Hi all,

I'm brand new to these boards and fairly new to the show. My partner watched all last season but I never really paid attention...until this season. Specifically the moment that the show clicked for me was at the end of the first episode of season 1 when Michael and Fiona are talking about where they stand and as she walks out of the room you hear him saying.."you don't miss the smell of an asset when she leaves the room." Then of course in a matter of days I watched all of season 1 online and hot hooked.

Anyway, my question.... How important is it to you all that Michael and Fiona find a way to be "together" in a romantic relationship on the show? The chemistry all through the first season and the few episodes when I guess we were supposed to believe they were sort of together were sooo much fun to watch, for me. I'm not enjoying their current dynamic as much. Fi, trying to keep her distance... its not working for me.

How important is it to all of you that those two give their relationship a shot? How important do you think it is to the story, to the show, that Michael and Fi at least do that flirty dance?

Ev

This past episode, "Scatter Point" was the first one this season where I felt Michael was beginning to regret his giving her the brush off. He knows he wants her. Who can fathom the mind of a man? I think he just thinks being a spy is easier than having a relationship (and he would be right) as a spy he can be totally selfish. in fact, he's paid to be totally selfish. In a relationship someone else has to come first and Fi is teaching him that.

I don't think I answered your question, but I'm going to keep watching. Hope springs eternal!

That's for responding Dramamama...

Here is how I see it. Michael is confident in himself in almost every way... he knows he's strong, he knows he's smarter/wiser than most people, he knows he can handle himself and also he knows he is wanted by women and could have just about whomever he wants. What he isn't confident of and what he can't figure out is relationships. Long-Term, emotional, complicated relationships are tough on the man. He seems to be able to express himself emotionally when he is backed into a corner and even then you see the little boy come out. The best scene, along those lines, for me was the episode after Michael and Fiona have sex and he comes over to her place for lunch. He startes to talk about what happened between them and it was like this little embarrased boy came out. Fiona, is the one person, the one side of his life that he can't figure out how to handle so he pushes her away and then gives in occassionally.

As far as I can see it, its up to Fiona. As of right now, she has said she can't be "with" him and they aren't, but if she were to change her mind... well he isn't really capable to turning her away completely.

That is the one area were he is weak. And that is why I think their dynmic is so important to the show. You get to see a side of Michael... well that you want to see more of. And hey, lets be clear, they are positively steamy together.

Welcome Evelina69
Well as a guy, I, would be doing everything I could to keep Fiona in my life.(Hands and knees,beggin, pleadin and so and so) That being said, I'm not MW!!!! He ain't your regular guy. DUH!!! He knows Fi is his one and only, as she knows that he's her guy but, his priorities are really different than your regular guy, he really needs to find out about his burn. On top of that, he is not a personality that will settle down, 3 bdrm, 2 bath, picket fence; kinda guy.

Matt Nix said ( not an exact quote ) What is normal for the average person, is not normal for Mike. Gunshots, kidnappings, taking hostsges, being held against your will, hostile interrogations, are normal for him; not us regular, 9 to 5 kinda folks. Our day in day out, run of the mill, exsistance(sp) would bore him to death.
I see, and am satisfied, witrh their on/off, touchy/feely relationship

Hi Damo,

Nice to hear a guys perspective. I, too, think that Fiona is a catch. The degree to which she loves him and he clearly clearly loves her is obvious. The fact that they were "profoundly" to use Mike's word, miserable the last time they were together doesn't mean they would be if they tried again. Perhaps down the line, they will revisit their options.

I just hope that the writers don't do something stupid like have one of them get hurt as a cliffhanger.

EV

I agree with Damo. MW really isn't one to settle down but I can see Mike and Fi having a relationship romantically but without the title of boyfriend and girlfriend(anything that is associated with settling down scares Michael) . They aren't the typical tv couple.

What I find interesting is how close they come to that line without crossing it. You can feel the UST in the air when they're together and it's just electric, IMHO. The drill scene in "Scatter Point" is a perfect example of this, the subtext to the scene, the whole thing about Fi not being "patient" and her turning on the drill and giving him that look. Also, right now I'm reading the book The Fix and I love how Tod Goldberg explains their relationship in the book when they're making weapons. I don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't read it, but lets just say it's hot and it explains so much more what it is about their relationship than I can say.

I like the sexual tension between Michael and Fi. I personally don't want to see them together as a couple, at least not yet. Maybe by the end of the series it would be nice to finally see them together. I agree with you evelina69 about how Fi is Michael's weak point. He is like a little boy when it comes to dealing with the emotions he feels regarding Fi. I think it is an interesting dynamic to see this self-assured, tough guy turn all stupid when it comes to a girl. LOL

You said it perfectly! I think we will see alot of Mike/Fi scenes that have a lusty/romantic undertone even though they have such an unresolved relationship. It was only last season that they had sex in a similar situation.

I need to get my hands on THE FIX to read what you are refering too FiRocks (and yes she does Rock - adore her).

