The season finale of Burn Notice was presented in a two-part format with episodes "Out of the Fire" and "Last Stand". I won't say that it was a non-stop action thrill ride, but it was still a pretty damn exciting season finale. This recap will be presented in two parts, just like the finale.
SPOILERS!
Part I:
"Out of the Fire" begins with Jesse looking grim and loading a gun, while Michael narrates about how important it is to keep an eye on people who have just lost friends in the field. Sam and Michael plan to meet Brennan, and Jesse wants to go along - but Michael shoots that idea down and benches Jesse. Sam and Michael meet Brennan at Carlito's, who's very smug about the fact that he was able to keep tabs on them without their knowledge and gloating about the chance to screw them. He wants to force Michael to kill the people on the NOC list, who are extremely high-value targets. He gives them the NOC list code for the first target and instructs Michael to find out who it is, and take them out. Sam isn't thrilled with the situation, and tells Brennan that "I'm trying to kill you with my mind." We LOL'd. Brennan tells them that if something happens to him, an email will be sent to Vaughn with an audio file attached - Michael's on-the-record session telling Marv all about the organization that burned him. Brennan then reveals that he's recruited some back-up for Michael - someone who's a big fan of his. Sam and Michael turn to see Dead Larry walk into the cafe.
Back at the loft, Sam and Larry immediately start arguing. Not surprising - they've always hated each other. Larry wants to get started with all of the killing, and calls Sam a wet rag. Sam grabs a length of rebar and goes for Larry, forcing Michael to restrain him. In that moment, Sam whispers to Michael that he and Fi will start working this behind the scenes - they just need Larry's cell number to start. How clever of Sam! Sam leaves the loft in an apparent huff, and Larry's glad to see the back of him.
Larry and Michael head to a court records building in order to discover the identity of the NOC list code name holder that Brennan gave them. Michael asks why Larry is working with Brennan, since Larry isn't known for taking orders. Larry tells him that the NOC list is a valuable thing to have, and he's planning to steal it from Brennan. Returning to the business at hand, Larry lays out a plan to force one of the court building's guards to get them to the information. Michael vetoes this - the body count would be too high. Instead, Larry pretends to be a big shot lawyer newly assigned to a big case, and bullies the clerk into leaving his desk with Michael's help. The two of them sneak into the secret computer area and get a name, and in the course of this little charade, Michael got Larry's cell number and sent it to Sam and Fi. Sam and Fi try to trace Larry's call to Brennan, but Brennan's invested in some fancy, sneaky equipment. They can't trace it - but they can find out who sold Brennan this nifty stuff.
Michael and Larry meet up with Brennan for their next instructions, which are relatively simple: they need to kill this newly identified guy, and frame a foreign separatist group for the death. Michael suggests that instead of killing him, they'll kidnap him, which is a bigger payoff. They can interrogate him and ransom him first. Brennan, always open to the idea of making more money, agrees, though Larry thinks this is the soft option. They head to the guy's home in order to do some recon.
Meanwhile, Sam and Fi find the electronics guy who must have sold the newfangled equipment to Brennan. They guy is nervous, and his security is tight, so Sam and Fi come in through the roof. The persuade the guy to tell them what else he might have sold Brennan - other than the trace bouncing equipment, he installed a biometric safe for him, and he gives them the address. Sam pulls Jesse off the bench. They're going to try to get the NOC list back from Brennan.
Michael and Larry admire their target's impressive security and get back to Brennan - they tell him that they need another day or so to do the job right. He tells them to do it now, and demonstrates his confidence in their abilities by giving them bomb-making instructions written in Tagalog (the language of the separatist group). As Michael and Larry prepare for the breach, Larry invites Michael to work with him yet again, and Michael accepts, thinking he could use Larry's help in dealing with Brennan. He tells him that Sam and Fi have found Brennan's biometric safe. They get into their target's compound easily, and Michael is about to take the guy into custody when Larry bombs the car the guy was sitting in. Michael is schocked (Really? It's Larry!) and follows him back to Brennan. Brennan is ready with champagne to celebrate a job well done, but Larry pulls a sneaky and stabs him in the chest, telling him that even though biometric locks are cool, the person who can unlock them doesn't need to be alive to do the job. Larry then forces Michael to call Sam and Fi to tell them to get out of town - or they'll die. Michael calls Fi with those instructions, and calls her "Honey", which is one of their code words.
Fi and Jesse rush in to retrieve the safe before Michael and Larry get there. Rather than try to open it, they blow it out of the wall and throw it out the window. Then they rappel down the side of the building just as Michael and Larry are lugging Brennan's body into the room. Larry is irate when he sees the safe is gone and pulls his gun on Michael, but a laser sight appears on Larry's chest. Sam calls his old buddy Larry, and tells him to let Michael leave and wait for the cops like a good boy, or Sam's going to put a bullet in him with pleasure. Larry is extremely angry, but helpless to prevent Michael from leaving. Michael tells him he does know Larry, but Larry only thinks he knows Michael.
Maddie, Jesse, Sam, Michael and Fi are in Fi's storage unit, waiting for Fi to finish drilling the safe. She hands Michael the NOC list, telling him not to lose it this time. Unfortunately, Brennan's email has already made it to Vaughn by now, and Vaughn is on his way to Miami, and hell's following with him.
Part II:
"Last Stand" starts with the gang trying to figure out what to do. It's only a matter of time before Vaughn catches up with them, and he's not going to be happy. What they need is someone with significant power in the government to give the NOC list to - but who? It's Sam that comes up with the answer, and Michael, Fi, and Jesse are off to hide the list.
