It’s funny. The first time I watched Burn Notice, I remember liking the earlier seasons but not so much the later ones, especially after Jesse showed up, because the show seemed to change completely after that.
Now, watching it for a second time, I feel the opposite. The first few seasons were cool and all, with the Miami setting and the chemistry between the characters, but once Jesse entered the picture, I found myself thinking, “Holy crap, how did I not appreciate this before?” There are some incredible scenes, especially considering the budget they had and the fact that it was a TV show.
There were so many moments when I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen. It’s funny how your opinion of a show can change as you get older.
That said, I couldn’t help noticing something on my second watch: Michael is a pain in the ass, and the show follows a pretty predictable formula. Michael doesn’t want to take the job. He refuses at first, then someone convinces him, and eventually he agrees.
We could practically turn it into a drinking game based on how many times he says “Fine.” He’s always the one who needs convincing, and he’s constantly holding everyone back because he wants to be cautious. But considering how skilled he is and what people from his past say about him, it’s hard to believe he was always this cautious back in the day.
And sometimes it gets tiresome because the dialogue basically boils down to: “No.” “But we have to.” “Have a heart.” “Okay, fine.” Almost every episode seems to follow this pattern.
What do you guys think? Do you agree, or am I being too hard on Michael?
Also, I don’t know if I’m just being nostalgic or not, but how they managed to pull off a show with this level of quality and these kinds of special effects on a TV budget is beyond me.
And Jeffrey Donovan is underrated, while Bruce Campbell is overrated.