Burn Notice is something of an odd show for the USA Network. While most of the USA output is fluffy stuff like Monk or Psych, Burn Notice is quite edgy and dark – a spy show where villains frequently get shot by the good guys, who are all busily trying to avoid getting shot by the people who are supposed to be good guys, too.
After a slightly intermittent first season in which most of that initial edginess was squandered on USA Network quirkiness, the second season has been far superior. After the introduction of BSG's/Canada's Next Top Model's Tricia Hilfer as Carla, one of those responsible (possibly) for the 'burn notice' that ostracised our hero from the rest of the spy community, we gamboled merrily along from explosion and murder to explosion and murder – via way of the equally vicious spy Michael Shanks from Stargate SG-1 – in the hope that by the end of the season, we'd know what was going on and what Carla was up to.
Did we?
Of course we didn't.
But we were kind of expecting that. But for a finale, this was slightly lacklustre. Too much time was spent on a rather dull mission for Michael, clearly designed to cope with the fact that could only get Hilfer for a day's filming for the entire season. And unlike the first season denouement, where the plot did at least go somewhere, here we're pretty much treading water until the first episode of the third season.
So brace yourself for disappointment, basically – a good season let down by a finale that tried to replace good plotting with lots of stunts. Oh well.
Related entries
- March 6, 2009: Season finale: Burn Notice (season 2.5)
A review of the season finale of Burn Notice
September 23, 2008 | Reply
I kind of enjoyed the episode more than it seems you did, but I do agree it could have been something more than it was.
I must confess that the decision from USA to break for the US Open before airing the last two episodes did dampen my enthusiasm for the show somewhat. I can tolerate a break in the middle, but that close to the end of a run? Ugh...