But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the very beginning  with Carla offering Michael chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds and demanding information  – in that charmless way she has – about the man who’s been trying to kill Michael.

That man is, as we now know, Victor. And Michael is a) not going to give him up to Carla without interrogating him first, and b) keeping Victor captive in that former cement factory so beloved of Miami-based TV production companies…

It turns out that Carla killed Victor’s family and burned him as part of his ‘recruitment’. And so we spend the season finale trying to get Carla her ‘retirement bullet’ and Michael his life back…

Our last hurrahs for season two:

• Michael arrives at the cement factory in the middle of nowhere. Sam: “Are you sure you weren’t followed?” Michael: “As sure as I can be. Unless she’s got an invisible helicopter I think we’re fine.” Sam: “Yeah, I wouldn’t put it past her…”
• Victor (on being badgered by Michael as to why he’s trying to damage the organisation that’s using them both): “Why is your curiosity more important then my nap?”
• Michael Shanks making Victor such a sympathetic character in such a short time.
• That we nearly get to see Sam’s dog-bite scar – that looked like an interesting place Bruce Campbell was pointing to!
• Fi’s admiration for Victor’s booby-trap. “Nice work. He should teach a class or something…”
• Sam being despatched to take Madelaine to Disney World for the day – and Madelaine’s reaction: “Why in God’s name would I want to go to Disney World?” Sam: “Because it’s a magical kingdom with  lots of witnesses and great security.”
• Talking of which I may be haunted forever by the sight of Madelaine whirling weights in front an exercise video, a lit cigarette stuck between her lips.
• Victor’s speech when he realises Michael’s going to help him, not kill him. “I get to be one of Michael Westen’s clients? One of the desperate people to whom you lend your razor-sharp mind and fists of fury?”
• If you’re in a firefight and car chase without high-calibre weapons your best options are to shoot the windscreen or ricochet bullets up from the ground and through the floor – one of the least reinforced parts of a car…
• You’ve got to love that Michael’s glove compartment contains the ingredients to make explosives on the fly.
• Madelaine finally realising how serious the situation is when Sam turns down her offer of a beer.
• Fi whittling on about the great deal she’s just done: “I’m better at buying guns than I am at buying shoes, and I’m really good at buying shoes.”
• Sam’s cannabalisation of the Westen Christmas lights to make a ‘distracting’ fireball for Carla’s men. For this recipe, children, you will also need non-dairy creamer, gunpowder, electrical tape and a former Navy Seal.
• Fi’s super-cool car bombs, not to mention her precision timing. Followed swiftly by her derision at the idea that this is all to blackmail Carla  – “we’re just going to throw some paperwork at her?”. Michael: “It’s the smart play here – we’re outgunned.” Fi: “Well get bigger guns.”
• Madelaine’s plan to disappear among Miami’s 10,000 sixty-something women with bleached blonde hair so that Sam can go back and protect her son.
• Who knew you could nail a car door shut?
• I’m not surprised however that Carla would send a black ops teams to deal with a parking ticket.
• Fi looking forward to going to Cuba (great music, lots of sexy, unemployed men) and her special send-off to Michael when she realises she’s not going too.
• Add to that her satisfied “Finally” as she gets to shoot Carla at last.
• The bromance quality to Michael and Victor’s last moments on the boat.
• Eek! Frasier Crane’s dad is the Big Bad Guy we’ve been tracking down for two seasons. And as the set-up to season three, we learn that Management has been protecting Michael from all his old enemies from the life he so desperately wants back. “You think you’ve been under our thumb? You’ve been under our protection!”
• “You want out? Here’s the door…” (albeit one that opens onto a 100 foot drop from a helicopter into the Atlantic Ocean.)
• Jeffrey Donovan does look great wet… though I don’t envy him that LONG swim back to Miami.

Posted by Jo the Hat

But Victor and Carla are the least of his problems this week… If his ex-fiance turning up wasn’t bad enough (bearing in mind Madelaine – who’s been forcibly moved into the loft until Victor is contained – and Fi didn’t know he’d ever been engaged), she (Samantha) has been forced to steal top-secret military hardware to get her son back from a Bad Man.

The shenanigans over whether he’s also Michael’s son is swiftly despatched thankfully, and we can just get on with clearing up the mess and packing Sam and her son off to a new – and quieter – life.

Hurrah for:

• The look on Madelaine’s face (and the knife in her hand) when Sam introduces herself. Not to mention her snide remark to regular Sam when he tries to lighten the mood: “Have you ever been engaged to my son? Then I think we’ll be able to tell you apart.”
• Sam’s reaction to Samantha’s revelation that she’s already stolen the guidance chip. “I thought this was a get-to-kn0w-the-ex lunch, now it’s a nineteen-government-agencies-are-chasing-me lunch?”
• Sam’s decsription of Victor – based on his file: “If half this crap is true, Victor’s a lot like you , only you know – with rabies…”
• Not exactly a hurrah – but you have to say Bad Guy Brennan’s unique plaster-cast bomb on little Charlie’s arm is devilishly clever.
• Victor’s spying on Michael conveniently saving Michael and Fi’s lives.
• That you can get past a hi-tech hand scanner with a used drinks can, the special film that’s used to lift prints and a latex-gloved hand…
• Now I know that if I want to break into a high-security something, you need to trip lots of sensors to cause maximum confusion.
• I have a horrible feeling that Brennan’s being literal when he says “See you around” to Michael.
• Michael explaining to Fi that she knows a part of him that Samantha never did, and that he left Sam because you don’t marry someone when you love someone else…
• Michael’s disposable camera-cum-taser and the way it gets applied to Victor. Not to mention Michael getting him out to the car with a sneaky bit of bandaging…

Posted by Jo the Hat

Mostly this week, we are trying to bring a Very Bad Man to justice. A corrupt Haitian official who killed a girl called Veronique is living the high-life in Miami. Her father is determined to see justice done (or die trying). The rest you can work out for yourself by now…

Good stuff:

