Michael and the team help rescue a boy from a private militia.
I like it when Burn Notice shows the less exciting side of being a spy. As long as it doesn’t happen in every episode, I think it’s effective to display how surveillance can be a drag. It’s even better when that scene is buttoned with a hilarious getaway.
What I don’t like is cases that involve kids. They always end up being sappy and include some ham-fisted metaphor that references Michael’s (Jeffrey Donovan) relationship with his own father. A storyline about a guy who goes militia because his brother died? Sounds good. That guy kidnapping his own son as a way to defy the government? Not so much.
I am a big fan of W. Earl Brown. He was my favorite actor on Deadwood and I wish he would work more. It’s very easy to become a stereotype when playing an anti-government extremist, but Brown played the role with just enough sinister paranoia and hypocrisy that he was equal parts scary and ridiculous.
I also enjoyed the performance of Jay R. Ferguson as John. He clearly wasn’t a nutjob out to take down the “gubmint.” He was a concerned and troubled guy trying to make sense of what happened to his brother and he truly thought he was doing the right thing for his kid. With a storyline like this that seems a little familiar, it’s the performances that keep it interesting.
It’s always interesting when things go wrong like Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) being discovered under the tanker because it leads to an unexpected course of action. In this case, Zecheriah’s listening in allowed the team to set him up and get the kid. A plan that made way more sense than sneaking him out under everyone’s noses.
My only real criticism of this episode is that I wish there was more Jacob (Charlie Weber) stuff. I’m eager to find out who’s responsible for the death of Grant Show.
Some stats and info about Burn Notice, “Besieged”
TV SHOW – Burn Notice
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 5, Episode 7
AIRED ON – August 4th, 2011
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – USA/Hulu
GENRE – Drama, Comedy, Spy Shows, Action Shows
CREATED BY – Matt Nix
CAST – Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, Coby Bell
This review originally appeared on TV Geek Army.