YES!! Yes, that's exactly it, vestokes! You've articulated it so perfectly and succinctly. *delighted applause* Man, I was going nuts trying to think of a way to put how I felt in words, lol! I'm going to watch it again tonight and ponder this some more...but it really did feel like the ship had righted itself in the end somehow.




You're absolutely right about Bly - he carved out a much more sinister niche for his character. I mean, that guy was in Madeline's house, holding a gun to her head essentially. That was some pretty ominous stuff that Agent Bly did, in my opinion (I still miss his character, actually).

Yeah, exactly - Michael Westen, in a POTTERY class, with his MOTHER of all people!!! *LMAO* And I loved how Madeline responds with something to the effect of, "Yeah, like I really need another ceramic ashtray." And the two of them just seemed so at *peace* on some level. I just loved it!

I loved every single thing about those scenes between Michael and Madeline. Like others have said, they were poignant and beautifully written and the *acting* going on between Sharon Gless and JD - wow! The chemistry between these two is *such* a beauty to behold. It looks like they really enjoy working together, in my opinion.

Too bad. My sister hates Cybil Shepherd too. She's from my hometown. Never understood her appeal. She's not annoying to me though. I actually like Sharon Gless and watched her in Cagney and Lacy, Queer as Folks, and her guest appearance on Nip?tuck where she played the creepiest person ever. Anyway, glad to hear it's a minor annoyance. At least you can empathize with Mikey when he has to endure one of her obnoxious tirades about how neglectful he is.

Hey, really like the episode. I keep thinking the way they are writing is like a big shocker is coming I dont know; really like it though... cause it keeps ya guessing.
Loved the Madeline/Michael moment when she tells him why she didnt say anything about the black eye. Still on the fence on the Carla issue. .. one minute I think she is just a messenger and then next I think maybe that's what she is playing and she really is the "boss." who knows... but did think his/her arabic was excellent... I cant speak it but had family that did and am familiar with the dialect (of course the only thing I remember from being a kid is the curses! Ha) anyway besides his excellent acting chops Mr.Donovan is impressive with all of his language/dialect skills.
How about Sam and the pilates/cooking classes thought that whole thing was funny - so wish they showed it though. And Michael's costume/cover for picking up the security badge was so funny ... the chains were so Mr.T like !! Oh and Sam with the exercise ball was great too... love this show!!!!

I loved this episode SO much!. It was like a flashback to last season, with the twists in the plot and Michael relying on his brains rather than guns. So much better than the premiere. I started laughing hysterically when the shrink looked just like Madeline... HILARIOUS! And Fiona claiming that Michael's charms don't work on her anymore when they so obviously do: amazing. I'm so happy that, after a shakey premiere, the show has gotten back to where I like it most.

I absolutely loved this episode too -- so much so that I expected to see more of the above when I got here. This episode had the same pace as last season's. It's amazing how many perspectives people can have. I really enjoyed the plot twist with the client, the dual characters that JD played other than his main character and how he got to be such a smart a** with Carla.

I like that Carla has Mikey under her thumb for now, so I'm not getting the irritation with Carla at all. (Similarly, I like the way Mikey's mom has him under her thumb somewhat too, and how he fights back with her.) You're all entitled to your opinions though. I'm not arguing. I just have a completely different perspective.

My differing perspective on Tricia may be that I am a Battlestar Galactica fan. I know that she's a great actress because she's been on BSG for years as a lead. Like JD, she's played many characters on BSG because she has clones that fulfill different roles. Also, I can see that her role on BN hasn't nearly lived up to all the hype yet (Tricia Helfer quiz, video interviews when the other actors except JD haven't been re-interviewed, talked up in most interviews), but the operative word may be yet. It doesn't help that Bly was such a spectacular foil to Mikey last season -- hard for the writers to top that. As someone else said, I'm not a guy either and I'm guessing guys are a big part of Tricia's fan base because she has played ultra-sexy a lot on BSG. She's playing Carla classy and cool so far in comparison to BSG.

On to my other favorite moments. My heart broke when Mikey said Barry wasn't returning his calls because Barry was such a great character last season. Then Barry shows up with Fi at the spa -- elation! You got me writers! (Also a great scene!)

Loved JD's IQ-challenged check forger and expediter characters. I am so happy when JD gets to break from the tightly controlled Mikey because he's such a great actor. A couple of his gestures as the check forger (his exasperated face/exhale when he steps back and waves his arms & when he holds the electronic cards in front of his eyes) made me LOL.

