Michael Westen
Encyclopedia
Michael Westen is a fictional character
played by Jeffrey Donovan
in the television series Burn Notice
. Michael, a spy, was abruptly blacklisted while on an assignment. Forced to go back to his hometown of Miami, Florida
, he finds himself cut off from the United States Intelligence Community. While searching for answers on why he was burned, Michael becomes a freelance spy/private investigator to help those who have unique problems.
, the first of two sons to Frank and Madeline Westen
. His father was a violent man, who would physically and emotionally abuse his two sons as an obedience
measure, and his mother did little to prevent it. His father would also take advantage of him, for example, he forced Michael to fake a seizure inside a Mr. Goodwrench store so his father could steal spark plug
s. The last words his father said to him were "I'll see you in Hell, boy." Eight years prior to the beginning of the series, his father died. After persistent persuasion by his mother, Michael finally visited the gravesite of his father. Michael's younger brother, Nate, is a compulsive gambler who has a history of stealing from Michael to fund his addiction. However, after helping Michael and almost dying, he has turned his life around, which Michael seems to have difficulty believing. After a brief quarrel with his brother, Michael rightfully receives his father's black 1973 Dodge Charger
.
Michael enlisted in the United States Army
when he was 17 years old, and his mother forged his father's signature so he could enlist. Little is mentioned about his time in the Army but it is known he was in the Army's 3rd Ranger Battalion's Bravo Company. It is also implied in one episode that he served in Delta Force
. It was implied in an episode that he served in San Pedro Laguna before he was recruited to work as a spy. He served for 15 years, working in Europe
and the OPEC
nations as a covert operative who did freelance work for the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA). While on a mission in Nigeria
, he received a burn notice from CIA superiors. After managing to embark on an airplane in Nigeria, Michael is deserted in Miami, with Fiona Glenanne
, his ex-girlfriend.
Per the conditions of Michael's burn notice, his assets are frozen, his line of credit is destroyed, and he has no career history with which to seek employment. He is free to travel within Miami, but any attempts to relocate outside of the city will result in immediate arrest. Michael now has to find work that suits his unusual skillset
and knowledge. He counts on longtime friends like Sam Axe
, who informed on him to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) until midway through the first season, and Fiona to perform such tasks, while fighting with his mother Madeline Westen and trying to find out who burned him and why.
Michael lives in a decrepit loft situated over a nightclub, with a bed, workbench, some barbells, a punching bag, no air conditioning, an oven, a few chairs, a mid-90's era computer, and a refrigerator filled with yogurt and alcohol. He obtained the loft in the pilot episode, when he assisted his Russian landlord and club owner by ridding a drug dealer who also lived on the premises. He also spends time at hotels in Miami, as well as his mother's house.
Upon returning to Miami, Michael was watched by the FBI. It was revealed that he was burned in order to be recruited by a mysterious organization and is contacted by a woman named Carla. After Carla was killed by Fiona, Michael received an offer to replace her by a man referred to as the organization's "management." He refused to take the job and lost the security detail and personal restrictions he had been under to protect him from the countless enemies he made as a CIA operative, choosing to be free from the organization's hold. It is later discovered that the organization was also protecting him from the rest of the world who were hunting the name Michael Westen.
Michael continued to work toward removing his burn notice and being reinstated in the CIA. Michael then approached CIA agent Diego Garza, who became his point of contact for the CIA. Michael was also approached himself and later threatened by Tom Strickler, an "agent to the spies" with powerful connections. Tom had tried to remove Fiona from Michael's life, and Micheal subsequently killed him. With Tom dead, the incident sparked a chain of events that lead Diego to be murdered by Mason Gilroy, a former MI6 spy and freelance black ops psychopath. Michael ended up working with Gilroy in order to find out his plan. Michael eventually found out that Gilroy was working on securing the release of a high risk fugitive named Simon Escher. Gilroy succeeded in freeing him but is later killed by Simon. In another revelation, Simon was the one responsible for the actions that got Michael burned. Simon's profile was transferred to Michael and earned him a burn notice. Simon forced Michael to bring management to Miami but ends up being recaptured again when Michael overtook him.
