Characters / Burn Notice Team Westen

Team Westen

Michael

Michael Alan Westen

Played by: Jeffrey Donovan

Bottom line: As long as you're burned, you're not going anywhere.

"My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy, until..."

Burned spy and all-around badass who loves his mom, sunglasses, yogurt, and things blowing up.

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• Affectionate Nickname: Occasionally called "brother" and "Mikey" by Sam.
• Amazon Chaser: Part of his attraction to Fiona is because she's trigger happy. A flashback to their first encounter showed him smiling at Fiona after she physically threatened a man into giving her the money he owed and pointing a gun at Michael when they first talked.
• Anti-Hero: Mostly the Good Is Not Nice sort, with increasing swings toward Pragmatic Hero, and even ventures into Unscrupulous Hero when people he loves are at stake (he will willingly sacrifice himself for a good cause but will go to extremes to save those he cares about).
  • Interestingly Michael and Fiona sort of start at opposite end. Early in the show, Michael's more of a classical hero. He's obsessed with helping people - sometimes even to the cost of his own quest to find out what happened. He'll also jump through hoops to limit how much he hurts people and avoid killing people. Fiona meanwhile is far less into the whole helping people and is ready to kill people at the drop of a hat. As the series goes on, Fiona becomes more and more the moral center of the couple, encouraging Michael to help and be altruistic - even sometimes forcing him to help people or doing such thing on her own, while Michael becomes more and more consumed by his career and ruthless.
• The Atoner: The result of having worked with Larry, who turned Mike from an average unexceptional spy into a world-class operative. It's also by the hand of Larry that some of Mike's quirks are what they are. It was Mike blowing up a building with farmers in it in order to get to the warlord they were hiding and him not caring that became a wake up call as to the slippery slope he was traveling down. Hence his Determinator attitude to finishing the job with minimal collateral damage.
• Badass Bookworm: In addition to being rated on near "any weapon that fires a bullet or has an edge", he frequently gets out of situations by engineering some weird gizmo out of duct tape, paper clips, and a cell phone...that can blow a car full of snipers sky-high. He also demonstrates, at the least, a rudimentary knowledge of finance, psychology, and chemistry. Comes with being a former CIA agent. It's mentioned he could've been his high school valedictorian... if it weren't for the fact that he a) kept fighting, and b) ran away to join the army at sixteen.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Michael is usually seen in light coloured Armani suits, typically without a tie.

• Berserk Button: Michael frequently talks about the need to stay emotionally detached, but he will always take clients solely because kids are involved. It's a sore spot for him and has happened no less than 8 times, and has been exploited once by a villain.
  Madeline: For two little kids getting smacked around by their father? Michael would take on the entire Chinese army, honey.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Michael is generally an exceptionally polite and nice guy, and nearly always gives an opponent a chance to surrender, but as a veritable army of small-time thugs and crime lords have found out, pissing him off does not end well.
• Big Brother Instinct: Michael has this toward Nate.
• Big Brother Mentor: Michael, as above. At least, when Nate is willing to be mentored.

