32 replies to this topic

[TWoP Roxy]

From zap2it.com:

Michael must bring back an old alias to save Nate; Sam and Jesse travel to the Dominican Republic.

[AimingforYoko]

Hey, Nate wasn't a dope this ep. Or a hostage, or a patsy or on a con. It was nice to see. A daddy, though? I don't know, but that kid will have the coolest uncle in the world.

[jediknight]

What is Michael going to do with the list, is a better cliffhanger than what we got for the 1st half finale. That one was obvious, you knew Mikey was going to live, this can go either way. So props for that.

Maddie taking a picture of Nate and Michael was funny. Nice to see that just after being a badass she goes back to being a mom. They've done an excellent job with her.

I liked this episode, and I enjoyed the voiceover by Michael about a team being more successful. Although that really doesn't hide that Jesse is turning on them. That makes it painfully obvious.

I don't know, but that kid will have the coolest uncle in the world.

Yes he will, and there will also be Aunt Fi and Sam. Nobody is going to fuck with that kid.

[thuganomics85]

Hey, Julian from The Shield! He was the older brother client. Funny seeing Michael Jace with a moustache. Second time this year Michael had to help out a Shield alumni; Julian here, and Dr. David Acevada (Benito Martinez) way back in episode 5. And, of course, Dutch (Jay Karnes) is still out there as some arms dealer named Brennan, no doubt plotting his revenge. I love it! More Shield guys, please!

Enjoyed the episode. Loved the interactions between the Weston family; Michael and Nate on the same page and both helping each other out, and Maddie going tough mother on Michael, to make sure nothing bad happened to Nate. Can't believe this is the same Nate that was annoying as hell and had no redeeming qualities in the first season. As for Nate's future kid, I'll go ahead and call it. Somewhere in a future season, something will happen that will cause the gang to have to babysit him. Cue the wacky hijinks; my guesses? Baby will break Micheal's sunglasses at one point, will get into one of Fiona's secret weapons stashes, and will try to steal Sam's beers.

The heist at the end was impressive, but I totally think that Micheal's voiceover about teamwork is setting up conflict with Jesse. Things are still going way too smoothly for it not to happen.

Shallow note: I wouldn't mind seeing Fiona in a jogging outfit again. Impressive abs!

Curious to see what Michael will do with the list. And who is the "worst nightmare" Michael was referring to in the previews.

Edited by thuganomics85, Dec 3, 2010 @ 2:05 PM.

[dalek sec]

Trust me, your mom can always turn you back into a goofy kid no matter what you do with your life and she will take plenty of pictures.

Damn, I think Madie just won the scary award for the show with that threat of putting out a smoke in Micheals eye and she's not even a villian. I had to giggle slightly at the look of fear in his eye's and face when he said he understood.

Edited by dalek sec, Dec 2, 2010 @ 11:39 PM.

[BuddhaBelly]

Is Larry back? Cause that would be awesome.

[Good Queen Jane]

Gotta love Michael as Johnny, with cohorts Nate and Fi in the black coat, white shirt, sunglasses uniform. Nate was actually impressive with his mad car skillz. And I really like Jesse as one of the team. I hope all the predictions of him turning heel are wrong.

[supposebly]

I love this cheesetastic show with its corny slo-mo hero walks and the Blues Brothers outfits and Mike's deadpan "This is my happy face."

And at the same time, they feel like flesh-out characters with layers and a really weird family. I wish they would do more of that with Sam and Fiona too. I know it's about Mike but still.

It's also little things like Jesse calling Mike Mikey and Mike looking at Sam all indignant.

I always loved Maggie and while I thought the threat was a bit overdone, the sentiment came across loud and clear. You are the big brother and I'm holding you to that responsibility.

[ipj]

Excellent episode. I liked that the case of the week wasn't complex in execution--lieutenant steals drugs, frames low level guy to take the hit--but was legitimately complex to untangle. You can't tell the bad guy that you work in secret for 24 hours, can't tell the bad guy that 'oh hey it was your guy here'--you expect victory, but this felt like they had to work for it.

