Burn Notice

Michael: (voice-over) In any kind of sabotage operation, the most important thing is keeping your enemy thinking you're on his side. That means selling your story by any means necessary. While it may be painful and unpleasant, nothing sells loyalty like shedding a little blood for the cause.

Michael: (voice-over) There's a cold math to hostage-taking. Once someone dies, things get worse quickly. Because the penalty for killing one hostage is pretty much the same as the penalty for killing all of them. The key is keeping that first person alive... even if you have to bruise a few ribs to do it.

Michael: (voice-over) There's nothing quite like the feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when you begin to suspect your intelligence on an operation may have been wrong. Once you're in, though, there's not much you can do but keep your eyes open and figure out just how bad the situation is.

Michael: (voice-over) Businesses often use independent contractors on jobs to contain costs and limit liability. Criminals do the same thing for similar reasons. Someone who just joined the team won't expect an equal cut of whatever you're stealing, and if they don't know your plans, they can't go to the cops.