TV-Reviewed

Burn Notice wrapped up its first season with a solid two-hour episode, which was full of action and drama. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the episode was put together. It started a little slow, but the pace picked up before too long.

In the previous episode, we knew how anxious Michael was to meet with Philip Cowan, the man from the NSA supposedly responsible for his being burned. That continued here, with Michael playing spy games with Cowan. It seemed a little silly initially, but I thought it was somewhat clever. Things met an all-too-disappointing-end when Cowan gets blown away by a sniper in the distance. Why did they have to do that to Richard Schiff?! He’s an incredible actor; it’s maddening to think they’d throw talent like that away so quickly.

Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne

Meanwhile, Sam and Fiona have managed to get involved in a heroin smuggling mess. Poor Sam. Just recently, he told Mike that gig with the housesitter would be a cakewalk and he was proven wrong within two minutes. It may have taken a little longer for he and Fiona to realize that here, but sure enough, they got in over their heads and Michael had to help them, while he was dealing with being chased by the authorities.

The setup in the first half of this finale was terrific. The second half continued the story, but I wasn’t really blown away by it. Sam got picked up by the heroin dealers and got the snot beaten out of him. For all the punches he took, Sam didn’t look all that bad. The makeup department could have pulled off a more convincing job here.

Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe

While Michael was tending to his problems with Cowan and Sam, he also had some family issues. Brother Nate returned (clean-shaven) and proved useful for once. Nate isn’t a character that’s been very helpful in the past. He seems to cause more problems than anything. Still, I’d like to see him in a few episodes each season.

Michael was a lot of fun to watch in the finale. Despite being under the proverbial gun for two straight hours, he managed to pull it all off. He seemed to get his meeting with whomever Cowan worked for, but still, that was a slightly disappointing ending for me. Two hours in and the season ends with Michael driving his car into the back of a big-rig’s trailer. Sure, it brought back memories of Knight Rider, but it seemed rather anti-climatic for me.

Rating: 9