Burn Notice

Hard Bargain

Season 1, Episode 9, Aired 8/23/07

Episode Summary

A house-sitter's fiancée is kidnapped and held for ransom. Nick, the house-sitter, hires Michael to rescue Dawn, his fiancée.

9.1

EPISODE RATING: Superb

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Cast & Crew

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Gabrielle Anwar

Fiona Glenanne
Bruce Campbell

Sam Axe
Jeffrey Donovan

Michael Westen

Fan Episode Reviews (6)

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Halliburton comparison was interesting.....

6.0

"Fair"

By kyravon, Dec 08, 2011 Report Abuse

I only watch this show occasionally. It's got potential but doesn't really grab me. And the T&A shots in the opening shots of Miami annoy me. I've been to Miami, not everyone walks around in bikinis or looks like they're going clubbing. I don't really like the "Sam" character all that much - but I recognize the need for another chatacter for Weston to play off of. The part about the spy needing to find information while being cut out and revealing tricks of the trade are the reasons I watch.

I've watched the last few episodes out of interest about the "burn notice" but now I'm worried that either 1.) it'll be resolved and there'll be nothing else to do 2.) they'll try to stretch out this one plot point forever. I hope they don't fall into either of these traps.

This episode in particular interested me because of one small passing allusion to Halliburton. (Michael says they should have contacted Halliburton instead). The fact that Michael is passing himself off as a hired mercenary like Halliburton is hiring themselves out to the military in Iraq was an interesting parallel. Obviously this isn't the same case. Halliburton is a warprofiteer - whereas it has been shown repeatedly that while Michael takes these jobs for money - he is more interested in actually helping people than in taking someone's life savings or asking for more than they can afford.

This started me thinking about the fact that Michael has been an intelligence operative in many Arab countries and has been 'burned' not from some act but some political reason from someone high up in the government. This then started me thinking about the Valerie Plame case where she was "outed" as an agent (sort of the same as being 'burned') and could not work again because Cheney/Libby & the neocons wanted revenge for her husband intelligence gathering husband not falling in and supporting the false story about Iraq building weapson of mass destruction.
I doubt this would happen, but if the plotline develops into this sort of exploration of a similar kind of case I would definitely be more interested to watch and would recommend the show to others. A social commentary on our government's current politized "intelligence" gathering would be interesting.
I'm sure I give the show too much credit to be that complex though.

Otherwise the show was about average. I liked seeing an Asian guy cast in what normally would've been a blond Caucasian stoner surfer type, but the plot was kind of silly. I disliked them making Fiona all stereotypically needy (next she'll be talking marriage & biological clocks). I enjoyed the part about the beaurocrat assasin, that advanced the story arc well (who wants him dead & why).
Worth watching for this part.moreless

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ok episode...

7.5

"Good"

By Fwirrel, Dec 08, 2011 Report Abuse

I think I would like this episode more if the house-sitter person wasn't so annoying. Every time he opened his mouth I wanted to shoot him! I did like how it showed how Michael had to deal with incompitent people to get a job done. I liked how the girlfriend was pissed at the house-sitter when she got rescued. I liked the growing development of Fiona and Michael. Their character interactions are halarious! Overall, the story just wasn't that intersting. Also, the guest characters were annoying. . . Just an ok episode which wasn't terrible only because of great star characters.moreless

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Review

9.1

"Superb"

By cavanagh15, Jan 29, 2011 Report Abuse

The episode by episode cases are beginning to take over more and more of the episode. It seems like this show has two scenes that deal with the Burn Notice portion of the plot: The very first scene and one of the closing scenes. That is what this episode was, only it had one tiny little scene thrown in in the middle to set it up. The big case is why we are all watching this show. The big case is what has us coming back from week to week. Going two scenes by two scenes is not cutting it. The show needs to get on track and start having episodes like the middle of the season again where the cases were wtrong, Fiona and Weston had good chemistry, and the main case had a lot more then just a couple of scenes. Overall, the episode was okay but nothing more about it really stood out to me.moreless

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This is the most humanizing episode of the series so far. Michael has to deal with ruthless kidnappers and with a bureaucrat's offer that seems too good to be true. In other words, tread lightly.moreless

