Burn Notice

Burn Notice

Burn Notice—truly the show that, in this writer’s opinion, kicked off USA Network expanding their repertoire when it comes to shows. With the success the network had by airing this show during the summer, it seems as if there has been more and more original content being released during this time.

However, I digress… personally, I had very little hope for Burn Notice at the conclusion of season five. The show seemed to have fallen into the an old routine. Michael Weston—the show’s protagonist—beats the latest big, bad shadow man, only to find a bigger, badder man behind his previous foe. Frankly, after five seasons of that, the show felt tired, and one had to wonder what they could possibly do to mix it up?

Friends, season six, thus far, has been THE answer to that question. The current season began with a bang as the latest “Big Bad,” actually escaped, and Fiona ended up in jail after turning herself in despite Michael’s objections. And while Michael was back with the CIA, he hadn’t beaten the bad guy or saved the day entirely, and he was not free and in the clear. Plus, Michael is struggling to find ways to get Fiona out of jail, as Sam and Jesse do their best to help him.

What makes this season so different—and so exciting—is that the viewer actually gets to see a human side to Michael Weston. You see his stress and anxiety, which is something that had been sorely lacking for the past few seasons—it’s nice to see the hero lose his cool and do “whatever it takes.” For a while, it always seemed like the heroes kept their cool and found a way to win, but suddenly that’s not the case and Burn Notice has allowed for some moments of reality. At the end of the latest episode, with the reintroduction of Michael’s brother Nate, there came with it an incredibly human moment between brothers. It’s a shame it took several seasons to get back to this, but it’s not an unwelcome new direction.