That hacking scene in Burn Notice was execrable. I'm not entirely sure how they *all* happened to combine to do something so awful. Script, acting, premise--perfect storm of appalling.

Swordfish, move over.

SUITS!

God, I wasn't expecting that to hurt that way.

So, Graceland--when did you work out who Odin was?

It seems Burn Notice wanted to leave no curtains behind on their way out.

"Oh, Michael! Can I trust you, the most perfect of all spies ever, so perfect that your own team cast you aside for outshining them with your pure heart and infallible skills and devoted friends? You're so perfect, you'd never lie to me! NO ONE LIES TO THE PYPER-FERGUSON HAIR OF SKEEZE. Join us, brother..."

Yeah, no flaw with that plan, no overacting required.

I have no idea what the end game is at this point. I feel a little bit more confident now that I know there is one, and I'm sure at some point they'll cover that information in short sentences when I'm not rolling my eyes at something else.

I wish I felt they were doing Mama Westin fair. Here's a woman that doesn't seem to have protected at least one son from pretty egregious physical abuse, and who good-intention-stumbles into fucking their plans up. So, since Michael clearly learnt the core of spycraft from his dad, Mom's got nothing to offer but tea.

I mean, of course she's not a highly trained spy and shouldn't be relied upon in life or death situations with physical peril. But somehow they manage to have her flub up in ways that make her look stupid, not expectedly out of her depth. DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT MICHAEL. Come on.

What annoyed me from the first episode about "Burn Notice" were the lectures about spycraft, which sounded like bullshit to me. I'm sure some of what they said was coincidentally true, because that is always likely with extended bullshit, which is indifferent to truth of falsity. At any rate, the "spycraft" annoyed me so much I never got into the show. I gather that is not the only annoying t hing about the show. And no doubt it has its virtues. Just one of those irrational things where a particular minor annoyance kept me from every weighing overall pros and cons.

Burn Notice was one of those shows that I watched without being into. I don't really like any of the characters other than his mother, and she gets the stupid ball handed to her way more than makes sense. Michael is not as perfect as the text says, and the slow burn of hooking back up with one of TV's least convincing badass women (who spent the start of the series whining and overstepping ex-girlfriend status (she's now dating someone else, but threw a fit at Michael for sleeping with someone as part of a con-I don't get spy sex morality, clearly--they should have a speechover about that)). And I don't love Bruce Campbell as much as people are supposed to.

But, I kept watching casually because...action??

I don't know how much of the spycraft "tips" were bullshit or not--I just know when they got near anything I knew about, the level of smugness in the tone wasn't quite warranted.

Grabbed an ep of King & Maxwell because Kane is on it. As is Dichen Lachman, it seems, in a more regular role. I often forget that CK isn't part of the Jossian cohort like many of the co-stars.

As is Dichen Lachman, it seems, in a more regular role.

Rain check.

I'm sorry?

I always liked the spycraft tips in Burn Notice, not really caring if they were in any way accurate. Vaguely Macgyverish is good enough for me. They've been less fun the last couple of seasons or so, though.

Did you see Michael being the bestest little spy ever thanks to abuse from his father?

I wanted to stand up and yell "THIS IS NOT JOHN WINCHESTER. IF IT HAD BEEN, WE'D HAVE BEEN TOLD. THIS IS WHAT THE THING YOU'RE WRITING HIM AS LOOKS LIKE."

Don't know how often it translates into immunity from head games and shitloads of drugs, but enh.