I’m still hooked on Burn Notice. I still haven’t finished the first season, I think I’m at episode 8 out of 12, and I suspect this current obsession will not go away until I watch all of the episodes. No problem with season 2 because I’ve seen each episode at least twice. I have this habit of just putting the TV on while doing something else, say studying, I need the background noise to concentrate and prevent myself from falling asleep. Anyway, thanks to Hulu.com for posting the complete episodes.

The main character Michael Westen is a covert operative who was burned in the middle of a job in Nigeria. He barely escaped and ended up in his hometown Miami with no explanation of why he was burned, no contact with his handler, and his personal assets frozen. He’s under constant surveillance, was told that he cannot leave town (or else), and was even offered to take a job as a security guard. The story revolves around Michael’s personal investigation of why he was blacklisted, and his work as freelance investigator/spy where he gets the funds to track down the people who burned him. Michael is this very intelligent, highly skilled, tough operative but he uses this to help people, and before he was burned to help the government, which essentially makes him the “good guy”, even though there is a lot of violence involved and people get killed in order to set things right. It’s a bit of a cliché when put that way but you have to watch it to see. He is also portrayed as a commitment-phobic. Basically, he became a spy to run away from his family but is unable to turn his back on them when their safety is of concern.

“People with happy families don’t become spies. A bad childhood is the perfect background for covert ops - you don’t trust anyone, you’re used to getting smacked around, and you never get homesick.”

Fiona, the ex-girlfriend, is an ex-IRA operative who specializes in explosives and guns and serves as tactical support to Michael. In exchange for her services, she makes Michael take her out to dinners, forces him to have the “talk”, makes him do favors for his mother, or a little cash for shoes. She isn’t the most moral of characters as she used to be a bank robber, she runs gun deals, and is an occasional bounty hunter. I find it very amusing when says lines like “Shall we shoot them?” or “So shoot him. What’s the problem?” with a straight face and a little bit of an accent coming out.

Then there’s Sam. He’s a former Navy Seal and an intelligence operative. He’s kind of the comic relief on the show. He’s always short on cash and he gets by dating older, wealthy women. Sugar mommies for short. And he gets excited about free meals or drinks. He’s unorthodox looking for a special op; he’s heavy, older, and unpolished looking. But don’t be fooled because he handles himself well in hand to hand combats and is a good marksman. He’s also the guy who has the special connections for information and he provides the cover IDs for Michael. He also ends up in situations like pretending to be Fiona’s father or lover, or taking a few punches (same with Michael for this one) to maintain cover.

Ay obviously I love this show by the looks (and length) of this entry. It’s not too serious (but serious enough), makes me think sometimes, funny, a little action and mystery. It’s still a fresh idea; not many spy shows out there. And did I mention the main character is hot? hehehe.

More pictures:
*Borrowed* from USAnetwork.com