• Mike to Fi: “I was warned not to meet you the first time.” Fi: “Yeah – I nearly blew off your hand with a block of C4.”
• The Michael Westen smile when he knews for certain that Gustavo isn’t really Gustavo.
• Sam and his massive fish. (That isn’t a euphemism.)
• Maddy fixing the chaotic wiring in her car, not to mention solving her local crime spree. I suspect she’s becoming more kick ass by the season…
• Burn Notice isn’t in awe of killers. It paints them in properly unflattering colours. “A lot of the worst monsters on earth are just spoilt rich kids. Mass murderers come in many shapes and sizes, but they tend to drink the same brands of champagne.” Also: “Spend time with corrupt homicidal third world political figures and you hear a lot of self pity. What kind of man throws his political enemies in prison and tortures them to death? Usually it’s a guy who feels so sorry for himself, he feels justified doing anything. Killers, by and large, are whining losers. But that doesn’t make them any less dangerous.”
• The Miami gun smugglers and Miami people smugglers don’t get along apparently…
• The drug boss’s granny being watched by the feds – who are being roped in to help sell Michael’s cover ID to refugee Jean-Pierre.
• Maddy nearly killing Sam at a ‘partner stretching’ class. (No, I don’t know what that is either – but I could do without knowing about Sam’s inflamed bursal sac.)
• Fi exploiting her ‘reputation’ to intimidate Gary the people smuggler.
• Madelaine offering to help Michael help Claude get justice for his murdered daughter, when he can’t help her with the car thieves.
• Fi’s suggestion that Michael should move into the storage units – they have air conditioning – it would be a step up from the loft…
• Michael’s coded message to Sam when he needs an escape route from the Dumand house…
• The adapted truck to abduct Jean-Pierre, the way that Mike gets him into said truck, Sam’s delight as he drives away and the Feds’ complicity in getting the murdering bastard back to Haiti to face trial.

Spy stuff:

• People love the sound of their native tongue. Even the most security-conscious person often lets his guard down when he hears someone who speaks his language. If that someone happens to be in a designer dress, so much the better.
• Sometimes what you need to hide is a really bright light…
• Exploiting weakness – manipulating greed, fear and pride – is fine unless you’re dealing  with true believers.
• If you suspect you’re walking into an ambush, searching for where the bad guys are hidden is probably going to get you killed unless you’re lucky and find them in the first place to look. The best move is to make it impossible to hide – in this case by firing a flare gun that lights up the whole storage facility…
• When you’re in a foot chase, the trick is to stay in visual contact with whoever you’re pursuing until they run out of gas. Of course, visual contact doesn’t do you much good if you’re separated by a twelve-foot-high razor-wire-topped fence. But at least we know who our bad guy is now… Victor.

Posted by Jo the Hat

Fans of Carl Hiaasen and/or Christopher Brookmyre should enjoy this particular episode.

Burn Notice brilliance:

• Sam’s annoyance that Mike is rewarding Barry the money launderer (who I still swear I saw on a bus in Birmingham this summer) with a very expensive lunch, but not him. Michael: “There’s no need Sam, you’ll do almost anything for a three-dollar beer.” And when Sam’s hopes of a good mojito are dashed as well: “This cancels out one of the times you saved my life. Maybe two.”
• The masked health and safety guy physically stopping Fi walking further into Michael’s apartment for her own safety and Fi’s acid response: “Don’t touch me – for your own safety.”
• Bly’s packing of (mainly pink) clothes for Mike: “For a tough guy, you sure dress like an Easter egg.”
• Madeline’s concern about the alleged toxic mould in the loft and the line: “I’m glad you’re out of there, it doesn’t sound healthy” – delivered in a dense cloud of cigarette smoke.
• Sam going on a date with the woman of his dreams – a multi-millionaire beer distributor with six (or seven) beach houses, including one in Antigua with a quad kegerator (“That’s four kegs of beer at 33 degrees baby!”). Still as the ‘old romantic’ has many women in his dreams, I can keep hoping, right?
• Mike’s revenge on Bly for destroying his favourite green chair – vodka on an open wound before the pain meds kick in.
• Sam and Fi bickering over who Mike called first for help. Fi: “In case you’re wondering, you’d be my nineteenth call. I’d call Madeline, before I call you.” And then bickering about everything else too…
• “Life with a hypochondriac mother gives you a useful knowledge of pharmaceuticals…”
• Knowing where the line “There’s nothing wrong with our truck” is going to go. Especially when Fi hasn’t blown anything else up in the previous 50 minutes…
• Michael hiding Bly’s file in the bottom part of Madeline’s oven. “You just assumed I was never going to broil anything?” Michael: “Well, so far I’ve been right.”

Stuff to remember if you ever get caught in a heist without Michael to help you out:

• A data server connected to a mobile phone can overcome a cell-phone jammer.
• You can cut through a plasterboard wall with scissors if you start at a plug socket.
• Tampering with the locking collar on an air hammer turns it into a very inaccurate gun with a single bullet.
• Anxiety and allergy meds dropped into an energy drink will seriously mess you up (and allow a spy to choke you into unconsciousness in four seconds).
• Liquid nitrogen is not only useful for treating a nasty flesh wound – you can also sabotage a gun very successfully.
• Disable any one part of an elevator and the whole thing shuts down.

Posted by Jo the Hat

Starring – Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne, Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe, Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen, and introducing Coby Bell as Jesse Porter

Run – June 3, 2010 – August 26, 2010

Returns – November 2010

With season 4 ending on Thursday, I thought it would be time to review the summer series. Season 4 of the hit series starts off with a bang as Michael is locked in the chair as Vaughn (played by Robert Wisdom) comes into the room being all nice and they eventually end of being in the jungle where Vaughn gets shot by an unmanned drone and delivers the ultimatum that Michael is “either in or out” in terms of finding out more information about who burned him and more information on the crazed psychopathic arsonist Simon. Michael then sneaks into a government building to steal information and in turn he ends up burning Jesse Porter, a counter-intelligence agent played by Coby Bell. The government does not prosecute Jesse so that the international nastiness that he is involved in is not de-classified. Vaughn wants to get rid of him; however, Michael convinces Vaughn to let him use him as a resource. Jesse, who does not know who burned him, seeks help from Michael.

Jesse eventually gets to move into Madeline’s house as Fionna suggested it to Michael, even though she had already madethe arrangements. Jesse tells Michael that “he is going to find the man who ruined my life and I’m going to kill him. Are you good with that?” Michael then starts helping Jesse find more information on the case he was currently working before being burned. Jesse, has a short temper for bad guys, and finds himself sticking up for the little man on the docks as they try to track down a cargo manifest. The team ends up getting involved in mob connections with a made man being pushed by the higher ups to deliver more money. Chuck Finley, the alias of Sam Axe, befriends Tony and “helps him” as they all stick up for the little guy even though they have sorted through the all the documents and have a solid lead.

