In the aftermath of Burn Notice’s [tonight, USA, 10/9C] third summer finale, things have gone south, once again, for Michael Westen [Jeffrey Donovan]. With the death of his CIA contact, Diego, the plan to unburn him has gone away, and he’s left tending to the wound Fiona [Gabrielle Anwar] sustained as she and Michael dealt with the threat to her life that was posed by her former associates in the IRA.
Now, the injured Fiona has taken a job to help a widow and her son get out of an insurance scam [and we all remember how Fi feels about those who exploit children…]. At the same time as Michael and Sam are trying to find Diego’s killer, Fi brings them in on her gig – action, explosions and dramedy ensue.
A Dark Road guest stars Tyne Daly as Tina, a woman who works for County Records and is made an asset when Michael persuades his mother to finesse some sealed records for him. Unfortunately, Maddy [Sharon Gless] and Tina – who have a lot in common – become fast friends. Which makes things uncomfortable later in the ep, for all three.
Meanwhile, Sam and Michael do, eventually figure out who the killer was – in large part because he has taken an interest in Michael. This doesn’t keep Michael and Sam from working on Fi’s insurance scam gig, where Michael’s driving skills pace the way into an intro to the guys behind it all.
It’s really good to have Burn Notice back. It’s the kind of breezily cheeky series that knows precisely when to back off the breeze and go for the sucker punch. Series creator Matt Nix has perfected that kind writing and his script for A Dark Road takes all the characters into unexpected waters – especially Maddy, who learns a valuable lesson about what her son does.
There’s not as much spycraft as usual in the winter premiere, but Michael’s voiceovers are as witty and informative as ever. John T, Kretchmer’s direction is nimble – moving from fun to explosions to drama seamlessly and making terrific use of Gless and Daly’s excellent chemistry to add just that little extra depth that helps make this one of the best shows on cable. And with a mysterious new character lurking in the weeds, Burn Notice gives notice that it’s firing on all cylinders.
Final Grade: A-