Okay, Carla (Tricia Helfer) and your fancy Yemeni coffee. I’ll admit that, being a diehard Fiona fan, I’m predisposed to hating your ex-Cylon guts. One, you bring too much sexy to your scenes and distract from my girl. Two, you don’t leave Michael any time for those good ol’ "what about us" conversations Fi craves. They barely shared a yogurt together last night! I’m also a little annoyed that you’re leading Mike on all these wild goose chases that water down the plot (I almost wish he would either spend episodes helping people or finding out who burned him, not always both). But what really sticks in my craw, what makes me totally not like you, is that you’re targeting Madeline. You get a pass on the busted sixties-era coffee pot—I understand that you just wanted to make a point that you could get in her house. And replacing it with a new high tech one was sweet (breaking in again, not so much). But I didn’t like you threatening her well-being ("Don’t test me again, or the next time I leave a gift at your mom’s house, it’s not going to be a coffee maker"). She’s one of my favorite characters on TV this summer. Step the frak off, or like Fiona, I may opt to toss you in the trunk!
That said, I’d love to see Helfer cat fight with Sharon Gless. Then Tyne Daly (as Madeline’s new therapist just happening to be making a home visit) can intervene! And Hal Sparks can be watching for the hell of it. Hey, a rabid TV fan can dream!(And after the jump, the rest of my take on last night’s episode.)
Okay, so basically, the hour broke down intothree parts: The forgery scenes (in which Michael needed to duplicatesome fancy security passes for scary ol’ Carla); the job scenes (in which Mike, Sam, and Fiona aid an undercover DEA agent to get rid of a stalker who’s also one of the guys she’s spying on); and the mom scenes (in whichMike and Madeline grappled with their usual issues re: his work).
I didn’t understand half the things Carla said about those littleplastic security cards her people needed Mike to copy (computer-what?Over-laminate-what?). What I did get is that forcing him to track downan infamous forger brought Season 1’s "phone book for criminals" Barryin the picture (yay!), which gave Fiona the chance to threaten him witha blackhead extractor. Then the forger turned out to be Mohinder’s dadfrom Heroes. I like this guy. I was just getting used to himmaybe becoming a recurring character—it did look like he was willingto help Michael by using the those cards to find out who Carla worksfor—when she went and had him killed. Luckily, he’d made an extracopy of the card—those wily Tunisian forgers—that Michael stole fromthe dead man’s office.
Hopefully, the forged card, combined with Michael’s discovery thatCarla "speaks Arabic with a Kurdish accent" will get him a step closerto decipher what is going on with his burn and who he’s aiding with allthese under-the-table operations. I’m into the mystery—it’s myfavorite part of the show—and I’m mildly hoping we can figure it outbefore he does.
Sophia, the girl Michael helped out last night, wasn’t the usualsad sack. First off, she could handle herself with ninja moves and asemi-automatic. Second, she actually used Sam and Veronica to get toMike. Veronica, apparently, gets turned on when Sam is working.Anyway, in short: Sophia had been undercover as a hostess for twoyears spying on Campos, the main man in a billion-dollar drug businessrun out of Miami for some South American cartel. Then the guy’s secondin command, Raul, began to hardcore fancy her. And Raul, like mostdrug lords, was a bit scary. Or as Sam said the "guy won’t take ‘hitthe road Raul’ for an answer." Michael decided the best way to ridSophia of Raul was to turn his boss, Campos, against him and let thecartel do the dirty work. So he approached Raul pretending he was an "expeditor" with police connections who could insure his delivers camefast and hassle free (and who has a bit of a gambling problem). Andwhen that plan fell through (oh yeah, this was after Raul tracked downSophia’s phone records and accused her and Mike are having an affair)he had Fiona stage a fake assassination attempt on Campos using asniper rifle and some C-4. All this, and he still found time to go toa therapy session with his mother.
Now, I feel bad for Madeline: She’s been waking up with nightsweats since she had to flee to Fort Lauderdale and I’m sure she’s onlyimagining the worst about what Michael’s been doing over the past fewyears. For some reason she doesn’t look like a Mom who would berelieved to find out her son knows how to cut a throat or breaksomeone’s neck in one move. But what was up with her choosing alook-alike as the counselor ("there was something about her I liked,"yeah, we know what)? Or is that how all the older women in Miami aresupposed to look? I like it better when she and Michael just chat inthe kitchen like they did at the end of this episode (no potteryclasses, please!). When Madeline admitted she’d known about the stolengroceries, but didn’t want to tell Mike, I was actually moved.
