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Post by artemis on Jul 23, 2009 10:12:38 GMT -5
Eetah on Fi and Michael and the very real issue of their conflicting goals. I also like that they are doing it by keeping both of them true to their own motives and how they see the world and so on. totally. it's one of the things that i find so realistic and well-done about it all. i also loved the line in last week's episode when madeline nonchalantly says to not mess up the curtains while checking for bugs. i thought that was such a perfect encapsulation of her character's development this season.
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Post by Lola m on Jul 23, 2009 20:30:01 GMT -5
**snicker** Organic lotion. Good for burns. **snicker** "If something seems too good to be true, it's best to shoot it, just in case." ;D Oooh! A kid! With stepdad issues! Sounds like a "push Michael's buttons" ep to me. Yoghurt! **takes a drink** Hey, it's Better Off Ted guy, isn't it? Awwww. Michael is gonna be all mentor to the kid, isn't he? "If hitting a guy reinforces your cover, then give it all you can."
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Post by Lola m on Jul 23, 2009 21:01:31 GMT -5
Oh, kid! Don't go after the guy yourself!! Ah, he wants to stop the kid from becoming like him. Heh! Michael is really enjoying how many times he gets to hit this guy. Whoa! Nice touch with them faking Michael being shot too. Give the guy no safe harbour. And when it all goes to hell, get back in there and make it work. Oh, yeah! "Better than making them look disloyal, is making them look insane." Heeeee! Nice gaslight job, and actually probably helped by being pulled together at the last minute. (Well, also helped by his brother's issue earlier with the person who saw him acting odd with the gun.) "So, you're saying I should eat a lot of yoghurt?" "Can't hurt." (Also? I think a mention counts, so I get to open another beer. Yay, TV show drinking games! ) Oh, he's making the deal . . . somehow I think that's all going to go horribly horribly wrong.
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Post by Lola m on Jul 30, 2009 21:26:10 GMT -5
OMG. Using mom on the job. Heee! And she's mad about the roof leak which, for some crazy reason she blames on the blowing up of the roof. Hmmm. I can't decide how much of Fi's concerns are legit "danger Wil Robinson" stuff that he should be listening more to and how much is worry about relationship stuff if he gets his job back. Because I think there is a bit of both in there. Barry! Client Barry! How awesome!! Awww. His special lady did him wrong? Say it ain't so! They want her to be low profile? Um. Did they think hard about this plan? "I'm known for my customer service!" Awww, poor Sam! Ruining his Sammy time. "I'm sorry we're using your love nest as a holding cell, Sam!" "Well I just didn't expect to be wearing pants here. Look, I'm over it, alright." Ha! "You're looking to me for softer?" I do like the running commentary on interrogation techniques. A burn safe on burn notice. Neato. Holy crap!! Damn, you scared me, Sam. **wibbles** Fi has good questions. Questions that Michael knew should be asked but doesn't want to ask, I'm thinking. OMG, real estate woman is the psycho mastermind of this all?! Whoa!! Nooooooooooo, Fi!!! Oooh, another interesting spy-ism insight thing. Hide concern or fear with another strong emotion. Like anger, eh? He's damn lucky Fi didn't take his head off right off the bat. But hoooo boy is he in trouble! Hmmmm. Villain gets away, so that means she'll be back at some point, won't she? Damn. Fi is leaving?!
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Post by artemis on Jul 31, 2009 11:56:04 GMT -5
I think this is my favorite episode of the season so far. I liked watching Michael's actions spiral downward into greyer and greyer territory - stuff like using his mom on a job where he didn't even know what the details were behind it all (and thus wasn't sure of the potential risk to her, even though it ended up being fine). I continue to feel that this show does an excellent job of showing common relationship dynamics in uncommon situations. I think that it would be easy for Michael to internally dismiss Fi's objections as being solely because she doesn't want him to reach the end outcome when there are some concrete reasons to object or at least question it. And I think that, again, they're portraying something that happens a lot in life: Someone wants something a lot and has run out of ideas for how to get to it without potentially compromising their values, integrity, whatever - and that sometimes generally moral people really do risk doing that for the end result. I liked seeing Michael doing pretty much the opposite of what he usually does on the show, following orders, not asking questions, apologizing to people when questions are raised. And Sam's "Sometimes it's hard being your friend, Mike" really struck me.
