Staking out the docks for a weapons-runner contact, Jesse comes to the aid of a port security worker being beaten by two mob thugs stealing electronics off containers. Targeting the local boss, Tony (Nestor Serrano), who runs operations in South Florida for a New York family, Michael plans to scare him into thinking the FBI is on to him.
Michael posed as a a suspended FBI agent, but Tony turned out to have an FBI friend who blew Michael’s cover. At that point, Sam had to pose as Chuck Finley, sent from New York to kill Tony. Sam let Tony believe he could be bought, which forced Tony to try and steal a $5 million shipment of computer chips to pay off Finley. Meanwhile, Fiona rigged Tony’s car to explode, convincing him he couldn’t trust his men, and had to work with Sam to steal the chips.
To convince Tony to come along on the theft himself, Jesse told him a bit of Sam’s real Navy SEAL history. Sam was uncomfortable using details from his life, but it really got to Tony and made him do something unexpected at a crucial point in the plot.
I wasn’t sure how the addition of Jesse as a regular character would affect Burn Notice. So far, I’ve enjoyed how he’s changed up the formula. I did not expect Michael’s cover to be blown so early, but that believably sent the other characters scrambling for a new plan. I also like how Maddie has grown from someone completely unaware of Michael’s activities to someone who knows him as well as a mother should know her son. She pieced together Jesse’s identity and Michael’s role in burning him much sooner than I thought she would.
I hope this compels Michael to come clean with Jesse. That’s not something he wanted to do at first, but it would show he really does want to help Jesse, not just use him.