In the end, yesterday’s episode also had some pretty funny bits.For example when Raul, describing Sophia, said "She loves me more thanher own life" and all Mike could reply was "that’s a lot." Or whenMichael told Sam he was paying for lunch, and Sam said "you got it Mikey,I’m starving anyway," even though he’d just munched on a gigantic bagof chips and was holding a soda. And when Mike stole Sam’s fresh beerand dumped it in the garbage. Plus, Sam’s taking Pilates. What’s moregiggle-worthy than that? We also learned a little tidbit about checkforgery: You, too, can do it with some old checks, nail polishremover, scotch tape, and a hair dryer. I don’t suggest trying it, butI always wonder if the spy stuff Mike does on this show actually works. Which reminds me: Can youmake a bug from a cell phone?
So what did you guys think about last night’s episode? Do you stilllike the split narrative (Carla on one side, Mike’s jobs on the other)or would you prefer one plot? Getting annoyed with Madeline, or stilllove her like I do? Any guesses as to who Carla is and whom she mightwork for? Discuss!
Comments (1-30) of 46 Add your comment
I don’t know about the check forging, but the death by nitrogen suffocation is legit. You’re not supposed to transport liquid nitrogen in passenger elevators in case there is a leak in the container and/or the elevator get stuck. Nitrogen gas in a confined space just like on the show.
I love this show, but sometimes I worry that it will teach, or atleast give ideas, kids or idiots to mess around with explosives and criminal activities.
They leave out one important element to most of the stuff Mike “teaches” us. That way they are just educating us to become master criminals. Anyway, I love Tricia Helfer but I hate Carla! I want more Fi in my episodes. More Fi and more Sam please.
Cant believe you didn’t mention the hilarious character Michael came up with to meet the new forger. That was the best part! Those satin jackets! Ha
Mel: You are so right. I love when he held up the two cards to his eyes and was looking through them like glasses!
Love the show but when will Nate be back???
I like all 4 main characters; need more scenes w/them. Can’t wait til Mike puts Carla in her place like he’s done all the rest. Need the Mythbusters to do a show on their gadgets, etc.
Really enjoying the whole push and pull with Carla. She tried to put Michael in his place last night, but I have a feeling we’re going to see just how far they’re both willing to bend for the other. (And seriously, if she messes with his mom, I have a feeling she’ll meet a much worse fate than being tossed in the trunk of a car)
LOVE THIS SHOW! I like how the explore the different plotlines in each episode, so I don’t mind that. I was a little miffed that there wasn’t much Sam and Fi in this past ep (and hardly and Michael and Fi together). Hopefully that was just a one-episode mistake! Without the supporting characters, this show isn’t half as good.
Carla is a good foil for Michael. I expect there to be an intense relationship in more ways than one. Then we’ll have a jealous Fi on our hands, and that will be explosive (most likely literally!).
Mom needs to stay in the picture…loved the therapy angle!
All in all, best show on TV. I’m always so mad when the hour is over!
Michael needs to get Carla out of the way, off the show or just plain send her to the middle east. Either way she has too much time on this show. Please bring the best out of Fiona and give her the time. Carla sucks!
Where, o where did Fiona’s accent go?
I really enjoyed the 1st season, I liked the connection between Michael and Fiona, I liked the closeness of Mchael and Sam, and I liked how they were helping people on there own terms!! I dont like Carla, I dont like the fact that Michael is being made to do these things for carla, and i dont like the lack of closeness between Michael, Fiona and Sam. I reall dont like the fact that Fiona is being cut out of the show and the fact she wants to end the crazy relationship with Michael. So far, I am not impressed with this season. The 1st season was the best new show i had ever seen, I loved it. This season as of right now is turning out to be a show i dont want to watch.
The show was good as usual. I don’t think Carla is nearly as attractive as Fiona.
Loved It!!!. I would like to see Fi take care of Carla. That should be a great fight. Also, The show wouldn’t be the same without Madeline. I love that charecter
LOved it!! Love anythong about Twilight. Edward looks hot and Bella is a prefect choice. Can’t wait for Breaking Dawn, Can’t wait for twilight the movie and I am waiting breathlessly for Midnight Sun.
I would like to see more of Fiona! I love Michael, his mom and Sam too. Carla is a little annoying as she is supposed to be so tough, but she has NOTHING on Fiona. I’d like to see more of her character in this show. Her surprising toughness is soo cool.
And, by the way, where has Jeffrey Donovan been all this time?!! And Sam and Fiona? I looked them all up on the Internet. They are like treasures that have been hidden. I’ve got Michael’s (Jeffrey’s) picture printed out in black and white on my desk because it makes me smile! I can’t wait until the day there is a “Burn Notice” marathon day!
