Back on June 28, 2007, the USA Network series Burn Notice debuted, starring a then relative unknown actor by the name of Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, a burned spy who finds himself back in his hometown of Miami, Florida. His former girlfriend and former IRA operative, Fiona Glenanne (Gabrielle Anwar) is by his side soon to be followed by his old buddy and former Navy Seal Sam Axe (the one and only Bruce Campbell). With Michael now back in Miami, he is also reluctantly reunited with his mother Madeline (legendary actress Sharon Gless) and younger brother Nate (Seth Peterson). The genius of the series centered on Michael receiving a burn notice issued by the CIA (or any intelligence agency) to discredit or announce the dismissal of an agent who is considered to have become unreliable.
As the series-long narrative has explained:
“When you’re burned, you’ve got nothing: no cash, no credit, no job history. You’re stuck in whatever city they dump you in. You do whatever work comes your way. You rely on anyone who’s still talking to you: a trigger happy (ex-)girlfriend; an old friend who used to inform on you to the FBI (and a down and out spy you met along the way); family too – if you’re desperate. Bottom line: As long as you’re burned, you’re not going anywhere”.
The first season of Burn Notice consisted of 12 episodes, following Michael’s investigation into the identity of the man who burned him. Along the way, in order to keep a roof over his head and money in his pocket in order to survive from day to day, Michael – along with Fiona and Sam – took on cases in and around Miami, helping people out of dire situations, using the long-time skills he honed during his years as a spy. By the end of the debut season, Michael discovered who wrote his burn notice – Phillip Cowan (actor Richard Schiff) – only to see him killed.
This development lead to a cliffhanger ending with Michael being contacted by a mysterious woman named Carla (actress Tricia Helfer), who – in season two (which had 16 episodes) – became his new “handler”, bringing him new clients. He used his professional relationship with Carla to get to the people who burned him. By season’s end, Michael learned that a black ops syndicate, led by a murky man known only as “Management” (actor John Mahoney) had been providing “protection” for Michael from the real people who burned him. But, in a turn of events, Fiona killed Carla and Michael told Management that he wanted out.
This was a problem for Michael because, at the time, he and Management were flying over the ocean in a helicopter and Michael had only way out: to jump out of the copter and into the ocean. As he emerged from the ocean in the opening episode of the 16-episode third season, Michael was greeted by Michelle Paxson (actress Moon Bloodgood), a Miami police detective who was intent on bringing Michael down.
A great deal went down during season three including the following:
• Michael eventually convinced Paxson to stay away;
• Michael is approached by Tom Strickler (actor Ben Shenkman), an agent to spies who claimed he could have Michael’s burn notice lifted, but at a steep cost; in the end Michael killed Strickler to save Fiona’s life;
• Michael also meet Diego Garza (actor Otto Sanchez), a CIA agent who gave Michael information about his burn notice, but Garza was killed by Mason Gilroy (actor Chris Vance), a freelance psychopath, leaving Michael right back at square one;
• Gilroy then pulled Michael into breaking out a high-risk felon – Simon Escher (actor Garret Dillahunt) – who was the one who committed the crimes for which Michael was burned; and,
• In the end, Michael is arrested and taken to a mysterious room in the final episode.
As season four opened, this time with 18 episodes, Michael learned that he wasn’t actually in prison, he was in a elaborately decorated home, being approached by yet mystery man – this time Vaughn (actor Robert Wisdom), a high-ranking member of management, who served as Michael’s new handler, bringing him various jobs.
It was during this season that Michael inadvertently burned a spy: Jesse Porter (new series regular Coby Bell); and while the two have a contentious relationship once the truth of Michael’s actions come to light, they eventually come to be friends and Jesse’s joins the team.
During this season Michael also reconnected with Simon (yes, the high-risk felon), learning that John Barrett (actor Robert Patrick), a telecommunications magnate, had a coded Bible that contained a complete list of the people who burned him. In order to save himself, though, Michael was forced to kill Barrett, losing the Bible in the process. Later, Sam and Jesse were able to reclaim the list, giving it to Marv (actor Richard Kind), Jesse’s old handler; but the list is taken by one of Michael’s old foes: Tyler Brennan (actor Jay Karnes), who hires another of Michael’s enemies – “Dead” Larry Sizemore (actor Tim Matheson), to track down the people on the list.
Eventually, Vaughn – Michael’s new handler – returns to Miami to have Fiona, Jesse and Michael killed, but Sam and Madeline are able to track down a congressman who was able to help. But that help comes in the form of Michael being taken yet again: only this time he is taken to Washington D.C. (in the season finale) by an unidentified man (actor Dylan Baker) who states, “Welcome Back” to Michael as the season comes to a close.
Season five of Burn Notice consisted of 18 episodes, but time jumped six months with Michael rejoining the CIA as a consultant, working with Raines, the aforementioned unidentified man (actor Dylan Baker) and Max (actor Grant Show), his new handler. The mission is to hunt down and arrest all of the people on the list from the Bible. The mission is successful for the most part, except for the final man on the list, who is actually already dead. Michael is consumed with inconsistencies he found in the files; and when Max is killed, Michael is framed for the murder.
This leads to an elaborate cat-and-mouse game for Michael in clearing his name and working with yet another new handler – this time Dani Pearce (actress Lauren Stamile) and finally coming face-to-face with the man who burned him: Anson Fullerton (actor Jere Burns). Fullerton was as dirty as they come, though as he was blackmailing Fiona to get Michael to do as he ordered. After one too many crimes and increasingly dangerous missions committed for Fullerton, Fiona turns herself in to the authorities in order to free Michael.
Once again, season six consisted of 18 episodes, this time finding Fiona in prison for a crime she really didn’t commit and Michael doing work for the CIA agent who trained him: Tom Card (actor John C. McGinley) as well as still working for Pearce. They finally capture Fullerton, but at the cost of Nate (Michael’s brother) life. Now top on Michael’s radar is the man who killed his little brother: a killer named Tyler Gray (actor Kenny Johnson). Sadly, though, Michael and the team learned that Card was actually the one who hired Gray and that Card planned to have the entire team killed. They escape this dilemma with Michael now gunning for Card, who he killed point-blank in his lush office. This puts a bulls-eye on the heads of everyone: Michael, Sam, Fiona, Jesse and Madeline by gun-ho CIA agent Olivia Riley (actress Sonja Sohn), who wanted to bring Michael down.
Through an elaborate set of circumstances, though, Michael is the one who triumphant but at the expense of everyone he loves. He once again had to make a deal in order to save his family and friends from lifetime imprisonment. But, this deal set him on the path – as seen in the 13-episode seventh and final season – of working with Andrew Strong (actor Jack Coleman), a high-ranking CIA official, who puts Michael under deep cover to bring down Randall Burke (actor Adrian Pasdar), who was believed to be running a freelance terror operation.
That undercover mission has since led Michael to Russian operative Sonya (actress Alona Tal), who the now deceased Burke told Michael was “the key to everything”. Sonya has since led Michael to James (actor John Pyper-Ferguson), the man calling the shots for the terror organization. Despite Michael wanting to bring James down in order to end his deal with Strong and provide real freedom to Fiona, Sam, Jesse and his mom Madeline, it has become clear that Michael is starting to see things a bit too close to James’ vision.
And that is where viewers have been left hanging for the series finale, trying to determine just what Michael is going to do next; and what kind of outcome that will lie at the feet of his friends and mom.
Make sure to tune into the final episode (EVER!) of Burn Notice on Thursday, September 12 at 10 PM on the USA Network.
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