TV-Reviewed

I’d been wondering how Michael was going to shake Detective Paxson’s vigilance. This episode, of course, dealt with that in what I think was probably the only way for it to happen–or, at least, the BEST way for it to happen. Sam finding out Paxson is a good cop sealed the deal, then. So, I saw it coming when Mike decided to help her out–without her consent, naturally–on her other case. And that, I thought, led to some of the best stuff we’ve seen thus far in this season.

The setup was easy enough: hardcore criminal scum bag who treats everyone he comes in contact with like trash who has a lackey he’d rather be rid of has somehow avoided jail time and has killed or gotten people killed during his heists. But, what I didn’t see was that the said lackey wasn’t actually as criminally-minded as he wanted everyone to think. In fact, he was actually a good guy caught up in a life that just didn’t suit him. That, to me, had a fairly original flavor to it–at least, for Burn Notice that is.

Honestly, though, the side-job in this episode is one of the best I remember seeing in recent memory. Tommy, the lackey, was used to perfection–he was shown not necessarily as ignorant but rash, I think; he didn’t think anything through (which is something that could get a thief caught or killed). It was all interesting, frustrating and tearfully-funny to watch the interaction between Michael Westen (the spy) and Tommy (the wanna-be-mob-boss). There were some great moments there–two of my favorite happening during the dry cleaner robbery. When Tommy suggested using the can of spray paint to disable the lone security camera, I simply shook my head. In fact, I know what was thinking: You idiot, Fi would be seen running up to the camera. Good thing Michael pointed out how silly that would’ve been–covering it nicely, too, so that Tommy didn’t feel stupid. Same went for the cash register and the creative exit from the dry cleaners.

Yet, some of my favorite scenes dealing with the side-job had nothing to do with the heist parts of it. For example: Gabrielle with her Jersey-girl imitation was great. Like at the lobster dinner, her toying with her hair, popping the bubble gum and wearing the large hoop earrings–not to forget the accent–was great. I wonder how many episodes of the Sopranos she had to watch to get that down? Then, there was Michael giving himself a black eye. Oh, and Sam being accused as a cop–and Michael revealing to Tommy that he’s not Milo. And not to forget Tommy’s thank you hug at the end.

Of course, the ending heist that involved Mathison was the best. Man that guy was a jerk! It was obvious that the guy didn’t care what happened to Tommy and his crew–that was reiterated with the “killer” comment directed at Michael.  Speaking of that…I had visions of the A-team during the shootout. Like my brother said, “All that gun play and nobody gets hurt.” Yeah, it was sort of like that, but it was oh so satisfying when Mathison realized he’d been duped. Though, to me, the most satisfying part was when Tommy had just slammed the back door shut using the van and Mathison saw him, knew it was him. Then, there was the whole part where Michael calls the scum bag. Good stuff!

We nearly got some back story on Sam in this episode, too. I couldn’t actually figure out the entire relationship there. I thought I remember hearing “childhood friend” and “oh yeah, I dated your mom” somewhere in the conversation. I saw it coming, too, when Sam thought he was going to get out of his IRS audit by using his dashing charm. In fact, I think I said, “I bet Stacy’s a guy.” It was just too easy–which was the point, I suppose. But, it did make for some interesting stuff. I hope that–as promised in the behind-the-scenes on the website–that we get more substantial back story on Sam–and Fi. That would be awesome.

Speaking of Fi…It’s obvious the rift between her and Michael is now growing instead of shrinking. I think she’s coming to the conclusion that, no matter what she does (or how she argues with him), Michael is NOT going to change his mind when it comes to serving his country. But, more importantly, I think she realizes that her and Mike will probably never get together like she wants–at least, no time soon. The look on Gabrielle’s face–wow, she’s a good actress–said it all. The disappointment. The loss. The anger. Yep, she had it working.

Fearless Leader gave a nice conclusion to the Detective Paxson plot line. It took the relationship between Michael and Fi into a different direction. Over all it was excellent. I just wish we would have seen more of Madeline–she only got two little scenes!  But, truthfully, that’s a minor thing.

Rating: 9.0