I also liked the parallels in the other other plot of Amy fooling usually cynical Barry and Real Estate Agent fooling usually cynical Fi. In both cases they found the other person's weak spot and exploited it. I particularly liked that a baddie finally didn't just pick up on Fi's strong desire to protect children but used it to literally get away. With exactly how she reacted to Michael's slap, I wonder if perhaps Fi was physically abused as a child or had a loved one who was.
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Post by Lola m on Aug 6, 2009 21:19:28 GMT -5
Fi not trying to make a point, trying to make a change. Talked to her mom? Whoa! It is about what he needs to do, and I do think that she does understand that. Awwwww. Sentimental gun. Holy crap!! First a mention of her mom, and now her brother is there? And bringing trouble in his wake, I see. “Kiss with a chain saw” – well, that’s descriptive. Heee! I know it’s a dangerous situation and all, but still “Thomas O’Neill, Bloodthirsty Hooligan” is a damn funny title card. Client Fiona! Cool! And interesting that we’re moving closer and closer to Michael with the clients. First Barry and now Fi. Setting the record “straightish” is not what Michael wants. And this guy has a vested interest in keeping you unemployed (except by him) and “scary”. Holy holy crap! Michael’s mom moving, making changes too? Man. I think that is throwing him as much or more than the thing with Fi. Oh noes!! Ms Reynolds’ car! Oh, man, that was such a pretty car, too. “Your accent’s a big dodgy.” Creepy guy comes to Michael’s mom’s house? That is Not Cool. Also? The more he talks about what Michael wants and how things will be when he helps him get his job back the less Michael looks like he wants it. “If he won’t do it on his own, we’ll have to just gently encourage him.” Interesting to see Fi and Michael having a relationship talk with him using the accent. Because that totally fits into his opening voice-over, about how when you play an undercover role it’s hard to know who you really are. HOLY CRAP!! Oh, man. Creepy guy set this all up?! Oh, he is so very very dead. “I am the one tryin’ to help you out” and “she had to go” and “like a good partner I did it for you” ?! Oh, hell no!! “I’ll be the bad guy. You’re welcome.” Oh wow!! HOLY CRAP!! Action!Sam! Action!Michael! Action!Fi! Fi!!!!!!!! **falls over** Damn, that was exciting! Damn. Now the Strickler death is gonna ripple out . . . “When you work in intelligence, the worst feeling in the world is knowing nothing.” Damn! That was one excellent season finale!
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Post by artemis on Aug 7, 2009 11:50:56 GMT -5
Heee! I know it’s a dangerous situation and all, but still “Thomas O’Neill, Bloodthirsty Hooligan” is a damn funny title card. oh, how their title cards crack me up! ;D indeed. and right after she said, "i am not one of your clients!" no less. ;D exactly. especially the latter point. i felt the show left how it was all set up ambiguous in this episode, which i actually liked too. they implied that thomas worked for hire as far as interpol could tell, and my first question when i heard that was, well who hired him for this job? but then you also saw how much he wanted fi as his ticket to bigger and better (in his mind) things - enough so that his own men had to restrain him from jumping in the water after fi. so did strickler actually hire him, or did strickler just take advantage of the 'opportunity' to ensure michael's safety and get rid of fi in one fell swoop? i can't imagine that strickler thought michael would figure it out before fi was dead (it seemed so accidental that he did find out that fast), but even if he found out afterwards, what did strickler really think he would do? it left me wondering if he had badly misjudged michael. i also thought the mirroring between fi's conversation with her brother ("so you're still in love with him then") and michael's last one with strickler (where strickler calls her michael's "girlfriend") was really interesting and nicely done. it was. but that was an excellent scene for it to "die" in! very nice stunt, i thought. and i loved the camera shots through the water. i loved that, too! i know! i also thought it was interesting that he started out the episode asserting that he was doing it to protect his loved ones and by the end of the episode he really WAS acting to protect his loved ones. excellent point! i didn't think of that at the time. i really wasn't sure if michael was going to kill him right then and there till he did! i was all, OMGWTFBBQ! i know! when he was all looking frantically for her (with the camera echoing his franticness) and then she floated up to the top all sputtering and wimpering and he grabbed her and carried her to shore - whoa, that's all i'm saying. no kidding!! and both this and last season's finales ended on VOs about worst things for spies! ;D i thought it was quite interesting that they killed diego, because, well, he didn't even really know very much. though with his feelers out about strickler, perhaps the "cleaner" didn't know that. or perhaps the "cleaner" just didn't care. i know!! i have it saved to rewatch.
