TV Review: Burn Notice - Pilot - Page 3

The primary case that drives the episode involves an innocent and honest man who is accused of stealing $22 million worth of art. The police suspect him and no one else really. He offers Westen $4,600 to find out who the real thief was. But it’s the man’s eight-year-old son who really captures Westen’s heart, and it is the boy that Westen is determined to keep protected.

While he is working on the case, while he is dealing with his mom, while he is being followed by the FBI, while he is dealing with his living arrangements, while he is dealing with his ex-lover and depending on her at the same time, Weston is also trying to find out who issued the burn notice on him. His friends at the agency aren’t his friends any more, and the one that will talk to him says he has no clue who issued it.

The story is chopped into bite-sized scenes that move along at a frantic pace. All the storylines are advanced constantly, and we learn more about Westen’s background and spy methods. And all of this is seeded with the sarcastic voiceovers that are going to become a trademark of the show.

In some ways, Burn Notice reminds me of another great semi-spy show. The Equalizer starred Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a spy put out into the cold who couldn’t walk away from his adrenaline addiction and started picking up side work that dealt with violence and danger. But where McCall was a proper English gentleman in so many ways, Westen is totally of the here and now. He doesn’t like relationships, he doesn’t like his family, and he just wants to be able to get on with his life in a limited fashion that doesn’t leave him stressed out. Any more than having a gun shoved in his face would do. That kind of stress he can live with.

If you didn’t see tonight’s episode, it will be repeated. Check the USA Network website for the dates and times. If you like spies, detectives, mysteries, or sarcasm laced with liberal physical action, Burn Notice will probably be to your liking. I think it’s going to be a great summer series.

Article Author: Mel Odom

Mel Odom is the author of over 100 novels. Winner of the American Library Association's Alex Award for 2002 and runner-up for the Christy in 2005, he's written in several genres, including tie-in novels for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and novelizations of Blade, XXX, and Tomb Raider. …

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