9.7

"Superb"

By KJMackley, Sep 14, 2007 Report Abuse

Burn Notice has built up its entire pattern on Michaels skills and professionalism, he knows exactly what he is doing and knows when to take the big chances. This features the most immediate threat he has come across in the series since his gang beating in the opening of the first episode. There isn't Michale working to protect someone, if they don't do things right, the girl will be killed. Everyone is given a nice little moment of true character, with Nick using his ritzy job to pretend he is rich, and Fiona actually showing that she sometimes cares about other people. The episode does a counterpoint tactic, using parallel stories to compare and contrast. The kidnapping story is the story of the week, where Michael does what he does best to save an innocent girlfriend. He does it with his usual charm and steely nerves. Michael throwing the kidanappers cell phone off the roof and then rationalizing with a gun in his face is what this series has based itself on. I especially liked the moment out in the park where Michael is informed that a sniper is trained on him, and he poses for the sniper, showing off his suit and asking if he looks good.
The story with the bureaucrat, Perry, seemed to be mostly the same thing, with Michael using his regular bag of tricks to keep things in his favor. While the ending was not completely unexpected, it was handled in a way that we could relate to his surprise when the situation changed. And the simple fact that he had home field advantage is what kept him from being killed. If anything, it proved that Michael is not completely invincible.
This marks the moment where Burn Notice shows what possibilities it has. Michael could have to deal with future enemies with a similar caliber of skill that he has.moreless

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This week we learn how to find the complacent side of a spy, how to make two more explosive compounds and how great our tolerance for really stupid people is. I was completely unprepared for the ending.moreless

9.0

"Superb"

By YourMomma59, Aug 26, 2007 Report Abuse

I admit it, I had to watch this episode a few times. It didn't really make any sense until the third time around. I attribute this to being spoiled by Aaron Sorkin and Donald Bellisario, two of my favorite writers. The shows I love are full of informational, sometimes down right educational tidbits and the characters are written to grab me and mesmerize me - much the way the first seven episodes of "Burn Notice" was written. The whole "Dude, Where's My Car?" generation didn't come into being until several decades after I became an adult.

My nephew, who's working on his dissertation, relays the following story about having lunch with a professor he worked for. It seems the professor lamented being told by the university he had to dumb down his tests so the bulk of the class would pass instead of teaching them what was required for the course. This week's episode makes the reason why that is necessary crystal clear.

Last week's aneurysm, Thomas McKee, was acceptable. After all, we're talking about Fiona needing someone brainless enough to buy her flirting as genuine, without realizing it was only to make Michael jealous. At least Thomas had some skills - he could cook, he washed his own clothes, he did sweet things for Fiona.

This week? It's why it took me THREE viewings to actually "get" the episode. I couldn't get past Mr. Brain Dead Surfer. The first time I watched the episode, it was just for the pleasure of it. When I couldn't figure out what the heck I had just watched, I broke it down.

I thought maybe the reason the episode didn't catch me immediately was due to the actor playing the surfer being incredibly horrible at his craft. WRONG! Surfer dude is an incredibly intense guy. An intense surfer is probably very good on the waves because his brain isn't filled with a lot of facts - just a love for the ride. The actor stayed true to his intense character for about 99% of the time. (There was one place he smiled that seemed out of character.) Sometimes it was mildly funny, most of the time it was just sad (my opinion only).

Then I thought about the episode as a whole. Fiona is still acting uncharacteristically needy, Michael is still in a bad mood and surfer dude is an idiot. It was also a bit of a stretch trying to believe the kidnapper would reveal his hostage hiding place. I would have rather seen Michael and Sam find that out by themselves. Then came the ending.

The ending was rather dark and disturbing - almost "Touching Evil" dark. I went from wishing I didn't have to see one more minute of surfer dude to wondering how Jeffrey Donovan can make getting choked look so real. The whole assassination scene took me completely by surprise - it took my breath away. Maybe that was the point of stupid surfer dude - to keep me so sick of him I didn't see it coming.

