Watch or Not: BURN NOTICE
July 2, 2007 by Kath Skerry
To watch or not to watch, that is the question many have asked me regarding USA’s new spy drama BURN NOTICE. After just watching the 90-minute premiere, I’m going to go with “Watch” for this one…for now.
The premise? Michael Westen, a shifty covert spy, is suddenly informed that his services are no longer needed. No farewell party and two week severance pay for this guy. Nope, Michael Westen’s corporate goodbye includes practically erasing him from existence. No money, no ID, no social security number – what’s an ex-spy to do? And what could he have possibly done to piss off the government to the point that they put a burn notice out on him? That’s just what Michael Westen wants to know.
With a little wit and fighting a la Sydney Bristow, and a few do-it-yourself McGuyver skills, a guy can last pretty long on the mean streets of Miami. And that’s just what Westen has to do until he finds out who is out to destroy him. With Feds tracking his every move he has to figure out how to get his life back all while trying to get by day to day…easier said than done.
With a burn notice handed down, Michael ends up in his hometown of Miami where he is taking on the odd jobs necessary to ascertain the cash he needs to figure out why he is no longer a spy. In the pilot episode, he is hires to help exonerate a Cuban man who has been framed for stealing from his wealthy boss – a job that becomes increasingly more difficult when as you have no resources to speak of. Michael has to rely on an old military intelligence contact, Tom (Bruce Campbell), whose under the thumb of the Feds who are tracking Michael. Lucky him.
As for family, well home isn’t necessarily where the heart is, at least when it comes to Michael’s relationship with his hypochondriac mother, played by the impeccable Sharon Gless, and an ex-love/ex-IRA operative portrayed by the gorgeous and intriguing Gabrielle Anwar.
The pilot episode of BURN NOTICE had its flaws – Michael is a little too cocky for his own good, and the dialogue well witty wasn’t always as smart as it could be, but overall it was worthy of of my time and it has earned a place on my TiVo – albeit a tentative one. I’m going to give this show a few more episodes to see if it can’t get a little tighter in its execution. It’s a summer show so let’s hope the writers realize that this isn’t the time for intricate and convoluted plot lines that have no resolution. If Burn Notice manages to find the right combination of humor and spy drama over the next few eps then it’s going to make its way to my coveted appointment TV list.
Did you watch BURN NOTICE? Let us know what you thought. (Future airings of BURN NOTICE)
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I watched the first episode and liked it. I thought it was only 70 minutes (including commercials), not 90.
It wasn’t perfect. My main complaint was the Sharon Gless role. I like the actress, but the character was too annoying and has to be toned down to be bearable.
The other worry is if TPTB keep us and the “hero” completely in the dark about what happened for too long. We need to get some idea of why he was burned before too many episodes have past.
I did like the cast a lot.
And Westen’s semi-amorality works well.
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Could’ve been 70 minutes…just went by the info on the DVR.
It was okay, but I agree GMMR, it needs to be much, much more tightly constructed. There was absolutely no need to make the pilot 70 minutes long. The plot wasn’t complicated enough for that much time. I also think that the dialogue wasn’t near as intelligent as the writers seemed to think.
I don’t really have the time to watch it now, but if you keep us updated and the show improves, I might tune back in later in the season.
I watched it as well. So far I agree with all of the comments so far. I thought it was mildly entertaining, but with potential. The pilot was WAY too long. I thought the best parts were where he was a tough guy but with a soft heart (i.e. teaching the kid how to protect himself), or where him kicking ass was somewhat amusing (Sugar). I did not think it was like Alias at all, but I will watch another few episodes to see what happens.
HAPPY 4th everyone!
I actually really liked it. Though I think I would love anything that Jeffrey Donovan was in. I may be the only person who watched “Touching Evil”, a show I throughly enjoyed. He really plays the detective role well.
I also think the supporting characters were great, though I’d agree the mother was hard to stomach and I found myself fastforwarding through her scenes.
I found Gabrielle Anwar’s accent distracting (Irish sometimes, American others, and she’s neither in real life) and Sharon Gless’s character annoying, but when Jeffrey Donovan took his shirt off, I was hooked. It’s like the Equalizer, but WAAAAAAY hotter. Perfect for summer viewing.
I loved it. At the same time, I agree with everyone that the pilot was a bit long–and the mother was obnoxious. Obviously she’s supposed to be obnoxious, but making me physically uncomfortable crosses a line.
Overall, I’m anxious for the rest of this series. USA’s track record for summer series is fairly good, so I’m remaining optimistic. Not to mention, I’m also a huge Jeffrey Donovan fan, and I love the whole Equalizer/A-Team “(underpaid) fighting for the little guy” angle. It never gets old to me.
Kristin (Eonline) has a short interview with the show’s creator that is interesting. It has some minor spoilers.
http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=ed975baa-2e5f-42f9-9d9a-25008391b93b
GMMR – I wasn’t going to give Burn Notice a shot but if you like it then I think it’s worth checking out. I trust your opinion.
The mom wasn’t annoying enough for me – I was expecting a more needy type. But her wig irked me. Glad that’s gone. The show is a winner.
I luved it!!!!!!!!! I thought it was funny but once it gets further in the show I think it will get even better than it is now!!!!!!!! Can’t wait till next Thursday!!!!!
And who could not luv Jeffrey Donovan!!!!!!!!!