Burn Notice (TV series)

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Burn Notice (June 28, 2007 – present) is an American television series on the USA Network created by Matt Nix. It follows the life of an ex-spy, Michael Westen, as he attempts to figure out who put out a burn notice against him.

Contents

[edit] Season 1

[edit] Pilot [1.01]

Michael: [V.O.] Covert intelligence involves a lot of waiting around. You know what it's like being a spy? Like sitting in your dentist's reception area 24 hours a day. You read magazines, sip coffee, and every so often someone tries to kill you.
Oleg: You're real Michael Westen, yes?
Michael: Yeah.
Oleg: Back home, your story Russian Intelligence tells to scare. They say you're one name for many people. Special Operations team. They think one person cannot make so much problems.
Michael: Nope. Just me.
Michael: [V.O.] Drop me in the middle of the Gobi desert, bury me in a god damn cave on the moon, and my mother will still find a way to call me and ask for a favor. [screams into a pillow]
Madeline Westen: You know you missed your father's funeral... by eight years.
Michael: Well, last time I talked to him he said, "I'll see you in hell, boy," so I figured we had something on the books.
Michael: [V.O.] 30 years of karate. Combat experience on five continents. A rating with every weapon that shoots a bullet or holds an edge. Still haven't found any defense to Mom crying into my shirt.

[edit] Identity [1.02]

Michael: Would you put some pants on?
Sam Axe: What? I work better when I can breathe down there!
[Sam attempts to disable a car that Fiona supposedly wired to turn off via a cellphone. It explodes.]
Michael: Fiona, you were supposed to stop the car, not blow it into the Everglades! What happened to shorting the ignition?
Fiona: You said disable; it's not going anywhere.
Michael: [V.O.] My mother's understanding of my career changes with what she wants from me. One day, she can name everyone on the National Security Council, the next day, she thinks I work for the post office.
Michael: [V.O.] A hitman is like a plumber, a dentist or a mechanic. Everybody is always looking for a good one.
Michael: [V.O.] Truth is, identity theft isn't hard. A number and an ID is all you need to drain a bank account and return some money to some very surprised retirees. But why stop there? As long as you're stealing someone's identity, why not use it to contact some known terrorist organizations on unsecured phone lines? Why not use it to threaten federal judges and insult the local drug cartel? Most fun I've had in Miami.

[edit] Fight or Flight [1.03]

Sophie: So we're supposed to stay in here, in the garage, and do nothing?
Michael: Pretty much. It's not so bad as safe houses go. You got a TV at least. I once spent three days in a Riyadh storage facility with nothing but a flashlight and an Arabic celebrity magazine.
Michael: [V.O.] When you go on the run, the first thing you do is lay down tracks in the opposite direction, but that only works if the bad guys find the trail and believe it's for real, which means selling it. You need to put on a little show, make them feel clever. When you make somebody work to get a piece of information they'll believe it that much more because it's hard to get.
Michael: [To Sam] Well, I'll tell you what, if there's a situation that requires showing off your upper body and boozy flirting, you're my guy.
Michael: [V.O.] International conferences attract spies for the same reason hotel bars attract hookers: you can do business and drink for free.
[Madeline is reminiscing about Michael and his father.]
Madeline Westen: I remember what fun you two had always working on cars in the garage.
Michael: Fun? I remember him making me fake a seizure at Mr. Goodwrench so he could steal spark plugs.
[After Fi scares off the hit squad with her Molotov cocktails]
Same: How many were there?
Fiona: I don't know, four? They took off after cocktail hour.
Michael: Fi, it looks like Fallujah down there.
Fiona: I was half hoping that they'd stick around for a bit. Cara's got quite a liquor cabinet, good for a ten hour siege.

[edit] Old Friends [1.04]

Michael Westen: [V.O.] Spies go to bars for the same reason people go to libraries: full of information if you know where to ask.
Michael: You lost my car in a card game.
Nate Weston: Well, I needed the money and you weren't helping me out. Besides, nothing ventured, nothing gained, bro.
Michael: It was a rental car you ventured.
Carl Wilhelm: "Pimped"? I'm not a pimp.
Michael: [cheerfully] You say "tomato", I say "pimp."
Sam Axe: If I lose my pension, you're gonna be changing my diapers when I'm 95 and drooling.
Michael: Sam, I would never let that happen. I'd smother you with a pillow first.
Michael: Hey, can I borrow your car?
Sam: Where ya going?
Michael: Uh, just to the store to get some new yogurt.
Sam: [chuckles] Come on, Mike. Fiona calls, whisper whisper, all of a sudden you gotta have yogurt? What's the big secret?
Michael: No big secret, just looove yogurt.