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Post by artemis on Aug 7, 2009 11:58:23 GMT -5
i forgot to mention a couple things:
i thought michael's last conversation with sean also nicely mirrored his conversations in this episode with strickler and how it all emphasized michael figuring out what he really wanted and what his principles really were (and doing so at the same time as the other characters found them out).
i also thought it was interesting that fi said she'd become a different person because of her time with michael, and i wonder if michael has become a different person in his time freelancing as well, and i thought that it was interesting that fi said "people don't change" to sean and then said to michael that she had changed.
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Post by Lola m on Aug 7, 2009 21:26:10 GMT -5
Heee! I know it’s a dangerous situation and all, but still “Thomas O’Neill, Bloodthirsty Hooligan” is a damn funny title card. oh, how their title cards crack me up! ;D indeed. and right after she said, "i am not one of your clients!" no less. ;D exactly. especially the latter point. i felt the show left how it was all set up ambiguous in this episode, which i actually liked too. they implied that thomas worked for hire as far as interpol could tell, and my first question when i heard that was, well who hired him for this job? but then you also saw how much he wanted fi as his ticket to bigger and better (in his mind) things - enough so that his own men had to restrain him from jumping in the water after fi. so did strickler actually hire him, or did strickler just take advantage of the 'opportunity' to ensure michael's safety and get rid of fi in one fell swoop? i can't imagine that strickler thought michael would figure it out before fi was dead (it seemed so accidental that he did find out that fast), but even if he found out afterwards, what did strickler really think he would do? it left me wondering if he had badly misjudged michael.i also thought the mirroring between fi's conversation with her brother ("so you're still in love with him then") and michael's last one with strickler (where strickler calls her michael's "girlfriend") was really interesting and nicely done. it was. but that was an excellent scene for it to "die" in! very nice stunt, i thought. and i loved the camera shots through the water. i loved that, too! i know! i also thought it was interesting that he started out the episode asserting that he was doing it to protect his loved ones and by the end of the episode he really WAS acting to protect his loved ones. excellent point! i didn't think of that at the time. i really wasn't sure if michael was going to kill him right then and there till he did! i was all, OMGWTFBBQ! i know! when he was all looking frantically for her (with the camera echoing his franticness) and then she floated up to the top all sputtering and wimpering and he grabbed her and carried her to shore - whoa, that's all i'm saying. no kidding!! and both this and last season's finales ended on VOs about worst things for spies! ;D i thought it was quite interesting that they killed diego, because, well, he didn't even really know very much. though with his feelers out about strickler, perhaps the "cleaner" didn't know that. or perhaps the "cleaner" just didn't care. i know!! i have it saved to rewatch. I lean toward Strickler simply taking advantage of the situation, but it really is almost equally creepy either way. Just a different version of creepy, I suppose. IMHO, Strickler's downfall was a combo of misjudging / underestimating Michael and a foolish belief that everyone was as corruptable as he was.Oh, nice example!Seriously, dude!
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Post by Lola m on Jan 24, 2010 21:41:04 GMT -5
Return of Burn Notice - woo!
“Whatever the method, that first contact tells you a lot about a person. Especially when a person introduces themselves by firebombing a hotel room.” Ha!
Eating yoghurt! **takes a drink**
Cagney and Lacey! Cool!
Mmmmmm, pretty cars!
“She’s not an asset! She’s a person, sitting at my dining room table!” I love how his mother can still make Michael go from cool to crazed in under a minute.
“People get hurt and things get complicated no matter what you do.” You said it, Fi!
Betray a woman I tried on bathing-suits with? The horror!!
“You lived in the same house I did. You made hard choices. So you know this as well as I do.” Ouch! Michael, you learned your manipulation from a master. Mom, you should have known he might take your skills and run with them.
“When you blackmail someone, you have to be the bad guy. It’s easier that way. Easier for them.” And then the woman shows up with her hair done in the style of her new friend. Ouch! Ouch, ouch!
Mom may not always be right, but she’s not entirely wrong here. Who is he to decide how much damage is done to others when he “fixes” things?
