Burn Notice Season 3 is now available on DVD. “Burn Notice” is that cool TV show which, if you live in Canada, you’ve heard of, but probably never seen. And if you live in America, it’s one of the top-rated summer cable shows. What makes it so special?
Lots, really. Boiled down, the plot is about 35-year old ex-spy Michael Westen and his circle of friends. Imagine you’re going along in your life and everything is how it should be until one day you find yourself fired. But, when a spy is fired, they are dumped in a city of the government’s choosing without any cash or job history or security of any kind, left to fend for one’s self.
Without a job, he reaches out to his mother (a hilarious Sharon Gless); his ex-girlfriend, the sleek & sexy spy Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), and his friend Sam who’d sell him out for as little as a case of beer. Westen decides to make amends for his past transgressions by helping people who can’t pay him simply because it’s the right thing to do.
Season 1 was more about establishing the character and his relationship to those in his inner circle. Season 2 found him trying to have his “burn notice” (ie: his termination) reversed. And Season 3 finds him navigating the treacherous waters between trying to become a spy again and reconciling it with the fact that he kind of digs the new career path he’s forged for himself as someone who selflessly helps others.
Highlights of the season include “End Run” in which Michael is forced to participate in a heist in order to retrieve his kidnapped brother Nate. The villain in this episode may look familiar – his name is Jay Karnes and he’s had recurring roles on “Brothers & Sisters” and “Judging Amy” as well as guest appearances on “House”; “CSI”; “Numb3rs” and “Cold Case”. Another episode of note is a “Signals and Codes”, or as I like to call it, “When Michael Westen met Michael Weston”. Only the savviest of fans know that the actor Michael Weston (Cuddy’s detective boyfriend Lucas, all this season on “House”) has the same name as the character Michael Westen on “Burn Notice”. One can only imagine how confusing it was on-set when they shot that episode.In addition to the Michael Weston/Michael Westen thing, it’s a good episode in and of itself: a computer nerd may or may not be mentally disturbed enough to imagine a conspiracy theory in which a serious crime occurred. Because it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you…
(Guest post written by Carissa White, Marketing & Promotions, Princess Cinema, Waterloo Ontario)
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