[edit] Family Business [1.05]

Nate Westen: No wonder I got my ass kicked.
Fiona Glenanne: Oh, you were lucky. The old guy had a Desert Eagle 9mm with combat grips.
Michael: Ex-Mossad.
Nate: What do you mean, like Israeli spies?
Fiona: Sure. Every other retired spook is an arms dealer. Not a bad gig, if you can stand ex-spooks.
[Michael shoots her a look.]
[Fiona is making an explosive concoction.]
Michael: How's it coming, Fi?
Fiona: Dangerous, unstable. Remind you of anyone?
Sam Axe: Hey, Mikey. When you read this guy's profile you're gonna kiss me.
Michael: I am not gonna kiss you, Sam.
Sam: Look, I'm not saying I'm gonna like it. I'm just saying you're gonna kiss me.
[Nate hugs Michael and walks away.]
Madeline Westen: Now you see Michael, you're too hard on him. I mean, he can be so sweet. I just want us to be a family.
Michael: I know, Mom, I know. [Michael pauses and then looks up.] He just stole my wallet.
Jake: They're expecting my answer today. What do I say?
Michael: Well, since they're probably planning on killing you if you say anything else, I'd suggest, "Yes."

[edit] Unpaid Debts [1.06]

Michael Westen: [V.O.] Getting information out of someone who doesn't want to give it up is all about upsetting the target's emotional balance, impairing their judgment. Fear is good for that; anger is not bad either.
Michael: [V.O.] Anyone who has handled large amounts of cash can tell you it's one of the toughest things in the world to move. It's heavy and dense; dead weight. If it's on fire, of course, that complicates things further.
Michael: [V.O.] As a rule, spies don't like dealing with cops. Covert ops are illegal by definition. If they were legal they wouldn't need to be covert.
Michael: [V.O.] You can tie up a lot of resources by keeping a bugged phone line open. As long as it's open they're supposed to keep listening. Say a few cryptic things now and then and they'll be stuck in their little van trying to figure out what the hell you're doing.
Fiona Glenanne: Honestly, I don't know why they bother. They should just put a bullet in your head and be done with it.
Michael: Apparently I'm more valuable alive than dead. But I'm sure they'll take it under advisement.

[edit] Broken Rules [1.07]

Michael Westen: [V.O.] Military firebombs are typically white phosphorus or chlorine trifluoride. These are remarkably effective, but they are also unstable, lethally toxic, and hard to find at the grocery store. The main ingredient in a homemade firebomb, on the other hand, is Styrofoam. A military demolition expert can put something together in a few hours. An IRA trained guerrilla can do it in twenty minutes... give or take.
Michael: [V.O.] In any new job there's always friction with your co-workers. They are wondering if the boss likes the new guy better, if he's going to make them look bad... In some jobs that can get you a dark look in the break room; in other jobs that can get you a bullet in the back of the head.
Michael: [V.O.] In intelligence work, surveillance is called coverage. It's like basketball; you can run zone defense or man-to-man. Man-to-man is risky; follow someone too long and they're going to get suspicious. Zone is usually the way to go. Stay put and let targets come to you. Less obvious, easier on the feet... and you can catch up on your celebrity gossip.
Fiona Glenanne: You have always had a problem with my work. I have always supported you.
Michael: I'm helping people; you're running guns! Big difference!
[Michael and Fiona are in their car being chased by cops.]
Michael: Do you have guns in the trunk, Fi?!
Fiona: A few semi-automatics, yeah. I got a deal, Michael. This guy was selling Browning 9mms for 200 bucks a piece.
Michael: You have unregistered weapons in a stolen car, Fi!

[edit] Wanted Man [1.08]

Michael: [V.O.] Clandestine meetings are never fun to arrange. It's a big part of the job for a covert operative but it's never pleasant. It's not so much the fear of death that bothers you, it's driving to the meeting with a bag over your head... Sometimes they wash the bag, sometimes they don't.
Michael: Next time Lawrence, go limp. It's really hard to drag a human shield.
Barry: Name's Cristo. Like Madonna, the whole one name thing.
Sam Axe: Like Charo.
Barry: Sting.
Sam: Fergie.
Barry: Pélé.
Sam: Spider-Man.
Barry: Liberace.
Sam: Crap, I can't think of any more.
Michael: [V.O.] The thing about security is that the very things that protect you can be turned against you by someone who knows what he's doing. It's tough to compromise a well thought-out security system, but making someone think you can compromise it, well, that's much easier. Take surveillance cameras, for example: you can disable one by shooting a laser at it and overloading the light sensitive chip. Cheap, easy, and exactly the sort of thing a sophisticated criminal gang with lots of resources would do. Leave around some tell-tale signs of surveillance like cigarette butts, a forgotten camera lens cap and the more security there is, the more likely they are to think they've got a very serious problem. Even the security team itself can be an opportunity. The more employees you have, the more you have to worry about them. Deliver some vague threats and a few hundred bucks to a security guard. If he's honest he'll tell his boss, who then wonders who wasn't so honest. For the cost of a nice dinner you can get a whole security team canned.
Fiona Glenanne: I know a few Iranians who are coming into town.
Michael : Oh, let's avoid people who use "Michael Westen" and "jihad" in the same sentence.