After initially being taken away by the authorities, Michael is kidnapped by Management. A high-level member of Management named Vaughn, convinced Michael about a group of people in the world who are plotting assassinations, political coups, funding terrorist organizations, genocide and are in control of every facet of the government. Michael agreed to help Management in order to stop the organization that broke Simon out of prison. During the process of investigating, Michael accidentally burned a spy named Jesse Porter.
Despite the objection from Fiona and his own mother, Michael kept secret to Jesse about his role in destroying his life. Later, Jesse discovered Michael's deception and vowed revenge. At the same time, Michael found a close link to the organization behind Simon and a mysterious book code contained within a Holy Bible, a power-broker and billionaire CEO of Drake Technologies, named John Barrett
. Michael offered to trade him the stolen bible in exchange for shedding some light on who he's up against and the identities of the people who burned him. Management - the people who burned him - are hidden within the United States government, private-military corporations and various other powerful organizations. Barrett planned on recruiting Michael to help him eliminate them. During the exchange of the case, Michael was shot by Jesse during a confrontation of Vaughn's and John Barrett's team. Michael, bleeding, was taken by John Barrett. Michael then caused the car he was in to crash, leaving John Barrett dead. Michael survives the accident and manages to crawl out of the wreckage. With Michael bleeding out and unconscious, someone steals the case.
Michael eventually recovered from his injuries. With the help of Fiona, Sam, and Jesse, Michael was able to recover the information on Management. Michael planned to give the flash drive to Marv, Jesse's old CIA handler. Marv is killed by men posing as Homeland Security agents and the flash drive is stolen by Tyler Brennen, an enemy Michael makes during the second season and one of the most intelligent villains he has encountered. Brennen, threatening to expose Michael's betrayal to Vaughn, blackmailed Michael into killing the people who on the list who burned him. Brennen is murdered by Larry Sizemore who was recruited by Brennan to be Michael's partner for the killings. Michael was able to defeat Larry, but Vaughn found out of Michael's betrayal. Vaughn and his team goes after Michael and those around him but is arrested. Michael was then taken by two mysterious men to Washington, DC and was met by an unknown acquaintance. The unknown acquaintance turns out to be Raines, Michael's former recruiter, who helps Michael hunt down every member of Management in order to get Michael un-burned. After Michael has successfully eliminated every member, another spy he had been working with, Max, is murdered and Michael is framed for the murder. AGENT PEARCE , who's been sent by the CIA to investigate Max's murder and serve as Michael's new agency contact. Michael must do what he can to aid the CIA's investigation while keeping the evidence from leading to his own doorstep.It leads back to him and Pearce takes him in.
After he finds the killer is a russian named Tavian Korzha the CIA lets Michael go to talk to him where he throws himself off a 5 story building. Larry comes back and kidnaps Anson, holding his wife prisoner, forcing Michael to help him frame some British government people. Larry revels that he plans on killing Michael after Fi and Sam find Anson's wife had been blown up.
Fiona plants a small explosive to kill Larry. The building suddenly explodes from the bottom, killing 2 security guards inside. It turns out that Anson planted the bomb and framed Fi and he is the founder of Management and he threatened to have the CIA and MI6 after Fi if Michael does not do his dirty work.
and MacGyver
filtered through Carl Hiaasen
." Bruce Campbell
comments on Michael Westen: "Well, the idea is being a CIA agent, Michael Westen can take his skills, you know, MacGyver-ish type skills and make a shotgun out of a twig."
