Burn Notice 2.13 - Bad Breaks

Plot: Michael set Barry on the trail of the Cayman account, but Barry got caught. And by none other than Season 1 pain in the ass, Jason Bly! Oh goody, he now has enough on Barry, and by association, Michael, that Mikey's blackmail file is no longer an effective detterent. In the meantime, he'll get Michael's loft condemned for toxic mold, and risk his life by making snide comments about Fiona. Really, Bly, you can't use that file if you're dead.

This harassment continues to the point Bly follows Michael to a private bank, where Priscilla works. Michael had been advising her about a guy she met online, and now it turns out that man is actually a bank robber. Which leaves Bly and Michael amongst the hostages. Which would have worked better if Bly hadn't gotten aggressive, then gotten shot. Though it gave Michael an excuse to pass himself off as a doctor, which gave him an excuse to be messing with pills, which came in handy.

Outside the bank, Sam and Fiona are trying to figure out how to help Michael when the plan keeps changing. They're also squabbling because Fi can't believe Michael didn't call her for help first, and Sam can't stop gloating about it. Considering this mess drew Sam away from a beautiful, wealthy woman who owns a brewery, I can't see why he's so happy about it.

Ultimately, the power of teamwork mends fences between Westen and Bly, ad Bly even tells Michael what he found out about the account. Which isn't much, and he tripped an alarm, so whoever it is knows Michael's looking into him.

The Players: Jason Bly (Government Agent), Prescott (Bank Robber)

Quote of the Episode: Michael - 'I'm not gonna attack them. They're just going to have some very bad luck.'

Does Fiona blow anything up? Prescott's truck, which is good. Between Bly's crack, and Sam's ribbing, she was gonna blow something up.

Sam Axe Drink Count: 1 (40 overall). Well, I wanted Sam to have more to do, and he got it. Sorry Sam, didn't mean to break up something special.

Sam Getting Hit Count: 0 (11 overall).

Michael's Fake Laugh Count: 0 (7 overall).

Other: Kind of interesting that Bly showed up again so recently after Fiona and Michael's recent, whatever. He showed up at Michael's loft last time, the morning after the first got back together.

I really do feel sorry for Sam. He and Angela could have been great together.

I like the idea of Michael doing small jobs we never see. My coworkers and I were discussing that while watching Season 5. Given the number of times he declines payment, or takes very little, it's amazing he can throw around the cash he does to Seymour, Barry, Fi and Sam's contacts. I speculated he finds people's lost pets and stuff all the time, but since those jobs go off without a hitch, we don't see them. You don't show the character brushing their teeth unless something significant is going to happen there, that kind of thing.

This is a really great stretch of episodes right here, where I've enjoyed the basic story of the week. "Hot Spot" had the style aspect I really dug. "Seek and Destroy" had Michael switching sides partway through, and using his initial role and Chandler's state of mind to drive him where he needed him to go. "Bad Breaks" has Michael pulling off all these little sabotage tricks on the robbers, gradually whittling down their numbers, taking away their resources, throwing off their schedule. It's like Die Hard, but with less killing. And no Alan Rickman, which is a minus, to be sure, but not a completely insurmountable one. My favorite part has to be the two-man radio game Michael and Sam play on Prescott at the end. I can't necessarily see it working in real life - certainly not without the boost it got from Fiona - but again, it makes for good entertainment. Theatricality and deception.