[edit] Hard Bargain [1.09]

Michael: [V.O.] Rescuing a hostage isn't about battering rams and guns. Charge through a door with a gun and chances are the person you're trying to save will be the first one lying on the floor dying of acute lead poisoning. So you come up with alternatives: ingredients from the local pharmacy, mixed with aluminum foil, powdered in a coffee grinder will make a serviceable flash grenade that would stun anyone for a good 20 feet. Thermite is another handy tool: with a surface temperature of a thousand degrees, it's used to weld together railroad ties. It would make pretty short works of most locks too.
[Michael and Nick are sitting in a car finalizing a plan.]
Michael: So you understand? You pick up the package and walk away. Got it?
Nick: Yeah.
Michael: You don't look at us, you don't talk to us, you just walk out with the video. Fiona and I will be watching to see if the kidnappers have someone there and Sam will follow in the car if he sees anyone leave.
Nick: Okay, so I walk to the car.
Michael: No, Nick; focus. You just walk away.
Fiona: You pick up the package and you leave like we're not even there.
Nick: But wait, you will be there, right?
Michael Westen: Yes, we will be there. Okay, go ahead. [Nick tries to get out but the door is locked.] Unlock it first.
Michael: The thing about doubling anyone is that the more they do for you, the deeper they get. The deeper they get, the more you can make them do. Great if you're running them, but hard on the source. The suicide rate is... above average.
[Fiona is threatening Lucio with a taser.]
Michael: [V.O.] The art of turning someone into a double agent is delicate. The target has to be put into a fragile psychological state.
Lucio: Get this crazy bitch away from me!
Michael: [V.O.] Fortunately, fragile psychological states are a specialty of Fiona's.
Sam: He heard that she had a boyfriend who could help.
Michael : He heard that she had a boyfriend that could help.
Sam: I was vague. I said I was a freelance superhero Robin Hood kinda guy.
Michael: That's vague.

[edit] False Flag [1.10]

Michael: [V.O.] Facts are the hallmark of a good false identity. It is harder to create history than it is to alter it. Plus, the more truth to your lie, the easier it is to remember.
Fiona Glenanne: Evelyn comes along and she's attractive, sweet, needy. Don't deny it.
Michael: Fine.
Fiona: Isn't it interesting she turned out to be who she turned out to be. What shall we make of that?
Michael: You made your point, Fi.
Fiona: Did I?
Michael Westen: Yep, you did.
Michael: [V.O.] A basic rule of covert ops is let someone else do your dirty work. Let someone else find the guy you want to kill. It's a great technique... as long as you're not the someone else.
Michael: [V.O.] Just because there are no windows or doors doesn't mean there are no exits. The thing to look for is an air conditioner unit, that's where the wall is weakest. Also, people watch doors; they don't watch air conditioners.
Sam Axe: Here ya go, Doug: my lucky vest.
Michael: It'll look great over my shirt.
Doug: Thanks.
Sam: It's a little worn, but it'll do the trick.
Doug: Are these bullet holes?
Sam: Yeah, I broke it in for ya.

[edit] Dead Drop [1.11]

[Sam and Fiona are doing recon at a gay bar.]
Sam Axe: How do you want to handle this?
Fiona Glenanne: Well, I think the balls are in your court.
Michael: [V.O.] The truly paranoid don't go to meetings themselves. They use a cut out, someone unrelated to them hired to show a pre-arranged sign and deliver a message. The sign is something innocuous but hard to miss. My favorite is a tourist guide for Madison, Wisconsin. No one will look at it twice, but unless I'm in the Midwest, I know they are waiting for Michael.
Nate: Hey bro, you look tired.
Michael: Hey Nate, you look clean. You shaved the ferret off your face.
Fiona: Ah, the mating dance of the spy. It's a wonder spies ever get close enough to kill each other, isn't it?
[Sam walks into Michael's house with a bucket of fried chicken and Michael pulls his gun.]
Michael: That'll kill you, you know?
Sam: [referring to the gun] Yeah, no kiddin'.
Michael: No. The bucket of trans fat you've got there.

