As I sat through another enjoyable episode of Burn Notice last night, the same question that rattles around my noggin during every other installment was beating its little fists of fury against the sides of my skull at a more feverish pace than usual.
WHAT THE FUCK IS THE END GAME TO THIS SHOW?!
Simple answer: Michael Westen finds out who toasted him and gets his vengeance, then either goes back to being a globetrotting international spy, or settles down in a nice two bedroom ranch house with the lovely Fiona. I’m cool with whichever outcome the scribes choose, but at some point they might want to display legitimate forward progress in the central storyline. If not, it’s soon going to lose its signature steam and die a slow, painful death, like another series I once adored, Nip/Tuck.
I’m not suggesting the Burn creators haven’t mapped out what finally becomes of Mikey, Fi, Sam and Maddie. I sincerely hope they know exactly what they’re doing, unlike say, the jackasses in charge of Lost. I won’t venture down the Lost path because we’d be here for another 2000 words at least. No one wants that, least of all me. I’m tired and wanna go to bed.
So, I posed the query earlier: what is the end game? Who is the man behind the curtain pulling the strings and pushing the buttons in Mikey’s life? If you’ve read my previous pontifications you know I’m of the belief that Mike’s father is integral to the heartbeat of the show. He often pops up in conversations between Michael and Maddie. Last night was no exception.
Turns out the elder Westen had a false wall in one of the house closets which stored all his “secretive” gear, including the City Inspector shirt he used to wear to help borrow steal shit. Of course, Mikey didn’t know it existed. Just like he didn’t know daddy dearest rewired the family car as if it was a “guided missile system.”
I realize I keep beating the papa is the problem drum, but I can’t help but think the guy is somehow involved in what happened to his kid. The evidence against him piles higher as the series evolves. Maybe he did it to help Mike, or maybe he did it to screw him. I dunno.
I mean what the hell did our favorite spy do to get himself tossed out into the cold anyway? Considering the company he’s been keeping for three seasons, you’d have to assume it was pretty damn heinous. The more rungs he climbs up the covert ladder the more ruthless the enemies. This Gilroy dude looks to be as hardcore as they come. Who’s next? Darth Vader? Hannibal Lecter? The Joker? I’m at a loss.
Clacked by Scott Tunstall 
on Feb 05, 2010 @ 10:00 EST5EDT