The lead that they team got led Fionna and Jesse to the Bahamas to find out information on “Cobra”. As Sam and Michael are on a job in which they are helping a client, Fionna and Jesse try to track down a guy. As Fionna and Jesse are unsuccessful because of a nosy neighbor foils their attempt to get into a house. Michael and Jesse then go and talk to the nosy neighbor, whose name is Kendra, shoots at Michael and they end up scaring her off and obtaining a tape drive. Michael and fed up Fiona spend the day trying to find out the information on the drive in which Michael and Kendra flirt and Fionna feels left out. Michael and Kendra eventually meet up after Kendra did not want to meet at Michael’s selected and scouted place and meet in an area where Sam can not cover Michael. Kendra then tries to stab Michael and he ends up knocking her out and they lock her up where they interrogate her to get some information about the guy in the Bahamas was dropped out of a plane and was the guy that Fionna and Jesse were looking for.

After getting the information from Kendra, they leave her for the cops. Jesse then gets Michael and Fi to go with him to find his old boss Marv. Michael, who thinks rogue Russian operatives are out to get him, finds out they are out to get a retired American spy named Paul Anderson, played by Burt Reynolds. Marv gives Jesse information about who burned him, but he had to go through Fionna, who destroys a piece of evidence that would have told Jesse that Michael was the one who burned him. Jesse and Michael break into a bank to find a Bible that belonged to Simon, which turns out to be a cipher. Michael then request a meeting with Simon to ask him about the Bible with Vaughn, who objects at it and first before finally giving in. Vaughn first though tries to go to Fionna and persuade her to betray Michael and give her the Bible; however, she resists. All this while Michael helps his former FBI “buddies”.

Michael finally gets his meeting with Simon and he is told to go to cemetery and dig up some of Simon’s keepsakes. While Michael goes to prison to help a buddy of Sams, Fi and Sam go and get the box. In the box, there is a tape labeled “Berlin 2007″, which Simon told him to listen to before they talked about the Bible. It turns out that on the tape, when Simon is paying back “the sons of bitches that burned him” Vaughn tells him that they have found a new asset Michael Westen, this after Vaughn told Michael when they met he had nothing to do with the burn notice. Simon tells Michael that he needs to seek out Barrett, a big time player in telecom.

Michael and Jesse eventually get Barrett to come down to Miami so that they can grab him. All while this is going on Jesse contacts his old boss Marv, who told him never to contact him again, and finds a security tape from the place across the street because the one at the building Jesse was working at was mysteriously destroyed. Jesse then finds out that Michael burned him and that all of his friends “have been covering it up”. Jesse has a gun to Fionna and then leaves the loft as Fionna calls Michael. The series finale ends with Fionna convincing Jesse to meet with Michael. Michael then meets with Barrett and while he is doing the deal in exchange for the Bible, Vaughn, who promised to stay away shows up. The deal goes bad and Barrett has Michael taken down. Jesse then all of a sudden shoots and the bullet goes through Michael into the guy working for Barrett and kills him. Barrett then takes Michael and drives off. While driving Michael grabs the steering wheel and the SUV flips. Michael, who is dying sees someone take the bible as the summer finale ends…

This begs the question what will happen when the series returns in November? “Dead” Larry is scheduled to be in an episode at some point so that should be interesting.

As a direct result of employing Seymour to find Poole, Michael takes on a job for Scott Chandler – an art dealer who has a security breach. (Michael understandably not wanting to owe Seymour money for any length of time.)

Chandler’s office is being surveilled, but, it turns out, not by a bad guy. Chandler stole a $7m painting (not to mention having the artist beaten to death) – and now the artist’s daughter, Melanie, wants it back. All of which means Mike has to double-cross his client to get the painting back for Melanie.

Some examples of why the show is Emmy-nominated:

• Fi worrying that she’s overdressed for their South Beach meeting with Seymour. In an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny bikini, sunglasses and the tiniest sarong I’ve ever seen. She thinks the sarong may be “too much”.
• The new Fi-Mike dynamic since last week’s booty call. Now Michael’s the one wanting more than is on offer.
• The many expressions on Sam’s face as he probes for the truth of said evolving relationship. Not to mention tactical retreats to the balcony for beer-drinking.
• Seymour’s ‘brotherhood of badass’: “Hello Alpha, this is Bravo…”
• Sam comparing corporate espionage to going on the kiddie rides at the carnival. For all that, he’s not just a pretty face – check out his research work.
• Bruce Campbell’s dedication to duty – it must have hurt throwing himself at that hotel door time after time after time…
• Mike trying to get Chandler to admit to stealing the painting: “This guy’s got resources, training… it could be anybody, some spy gets blacklisted, goes freelance, he could be standing right in front of you and you wouldn’t even know it…”
• Even spies can get left and right mixed up…
• Seymour playing at relationship counsellor – “It’s destiny you two, forces bigger than us. Don’t argue with destiny, it will kick your ass.”
• Fi’s mock indignation that Mike has to ask if she has any explosives on her.
• The return of Chuck Finley – hurrah!
• Mike’s promise to get Poole and his girlfriend safely out of the country in return for information. Shame it’s Suriname.
• The hamfisted transcription of the account number that will lead Michael to the next guy in the chain of command.
• Seymour’s gift in honour of their first operation – matching throwing daggers engraved with ‘Destiny’. Bless.
• If Fi eats egg-white-only omelettes it’s no wonder she’s so bloody skinny. I do hope she will stay for breakfast ‘next time’.