[edit] Loose Ends [1.12]

[Michael and Fiona are standing over a large cache of weapons, preparing for an operation.]
Michael Westen: If we need more than this, we're doing something very wrong.
Fiona Glenanne: Or something very right.
Michael: [V.O.] When you work in intelligence, you get used to the idea that some information is worth risking everything for. You sign up for the lifestyle, or the chance to serve your country, or the millions of frequent-flier miles. But finally, it all comes down to putting your ass on the line to learn something.
Michael: [V.O.] There are some fights you just can't win. A force can be so overwhelming that no tactical approach in a fight is going to lead to a victory worth having. When you can't win in a fight, sometimes you have to settle for making sure that if you lose, everyone loses. It works for nuclear weapons; it works for me.
Michael: [V.O.] For any operative, stashing weapons is second nature after a while. Spies hide guns like squirrels hide acorns. You never know when you'll need some firepower, or where you'll be when you need it.
Carmello: Who are you?
Michael: I'm Michael Westen. I used to be a spy.

[edit] Season 2

[edit] Breaking and Entering [2.01]

Michael: [V.O.] A great way to get people talking about their security is to put them on the defensive. Accuse a guy of having bad locks and before you know it he's telling you where his motion detectors are.
Michael: [V.O.] When you're claiming to be someone you're not, the key is commitment. You've got to sell it like your life depends on it, because sometimes it does. One reason to work with the same people is you know each other's moves, so if you shoot at your team in the middle of an operation, they know to go with it.
Michael: [V.O.] Private military companies are best known for their bodyguard work. It's a big part of their business, but it's not the only part. For a big enough check, they'll rain hot lead down wherever you want. It's not work that attracts service-with-a-smile types.
Michael: Seems the people who burned me want me for a job. For now, that's all I got.
Sam Axe: A job? Does it pay?
Michael Westen: More of a "we'll kill you if you don't do it" type of thing.
Sam Axe: Ah. Never liked those.
Michael: [V.O.] When you work as a spy, it's easy to think of people as assets. Resources to accomplish a goal. Because you don't have a personal relationship with an asset. You don't care about an asset. You don't miss the scent of an asset when she leaves the room.

[edit] Turn and Burn [2.02]

Michael Westen: [V.O.] If you wanna make a friend, solve a problem for them. No problem to solve? Create one.
Michael: That stalker happens to have a MAC-10 in his jacket! Oh— you knew, didn't you?!
Sam Axe: Mike, look, I did a little pre-scouting; I knew he was packing, but I didn't know he had a MAC-10. I thought it was, like... a regular gun.
Michael: [V.O.] Most people think distracting a group of guys is best done by a beautiful woman. The problem with beautiful women is people want them to stick around, which can cause a lot of problems. Obnoxious guys, they just want to get rid of.
Raul: She loves me more than her own life.
Michael: That's... a lot.
Michael: Fi, get me a sniper rifle and some C4.
Fiona Glenanne: Oh, I like where this is going.

[edit] Trust Me [2.03]

Michael: Mom, I gotta get to work, actually. Uh, what is it you need?
Madeline Westen: Well, I can't find my salad spinner.
Michael: That is tragic.
Fiona Glenanne: Zeke is one careful con-man. He's security conscious, he's smart... smooth, too, in a cheesy, Sam kind of way.
Sam Axe: Hey, smooth is smooth, baby.
[Michael is undercover when his male mark approaches him.]
Michael: Friend, you're ruinin' my ratio. I have a good ratio goin' on, I got four ladies to one Davis. Four-to-one, I like that.
Waseem: [quoting from Michael's note] "I will be wearing a white shirt and..." [laughs] This word right here? It is a kind of... spicy goat cheese.
Michael: I was trying to say "black pants". My Urdu's a little rusty.
Waseem: At least you got the name of the restaurant right.
Michael: [V.O.] To win a negotiation you have to show you're willing to walk away. And the best way to show you're willing to walk away... is to walk away.

[edit] Comrades [2.04]

Michael Westen: [V.O.] Get your hands on any classified document worth having, chances are it's going to be redacted, which makes reading it a lot like watching a movie on an airplane: all the juicy parts are missing but you still get the basic idea.
Madeline Westen: Do you know what his first word was? It was "Michael".
Michael: It was "juice"; I was there, his first word was "juice".
Madeline: True, but he was looking at you when he said it.
Sam Axe: "Daddy"?
Fiona Glenanne: Bet you never thought you'd hear me call you that.
Michael: [V.O.] One of the hardest things to do in a fight is to make it look like you're trying to kill someone without doing any permanent damage. They don't teach any half-moves in combat training. There are moves designed to kill and maim as efficiently as possible. If those are off limits, one option is open your fist right before a punch lands. Painful, but the force is distributed. Another showy option is a kick to the shoulder. You might break a rib or two; but if you aim right, nobody is going to the morgue.
Michael: [V.O.] A fight is one of the quickest ways to tell if someone isn't who they say they are. If you say you are Russian but fight like an American, consider your cover blown, which means you better know Sambo, the mixed martial art of Russia. Of course, you also have to win the fight; a great cover ID doesn't help much if you're dead.

