When You’re A Spy: Sea Change
Michael may have fully gone to the dark side as his friends try to talk and beat some sense into him in the penultimate episode of Burn Notice.
Following Michael’s confession last episode, James locks Michael away for an undetermined amount of time but finally talks to him and sees that Michael truly does believe in what they are doing. Michael explains what will happen to his friends if he fails his mission and James comes up with a solution for him; James will allow Michael to capture him and turn him into the CIA, becoming a hero, while Michael and Sonya take over the organization and Michael uses his new influence with the CIA. First though, Michael and Strong have to convince the CIA to keep the operation going, as Michael seemingly letting James escape again angers the stereotypical angry CIA boss, who gives Michael the requisite 48 hours to finish the job.
Meanwhile, Fi is concerned that Michael has cut all contact with the group and doesn’t want them assisting with the takedown of James. She plants a tracker in his gun, which Sam and Jesse use to follow him to Ft. Lauderdale. Sam is convinced Michael is fine but after talking to him on the phone, with Michael unaware they can see him, they see him meet with James, proving that he’s lying to them. The group decides they have to take desperate measures and get out of Miami with Michael, even if they have to force him. Fi convinces Madeline to burn down her house as a distraction so they can escape James’ guards and everyone meets at an under construction mansion’s boathouse with a plan to either convince Michael to leave with them in a seaplane or knock him out and drag him onto the seaplane.
While waiting to implement James’ capture plan, Sonya gets word about Maddie’s house burning down and informs Michael, who calls Sam and he tells him to meet him to go talk to Fi, who he says is acting crazy and plans on leaving the country with Maddie and Charlie. On the way to the meeting, Michael realizes that Sam is lying and forces him to stop in the middle of the bridge they are driving across and they have at it, first verbally (with Sam bringing up Nate, which is a huge no-no) and then physically, with the two getting into a fist fight that spills over the side of the bridge and into the water below. Michael exploits his knowledge of Sam’s SEAL fighting style to escape and meets back with Sonya to complete the mission and take control of the organization, which he wants to use in a way that mirrors the motivations of some prior Burn Notice heavies. Fi refuses to accept that Michael has fully turned and takes Sam and Jesse to the site of the capture and Fi manages to sneak in and confront Michael on the roof of the building he’s waiting on. In what becomes a video game like moral decision, Michael has to decide whether to side with Sonya and gain control of the organization and continue their mission or side with Fiona and rejoin his family. Sonya seemingly decides the make the decision for him and pulls a gun and the episode cuts to black as a shot rings out.
If Burn Notice was ballsy, they would kill Fiona and make Michael into some sort of terrorist super villain but I’m sure everything is going to work out as we expect, with Michael rejoining the crew, he and Fi heading off into the sunset and Jesse and Sam starting their 80’s style crime solving team. I don’t expect anything to shocking to happen in next week’s finale but you never know, it’s the last episode, they could kill someone major or shake things up. Be sure to be back here next week for the final episode.
- Who Am I?: Just plain Michael this week again, but much more megalomaniacal than normal
- Spy Tip of the Week: The best strategy for fighting a Navy SEAL underwater
- Sam Axeism of the Week: “When she gets like this, things go boom” (Sam trying to convince Michael to meet him about Fi)