Now this is the Burn Notice we've come to expect. Two weeks in a row, we've gotten high quality episodes containing more than the usual hunt for who burned Jesse.
This week, a rich wife is kidnapped, but so too is Fiona, opting to go along, increasing the stakes for everyone. Alone and in a hostile environment, Fiona pulls trick after trick from her sleeves--a delightful reminder of how fun it can be to see the characters totally run circles around anyone. In the end, everyone is safe, despite the insistence of the woman's husband to go against the experts.
As we approach the end of the first half of this season, there is a conflict looming between Michael and Jesse. And, if experience from past seasons teaches us anything, something big will go down in the midseason finale. My guess is the defining split between Jesse and the rest of them.
Before, the conflict manifested in Michael keeping secrets from Jesse--exemplified again in "Where There's Smoke" with Michael playing dumb about Simon--but the episode introduced another component only slyly hinted at in previous episodes: Jesse's love for Fiona. Whether it is romantic or not, clearly there's something else that could play into their rivalry/opposition. I like the idea behind it, but at the same time, does Fiona have something for Jesse? From the kiss between Michael and Fi at the end of the episode, I doubt it. How far would Jesse go based solely on unrequited love?
I've stopped caring about the spy shenanigans--and apparently the writers have, too, completely forgetting about that Vaughn guy introduced in the season premiere. Nonetheless, Jesse's cypher Bible is kind of cool since Simon was a wasted character the first time around.
Score: 9.1/10