Also really liked splitting up the team, so Miami and SD had to make do with one backup rather than being able to call in the full surround-special ops force for most of the ep. It made me realize how often they've been able to fall back on 'call Fi' or 'call Sam', so an ep in which they had less to work with raised the stakes. And when the full team was together in the end, you really appreciated all the bits--Sam in his truck, Fi in her van, Michael in the alley, Jesse up top, all on coms--because they hadn't had that to work with for most of the episode. It made Michael's reflection on team work more poignant, because you got to see just how much smoother it all worked as a team of four.

As said above, I genuinely don't know what Michael's going to do with the list.

And Maddie with the photo: Ha! That was a total mom move--oooh, you boys are so cute in your suitcoats, let me get a picture!

[ReadIshmael]

I liked this episode. I always like Nate, and having him play an actual active role in the job was a welcome change of pace. Kind of excited about him being a dad, too. That'll lead to some interesting things for Michael and Maddie (who was, as usual, totally awesome this week.)

I'm a fan of Jesse (as a character and a team member, not as a plot device), and he was particularly enjoyable this week. He and Sam make a fun team, and his little celebration when he ID'd the motorcycle they were looking for was hilarious. As cool as the final "team work" sequence was, though, I think they didn't do enough to make it so they really did need four people, or Jesse specifically, since Sam was up on the roof before Jesse had to do anything. That's one of my disappointments with how they've used Jesse, that they haven't done enough to explicitly make special use of the fourth person on the team.

Michael's indecision makes me excited about the arc again, which is a relief.

[Kuluro]

Why is the main character basically asexual?

[Accord64]

Shallow note: I wouldn't mind seeing Fiona in a jogging outfit again. Impressive abs!

She was looking rather hot this episode... Wow!

Maddie gets my vote for scariest mother. That's two episodes in a row she's put on her tough (but scary) love. I'd just give her the 'list' and tell her they're the ones that screwed her son over. Then seek shelter until the fireworks are over.

[ipj]

Why is the main character basically asexual?

Why not?

For one thing, it works with Michael's very emotionally controlled, closed-off character.

For another, the change of pace--women don't fall all over him every episode, no question about on/off romance with a succession of co-stars on his end--is refreshing. I've seen Bond, have no particular problem with the Bond-babe trope or Sarah-porn on Chuck, but changing it up makes the show stand out. Michael seems to enjoy sex when he can fit it into his busy lifestyle, with one particular highly challenging partner. Fi is interesting enough to be worth the effort, when they're on, even when part of him is thinking it's not a good idea. When they're not, he doesn't go looking for one of the bikini babes. Why should he? Is he not a viable male lead if he isn't nailing a random bimbo at the start of every other episode, as some shows use to indicate their lead is virile and irresistible? Michael is sexy (nice shirt for the SD sequence, wardrobe) in part because he doesn't need to prove his hetero hunk chops every other episode.

Dating someone more serious I just wouldn't see because he's regularly in danger and she would be too--date Fi, who can handle herself and enjoys the danger, or you date someone who's very much like Fi but not Fi and why bother? (Early callback in S1 I liked: Michael tells Fi that danger is foreplay for her, not him, and goes off to analyze a problem; a few episodes later they wind up in bed after a physical fight that's very much foreplay for him, and she knew it damn well when she started it.)

So to sum up the answer to your question: Because on a show with well-rounded, nuanced characters, having the main-character be almost asexual works dramatically. It's more believable with his background than sluttiness, or gods preserve us, sexspionage.

Edited by ipj, Dec 3, 2010 @ 4:19 PM.

[TigerKitty]

So to sum up the answer to your question: Because on a show with well-rounded, nuanced characters, having the main-character be almost asexual works dramatically. It's more believable with his background than sluttiness, or gods preserve us, sexspionage.

Great answer. And besides, I don't think Michael IS asexual. I have absolutely no doubt that he and Fiona have a great time together--between episodes and off camera.

[Kuluro]

Michael is definitely metro, and spends too much time around his domineering mother. She would drive any man to misogyny. I think he spends more time with Sam than he does with Fi.

[TigerKitty]

Michael is definitely metro, and spends too much time around his domineering mother

Isn't he only around his mother when she calls him (usually at especially inopportune times) or when he needs a place to hang out that is not his loft? According to the early episodes, he went almost decades without seeing her at all, and they are just now rebuilding their relationship.

