Burn Notice 5.9 - Eye For An Eye

Plot: Still hunting Max' killer, the trail has lead to a bomb maker, Lucien, a war criminal, no less. Michael's adversary doesn't skimp when it comes to personnel. Michael and Sam manage to catch him, despite his electrified floor, but getting him to provide useful information proves somewhat more difficult. Even when Mike finds a lever - Lucien's journalist daughter - he tricks them into sending a warning. Which doesn't end too well for him, but also doesn't get Mike nearly as much information as he'd wanted. At least he got a warehouse address. Because those are always such productive avenues to explore.

Fiona is spending her time helping Jesse when a client. Sadie is certain someone is breaking into her home and moving things around. Husband James is less convinced, but it turns out Sadie's correct. And the one responsible is Dan, James' old partner in pharmaceuticals, and Sadie's first husband. Turns out James got Dan falsely arrested in Chile for drug trafficking so he could make huge profits off some vaccine Dan created. Given all this, Fiona naturally decides they will be helping Dan escape, and to take revenge on James. This requires them to make him doubt the security at his headquarters, so he'll rely on Jesse, giving Michael a chance to infiltrate. It also gives Michael the chance to play a revenge-seeking lunatic. Blowing shit up, making grand threats, breaking things. Seems like fun, but who can say when it comes to Michael. Eventually, they scare James badly enough he decides to make all the important research to a bank vault, so then they have to spook him into ditching his armored car so they can get him alone. The good news is, he was also going to stash all sorts of papers alluding to unsafe testing methods and cover-ups with the research, so there's plenty there to ruin his life, while Dan and Sadie can try to renew acquaintances.

Pity James didn't pay Jesse for his security work.

The Players: Lucien (Bomb Maker), Dan (The Client), James Forte (Thief/Liar)

Quote of the Episode: Sam - 'This is not about cheese fries. This is just tactics.'

Does Fiona blow anything up? No, Fi has a pretty quiet episode, relegated to providing security for Sadie. Not that Sadie was in danger, but keeping up appearances was necessary. Plus, Fi might have shot James.

Sam Axe Drink Count: 0 (11 overall)

Sam Getting Hit Count: 0 (7 overall)

Michael's Fake Laugh Count: 0 (5 overall)

Other: Once again, Michael uses no alias this week.

So Jesse joked about not getting paid for this job, but he works for a security company, right? Doesn't that mean he has a boss? Wouldn't that boss likely be a little pissed that Jesse actively sabotaged his client? I guess if Sadie (and Dan) gave them glowing recommendations, that might help, but James was the one cutting the check, and my guess is that's all the boss cared about. So, potential problem.

Still waiting to actually meet Elsa.

In theory, with the reveal of James' various illegal activities, Dan is somehow going to get his patents back and he and Sadie do things their way. But once word gets out about the shady things Jesse did, the failed trials, will the sure-to-follow lawsuits get dumped on Dan and Sadie's doorstep instead?

Funny, the first thing I wrote down was a note about how it felt as though the show was focused on finding this guy more because he framed Michael, than because he killed Max. I understand Mikey's the star, but Max died. Mike never delivered the message to Max' wife he was supposed to (since it would reveal he was there). I felt the motivations were going astray. Then, first thing in the episode, they remind us they're on the trail of Max' killer. At least for one week, the attempt to frame Michael is hardly even mentioned.

At this point, we're halfway through Season 5, and it hasn't been a great one. A few of the single episode plots have been good. I enjoyed last week's whole bit on the island, Michael and Co. getting Vanderwaal completely turned around until he has no choice but to go along with them, because otherwise, he's been a complete dupe. I like Pearce, even though she is far too prone to divulging important information about herself at the drop of a hat to work for the CIA. Jesse's continued presence is good. But the pursuit of Max' killer isn't engaging me. To be fair, that's partially because I know where it leads, and I HATE IT. I'm just dreading it.

But also, the fact that's the killer has remained so completely hidden. Compare it Gilroy, who was killing people and leaving mysterious messages for Michael, but they met face-to-face within a couple of episodes. With this, we're still chasing shadows, and there's yet to be any real sense of why. What does the killer gain by framing Michael, by ensuring Michael is absolutely determined to find them, by not trying to kill him? I suppose we could be apprehensive about these unknown motivations, but so far, the killer has been mostly reactive. Oh, Jacob called to meet. I'll put a bomb on a boat. Oh, Lucien sent me a message through a diner. I'll go shoot him. There's no proactive approach to it, no sign that the killer is guiding Michael, or anticipating his moves and cutting them off. The killer is sitting and waiting, which could be presented as having a purpose, but is not exactly gripping viewing.