My name is Michael Westen.
I used to be a spy until-
- We got a burn notice on you. You're blacklisted.
When you're burned, you've got nothing-
no cash, no credit, no job history.
- You're stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in. - Where am I?
Miami.
You do whatever work comes your way.
You rely on anyone who's still talking to you-
- a trigger-happy ex-girlfriend- - Should we shoot them?
an old friend who's informing on you to the F.B.I.
You know spies. Bunch of bitchy little girls.
- Family too- - Hey, is that your mom again?
- if you're desperate. - Someone needs your help, Michael.
Bottom line: Until you figure out who burned you...
you're not going anywhere.
- You drop me off and you go. Got it? - It's too late. You need me.
Sam and Fi are dealing with heroin smugglers. They already killed two people.
Yeah. Sounds like it's a bad time for me to bail.
No, it's a perfect time for you to bail.
Look, man, something happens to you, and Mom is on my ass forever.
All right? And not to get into your business...
but it seems like you could use the help.
Thank you.
You're welcome. Family first, right?
She's in there somewhere?
I mean, she could be in any one of those buildings, man.
She'll let us know where she is.
In any operation, communicating silently is often essential.
Chalk marks, an unusual arrangement of objects-
anything that stands out from the background will do.
- A piece of cloth on a window. - There. She's there.
Hmm. Great. What are we gonna do about it?
Those guys are all over looking for her.
I'm gonna need to drive.
A warehouse door is going to be reinforced...
- but the walls aren't. - Hold on.
And the areas under the windows don't have load-bearing beams.
- Fi? - Through there.
You cover that door. You don't let anyone through.
- Here. - I love machine shops.
They have polyester thermoset resins.
They should have some- Ah, here we go.
Benzoyl peroxide. Yummy.
Guys, do you want to hurry it up, please?
Hurry up. I got 'em pinned down.
A good trap doesn't scare people- it makes them curious.
A speeding truck makes people scatter.
A slow-moving truck, on the other hand...
makes people want to take a closer look.
Take cover! Go! Go!
That was insane. Those people were heroin smugglers?
Sam had a job. Things didn't go as planned.
- You're out of your mind! - What happened with Cowan?
Yeah. Things didn't go as planned with that either.
He's dead, Fi. They shot him while we were talking.
- Did you get anything? - A little.
He said the people he works for- they have plans for me.
Yeah, well, that's intriguing. What the hell does it mean?
Without knowing who they are, hard to say.
They might want information. They might have a job they want me to do.
I mean, they shot him for a reason.
Better be a good reason.
- This is your place? - Yeah.
Well, it's a foreclosure. You know, I guess they ran out of money in the remodel.
Usually, I can hang out about three months in a place like this.
You-You know, you blew up my truck.
- Anyone know you're here? - No, no.
I got a couple clients in my golf club business.
They weren't real happy with the way the investment worked out, so-
- Nate, I need you to go get Mom and bring her here. - Seriously?
Come on, man. When she starts smokin' in here, we're never gonna get the smell out.
The people who shot Cowan are probably watching her place.
When you go get her, bring her here. Make sure you're not followed.
I know how to lose a tail. And I hate to break it to you...
but spies aren't the only people with enemies.
Tell me what happened with Sam.
That was pretty good.
But you gotta follow through.
Okay. Now we're gettin' somewhere.
Yeah, that was pretty painful. How was that for you?
You were taking pictures. Who do you work for?
Me?
I don't work for anyone.
I go out there sometimes just to- to think.
Take pictures of the birds and the local fauna. You know.
Ooh! Ooh! You're gettin' good at that.
The guy that came for the woman- he knew what he was doin'.
- Maybe D.E.A.? - D.E.A. comes with a team.
D.E.A. brings cops. D.E.A. does not blow up a truck.
You know, buddy, if I were you, I'd watch it with the stupid comments.
'Cause, you know, your boss just killed a lot of his own guys outside-
Let me guess.