Posted by Jo the Hat

Favourite moments this week:

• Mike’s barefaced cheek in stealing the security camera footage that will reveal the bomber.
• Fi’s fortune cookies: “The one who burned you is closer than you think…”
• Sam reassurance to Mike about doing something that regular people do (ie watching American football): “Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you – fifty-yard line, third row, beer in big plastic cups.”
• Carla’s obviously under a lot of pressure. Good.
• Fi’s determination to punish Felix for molesting Tanya.
• Sam’s riposte to Fi telling him he’ll have to work harder than he’s used to: “I work plenty hard lady. I just make it look easy.”
• Watching Sam, Mike (and even Fi) getting dressed in those sexy suits. Be still my beating heart…
• Cory eating Madelaine’s out-of-date food – including tinned oysters she’s had since Michael was little… yikes.
• Fi and Michael’s version of the Ghost pottery wheel scene – which inevitably involves making explosives.
• Michael ‘McBride’ being Fi’s kind of guy – one who causes mayhem…
• Gabrielle Anwar managing to walk and act in impossibly high stack-heeled shoes.
• Sam taking down his target with his shotgun (and a winning smile). “Don’t look so scared. It’s loaded with a beanbag round so there won’t be any permanent damage.” Shoots. “But the temporary damage, that  hurts like hell. Did I forget to mention that?”
• Sam testing that the $150,000 car they’ve just ‘cleaned and cloned’ still drives okay… by taking it for a spin around South Beach.
• Michael’s desperation when he believes Fi’s been killed in the booby-trapped house. The sight of a heart-broken Michael/wet-to-the-skin Jeffrey Donovan. That kiss…

Stuff you may (or may not) need to know this week:

• Uniforms suggest organisation, power and numbers. These in turn inspire fear. There’s no more effective weapon than fear.
• Melting through the engine block of car requires a few pounds of thermite, a coffee can and a fuse. It puts on a good show too.
• To get into a building, use a hockey-puck explosive on a fire-exit.
• Target selection is one of the least glamorous but most important elements in any strategy. You need to take out the people your opponent depends on.
• You can bulletproof a car with a dozen copies of the Yellow Pages, foam sealants, and dual-layer high-density plexi-glass (expensive, but bullet-proof glass is not the sort of thing you skimp on).

Posted by Jo the Hat

I may get round to checking out those young and thin days, but in the meantime I am totally loving today’s snarky and charismatic model as seen in the guise of Burn Notice’s Sam Axe.

Sam’s loyal, laid back, kickass, funny, smart and happy to exploit his charms to get whatever info or favours his buddy needs. It makes me wish I had some top secret intel that Michael desperately needs to get his hands on…

Even Sam’s awareness of his own charms (Mikey: I could kiss you. Sam: Get in line…) is part of his allure.

The only bad thing I can say about Sam is that his personal taste in shirts does him no justice at all. Stick that man in a suit, and a brief spell in the PLA fridge with Inkface’s smelling salts becomes necessary.

Posted by Jo the Hat

]]> http://pauseliveaction.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/burn-notice-2-10-in-which-everybody-gets-a-bit-emotional/ Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:03:46 +0000 Jo the Hat http://pauseliveaction.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/burn-notice-2-10-in-which-everybody-gets-a-bit-emotional/ There are many reasons why I’m hooked on Burn Notice: the eye candy, the witty dialogue, the pacy storylines, the cool spy stuff, but this week’s episode reminded me that it’s the real heart they’ve given to Michael, Fi and Sam that is key to the series’ success.

We catch up with Mikey 20 minutes after someone came close to blowing him up last week . (That’s how long it took Sam to get across town to pick him off the floor and pour him into his car.) A bit of nifty driving and some serious car-sacrifice on Sam’s part gets the boys away from whoever is hunting for Michael.

But before Michael can replace his sunglasses (or his suit, for that matter) he’s diving into traffic to save a desperate dad from throwing himself under a bus. Kenny’s six-year-old son Jack needs treatment for a heart condition and he’s been conned out of the $250,000 he’d raised to save his son’s life. Regular viewers will know it takes more than being blown up to stop Michael helping a small child, so even with “plenty going on” as Sam puts it, we know the conmen are going down.

He’s also dealing with Carla of course. It’s good she used to be a Cylon, or I think his rage would have blown her clean out of the room.

Best bits:

• “Medical scammers, like pimps, drug dealers or feral dogs, need to protect their territory.” Do you get the feeling the writers dislike medical scammers even more than the usual low-lives they populate Miami with?
• The ‘subtle’ way Michael gets Todd (the enforcer) into his car – knee to face, body into boot – all in less than 10 seconds.
• Madelaine getting Fi to play with Jack. “There’s no point pretending you’re Mary Poppins – just be yourself. Go with what you know.” Fi (to Jack): “My guy [toy solider] has a M2 Browning 50 calibre. It’s got good range…” (and places it in a suitable sniper perch.) The look on Jack’s face as she explains that his guy has got a Mk 2 pineapple fragmentation grenade and that therefore he needs to hid in the flower pot is just priceless.
• The sight of Jeffrey Donovan in those swimming trucks. I feel the need for a spell in the PLA fridge…
• Fi blowing the fake scam by punching the medical scammer in the face after she’d laughed about ripping off the parents of sick kids.
• Sam being willing to let Mike hit him all day if it stops him joining Carla’s payroll.
• Campbell bowing out with such good grace…
• Jack’s drawing of Michael and Fi – cuteness personified – and you have to love the sunglasses detail.

Spy stuff:

• Empty commercial buildings are useful if you’re looking for somewhere to interrogate someone. No one notices you coming and going (with your bad guy in a wheelie bin) and the floors are typically soundproof.
• There’s a saying in interrogation – violence perceived is violence achieved. Sam cutting himself with the knife is painful to watch, but it certainly freaks the bad guy out and gets the information we need.
• You don’t ever want to play ‘who talks first’. It originally involved taking two blindfolded prisoners up in a helicopter and tossing one out to get the other to talk. The Burn Notice solution to not having a helicopter (and keeping the body count down) is ingenious. You push one of your blindfolded guys out of a window – but attach his chair to a steel rope that will bring him to a stop where another member of your team can duct tape his mouth shut. You get just enough screaming to frighten the remaining interogatee…
• You can determine someone’s position if you can get a phone hooked up to an amplifier and a computer. You will also need to borrow your ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend’s ambulance…

Posted by Jo the Hat

Job of the week is to prevent a lovely young Venezuelan oil heiress from being kidnapped by a very bad man called Max Lesher. The man in charge of her security arrangements is being threatened by Lesher – leading to Michael becoming Brad, the young lady’s newly divorced, alcoholic (and therefore unstable and potentially corruptible) bodyguard. As always the simple plan – persuade bad man that his bad plan is unworkable – doesn’t go to plan and a bit of creative thinking is required.

