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Burn Notice - Season One
Availability:
In Stock
Price:
$49.98
$20.97*
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| Part No: | B0015RRNMA |
| Manufacturer: | 20th Century Fox |
| MFG Part: | 024543519317 |
| Customer Rating: | 4.5 / 5.0 |
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After suddenly being kicked out of his job as a government contract spy, Michael Weston returns to his home town of Miami to figure out who is behind
Burn Notice is a canny, clever comedy-thriller show about a covert operative with a heart of gold. Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) is in the middle of a top-secret mission when he discovers he's been "burned"--basically, fired without warning. After barely extricating himself from danger, he wakes up in Miami, where the government has abandoned him and locked him out of his own bank account. To make ends meet, he takes on private detective jobs (helping an old lady who's fallen victim to a con artist; rescuing a young girl who's being tricked into white slavery; helping a mother whose son has been kidnapped by the boy's father... only it turns out the father is the rightful parent and the "mom" is an assassin sent to kill him--a nice guest star appearance by Lucy Lawless, Xena: Warrior Princess), while trying to figure out who burned him and why. Westen tries to remain clinical in his approach to these problems, but he always ends up protecting the helpless with his sophisticated spy skills. Over the course of the first season, he gradually uncovers a mysterious conspiracy that plans to use his talents for their own nefarious ends. Burn Notice deftly mixes the old and the new. The old: Our hero has a hot ex-girlfriend (Gabrielle Anwar, Scent of a Woman), a goofy sidekick (cult hero Bruce Campbell of the Evil Dead movies), and a meddling mom (Sharon Gless, Cagney & Lacey) who help and hinder him in his investigations, as well as a MacGyver-esque skill for making deadly devices out of common household products. The new: A media-savvy way of deconstructing the tricks and techniques of spies and government agencies, often resulting in smart and highly entertaining plot twists. Donovan, handsome but cheeky, combines a light comic touch with a convincing secret agent cool, and the supporting cast fill their niches with aplomb. Their escapades are pretty breezy and occasionally skirt being glib, but most of the time the show finds an extremely entertaining balance between action, romance, and humor. The extras are few (some montages of characteristic moments from the series, including one of the many bikini-clad girls the Miami locale provides) and the commentaries, rather than covering entire episodes, just discuss a few select scenes from each show. Fortunately, the series itself holds up; imagine a cross between Magnum, P.I. and The Wild Wild West (the classic series, not the insulting Will Smith movie) and you're on the right track. -- Bret Fetzer
Stills from Burn Notice (Click for larger image)
| I Love To Be Burned | 2010-08-23 | 5 / 5 |
| This is a character show. If it wasn't for the perfect casting and the outstanding writing this would just be another regurgitated action show.
The first season the storylines weren't always that original, but the writing, acting, action, music, sets, and locations were top notch. I really can't praise this show enough. It just resonated with me at a time I needed some fun, solid entertainment.
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| Decent show | 2010-07-26 | 3 / 5 |
| I like the show, but wouldn't watch it without the DVDs. I may try the second season.
The biggest downside is the writing. It just isn't quite as perfect as other outstanding shows on television right now. One show that is similar but a step above Burn Notice is the new series, The Glades on A&E. Better writing make it a better viewing experience. If you like The Glades, you may like Burn Notice, but don't expect Burn Notice to blow you away. |
| Most Entertaining (i.e. best) series since Dallas! | 2010-07-22 | 5 / 5 |
| Seemingly out of nowhere I discovered this gem of a tv-series. I guess I have not been engaged in a series save Seinfeld since Dallas and via the internet I discover "Burn Notice" already into it's fourth season. I am quickly correcting this "wrong" and am just finishing the third season. Simply stated, for this viewer, it's the best series on tv currently and the best since Dallas IMHO.