• Broken Ace: Michael is a extremely skilled spy who is known in the covert world because of it. He also came from a dysfunctional family, why he is The Atoner, and a variety of other personal problems. He also implies that some of the best operatives in the world are this, because coming from a dysfunctional home very much aids in breeding the skills needed to be an effective spy.
• Bully Hunter: Pretty much the core of his character.
  As a spy, it doesn't matter if you're helping rebel forces fight off a dictator or giving combat tips to a third-grader. There's nothing like helping the little guy kick some bully's ass.
• The Call Knows Where You Live: Sometimes, he ends up finding clients without even looking.
• Catchphrase: Whenever his clients ask him if he can help, he usually responds with "I'll see what I can do."
  • When narrating espionage/combat tactics, he usually starts out with "As a spy...", and when things go against expectations or work a little too well (as they almost always do), the prior breakdown is followed up with a subversion starting with the phrase "Of course...".
• Character Tics:
  • Whenever he feels exasperated he bends his neck backwards.
  • When secretly breaking into a person's home, Michael tends to snack on food items in the person's kitchen, such as tortilla chips and yogurt. Lampshaded in the pilot; it's a great way to bullshit your way out if you get caught trespassing, especially in tourist traps like Miami where pretty much any house could be a rental.
  I never run around in the bushes in a ski mask when I'm breaking in someplace. Somebody catches you, what are you gonna say? You want to look like a legitimate visitor until the very last minute. If you can't look legit, confused works almost as well. Maybe you get a soda from the fridge, or a yogurt. If you get caught, you just look confused and apologize like crazy for taking the yogurt - nothing could be more innocent...
  • Michael tends to whistle whenever he's impressed.
  • When things go well for him (particularly when he has someone in a position where they owe him or causing problems for him will make things worse for themselves), he breaks out a very cheeky shit-eating grin.
• Chick Magnet: A number of women have shown to be attracted to him.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Michael is unable to ever turn his back on anyone who comes to him for help. Sometimes, they don't even ask, mostly because they're not sure there's anything he can do to help, and he does anyway. Anson explains this in the fifth season. Why did Michael run away? To get away from his father. Why did Michael run away and join the army? Because if he can save the world, he can save his family.
• Combat Commentator:
  Michael: That's why I like bathrooms. Lots of hard surfaces.
• Combat Pragmatist: He notes in the first episode that "Spies are not trained to fight fair. Spies are trained to win." He lives up to that principle many times throughout the series, both tactically and in hand to hand combat.
• Consummate Liar:
  • With an interesting subversion: he regularly lies outright to killers, thieves, and drug dealers, but he has trouble fooling his own mom. And when these occasions come up, it's pretty easy for the audience to see too.
  • By season three, Michael has all but given up on trying to lie to his mom and resorts to vague language even though both of them know what he's talking about. By the season four premiere, he stops trying to lie to his mom altogether and simply tells her the truth, even the uncomfortable parts.
• Cunning Linguist: Michael speaks a number of Middle Eastern and Slavic languages with varying degrees of proficiency (though not, oddly, Spanish) and is a good enough linguist that in one case he is able to get usable intelligence by speaking to Carla in Arabic (she has a taste for Yemeni coffee) and noticing from her response that her Arabic picked up a Kurdish accent during an earlier assignment.
• Dark and Troubled Past: His father was an abusive, alcoholic prick and a petty criminal who constantly physically assaulted him, his brother, and his mom. He had to occasionally commit minor crimes himself to help provide for his family whenever his dad was on a bender or locked up, and would do his best to take the brunt of the punishment for his little brother. His mother signed his form to enlist in the Army as a teenager.. because she was afraid of what would happen if all the anger he carried around wasn't pointed toward something constructive. Michael even lampshades this in the pilot.
  Michael: People with happy families don't become spies. A bad childhood is the perfect background for covert ops. You don't trust anyone, you're used to getting smacked around, and you never get homesick.
• Deadpan Snarker: He can't go an episode with at least half a dozen snarky lines.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: The final season shows what ambitions and pressures can turn a loyal spy into someone who would create a paramilitary splinter cell like the "Burned Spy Organization" in the first place.
• The Determinator: AND. HOW. When Michael Westen fights for what he believes is right, nothing short of an act of God can stop him...and Lord help you if a child is involved. It's to the point that blowing up a building with him and Fiona in it isn't even enough to take him out.

  Michael: A spy is never truly done being a spy until he's dead. It's part of you. The skills, the secrets...they never go away. And as long as you can be useful to someone, it's your fate to always be a spy. But if there's one thing spies are bad at, it's accepting fate.

• Does Not Like Guns: Downplayed as Michael is former military and an experienced spy, meaning he obviously has considerable familiarity and skill with guns and will use them in a combat scenario, but he otherwise prefers to avoid carrying one and dislikes using them unless he really has to.
• The Dreaded: Among Russian intelligence and special operations units. He's less of a name and more of a mythical figure that everyone thinks is a code name for an entire wetwork team. Which leads to this hilarious line when he goes up against a Spetsnaz (Russian special forces) unit:
  "He's Michael Westen! There are only five of us!"
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Despite Michael's selflessness, compassion and sometimes very stupid amazing respect for human life, he gets bitched out and given many an undeserved "The Reason You Suck" Speech by people complaining about his morals and decisions, even when there is quite literally no other choice if he wants to save his friends and family. This includes long talkings-to and screaming matches with many upset clients (right up until Michael solves all their problems), Fiona ( a gun runner and arms trader of many years, a profession where collateral damage is impossible to avoid), Sam, Jesse, various psychopaths and sociopaths (who also complain about his morals and decisions), assorted criminals, agents and operatives of illegal intelligence syndicates, the CIA, the FBI, the police... oh, and Michael's own mother, who eventually gives him a horrendous tongue-lashing, blaming him for not only getting Nate killed, despite Michael doing everything he could to prevent him being put in harm's way, but blaming Michael for Nate being the person he was in the first place, for Michael being the person he is, and likening him to a monster (of course, Michael is so damaged by this point that he doesn't call anyone on their bullshit and takes it at face value).
• Eagleland: Utilizes several Type-2 Ugly American stereotypes as his cover identities over the course of the series.
• Embarrassing Middle Name: Minor example. Alan, which we don't learn for 7 years.
• Even the Guys Want Him: If the art dealer from the pilot and Gilroy are an indication. Even Seymour develops a bit of a fanboy crush on him.

