Burn Notice: Season 5

Some shows stretch their premise and credibility beyond the point of believability, thereby ruining the fun and driving off the audience. For season 5, Burn Notice tweaked the basic story slightly and managed to be even better as a result.That also means the review will spoil the end of season 4. There’s no way around that.Season 5 picks up a few months after Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) has gotten back into the good graces of the CIA. While he’s not fully back on active duty, he’s been involved in missions to help take down the organization that burned him. It looks like they’ve got them all, but something doesn’t feel right to Michael. His friends Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell), Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), and Jesse (Coby Bell) tell him to let it go. Even his mom Madeline (Sharon Gless) thinks it’s a chapter he can put behind him.And then his contact at the CIA is murdered and Michael is being framed for it. Obviously, someone isn’t quite done with him.Meanwhile, Michael still reluctantly takes on cases to help people who are being threatened by dangerous criminals. Over the course of the season, Michael and his friends take on human traffickers, a loan shark, corporate spies turned hostage takers, and a diplomat dealing in illegal blood diamonds.Okay, so for the most part this season feels like business as usual. Michael and his friends go up against dangerous criminals and use their spy skills to take them down against overwhelming odds. The little tweak is that now Michael is at least working unofficially with the CIA, something he’s been working for since season 1. Frankly, the story of his burn was becoming so convoluted; it needed a reset and somewhere new to go, so I’m glad they took this step. For the first time in a couple seasons, I was able to follow that ongoing part of the story from week to week and get sucked into the show all over again.Of course, the “case of the week” aspects of the episodes are as strong as ever. If you just watch to see Michael and the gang take down the nasties they go up against week in and week out, you won’t be disappointed at all. There are still plenty of explosions, gun fights, car chases, and impossible odds – everything that keeps my heart pumping for the run of an episode. Basically, you get an action show each week.By this point in a series, the actors and writers know the characters, and that’s certainly the case here. While the show is definitely more focused on plot than character, we still get some amazing character moments that remind us why we care about the core characters. And the actors do a great job of bringing those moments and all the others to life.Season 5 actually consisted of 18 episodes, two more than usual, and all of them are present in this four disc set. Of course, you get them with wide screen picture and full surround sound. In the way of extras, there's an extended episode, gag reel, deleted scenes, and a featurette about the villains of the show including interviews with the actors who played them.So if you are a fan of Burn Notice, you’ll need season 5 to get the next chapter in Michael’s life. And you’ll enjoy every thrilling second of the journey.

Fun series with endearing characters

Team work; the importace of family and friends; service to country and community; doing the right thing: These are the recurring themes in this Action-packed, funny, sexy, feel-good show! USA Network sure got it right! Love the show, love the charachters. I've told everyone I know to tune into this show.In this season, Michael Westen gets reinstated with the CIA, albeit as an unofficial asset, in order to bring down the network that burned him. Things are finally coming together: he's back in with the CIA, slowing regaining his status; he's back together with Fiona; he's getting closer with his family...things are good! But unfortunately, Michael's agency contact Max is murdered and it looks like the killer made it look like Michael Westen killed him instead. So Michael must conduct his own investigation, so that he can prove to the CIA that he wasn't involved!But the second half of the season is a doozy! Once Max's murder is solved and Michael is cleared of any wrong doing, Larry (Dead Larry) comes back, having escaped from prison in Albania, with a job for Michael: break into the British Consulate to steal data. And he's brought someone along to help: a seemingly unwilling accomplice named Anson Fullerton, a defense dept. psychiatrist, who has the security clearance to get them into the building. But things take a turn for the worse when Fiona, intent on getting Michael to safety and stopping Larry, detonates a small charge, just enough to stop Larry, but an even bigger bomb goes off, killing Larry and two security guards also. It turns out that Anson is behind it all and is part of the organization that burned Michael and now wants Michael to work for him in order to bring to organization back online. If Michael doesn't do what he wants, Anson will turn over the evidence he has to frame Fiona and she will go to prison for life! What does Michael do? Save his girlfriend? Or refuse to negotiate w/ a terrorist? Either way, the consequences are bad and Michael faces a moral dilema!Can't wait for Season 6 to see how Michael will stop Anson! Keep the Seasons coming! This is a GREAT show!!!!

Season 5 BURN NOTICE, Episode 2 BLOODLINES--Sexy, fun, action adventure shows that are eye candy and a distraction from the state of the world hardly ever unfold into real drama that takes your breath away. This particular episode of BURN NOTICE crashes into that barrier and blows it to smithereens. Having followed this program since its inception, I was more than steeped in the background of the main characters. It will certainly enhance your enjoyment of this if you know that the main character, Michael Weston, comes from a home where his abusive father ruled the roost. He is forced by deadly circumstances to treat his mother like his father did with necessary force. Sharon Gless steps up front and center with this well written episode that showcases her character's toughness. It outpaces her previous role as Christine Cagney by leaps and bounds. Don't get me wrong, she did stellar work in that role but this role is a treat for the audience and loyal fans of this show as well.Wonder if Michael would go off the deep end if Maddie, his mom, were buried alive with a cell phone to keep her alive as her air runs out as he searches for her? Aside from Sharon Gless the emmy for writing such an epsidoe should go to whoever scripted this. A brave but very fulfilling journey and unexpected surprise that just ups the entertainment quotient of this fine series that much more.Since I watched it on Amazon Video On Demand with a season TV pass, the only suggestion I would make is for them to show the trailer for the next episode. If I have a season pass it will wet my appetite. If I don't, it will entice me to get one so I don't miss any of the action.

Burn notice is, in general, the best show of its kind on TV. The fifth season is no exception! Going through the changing relationships between the characters, the show's format changes slightly to accomodate. And it makes it more exciting. The interweaving of the over-arching storyline and the 'client' of each individual episode makes this season one of the best yet! And, of course, we get closer to the answer of why Michael was burned. We even find out who did it...

If you've been waiting for the Five Star TV channel to show Season 5 of the great Burn Notice, apparently they won't be! Customer Services tell me they don't have the rights to Season 5 - which is a bit of a 'let down' for fans following the series on the channel since the beginning. So unless you're a subscriber to the Fox channel it seems like the only way to see Seasons 5, 6 and the last ever 7 is to buy the DVDs.

Burn Notice season 5 is as well written and acted as previous seasons, so for the series itself I am still watching a 5 star show.However as this is a review of the DVD boxset, I have to knock off 1 star as the DVD extras for this season feel pretty sparse compared with previous seasons.

As good as ever. Glad to see Jessie back. Agent Parker is a great new character. Thought the story lines well up to standard. The new villain is superb.Disc itself is absolutely fine - played well, casing is fine. Glad we bought it

Can't get enough of this program and Jeffrey Donovan and now Coby Bell!!! Hate that I know it will all come to an end some season soon, but until then, I'm all over this action packed- spy series. Makes James Bond look like a knob!