And if Michael wasn’t having enough fun already, he’s determined to find out what Carla’s secret op is all about. So, ignoring Sam’s advice, he uses his extra key card to infiltrate the mystery building and finds the sniper’s perch – leading him to deduce that the target will be on a ferry that passes each morning. When Carla turns up (and Michael escapes by the skin of his teeth), Sam plants a tracker on her motorbike (Michael: “You got a tracker on you?” Sam: “Navy SEAL motto – Always be prepared…”. It all works out nicely for Sam, who spends most of the episode watching Carla from an expensive hotel room and drinking mojitos…

Things work out less well for the sniper who finds his front door booby-trapped. Thank god for a timely call from Sam and a lack of imagination on somebody’s part, or Michael could have met a grisly end in a Fi-sized explosion too.

Moments to rewind and enjoy again:

• After Sam has planted the tracker on Carla’s bike, Michael: “I could kiss you.” Sam: “Get in line.” (That’ll be a helluva long line)
• Michael is much hotter to look at with stubble. Shame stubble never feels as nice as it looks.
• Sam’s nickname for Carla. As in “You’ll have to ask Tall, Blonde and Evil down there…”
• Fi threatening to shoot someone if Lesher doesn’t fall for the phony paperwork she’s provided to get Michael chosen as bodyguard.
• Sam raiding the hotel’s toiletries and mints. Bless him.
• How easy it is to look like security with the right sunglasses…
• Michael doesn’t have to visit an ER (or get Fi to stitch his wounds anymore). That Campbell has his uses…
• Michael’s speech as newly-converted-to-God Brad and the effect it has on Fi. I’m not sure if I can stand two more seasons of will-they-won’t-they-off-again-on-again…
• Michael’s final solution to the Lesher problem. It’s a good job he probably steals all those cars, or his insurance premiums would make  the coalition government’s budget problems look like pocket money troubles. That boy does fire and brimstone preaching beautifully.

Spy stuff you may or may not need this week:

• Snipers don’t like to shoot from ledges. The best position is inside a room, through an open window. It hides the shooter, masks the report of a super-sonic round and makes muzzle flash impossible to see.
• Hiding something sensitive that you may need quickly is a skill. You want something easy to get to, but tough to find (it’s called a slick in spy circles). Like a drilled slot in your door frame for a key card, that is hidden by the hinge. Or the light fitting in a bathroom.
• When you want to recruit someone, let your target make the first move. Dress like them, talk like them, drink like them… but don’t talk to them – wait for them to approach you.
• Surveillance is the leading cause of weight gain among operatives (boredom and tension leads to plenty of eating to pass the time and eases nerves).
• Facial recognition systems can be fooled by a photocopy of a face.
• If you’re searching a spy’s room, don’t waste time on the safe – slicks come in all shapes and sizes.
• If your cover involves heavy drinking use lots of ice, order the next round when you’re half way down your current drink (so it gets taken away before it’s empty), and, of course, spill…

Posted by Jo the Hat

Comic Con 2010

Well, another Comic Con has come and gone, but your old friend Darby is here once again to give you all the news you need to know, and 100% Nerd Flu free.

“Tron: Legacy”

Tron: Legacy was back at the Con this year, and this time Flynn’s Arcade was also able to transport you into the game itself! After you had your fun playing free video games, you are escorted to Flynn’s workshop, where you get zapped into the game and find yourself at the “End of Line Club” a haven for rogue programs. This re-creation of a set from Tron: Legacy was one of the most impressive things at Comic Con this year. I almost didn’t want to leave the room.

“Burn Notice”

It was announced at this year’s Burn Notice panel, that there will be a straight-to-DVD Burn Notice prequel, starring Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe, and will tell the story of Sam’s last mission before Miami.

“Predators”

Sadly, Robert Rodriguez announced Thursday, that 20th Century Fox will be releasing a sequel to this month’s new Predators incarnation. I know, not everyone disliked the new movie, but let’s be honest; it was crap, and I’m sure Predators: Electric Boogaloo isn’t going to be much better.

“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”

At the end of the panel for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, director/co-writer Edgar Wright announced that a surprise secret screening was about to take place. He then took a select few of the audience members from Hall H, and lead them Pied Piper style through the streets of San Diego to a theater not far from the convention center. Let me just say, that this is hands down the best movie of the summer! A review will be up here closer to the release of the movie, but take my word for it and buy your tickets now!

“The Walking Dead”

AMC‘s new series The Walking Dead, based on the Image comic, definitely had the biggest presence at the Con this year. You couldn’t go any where without seeing a horde of zombies, or footage from the upcoming show, stopping people in their tracks… Literally. At the panel on Friday we got to see some bloody amazing footage, and I mean bloody in both senses of the word. The cinematography on this show is going to blow you way. The sparkly vampires and teenage werewolves have had their time in the sun, well maybe not the vampires, but I do believe it’s about high time for the zombies. Long live the zombies! Can you say that about the undead?

“Saw 3D”

I was able to attend the press event/panel for the new Saw 3D, or Saw VII whichever one you prefer, and got to see the first eight minutes of the movie. They also unveiled the new eye popping poster, and also announced that this will be the final chapter in the Saw series.

“Green Lantern”

After thousands of people, along with Ralph and myself (Ralph was out there much longer than I), camped out all night just for the chance of getting in to Hall H for the Green Lantern panel, it was finally 11:45AM and thanks to Ralph and Lenny we made it in! On hand for the Q&A was Mr. Hal Jordan himself Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, and directory Martin Campbell. The panel wasn’t overly flashy, but we did get to see a few minutes of footage in the form of a somewhat trailer. It’s less than a year away, but I think I might just have to get in line now!

At the Warner Bros. booth, there was also a floor display of Abin Sur’s body.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”

At the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides panel, the audience received a special message from Captain Jack Sparrow himself! Does this mean we can stop calling it a trilogy?

“The Stabbing”

Okay, so here’s where Saturday gets a little pear shaped. Two men started arguing over space, or lack there of in Hall H, just after the Resident Evil: Afterlife panel, and just before the Paul panel. It was at this point, that of the one guys ends up stabbing the other guy near the eye with a pen. When news of the event quickly made its way around the Con, the only thing that shocked me was that it doesn’t happen more often. You’ve got thousands of antisocial people all huddled together with other antisocial people, add to that most haven’t eaten or slept in days, and at some point the nerd-rage is going to fly. The best part of all this was the costumes that followed on Sunday.

