TV-Reviewed

With the mid-season break, it was nearly painful (after the cliffhanger where things went boom!) for me to sit there and wait, wait to see what ultimately became of Michael. It was obvious, though, that he had to have survived the blast, but I wasn’t exactly sure how that could be. I mean, that was a pretty nasty explosion, and surely the fall off the catwalk would have hurt him pretty bad. Surely. Well, as we saw, it did hurt him–if just a little bit; the arm was a minor thing compared to what could have happened. It’s a real shame, though, that the ol’ Charger got a dent in its roof.  However, the real shame is that the writers somehow seemed to have forgotten one thing: the police.

I ask, where were the cops? I’m sure bombs go off in Miami all the time…but, I think somebody would had to have called the police–unless that is the people who were responsible are THAT powerful, to keep law enforcement at bay, to make the public NOT notice a thing. Right…Strange how that didn’t even seem to be an issue. Sam said it had been at least twenty minutes. That just doesn’t jive. Somebody would have seen that explosion–surely the fire department would have arrived, surely! OK. I’ll stop ranting on it. Maybe Sam called some of his FBI buddies or something and got any civilian agencies to stay away.

Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne

There were many more bright spots than dull, though, in Do No Harm. First, Michael employed a different tactic with the side-job. Instead of befriending the bad guys as he has for many of them, he took the other alternative: violence and torture. Oh yeah! Seriously, though, the other way was starting to become a bit over done–just glad for the change of pace. Also, it was good to have some chemistry reestablished between Mike and Fiona. I mean, not that it was gone or anything, but at least both of them realize there’s nothing to it: They were meant to be together. Of course, we’ll have to see how that gets played out. I’m sure it won’t be as simple as that. Though, from what I saw, I think it did hurt Fiona when Campbell broke up with her.

Another thing I thought felt right was that Carla seems to have had nothing to do with the mess at Michael’s pad, and that she honestly seemed a bit frazzled by it. At least, we know she’s not all bad…Right. I guess the jury’s still out on that one. I’m not sure where the writers are going with this, but it’s interesting that there seems to be a lot of depth here–or maybe it’s just misdirection, to get our minds thinking as to who done what and why. I’ll be honest, I’m usually good (after having watched many years worth of television) in figuring out in what direction things are going to go, but Burn Notice has me stumped. I guess that’s a good thing, and not a sign that the show’s producers and staff don’t have a clue either. It’d be a shame for Burn Notice, as clever as it is, not to have a plan. However, for pure entertainment purposes, the show seems to still have that magic, which keeps me wanting more.

So, onto my favorite part about Do No Harm: the interrogation. I wasn’t sure where things were going to go here, either; I just knew it was going to be fun to watch. I was surprised, too, with the “who talks first” method. I’d heard of it before from a buddy of mine whose dad had actually, yes, been involved in such operations back in Nam. I couldn’t believe it had actually ever been a real tactic–that is until Burn Notice got my curiosity going about it again. And it turns out it’s true. Back in Vietnam, the United States army really was involved in such…well, war crime worthy activities. Nice to know, isn’t it? Anyway. I like how Sam proceeded with his version of the same gag. Man, that had to have been one crazy ride for that guy…

Speaking of that…It was great seeing the thief, Rachel, busted down a few pegs. I know thieves aren’t the most considerate individuals, but this woman was utterly heartless. I especially enjoyed when her and Fiona got into that little scrap early on, even though Fi lost. Oh well, she can’t win them all! Though, she did get that Rachel woman back in the end; well, her and Mikey did anyway. And, as I said before, it’s great seeing Mike and Fi back together; the jealousy tactic of Fi’s, and Michael’s apparent indifference with it all (trying to get through it the only way he knew how), was starting to wear. Just glad to see the relationship mending there.

Of course, I could completely nit pick. I could tear some aspects of Do No Harm apart, I’m sure. But, I won’t. Because even with some of the flaws, it was great to have Burn Notice back! And, besides the part at the beginning, and the part where it was obvious the thug, Todd, probably could have tipped over that garbage can (the one he was hauled into the interrogation with), I would say I was quite pleased.

Rating: 8.0