"BURN NOTICE: SEASON TWO"
Blu-Ray Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Jeffrey Donovan as MICHAEL WESTEN Gabrielle Anwar as FIONA GLENANNE Bruce Campbell as SAM AXE Sharon Gless as MADELINE WESTEN Tricia Helfer as CARLA Michael Shanks as VICTOR Not Rated Studio: FOX Created by: Matt Nix Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) has been burned by his CIA contacts. In other words, he’s been dumped in the city of Miami with no job, no money and no hope for the future. By taking odd jobs and helping people in danger, Michael makes some cash so he can uncover the mystery of who burned him. In the second season, he continues his partnership with ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) and former FBI snitch Sam (Bruce Campbell), at the same time trying to keep his mother (Sharon Gless) happy.
WHAT I LIKED
The first season of “Burn Notice” sneaked up on me. I didn’t watch it in its original broadcast run but did see it on DVD. While the first season had a bit of a rocky start as they smoothed out the problems in the pilot, the second season has really taken off.
“Burn Notice” is basically a retooling of the old series “The Fall Guy,” which featured Lee Majors as a stunt man who took bounty hunting jobs to make ends meet. Similarly, Michael Westen helps people out on a week-to-week basis. However, part of the charm of “Burn Notice” is the chase for Michael to find out who burned him.
In this season, Michael gets closer to those who have burned him, a trail which leads him to the mysterious Carla (BSG’s sizzling hot Tricia Helfer) and a rogue agent named Victor (Michael Shanks of “Stargate” fame). The season is paced rather well, offering small victories on Michael’s part in tracking down who burned him. By the end, there’s a payoff, but also an excellent lead-in for the third season, currently in its broadcast run.
Jeffrey Donovan embodies the role of Michael Westen very well, giving us a smart character who has tons of experience. Donovan is able to play the many different characters-within-a-character to pull off his heists and ruses. Bruce Campbell plays the goofball perfectly, and Sam’s loyalties to Michael have grown over the year. Also, Gabrielle Anwar looks great as Fiona, and she is also given a little bit of room to stretch her character in one episode in which they have to save a child.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
In general, “Burn Notice” is a relatively light and fluffy show, which is a feat for television considering the relatively heavy subject matter that includes kidnapping, murder and sexual slavery. Sometimes the stories get a little over-the-top, and Jeffrey Donovan takes his acting a little too far, depending on the character he plays.
The only real wrinkle (no pun intended) in the series is Sharon Gless as Michael’s mother. I understand the concept of the overbearing mother who forgives all family members no matter what they’ve done. Hell, I’ve known quite a few of these mothers myself over the years. But that doesn’t stop her from getting on my nerves.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray set includes all 16 episodes on three disc, which include at least one audio commentary per disc. The special features are broken up among the discs to match them with their appropriate episodes. Most of the episodes include deleted scenes on their respective discs, and there’s a pretty funny (although a bit long) gag reel on the final disc.
Series creator Matt Nix is spotlighted on the tenth episode, “Do No Harm,” which also features his son in the role.
Not every television show is worthy of a Blu-ray release. However, “Burn Notice” is definitely worthy. As one of the new cinematic shows I’ve enjoyed over the years (which include “Lost,” “24” and “Battlestar Galactica”), “Burn Notice” looks even better on Blu-ray. The shots of Miami looks crisp, and the cinematography pops like few other shows do. And all the girls walking around in bikinis is a plus in high-definition as well.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who like a good spy show.
