# Burn Notice is back! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 4, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711 "2009-06-04T16:29:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/61 "2009-06-12T17:14:07Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > He flashes some lights, pulls him over, shows a badge, claims to be a bad cop…and the guy just buys it? They added the cocaine angle. Too much time on the relationship would have taken away from the rest of the plot. Besides, the Bad Guy didn’t seem too bright. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/62 "2009-06-12T17:24:53Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I’ve noticed, though, that they do that a lot… **instant business relationship within minutes of meeting someone** , whether it’s a client or a target. I enjoy the show so much that I’m willing to let some stuff slide, because it’s such good fun. I think of it as a TV shorthand, you only have so much time per episode. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/63 "2009-06-12T17:59:59Z")
I guess it’s the opposite in soap operas (not that I’ve seen one in years, but I used to watch Y&R) where characters will visit each other to have what are basically brief conversations that could have been done by telephone. That and the famous “turn your back to the person who’s talking to you so both of your faces can be seen by the camera.” ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/64 "2009-06-12T18:50:39Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I’ve noticed, though, that they do that a lot…instant business relationship within minutes of meeting someone, whether it’s a client or a target. I enjoy the show so much that I’m willing to let some stuff slide, because it’s such good fun. > [@runner pat](#): > > I think of it as a TV shorthand, you only have so much time per episode. Oh, absolutely, they do it almost every episode, and I have no problem with it. But normally they are much better at making it plausible - usually with time pressure or some kind of information/documents/introduction from another criminal that makes it plausible. In this case, Sam literally just pulls him over and flashes a fake badge and some cockamamie story. I didn’t buy it for a second. > [@carnivorousplant](#): > > They added the cocaine angle. Too much time on the relationship would have taken away from the rest of the plot. Besides, the Bad Guy didn’t seem too bright. 🙂 Nope, sorry, they went to pains to show that the Bad Guy was, in fact, pretty bright. I believe Michael actually called him “smart” at one point, after they tried to follow him back to the safe house and he just went to a bar. Someone that paranoid would never have fallen for the cop routine as shown. Just because Sam did coke? I don’t think so. Sorry, the “hand” was too “short” this time. And they could have cut out some of the “reconciling couple” bullshit to make time for more elaboration 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/65 "2009-06-12T19:55:21Z")
Yeah, I thought this one was a lot weaker. The bad guy was just TOO stupid. It’s OK. I’m not going to stop watching or anything, but they could have been more clever with the script writing. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/66 "2009-06-12T20:08:11Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I disagree. he gets his job done very well every week. He is a drinker and likes it. But not a drunk. He’s drunk a lot. Yes, he gets his job done. I’m just talking about his heavy drinking as part of who he is. Michael drinks sparingly on the other hand. They have made that very clear. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/67 "2009-06-12T20:32:16Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > And they could have cut out some of the “reconciling couple” bullshit to make time for more elaboration 😃 I’ll agree with you on that. Cool that the goofy looking guy was tough enough to take a beating for his kid, though. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/68 "2009-06-12T21:37:06Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’ll agree with you on that. Cool that the goofy looking guy was tough enough to take a beating for his kid, though. Yes, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/69 "2009-06-13T17:48:16Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Nope, sorry, they went to pains to show that the Bad Guy was, in fact, pretty bright. I believe Michael actually called him “smart” at one point, after they tried to follow him back to the safe house and he just went to a bar. I disagree. The Bad Guy is ruthless and knows some tricks, but he doesn’t really think things through. For example, he beats up the father to prove that there aren’t cops watching, but if there were, they’d have him dead to rights on assault and battery charges. Then when they searched him, they’d find a picture of the kidnapped kid. That’s the problem with Bad Guys. They work so hard to be cruel, they forget to think. He probably studied with Keyser Soze. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/70 "2009-06-13T18:05:21Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I disagree. The Bad Guy is ruthless and knows some tricks, but he doesn’t really think things through. For example, he beats up the father to prove that there aren’t cops watching, but if there were, they’d have him dead to rights on assault and battery charges. Then when they searched him, they’d find a picture of the kidnapped kid. That’s the problem with Bad Guys. They work so hard to be cruel, they forget to think. He probably studied with Keyser Soze. 😛 That’s a good point, and I agree he wasn’t Einstein. But you’d have to be a complete rube to fall for Sam’s lame con, and he was not a complete rube. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/71 "2009-06-13T18:23:42Z")