Michael's romantic relationships are a significant source of subplots in Burn Notice. It is revealed in the episode "Sins of Omission" that ten years previous, Michael was engaged to a professional thief named Samantha, but they never married and eventually separated. Around that time, Michael met Fiona Glenanne
, an IRA
bomb maker and weapons expert, while under cover in Ireland
. Their relationship also ended when Michael was extracted, though Fiona became aware of Michael's real name and position as a US intelligence operative. Fiona now helps Michael with his various cases and his investigations in Miami, and they still have a close, if strained, relationship. While Fiona plays coy during most of Season 1, during Season 2 it is apparent to many that they are moving toward a reconciliation. When Fiona investigates a bomb makers home and a fire erupts that consumes the entire building, Michael believes that she had been killed in the fire, and discovers her alive and well at his apartment, albeit without a cellphone that was destroyed. Realizing that Michael was on the verge of a breakdown over her possible death, the two make love.
Michael's family is also a source of strain in the show. In the pilot episode, Michael once remarked that his mother "would have been a great intelligence analyst. She could find you if you were buried in the middle of the Gobi Desert
and ask you why you didn't come home for Thanksgiving
dinner." She is also a provider for some of Micheal's cases by suggesting friends who are in trouble. His mother in particular is at times demanding and a valuable asset, and has recently been used to conduct initial surveillance. She's also revealed to have a deep understanding of psychology and interrogation, after she manages to coerce information out of a smuggler within minutes of Fiona and Sam having given up. Despite being left in the dark for much of the series, she is now much more involved and aware of Michael's operations, though she seems to accept this as a matter of course.
While Michael begins working harder towards being recalled to active service and working for a mercenary, Fiona grows more and more distant. Michael strikes Fiona as part of maintaining a cover identity. Fiona claims that doing this work is changing Michael, and that she can't stay and watch it happen, and plans to move back to Ireland. These plans are curtailed when both Fiona's brother and an exiled Irish mercenary arrive. The exiled Irish mercenary kidnaps Fiona, and Michael's original Irish cover is blown. When Michael and Sam attempt a rescue, Fiona is shot in the arm when she jumps off the pier to escape the gunfire. Michael panics when he sees Fiona float to the surface unconscious and quickly pulls her out and is relieved when she comes to. Fiona's brother tells Michael that Fiona, now associated with a foreign intelligence operative, will almost certainly be killed if she returns to Ireland, though he tells Michael that he is proud to know his sister chose well. This incident strengthens their bond again, and soon thereafter they make love at a hotel. Michael and Fiona experiences tensions afterwards while he continues to focus on his burn notice with the CIA.
As a covert operative, Michael is incredibly resourceful and holds a shocking knowledge of topics ranging from combat survival, Posttraumatic stress disorder, escapology
, chemistry
, electrical engineering
, mechanical engineering
, medicine
, surgery
, and criminal psychology
, despite a remark by a client and former friend that he "vanished before high school graduation". During the second season finale in a car chase
, Micheal is able to fashion a quick explosive out of chemicals found in his glove compartment. As a covert operative, Michael is also a keen bluffer, once being able to bluff a con artist to believe that he transferred $200 000 into his account (a ruse that would have been found out by a bank manager in Zurich
in a few minutes) or making a bank robber believe that he was a doctor
. Known by his professional reputation, Michael is regarded with fear by people associated with the intelligence community
and once remarked by a Spetsnaz
wet work operative that "everyone in Russian Special Forces
has heard of the name Michael Westen. He is a myth like the boogymen." and once being told by the Head of the Libyan Secret Police, that their intelligence services were not known for being gentle and that if he ever wanted a job to contact him personally. In one episode, Larry
once stated as a quip "Where is the old Michael Westen I knew? The one who would have left behind a bloodbath with a smile on his face?" Despite being professionally regarded as a cold killer, Michael is hesitant to kill anyone unless he had to, once needing Victor
to tell him that he had to do it in order to sell the story to Management. That is not to say that Michael would not kill, where during the third season finale he might have killed Simon and only stopped when Management asked him not to.
As a character, Michael is seen to have several 'trademark' characteristics. He wears expensive suits (during one episode he reveals the label showing the suit to be Armani, and always wears the same pair of sunglasses, which he at one points states to have been a gift from an old associate. At the beginning of Season 3, having jumped out of a helicopter into the ocean and losing most of his clothes, Management sends him back his supposedly lost sunglasses. Furthermore, Michael's food of choice appears to be yogurt, and his fridge always appears to be stocked with them.