Sam recruits Maddie into helping him get back in touch with Congressman Cowley - the politician they saved earlier this season, which made him look like a hero and get re-elected in a landslide. They guy's a scumbag, but hopefully he'll be intrigued enough by a potential political gold mine to help them out. Maddie talks her way into one of his fundraising events and hands him over to Sam, who starts to explain what's happened.
Michael scopes out a nuclear facility as a potential hiding place for the NOC list - the security is super-tight, not to mention the possibility of agonizing death by radiation. In the midst of preparing to sneak the list in, Fi demands to talk to Michael about what's going to happen with them should they survive. Michael is evasive and a little cold as he brings up the option of them going their separate ways. Jesse interrupts their discussion with the news that Vaughn's men have found them, and they need to get the hell out of there. Fi takes Jesse in her car, and Michael brings up the rear in the Charger. He uses his awesome, vintage car to take most of the heavy fire that Vaughn's guys are laying down, and when both of his rear tires are punctured, makes the decision to use the car as a roadblock. He jumps into Fi's car and lets the Charger roll into their pursuit, causing it to flip over and explode. Goodbye, sweet Charger, and may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.
Sadly, the Charger's sacrifice was in vain - they haven't escaped Vaughn's guys. They force Fi to go off-road, and she crashes through a construction scaffolding in front of an abandoned hotel. Jesse's leg is skewered by a piece of rebar, and Michael and Fi lug his useless butt into the hotel as Vaughn's people move in to surround the building, followed soon by the man himself. Michael and Fi do their best to patch Jesse up to the point where he can at least use his leg, and try to figure out what to do. Michael comes up with the idea of going up to the communications tower on the roof. Vaughn has jammed their cell phones, but Michael can use the Emergency Broadcast System to call for help.
Fi and Jesse construct some fire bombs out of catering burners and small tanks of propane, waiting for Vaughn's men to enter the building. Jesse, noticing how upset Fi is about the way Michael's been acting, hints again that he could be her back-up plan, romance-wise, if she really wanted it (ick!). Fi ignites the improvised explosives as Vaughn's guys try to enter the building.
Up on the roof, Michael fights his way to the communications tower and incapacitates the guy that was on patrol. He opens the control box and sends his message before being pinned down by unfriendly fire from the roofs of neighboring buildings. Michael gauges his prisoner's weight, and then uses him as a counterweight for an insane rappel down the side of the hotel. He jumps in through a window and joins up with Fi and Jesse. Their hopes for rescue are dashed when they see the police cars diverted by Vaughn's men. Vaughn explains to Michael over the radio that he has a connection in Homeland Security who has classified their little siege as a "training exercise." They can expect no help from the cops.
The three of them become increasingly desperate, and Michael tells Fi to improvise a large explosive to take out as many guys as possible. Just when they're preparing to set it off, Vaughn contacts them again with a surprise - he has Madeline. His guys caught her as she was driving out of town, and now he has leverage. In order to prove it, he has one of his guys give Maddie a whack on the back of the head, which really pissed us off. Michael's at the end of his rope. He gives the NOC list to Jesse, and tells him and Fi that he'll run out with the explosive and draw their fire. Then he'll set of Fi's bomb to cover their escape. Fi is horrified at this plan, but Michael won't be talked out of it. He runs out of the hotel, firing the gun he stole from the guy on the roof, and takes cover in a gazebo thingy. Fi stops on the way out of the hotel with Jesse, and tells him that she's joining Michael - for better or worse (worse, in this situation), but she says she knew it'd be rough from the minute she met him. She dives into the gazebo with Michael. He's angry with her, but she yells at him, saying that she's tired of him making all the decisions in their relationship. Whatever they do, she says, they'll do it together. They gaze into each other's eyes as they prepare to detonate the explosive when (du du DAAAHH!) Sam comes in with the fucking cavalry, courtesy of Congressman Cowley. Vaughn is pissed at being thwarted, but Sam gives him a Sam Axe special haymaker punch and lays him out. Way to save the day, Sam!
Jesse gives the NOC list back to Michael while the paramedics are patching him up, telling him that Fi sure is crazy about him (we knew that already, Jesse). Suddenly, some guys in anonymous suits come to collect Michael, and he goes with them willingly after giving Fi a kiss goodbye (FINALLY!). These new suits take Michael to Washington D.C., where they give him a coat and CG foggy breath in as if it were cold. A man comes out of the building to meet Michael.
"You," says Michael.
"Welcome back, Michael," the man says, extending his hand.
Michael shakes it, and follows him into the building.
Let us gather our thoughts:
Larry, please accept our sincere thanks for killing Brennan - we never liked him, not even as a bad guy. And kudos to Sam for being the one to make you back off. We're a little disappointed that he didn't shoot you anyway, but he'll probably get you next time. In the mean time, enjoy prison, you son of a bitch.
A moment of silence for the Charger. We loved that car, and it's taken a lot of punishment. If Michael decides to replace it rather than try to restore it, we hope it's with another vintage car. We've had enough product placement with Fi's cars.
Jesse, we're extremely disappointed that the rebar shish kebab-ing your leg didn't end up killing you. You were obviously only with Michael and Fi to remind us of the horrible faux-love triangle you started, and we sincerely hope that it's over.
Maddie, you are totally awesome, and we're still very angry at Vaughn for what he did. We hope he's been taken care of for good.
Sam, what can we say? You are a badass, and even though you hardly ever get thanked for saving everyone's asses, just know that we love you.
Is Michael back in? We think so, but what does this mean for the citizens of Miami? If Michael has his job back, he's hardly going to be helping people the way we want him to.
The fifth season starts next summer!
We anticipate that Jesse will be added to the credit sequence, as he's clearly not going away. The prick.
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