[edit] Scatter Point [2.05]

Michael Westen: [V.O.] A criminal cover ID isn't just about a new name and phone number; it's about fitting into a culture with its own rules and hierarchies. It's a world where bank robbers are the rock stars, con artists are the snobs, car thieves are the blue-collar guys, and safecrackers are the artists.
[Veronica asked Sam to marry her and Sam seeks Michael for advice.]
Michael: Do you love her?
Sam Axe: She could be the one.
Michael: Then say yes.
Sam: It's complicated.
Michael: [slowly] Then say no.
Sam: [sarcastically] You're a good friend, Mike.
Michael: [V.O.] Safe-cracking skills are a basic part of espionage training. Spies steal secrets and people keep their secrets in safes. But staying current with safe cracking is a little like staying current with computers: a new model every year. Bottom line: if you want to breach a safe, you have to practice.
Michael: [V.O.] Making yourself invisible when you need to is a crucial skill for a covert operative; it sounds exotic but it's not like there's a super-secret move they teach you at spy school that allows you to vanish into thin air. Often it's just a matter of quick thinking, fast feet, and strong fingers.
Michael: [V.O.] Tailing a trained operative requires a number of time consuming preparations: everything from acquiring a vehicle they can't recognize or trace to familiarizing yourself with all the local traffic patterns. Of course, since you can never be sure who's a trained op, there's always the chance you'll take all those precautions just to follow a secretary back to her cubicle.

[edit] Bad Blood [2.06]

Michael Westen: [V.O.] The interior locks in an office suite are usually low-end; just there to keep white-collar workers from stealing coffee cups. File cabinet locking bars, on the other hand, are a more serious security measure. Their main vulnerability is that they depend on people's faith in padlocks. People have too much faith in padlocks.
Madeline Westen: Uh, Sam, didn't you forget something? [Madeline hands him a number of bullets] I found them in your pants. I heard them rattling around in the washing machine when I was doing your laundry.
Sam: Yeah, 9 mm. Uh, hey, err, I don't know what to say.
Michael: I'd say nothing. Nothing's good. Go with nothing.
Michael: [V.O.] Sometimes, when you meet a new operative, it's a good idea to open with an aggressive move. You learn about people when you make them play defense: their reflexes, weaknesses, how they handle themselves under pressure. And even if they are able to counter, it never hurts to know how far they're willing to go.
Michael: [V.O.] When meeting a covert operative for the first time, the arrangements can tell you a lot: if they give you a map and a photo, they trust you; a place and a time, they want to check you out before they make contact; a cryptic clue like "tidy pelican", they've just got an irritating sense of humor.
Victor the Wrangler: I don't like your field tactics.
Michael: I don't like your whining. Are you gonna pout all night?

[edit] Rough Seas [2.07]

Michael: [V.O.] Dealing with a trained operative is like playing chess with a master. Dealing with criminals, on the other hand, is like playing checkers with a three-year-old: they like to change the rules.
Michael: If the devil had a name, it'd be CHUCK... FINLEY!
Seymour: You wanna be a badass, you gotta eat healthy!
[Sam and Virgil, Michael's houseguest, are talking to Michael on the phone.]
Virgil: Listen, I didn't pack enough underwear, so I borrowed a set of your boxers: the blue ones with the stripes.
Michael: They will never fit you; stay out of my closet.
Virgil: They're a little snug down under, but I got all packed in. 'Preciate it.
Sam Axe: Mike, be glad you didn't have to see that.
[Michael stops a soccer ball headed in his direction.]
Boy: Kick it! Kick it!
[Michael kicks the ball towards the boy.]
Marcela: Hey, no ball on the sidewalk.
Michael: He started it.

[edit] Double Booked [2.08]

Michael: Right now, I've got to do a job.....with Larry.
Sam: Larry? Dead Larry? [laughing] Oh, man, I hated that guy!
Michael: He's back.
Sam: Ok, I hate him present tense. He's a bad influence Mike, don't tell me you're working with him?
Michael: I'm not working with him, I'm working against him.
Sam: Well in that case, can I help?
[Larry, an ex-spy, calls to check in with Michael.]
Sam Axe: [about Larry] Just "checking in"? He's got a weird thing for you.
Michael: It's because he doesn't have any friends.
Sam: That's because he killed most of them, Mike.
[Michael and Campbell, Fiona's boyfriend, are meeting for the first time.]
Campbell: Fiona tells me you're a soil scientist.
Michael: Yes, yes, I love my dirt.
Therapist: And that's why I like to say that trust is a bridge, and it needs a strong foundation, and you can't build a bridge out of pain and fear, can you? [He nudges Michael awake.] Can you, Michael?
Michael: [sleepily] Uh, no, because that would make it, um, structurally unsound.
Michael: [V.O.] Spend a career in covert ops and you're going to know some bad people. You'll work with them, you'll live with them, you might even trust your life with them. But none of that makes them your friend. It can't. Because one day, you might have to end them.
Michael: [V.O.] Spies make great neighbors; they're polite, they keep the lawn trim, and they never crank up the music at night. They don't stand out, because they don't want to be found. So if you're hunting for a covert operative and all you've got to go on are the names of a few dozens suspects, you're out of luck... unless you know where to look.