• Faking the Dead: Following the series finale, complete with funeral.
• False Friend: A heroic example, Michael often befriends his marks so they'll take him into their confidence. Said marks are often reprehensible felons, so it's hard to feel sorry for them when Westen betrays them.
• Fatal Flaw:
  • His tendency of keeping secrets from others in hopes of protecting them.
  • His tendency to do bad things or things which go very much against the wishes of those closest to him, because he believes that when things turn out ok he can make it up to people. Even when things do turn out okay, it tends to make people furious with him. Combine it with his secret keeping/protecting people flaw, and you have a combination that has blown up in his face on a number of occasions.
  • The fact that he's Married to the Job. Truth of the matter is, being burned and having no job reference or money to his name would've barely stopped Michael from living a normal life. Michael has both enough skill, charisma and guile that he could get a very successful job in any number of a dozen domains where his skill would shine if he put his mind to it. But Michael loved the patriotism of being a spy, the lifestyle and resents being burned, and thus can't stop himself from digging deeper and up the chain and constantly take on questionable work in the hope that it might lead to his rehabilitation as a spy. He's also blind that his life has improved since he's been burned. He reconciled with his brother, got along with his mother, him and Fiona are a stable pair, and has a loyal buddy in Sam.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Zig-Zagged. At first glance Michael is the responsible one given Nate was an addicted gambler, but as the series goes on the latter becomes more responsible and Michael's flaws become more apparent.
• Friend to All Children: One of the easiest ways to get a yes from Michael Westen when you need his assistance? Tell him there's a child involved. As far as he will go to protect his family and friends, he'll go just a step further to rescue/protect a child. In one particular episode, he shows the son of the client of the week how to defend himself against a schoolyard bully.
• Freudian Excuse: A very turbulent familial life nudged him towards a career in espionage which would give him a legitimate excuse (It's Not You, It's My Enemies, etc.) to not form deep and potentially hurtful relationships with people while paying him lots of money.
• Genius Bruiser: He's an outstanding tactician, investigator and operative who is skilled in a variety of areas such undercover work, intelligence gathering, stealth missions, adopting cover identities, improvising plans on the fly, seeing through lies and set-ups, assessing opponents quickly and using everyday items for schemes as well as a brutally efficient combatant.
• Gentleman Thief: Michael promises to take care of your car if he steals it, and if he steals it during a workday, to bring it back by five. "Noble Gestures" reveals he's been abandoning them and having his mom report them. She wins an award for crimefighting, and Mike's a little irritated that she's getting credit for his work.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: A pair of scars surrounding his left eye, a lasting memory of dear ol' dad.
• Guile Hero: His preferred method is to use his wits to outsmart his foes.
  Michael: [Narrating] I'll take a hardware store over a gun any day. Guns make you stupid; better to fight your wars with duct tape. Duct tape makes you smart.
• Guilt Complex: If Michael is even remotely involved in a problem, he tends to believe that it's his fault or that he could have done something to change it. Despite his nearly Jumping Off the Slippery Slope turning him firmly into The Atoner archetype in the first place, he has a really terrible - and consistent - habit of blaming himself for a situation, or worse, blaming himself for not being in a situation. However you slice it, odds are Michael can find a way to make himself guilty in some way. Of course, he doesn't talk about it, he just buries it deep down and becomes more committed to trying to save everyone. The fact that he gets blamed for a lot of things that are neither his fault nor responsibility does not help the issue (e.g. Nate).
• Has a Type: The three women Michael has been in a relationship with are intelligent women with a plethora of skills.
• He Who Fights Monsters: The tighter a grip on Michael's life an opponent shows, the deeper he slips into this trope. Most apparent in the final season, when James grants him and Sonya leadership of his network. When explaining to Sam why he's doing it, he starts sounds eerily similar to Tom Card, Anson, and a few other people he's taken down. Thankfully, Fiona helps snap him out of it.
