For some reason (quite possibly the tides), I am quite down on last night's Burn Notice. I still really like the characters and think the stories are interesting, but last night made the whole thing feel very formulaic, and not in a good way.
The single-episode plot last night was interesting enough - helping a guy who was determined to go straight after finishing his jail time but whose ex-boss was insisting on another job. Sure, they've done similar things before, but that's okay. And, the multi-episode, long term arc about Michael Westen trying to figure out who burned him was present, which is good. But the way it was all pieced together really made me feel as though I've been had by the series.
The episode was bookended by the long-term story, which also featured a little in the middle, which, while moderately interesting, didn't really progress stuff. That too felt kind of typical for the series.
So, there you have it, a pretty typical episode, and that's when it struck me - this was a pretty typical episode. They're all kind of like this. The overarching plot didn't move forward, there was never a reason to suspect that Michael wouldn't accomplish his single-episode task, and he was even lured into the task reluctantly, because the guy had a family.
It kind of made me feel like too many episodes of Burn Notice are done with fill-in-the-blank scripts: The week, Michael will be going up against _______ (insert name of nefarious activity, i.e., gambling, drug-running, grand theft auto ring, here). The case will be referred to him by ______ (friend, ex-friend, ex-co-worker, or family member, etc.). Michael will initially refuse the case due to ______ (date with Fiona, helping Sam with something, too busy with his own problem, etc.), but finally acquiesces when he learns that _______ (client's family is in trouble, his mom will guilt-trip him, the money is too good to pass up). Along the way, this case will jeopardize his learning more about his own problems due to the amount of time the case takes. Eventually though, Michael solves the case. In the end though He does/does not (circle one) progress on finding out who burned him.
Article comments
1 - NancyGail
Josh sweetie, if anyone read this and had never seen the show before, the actors named would have helped. Nice review otherwise.
2 - Josh Lasser
Nancy dear, if this were a review I'd totally agree, but it's actually an opinion piece that part of an on-going column.
3 - Dust
I agree that the format of the show is formulaic but I think that is inherent in the format of the show. Burn Notice is more of a popcorn tv show and it isn't ever going to be the serialized "introduce secrets then reveal" based drama that Heroes and Lost are and it was never ment to be.
Maybe I'm taking it better because I read that we wouldn't see Carla (Tricia Helfer) again after the first two episodes until the mid-season finale so I naturally assumed that the ongoing plot would move slowly. But, as long as the writers can come up with good plots for the weekly clients and their problems then I don't have any issues with the format of the show. And more Sam - Bruce Campbell kills me on this show.
4 - Andy Marsh
No more dates with Fi...they broke up last season....right? So, you have to take that out of the formula...
5 - Steph
Dust has a good point in that we can't expect this show to be on level with Heroes or Lost or Battlestar, since it's not supposed to be that way.
But I agree with your article. Even taking into account the genre it belongs in, the show just isn't offering enough to keep my interest. Each episode is fun, but I don't find myself looking forward to the next one or wanting to make sure I don't miss it. Maybe because I know that if I do miss it, I won't really miss anything.