Burn Notice, Season 6, Episode 12

In a season that seems full of them, this is another important high stakes episode. Michael is using Gray as an asset to get Card to admit to his part in the murder of Anson Fullerton and Nate Westen, and then intends to reel the man in.

Because they were all meant to die in Panama, they have to appear to be dead. In an effort to make this appearance they have to torch the loft. That was rather a sad moment, because Michael's rather unusual place of residence has been a feature of the show up until this point, although the nightclub next door seemed to go by the wayside a few seasons ago. I was particularly touched to see that to make it look real they even burned Fiona's snow globes. I collect miniature houses (Lilliput Lane) and I'd be devastated if I had to burn my collection.

They're also contacted by Ayn. She was released on parole and has hit a snag. She was imprisoned for killing a crooked policeman and another crooked cop by the name of Garza is causing trouble for her. Michael can't risk getting involved going after a cop because it will jeopardise the Gray/Card deal. So Sam teams up with Fiona. They arrive just before Garza, and let her son escape as Garza plants drugs in Ayn's apartment and arrests her again.

Sam bonds with the former prisoner's son, and Fiona is always a soft touch where kids are involved. They can't just openly declare Garza is crooked. The plan is to have Jesse pose as a gang banger prepared to use Garza to help him get to the top of the tree. Garza isn't as crooked as they thought he was. He's not clean, but his intention is to take down a local drug dealer, single handed if need be.

Michael rides to the rescue, he uses explosives and some high powered weapons to save Garza from being beaten to death and gets the dealers to submit to him. This also springs Ayn and reunites her with her son.

Michael goes to see Maddie and finds her packing up. She says she's leaving Florida to live with her sister. She doesn't want to be in Miami any more and she can't understand how Michael could work with Nate's killer. Michael tries to explain hat he's using Gray to get to the real finger on that trigger; Card. Maddie still asks for a meeting with Gray. She tells him who Nate was and makes him think that the people he kills for Card are people, not targets. They have lives and families.

Gray meets with Card to get a confession and Michael works out Card is arranging to have Gray taken out. He rushes the building before that can happen.

Card is surprised to see Michael. He shoots Gray, confesses everything. Anton jeopardised his networks elsewhere and affected his own plans of world domination. Card is just as insane as Larry or Anson. He can't be permitted to live. Yet Michael lowers his gun, watches Card set Gray's corpse up, then when Card thinks he's won, Michael raises his gun and shoots him right between the eyes. Yes! Michael finally just killed someone who deserved it.

Unfortunately this will have major repercussions and it's hard to see how he can get out of it and not take his friends down with him.

Burn Notice, Season 6, Episode 5

Just when I was getting used to the idea of Fiona in orange, it looks like they've gotten her out. And there were so many other prison storylines that they could have done. Maybe even brought in Linda Blair as a guest one episode.

Surprisingly it's Card who is the white knight. If Michael can get Fiona to turn in one of her gun running buddies, then Card will spring her and use her as a CIA asset. It is interesting that no one has ever thought of that before. With Fiona's background she could have all sorts of useful information and contacts.

Fiona doesn't much like Card. I don't think she's ever met him before, but she does know that he's guy who pulled Michael out of Ireland, which meant that he never really got to say goodbye to her or give her the chance to join him. Card tells Fiona that he had to pull Michael out because his cover was about to be blown (I'm not surprised, that accent wouldn't last for five minutes in a real Irish pub) and if it was then not only would Michael have been killed, so would Fiona. I don't buy it. Card is a snake.

Because it's her only way out, Fiona does do what she's asked, it's actually Michael who nearly blows it because he's working on another job. I should have mentioned this before, and it does pertain to Fiona and Michael's relationship (Burn Notice's secondary function is as the love story of Michael Westen and Fiona Glenanne), but in the opening credits he's amended his introduction of Fiona from trigger happy ex-girlfriend, to trigger happy girlfriend (it just doesn't sound right to me).

The gang seem to have teamed up with Rebecca, to help her find her brother and then roll over on Anson. No one wants to work with her directly. Jesse even takes the job of working with Nate over it. So Sam gets to be her 'handler'. Yes, in Season Six of Burn Notice it sucks to be Sam Axe.

Rebecca believes that a gangster thinks her brother did the dirty on him, so he's gone to ground. If they can get the guy off his case, then he may resurface. If Team Westen do that she'll give them what she can on Anson.

Michael pretends to be a twitchy ex-con who served time with the gangster's father and helps him get information that points to the gangster's girlfriend being the snitch. It's because he's doing this that he almost misses the meet that will get Fiona her ticket out of prison orange. Relations with he and Card have cooled, they seem almost civil when they first meet at the start of the episode, but they're snarling at each other by the end. It's an odd switch and doesn't really seem to have a reason.

There's an excellent car chase with Sam and Rebecca. Bruce Campbell's comic timing really makes it, and his conversation with Jesse to get him come help was one of the highlights of the episode for me. Rebecca holds up her end of the bargain and gives them some dirt on Anson that should help them get him. I'm a little annoyed that they're not going to keep Kristanna Loken's Rebecca around. I liked the way that she and Bruce Campbell worked together.

So the gang's all together to go get Anson Fullerton, and I think for better or worse, Nate is now part of the crew.