- You're trying to buy time for your team. Is that it? - Team?
Uh-Well, there's- there's no team around here.
- I work alone in a cubicle. - You work alone? Mm-hmm.
Pretty talkative for a loner.
Called this number three times when you were at the docks.
- Let me guess. That your boss? - Nah, that's my boyfriend.
Okay, okay!
Look, I'm D.E.A.
We've been watching you guys for months. We got a grand jury ready to go.
I'm C.I.A. That's right. C.I.A.
We've been tracking your Turkish heroin connection for terrorists.
Who do you work for, huh?
Okay.
F.B.I.
We got an informant.
Your guy there- he works for us.
Isn't that right, Frank? Come on, tell him.
No use lying now. He's got us. Come on, Frank!
You're a funny guy.
You're trained, aren't you? Hmm?
Let me guess.
Special Forces?
See, me- I'm an ex-Green Beret.
Admit nothing, deny everything...
make counteraccusations.
Special Forces? No, no.
I was a Boy Scout for a while.
Hey, take these restraints off me.
I'll show you how to tie a slipknot.
- Let's just kill him. - And then what?
The girl saw us. We gotta take care of the whole team, plus Gillian.
By the way, seems like she packed up and left early.
We went by her house. Must have been in a hurry.
But don't worry. I'll find her.
I'm really good at that.
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
You know what?
Show him what Green Berets are all about.
There's more...
stashed under a Fort Lauderdale overpass.
For any operative...
stashing weapons is second nature after a while.
Spies hide guns like squirrels hide acorns.
You never know when you'll need some firepower...
or where you'll be when you need it.
If we need more than this, we're doing something very wrong.
Or something very right.
- Hello? - I've got someone here who says he knows you.
Sam?
Yeah, he works for me.
Oh, yeah? And what kind of work do you do?
Choosing a cover I.D. on the fly is always a challenge.
- My work? - Yeah, your work.
What was your man doing down at the docks taking pictures, huh?
When there's no time to think...
it's best to go with something simple that keeps your options open.
I'm in the same business you're in. We're interested in your operation.
- I sent Sam down to do some research. - Oh, yeah?
- That's not what Sam says. - I don't train my employees to talk about my business.
Listen to me, not to him. Who am I talking to?
Hmm. I think you know enough about me for now.
Let me ask you a question. You thought what?
You could just come down here and rip me off?
I'm just checking out the competition.
You know, move to a new market, check out the lay of the land.
Point is, the man you have is a valued employee.
I want him back. I'm willing to deal.
Let's set a meet. We'll figure out a price.
I'm happy to negotiate, but I do not pay for damaged merchandise.
- I want proof of life. - You got e-mail?
Wake up, Sammy boy. Picture time.
So, uh...
probably gonna be my last photo, right?
I mean, you got these plans to kill everybody.
So I'm thinkin', I should look good for this, huh?
Let's see.
Nice. I'll send it to your mama.
Freon is available at most computer stores.
Buy a can of screen duster, turn it upside down, and you've got it in liquid form.
It's cold enough to crystallize the metal in many commercial locks.
A hammer can take care of the rest.
So this is Sam's storage locker. Phew.
We're looking for an old photo.
It'll be from the mid-'90s when we were working together.
You really think Sam is sending us a message?
He's trying to get us any information he can.
It's the pose in the photo. I've seen it before.
One advantage of working with the same team...
is that secure communication is simpler.
You don't have to work out a secret code.
If you have enough history, the code is in every picture...
every memento, every autographed leg cast.
What is it?
Sam led a hostage rescue operation in Venezuela for some U.S. businessmen.
It was a setup. The hostages were bait for Sam's team.
He lost a few men. He's saying stay away.
He's not getting out of this alive.
- Good. You made it back. Was anyone there? - Government types, Bro. Suits.
There was a few plainclothes guys there too. I didn't even see 'em till after I got Mom.
Michael, I was just getting in the shower. He shows-
- In a sec. - Soon as we left the house, they came out like roaches.