• Hero's Classic Car: Westen drives his father's 1973 Dodge Charger. Justified in that, thanks to the burn notice, his records are all screwed up so he can't legally purchase a newer vehicle, but because of the car's age and his father's ... approach to vehicular maintenance he's frequently having to repair various things (the DVD featurettes note there's some Reality Subtext here: the vehicle used in the show had regular problems). Michael is forced to bomb the Charger to delay pursuers in the season 4 finale.
• Honor Before Reason: Michael is extremely loyal to anyone that has earned his loyalty. Part of it comes from the fact that his abusive father and other life events have instilled in him a fear of losing people close to him/being alone.
• Hyper-Awareness: Michael explicitly mentions the term but also says that it can play tricks on you, causing you to see things that aren't really there.
  • In the pilot Michael makes casual mention to Fiona that he was aware of the three FBI agents watching him at a club.
  • On the flip side, during the first few episodes of season 5, Michael mentions that this can happen after an operation is over resulting in constant paranoia and troubled sleep even though you know everything is over, primarily due to having been on edge for so long.
  • This even applies to realizing your deep cover is blown in Season 7.
• Indy Ploy: Michael is often forced to use these whenever something unexpected happens, all the time. Arguably, most of his apparent plans are just him Indy Ploy-ing from one simple plan to another.
  • Several episodes require Michael figure things out on the fly. The best example was probably an episode where he was being held as a hostage in a bank. He subtly sabotaged the bad guys' plan without them knowing that it was being sabotaged.
  • Frequently, his cover is blown, so he keeps talking or takes a hostage while figuring a way to escape.
  • In one case, he blew his own cover because the guy he was working with was really a Gentleman Thief.
  • Michael almost mentions this trope by name when, after Sam asks him what the plan is, replies with a hasty "I'm making this up as I go."
  • Sam lampshades it again in "Blind Spot" with the client, who doesn't think much of their plan: "We pretty much make it up as we go along."
• It's Personal: Any time a job involves saving a kid, particularly a son who's in danger of abuse from his dad, he foregoes his usual response of "I'll see what I can do" to say he'll get it done, period. It's implied heavily that his own past experiences with his father make these sorts of encounters hit home for him.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: To anybody other than family and friends, Michael appears to be a pretty big jerk. However, he has a genuine soft spot for kids, especially when it comes to kids and their relationship to their fathers.
• Keep the Reward: Michael sure does refuse payment a lot, though he usually ends up keeping enough to cover expenses. A maddeningly frequent plot formula is "Michael grudgingly accepts a job because he needs the money. Michael does the job. Michael refuses to take any money."
• The Kirk: Michael is The Captain of the show's three protagonists, with Sam and Fiona rotating between the roles of The Spock and The McCoy.
• Like Father, Like Son: Michael resents the implication, but the first season pointed out several times that Michael really is a good deal like his father. Frank was apparently a master of the Indy Ploy and a Consummate Liar, just like Michael. However, Frank was an abuser, an alcoholic, an asshole, and a petty crook, whereas Michael helps people. When Michael helps Madeline with a role early in the fifth season, both of them are deeply shaken by how well Michael channels his father.
• Married to the Job: A recurring theme is that Michael's obsession with spy work and helping others is an obstacle for most of his relationships.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: In-universe, the name Michael Westen is not one the Russians like to hear getting involved in their affairs. We're never given exact details as to what he did over there, but everything he's accomplished has most Russian operatives and mobsters shaking in their boots at the mention of him.
  "He's Michael Westen! There are only five of us!!!"
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: In the season 6 premiere Michael subjects Anson to a vicious can of whoop-ass in revenge for pressuring Fiona into surrendering to the feds. Alas, Anson weasels his way out and escapes the same way he always does ("back off or your friends die in a giant fireball", etc).
• Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Granted, Michael is seen as dangerous and highly skilled even alongside other operatives. But in the criminal and civilian world against people with little training in combat or tactical work, he's near unstoppable.