The actress who played the client did a great job too. She was believable as the abused girlfriend and as the undercover agent. Loved the scene when Raul learns she's a DEA agent.

Also adored the mom/Mikey scenes as always -- they do have great chemistry!

well, I believe that somewhere down the road they may throw in the Maddie and Mikey at a yoga class. Now that would be an eppie to watch. While I don't particularly care for the Madeline character, it is heartwrenching to watch both her and Mikey scenes. I wanna cry after them. And I loved how Michael couldn't charm Fi (after she leaves the loft in the first epi.) with the yogurt.

I lovelovelove Barry! He's amazing. I have a confession to make - one of my big BN fantasies is that someday Barry will get into a pickle and become one of Michael/Sam/Fi's clients.

Guys, I just watched this again. And I wanted to say that I realize it may sound like I'm picking apart the show, but the truth is that I just love this show so much and I am expecting each episode to top the last, that's all. And that season finale from last year is going to be really, really hard to top! I love reading everyone's take on the show and I hold the opinions of everyone who has posted here in high regard. Anyway - overall I'd say that I liked it better on the second viewing and as I said before those last few minutes were perfectly fun and fabulous! I also enjoyed the DEA agent reaching out to Michael. I'm guessing the former clients of Michael's who spoke to her were Oleg's cocktail waitress and her daughter, right? (as that was the story involving the drug cartel)...

On the shallower end of things - were those different sunglasses that Michael was wearing when he met the Tunisian counterfeiter guy? They looked silver, but I couldn't tell if it was just the sunlight that made Michael's Sunglasses of Justice look that way.

OMGOMG!
I LOOOOOVED THIS EPISODE!
every minute!
every body was amazing!
Mike was sizzling hot!
Sam was halerious!
Mom was sweet!
Fiona was crazy!
Carla was fabulous!
Sophia was awesome!
the shooting and explosions were perfect. the acting was great. the plot worked soo well!
great job BN! A+++++++
i was on the edge of my seat the whole time! nearly fell from laughing! and then there was that time when my jaw just dropped and would not get back up! and then my heart ached for Mike+Mom moments.
i am sooo excited! i have to say one more time- loooooooved it!
i gotta watch it again!

This reminds me of the epi of Spin City where JD played the therapist. It was hilarious. I'm in the box. 

Also, he showed he had some really great acting chops. He made seasoned actor MJ Fox look like he was working too hard for the laughs. Also, JD had longer hair and he looked totally different. Of course he was much younger too. He was really really HOT back then. Not that his hotness has dimmed any Just a different kind of HOT.

Yes!!!! My heart dropped too. I was SO happy to see him. His flirting with Fi was hilarious. I'd love to see him do that in front of Mikey. Also, noted that they were aware that Fi had never met Barry. Great introduction.

Matt: WE LOVE BARRY!!! Please don't write him out! He's the BN's Huggybear. LOL!!!!

I wonder if Mike actually goes out to buy these outfits for each job:

I finally got some free time so made this clip of Pumpkin. Oh, I mean Sam. 


.

I had complety forgotten about agent Bly! I would have to agree, he was the kind of character you just loved to hate. But Carla....it's not a love to hate thing, it's just a "she doesn't fit in thing", so it's just a "not good for the show" thing. I hope it changes.

Keeping Barry was a good thing, but don't make him so whiney and weak. He had some backbone and some coolness last season. In the little clip in this episode, that wasn't the Barry we all grew to know and love.

And the scene with Mike, Fi, and the yogurt was really cute. 

you make really good points!

what is up every one and yogourt?! lol
i love it just as much as anyone, maybe even a little more so, but that's not the only thing in my fridge!lol
it's just one of the many charms of BN
and Mike in those outfits LOL

great clips!

This video shows how Mikey is persistent, is in no way infatuated with Carla, and he looks good in sunglasses.

Thanks for the clip, Vestokes! It seemed pretty clear to me that he's repulsed by her in this scene. I sense no chemistry between the two of them (a deliberate decision on JD's part, in my opinion, because let's get real here - when have any of us seen JD acting against a woman with whom he *didn't* have chemistry, lol). I love how she had to pretty much pick up his arm so she could wrap her arm around his and how aloof he was with her. Indeed the scene does point out just how beautiful the sunglasses are and how fine-looking a man Michael is.

Carla is not attractive at all. I agree no chemistry either . Michael looks HOT & SEXY though ;-)

LOL!!! You hate her! You really really hate her! 

