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Show:		7.0
Picture:		7.0
Sound:		9.0
Extras:		6.0
Score:		7.0

Director(s):	Paul Holahan • John Kretchmer • Tim Matheson
Writer(s):	Matt Nix, Alfredo Barrios Jr., Ben Watkins, Craig O'Neill, Rashad Raisani, Jason Tracey
Starring:	Bruce Campbell • Jeffrey Donovan • Larry Miller • Tim Matheson • Sharon Gless • Gabrielle Anwar • Seth Peterson • Tricia Helfer • Paul Schiff
Genre:	Action • Comedy • Television
Website:	http://www.usanetwork.com/series/burnnotice/
Release Date:	June 16, 2009

List Price:	Blu-ray - $39.99
Amazon:

Even with MacGyver’s current 5 ½ season lead on Michael Westen, the lead of Burn Notice, is quickly rising to eclipse his cunningly creative predecessor. MacGyver was the master of minutiae and seemed to know the result of every possible chemical combination which, admittedly, is badass. But Michael Westen has a more complete combination of brains and brawn. MacGyver was more prone to running with creative escape routes while with Westen you can bet that when things get hairy he’ll throw his fair share of punches. The two may not occupy the exact same niche, but there’s enough overlap for the comparison. And “classic” television be damned, Burn Notice wins.

The CIA left Michael (Jeffrey Donovan) out in the cold and ever since he’s searched for person responsible for his burn notice, the pink slip which left him stranded with no job, cash or means of escaping Miami. When you’re trying to track down a hidden operative who doesn’t want to be found, a bit of money and help goes a long way. Sam (Bruce Campbell), Mike’s ex-handler, and Fi (Gabrielle Anwar), Mike’s on-again off-again ex-girlfriend, sign on to help Mike get his life back on track. The first season’s finale left Mike with a phone call from a mysterious woman promising him a link to the people or person who burned him.

Season two’s first episode gets the ball rolling on the new plotline and Mike finds himself the new coerced agent of a handler named Carla (Tricia Helfer). Were this any other genre the story would simply go from there in a simple linear and boring manner – but this is a show about spies. Nothing really ever goes that smoothly. The show still sticks to its “Mike takes on a client while working on the bigger picture” formula, but rarely does it ever feel tiresome. Couple the show’s unending vigor with a slew of fantastic guest roles from the likes of Patrick Fischler, Erick Avari, Patrick Fabian and Tim Matheson, and the end result is an enjoyable weekly experience that walks a fine line between spy-action and kitsch.

The irritating “treading water” symptom of the first season goes out the window in favor of the second’s business-minded story. Every time Mike seems to catch up, Carla pulls the rug out from under him. Yet the writers still leave Carla fallible in a few places to make the struggle worthwhile. Mike’s brother Nate (Seth Peterson) also procures a larger place in the Burn Notice world while their mother, Madeline (Sharon Gless), retains her normal nosy role as the flustered maternal figure to pretty much everyone Michael introduces her to.

Burn Notice: Season Two easily improves upon the first season in every way – but it still feels like one of those guilty pleasures. The writing possesses a certain flare to it and all the characters have a very wry, tongue-in-cheek awareness of how the antics of the spy-world lie somewhere in between absurd and awesome. With that said, Michael’s “how to be a spy” voiceovers have become a staple of the show where the results often rival those of MacGyver in their inventiveness. Sure, the silly voices Westen uses to “disguise” himself are laughable, but the show’s ability to entertain and the great characters make the show worthy of your time.

Putting Burn Notice on Blu-ray is not without its foibles. For one, the show’s grainy and gritty picture looks dirty when shown in hi-def. The heightened resolution serves the show well during some of the bigger action numbers (the season’s opening and closing, for example) but at any other moment it typically just distracts. The audio however has no such detractors when bumped up to hi-def and the show’s sound effects and soundtrack go over beautifully.

Blu-ray Bonus Features

Now maybe I’m just a bit bitter over the extras offered on Hulu not being included on the Blu-ray release, but when the extras on the disc are somewhat underwhelming, it’s hard to not start wondering about what could have been. As is, there are about 3 episode commentaries (worth listening to) with participation by various stars from the episodes and, of course, series creator Matt Nix. In that vein, Matt Nix lends himself to a brief featurette called “NIXin’ It Up” for the episode “Do No Harm” where he gives a little bit of insight into the episode’s conception, some of the spy-tricks involved and few other tidbits. Neither the commentaries nor “Nixin’ It Up” are essential, but there’s enough to make them entertaining if you get to the end of the season and want a little bit more to carry on the Burn Notice high. The deleted scenes, like is typically the case, don’t add too much to the whole experience. The gag reel however, which goes on for 10 minutes, has enough laughs to make it easily recommendable. There’s a little Easter Egg of sorts on the last disc, I won’t say too much as the “WTFness” is half the fun of it, but it has a nice little Burn Notice parody starring a few members of the crew.