, although he gives the camera a look before starting. In general, the "advice" is theoretically possible but nevertheless impractical for most people. For instance, the explanation on how to break out of a prison in Turkmenistan
ends with Michael telling the person to swim across the Caspian Sea
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by Jeffrey Donovan
Jeffrey Donovan
Jeffrey Donovan is an American television, film and stage actor. He plays the lead Michael Westen on the American cable television series, Burn Notice. Notable starring roles in film include: Hitch, Believe in Me, Changeling, and Come Early Morning. He portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in Clint...
in the television series Burn Notice
Burn notice
A burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons...
. Michael, a spy, was abruptly blacklisted while on an assignment. Forced to go back to his hometown of Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, he finds himself cut off from the United States Intelligence Community. While searching for answers on why he was burned, Michael becomes a freelance spy/private investigator to help those who have unique problems.
Fictional Biography
Michael Westen was born on January 6, 1967 and raised in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, the first of two sons to Frank and Madeline Westen
Madeline Westen
Madeline Westen is a fictional character in the television series Burn Notice portrayed by Sharon Gless. She is the main character Michael Westen's neurotic, chain-smoking, hypochondriac mother.-Overview:...
. His father was a violent man, who would physically and emotionally abuse his two sons as an obedience
Obedience (human behavior)
In human behavior, obedience is the quality of being obedient, which describes the act of carrying-out commands or being actuated. Obedience differs from compliance, which is behavior influenced by peers, and from conformity, which is behavior intended to match that of the majority. Obedience can...
measure, and his mother did little to prevent it. His father would also take advantage of him, for example, he forced Michael to fake a seizure inside a Mr. Goodwrench store so his father could steal spark plug
Spark plug
A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed fuels such as aerosol, gasoline, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas by means of an electric spark.Spark plugs have an insulated central electrode which is connected by...
s. The last words his father said to him were "I'll see you in Hell, boy." Eight years prior to the beginning of the series, his father died. After persistent persuasion by his mother, Michael finally visited the gravesite of his father. Michael's younger brother, Nate, is a compulsive gambler who has a history of stealing from Michael to fund his addiction. However, after helping Michael and almost dying, he has turned his life around, which Michael seems to have difficulty believing. After a brief quarrel with his brother, Michael rightfully receives his father's black 1973 Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger (B-body)
The Dodge Charger was a mid-size automobile produced by Dodge. The 1966-1974 Chargers were based on the Chrysler B platform. The 1975-1978 Chargers were based on the Chrysler Cordoba.-Origin of the Charger:...
.
Michael enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
when he was 17 years old, and his mother forged his father's signature so he could enlist. Little is mentioned about his time in the Army but it is known he was in the Army's 3rd Ranger Battalion's Bravo Company. It is also implied in one episode that he served in Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
. It was implied in an episode that he served in San Pedro Laguna before he was recruited to work as a spy. He served for 15 years, working in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the OPEC
OPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
nations as a covert operative who did freelance work for the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA). While on a mission in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, he received a burn notice from CIA superiors. After managing to embark on an airplane in Nigeria, Michael is deserted in Miami, with Fiona Glenanne
Fiona Glenanne
Fiona Glenanne is a fictional character in the television series Burn Notice, portrayed by Gabrielle Anwar. According to Fiona's biography from USA Network:...
, his ex-girlfriend.
Per the conditions of Michael's burn notice, his assets are frozen, his line of credit is destroyed, and he has no career history with which to seek employment. He is free to travel within Miami, but any attempts to relocate outside of the city will result in immediate arrest. Michael now has to find work that suits his unusual skillset
Competent man
In literature, the competent man or competent woman is a stock character who can do anything perfectly, or at least exhibits a very wide range of abilities and knowledge, making him a form of polymath. While not the first to use such a character type, the heroes of Robert A...
and knowledge. He counts on longtime friends like Sam Axe
Sam Axe
Commander Samuel "Sam" Axe, USN is a fictional character in the television series Burn Notice and TV movie Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, played by Bruce Campbell. He is the best friend of Michael Westen, the main character in Burn Notice.-Overview:Sam served several years as a U.S...
