Bad Blood
This sixth episode of the second season displays both how this series has become a well-oiled machine, and how it slyly transcends the mechanical, if still pleasing, combination of familiar elements.
Michael has two cases to worry about this time, as usual, one rather easily worked through for the younger brother of a childhood friend, the other the overarching continuing exploitation by the mysterious cabal that has managed to burn him in the first place. Rationing
Tricia Helfer's Carla, Michael gets to deal this time with the clearly disturbed Victor (
Michael Shanks) instead, who nonetheless seems quite functional enough to work in criminal espionage (if there is any other kind).
Ricky (Ben Watkins), an accountant, is being framed for embezzlement from a gangster rapper Valentine (Method Man) and his personal conglomerate, by a resentful, once true-believing, former manager and general financial adviser, Eddie. Happily, Eddie is easily manipulated, so that even when Victor attempts to blow Michael's scam to bring Eddie's theft into plain sight, Michael is capable of getting him to confess all in Valentine's earshot while attempting to kill Ricky.
Victor, while never capable of cowing Michael, does clearly worry him...not only does he have the leverage of the continuing mystery of just how large and powerful Carla's group of conspirators is--their viciousness is less in question--he is also, as noted, clearly on the edge of sanity, or at least making a good show of being scary that way. We can be sure that Michael will be using that fact in the next few episodes. Victor, while imparting as little useful information as possible, drafts Michael into the broad-daylight theft of what turns out to be, apparently, a rifle. Why all that for one rifle is the further mystery we're left with at episode's end.
Meanwhile, the bits of spycraft and similar charming asides continue, from the slightly unlikely (a drop ceiling that will support an adult man's weight? Maybe so, but I'm used to them being a bit flimsier) to the amusingly believeable enough (using an old cathode ray tube from a television set for an improvised X-ray device).
The best setpiece in the episode might well've been the kidnapping of Valentine by Fi and Sam, which elegantly demonstrates why they're nearly as dangerous to cross as Michael is, but Michael's successful attempt to not snort in disgust while Eddie is attempting to beat him up comes close.
The least probable aspect of the episode, I'd say, is that Michael thought that his mother wouldn't realize that Sam was bodyguarding her. Sharon Gless is still not given enough to do in this series, but the utter professionalism of the series cast delivers some of the snappiest dialog in spy drama with aplomb.
Even this, which might be the slightest episode of the series so far in most ways. is eminently worth watching...as are some of the "extras" you can see at Hulu.com or at the USA channel's website.
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Burn Notice, please see our
Online Video Guide.
