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Burn Notice Summer Finale Recap - Guilty as Charged

By Alicia Sutton Aug 27, 2010, 17:52 GMT

$08/19/2010 - Jeffrey Donovan at TAG Heuer\'s 150th Anniversary Celebration - TAG Heuer\'s 150th Anniversary Celebration - The Temple House - Miami, FL, USA © Ricky Schneider / PR Photos$

08/19/2010 - Jeffrey Donovan at TAG Heuer\'s 150th Anniversary Celebration - TAG Heuer\'s 150th Anniversary Celebration - The Temple House - Miami, FL, USA © Ricky Schneider / PR Photos

People want a lot from Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) these days. First, Jesse (Coby Bell) has found out that Michael was the one that burned him and wants him dead, Vaughn (Robert Wisdom) wants in on the action with John Barrett (Robert Patrick), Barrett wants the bible, and to add to it all, a lawyer wants his help rescuing his kidnapped daughter.

This week Michael is asked to help rescue a kidnapped five year old - her father is a defense lawyer for a bad guy whose case is not going well. The bad guy's brother kidnaps the girl and will kill her if his brother is convicted.

After a botched rescue attempt, Michael convinces the bad guys that he is going to free the brother from jail in exchange for the little girl. The plan is to make the kidnappers think that the brother is free, so they in turn kidnap another bad guy from the Barrett side of their business and make him look like the brother.

They make a fake prison transport vehicle and with smoke and mirrors, convince the kidnapper that the brother is free. During the exchange, the kidnapper finds out it is not his brother, but Michael and team escape with the girl. All is well. Michael even got a cool submarine vehicle out of the whole thing.

After about a bajillion meetings between various people, Michael and Jesse finally meet face to face. This is the moment we have been waiting for all summer. Something big is going to happen. Something. Anything.

Turns out, really nothing. What a disappointment.

After comments about Jesse almost shooting Michael, Michael ask Jesse for his help with Barrett and Jesse declines and walks out. Talk about anti-climatic.

The big meeting with Barrett goes down. Michael gives Barrett the bible and learns that it is a code to a list of people that are involved with burning Simon and also Michael. While Michael and Barrett are talking, Vaughn shows up and messes things up royally.

Mike is taken prisoner and is shot by Jesse, who shot through Michael to get the man holding him hostage. So Jesse turns up to save Michael. Though he did get to shoot him, it was still disappointing. I wanted to see more rage and anger and confrontation. It now looks like Jesse will be around for awhile, I just hope they won't drag things out between him and Michael and also with Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar).
True to form, "Burn Notice" did end with a cliffhanger that leaves us wondering what will happen next: Barrett is able to grab Michael and throws him in the car, but while driving away Michael grabs the wheel and flips the car.

Barrett dies and Michael is left bleeding out on the road. Mystery legs appear and walk off with the bible.

Though I guess the whole Jesse dilemma is over, I walked away from this episode unsatisfied. Will his residual anger get the better of him or will he become part of team Michael once again and be as devote a friend as Sam (Bruce Campbell)? Hopefully the writers won’t tease us all next season.

Let’s move on and find out who took the bible. I also thought that the case of the week was too distracting and perhaps should of been left out of the episode all together so that we could of seen more of overall storyline that fizzled out instead of igniting like it should of.