But speaking of metro, where DOES he get all those clothes? He seems to have the right suit and shirt and accessories for every persona, and they always fit perfectly. Have we ever seen him shopping? Where does he keep them? How can he afford them? (They do get damaged quite frequently.) More stuff that happens off camera, I guess--like his relationship with Fi.

[green55]

I think Fiona shops for Michael. Gun running pays well, and she seems to have plenty of interest in how he looks. Where Michael keeps those clothes is still a matter for speculation.

[petunia846]

Also really liked splitting up the team, so Miami and SD had to make do with one backup rather than being able to call in the full surround-special ops force for most of the ep. It made me realize how often they've been able to fall back on 'call Fi' or 'call Sam', so an ep in which they had less to work with raised the stakes.

As cool as the final "team work" sequence was, though, I think they didn't do enough to make it so they really did need four people, or Jesse specifically, since Sam was up on the roof before Jesse had to do anything. That's one of my disappointments with how they've used Jesse, that they haven't done enough to explicitly make special use of the fourth person on the team.

That has always been part of why I don't like the choice to add a fourth team member. Part of what was always fun about Burn Notice was that they were underdogs in a sense. They were dealing with things with just a few people, little money, and no official resources (which was always Michael's reason why he needed to "get back in" and have the security of an agency again). Not that things have always been easy for them now, but I just haven't seen the need for the fourth. As with that final scene this week, there's almost always someone who's not actively participating. That's why I disliked Jesse even before the actual character was fleshed out...when he was just a concept.

Anyway, I didn't mind him as much in this episode, but I think that was because he got shuffled off overseas. The parts of the episode that I really remember are Michael, Fi, and Nate taking care of the job of the week. It was fun seeing Nate again and I'm so pleased with his character development. You really want to root for him to succeed now, and he's going to be great as a dad. I was actually worried they would totally gloss over his sudden, random marriage, but they are going with it. Yay!

[jediknight]

How can he afford them? (They do get damaged quite frequently.)

I've always thought they kept quite a bit of money from the Jamaican drug runners in season 1. Maybe they kept a million dollars, and with that being tax free Michael could really stretch it.

[Bec]

Michael must be keeping his clothes somewhere in the loft, because how else could Sam get into his clothes (and call them doll clothes) while crashing at his loft, then Bly pack up his (easter-egg-like) colorful shirts for him while closing off his loft for "mold", then Virgil steal his underpants?

Anyway, any questions about Michael that's not really all that specific to this episode probably belongs in the Michael thread, not in this episode thread.

ipj gave a great answer, though. Want to see characters that are always getting into all kinds of sexcapades? There's practically every other show on TV. While I do enjoy shows like Gossip Girl (*hangs head in shame*), and yes, Chuck, the focus on sex and romantic relationships can get so tiresome and boring sometimes. This show is definitely a refreshing departure from other shows with its lack of focus on sex and romance. There'd be little bits every now and then, but it's nowhere close to taking over the whole show. Which is great IMO.

that kid will have the coolest uncle in the world

I know! "Coolest. Uncle. Ever." was the first thing that popped into my head when we learn Michael is going to be an uncle.

As for Nate's future kid, I'll go ahead and call it. Somewhere in a future season, something will happen that will cause the gang to have to babysit him. Cue the wacky hijinks; my guesses? Baby will break Micheal's sunglasses at one point, will get into one of Fiona's secret weapons stashes, and will try to steal Sam's beers.

Hee, is it bad that the first thing the "main characters of a show that never had babies before babysit, wacky hijinks ensue" premise immediately made me think of one episode of Charmed? (I swear I don't always watch bad TV, really! Hee.)

I like that there's some kind of "normal life vs... not normal life" dichotomy going on, and since it's Michael's brother with the normal life, this theme will probably come up again in the future, whenever Nate shows up again, but I hope our main characters are simply going to be happy that they don't lead normal lives, instead of ever angsting over white picket fences and 2.5 kids. Because I feel like I've watched way too many shows where extraordinary people wish they were just like everybody else. It's such a killjoy.

[fauntleroy]

Were any of the Santo Domingo scenes done on location? Didn't look like it. Looked like they just cordoned off some small street in FL. At least they had some exteriors and street scene shots to establish the locale. Fair enough. Good location idea anyway. They should make more use of it and places like it. You don't see the DR much on TV.

Glad to have the gang back.