- Did you get rid of'em? Did you ditch 'em? - Oh, yeah.
I drove around Little Haiti for an hour, out to Virginia Key and back.
It was a bitch and a half. But unless they got invisible helicopters, I lost 'em.
And the car. Did you leave the car unattended when you went inside?
- Don't worry. I ditched that car. I picked up a new one. - Uh-huh, stole it.
It was, like, a 15-year-old Pontiac, Ma. I did the guy a favor taking it.
Point is we lost 'em. We're clean.
- You think they're the same guys that shot Cowan? - Yeah.
Michael, what is going on?
I'm not sure. All I know is this isn't just about following me anymore.
- They want to bring me in. - Who? Who is it? I don't know what you're talk-
I don't know. Covert intelligence agencies...
don't call you up and tell you why they're hunting you.
Mom, just for now, I need you to stay here.
No calls until I figure out what's going on.
- Here? Are you serious? - Mom, just until I know more.
Nate, I need you to pick up some disposable cell phones for emergencies only.
- What are you gonna do? - Fi and I are gonna probe these guys...
see how serious they are.
Well, it's not a perfect location, but it's not bad either.
Just need something nice and traceable-
a trail that the guys that killed Cowan can follow.
- Who you gonna call? - My old handler.
If they're not listening to his line, they don't deserve to catch me.
Hmm.
Hi. Yes. Dan Siebels, please.
Oh, this is Michael Westen. I need to talk to him. It's urgent.
I have government agents following me- I'm not sure what agency they are.
But I need help. Could you send a helicopter?
Okay. Good talking to you too.
Surveillance is a two-way street.
If you know someone's looking for you, you've got an advantage.
They follow your lead, go where they think you are.
Nice response time. Ten minutes. They're good.
Not that good. They're staring at a pay phone.
Oh, no, Fi. They are that good.
Those guys are just to keep us busy. They know we're here.
Tires.
- It's armored. - I'll see you back at Nate's.
Who drives armored cars?
People who expect gunfire.
Usually people with some firepower of their own.
Hey! What are you doing? Hey!
- Sorry about that. - What are you talkin' about?
Hey, you! Gimme my keys!
You ready to talk about how to get your guy Sam back?
- Yeah. You got a price? - We'll get to that.
First, I want to meet you and the girl together.
- The girl? - You forgot already?
Sure went through a hell of a lot of trouble to get her back.
- She has nothing to do with this. - She's part of your operation.
I want to know who I'm dealing with. Those are my conditions.
Fine. But it's gonna take a couple of days to track her down.
- A couple of days? - After what happened, she went underground.
If you want to see her, you're gonna have to wait for me to find her.
Don't take too long. I'm not sure Sam can hold out.
He's got decent stamina.
But everyone's got a breaking point, and I'm good at finding them.
In a hostage situation, you have to be cruel to be kind.
The more you care, the more leverage they have.
Like buying a car- you have to make them think you can walk away.
Just so we're clear, I don't take damaged goods.
You break it, you buy it. Got it?
Call me when you find the girl.
I take it you just bought us more time.
Won't do us much good unless we find out who this guy is.
All we know now is he's got Sam and he intends to kill us.
- Any ideas? - Well, it's a pretty small world...
when you're importing heroin at that level.
I'll make a call.
Well, it's your lucky day.
Your boss really wants you back. Guess that's loyalty for you.
You think he's gonna deal for me? He's playin' with you.
- Oh, really? - Look, I got caught.
He's gonna kill me himself. Believe me, pal, you'd be doing me a big favor.
- You got some death wish or somethin'? - You're gonna do it anyway.
What, I gotta stay another day in this crappy metal box?
Look, there's a sweet little park in Coral Gables.
Just dump the body. Give me a piece of paper. I'll draw you a map.
Yap, yap, yap, yap, yap.
He knows if we kill him his team won't show.
Nah. We need him alive.
Fellas, you're only hurting yourselves. I'm telling you.
