Burn Notice 6.8 - Unchained

Plot: We've jumped ahead to a month after Nate's death. Michael can't get any information about the investigation, which is making him angry, which is making him do stupid things. Like threaten FBI agents. But at least he found out the investigation was shut down on orders from higher up. Hmm. Mike would really like to get a look at what they found before they stopped looking, but that's going to mean a favor for a favor. Sam has an FBI buddy trying to to find and arrest a notorious Boston mobster, before his sole witness dies. But he can't find him, though they know where one of his associates, a "Jimmy Boy", is. So they're going to arrest him, and Mike will pretend to be someone with info for the boss, they escape together, Mike is brought to said mob boss, Sam and the fed track him by the tracer in his belt buckle, make the arrest, everybody's happy.

Except Fiona, who Michael keeps trying to protect, by keeping her out of it as much as possible. And nobody was very happy when Mike had to completely change clothes before he would be brought to Mr. Quinn, while Fi gets left behind with a couple of goons. But underestimating Fiona just makes her angry.

Mike's condition for helping capture Quinn was that he gets the file before he starts. So it falls to Jesse and Pearce to sift through many pages of not much useful data to find that the rifle used was made by Meyerson, and one of their chief sales execs is a real party boy, so liquor him up, set him up, blackmail him. This falls primarily to Jesse, since Pearce should not be involved with a closed case, but when Wayne Meyerson proves more resilient (or stupid) than expected, it falls to her to be the hammer that breaks him. Which unfortunately makes it way back to her bosses eventually, which means Pearce will be going away now. her last gift to Michael is that his bosses still have no idea he's looking into this, which is good since, you know, closed case.

The Players: Woods (FBI Agent on a Clock), James "Jimmy Boy" Leary (Murderous Son of a Bitch), Wayne Meyerson (Party Animal), Quinn (Fugitive Mob Boss)

Quote of the Episode: Michael - 'I didn't threaten him. I asked him questions with a gun in my hand.'

Does Fiona blow anything up? No, but she wrecks a car, burns up another, shoots the lock off a door, and beats up two guys who were over twice her size.

Sam Axe Drink Count: 1 (13 overall)

Sam Getting Hit Count: 0 (5 overall). Eh, I'm not gonna count the car wreck. That wasn't directed at him specifically.

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

Other: Mike's going as 'Robbie Doyle" this week.

Admittedly, I am no fashion expert, but that outfit Fi wore, jeez, that was horrible. I don't know how she didn't break her ankles jumping down from that parking garage (but then, she always seems to run remarkably well in heels), and that humongous belt. I perhaps shouldn't make this judgment, but "trashy" was the word that blared through my brain. It's intentional, a low-level mobster's girl, doin' her best to look good on a limited budget, but yikes.

I did enjoy Fi taking every opportunity in-character to give "Robbie" grief about doubting her ability to take care of herself. I understand Michael's desire to protect, having just lost Nate, and having been separated from her for so long. At the same time, Mike is the one who once told Rebecca (in the Season 5 finale) that if he couldn't work with women he'd have been dead long ago, and who told Fiona (last week) that he owed her for the thousand times she never gave up on him. By this point, he really ought to trust her to handle herself, but it's that struggle between the intelligent part of him that knows all this, and the emotional part, which is afraid of losing her.

On an entirely different note, I felt sleazy just watching that scene of Jesse and Meyerson in the strip club. Also, I think they fit another car advertisement in there when Fi pulled off the rescue. I have no idea what the car is, but chalk that up to my not paying much attention to brands. All that stuff about speed, low center of gravity, etc.

I'll end by bidding a farewell to Agent Pearce. She took one last bullet for Westen. She didn't have any regrets about it, which I can respect. I always liked Pearce, even if I thought she let Michael off too easy all those times he lied to her, or went behind her back. She was basically always helpful, willing to bend the rules when it was necessary, she understood the strain the job puts on personal aspects, and vice versa. And even if she cut him too much slack, I never felt like she was really dazzled by Michael's song and dance, which was the same thing I liked about Diego in Season 3. Pearce appreciated his skills more than Diego, but then he was helping her, rather than making her life more difficult. I think Mike needs a character like that to play off of, someone to at least try and rein him in professionally, who will call him on his lone wolf crap and maybe hold a grudge over it (Sam and Fi always get over it awful quick), that the audience can take seriously. I'm sorry to see her go.