TV-Reviewed

Michael Weston’s tenacity might’ve gotten him some answers finally on who burned him, but at what cost? And how much really WAS answered? Michael met the man who burned him, right? Who the heck knows. But, it sure was fun seeing the “meeting” arranged. Along the way several surprises popped up, things went boom here and there (courtesy of Fi), and some tough decisions had to be made–and not just by Michael, but everyone involved.

Firstly, Michael had to decide whether or not if he was going to trust Victor, or simply turn him into Carla as a peace-offering. Of course, the choice appeared obvious–with the old phrase, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” in the back of my mind, I thought for sure he’d have to trust Victor, and, obviously, he did. But, I also think it was a tough choice because Michael knows that Carla would–like Victor said–go after his family if he went against her. However, I think his faith in Sam and Fi is what gave him the courage to act as he did: to trust his gut instinct. The lesser evil, indeed: trust Victor, the semi-unstable assassin who tried to kill him, rather than give Carla what she wants.

Secondly, Sam and Fi had to decide how they were going to handle Michael’s orders not to get involved, other than to help out his family. Well, as we saw, they did the predictable: They came to Mike’s aid, and when he needed it most. But, before the big finale, Fi’s help during the car chase was fun to watch. I think she had a little fun there with all the explosions. Another moment that was fun (even though it was more dramatic on a personal level) was when Madeline offered Sam a beer, but he slammed the door to the fridge saying he didn’t want one. I think that showed Sam’s emotional estate and how serious he was in “having Michael’s back”. Of course, needless to say, Madeline had to make a tough decision there: Listen to what Sam was trying to tell her and admit that Mike was in danger, that she was in danger, or just keep on ignoring the facts and acting as if everything were fine.

Michael Shanks as Victor

Then, we have the ending: the stand-off between Michael and Victor on one side and Carla and her men on the other. That was probably the most tense scene I think I’ve seen on Burn Notice. Perhaps, it even surpasses the finale of season one where Sam was tied to a chair, being tortured, not to mention was going to be executed by the bad guys. This time around, though, it was Michael’s turn to be in such a predicament–Well, in a different way, as he wasn’t promised death if he chose to simply give up Victor and surrender. And here leads us to the toughest choice of them all: sacrifice.

Victor we learned early on in this episode isn’t the crazed villain bent on destroying Michael Weston that we were led to believe. Although…He had always thought of Michael as a threat, a threat he thought might expose him to Carla, as we found out. That’s why Victor had, in his mind, to take Michael out: to neutralize the threat, to take down another key player in Carla’s affairs. But, he didn’t realize–in fact, I don’t think Mike did until that point (where he learns the ‘why’ behind Victor’s motives)–that Michael isn’t trying to get “back into the business”, so to speak. No. Really, Mike’s just trying to clear his name and “have his life back”. That’s all, I think, he’s ever wanted since he got burned.

It’s been one heck of a ride since the show began, and this season has had it’s share of twists and turns. But…The over all plot since Victor’s introduction…had been working up to this point. To me it was surprising how I could’ve missed all the clues dropped since (and earlier than) this season’s mid-point finale. I had never guessed Victor’s importance to the story. Now that I look back through past episodes I see the significance. It should have been obvious that the it had to have been one on the inside of Carla’s operations who tried to kill Michael. It makes perfect sense to me, now.

OK. So let me get back to the grand finale of this season, of this episode. Michael trapped with Victor inside that boat. Carla’s gang all around outside. And there was only one way out: surrender. But, “management” was there to assess the situation, and if they thought Michael’s loyalties completely compromised, well, that meant a bullet for him. Victor was his out. If Victor were dead…then, he might have a chance. He’d already been shot–It was difficult for Michael to go along with it, though; the man who had tried to kill him only days before had slowly become a friend in a few short hours. You could see that. The understanding between the two of them was clear.

Still, there was an obvious flaw in their plan. What if management heard from Carla what Michael had been up to with Victor? The conspiracy between the two of them to ruin their operations would have resulted in, most likely, both of them being killed. However, a single bullet fixed that flaw. I’ve got to say I wasn’t–yet I was–expecting Fi to pull the trigger. It made sense and–Oh, it was just the icing on the cake. Carla needed to die, I think. And Fi was definitely the one to do her in. I don’t think Sam could have done it. Heck, I don’t think, if given the chance, Michael could have done it. Good thing Mike has Fi.

So, Victor made the ultimate sacrifice. But, Michael had to help with it, and that couldn’t have been easy. You could see it affected him more than anything else so far, other than when he thought for sure Fiona had been burned alive. When management finally arrived I didn’t know what to expect. Michael’s trip in the helicopter definitely looked like a trap with no escape. Who knew he’d actually be crazy enough to jump out of it a few hundred feet in the air. Obviously, he must survive this ordeal or there couldn’t be a season three, right? I guess we’ll find out.

Anyway. Lesser Evil was worth the wait. Does it answer any questions, though? Well, I’d say yes and no. It looks like Michael might be dealing with some sort of crime organization made up primarily of ex-government operatives and agents who have considerable influence within the federal government. That’s apparent. Yet, what exactly are these guys up to? And why do they single out certain operatives, such as Michael or Victor? Is it because of their skills, or for some other reason? Hopefully, all these questions get answered in season three.

Rating: 9.5