I don’t think Carla is attractive, her teeth are fugly, very white, but not pretty. Men are such idiots–if the woman has a nice body, they don’t look north of the neck. And I don’t think her acting is that stellar either–her ‘trying to look clever and coy at the same time’ looks are lame.
Fi’s accent went by the by because according to the producers, it didn’t fare well in their focus groups. IDIOTS. Pander to the lowest common denominator will never produce quality shows.
I also read that the producers/writers leave out on key element when Michael is teaching us his nifty tricks.
Sophie did not handle her glock like a pro, it took Michael 2.3 seconds to wrest it from her hands.
But I will agree that she wasn’t as helpless as the usual clientele. Plus having a DEA agent come to them for help added extra dimension to repertoire.
I think the yogurt exchange between Michael and Fi was interesting–she didn’t take his spoonful but dug in the container herself-then his peewee reaction..?
Janis, if you want more Jeffrey Donovan then check out Touch of Evil. I think you can watch the episodes on youtube. That was such a great show and that’s when I started to like him. I know that the woman who plays Fiona was in The Tudors for while, I don’t think she’s on it anymore (I never saw it) and of course Bruce Campbell (Sam) is in everything from The Evil Dead movies to Xena Warrior Princess. And Michael’s mom was in a bunch of shows as well. Great casting, great show! I’m glad it’s getting more fans
Wasn’t the nitrogen murder also done on CSI and reproduced in the little box? Lady on couch died when fireplace leaked. Or am I nuts?
Aubry-thanks for responding to my comment! That’s so cool. Love the recap. The glasses part was hilarious. He did a funny dialect for those scenes also can’t put my finger on it though.
I enjoyed it, but I think they’re making Carla up to be too evil. If she can get to anyone, anytime, that doesn’t make her much of a character, she’s just an evil taskmaster, threatening to kill Michael’s mom if he doesn’t get his way. That’s TOO evil.
http://www.reidaboutit.com
Not crazy about the split episodes. It seemed disjointed to me, but maybe it is something I just have to get used to. But did anyone else think it was just a little too easy to get Campos to turn on his number one guy? Sometimes, I think it would be nice if Michael actually faced a challenge.
Also, I read an article where the show has some guy who makes certain that everything Michael builds will actually work. Then he teaches it to Jeffrey Donovan/Michael how to build it but faster. Wish I could recall where I read that.
to Jen in WI……Carla’s teeth were bugging me as well. I didn’t say it in my earlier comment but I’m glad someone else noticed. I couldn’t stop staring at them.
Burn Notice is one of the few series I watch faithfully and I’m afraid that it is going to suffer the same fate as my other favorite “Heros”. Why do writers/producers always feel that they have to one up a successful first season? Burn Notice had a very successful chemistry in season 1 and instead of trying to improve it, they should be using the same formula. The first two shows have had way too many story lines for a 60 minute show. Burn Notice needs to go back to its very successful roots.
With that said, I have not and will not miss an episode.
Absolutely Love Burn Notice. I am enjoying this season, but, I agree, Carla has got to go. I enjoy watching Michale wrestle with his love of his old life and the enjoyment with his new one. It almost seems as if he wants his old life back because it’s easier and familiar. I’m enjoying watching this play out. I feel that Carla is too mysterious and too, I guess, evil, for lack of a better word. It kind of falls flat if we don’t know who she’s working for. Just a little hint would be nice, otherwise it just seems tired.
Agree with the dynamic between Michael, Sam, and Fi. The show definitely needs more of it.
great show but this new season is not as much fun. i think Carla from BG is one fantastic actress but the writers do not make her as interesting as the character of 6 in BG where the writers do that successfully.
and i think Fiona is not used enough. hell she should have her own show.
There is a MAJOR part of the show’s premise I just don’t understand. From what we’ve been told, Michael works for someone(at some level) in the Government, right? SOMEONE(at some level above him) BURNED him into “retirement”. Yet, someone ELSE(Carla) at another level(?) is FORCING him to do some BAD things?
QUESTION : WHY doesn’t Michael contact a person HIGHER in the Government chain to ASK why he was “retired” AND to let them KNOW that he is STILL being USED by Carla for her personal gain???
Thanks to ANYBODY that can clear some of this up!!
Micheal USE to work for the government as a contractor, he wasn’t actually a gov’t employee. He was burned, so nobody is willing to talk to him with in the gov’t b/c they believe he is compromised. Carla works for someone powerful, but not necessarily someone for the US gov’t, just some sort of intelligence agency, whether a foreign gov’t or independent agency is not clear. That’s what Micheal & Co is trying to find out.