You know, I keep coming back to that line from the first episode I think, where Michael says to Fi (as she is hitting on him after that drug thug tries to kill him) "Violence is an aphrodesiac (sp?) for you, not me." There is something telling in that line.

They build more sexual tension with "looks" than any show I've seen...it's absolutely delicious.

I can't see them ever really being together as a normal couple (with, like, a house in the suburbs and kids and dogs) but I can see them eventually realizing that they are really the only ones who can put up with each other- most women aren't going to put up with his issues and most men would run the first time she threatens to kick their ass.

It's surprising that Fi, despite all her "I love blowing stuff up and get off on violence" seems to have a pretty healthy grasp on relationships and knows what she expects from them...right now Michael is not in a position to be what she expects, and she's probably smart not to push him...because if she pushes too hard, he's just going to push her away...whereas if she cools off and waits, she's still in his life. The thing is, he's actually said he doesn't think there's anyone who could make him happier than her, so he KNOWS that...

...men are so frustrating.

Yes they do! I absolutely love the tension that exists between them.



I can't see them ever having a "normal" life either. I just don't see either of them settling down into a normal, happy existence.



Amen sister.

Their relationship is very important to me. Here's my take on their situation, and this all IMO. They love each other, bottom line. I won't be able to cite specific episode's, but scenes. I believe it was the epi- Trust Me. When Fi went off with Zeke?, Michael tells her not to work too hard. When Michael's cover is almost blown in Zeke's office, Fi calls him,and warns him. She was totaly frantic, scared for his safety. Then there is are all the little things they both do to get each other's attention. Wanting him to wait for her toes to dry in Scatter Point. The remark about the power tools, now that was said to get a rise out of him, hmm... intertesting play of words. LOL!!!! And she did. IMO, he was almost gasping for air. In Turn and Burn when she went to talk to Barry, she walked in the middle of a spa session, Barry was totally caught off guard, a job Sam could have done, even Michael himself. BUT- Michael needs to keep Fi in his life. He cannot let her go. Here's the thing, I don't know about anyone else, but whenever I've told someone it's over, hey, it's over. After the big 86, I made myself unattainable. But here they are, "helping," each other out. I stand behind Fi, wants to be number 1 in Miikey's life, and deserves to be. Michael told her, for what it's worth, she was the closest she's come for him, it just wasn't close enough. Well, was it close enough for him, and maybe it was, but he knows her, her needs and wants, so wa he inferring that it wasn't enough for her. Another angle, maybe he loves her way too much, enough to want to keep her protected. If she becomes the most important thing in his life, then she also becomes the person in the most danger. As far as Michael goes, IMO, until he resolves his child-hood issues, he'll be incapable of maintaining a fulfilling relationship with the opposite sex, but if he does get his issues straightened out, I'm thinking Fi will be the one he turns to. He loves her so very much, and to me, that is so apparent. I love watching their dynamics. I also love seeing the softer, more vulnerable side of our favorite spy. And no, they would never have the normal 9 to 5 Beaver life, but wouldn't they make the cutest little baby spies?

OMG the cute of that is just killing me...but I can't decide if they'd be good parents or horribly dysfunctional parents...

CindyAnne... I think you are absolutely right on many counts. I don't think that any sane viewer can miss the genuine love that those two share for each other. I think its unarguable that Michael loves Fi, and that it does take a level of restaint on his part to not give into that love. She brings a sense of levity into his life. Like you said, he has expressed that she is the closest he has ever come to being in a real loving relationship. Its my opinion that although it wasn't enough for him in the past, it may very well be enough in the future.

One of the scenes that I thought was rather telling was when Michael walks into his mom's house to find everyone, including Fi playing cards and his mom grills him about his relationship with Fi. He says to her that this time it was Fi's choice. Something tells me that in the first episode of season 2, if Fi had not come to Michael and said that she didn't believe that things could work between them...well I think if that convo didn't happen Michael wouldn't have made the choice to end things...again.

Like you said CindyAnne, Michael understands that anyone in his life that he's close to is in constant danger. He realizes his life is a mess right now and although he knows she would happily "be" with him, he also knows that it probably wouldn't work.

About the babies... that would be one darn gorgous kid.

Hi dcdarling. Glad I made ya laugh. I'm thinking they'd give parenting their very best shot. Michael is realy a softie when it comes to kids. I think that maybe he'd be an awesome daddy, probably try to right all the wrongs done to him by his own father. I really adored the softer side of him in the pilot episode where he help's his client's son deal with all the bullies at school. At the end, he actually said please to the agents watching him, so that he could watch the boy through the binoculars.

Cindy

I remember someone telling me once that a guy who was making an idiot of himself in a meeting was "socially immature". I think Michael Westin is "emotionally immature".

And Damo, I don't think Fi is a 3 bdrm, 2 kid kind of girl. They are really two sides of the same coin. Like Mike said, he couldn't be happier with anybody else. All he wants from her is that she make no demands at all. All she wants is what he is giving away to all his "clients" -- that "I'll see what I can do" and "I'll take care of it" security.

