Burn Notice Pilot Episode - Where it all Began

“Sometimes the truth hurts. In these circumstances, I recommend lying.”

Michael Weston

Spy Michael Weston, played by Jeffrey Donovan, finds out there's a burn notice out on him at the worst possible moment – in the middle of a job. He's in Nigeria, in the process of giving a lot of money to a warlord to get him to stop blowing up oil refineries. The result is a bad beating, some quick thinking, and a hair's-breadth escape.

We next see a battered Weston in a Miami hotel room, reluctantly attended by Fiona, his ex-girlfriend. Fiona, played by the diminutive Gabrielle Anwar complete with Irish accent, is less than impressed, but agrees to help in return for a promise of dinner. We learn they have a difficult history, and we learn what a burn notice means. A spy doesn't get to retire with a gold watch. Instead he finds himself out in the cold, with no job history, his bank accounts frozen and his ability to travel curtailed. Michael Weston is in trouble.

An old friend, Lucy, puts Weston in contact with Sam Axe, a former Navy Seal who's taken to the Miami life – complete with mojitos and rich divorcees – with zeal. Played by the wonderful Bruce Campbell, Sam helps Westen out with information, while at the same time reluctantly informing on him to the FBI. He also helps Westen get an apartment above a nightclub. There's a drug dealer next door, which means the rent is cheap.

In order to do something about the burn notice, Westen needs money, and takes on a private detective role, helping out a man called Javier, accused of stealing valuable art from his rich employer's mansion. Westen's slightly awkward interaction with Javier and his young son David are endearing. The viewer gets the feeling Westen is a man who likes to keep people at arm's length.

Not that Fiona, the ex-IRA member, will let him. She collects on the promise of dinner, and agrees to provide Michael with tactical support in his investigation. Not one to take the subtle approach to a problem, she ponders the FBI agents watching them eat, and asks, “Shall we shoot them?”

Private investigation is a much more straightforward matter for Michael than dealing with being back in Miami, and particularly being back in touch with his mother, Madeline, played by Sharon Gless. Their reunion – in a stolen car, while being tailed by the FBI – is an entertaining scene. In the meantime, Westen deals with Javier's problem with impressive efficiency. However, as the episode ends, he finds his rented loft full of surveillance photos. Someone is keeping tabs on him.

The elements that made Burn Notice such an unexpected hit are evident from the first episode – the unflappable Westen, even with a broken rib; the sharp writing, giving a master-class in espionage and wit; the captions introducing new characters; Westen's ability to manufacture espionage devices using items from the local hardware store. There are also the characteristic voice-overs, as Weston gives tips and reflections on the world of espionage. Oh, and the yoghurts.

The pilot episode of Burn Notice moves along at a crisp pace, expertly weaving in the necessary exposition with the action. So many pilots become explanation heavy, slowing down the pace and letting the viewer's attention wander. Rather than being told at excessive length about Michael, we see what's important about him – his competence, his unease with emotion, the effects of a difficult childhood. Burn Notice made an impressive debut.