, who informed on him to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) until midway through the first season, and Fiona to perform such tasks, while fighting with his mother Madeline Westen and trying to find out who burned him and why.
Michael lives in a decrepit loft situated over a nightclub, with a bed, workbench, some barbells, a punching bag, no air conditioning, an oven, a few chairs, a mid-90's era computer, and a refrigerator filled with yogurt and alcohol. He obtained the loft in the pilot episode, when he assisted his Russian landlord and club owner by ridding a drug dealer who also lived on the premises. He also spends time at hotels in Miami, as well as his mother's house.
Upon returning to Miami, Michael was watched by the FBI. It was revealed that he was burned in order to be recruited by a mysterious organization and is contacted by a woman named Carla. After Carla was killed by Fiona, Michael received an offer to replace her by a man referred to as the organization's "management." He refused to take the job and lost the security detail and personal restrictions he had been under to protect him from the countless enemies he made as a CIA operative, choosing to be free from the organization's hold. It is later discovered that the organization was also protecting him from the rest of the world who were hunting the name Michael Westen.
Michael continued to work toward removing his burn notice and being reinstated in the CIA. Michael then approached CIA agent Diego Garza, who became his point of contact for the CIA. Michael was also approached himself and later threatened by Tom Strickler, an "agent to the spies" with powerful connections. Tom had tried to remove Fiona from Michael's life, and Micheal subsequently killed him. With Tom dead, the incident sparked a chain of events that lead Diego to be murdered by Mason Gilroy, a former MI6 spy and freelance black ops psychopath. Michael ended up working with Gilroy in order to find out his plan. Michael eventually found out that Gilroy was working on securing the release of a high risk fugitive named Simon Escher. Gilroy succeeded in freeing him but is later killed by Simon. In another revelation, Simon was the one responsible for the actions that got Michael burned. Simon's profile was transferred to Michael and earned him a burn notice. Simon forced Michael to bring management to Miami but ends up being recaptured again when Michael overtook him.
After initially being taken away by the authorities, Michael is kidnapped by Management. A high-level member of Management named Vaughn, convinced Michael about a group of people in the world who are plotting assassinations, political coups, funding terrorist organizations, genocide and are in control of every facet of the government. Michael agreed to help Management in order to stop the organization that broke Simon out of prison. During the process of investigating, Michael accidentally burned a spy named Jesse Porter.
Despite the objection from Fiona and his own mother, Michael kept secret to Jesse about his role in destroying his life. Later, Jesse discovered Michael's deception and vowed revenge. At the same time, Michael found a close link to the organization behind Simon and a mysterious book code contained within a Holy Bible, a power-broker and billionaire CEO of Drake Technologies, named John Barrett
John Barrett
John Barrett is the name of:* John Barrett , Irish track and field athlete who represented Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics* John Barrett , Australian Senator...
. Michael offered to trade him the stolen bible in exchange for shedding some light on who he's up against and the identities of the people who burned him. Management - the people who burned him - are hidden within the United States government, private-military corporations and various other powerful organizations. Barrett planned on recruiting Michael to help him eliminate them. During the exchange of the case, Michael was shot by Jesse during a confrontation of Vaughn's and John Barrett's team. Michael, bleeding, was taken by John Barrett. Michael then caused the car he was in to crash, leaving John Barrett dead. Michael survives the accident and manages to crawl out of the wreckage. With Michael bleeding out and unconscious, someone steals the case.