Thanks Vestokes for the yogurt clip of Mikey and Fi. Loved it.

Because I am a BN fanatic. I always have to review the epis twice before commenting on what I loved.


Carla- I think she serves her purpose.I love to hate her.She kind of Lucy Lawless souped up.Can't wait til Michael gets one up on her. Michael iritated" I'd stay away from her". I love that he tries to protect his mom.



Loved the restaraunt scene with the stalker, DEA agent and Michael when he's selling his cover idea.Michael breathes a sigh of relief.Classic BN.

Loved the big boss scene, Michael. Micheals sellling the stalker out at the window before Fi attempts to kill the big boss and blows up a car on the wharf.LOL! cracked me up! Vestokes if you read this can you put the clip in this thread.

Mike throws Sam's freshly opened beer in the trash.LOL!


I really hope they don't write Barry out. I like him. Someone mentioned Barry needs to collect on a favor from Michael.That would be a nice angle for the show.

Also Michael is so honorable.He would not take Carla's money.He just wants his life back.No more guns or nitrate gas?. He doesn't need to kill people to get things done.I liked the point he was making.

Hey, you guys know I am game for making clips. Here you go!

Thanks Vestokes. The scene is so hilarious!

I agree with your assessment. I absolutely loved the counseling session between Michael and his mother. I like how he "put her in her place" so to speak. It's not often she's speechless. LOL

Michael's whole get-up he wears to pick up the security badges cracked me up too. I can't wait to hear his next accent in this week's episode.

And of course BC was great as usual. I love how Sam can irritate the hell out of people, especially this episode and his exercise balls. LOL

Okay. Here's Mike and Mom's counseling session. 

Yes. Mike's security badge scene is hilarious. I love when he puts the two badges against his eyes like they are eye glases. Also, man was he working that chewing gum. LOL!!!! I had to include the entire scene so you could see him really sporting that blue satin shirt. Where did he get that outfit?

vestokes - have I told you lately that I love you? This clip (along with all of the others) have helped me get through this lovely Monday!

I love doing it. Gosh darn! I'm blushing. 

I thought Mom and Mike both looked pretty good in the white sunglasses. I created animated gifs of both scenes:

thanks vestokes for all the clips.. love it... keeps us going til thursdays!!!

how about this line (I just saw it again on tv.com ... while lookin for the music)
but how funny was Michael's line and his expression

Raul: (referring to Sophia, the woman he is stalking) She loves me more than her own life.
Michael: That's a lot...


Ha. Love this show!! Peace.

Yeah. He really stayed in character there. He was probably thinking this guy is a nut. Here's the clip.

I'm a little conflicted on this episode.

I've been trying to get a fix on the whole Carla thing and this just really threw a wrench into it. The first thing Carla has Micheal do seems fitting enough; she needs an operative that can get into a mercenary like security outfit and get their files. A job you can't send your 'B' team in to do, and that you wouldn't want to leave your 'A' teams fingerprints on, so sure, hire out or extort external talent.

But the next task, to contact someone to make a copy of a security badge???? Really???
This is a job that doesn't call for anyone near Micheal's caliber to make contact (any NOOB with a stack of cash would do), nor is there concern about leaving a trail (obvious since they whacked the guy), and anyone with the apparent resources that Carla has shown would have other means to be able to duplicate the card.. So why have Micheal do this?

If the writers are as good as I hope they are, (and so far they have been), then this episode will prove out in time to have been a case of the clue that was in plain sight and missed because it was so big. It will turn out to be just the introduction to the real story. Or, it will simply be the WTF episode.

Remember, the counterfeiter was found dead apparently in the process of making a phone call.
Who was he calling? What would he want to tell them?
Why was it so important to have Micheal involved in the duplicating of the card.
Since Carla clearly had access to the guys shop, did they bug it? Did they intend/expect that Micheal would get a copy of the card?

If I'm Micheal in this situation I would assume that a) they wanted me to take the fall for the death of the counterfeiter. I would suspect that the counterfeiter was trying to play both sides of the game and had contacted who ever the card belonged to in order to insure he wasn't burning a ally, and to see if he could sell out the people trying to sneak in.

What else?

Okay, I LOVED this outfit. It's one of my favorite covers that MW has had, I think! He looked amazing - weird and kooky and sexy and just amazing. This is what I love the most about JD's portrayal of Michael, as he plays his character from so many angles. Like others have mentioned, I laughed when I watched the Matt Nix commentary and he said they didn't always know what JD would do with the cover character, and how the crew called him up to tell him how funny the daily takes were when JD shot these scenes. I also was wondering exactly how he goes about buying/putting together these outfits, lol! So did anyone figure out if these were indeed Michael's Sunglasses of Justice, or are they a different pair of sunglasses? They look silver in this scene, but I couldn't tell if it was just the way the sunlight was hitting them or what...

