Burn Notice Hot Spot

The episode began, as it too often does, with Fiona ragging on Michael Westen for something that keeps him from doing what she selfishly wants in their relationship. This time she didn’t like that he was trying to find his bomber for information (and a possible friend) who could help him take down Carla instead of just doing it for simple revenge, like she would do! Fiona had found a security camera which would have covered the bombers entrance and exit to the loft, the company which installed it and even the model number of the device. M posed as an IT tech and blustered his way in to “switch out” their recording unit. They did see the bomber coming and going and were able to get a photograph of a guy who like he probably worked for the City of Miami Public Works.  Sam wanted to score some Dolphin tickets by doing a favor for a buddy, Shawn Martin, and committed M to help him with a problem for some 50-yard line seats. Martin was a junior league football coach for troubled kids and one of his players, Corey Jensen, had beat up a gangster, Felix Cole and was now being targeted for a hit.  Corey's sister had been molested by Cole and Corey went at him with a baseball bat, without realizing he was a gangster. M was just supposed to go get Cole to stop but obviously ended up doing more.

 

Carla appeared at the football field to bring M in for a “talk.” She disclosed that there were also other of her “operatives” which had been attacked and let M review all of her files, look but don't take. Sam, having picked up “the kids” to stay at Ms for safety, was on the way out to pick up pizzas when M returned to the loft looking – "remarkably un-bruised." He warned M that "this one has Fiona remarkably fired up.” Corey was relating to Fiona that Cole had taken Tanya for a ride then attacked her. She did escape so Corey went to "teach him a lesson." Cole had his guys try to shoot Corey in the streets and had put a hit out on him. Fiona kept talking like she was running the show so M asked her to step outside for a discussion. She rounded on him in such a rage that M had no choice... they were going to help. She acknowledged that she was letting her feelings run the show.  Their reconnaissance revealed that Cole stole cars for the "24K syndicate" where Tony Soto was the boss. Fiona wouldn’t listen to reason and decided that M, Sam and her were going to be a "new gang of car thieves who were coming to town." The two kids went to stay with Madeline and helped her clear out her cupboards of outdated food. Madeline said that someone had erased Nate’s arrest record. M replied that it was his “friends” who had put him into jail then had gotten him out. Madeline said that "sometimes I forget how complicated your life is."  Fiona, Sam and M put on white shirts, slacks, coats and sunglasses to become the new gang, which began harassing Cole by first pepper bombing their car, shooting their tires and letting a can of thermite burn through their GTOs hood and engine before telling them to get out of town.

 

Corey recognized mug shots of three of Cole’s “boosters.” Sam warned Coach Martin to "not hide exactly… just to be someplace where no one can see you.” They put together some shape charges to blow through the door at Cole's club and roust him a bit. M told him in a monotone, threatening voice that his name was Johnny and Cole had 48 hours to be gone.. and that his place was on fire. Fiona said that she liked this Johnny cover because it reminded her of when they first met in Dublin and he was Michael McBride who she fell in love with. M said it was because they had caused a lot of mayhem together, which is really what Fiona had liked. "With cover IDs", he told her, "you become who you need to be." "And everyone gets to guess who you really are," she countered flounced away.  Fiona posed as a "creator of calendars" to A.S.A. Dismantling and Demolition where Ms bomber probably worked. The foreman gave her photos of all his workers and she found the bomber. Back with Cole, M, Sam and Fiona rounded up all three of his "boosters" and put them back on Cole's porch all wrapped in duct tape with the message that they only had 23 hours left. Tony Soto called on Ms phone and demanded that M come to meet him. M told Soto that his crew "takes high end cars, cleans then and clones them and ships them overseas," not like Cole's crew who were amateurs. He said that he wanted to replace Cole. Soto tested him by having him a "clean" a hot car which he had just stolen. M and Sam got it ready for sale and Soto was impressed.

 

In a car meeting, Carla gave M the list of everyone who had ever blown anything up in Eastern Europe, which M had requested, and Fiona was on the list. Carla gave him the ultimatum to find the bomber within 2 days, then abandoned M on the causeway. Back with Corey at Madeline's, she showed Corey a Christmas photo that she had taken of her family when M was 15, and had a black eye from fighting his father about knocking his brother around. Fiona found the bombers name: Derek Poole; and that he worked part time for A.S.A. as well as getting his address. Coach Martin showed up at the loft after getting beaten up by Cole who had demanded that he "set up" a meeting with Corey. M told him to set it up then armored Corey’s car so they could take Soto to the meeting with Cole instead of Corey. As anticipated, Cole showed up in ambush and sprayed the car with bullets; so, Soto decided to get rid of him for good. M said that his gang was leaving town until Soto had cleaned up his mess.

 

On her own, Fiona found Poole’s house. It looked vacant so she called M who told her to wait for him.  She went in alone anyway and found it to be a fire-trap when the house blew up. M worried himself to distraction, looked all over town and left many messages on her phone. When he got back to the loft, she was already there complaining about him not having a land line. They got all tender that night. The next morning, M went out to get breakfast but when he got back he found Fiona gone and Carla there, not at all happy about being told M had struck out finding the bomber. She said there were "people who thought you were more trouble than you are worth," and asked him what he thought would happen to him if he didn’t find the bomber.  He replied "the same that would happen to you, I suppose." She threatened that he better start worrying about himself or he "wouldn’t be around to help anyone else."