Michael eventually recovered from his injuries. With the help of Fiona, Sam, and Jesse, Michael was able to recover the information on Management. Michael planned to give the flash drive to Marv, Jesse's old CIA handler. Marv is killed by men posing as Homeland Security agents and the flash drive is stolen by Tyler Brennen, an enemy Michael makes during the second season and one of the most intelligent villains he has encountered. Brennen, threatening to expose Michael's betrayal to Vaughn, blackmailed Michael into killing the people who on the list who burned him. Brennen is murdered by Larry Sizemore who was recruited by Brennan to be Michael's partner for the killings. Michael was able to defeat Larry, but Vaughn found out of Michael's betrayal. Vaughn and his team goes after Michael and those around him but is arrested. Michael was then taken by two mysterious men to Washington, DC and was met by an unknown acquaintance. The unknown acquaintance turns out to be Raines, Michael's former recruiter, who helps Michael hunt down every member of Management in order to get Michael un-burned. After Michael has successfully eliminated every member, another spy he had been working with, Max, is murdered and Michael is framed for the murder. AGENT PEARCE , who's been sent by the CIA to investigate Max's murder and serve as Michael's new agency contact. Michael must do what he can to aid the CIA's investigation while keeping the evidence from leading to his own doorstep.It leads back to him and Pearce takes him in.
After he finds the killer is a russian named Tavian Korzha the CIA lets Michael go to talk to him where he throws himself off a 5 story building. Larry comes back and kidnaps Anson, holding his wife prisoner, forcing Michael to help him frame some British government people. Larry revels that he plans on killing Michael after Fi and Sam find Anson's wife had been blown up.
Fiona plants a small explosive to kill Larry. The building suddenly explodes from the bottom, killing 2 security guards inside. It turns out that Anson planted the bomb and framed Fi and he is the founder of Management and he threatened to have the CIA and MI6 after Fi if Michael does not do his dirty work.
Characterization
LA Weekly described Michael as "Jim RockfordThe Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
and MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
filtered through Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen is an American journalist, columnist and novelist.- Early years :Born in 1953 and raised in Plantation, Florida, of Norwegian heritage, Hiaasen was the first of four children and the son of a lawyer, Kermit Odel, and teacher, Patricia...
." Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
comments on Michael Westen: "Well, the idea is being a CIA agent, Michael Westen can take his skills, you know, MacGyver-ish type skills and make a shotgun out of a twig."
Michael's romantic relationships are a significant source of subplots in Burn Notice. It is revealed in the episode "Sins of Omission" that ten years previous, Michael was engaged to a professional thief named Samantha, but they never married and eventually separated. Around that time, Michael met Fiona Glenanne
Fiona Glenanne
Fiona Glenanne is a fictional character in the television series Burn Notice, portrayed by Gabrielle Anwar. According to Fiona's biography from USA Network:...
, an IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
bomb maker and weapons expert, while under cover in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Their relationship also ended when Michael was extracted, though Fiona became aware of Michael's real name and position as a US intelligence operative. Fiona now helps Michael with his various cases and his investigations in Miami, and they still have a close, if strained, relationship. While Fiona plays coy during most of Season 1, during Season 2 it is apparent to many that they are moving toward a reconciliation. When Fiona investigates a bomb makers home and a fire erupts that consumes the entire building, Michael believes that she had been killed in the fire, and discovers her alive and well at his apartment, albeit without a cellphone that was destroyed. Realizing that Michael was on the verge of a breakdown over her possible death, the two make love.
Michael's family is also a source of strain in the show. In the pilot episode, Michael once remarked that his mother "would have been a great intelligence analyst. She could find you if you were buried in the middle of the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
and ask you why you didn't come home for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
dinner." She is also a provider for some of Micheal's cases by suggesting friends who are in trouble. His mother in particular is at times demanding and a valuable asset, and has recently been used to conduct initial surveillance. She's also revealed to have a deep understanding of psychology and interrogation, after she manages to coerce information out of a smuggler within minutes of Fiona and Sam having given up. Despite being left in the dark for much of the series, she is now much more involved and aware of Michael's operations, though she seems to accept this as a matter of course.
