DVD/TV Series Review: Burn Notice: Season 7

 

Burn Notice had long ago answered the question "who burned Michael" and saw him return to the spy life. I think actually answering that question hurt the show because then it really just became a show about various missions and was pretty far removed from what it was in the first couple of seasons, which made the show great. This season sees Michael working undercover trying to take down a freelance terrorist ring run by a former special ops soldier named Randall Burke, played by Heroes alum Adrian Pasdar. His former Heroes castmate Jack Coleman plays Andrew Strong, a CIA officer working with Michael to take the organization down. This season sees Michael off on his own more and having less interaction with "the team", which also hurts the season.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras are pretty bare-bones. There is a gag reel and a making-of featurette that discusses wrapping up the show. Unfortunately, there are no commentary tracks or as many extras as there had been in past seasons.

Overall, I would say that this was definitely the time to end the series. I do not think there were other stories that it could tell, and while the final season was okay, it did not have the feel of the show that it started out as, and just overall was not as good. That said, it did have a lot of action and there were some dramatic moments. As you can imagine, not every character makes it out unscathed, but the series ends on a nice flash-forward moment. So, if you have been a fan of the series, it is worth checking out the end, even if you do not like it as much as the early seasons.

Blu-Ray/TV Movie Review: Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe

 

If you are a fan of the TV series Burn Notice, you will know that the character of Sam Axe, a retired Navy Seal played wonderfully by Bruce Campbell, has a ton of stories about things that he has done in his past. This was a tv movie (directed by the star of Burn Notice, Jeffrey Donovan) that tells one of those stories. It is not really an origin story for Sam, per-se, but we do get the origin of the alias Sam often uses in the show, Chuck Finnley. It is mostly a story that is told with tongue firmly planted in cheek and is not really meant to be realistic or accurate. There are a lot of plot holes and things that would not occur in real life (really much like the parent show itself) but if you are good at suspending disbelief, it is fine.

The A/V quality of the Blu-Ray disc is very good, much better than the couple of seasons of Burn Notice that were released on Blu-Ray, which did not get a good transfer at all. The extras include a very good commentary track on the movie with Bruce Campbell, Jeffrey Donovan, and the creator of Burn Notice, Matt Nix. Then, there is a fun faux-making-of-featurette called The Fall of Jeffrey Donovan. Then there is a portion of the 2010 Comic-Con panel and a couple of deleted scenes. If you are not a fan of Burn Notice then this is not going to do anything for you. If you are, it is a good, fun, and kind of silly Sam-centric story that is worth checking out.

DVD/TV Series Review: Burn Notice: Season 6

 

+++Warning, this contains a minor spoiler from season five, but no major season six giveaways.+++

Season six starts out with Michael back working for the CIA having been officially reinstated, and Fiona in jail, confessing to a crime she did not commit in order to protect Michael. At this point, the series has gone far afield from where it started, and what made it as good as it was in the first couple of seasons. Namely, it is not about using his skills to protect "regular" people, but is mainly Michael on a rampage to get Anson, the leader of the organization that burned Michael). Obviously, Fiona does not remain in jail, but I will not spoil how she ends up getting out. There are, again, a lot of twists and turns and characters whose intentions and motivations are sketchy to say the least. The show does not end on as much of a cliffhanger this time, but still does set up the storyline for the final season.

The extras on the DVD set are lighter than in past seasons. There is just one commentary track, a gag reel, and some deleted scenes, as well as a humorous short with the series creator Matt Nix. What was included was fine, but it is definitely not as extensive as in prior DVD releases.

Overall, the show is good, but I think shooting its shot and revealing who burned Michael and then continuing the story long past the reveal hurt the show a bit. Plus, I think Michael and the team as freelance dogooders is what made the show as popular as it was at the start, and getting away from that also has hurt the show. That said, it is still very well acted (Bruce Campbell still steals every scene) and has good episodes.

DVD/TV Series Review: Burn Notice Season Five

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from the previous season, but no major season five giveaways+++

The fifth season of Burn Notice starts out with a brief time jump from the events of the season four finale. Michael is working for the CIA and is basically on a revenge tour to take out the members of the organization that burned him in season one. Of course, the organization fights back, trying to frame Michael for murder, and the season ends up being a game of cat and mouse through the rest of the season as Michael tries to take down the last members of the organization. The season ends on yet another cliffhanger, this time with Fiona's fate hanging in the balance as the season ends.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include a commentary track on the season finale "Fail-Safe" that includes Jeffrey Donovan, Bruce Campbell, and the show's creator Matt Nix, deleted scenes, a gag reel, an extended version of the episode "Army of One", and a featurette on the villains that have appeared on the show. So, there are a decent amount of extras if you like going through the bonus material.