Come on. A little rat poison! Easy-peasy!
- So you want me to put you in touch with a heroin dealer? - That is what I want.
Look, heroin- I'm allergic to it.
Don't need to touch it, don't need to see it.
- I think about it, I get hives. Heroin dealers- seriously. - This is not a favor.
No, it's not. Favors don't get you killed.
I give you a name, it gets back, we're in a "Barry facedown in the river" situation.
I'm not asking, Barry.
We're friends or we're enemies here.
Well, if you put it that way.
I put it that way.
You want the biggest heroin dealer in Miami?
This guy's as big as you say, they're probably working together.
No. Who's the second biggest?
Mmm, there's this club up on 22nd- Deedo's.
It's a place usually for smack trade.
You're looking for Carmelo. He hangs out there...
does a lot of business in the V.I.P. room.
Yeah?
Uh, Mike, it's for you.
Something about your burn notice.
- Y'ello. - Come out, come out, wherever you are.
- Who's this? - We need to talk, Michael.
We've been trying to bring you in.
- Talk about what? - Your past, your future.
Oh, sweetie, I'm a little busy right now. Can you call me back?
Keep it. It's yours.
- We friends? - We're friends, Barry.
- Anything I can do to help in here? - No, Mom. Please.
We gotta get her to stop smokin', Bro. She's making me nervous.
- She just wants to help. - She can help by making sandwiches.
Making explosives, are you, Michael?
Mom, there is some serious business going on here.
- I'm not stupid. I can see that. - Look.
I was hoping to get you back home in a couple of days...
but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen.
What do you mean? I don't want to stay here longer.
I only brought a week's worth of clothes. And I got a poker game tomorrow.
No, Mom. You're going to have to leave town.
- Leave town? - With Nate.
No. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here with you, Michael.
- You're obviously in trouble. - No, it's not safe. You can't.
I don't care if it's not safe here. I'm not leaving you.
- Mom, please. - Michael, I'm not afraid.
I know you're not afraid. But I am.
Shh.
It's okay.
I'll go.
There's our man right there.
- He looks like he's ready for trouble. - I'll bring him trouble then.
There are some fights you just can't win.
A force can be so overwhelming...
that no tactical approach in a fight...
is going to lead to a victory worth having.
You sure you don't want me to stay?
No, Fi. You need to go. Now.
You know, I'm usually all for the high risk, high reward option.
- But this- - If there was any other way, believe me-
Knock 'em dead.
When you can't win in a fight...
sometimes you have to settle for making sure that if you lose, everyone loses.
It works for nuclear weapons, it works for me.
- Hey. - Oh, sorry. Private party. My bad.
- You got a death wish, my friend. - Back off.
- What do you want? - Send someone out into the club.
I need them to check under the bar, under the stairs...
under the chairs, for more of these.
That's exactly what it looks like- C-4 explosive with a remote detonator.
And this-
A remote detonator on a deadman switch.
You shoot me, I let go of this button...
and the city of Miami gets some brand-new undeveloped real estate.
What do you want?
I just want to talk. What are you drinking?
Champagne. Would you like some?
Please.
Ooh, that's nice. Little dry.
- But sometimes dry is a little refreshing. - Glad you like it.
That why you're here? Put a bomb in my club so you can drink my champagne?
Partially. Also I need the name and location of a certain heroin importer.
I need it quietly, and I need it now.
- And I should do this because- - Because he's an importer.
He sells to your competition.
I put him out of business, it's a win for both of us.
And, if you don't do what I want...
I will rain hell down upon you until one of us is dead.
And I am really, really good at raining down hell.
I want an answer tomorrow.
- Who are you? - I'm Michael Westen. I used to be a spy.
You have a name for me.
The guy's name is Glenn Harrick.
He's got a boat on the river near the 27 th Avenue Bridge.
It cost me a lot of money to get that information.
You've just done yourself a great favor, Carmelo.