I also loved that look of exasperation he gave after he hung up the phone with his mom (upon leaving the counterfeiter's storefront). I've seen Michael do that one other time, when he's out shopping with Fiona in "False Flag" (he's shopping for a fake identity, Fi's shopping for fake shoes, lol). Such a great show, BN is.

[a quick edit for clarity and to complete a thought]

Interesting thoughts on the episode, Ghost! You made some very interesting points here - I'm highlighting this one in particular because it's something that I took note of but it had slipped my mind until you mentioned it here. I wonder if it's something that will come up later on in the season or if it's always going to be an unknown as to who he was calling...

No those silver shades aren't the Sunglasses of Justice. But I do believe that Raul wore a pair of black ones. Mike's still look better though.

And yeah I love this show

Thanks for the clip vestokes.

Sometimes you've got to wonder what's like in JD's wardrobe closet. I bet he just use the various wierd cover ID Michael has on the show as an excuse to showcase his collection.

The white jacket guy is my most favorite character to date. JD was so funny - sort of reminded me of the character he played in "Bait".

Agreed, didn't think of the phone thing...guess I was too busy trying to figure out who the actor was (anybody able to find out?) ....I think I figured he was trying to call contacts re what the badge was for, or calling someone from the place they were for, if he knew what it was for, but that he would have done earlier, or not done the badges (especiallly if they paid more), or calling Carla, recognizing her handiwork, and/or probably "reporting" that Michael's curiosity (go figure) over a "get it and go" job....but then why would she have him killed...unless he was her primary target, not the location for the badge, and knowing sending Michael would create enough of a diversion.....

Ohhhhh, my head, no wonder I didn't try to think this one through...too many possibilities!!!!!!


Anyway, he's dead and she speaks Arabic with a Curdish accent...what's next


KA23

Why this job for Michael:
Simple. Just to see how pliable he is. Also, just to jerk him around like a dog trying to learn to walk on a leash. These people are cold and cruel. There doesn't have to be a rhyme or reason for their actions. They have nasty work they want to have done and they are willing to extort, threaten, maime, and kill to get it done.

Also, the counterfeiter could have been calling to start the work Mike asked him to do for the extra 5K, the building that card accessed. They couldn't afford to have Mike have that information. Also, they probably had already targeted Nefzi for extermination. He was too knowledgeable and an untamed threat. They couldn't afford to have someone with his skills not working for them. Or maybe he was working for them but was caught working both sides.

I liked this character too, but hands down Psycho Mike in Broken Rules is my favorite. It's one of his characters that had the most wardrobe changes.

Psycho Mikey was my favorite character too. Just cuz he looked so cute trying to be psychotic.... and the eyeliner. gotta love max factor's smear proof eyeliner. ?

I honestly feel like this is the worst Burn Notice episode to date. It wasn't that it was terrible, but I just expected more after the amazingly awesome Breaking and Entering. I don't think Tricia was the right person for the role, I've never seen her in anything before this so I can't say if she's a bad actress or not, but she really makes Carla more annoying than sinister. And it bothers me how a former Navy SEAL and an IRA trained terrorist would be taken out so easily. I really hope Carla dies and is killed by Fi.

His guyliner was, quite possibly, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Ever. XD

LOL...Fi's possible greatest accomplishment. I could handle that!

Hey guys, come on....give her a couple epi's at least!!!!! Then, if she really rots by say her fourth epi in (2 from now, I don't count the phone stuff on the premiere), I'll hand Fi the C4 myself!!!


KA23

GUYLINER!!!! I love that! 

You're right KA, but in return let's promise NOT to jump on others if they still hate Carla. Unfortunately, I'm sort of in that camp right now. I am, however, wiling to give her a chance.

I wonder how many of these items worn by Michael actually *do* come from JD's closet, lol!





AlmostThere, I agree with you 100%! I remember the first time I saw that episode so clearly... I was halfway incredulous over it all. I marveling at how fantastic he looked in that get-up. I haven't seen that sexy a makeup job on a guy since Adam Ant was in his heyday back in my middle school days, lol!

Hehe... Since I just graduated from my middle school days, I have no idea who Adam Ant is, but I'll take your word for it.