“Cowboys & Aliens”

Thanks to the amazing Jon Favreau, for the first time in Comic Con history, Harrison Ford graced the Con with his presence, and in handcuffs no less. The handcuffs could have had two meanings; 1) that’s what it took to get him to his first Comic Con, or 2) it was trying to make light of the stabbing that took place earlier. Either way, the crowd erupted when they saw Han Solo being lead to the stage by security.

“The Avengers”

For the first time ever, the cast of the up-coming Avengers movie were assembled in one place, and that place was Comic Con! The video says it all!

Avengers Assemble!!!

But it’s not just all about the movies at Comic Con. One of the best reasons to go to Comic Con is to get your hands on the exclusive toys and action figures only available at the Con… Well that is until they’re put on eBay for five times the original price. This is just a few of them; there really are way too many to list.

Plastic Man

This one was a “Must Have” for me this year!

Attack of the Show

These Gentle Giant Comic Con exclusives, are mini-busts of the Attack of the Show hosts Kevin Pereira & Olivia Munn.

Doctor Who

This years Doctor Who figure is a two-pack of the Eleventh Doctor and one of those lame Dalek redesigns.

Venture Brothers

These old school action figure dolls of Henchmen 21 and 24, were almost impossible to get.

Mo-Larr vs. Skeletor

By far the funniest exclusive at the Con this year, based on the Robot Chicken skit, this two-pack features for the first time ever Mo-Larr and a gapped toothed Skeletor.

One last thing before I go. Every year the studios at Comic Con make these giant bags for people to carry their stuff around in while at the Con. Well the best bags this year, without a doubt, go to the SyFy Channel.

One side of the bag reads “Mega Tote,” and the other “Giant Backpack.” But the thing that makes it so great is that in the fold of the bag it reads “vs.” You’ve got to love that!

Well, that does it for another Comic Con, but Comic Con 2011 will be on July 21^st to the 24^th next year, so start making your plans now.

The following supporting characters are funny, unique, cocky, and stylish which ALL and ALL makes them memorable in their own right while making the LEAD character(s) stand-out. Here’s my TOP TWELVE list:

12. Fiona Glennane & Sam Axe (Burn Notice) = Any person who is a Burned Spy playing “Robin Hood” in Miami needs a posse to have his back. In Burn Notice, Michael Westen gets TWO cronies to help unravel his burned spy status mystery and, you know, to help keep him alive. Fiona (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zQuTznPD9c), the sexy, LARGE gun-toting, ex-spy-girlfriend, and Sam (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCZ6UjRKOM8&feature=PlayList&p=A733BDDC7D18CC19&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=38) a drink- and women-loving ex-Navy seal who fancies tacky Hawaiian shirts, provide tactical support, gun cover, and big laughs.

11. The Cohen Family: Sandy, Kirsten and Seth (The O.C.) = A reformed bad boy (like Ryan Atwood – - played by Ben McKenzie) can only be reformed with help of The Cohen Family, the one rich, noble and moral family in Newport, CA (well, most of the time AND more moral than the rest of those Newpsies!!!) with, unfortunately, the most DYSFUNCTIONAL family and friends. In particular, Adam Brody’s portrayal of Seth Cohen is one for the record books! He’s awkward, nerdy, really into himself, and is the creative mind behind Chrismukkah (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFMwNzLE-PI). Oh, what would we do without Seth Cohen? Even more, my hate for Mr. Gallagher quickly turned into DEEP love for him after just a few episodes of him playing the cool, kooky dad with a HEART OF GOLD and a MORAL COMPASS never to be cracked! (Side Note: Ok, I just watched The O.C. from the very beginning to the very end over the last several weeks so my view may be biased, but certainly this family was what charmed me into continuing watching the show Netflix DVD after Netflix DVD).

10. Rajesh Koothrappali (Big Bang Theory) = Dr. Sheldon Cooper has invested a lot of time and energy in determining which people can populate his NERD HERD (Who can forget the SUPER long survey they all had to fill out for him to measure how well his friends knew him??). The sweetest and funniest member of the Geek Squad is Raj! No, seriously, how do you water down the anal and annoying Sheldon? You add in the selective mute who, when he does talk, uses the word DUDE excessively or whispers his messages to Howard (but alcohol helps…specifically, grasshoppers). You add in the DUDE from India but doesn’t like Indian food. You add in the DUDE who is the attractive one of the group (because “foreign, exotic, and a good listener”). You add in the DUDE who is more tolerant of Sheldon than anyone else, but maybe that is his selective mutism? Someone get this DUDE a grasshopper…STAT!

9. Dr. Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds) = Watch an episode of this show and tell me you’re not mesmorized by his hair OR his geeky stories…

8. Preston “Bodie” Broadus (The Wire) = I know right off the bat for those folks who have seen The Wire (and have experienced the plethora of complex and memorable characters from the show) will disagree with this one. Why not Omar? Well, he made the EW list. Why not Marlo? Mmm, he was alright. What about Carver? Ah, he’s a close second. What about Snoop? Ok, that one’s a given…she was AMAZING. But, I chose Bodie because he was ONE constant, backbone character in the story that never really changed (meaning he was always true to himself). For all the seasons, he was a “soldier” and he always did what he was supposed to because that’s what soldier does. I can respect that.

7. Joan Holloway (Mad Men) = In a TV show, in which the men rule and the women need guidance, this red-headed bombshell is the ONE keeping them ALL in line…man, woman, or otherwise. Her put-together presence (including those wonderful dresses!), go-get-em attitude, calming nature, and referent influence makes me wonder if they didn’t make a mistake by promoting Peggy and NOT Joan. But with the next season starting tonight, we’ll see what Joan’s future holds…hopefully, fetching coffee, picking up lunch, or typing is nowhere in sight!

6. Sylar (Heroes) = Sylar is the quintessential VILLIAN that struck fear into all the Heroes! That is, before he met up with the Wonder Twins (one who cries black tears of death and one who apparently is the antidote…YES, it was as lame as it sounds)) in Season Two. So, let’s travel back to Season One in which “Sylar” was a mysterious being with no face until he stalks the Cheerleader and we are introduced to the wrath of SySy. His power? He can steal EVERYONE else’s cool powers and use them for evil. [Insert evil laugh here.] The scariest part…he can use his index finger to kill you and steal your power. How cool is that? (See link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY9IDNyDn4U; shout out to NBC, Heroes, and Sylar).

5. Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl) = Why is meanie, bad rich boy #5 on the list? Because he’s Chuck Bass! Enough said (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjvI8PSvpxE; shout to CW, Gossip Girl, and Chuck Bass). No, seriously, that’s all that needs to be said.

4. Jackie Harris (Roseanne) = One of my favorite shows of ALL time (the earlier seasons) and the main reason for this love (besides the coupling of Roseanne Barr and John Goodman) is the pairing of sisters, Jackie and Roseanne (played by Laurie Metcalf and Barr). Jackie, the younger sister, is forever depending on Roseanne, while at the same time, trying to be her own independent woman, and the sister drama that ensures, is pure HILARITY. No seriously…this show and these two together…guaranteed laugh out loud moments…

3. Sergeant James Doakes (Dexter) = A cop with an attitude problem? Nothing new. A cop who is the ONLY one to know that Dexter Morgan is a serial killer? Priceless. I was never SO concerned about my favorite fictional serial killer being BUSTED by the coppers than when this BIG meanie was suspecting him, following him, and investigating him! Doakes is passionate and just MEAN…really, you want this dude to like you or you’re scewed. Just ask Dexter Morgan….

2. Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars) = Ah, be still my heart. Logan Echolls is the kind of guy you want to punch in the face and give a big-oh bear hug all at the same time. He’s the arrogant, rich kid, but don’t let that armour around his heart fool you…he’s a sensitive kind of fella who uses sarcasm to hide his wounds, who likes to leave inspirational messages on his voicemail, and a golden smile that will just win your heart over!  But, for real, this kid has had it tough!  He’s got a dead girlfriend (not a SPOILER…it’s the premise of the show…see AMAZING Season One), a famous actor dad that likes to smack him around, a loving mom that leaves him behind, a true enemy in (well, everyone) Ms. Veronica Mars, a beef with the head of a motercycle gang, and most others hate him or are afraid of him and his MEAN-NESS. Oh, Logan, no matter how much I hate you, I will always love you equally as much. And that is the Logan Echolls Paradox! (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlbrQsJwzmU)

1. Burton “Gus” Gustor (Psych) = Who’s one of the BEST Supporting Characters of ALL TIME? Mr. Burton Guster. Mr. Gus T.T. Showbiz. Mr. Gus “Sillypants” Jackson. Mr. Burton “Oil Can” Guster. Mr. Santonio Holmes. Mr. Shutterfly Simmons. Mr. Bighead Burton. Mr. Nick Nack. Well, you get the drift (link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VppZKLuD2SU). But, seriously, every fake psychic (Shawn Spencer) needs a best friend and side-kick (that’s Gus) that keeps his fake psychic secret, has a supersmeller (Gus’ nose), finishes his sentences (“Hamburgers!”), is there to KNUCKLE whenever the moment presents itself, and puts up with all the ridiculousness (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVT26W_JDwU&feature=related). Who wouldn’t want Mr. Longbranch Pennywhistler as their best friend? And as Gus would say, “You know that’s right.”

The writers seem keen to make poor Michael suffer this week. He has to deal with Virgil borrowing his pants (UK usage of the word), Fi starting to date someone else and the highly eccentric arms dealer Seymore. On the other hand, we do get to see Jeffrey Donovan’s acting chops as Michael has to pretend to be the weediest nerd in town too.

Things to make you say mmm:

• Seymour: “Fiona, keep Jackass [his bodyguard] company. He’ll like you, he’s attracted to shiny objects.”
• For a super-spy, Michael is dreadful at lying to his mom.
• Virgil explaining that’s he’s borrowed a pair of blue boxers, because he didn’t pack enough underwear. “They’re a little snug down under, but I got all packed in. [Adjusts himself] Appreciate it.”
• Michael’s disapproval at Virgil sinking a yacht for a friend so his ex-wife couldn’t get at it.
• Sam talking Gerard the pirate into a ‘heist’ of new super-untraceable steroids. Man, he could talk me into pretty much anything.
• Michael’s whole Jackson persona – like I say Jeffrey Donovan’s got proper acting chops.
• The neat way they explode the myth that shooting a petrol tank will blow up a car. Unless the car’s on fire, it will just spill a ‘few bucks worth of gas’. It turns out you need to add a few bags of acetone peroxide to the picture to get a proper Hollywood big bang…

Spy stuff that may get you out of trouble one day:

• Dealing with an aggressive adversary isn’t always about showing strength. Sometimes it’s best to show weakness, if they believe they can dominate you, they’ll drop your guard.
• When you need to distract someone it helps to play to their preconceptions: tourists are fat, old people are cranky and girls can’t drive…
• Counterfeiting pharmaceuticals is pretty straightforward. Fill some vials with your choice of beverage. The trick is to keep people from looking closer. With some compressed gas from your local farming supply store and a few cryogenic containers you can convince people that if they get a little too curious they could lose a finger to frostbite.
• There’s a long nerve that runs down the shin. Hit that and people lock up in pain.

Posted by Jo the Hat

Fi with her best friend

So Jesse and Maddy team up to rope Micheal into helping out a local clinic who seems to be experiencing some trouble with drug dealers. The doc at the clinic not so keen on the help and gives the team a headache.

Michael agrees (under duress) to help while trying to capture the assassin who killed Cobra so they can find out what she knows. A series of plans on both fronts fall through and Micheal learns a lesson from his mom about standing up for oneself and how to deal with bullies. Once that has been put into practice, the drug dealers leave town and the assassin is captured.

Kendra a.k.a The Assassin

Fi gets to blow up stuff and shoot at folks so she’s happy about that ..not so happy about how flirty the assassin is. So, Kendra, now that she is in custody might want to watch out for Miss Fiona….she’s fierce.

Things are beginning to heat up and while I’m not giving away any specifics, little hints are beginning to crop up as to who may be in charge of the crop burnings, assassinations, and little wars all around the world. The pace is picking up and things are going to come to a head for Micheal and Jesse before you know it. Don’t miss a minute…things are getting’ good!!!

Best Quote: “It’s a harmless game of cat and mouse between me and a professional killer.” ~Micheal Westen

Michael and Fiona

Cobra has been identified and is now dead.  So Jesse and Fi are tracking down his movements….and in return for identifying the prints Sam has a job for Micheal.  What could go wrong?