[edit] Good Soldier [2.09]

Michael: There's an art to drinking without getting drunk. Start with a lot of ice to dilute the alcohol; order a new round before you're done so your half-full drink gets taken away, and of course, spill.
Michael: Most people thinks snipers like to shoot from ledges. Fact is, the best sniper position is inside a room through an open window: it hides the shooter, masks the report of the supersonic round, and makes the muzzle flash impossible to see.
Michael: You know me, good little soldier.

[edit] Do No Harm [2.10]

Michael: The enemy of my enemy could be my friend.

[edit] Hot Spot [2.11]

Michael: Revenge is a waste of time.
Fiona: So is watching television and eating candy, but you do it because it feels good.

[edit] Seek and Destroy [2.12]

[edit] Bad Breaks [2.13]

[edit] Truth and Reconciliation [2.14]

[edit] Season 3

[edit] Friends and Family [3.01]

[edit] Question & Answer [3.02]

Fiona: Patricia, I want you to try something. It's a relaxation exercise I do in situations like this. I want you to close your eyes and breathe deep. Picture a peaceful mountain stream. Now picture yourself drowning the kidnapper in the stream. We're taking a rock from the stream and raising it above with your hand, and with tremendous force you're bringing it—
Michael: Fi!
Detective Paxton: Well, if you get the urge to destroy evidence, stop by; we'll be waiting for you.
Fiona: Was that flirting or does she hate you?
Michael: I am not her type.
Madeline: So what you're saying is, Michael's missing his own birthday party?!
Fiona: He's busy!
Madeline: Busy. Busy being shot at or busy getting blown up?! Doesn't he ever take a day off? ...I mean, you know, a little consideration is all I'm asking! I'm making an effort, so should he!
Fiona: He seems to be making progress.
Madeline: Don't fool yourself, honey. Loving Michael is always trench warfare.
Fiona: Getting shot sounds noble until it actually happens to you. Don't volunteer for it unless it's absolutely necessary.
Michael: [Voiceover] To tail someone, you need both skill and instinct. You need skill because the driving is tough; you can't get too close and you can't drift too far away. You can't go too fast or too slow. You need instinct because every turn, every lane change, every bridge raises the risk of being seen. Anyone can be trained to follow a car, but it takes good instincts to know when it's time to stop following.

[edit] End Run [3.03]

Brennan: You're not this good, nobody's this good!
Michael: Yes, I am.

[edit] Fearless Leader [3.04]

Fiona: So, Randall's off to party in Cancún with my client's money.
Michael: Look at the bright side, Fi: you weren't killed.
Fiona: Oh, please. If a nuisance like Randall can kill me then I deserve it.
Michael: [Voiceover] When you're being followed by the police, it's important to remember that having cops around is a problem for criminals, but it's an even bigger problem for a detective trying to remain inconspicuous on a stakeout.
Michael: [Voiceover] Finding a way into a criminal organization is about observing social dynamics. You start with a target. You're looking for just the right person to approach. People in the inner circle are usually too tough to go after. Anyone with real power is bound to be cautious. Drivers and bodyguards are easier, but they usually don't have real access. You want someone with enough juice to be hungry for more; someone desperate to make a move. In short, you're looking for a frustrated middle manager.
Michael: [Voiceover] To the educated eye, a prison tat tells a story: where you did time, why you did time, and who you did it with. It's a little like a job resumé for criminals.

[edit] Signals and Codes [3.05]

Sam: You ask me, there's something wrong with the world when we don't hang traitors anymore. It doesn't seem right.
Michael: Why can't you be with me on this?
Fiona: Talking to you is like talking to Spencer. You're both so focused on one thing it clouds everything else. It's a crazy way to live, Michael.
Michael: I am like Spencer. We both see the world in a certain way and we both have skills to make it a better place. That's not a bad thing. I don't want to keep talking about this, so let me be straight with you. This job, what we just did, saving American lives. This is the type of work I was made for, Fi. It's what my old job gave me the chance to do every single day, so no. Getting back in isn't just a way to survive to protect the people I love. It's what I want. And if you truly care about me you should damn well want for me what I want for myself.
Fiona: If that's what you want. I'll be with you. I'll be with you.