Do yourself one. Don't let me see you again.
You take care of this guy, you stay out of my way, we're good.
- If I ever see your face again, I'll kill you- bomb or no bomb. - Agreed.
Oh, look. They survived Nate's exploding truck.
Think they're keeping Sam here?
Fits the background in Sam's photo.
Lots of rusted metal. And they probably got him down in the hold.
Well, it makes sense, a barge. It's isolated, easy to defend.
Guess it's time to set my meeting with Harrick.
- We could go in there now. - No, Fi.
- We're gonna do this the right way. - Boring.
- Yeah. - I'm ready to make a deal.
All right. Let's set it up.
- I can meet today. - The girl coming?
Yeah. I tracked her down.
Fine. 4:00. Be at the Grove Harbour Marina.
Sounds good. One more thing. I talk to Sam before I come to the meeting.
If he can't talk, if he doesn't sound healthy, I walk away.
If he's anything less than a hundred percent...
just kill him now and save us both some time.
- We'll take good care of him. - You do that.
It'll be over today. Hey.
I was thinkin' about it. Maybe you should draw me a picture of the map to that park.
I'm gonna have to put your body somewhere.
Hey. Um, did he ask to talk to me before you meet?
'Cause I got news for you, buddy.
I'm not gonna play ball.
So you might as well just finish this right now.
You'll do whatever I want you to do.
But until then, please, keep him quiet.
Hey, um, so what were you?
Army? I'm a Navy man myself.
But, you know, I've seen your boss's type before...
and whatever shallow grave he dumps my body in...
you're gonna be keeping me company there real soon, pal.
You know, I read in a book once that the things that make you the angriest...
are the things you know are true.
- Wise words, huh? - I am getting so sick of your mouth!
Take a good look, buddy. 'Cause this is gonna be you real soon.
Ow.
Oh, I get it.
I kill you, your man doesn't show, right?
Nice try.
I, uh- I got your buddy's Caddy.
I had a friend who deals in secondhand cars check it out. Looks clean.
He also fixed the windshield on the Charger.
- So Mom said that you wanted me to go away with her? - I want you two somewhere safe.
Tell me something. Why is it, if you're the responsible one...
every time you run off and you do your spy thing, I gotta pick up the pieces?
Please.
I like this- you coming to me for help.
- It's- It feels good. - Yeah.
- It's like a fresh thing for us, you know? - It's great.
- Yeah. - You gonna do it?
- Of course, Bro. - Thanks.
You'll probably need a moderate sized blast.
The metal on that boat looked pretty worn.
I'd go with something with more direction.
But it'll do.
The sticky bomb was originally developed...
in World War II for mining tanks.
For the homemade variety, tile adhesive works best.
Sticky, waterproof, and it comes in an easily portable plastic bucket.
Mom, I'll call you when- if it's safe to come back.
Here, take this. It's a new phone.
It hasn't been used, so it's untraceable.
It's for emergencies only. We want to keep communication to a minimum.
- We're not taking your car from you, are we? - No.
Whoever's coming after me might have eyes on it.
So I'll drive you and Nate up to Fort Lauderdale.
And that's where I'll find you another car.
I remember the time you stole your first car.
Dad was off God knows where, and I had to get Nate to the doctor.
You must have been what, 12?
Ten. I remember it. You were pretty angry.
Yeah. I was also proud.
You did a lot of things I didn't understand...
but you did 'em for the family.
You know, Michael...
I did too.
I know, Mom. I know.
I know.
- Nate, you make any calls today? - No, Bro. You said not to.
- Mom? - Um, I-I called home to check messages...
but I used the secure phone that you gave me.
If you call a tapped phone from an untapped-
Never mind. That's how they're following us.
I need that phone right now.
This phone is no longer secure.
From now on, let's make this simple. Make no calls!
- Fine. - Nate, I'm gonna pull over and get out.
- Wait a minute. You said they were following us. - Yeah, they want me.
- When I get out, you go. Don't stop for anything. You got it? - Yeah.