While Michael begins working harder towards being recalled to active service and working for a mercenary, Fiona grows more and more distant. Michael strikes Fiona as part of maintaining a cover identity. Fiona claims that doing this work is changing Michael, and that she can't stay and watch it happen, and plans to move back to Ireland. These plans are curtailed when both Fiona's brother and an exiled Irish mercenary arrive. The exiled Irish mercenary kidnaps Fiona, and Michael's original Irish cover is blown. When Michael and Sam attempt a rescue, Fiona is shot in the arm when she jumps off the pier to escape the gunfire. Michael panics when he sees Fiona float to the surface unconscious and quickly pulls her out and is relieved when she comes to. Fiona's brother tells Michael that Fiona, now associated with a foreign intelligence operative, will almost certainly be killed if she returns to Ireland, though he tells Michael that he is proud to know his sister chose well. This incident strengthens their bond again, and soon thereafter they make love at a hotel. Michael and Fiona experiences tensions afterwards while he continues to focus on his burn notice with the CIA.
As a covert operative, Michael is incredibly resourceful and holds a shocking knowledge of topics ranging from combat survival, Posttraumatic stress disorder, escapology
Escapology
For the Jessica Mauboy song, see Inescapable.Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks and other perils, often in combination.-History:The art...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
, and criminal psychology
Criminal psychology
Criminal psychology is the study of the wills, thoughts, intentions and reactions of criminals. It is related to the field of criminal anthropology. The study goes deeply into what makes someone commit crime, but also the reactions after the crime, on the run or in court...
, despite a remark by a client and former friend that he "vanished before high school graduation". During the second season finale in a car chase
Car chase
A car chase is the vehicular pursuit of a suspect by law enforcement officers. Car chases are often captured on film and broadcast due to the availability of video footage recorded by police cars and police and media helicopters participating in the chase...
, Micheal is able to fashion a quick explosive out of chemicals found in his glove compartment. As a covert operative, Michael is also a keen bluffer, once being able to bluff a con artist to believe that he transferred $200 000 into his account (a ruse that would have been found out by a bank manager in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
in a few minutes) or making a bank robber believe that he was a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. Known by his professional reputation, Michael is regarded with fear by people associated with the intelligence community
Intelligence community
Intelligence community may refer to* Bangladeshi intelligence community* Croatian intelligence community * Israeli intelligence community* Italian intelligence community, see SISMI...
and once remarked by a Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
wet work operative that "everyone in Russian Special Forces
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...
has heard of the name Michael Westen. He is a myth like the boogymen." and once being told by the Head of the Libyan Secret Police, that their intelligence services were not known for being gentle and that if he ever wanted a job to contact him personally. In one episode, Larry
Larry
Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names.Larry may refer to the following:-Entertainment and media:...
once stated as a quip "Where is the old Michael Westen I knew? The one who would have left behind a bloodbath with a smile on his face?" Despite being professionally regarded as a cold killer, Michael is hesitant to kill anyone unless he had to, once needing Victor
Victor
-Roman Catholics:Popes:*Saint Pope Victor I *Pope Victor II *Blessed Pope Victor III Antipopes:*Antipope Victor IV *Antipope Victor IV Bishops of Chur:*Victor I, Bishop of Chur, seventh century...
to tell him that he had to do it in order to sell the story to Management. That is not to say that Michael would not kill, where during the third season finale he might have killed Simon and only stopped when Management asked him not to.
As a character, Michael is seen to have several 'trademark' characteristics. He wears expensive suits (during one episode he reveals the label showing the suit to be Armani, and always wears the same pair of sunglasses, which he at one points states to have been a gift from an old associate. At the beginning of Season 3, having jumped out of a helicopter into the ocean and losing most of his clothes, Management sends him back his supposedly lost sunglasses. Furthermore, Michael's food of choice appears to be yogurt, and his fridge always appears to be stocked with them.
Ask A Spy
The official website for the show has a collection of short videos in which Michael dispenses advice for certain problems people have, such as how to evade an ex who's been following them or how to get a table at a restaurant that's booked solid. Michael even explains how to break out of a prison in TurkmenistanTurkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, although he gives the camera a look before starting. In general, the "advice" is theoretically possible but nevertheless impractical for most people. For instance, the explanation on how to break out of a prison in Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
ends with Michael telling the person to swim across the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
.