Burn Notice, Season 4 (1 Viewer)

[mattCR]

Really enjoyed this weeks a lot. The entire bit with the mob was good stuff.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Fun episode but it had to get by with making the lead bad guy carry the stupid stick which is always a let down.


And the security guard? Sheesh! Could they find anyone less sympathetic or rodent like as a client?

 

[DavidJ]

I wasn't a huge fan of this weeks episode. It was just ok to me. Lou pointed out a couple of things that also bothered me. It also seems like they are trying so hard to make the new guy sympathetic that they are throwing of the balance of the show.

 

[AlexF]

I'm not convinced on Jesse myself, but I do like how Mike warned him that his mother would break him, and sure enough, next scene, that more or less happened.


The more I watch Sharon Gless (post-Cagny + Lacey), the more I enjoy her work.


It was also fun seeing Nestor Serrano again.

 

[AlexF]

I liked this week's episode, at least, the segment featuring Sam and Michael in the hostage situation. I'm pretty sure that I recall something similar happening in a movie several years back with a group of hostage takers (in masks), but for the life of me, I can't figure out what movie it was now.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Originally Posted by AlexF with Bill Murray, Geena Davis, Randy Quaid and Jason Robards as the cop pursuing them. One of my favorite caper films. I thought of it as soon as Michael suggested passing themselves off as hostages.
Regards,


Joe

 

[AlexF]

I'll have to re-watch a bit of that and see if that's the one I'm thinking of, but it sounds familiar.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

I really like the show, but having Jesse added as a member of the "team" is already getting kind of old. To me it just messes with what was fantastic chemistry. I too immediately thought of Quick Change. I kept thinking to myself "you should of asked for a monster truck, not the paneled van!"

 

[Lou Sytsma]

OK episode. Really itching for the show to push the characters in new directions though.

 

[DavidJ]

Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich

I really like the show, but having Jesse added as a member of the "team" is already getting kind of old. To me it just messes with what was fantastic chemistry. I too immediately thought of Quick Change. I kept thinking to myself "you should of asked for a monster truck, not the paneled van!"

They probably need to get deeper into the mystery and the inherent conflict between Jesse and Michael. Episodes where he is just a fourth team member don't work for me either.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Originally Posted by DavidJ

They probably need to get deeper into the mystery and the inherent conflict between Jesse and Michael. Episodes where he is just a fourth team member don't work for me either.

The problem is that, dramatically, they have to make Jesse a "part of the family" first, so that when he finds out that Michael is the one who got him burned there is a greater sense of betrayal. If they don't lay the groundwork for that now, it just won't mean as much when the inevitable moment arrives. Sure, Jesse wants revenge on the guy who burned him as it is. But how much worse is he going to hate Michael when he finds out (as he'll see it) that Michael has been using him while "helping" his investigation - and probably laughing at Jesse behind his back (along with Fi and Sam) the whole time. Once the conflict comes out into the open it has to be wrapped up pretty quickly, because you can't sustain that level of intensity for more than a couple of episodes. The fuse burns a long time, but the explosion is over pretty quickly.

You can't just jump to act three of a story without going through acts one and two. If you try you just suck the life out of the dramatic payoff.

Regards,


Joe

 

[DavidJ]

Well, I think they can start opening up the mystery and ratcheting up the tension between the two for the viewer without moving the characters past the point of no return or by jumping straight to the third act. We can see developments of that storyline that Jesse is not aware of or Jesse can gather information about Michael without his character knowing about it.

I'm getting a sense that they are stalling a bit. Which is ok, considering the practical implications of episodic television and season schedules. I'm just finding that Jesse as part of the group and the week to week episodes throws off the chemistry. I actually think it is making Michael less likable. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the episodes or the arc have been terrible. They are still quite good and I look forward to the show every week.

 

[Quentin]

I dunno...I think I just don't like the actor who plays Jesse. Or, at least, how he plays him.


I enjoyed Sam and Michael doing their Quick Change thing...but, it does feel like treading water right now.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

It seems like the show is trying to play a Jesse/Fiona attraction as well.

 

[AlexF]

This week's episode was average until the entire ending sequence with David. That was very fun.


I also really liked the bit where he asked them if they'd fix the problem with a snap of their fingers. I said aloud "they did before", and moments later, Mikey said pretty much the same thing on the show. I liked that little call-back.

 

[DavidJ]

I thought this weeks episode was great. I liked that Jesse's role was reduced. It was liked all my concerns were addressed. I guess I should've just been patient. I'm really enjoying Navi Rawat's guest run. She makes great bad guy.

 

[Randy Tennison]

Not loving the new guy. As it's been said, there is such a chemistry between Sam, Fiona and Michael, that pushing a 4th person in strains everything.

Also, Michael seems to be a little less "cool" lately. He argues about everything, and is kind of a douche to everyone else, more so then before.


This is my favorite show. I just hate to see it messed with too much!

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Show is falling back into the rut of Season 3. Not only is Michael not getting very far with Jesse's Burn Notice, he is doing nothing about his own.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

At some point, a show is what it is. It's Season 4. What's the accurate description of this show? "A burned CIA agent helps locals while also trying to reverse his burned status." It's caper of the week with a little overriding arc thrown in. Jesse's burned status is even less critical than Michael's. His real role is to mix things up as the 4th wheel in the caper of the week.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Originally Posted by Mikah Cerucco

At some point, a show is what it is.

And what it is becoming is less and less compelling.