TV-Reviewed

There was a surprising twist at the end of “Double Booked”. That’s when Larry shoots the kid (Drew) dead as Michael loses the bead on him. It wasn’t surprising, though, on why Larry did it: He had to get rid of the collateral damage. He couldn’t have Drew out there spreading the word about his operations, which, in a criminal madman’s mind, I’m sure made perfect sense. We’ve seen Michael Westen go up against a lot of deadly-dangerous foes, but this was one of the few who truly knows how he operates, how he thinks.

Larry, Mike’s old friend (or, I should say, acquaintance), came to him for his abilities, because he knew he’d get the job done. However, the only problem is, Michael isn’t exactly of the same mindset or want or lust for money. So, Larry has to revert to the old I’ll-kill-you-if-you-don’t-cooperate tactic. And, of course, Michael goes along with it. What else could he do really?

Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe

So, going along with it, Michael has to come up with a plan to dissuade Larry from wanting to go through with the hit. The first step in this plan, as we see, is to let the target (in this case a tasty little brunette) in on what’s going on. I thought it was interesting that some rich punk would hire a hit man to take out his stepmother. Anyway. Jeannie was definitely surprised when Michael showed up behind her in the bathroom. That scene was great, especially when Mike appended that he was the somebody “sent to kill you.” Indeed, I think that would surprise anybody in Jeannie’s situation.

However, Michael can’t do it all alone. He had to, of course, involve both Sam and, reluctantly, Fi in keeping Jeannie alive. The only problem with this, as we see, is that Drew gets somewhat impatient and puts out another hit through his drug dealer. Then, it’s definitely a tense race as Michael has to stop the would-be assassin. But, I was left wondering why he chose the dually until he pulled in front of the dump truck and slammed on the brakes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before. The side-job got somewhat hectic there, and didn’t let up until the end.

On the home front, Madeline found herself a new therapist and, again, insists on Michael’s participation. You can see how much he cared for that. The best part of the session, though, is when the therapist uses his tag line (”lifework”), which he informs the two of them will also be the title of the book he’s working on. That definitely gave me a laugh. The only thing Madeline does get out of Mike is that she gave him “good vision”–it was one of the points on his list, at least.

In “Double Booked” we meet Fiona’s new boyfriend, Campbell. Michael, however, really doesn’t show his emotions on the matter that much. He still seems fairly indifferent. Perhaps, that’s because there was a lot of things going on. It seemed like he just didn’t have time to really consider Fi’s new hook-up. But, it was a minor point, in my opinion.

At least, Sam and Michael located Carla’s assassin. Of course, we find out that Michael’s been providing logistics to the guy. First his security card, then his gun. And probably a few other things along the way, too. The only question left is: Who’s the target? Why has Carla and company gone through all this trouble? The person their after must be awfully important. But, honestly, they got Mike burned? Or, did they? My mind is telling me that Michael is just a victim of opportunity. Still…

I suppose the answers will continue to slowly unfold. Burn Notice, so far, has been written smartly. I’m inclined to give the writers, therefore, some slack, and trust. Overall, “Double Booked” was good. Plenty of intense moments, and plenty of action.

Rating: 8.5