What could go wrong?  Sam and Mike could end up taking hostages in an office building.

So now, thanks to Sam, instead of tracking down the architect of crop burnings, assassinations, and little wars all over the world, the team is trying to get a charity’s money back while keeping Sam and Mike from being killed by SWAT.  Good times.

How does it all end?  Well let’s just say I love it when Mike plays the “I’m willing to torture and/or kill you to get what I want” guy. 

After our team cons the cops, the hunt for the Evil Mastermind is back on.  Mike and Jesse meet Cobra’s neighbor Kendra ( Navi Rawat of Numb3rs) who turns out to be…..well, not just a neighbor.

I have a few ideas of my own about who is behind all of this, but I’m keepin’ ‘em to myself for the moment, except to say, on Burn Notice very little is ever what you think it is.

Best Quote: “You know what’s stopping me from killing you right now?  Absolutely nothing.”  ~Sam Axe

And…….they’re off!!! Our trio has become a quartet.  The quartet is not as tight or smooth as the trio…but then that’s half the fun.

Jesse has gotten a lead on that fat bank account and has given the mysterious man the code name: Cobra, because his voice hissed on the phone.  Sam and Mike spend most of the episode mocking Jesse’s code name giving abilities, but Cobra it is.

While searching for the elusive Cobra the gang runs into a security guard at the docks who is being harassed.  Jesse, wanting to be part of the team, offers their services.  Again, Mike and Sam….not pleased. Fi….well, Jesse IS hot.

Their little caper gets them entangled with the mob and nearly gets Micheal killed…..just another day in Miami.

We get a tiny glimpse of Sam’s past here too…..and Sam isn’t really happy about sharing.

Maddy…being Maddy finally gets Jesse to tell her his story and she figures out it was Micheal who burned him.  Confrontation ensues.

This season sort of has the feel of the first when we were trying to get to know Mike, Fi, Maddy, and Sam while still trying to keep up with what was going on.  Now we’ve got them figured out…but Matt and the guys don’t want us to be able to pay too much attention to what’s going on….we might figure it out too soon, so they gave us Jesse and Vaughn to focus on.  Pretty smart that Matt Nix guy.

Best Quote from Made Man: “I don’t pimp my past out to bad guys.” ~ Sam Axe.

Micheal feels bad.  He burned a spy and he feels bad about it…and we all know what happens when Micheal feels bad about something….he fixes it.  There’s a little extra problem….Vaughn needs to know what Jesse (our new burned spy) knows and he’s willing to do anything to know it.  So now Micheal has to try and get all of the classified information he needs from a gung ho patriotic counter intelligence officer before Vaughn grabs him up and tortures the information out him, try and get Jesse unburned, and do all of this without Jesse knowing it was Micheal who burned him in the first place. Oh and did I mention that Jesse has vowed to find the person who burned him…..and kill them? Yeah..because Micheal’s life just isn’t complicated enough.

On top of all this, Maddy has decided to remodel the garage and rent it out to a nice man with a cat.  Well, she’s decided Michael and Sam are going to remodel the garage…but you guessed that all by yourself I’m sure.

Enter the bad guy….Kahn who thinks that Jesse has stolen millions of dollars from him.  Micheal and Fi and Sam have to find a way to get rid of Kahn and keep Jesse alive.  They set up an arms deal and offer to find Jesse for him.  Plan goes off without a hitch…Kahn has a car full of illegal weapons, Sam calls the cops and gets the bad guys sent to jail.  Easy Peasy right?  Well, not so much…turns out Kahn has an in with some law enforcement types and used his get out of jail free card.  Of course the team doesn’t know that… until it’s too late.

Now they have to rescue Jesse from Kahn.  How?  Well, they have to convince him that his closest associate is the one who stole the money, and they have to let Jesse in on the plan..while he’s being held captive by the bad guys.  Can they do it?  Well, let’s just say, Jesse is now living in Maddy’s garage.

Best quote: “For the record, I already hate everything about this.” ~Sam

I love this show in case you couldn’t tell..and it never disappoints, so if you’ve never watched, I recommend that next Thursday at 9/8p you grab your favorite flavor of yogurt, tune your tv to USA and give Mike and Fi and Sam and Maddy a shot..if you don’t like it..I’ll pay for your yogurt. (not really, but I would if I could.)

So, season 4 of Burn Notice  premiered this past Thursday.  I was counting down the days for like a  month..I was so excited and actually did buy yogurt for the occasion.   And I was not disappointed.  We know who burned Michael and why…or not.

When last we left Mr. Westen he was head-hooded, shackled, and  snatched out of FBI custody to be delivered to an “undisclosed  location”.  And that is where we pick up with Michael.  He and we are  introduced to Vaughn…the mastermind behind Micheal’s Burn Notice.   Vaughn tells Micheal he needs his special kind of help and provides  Michael with just enough intelligence to get him interested.  They get  all geared up and hotfoot it down to the jungle to talk to an arms  dealer named Hart (Micheal Ironside) who provides them with absolutely  no intel right before he is blown up by a predator drone.

Back home, Micheal agrees to help Vaughn with his problem which is  “assassinations, crop burnings and little wars all around the world all  tied to some fat bank accounts”, but his way and on his terms (because  that worked so well with Carla and Gilroy).

His reunion with his mom goes….well, she offered him a tuna fish  sandwich and sent him off to find Fiona.  Their reunion is, um, quick.   Because Fi and Sam have taken on a client who has been marked for death  by a biker gang..and hilarity and ass saving ensues.

After saving the client and taming the bikers, Micheal fulfills his  first assignment from Vaughn which is …walk into this military facility  and download some files.  Easy Peasy right?  Right.  Too easy, which of  course means another great big problem is about to land in our favorite  ex-spy’s lap…in the form of a burned spy.  A spy, apparently, burned by  Micheal himself.

The season opener was fast paced and gave us answers to the questions  we had at the end of season 3 while setting us up with more questions  almost before we realized it.  Who is the fat bank account behind the  little wars and crop burnings.  Who is the spy Michael accidentally  burned and why do we care……and will Maddy ever stop smoking?

Stay tuned folks..I have a feeling the ride has barely started!!  Matt Nix, the show’s creator, has promised a season we’ll never forget…and I for one, believe him.