He was paranoid. Which is is why he never went back to where they were holding the kid. Sam’s plan works perfectly on paranoid people. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/72 "2009-06-13T18:29:54Z")
Eh, YMMV. Didn’t work for me. ---
**Author:** ![HeavyDuty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@HeavyDuty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeavyDuty)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/73 "2009-06-16T19:25:06Z")
Donovan’s performance as the drug addict was awesome, I love when he puts on a ruse and gets into character to fool the bad guys, he’s so good at it. There’s a preview clip for Thursday’s episode up [on the usa site](http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/). The return of an arch-enemy for Westen… ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/74 "2009-06-19T02:08:45Z")
Okay, a couple of things: How did Michael get his cell phone back? I thought Brennan made him toss it in the trunk. Doesn’t the hospital have to report gunshot wounds? I would have thought Paxson would have been all over Michael after Nate got shot. I do love Sharon Gless. “Michael, please don’t lie RIGHT to my face.” Michael manage to do some fancy footwork to get Brennan to back off, but I fear he will return. I thought maybe Brennan was being blackmailed into getting that doo-dad. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/75 "2009-06-19T02:27:06Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > How did Michael get his cell phone back? > Doesn’t the hospital have to report gunshot wounds? I think he stole the phone of the guard he stuffed into the trunk. I imagine they told the hospital he was mugged. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/76 "2009-06-19T04:47:36Z")
I thought that tonight’s episode was one of the better ones, personally. I loved the bluff- “You’re not that good, Weston. \*Nobody \*is that good.” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/77 "2009-06-19T13:20:50Z")
I don’t know…there’s at least five people that could identify him. The two security guards at the office where he stole the key (he acted drunk and certainly made an impression), the guy with the gun collection he was getting the voice access code from (getting choked with a tire iron will stick in your mind) and the two guards he locked up (in the trunk and the electrical closet) at the last location. Not to mention gunshots were fired outside that building. Michael didn’t seem as neat and tidy as he normally is. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/78 "2009-06-19T13:22:05Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > I thought that tonight’s episode was one of the better ones, personally. I loved the bluff- “You’re not that good, Weston. \*Nobody \*is that good.” Yeah, I love Jay Karnes. He was awesome in The Shield, Sons of Anarchy and now Burn Notice. He makes a great creepy villain. Brennen is a great character. Glad Michael’s bluff worked. I also like that we’ll see Brennen again. It presents us with a recurring supervillain for Michael. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/79 "2009-06-19T13:52:45Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > I also like that we’ll see Brennen again. It presents us with a recurring supervillain for Michael. I’d like for him to have a Fi Accident. 🙂 I don’t think the guards in the parking lot saw him. It was dark and he got them from behind. The gun dealer has far to much illegal stuff on his hands to talk to the police. The guards violated the rules in not calling the cops, so they may also be disinclined to talk. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711/80 "2009-06-19T14:04:20Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I’d like for him to have a Fi Accident. 🙂 > > I don’t think the guards in the parking lot saw him. It was dark and he got them from behind. The gun dealer has far to much illegal stuff on his hands to talk to the police. The guards violated the rules in not calling the cops, so they may also be disinclined to talk. Nah the guards at the office where he got the key will be perfectly inclined to talk because they’ll be questioned about the loss of classified material. Michael will also be all over the tape at that office. I’m sure they’ll gloss over that, but it will probably be the info that Detective Bloodgood needs to get him. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burn-notice-is-back/498711.md?page=5)