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Post by artemis on Jan 31, 2010 19:09:01 GMT -5
Nothing particularly deep or insightful to say right now, just that I've really enjoyed the first two episodes and, like Lola, was squeeing upon Burn Notice's return. I particularly thought that the scene between Madeline and Michael near the end of the premiere was very well done - well written, well acted. Madeline's come a long way from pretending she doesn't notice anything's going on. Sometimes her comments remind me of the sorts of things Fi also sometimes says to Michael.
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Post by Lola m on Jan 31, 2010 21:06:56 GMT -5
Loved the flirting by the pool. I mean, really can we call it anything else? Neighborhood watch. Ha! Scary devil impersonation thing is really rather awesome. “What did he want?” “He wanted to see if I’m the same kind of monster he is. Apparently, I am.” Nice bit of snarky mimicry there.
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Post by Karen on Jan 31, 2010 23:28:58 GMT -5
Return of Burn Notice - woo! “Whatever the method, that first contact tells you a lot about a person. Especially when a person introduces themselves by firebombing a hotel room.” Ha! Eating yoghurt! **takes a drink**Cagney and Lacey! Cool! Mmmmmm, pretty cars! “She’s not an asset! She’s a person, sitting at my dining room table!” I love how his mother can still make Michael go from cool to crazed in under a minute. “People get hurt and things get complicated no matter what you do.” You said it, Fi! Betray a woman I tried on bathing-suits with? The horror!! “You lived in the same house I did. You made hard choices. So you know this as well as I do.” Ouch! Michael, you learned your manipulation from a master. Mom, you should have known he might take your skills and run with them. “When you blackmail someone, you have to be the bad guy. It’s easier that way. Easier for them.” And then the woman shows up with her hair done in the style of her new friend. Ouch! Ouch, ouch! Mom may not always be right, but she’s not entirely wrong here. Who is he to decide how much damage is done to others when he “fixes” things? Perfect drinking game for Burn Notice. Loved Cagney and Lacey moments. Do you think there's any chance she'll be back? They are so good together.
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Post by Lola m on Feb 8, 2010 22:50:06 GMT -5
Guns and duct tape. Ha! It’s fun that they brought Sugar back as the client – nice twist. Bugging the TV remote? Genius! Oh, Sugar. Don’t go all Tombstone, you dimwit! “Now you wanna use duct tape.” Look like a team, be one. “Maybe we should get jerseys.” Mr. “Our hearts will be beating in synch” is creepy. Another nice twist – Michael and crew missing something, making a mistake, not being ahead of the bad guys. And then having to deal with it, spur of the moment. Brave Dougie! Clever move! “I don’t know how many times I gotta get shot before I start listening to you.” Ha! “Unfortunately, our comrade didn’t survive his injury.” “He broke his ankle.” “There were complications.” Yep. Creepy! And yet strangely hot. Like when he and Michael do their vaguely threaten/alpha-dog posture/flirt thing.
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Post by Lola m on Feb 8, 2010 22:58:25 GMT -5
Return of Burn Notice - woo! “Whatever the method, that first contact tells you a lot about a person. Especially when a person introduces themselves by firebombing a hotel room.” Ha! Eating yoghurt! **takes a drink**Cagney and Lacey! Cool! Mmmmmm, pretty cars! “She’s not an asset! She’s a person, sitting at my dining room table!” I love how his mother can still make Michael go from cool to crazed in under a minute. “People get hurt and things get complicated no matter what you do.” You said it, Fi! Betray a woman I tried on bathing-suits with? The horror!! “You lived in the same house I did. You made hard choices. So you know this as well as I do.” Ouch! Michael, you learned your manipulation from a master. Mom, you should have known he might take your skills and run with them. “When you blackmail someone, you have to be the bad guy. It’s easier that way. Easier for them.” And then the woman shows up with her hair done in the style of her new friend. Ouch! Ouch, ouch! Mom may not always be right, but she’s not entirely wrong here. Who is he to decide how much damage is done to others when he “fixes” things? Perfect drinking game for Burn Notice. Loved Cagney and Lacey moments. Do you think there's any chance she'll be back? They are so good together. I hope she will be back, too! And since Michael arranged to have her not be blamed, perhaps there is more of a chance that she will come back into their lives, eh?
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