Whether you are an action junkie, spy aficionado, buddy banter, or relationship fan, you can’t do better than USA Network’s Burn Notice series. And the DVD for Burn Notice: Season 4 continues Michael Weston’s quest to uncover and destroy the people responsible for his burn notice and to ultimately, get his life back as a government agent/spy. The latter goal fuels much of the conflict between Michael and Fiona this season.
Also, in this season, a new character is added to the team: Jesse, played by Coby Bell (The Game, Third Watch). During the season opener, Michael inadvertently does to Jesse what has been done to him: burns him. Jesse’s only hope to get his life back is to work with Michael, who is determined to rectify destroying Jesse’s career. However, Michael’s decision to not tell Jesse the truth about his burn notice does not sit well with Michael’s friends and causes deep harm when Jesse does find out.
Unexpectedly (because I’m an action junkie and buddy banter person), my favorite character here has always been Madeline, played by Sharon Gless. This season, TPTB recognized even more the asset they have in Sharon Gless as they have her getting more involved in Michael’s cases. Indeed, my favorite line from this season comes when Madeline is telling Michael that he’d better make sure nothing happens to his brother Nate (Seth Petersen) or she will put her cigarette out in his eye. Whoa! Not something you’d expect from her even in her fiercest mama bear mode, but very effectively handled by Ms. Gless.
Burn Notice and White Collar Roast Each Other
Notwithstanding the above, what sells me on buying a DVD is the extras. In particular, I wanted to review these extras because of the brilliant idea to have two of my favorite shows roasting each other. In mirror image, you have the writing staff of Burn Notice saying why their scripts, characters, setups, costumes, and actors are better than those of White Collar. And you have the writing staff of White Collar doing the same about Burn Notice. But in both cases, it’s done with humor and love, so you can just sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s obvious that they are as much fans of each other’s shows as we are.
White Collar Pilot
Which is why I found it amusing that another extra is the White Collar pilot. I can’t imagine that there are many fans of Burn Notice who would be unaware of White Collar. I suspect most are fans of both, and as such, already have the first season of White Collar. But if you haven’t seen it, this is one of the best episodic pilots ever.
Sam Axe’s Guide to Women and Libations
The title is self-explanatory. My favorite part was learning that Sam doesn’t drink during missions, only the planning stages, and Bruce sleeping only with his wife of 20 years, despite the lothario he plays.
Best Laid Plans: Stunts on Burn Notice
This extra is not only fun, but different from the usual documentary-style extras. On screen, the cast and Matt Nix are sitting on chairs on a makeshift stage in the garden of a Miami hotel, apparently on a conference call with advertisers at NAPTE on 1-24-11. Stunt scenes intercut with Matt talking. Then while Matt is still talking, stunt guys come out and fight behind him. My favorite part is when Gabrielle gets off her chair and bonks the stunt guy on the head. For the stunt finale, the stunt guys explode a grenade in front of their audience.
Another extra is a gag reel. My favorite part of that is Jeffrey playing with Bruce doll (he calls it a Bruce doll, not Sam doll) and Sam/Bruce telling ‘someone’ to get his hand off his neck.
Drawbacks
There are deleted scenes from only 6 episodes. I find it difficult to believe only six episodes of the season ran over time so they had to cut them.
And there was only one commentary … on the last episode of the season. Creator Matt Nix, Jeffrey Donovan, Coby Bell, guest-star Robert Wisdom, and writer Alfredo Barrios, Jr. shared their insights. I realize that nobody gets paid extra to do these commentaries, but I enjoy them and having them on a DVD always factors into whether I’m going to buy it or not.
Still, Burn Notice: Season 4 DVD is well worth the money. It’s a fun ride which won’t let you down. It is distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Crystal Taylor - I'm a writer of TV one-hour scripts, screenplays, novels, short stories, articles, and poetry. I'm most proud of a story (episode outline) ...