The sudden assassination attempt did make a nice contrast for the beginning and the end of the episode. In the beginning, Michael Westen is somewhat cold when Fiona continues down girlie avenue and tries to get him to tell her if he's gotten her birthday present yet ("for someone who's worked as a professional liar for most of his career, you're not terribly good at it when it counts"). At one point, Michael sarcastically takes her hands in his and swings them back and forth way too fast, making it look like two kids in kindergarten playing "London Bridge Is Falling Down." Finally, when Fi surmises their pray IS actually a bureaucrat, signaling the two no longer need to pretend to be boy and girlfriend out for a walk, Michael physically drops her like a hot potato. It would appear he's either still pissed about her Thomas McKee head game or the fact that she keeps trying to force him into her idea of a relationship. We're never really sure.

The episode ends with a beautiful scene between Michael and Fi sitting on the floor facing one another. She expresses honest concern for the fact he was almost killed as she helps him fix the cabinet door (void the obnoxious girlie "be in a relationship with me" demands). Michael pulls her birthday present out of the bottom drawer next to the cabinet - the 51 Makarov Soviet issue side arm she previously admired. Yes, Michael confirms, it's the same pistol from the mansion.

While Michael shows his appreciation for all Fi does, the scene still doesn't end with any romantic physical gestures (like a "thank you for actually buying me a present I really like" buss on the lips) which is ok with me. It sounds weird coming from my mouth because I'm the biggest cheerleader for lead character romances, but until Fiona gets a clue I'm ok with Michael standing his ground.

As we go into a week without "Burn Notice" due to the US Open, I wonder what affect this assassination attempt will have on Michael. Will he become more pliable or will he fight even harder for his freedom? There are so many issues to consider. We know Audrey Landers, Sam Axe's lovely female benefactor, is a CIA operative. Sam looked pretty good this week. I almost found it hard to believe he was ever out of the spy business. Perhaps helping Michael all these weeks has sharpened his skills.

Or perhaps the CIA is running an investigation into corruption at the NSA and Sam was involved all along. I'd buy it. Look at that schmuck Scooter Libby. He supposedly outed a spy to save the president's rear end from being caught with his hand in the cookie jar and for that favor Bush set him free after he was convicted. The Haliburton joke in the episode was not lost on me. Michael is a good spy. If anyone can make it through the abuses our government has heaped upon it's citizens (and it's employees), Michael Westen would be the one guy who could do it.

I'm also still wondering about Michael's mother. I don't want to go as far as saying there is more going on than meets the eye there, but I get the distinct feeling Michael isn't really looking at the whole picture. It's too uncomfortable for him to research that deeply into his mother's background and like the bureaucrat it may be all that's needed to keep him from ever finding out why he was burned.

This was a nice episode, but I'm already dreading the fact that in in a few weeks "Burn Notice" will be done for the year. There's so much more I want to know about Michael Westen, Same Axe and Fionna Glenanne. Two weeks is too long to wait!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Halliburton is an oil-services company that also provides construction and military support services. Edit
Notes
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- International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Tvrdě za svým (Hard Bargain) Edit
- Original International Air Dates: New Zealand: December 30, 2007 on TV3 Czech Republic: April 9, 2008 on Prima Sweden: April 13, 2008 on TV6 United Kingdom: November 30, 2008 on FX Germany: November 23, 2009 on Vox Slovakia: February 25, 2010 on JOJ Finland: March 29, 2010 on MTV3 Edit
- Although credited, Sharon Gless (Madeline Westen) does not appear in this episode. Edit
Quotes
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- Michael: (voice-over) There's no way to anticipate every danger. You need a backup plan for when things go wrong. That's why home court advantage is so important. Edit
- Michael: (voice-over) If you can't get through a door without attracting attention, the next best thing is to attract a lot of attention. Once everyone is looking at the door wondering what's going on, you can pop in a flash grenade, and they won't see anything for a while. Edit
- Michael: (voice-over) Running a double agent is a relationship; there's a give and take. Mostly take, but sometimes you have to give. Edit
Allusions
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- Sam: I said I was a freelance, super hero, Robin Hood type of guy. Referencing three of Bruce Campbell's previous works, Jack of all Trades, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. Edit