Burn Notice "Trust Me" (2008)

No Carla and assignment from the new bosses this week but Michael spends his free time wisely checking up the tidbit of information he was able to obtain about Carla last week. Michael plans to extort her file from a Pakistani intelligence office currently in Miami while the gang also sets out to help their new client who was taken by a con artist for $200,000 and now is in debt to a loan shark. Another con artist to take down? Didn't our gang deal with people like this last season? In fact it was the second episode of the season and here we are three episodes into season two and another one pops up. This year though the team goes about taking him down from a different angle and instead of playing a fellow con artist, Michael takes on the role of a too good to be true mark. I mus say that the Charles Finley persona of Sam's is becoming one of my favorite aliases. Like Art Vandelay in Seinfeld, I hope it continues to pop up every so often. Sam as a sensible businessman is a great role for him to play and it gives him a chance to dress in a suit which he would probably never wear under any other circumstances.

It seems Michael and Madeline have made a peace of sorts as they have moved away from her trying to trick her son to come over and visit her although they both still make excuses, they are quite flimsy and transparent. It makes sense considering she's now the person Michael can confide the most in since he and Fiona have called it quits. Even though her son will visit more willingly now, it doesn't stop her from wanting to discuss the issues he would rather be left alone. Once Michael lets it slip that he and Fiona are no longer together (they were never a couple according to him) Madeline immediately wants to know what happened and whether or not it can be fixed. Getting no answers from Michael (oh, big surprise) Mama Westen decides to go to the only other person who can shed light on the situation and arranges some alone time with Fiona.

Madelina and Fiona's talk was a nice little moment between the two characters as we discover that Fiona will never be able to completely bury the feelings she has for Michael and probably is still very much in love with him, but she cannot play second fiddle to his burn notice. Madeline is understanding as she was always second to her husband as well. Madeline maintains hope that the two of them will work it out however since she can tell Michael cares more for her than he will ever let on. She also worries about him being alone and wants him to have a family of his own. Maybe this new Fiona/Michael dynamic works better than last season's after all. It forces Michael to confront his feelings rather than letting him bask in the non-commitment relationship. It's also nice to see he does care for her as his minor jealousy at the club when Fiona goes to make her move on Zeke (Patrick Fabian) has him shouting for her not to work too hard. He also averts his eyes when Fiona kisses Zeke so she can lift the key card to his office.

Just quick to point out too that I was looking forward to this episode just based on the preview which had Sam shooting at a car with a machine gun and having it blow up and then cutting to Fiona saying they should do this more often. I thought we would get another Sam/Fiona teamwork subplot but alas it was a simple little scene to put one over on the con artists. Still the shot of Sam in his suit with that gun and firing is an iconic image. Another quick note, I think this is the first time the people Michael takes down don't either flee the state or get carted off to jail. They're still in Miami as far as we know and it has me wondering if Michael will ever experience any blow back from one of his side missions.

Favorite moment: It proves just how much the two of them should be together when both Michael and Fiona deduce what happened to Andy (Michael Naughton) at the same time. The similar body language and knowing looks to one another only highlight how alike the two of them are and how they were made for one another. Even with the romantic angle on ice for the time being, the two share an undeniable chemistry that will never be buried under platonic oaths. Thinking of how they got together last season, I think it will pale in comparison to when Michael finally admits his feelings to Fiona which is certain to occur sometime in the future of the series.