Unexpectedly tongue-in-cheek and filled with dryly funny observations, blithely acerbic throwaway spy-speak that makes explosives and torture sound like gardening tips and kitchen recipes- it’s via Nix's natural ability as a wickedly clever screenwriter to underplay the rather extraordinary events that give the show its wholly original spin of letting you inside the rather strange landscape of spies and ex-spies.Īnd of course, as established earlier- the show focus on one ex-spy in particular with Donovan’s tremendously acted Michael Westen. Likewise it's one that’s actually just as important as not simply the chemistry of the show’s main trio of actors (Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar and Bruce Campbell), but it also serves as the ideal partner to Burn’s sexy, fast-paced cinematic visuals to ingeniously counter the explosions, chases, and gun-play in the Miami setting.
In fact, his ongoing narration throughout the show has evolved into a Burn Notice trademark in its own right. Moreover by this point, Westen’s memorable introduction has become much more than just a staple of the series.
However, it's his "when you're spy" style of saying it like it's "when you're a plumber" that sets the show apart from the far too smooth world of 007 within seconds. Abrams' overly complicated Alias, Westen's postmodern narration (which gives him the pleasant and refreshing yet believable twist to be insanely chatty for his line of work) is one I've joked you could make a drinking game out of given the number of times he starts a sentence with "when you're a spy" or "as a spy," or the like.
#BURN NOTICE SEASON 2 SERIES#
Likewise it's also Donovan's skill in three kinds of martial arts combined with the sense that he just seems to instinctively get Nix's original and seriously dry humor (which a friend described to Nix as a show that sounds "like talking to you for forty-two minutes") that provides him with precisely the right skills needed to make you give a damn about Westen.įor in someone else's hands, Michael Westen could simply be just another cool-as-ice spy coming in from the cold (or being forced into the warm as it so happens on this show) but there's something about Donovan that makes you buy him as a much more with it version of the everyman and any man out to uncover the truth behind the spy game's version of a pink slip via the show's title.Īnd Burn Notice- currently airing weekly on Thursday nights for its newly kicked off third season- has become "the number one show in all of cable television." Likewise it utilizes- as the incredibly talented creator and main writer Matt Nix explains on the season two Blu-ray featurette NIXin It Up- a newer take on the classic spy drama by interjecting agressive action, unique editing (split screens, character description cards that change from "Fiona's Boyfriend" to "Fiona's Ex-Boyfriend" after a line of dialogue is uttered) and of course that wonderful throughline of Donovan's running narration.īeginning with the same "My name is Michael Westen" self-deprecating opener that precedes every episode thereby allowing new viewers to catch up every week and join its legions of fans- the second season of Burn Notice seamlessly picks up the thread of the previous storyline.Īnd although I hadn't seen every single episode, it's fairly easy to catch up with the series as the debut season ended in what would become its great cliffhanger style as Michael underwent an extreme leap of faith by giving up his beloved need for controlling every variable in order to discover more about the individual or organization who burned the former CIA operative and relegated him to Miami.Īlways ensuring that we're never completely lost a la J.J. And a bit of digging revealed that Donovan- who I realized I had indeed seen in a few indie sleepers- boasts a refreshingly grounded and integrity filled hard work pays off storyline in his real life rising from poverty to receiving a degree from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
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