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Burn Notice, USA, Airs Thursday 10pm

Episode: Friendly Fire (Season 3, Episode 11)

Synopsis: An old friend of Sam’s strolls back into town and catches a pair of punches to the face from the Axe man. That bit of unplesantry out of the way, the old pal enlists Sam and subsequently Fiona and Michael, to aide in the capture of a pedophile hiding out in Miami. On the spy front, Michael continues his game of cat and also-cat with the mysterious Gilroy.

Review: Now this is what I’m talking about! After last week’s lackluster restart, this episode blows up the spot (several times) and shows just why this show can be the most fun on TV. In my last review, I had asked for more action, more spy stuff, more Sam Axe and we got them all. Michael assumes an over-the-top Vincent Price as the devil cover, complete with the black suit, red shirt, red tie, red handkerchief. It’s a little comical at first, but with each snap of the finger a well timed Fiona explosion goes off. Now that’s cool.

Action wise, we see some of the coolest and most elaborate gunfighting yet. When the crew, decked out like real Special Operations guys complete with goggles, tactical vests, ropes, and automatic weapons, opens fire while rappelling down a building – now that is some awesome stuff. Perhaps the coolest scene the series has ever had.

Character wise, we get the perfect balance of all the mains. There is a bit more Sam, but not too much, a decent amount of Fiona without laming up the romance angle, and Maddie is effective on screen without being overplayed like last week. The backstory we get on Sam is kind of weak and doesn’t offer too much insight into him, but it’s nice to get more of the always charming Bruce Campbell. On the long-term plot radar we have Gilroy, the new mysterious handler with a strong British accent. I’m not sure if he’s supposed to be slightly gay or just really British, but there is some interesting homosexual tension/back and forth between the two. Is this just two dapper metrosexual guys toying with each other or is something else going on? No matter which, this episode, full of laughs, style, and action, proves that Burn Notice is among the best stuff on TV.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Burn Notice?