Overall, the series continues to be good, but as the major "mystery" is resolved, answering the question "who burned Michael" the series does start to slow down. It does a good job introducing other story arcs to try and get viewers invested, which shows like "Twin Peaks" were not able to do effectively so that when the main mystery of the show was solved, Burn Notice had more staying power and did not end up fizzling out right away. While I do not think the show is as good as it was in the first couple of seasons, it is still strong in the fifth season and it sets up an interesting plot going into season six.

DVD Review: Burn Notice Season Four

 

+++ Warning, this contains spoilers for the prior season, but no major giveaways from the fourth season +++

Season four of Burn Notice picks up almost immediately after the events at the end of season three, with Michael still in prison, having been framed for the crimes committed by Simon Escher. He is given a deal, basically that he can be let out of jail if he starts working for the organization that burned him. He reluctantly agrees and is assigned a handler named Vaughn, played by Robert Wisdom. As you can imagine, the relationship does not stay on good terms, and by the end of the season Michael (and everyone around him) is in danger yet again. This season sees a new addition to the cast with Coby Bell being brought on as Jessee Porter, another counter-intelligence agent who is burned. The big story arc of the season involves a NOC list, naming members of the organization, and the team trying to get possession of the list. The season ends on yet another cliffhanger (not with the life of a character hanging in the balance) teasing yet another new direction. There are several recognizable guest stars this season including Richard Kind, Tim Mattheson, John Doman, and Dylan Baker.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include a commentary track on the season premiere, deleted scenes, a gag reel, a feature on the stunts, and a feature in which the casts of Burn Notice and White Collar roast the other show, a feature on the stunts of the show, and a feature called Sam Axe's Guide to Ladies and Libations, which is basically a fun bit with Bruce Campbell.

Overall, the series continues to be well-written and acted. You still have to suspend your disbelief, but not so much that anything comes across as just plain stupid. It has a good mix of action, comedy, and drama, and the cast has very good chemistry. So, if you have liked the prior seasons of the show you will probably enjoy this one as well.

DVD/TV Series Review: Burn Notice Seasons 1-3

 

Burn Notice was a show that aired on the USA network from 2007-2014. The premise was that a CIA operative named Michael Weston, played by Jeffrey Donovan is outed and burned (disavowed by the government) during an operation in Nigeria. He is knocked out and wakes up in his hometown of Miami and put under surveillance. He is told if he stays in Miami he can do basically what he wants, but if he leaves he will be arrested and thrown in a hole. He decides to stay in Miami and take on jobs that really only an ex-spy can, sometimes skirting legality himself to take down a bad guy and/or help some innocent person in danger. He is joined by his ex-girlfriend (and former IRA operative) Fiona, played by Gabrielle Anwar, and Sam Axe, a retired covert operative (and current lady's man) played by the great Bruce Campbell). The main cast is rounded out by Sharon Gless, who plays Michael's mom Madeline who usually (especially in the early seasons) gets in Michael's way under the guise of helping.

The show was part procedural case/story of the week with the bigger serial arc(s) that would span throughout the series. The big one, of course, is Michael trying to find out who burned him, a brass ring that stays just out of reach for quite a while. The first season ends on a cliffhanger when Michael figures out who wrote his burn notice, but finds that a much heavier hand was behind it. Season two is focused on the larger organization and Michael trying to figure out who they are and take them down. Tricia Helfer (of Battlestar Galactica fame) has a recurring role during the season as Michael's handler who assigns him tasks that get more dangerous over the course of the season. The third season sees Michael facing the consequences of defying "Management", the organization from season two, and he is tracked by a police detective who is convinced he is dirty.

For those who get the DVDs, the extras include scene commentaries with creator Nix and various actors, there is also a short gag reel, audition footage, and then a couple of short and kind of dumb featurettes that are basically a collection of clips from the show. What was included was okay, but it could have been better. The first couple of seasons of the show were released on Blu-Ray, however, the A/V transfer was apparently very bad, so I just stuck with the DVDs.

Overall, the show is very good. It has a good mix of action, comedy (mostly from Campbell), and drama. Donovan does a great job as the series lead both in the action scenes and as basically the narrator (as he has a ton of voiceovers where Michael explains spycraft). All of the actors, the main cast, the recurring characters, and the guest stars, do a very good job in their roles. It is not a show that was a carbon copy of anything, and there really has not been anything exactly like it since it went off the air. So, if you are one who has not seen the show and are looking for something in the action-drama genre, this is definitely worth checking out.