They share so much and compliment each other so well, yet deny each other the one thing each wants most from the other.

Typical.

That really is IT isn't it. I think you hit the nail on the head with that line.

ev

Also, remember that Michael is a spy on a mission. He can't let Fiona get too caught up in emotions because she won't be any good to him (am I sounding like a chauvanist?)

I agree, FiRocks - the weapons making scene in The Fix *was* really hot! I really like how the relationship between Michael and Fi is fleshed out in the book. At one point in the novel, Michael is doing his narrative thing and regarding his relationship with Fiona he says something to the effect of, "the ennui. the inertia." *pause/new paragraph* "the foreplay." *lol* I also loved how at one point he said she was so beautiful - I can't remember the context off the top of my head, but it was during a moment where Fi is providing some sort of tactical support to Michael. The great thing about Tod Goldberg's novel is that you get to hear more of Michael's inner thinking on a whole array of issues, one of which being his relationship with Fiona. I only wish there had been more background on Fi and her IRA gunrunning/bank robbing past and how she and Michael hooked up together...

Excellent analysis, evelina69! Michael has such a difficult time expressing his emotions and it's so hard to get a handle on what is going through his mind. I think his actions show how much he profoundly loves her and needs her (i.e., keeping Fi as his emergency contact in his wallet for all those years). I don't think it's that he just didn't have much experience with women - it's that he chose *her* out of all the women he'd ever known as the one person he would open up to and become close to (to the best of his ability, at any rate). He can't allow himself to love her because that would place him in a vulnerable tactical position (emotionally speaking). This is why watching the scene with Michael and Fi at the sushi place in the pilot episode always breaks my heart - as Michael knows that she deserves more than what he can give her...but underneath it all? He knows that he *can* give her everything that matters to her (his heart). And I think the regret that he feels is palpable (that scene with his mom in the kitchen during the poker game and the one immediately following it, where he seems so embarrassed (even a little ashamed) when Fi calls him to task on the "I gave you the car" remark)...

I wonder about that too, and which came first....her being an "asset" or her being a girlfriend.

It would be awesome to see some Mike/Fi flashbacks on the show or maybe even a whole episode set in the past when Mike/Fi first met.

Oh believe me, I totally hear you. There are so many moments that I just sigh and want to push them into each others arms or pull words out of their mouths because the writing and acting is so good that you thoroughly get it. We get to be like a fly on their wall and see how every inflection in their voices, every wink, every smile, mannerism mean something. We get to see all of these complexities play out and as far as Michael and Fi. For me, their relationship plays a large role in my enjoyment of the show.

Mike and Fi are a HUGE part of Burn Notice. Without them, the show just isn't as great. On all the advertisments,books, and the DVD box set its always Mike and Fi that are featured. Of course Mike is going to be featured since he is the main character but I think having them on everything shows that Mike and Fi are essential to everything Burn Notice.Besides Mike resolving his Burn Notice, his relationship with Fi has been the one of the main storylines in the show and I think it will always be that way.

I think Mike is too caught up in his life, trying to figure out who burned him that he can't afford to have his emotions out there. Also, as somebody else pointed out, he's very VERY secure in his knowledge on how to do his JOB, but when it comes to 'real life' things like relationships, he doesn't have the first clue how to begin.

Matt Nix made a good observation about Mike's mom and how she knows how to build this fantasy of what her family should be/is and she makes sure her sons fit into that fantasy and her sons play into that, to a certain extent. Mike has the ability to do the same thing, creating a fantasy that allows him to convince people to believe whatever he needs them to believe. All that comes second nature to him, but I don't think he has any idea how to be just himself and at the end of the day, that's what you need to have a relationship, a good understanding of your own self.

Add to that the fact that he comes from a dysfunctional family, so the only 'normal' he knows has been this fantasy/broken relationships between his mother/father, himself and his parents, himself and his brother and he's got no real basis for knowing or understanding what makes normal. Throw in the idea that he might one day become a dad and I think he'd crack under the pressure trying to make sure he's the perfect dad for his kid.

As far as Fi, she appears to have a whole set of issues all of her own. Mixing those two together like that, when they are trying to make a relationship work it makes sense to me that Mike felt they were miserable.

If we see him coming to terms with his issues, learning and growing it might be possible that he can find himself in a healthy relationship with somebody. If we *also* see Fi learning and growing herself (as we've seen her do throughout last season and this one), then maybe they might have a chance together.

In the meantime, I rather enjoy seeing the UST between them I wouldn't mind it if the went off and had something going on 'on the side' with other partners, because I see it as just them growing and figuring out what life is all about.

I think that's part of the reason they had to (sort of) break up. I expect their on-and-off again will continue to be a running storyline in the show throughout its (hopefully many) seasons, and the "will they or won't they" keeps people interested and lets them really ramp up the UST.