Be careful.
Stay in the car. I know this line is tapped. I know you're listening.
I don't know who you are, but I know this-
you want me to come in alive, you call me now, or I will end this right here.
Hello.
Michael, don't do anything stupid.
- I have a proposal I'd like to discuss. - I'm listening.
I have a job to do. I need 12 hours.
You give me that, I will come in alive.
If you don't- If you even come near me before that- I will put a bullet in my head.
You wouldn't do that, Michael. You've got such a bright future.
Maybe, maybe not. You give me 12 hours, you don't need to find out.
I believe we have a deal.
You think it's okay to take Sam's car on the street? Those government types.
I bought myself a couple of hours before they pick me up.
Might as well drive it till then.
- You're really gonna go with 'em? - Yeah, Fi.
They shot Cowan in front of you.
They didn't shoot me. I want to know what's going on, and I told 'em I'd meet 'em.
You're a spy, Michael. Why don't you just lie?
That's what spies do, you know?
- If you want to run- - This is not about honor. And I'm not running anymore.
I want answers, and this is the only way to find them.
You ready?
It's been fun, Michael.
At least this time we get to say good-bye.
Thank you, Fi.
You get over to the Grove Harbour Marina. I'll call, put his guy on the phone.
You wait until he gets there with the girl.
- Understood? - Yeah.
Okay.
Put two in both their heads and call me when you're done.
- Got it. - Get outta here.
Let's go.
Looks like they're leaving a three-man team on the boat.
I'm off to crash the party.
A lot of people think the word "commando"means superhero...
or at least something close to it.
In the popular mind, they're thought of as the ultimate elite soldier...
the solution to every problem.
The fact is, a commando is just someone trained to fight...
under a specific set of circumstances.
He's the guy you send in when there are more bad guys than good guys...
when surprise is the only advantage you can get in an operation.
When it works, commandos seem unstoppable.
Those are the operations that make the papers.
When it doesn't work, commandos get killed just as dead as anyone else.
Hey. You there?
Okay, good. Here's what's gonna happen.
When they get there, you kill 'em both. And make sure they're dead.
You got that? All right. I'm gonna call the guy now.
- Morning, sunshine. - Hmm.
Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna call your boss.
You're gonna say "hello."
And if you act really nice, I'll finish you quick.
- And if I don't? - Well, then I'll have to find another way to hunt him down...
which means I have to kill you little by little until I find him.
- But, hey, Sam, your choice. - Boy.
They both sound pretty good.
- Can I have a few minutes to make up my mind? - No.
Kick his ass!
Come on, Mike.
Come on! Hey!
I've seen that wound before. I don't know what ammo you have in here...
but if it's Teflon-coated, you have about a half an hour.
But if they're hollow point, I wouldn't make any plans.
I thought I told you to stay away, Mikey. I tried to warn you.
I was never good at taking orders, Sam.
That's why you were a soldier, and I was a spy.
Fair enough.
Come on, Michael.
You know, I was thinking about this car when they had me.
I thought, "I'm gonna die before the Cadillac loses its new-car smell."
I'd never let that happen, Sam.
Mike, uh, seriously-
You would have done it for me.
Damn right, brother.
Mike, you been using the navigation thingy?
No, I didn't-
OnStar, Mr. Westen.
How do you know my name?
Directions are being sent to your vehicle.
- Your destination is 110 miles away. - My destination?
Mike, what's goin' on?
Time to get some questions answered, one way or another.
Burn notice, huh?
Uh, I need to borrow the Caddy.
No problem.
- Good luck, Mike. - Thanks, Sam.
You have arrived at your destination, Mr. Westen.
- Hello. - Michael, we're so looking forward to meeting you.
When you work in intelligence, you get used to the idea...
that some information is worth risking everything for.
You sign up for the lifestyle, or the chance to serve your country...
or the millions of frequent flyer miles.
But, finally, it all comes down to putting your ass on the line to learn something.