History Fridge / BurnNotice

* Many times throughout the series, Fiona constantly tries to talk Michael into moving on with his life - to stop trying to get his old job back, especially if it involves get chummy with the occasional black ops sociopath. Michael argues that these risks are for the greater good, which does nothing but frustrate Fiona. From the audience's perspective, Fiona's reactions might seem petulant and selfish, until you remember that Fiona used to be with the IRA. She probably had a similar worldview to Michael back in those days - where she had to do a lot of shady and risky things for the greater good. But once her "comrades" started targeting school children, it probably made her reconsider that worldview. Fiona is frustrated with Michael because, in her eyes, he's making all the same mistakes she did.

* It took this troper until the season 5 finale to realize this. Of course, the obvious ploy with Anson is blackmail. But remember Michael's lecture on how to turn an asset (antagonize their friends, separate them from other voices, make them desperate, give them the logical choice)? That's exactly what Anson is doing/has been doing ever since he showed up. We've gotten the chance to see what it's like from the other end of the spy/asset relationship over the long term. The blackmail? That's inconsequential in all likelihood.

** Not only that, but the more you analyse the situation Anson had planned, the more you realize how manipulative he is. Had things gone according to plan: 1) Jesse's dead meaning one less voice of reason/one fewer ally for Michael, 2) Michael's even more unstable, 3) Sam and Fi are likely to become more distant over the loss as would Maddie, 4) Pearce and other operatives are burned giving him new tools to work with, 5) Michaels even more in the hole, 6) Anson has leverage over Pearce and the others, both personally and professionally (he'd use Michael's betrayal to get Pearce for instance), 7) Rebecca becomes even more in his pocket, 8) he gets rid of Reed who would be targeting the same people he would be, 9) Michael becomes TheMan (ie he looks like the evil mastermind of Anson's organization)... and it goes on. In short, in one little operation, Anson leaves with a very impressive start to a new organization. And even with the botched operation, he still wins (Reed's out of the picture, Rebecca's outed as a plant so she's burnt and beholden to him, Michael's still in a desperate situation).

** Somwthing else to consider: Michael's dad remains a PosthumousCharacter and TheGhost for most of the show...until the last season, where [[spoiler: Michael is in a deep-cover operation, being pushed to the edge of his mental limits.]] His father shows up in his mind at his most desperate moment to help him keep sane. He kept the memory of his father as deeply sealed away as possible until it literally couldn't be held back anymore.

** Somwthing else to consider: Michael's dad remains a PosthumousCharacter and TheGhost for most of the show...until the last season, where [[spoiler: Michael is in a deep-cover operation, being pushed to the edge of his mental limits.]] His father shows up in his mind at his most desperate moment to help him keep sane. He kept the memory of his father as blocked out as possible until it couldn't be helped.

** Somwthing else to consider: Michael's dad remains a PosthumousCharacter and TheGhostfor most of the show...until the last season, where [[spoiler: Michael is in a deep-cover operation, being pushed to the edge of his mental limits.]] His father shows up in his mind at his most desperate moment to help him keep sane. He kept the memory of his father as blocked out as possible until it couldn't be helped.

*** [[spoiler: Fiona keeping up her American accent supports this story, but what about the Celtic music playing during the whole scene?]]

** Addressed in season 3. [[spoiler:Michael's old enemies really did start going after him; remember Chechik?]] Unless you mean that [[spoiler:Management is wondering why they never came after him. It was a rhetorical question; the organization providing the protection is why they never came after him]]. I guess I don't know quite what you mean.

!!FridgeLogic

* Hot off the TV screen - the ''BurnNotice'' episode "Friendly Fire" was nearly over when I suddenly realized why exactly Michael's black-and-red suited, explosion-snapping cover was named [[LouisCypher "Luis".]]

** ''BurnNotice'' appears to love its continuity, and is very subtle about it, particularly in the second season. In the first episode, Michael helps a programmer get away from the people who burned him and from some unpleasant mercs by helping him hightail it to South America by way of Haiti. Thirteen episodes later, a man from Haiti says he met someone who Michael helped, who said Michael used to work for the government. In the eleventh episode, Fiona takes it very personally that a client's younger sister was accosted by a gangster. Then in the ninth episode of the third season, we learn all about Fi's younger sister.

** Not only that, but the more you analyse the situation Anson had planned, the more you realize how manipulative he is. Had things gone according to plan: 1) Jesse's dead meaning one less voice of reason/one less ally for Michael, 2) Michael's even more unstable, 3) Sam and Fi are likely to become more distant over the loss as would Maddie, 4) Pearce and other operatives are burned giving him new tools to work with, 5) Michaels even more in the hole, 6) Anson has leverage over Pearce and the others, both personally and professionally (he'd use Michael's betrayal to get Pearce for instance), 7) Rebecca becomes even more in his pocket, 8) he gets rid of Reed who would be targeting the same people he would be, 9) Michael becomes TheMan (ie he looks like the evil mastermind of Anson's organization)... and it goes on. In short, in one little operation, Anson leaves with a very impression start to a new organization. And even with the blotched operation, he still wins (Reed's out of the picture, Rebecca's outed as a plant so she's burnt and beholden to him, Michael's still in a desperate situation).

** [[spoiler:Not to mention they could easily be someplace else, like Maine or Vermont, or half a dozen other places. Who's going to look for Michael Westen in Canada?
*** Fiona keeping up her American accent supports this story, but what about the Celtic music playing during the whole scene?]]

** [[spoiler:Not to mention they could easily be someplace else, like Maine or Vermont, or half a dozen other places. Who's going to look for Michael Westen in Canada?]]

** To answer the question: a whooole lot.
*** Which question? There were too many to which that answer can apply.

** Before the show "Dead Larry" faked his death in order to retire by walking into an Oil refinery and then having it blow up with him inside, how did Larry actually die? [[spoiler:He was blown up in an English consulate building.]] Also in the same vein, we get a few death scares with [[spoiler:Sam one of which mirrors Larry's fake death (he goes into a chemical plant before it blows up) before he walks out and asks Mike what he's so upset about, this because is interesting when you notice it because Sam is an effective {{foil}} to Larry in almost every way personality wise and in their relationships with Mike]].

** Before the show "Dead Larry" faked his death in order to retire by walking into an Oil refinery and then having it blow up with him inside, how did Larry actually die? [[spoiler:He was blown up in an English consulate building.]] Also in the same vein, we get a few death scares with [[spoiler:Sam one of which mirrors Larry's fake death before he walks out and asks Mike what he's so upset about, this also works because Sam is an effective {{foil}} to Larry in almost every way personality wise and in their relationships with Mike]].