduce himself as 'Internal Affairs' at one point.

Do you think it's hard to lie in a coffin, pretending to be dead, while people come up and do all the stuff people do when they approach coffins?

I enjoyed Jesse's scowly face as he drove up to Sam and Evan in a shot up Mustang.

I see that time in prison didn't blunt any of Fiona's edges. She was quite excited that Michael was leaving the non-lethal ordinance at home, and she didn't seem to have any qualms about threatening to harm that print shop owner. Fine, he was an odious little guy who tries to extort a man who needs some food for his wife's diabetes, but still. I just found myself contrasting it with how Michael played two episodes ago, when he was supposed to have spent time in prison. You know, eyes down, shoes without laces, waiting for permission. Those aren't very Fiona things, and it's good to see she wasn't broken down by her stay in prison, but I wouldn't mind if she'd come out of her incarceration a little less OK with hurting people.

It was nice to get to meet Elsa. I've been wondering about her for awhile, given the fact she seems completely unfazed when Sam asks if they can borrow a nice car or a big house. I still don't entirely understand how he met a classy lady like her, or what exactly she see in him, but she seems pretty cool.

I'm trying to decide if Michael was so quick to help Sam with his problem because he wants to keep busy, or because his instinct to protect people is shifting into high gear. He tried keeping Fiona out of the line of fire more than once in this episode. It's interesting he's not using the tactic of distancing himself from his friends. He's keeping them close, but trying to do that without letting them near danger. Which is pretty hard considering how close he is to danger. Every time Michael has to stop and wait, his mind drifts, typically into places he'd rather not go. Nate, his mother, which also seems to trigger that urge to keep his friends shielded. I guess you could say one part of him knows he needs his friends if he's going to survive, but the part that overthinks things, that get scared, it urges him to shove them into a hidey hole every chance it gets.

Communication seems to be the big deal in this episode. Mike not being able to reach Rebecca, and each of them going to guns when they finally meet. Elsa not being able to talk to Evan, but Sam eventually finding some common ground, which enables him to get mother and son together for a chat. Michael not being able to reach Madeline. Michael does seem to be communicating well with Fiona, though. Having accepted how much he needs her and leans on her, he seems more willing to share his struggles and confide in her.