[edit] The Hunter [3.06]

Michael: Wow. That's like two days worth of yogurt.
Fiona: Either that's a brilliantly disguised bomb or somebody knows the way to your heart.
Fiona: I know a guy, goes by Beck. He might be able to help. He's made a lot of money for some very powerful people over there. If there's a Ukrainian in town, he'll be able to fill you in.
Michael: Based in Miami?
Fiona: Mmhmm. Started as local gangster, went big time. He hijacks cargo and ships it. Like FedEx, the Kalashnikov set. He's about as connected as a Miami hustler who can also speak Russian can get.
Michael: Think you can get me a meeting?
Fiona: You might not want me as your go-between. I may have intercepted a couple of his shipments once. Sparkling UP-90s, Michael. They deserved a good home.
Madeline: Sam, let me remind you you're sleeping in my guestroom. All right, you call me or God as my witness I will smother you in your sleep.
Sam: All right, all right! We'll call!
Sam: That guy is more afraid of Checik than he is of us. We're going to have to squeeze him harder.
Fiona: If by squeeze you mean choke...
Sam: He can't talk if he can't breathe, Fi.
Fiona: He can whisper. I have good hearing.

[edit] Shot in the Dark [3.07]

Fiona: You don't even know this Strickler. What makes you think he has this kind of clout?
Michael: Well that's what I need to figure out. Can we talk about something else?
Fiona: No. We're cooking at my place, I get to choose the topic of conversation. You seriously think he's going to wave his magical spy wand and get you back in?
Michael: It's a little more complicated than that, Fi.
Fiona: Well, in my experience, if something seems to good to be true, it's best to shoot it just in case.
Michael: [speaking to 13-year-old boy, Joey, in Fiona's apartment] You're going to tell us your mom's name at some point. Unless you're planning on living here.
Fiona: I don't recommend it. I can only cook a few things and the air condition is iffy.
Michael: I told the kid I would help. If you want to sit this one out, you can.
Sam: No, no. I get it. Little kid, abusive dad, it kind of hits home, so I'll give you that one. But when the time comes to rescue a bunch of rich women trapped in a brewery, you better step up. So she's in there with Fiona?
Michael: Yeah. The idea was that she'd feel more comfortable talking to a woman.
Sam: I'm not sure if Fi counts, Mike.
April Luna: What can you do that the police can't?
Michael: You'd be surprised.
Fiona: [after having faked being killed in a shootout] Nice fall, Shakespeare.
Sam: Oh, you should talk. You looked like you got shot by a bow and arrow.
Fiona: What are you talking about? A 9 mil at this range?!

[edit] Friends Like These [3.08]

Fiona: Michael, I know I said I would go along with you on this job, but I don't want you to work with Strickler. Not now, not ever. I can't help you with this.
Michael: It's a two person job. I need you.
Fiona: I've seen the site. You can handle yourself. I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about you. Working with someone like Strickler, it changes you, little by little.
Michael: He's the only one that can get me back in. What do you want me to do?
Fiona: You do what you have to do. I understand. I just can't stay here in Miami and watch. [walks out of the apartment]
Michael: Fi. Fi! Fiona!
Michael: [Voiceover] There's no greater luxury in the field than working with a friend you rely on. When you find someone you can trust absolutely, you want them on every operation you do, and nothing hurts worse than losing a friend to bullets, politics or something personal. But when you have to work alone again, you lock those feelings away and do the job at hand, because as every spy knows, there's time to think about what you've lost after the mission is over.

[edit] Long Way Back [3.09]

Michael: [V.O.] When you work as a covert operative, there's no line between who you are and what you do. You are who you need to be for the operation. It makes you effective, it keeps things simple. But when you spend so much time living with someone else, sometimes the people you care about most begin to wonder who you really are.
Michael: You never told them?!
Fiona: No, Michael. Not even a Glenanne would forgive me for working with an American spy. Everyone at home still thinks you're from Kilkenny.
Strickler: You don't get to have the job and the girl! She doesn't fit into your future, our future! So why don't you do yourself a favor and forget the past?!
Michael: Fiona is not my past. [shoots him]
Michael: Sam, if anything happens to me—
Sam: Oh, I'm finishing this, brother. I'm getting Fi out of there no matter what. Just don't tell her I said that.
Michael: [V.O.] When you realize that an operation is compromised, that your enemies are on the move, you're on the clock. You have to move as fast as you can to contain the damage and harden your defenses before it's too late. Sometimes you make it in time, and sometimes you don't. When you work in intelligence, the worst feeling in the world is knowing nothing. Being caught in something you don't begin to understand, because it's not the enemy you see that gets you. It's the one you don't.

