Burn Notice

Michael: Larry. Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're dead. Larry: Okay, you're wrong. Just don't tell my ex-wife.

Sam: (about Larry) Just checking in? He's got a weird thing for you. Michael: It's because he doesn't have any friends. Sam: That's because he killed most of them, Mike.

Michael: (voice-over) It doesn't matter if you're trying to take out a moped or a dump truck, every vehicle has three areas of vulnerability: the driver, the engine and the tires. A can of paint across the windshield could blind the driver, a 50mm cannon could kill the engine, but neither will guarantee the truck won't swirl into oncoming traffic. But if you force a vehicle's front tires off the road, you drastically diminish its maneuverability. That way it can't swirl. Of course, getting a dump truck's tires off the ground is even more difficult than it sounds. And hell of a lot more dangerous.

Michael: (voice-over) Black bag missions are often broken into separate parts: operatives are given discreet tasks to ensure secrecy. They are like jigsaw pieces, and you never know if any of the ones you're given are from the same puzzle. But if you can get your hands on a corner piece, the part where the puzzle starts to take shape, sometimes you realize all your pieces fit together.

Michael: (voice-over) Spend a career in covert ops and you're going to know some bad people. You'll work with them, you'll live with them, you might even trust your life with them. But none of that makes them your friend. It can't. Because one day, you might have to end them.

Michael: (voice-over) Staging a fake death and a believable emergency response is almost impossible on a budget. One lone ambulance isn't going to sell it. So unless you happen to have a fleet of fire and rescue vehicles, uniforms and a dozen actors you trust, you really do have to call 911. You just have to have called your people first.

Michael: (voice-over) Cell phone jammers emit radio waves at the same frequency as commercial cellphones. They are useful when you really want to make sure someone stays out of touch.

Michael: (voice-over) When a pro plans an ambush they capitalize on the element of surprise. They attack aggressively, so their opponent has to react from a place of weakness. An amateur on the other hand is more likely to take a defensive posture, which means they are the one acting from a place of weakness.

Michael: (voice-over) Covert operatives try to avoid assuming other people's identities whenever possible. There's just too many pitfalls when you're dealing with someone your new identity has corresponded with; what have they said, what have they been told, what have they agreed to. Of course it helps if the person you're deceiving is terrified of the person you're pretending to be.

Michael: (voice-over) Work long enough in covert ops, and you're bound to be offered some pretty nasty assignments. When a bad job comes along, you have two choices, and neither is very appealing; you can pass and watch the op go down, or you can take the job and make sure the op gets blown.

Michael: (voice-over) Laundry bluing is a synthetic dye that dry cleaners use by the thimble and covert operatives go through by the bottle. It blots out secrets and works like a poor man's dye pack, staining anyone who digs through your trash.

Michael: (voice-over) The garbage someone leaves on the curb can often tell you more than a face to face conversation. Shredded documents in the trash used to be a strong indicator that someone had a secret; but nowadays everybody and their mother shreds bills to prevent identity theft.

Michael: (voice-over) Spies make great neighbors; they're polite, they keep the lawn trim, and they never crank up the music at night. They don't stand out, because they don't want to be found. So if you're hunting for a covert operative, and all you've got to go on are the names of a few dozens suspects, you're out of luck. Unless you know where to look.

(Michael and Campbell, Fiona's boyfriend, are meeting for the first time.) Campbell: Fiona tells me you're a soil scientist. Michael: Yes, yes, I love my dirt.

Jeannie: Who are you? Michael: I'm Michael. I'm here because someone was hired to kill you. Jeannie: Who? Michael: Me.

Madeline: Do you have any idea how hard it is to have an honest exchange with you when you're withholding like this? Michael: You been reading a book or something? Madeline: I'm seeing a counselor, Michael. And he's pretty sure you're the one who has the problems. Michael: So you're actually here twisting my arm until I go to counseling. That's honest.