[TigerKitty]

Anyway, any questions about Michael that's not really all that specific to this episode probably belongs in the Michael thread, not in this episode thread.

Actually, the clothes question came straight from the episode because when he showed up in the 'Johnny' suit, I was surprised that the original outfit had been waiting for him to use again because he sure didn't have time to shop. He only had 24 hours total.

One of those little details that make me go 'huh?'

[ZeroForce]

Were any of the Santo Domingo scenes done on location?

On this/a cable budget? I highly doubt it. They probably just sent a second unit to get establishing shots over a couple days.

[HoneyBee]

Heee, I like this episode. Reminds me with the first season when they were hilarious and framed the baddie. And Nate! Ah, I can't believe that he's gonna be a dad. Who would torment Michael with some hijinks now? Btw, Nate never met Jesse, right?

I like that Jesse speaks Spanish, while Michael doesn't.

I swear, I was laughing so hard when Maddie threatened Michael with her cigarettes. She's so scary.

More Shield guys, please!

I agree! Can we get Walton Goggins, Kenneth Johnson, CCH Pounder, David Rees Snell, and maybe the big gun himself Michael Chiklis. Because I'm gonna squee very hard if they have him on the show, as a villain.

Shallow note: I wouldn't mind seeing Fiona in a jogging outfit again. Impressive abs!

Impressive, indeed! Compare that from previous seasons when she was so skinny. And now, she's great and probably can kick ass.

[Karendipitee]

Were any of the Santo Domingo scenes done on location? Didn't look like it. Looked like they just cordoned off some small street in FL. At least they had some exteriors and street scene shots to establish the locale. Fair enough. Good location idea anyway. They should make more use of it and places like it. You don't see the DR much on TV.

The closeup street shots were done on and around Espanola Way in Miami Beach, and presumably second unit aerial shots were the real thing.

[petunia846]

I like that Jesse speaks Spanish, while Michael doesn't.

Fi and Sam speak Spanish too. I've never quite figured out why an IRA operative would need to learn Spanish, but she seems fairly fluent. I guess we'll see why Sam speaks Spanish in the Sam Axe movie. Wasn't Jesse originally supposed to be Jesse Garcia? I remember being disappointed that they changed the name to be more generic. It's always nice to have Hispanic characters on TV.

After I watched the episode again, I really, really appreciated Nate. What a great performance. What a great addition to the team. I loved the scene in the garage when they were trying to hide the guns from Maddie. The way he just grabs that sandwich and devours it was totally old school Burn Notice humor. Love him.

Edited by petunia846, Dec 6, 2010 @ 5:54 AM.

[ZeroForce]

Compare that from previous seasons when she was so skinny. And now, she's great and probably can kick ass.

I'm fairly certain Gabrielle Anwar in roughly the same shape she was when she started - those abs have been there. She's still skinny, but I always thought it was a toned, muscled and healthy skinny (not an anorexic one).

[HoneyBee]

Are there people out there who think he's like Poochie to the rest of the team's Itchy and Scratchy?

Scrappy-Doo, M.Giant. Scrappy.

I loved the scene in the garage when they were trying to hide the guns from Maddie. The way he just grabs that sandwich and devours it was totally old school Burn Notice humor.

Me too, I was laughing when he just ate the sandwich and Maddie looked at him bewildered.

Fi and Sam speak Spanish too. I've never quite figured out why an IRA operative would need to learn Spanish, but she seems fairly fluent.

I think this was mentioned in the past episodes. Fi occasionally buy weapons from dealers in Miami, who speaks Spanish. So she speaks Spanish. Which is funny because Fi, Sam, and Jesse speaks Spanish while Michael who live in Miami like forever doesn't speak Spanish. Even Larry was amused.

Edited by HoneyBee, Dec 6, 2010 @ 7:36 PM.

[fauntleroy]

By the way, nice cars! Hope Audi becomes a sponsor, that $90K machine Fi rolled up in at the beginning was a beaut. That's the stuff. Much more fitting than that cheesy little Kia/Hyundae/whatever racer they used last year.

[Quixotic18]

Are there people out there who think he's like Poochie to the rest of the team's Itchy and Scratchy?

Scrappy-Doo, M.Giant. Scrappy.

Dude, that's just cold. Jesse may be moderately useless, but at least brings the pretty. Let's not say things we can't take back.