Where to start? Well, a good story and "Burn Notice" has one: a black-listed super spy dumped without any reason in the middle of a sensitive deal with African bad guys. Michael Westen, our super spy, is curious and I am too. He ends up in Miami with all assets frozen and only his fierly ex-girlfriend, and spy, the beautiful Fiona. Scrambling to get on his feet, to find out "what the hell happened, and just get by becomes his everyday life...Until, he can get his old life back. In a nutshell, this is our story.
Truth be told this could easily have been a one-season fantastic show (think: "My Own Worst Enemy"), but the story, the cast, the actual mechanism of using the clever "voice-over" technique, and the sly ever present humor have all come together to build an audience that absolutely, like me, craves this show. Sure, it can only help that the backdrop is the very hip Miami Beach area where most of the action takes place.
What makes this show tick and continue, in spite of the commonality of many episodes, might just be the tremendous chemistry of the cast and the changing dynamics between the characters. It's hard to notice that the writers are not as constrained as in past similar shows as the weaving in of gritty realistic darkness sometimes quite abruptly serves as as notice it is not a simplistic comedy. There is some heavy handed morality issues rearing at regular intervals which serves to keep an "edge" to the whole affair. The writing really serves to still guide the entire proceedings and, actually, not the characters who are very strong and who invest the viewer, but with the caveat that the stories dictate. This is in no way a simple, one dimensional, tv show and I, for one, am absolutely hooked. There is so much more, like the excellent use and explanation of technolgy. Is the use of the technology on the level? Well, I can't say as I care because the way it's presented it very palatble and believable within the knowledge of this being a fictional representation of spy vs. spy.
If anything I may have said seems interesting to you I think you have only one option: Get the first season DVD from and be your own judge. You could waste alot more money going to the theater and hoping to see something as good yet hardly ever feeling you got your money's worth! |
| Satisfied. | 2010-07-18 | 4 / 5 |
| | Great quality, cost effective and got in time. One word would summarized the whole process... Trust. |
| For my money, the best show on TV right now | 2010-07-15 | 5 / 5 |
| Burn Notice manages to blend spy thrillers and cinematic action with down-to-earth realism. Michael Westen isn't James Bond or Jason Bourne -- as he says in the very first episode, "Guns make you stupid. Better to fight your wars with duct tape. Duct tape makes you smart," just before he gets past an armored door using a stud finder and a roll of duct tape. Like a cool MacGuyver without the bad hair, Michael wins by out-thinking and out-planning his foes, not just by beating them up and shooting them (though there's plenty of that, too). And his running internal narration fills the audience in on WHY he's doing what he's doing. Yes, you too can turn a cell phone into an audio bug, and here's how!
The cast fits together like a glove and with amazing chemistry. His ex-girlfriend (and former IRA terrorist) Fionna adds impulsiveness and anger to the group, while his ex-military friend Sam (played by the amazing Bruce Campbell) alternates between the voice of reason and a hook for some skirt-chasing humor. The interplay and developing relationship between Michael and his mom (who swings between helping the crew -- sometimes even saving the day -- and being a serious thorn in Michael's side) is realistic and fun to watch. The relationships between all of the characters (but especially the one between Michael and his mom) grow and develop as the series goes on, which is one of the best reasons for watching it.
On each episode, someone comes to the team for help with a problem no one else can take care of (A-Team style). While the group is dealing with that, the overall "season plot" gets advanced a bit. In Season One, Michael is just trying to figure out who burned him and why. In Season Two, Michael is trying to get out from under their thumb. In Season Three, Michael has lost his protection and has deal with "real life" in the form of prying cops and old enemies. In Season Four, Michael has a broader view of what's going on, and is trying to stop a dangerous conspiracy. The "story arc" for each season is always advanced -- sometimes a little, sometimes a lot -- so you never feel like a show was just a throwaway they tossed together.
If you're not into Burn Notice, check it out, Thursdays at 9 on USA. If you are a fan, then what are you waiting for? Get this DVD set! The show is amazing! |
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