[edit] A Dark Road [3.10]

Sam: Operation unburn Michael Westen is officially off.
Michael: [Voiceover] The day that the cell phone call log was invented should be celebrated as a national holiday for spies. Even a cautious cell phone user who uses dialback systems or switches phones often, leaves behind a lot of information you can use.
Fiona: Still going through that thing?
Michael: Strickler used this phone. Chances are he used it to talk to whoever it is that's torching hotel rooms to say hello to me.
Fiona: Have you considered turning this over to Homeland Security? They get paid for this sort of thing, you know.
Michael: For all I know he could be working for Homeland Security.
Fiona: What are you worried about? So your mom becomes friends with the county records lady. So what?
Michael: You just never know how things are going to go! She's an asset. Things can get very complicated.
Fiona: I was an asset of yours once.
Michael: And things got complicated and people got hurt.
Fiona: True. In my experience, people get hurt and things get complicated no matter what you do.
Fiona: I'm working on a listening device for your meeting with Ryan later. Would you care to join me?
Michael: I would love to.
Fiona: You know, after the other day I never did get the chance to say— well, not that I have any doubt in my mind that I would have saved myself eventually, and I still think that your tactical approach was a little iffy, but you and Sam, you did come back for me. You gave up a lot to come back for me, whether I needed it or not.
Michael: You're welcome, Fi.
[Silence; they nearly kiss]
Fiona: Watch it. You're getting solder on my transmitter.
Michael: [As cover ID Alex, to arguing thugs] Girls, girls, girls, don't fight; you're both pretty.

[edit] Friendly Fire [3.11]

Gilroy: I had to see you in action and I have to say you've lived up to your reputation. Such panache! Love the suit, who are you wearing?
Michael: You know, you're awfully confident I won't shoot you right here. Don't be.

[edit] Noble Causes [3.12]

Fiona: Those are some grade A sons of bitches in there. [looks through the glove compartment] Where's your gun, Sam?
Sam: I moved it, Fi, for your own good. Look, if it'll make you feel any better, I think your trick with the bug gave us something we can use.
Fiona: Yeah, if we can use it to bludgeon Lynch to death I'll feel much better.
Sam: One step at a time, Fi.

[edit] Enemies Closer [3.13]

Fiona: Ooh he called him a 'pendejo', it's like idiot but ruder.
Michael: Leave no trace. Leave no teeth.
Larry: Michael Westen back in action? I wouldn't miss it.

[edit] Partners In Crime [3.14]

Fiona: You know, some guys take girls to the beach, concerts, farmers' markets. Ugly Polish military intelligence offices, not so much.
Michael: Believe me, I'd rather be at a farmers' market than bribing a bureaucrat to tell me what's on a spy plane.
Fiona: I have an idea. [Michael nods for her to continue] Instead of working with Gilroy the psychopath, instead of sneaking around to try and figure out what he wants to steal from the plane, shoot him and be done with it!
Michael: I considered it.
[Sam is undercover as a Miami Police Department CSU tech, at the site of a fashion designer's killing.]
Sam: Looks like murder... [takes out a pair of sunglasses and puts them on] ...is in style this season.
[Later, under the same circumstances]
Sam: Looks like the killer's plan... [takes out the sunglasses again and puts them on] ...is coming apart at the seams.

[edit] Good Intentions [3.15]

Fiona: For your sake, Michael, I hoped you were dead. I can put up with a lot, but four calls without so much as a text back?! That just puts me right to the edge!

[edit] Devil You Know [3.16]

Simon: I want my life back!
Michael: Fine. It's yours. Take it.
Michael: [V.O.] Work in intelligence long enough, you hang on to phone numbers. No matter who your enemy is there's a chance you'll need them tomorrow. Churchill and Stalin weren't chummy in 1941, but once the Nazis marched on Moscow they got past their differences.
Michael: [V.O.] When a trained team is advancing on your position, sneaking away is usually impossible. Your best bet is to give them something else to worry about.
Sam: It's funny. You never really know a car until you drive it through a wall.
Agent Callahan: Look at the file! You saw it already! Everything's there! It's documented!
Madeline: And these are all lies!
Callahan: I saw it with my own eyes! I saw your son attack a police officer, Mrs. Westen! He nearly killed a man! Your son shot at me! He tried to kill me! You live in a fantasy world, lady! You have no idea who your son really is!
Madeline: I know this: if Michael wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. I know exactly who my son is!

[edit] Recurring

[Opening intro]
Michael Westen: [V.O.] My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy, until...
Unnamed: [Over the phone] We got a burn notice on you. You're blacklisted.
Michael: [V.O.] When you're burned, you've got nothing. No cash, no credit, no job history. You're stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in.
Michael: Where am I?
Fiona Glenanne: Miami.
Michael: [V.O.] You do whatever work comes your way. You rely on anyone who's still talking to you. A trigger-happy ex-girlfriend...
Fiona: Shall we shoot them?
Michael: [V.O.] An old friend who used to inform on you to the FBI...
Sam Axe: You know spies. Bunch of bitchy little girls.
Michael: [V.O.] Family too...
Sam: Is that your mom again?
Michael: [V.O.] ...If you're desperate.
Madeline Westen: Someone needs your help, Michael.
Michael: [V.O.] Bottom line: until you figure out who burned you,[N] you're not going anywhere.
Michael: I'll see what I can do.

[edit] Cast

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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