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Jeffrey Donovan puts on a lot of different accents for Michael's guise du jour, but he doesn't bother to shed his native Boston accent when playing Michael, who grew up in Miami. Easily justified, as an accent is difficult to maintain long term and it's an Acceptable Break from Reality. Of course, Florida doesn't really have a unified or distinct accent, so a Generic American accent would probably be more likely than a Southern accent in Miami.
• Offscreen Villainy: The Season 5 opening heavily implies that in the interim between it and the Season 4 finale, Michael's been really cutting loose against the organisation that burned him after getting back into bed with the CIA.
• Omniglot: Played with. Michael is fluent in Arabic, Russian, Persian, and Czech, has recently learned French and German, and even speaks a bit of Urdu (though not well enough to avoid embarrassing himself). However, even though he grew up in Miami, he doesn't speak a lick of Spanish.
  Michael: En Inglés, por fa... please!
  • The season 4 finale reveals Tagalog is also one he doesn't know (or at least can't read).
  • He's apparently picked up Spanish by Season 7.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • Fights a man in an illegal street fight during the season seven opening as part of his cover. Mike actually KILLS HIM once he's already beaten. It's extremely unsettling to see him do it without a second thought when you consider how rarely Mike has directly killed anyone in the first six seasons. Remember that Michael has been there for nine months just building his cover.
  • Plus his cover is that of an alcoholic petty crook AKA Frank sans the abusive part.
• Papa Wolf: Hurting any member of Team Westen is a big mistake. And Lord help you if you're a criminal who threatens or kidnaps a child.
• Parental Abandonment: Inverted. Due to his father's abuse, his mother's weirdness, his own dangerous line of work and his brother's gambling issue, Michael makes an effort to avoid his family. He mentions that a lot of spies are this way.
• Quick Draw: He's only demonstrated it a couple times, as he prefers not to kill unless he absolutely has to, but he outdrew a man who already had his gun drawn and aimed. It was Strickler, who didn't have his finger on the trigger, because he was attempting to get Michael to stand down. Michael pulled his concealed carry from behind his back and put three bullets in Strickler's chest before he had time to react.
  • He repeats the feat again with Sonya.
• Reluctant Retiree: Michael's feeble attempts at domesticity in season five.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: He's all about emotional control, Fiona is the exact opposite.
• See You in Hell: His dad's last words to him, and his last words to Anson in season 5. A mild variant ("I'll see you [at the end of the earth] is spoken to Riley.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Oh yes. He tries to wear tieless light-colored Armani suits whenever possible.
• Showy Invincible Hero: The show is split into 2 storylines. A: Michael helps a Miami local with a problem and, B: Michael tracks down the expert spies and government officials who burned him. A main draw of the show is how well Michael conquers the everyday crooks in the A-line, often having to deal with unpredictable scenarios when the criminals don't do what he expects them to do. Still, he always comes out on top and with style.
• Shrouded in Myth: In Russia at least (and probably elsewhere). As far as the Russians are concerned, he's some sort of mystical boogeyman.
  Michael: I'm Michael Westen. (Beat) Yes, THAT one.
  • At one point an entire hit squad of Russians hesitates to make a move solely on the fact that it's Mike they are dealing with. "He's Michael Westen! There are only four of us!"
• Simple, yet Awesome: Michael's whole MO is simplicity. His fighting style avoids flash moves and is built around taking opponents down as quickly as possible, using moves from Shotokan Karate (in which Jeffrey Donovan is a real-life black belt), Aikido, Muay Thai, Sambo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do and Krav Maga and his approach to tactics are all straight-forward methods carried off with expert precision as well as using whatever regular items he can as weapons or diversions.
• Slowly Slipping Into Evil: Comes dangerously close to this in Season 7 when he goes into deep cover on behalf of the CIA to take down The Family. He comes to agree with the members of The Family and their cause, especially after Michael finds out that the CIA was willing to use Simon of all people against The Family.
• The Spook: How he posits himself in both operate work and his private work, revealing almost nothing of his personal life to make himself more intimidating.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Michael is usually stoic and follows the spy code of not forming attachments. However, he's not able to do the latter as much as he thought he could.
• Technical Pacifist: Michael usually justifies avoiding killing people to others as wanting avoid attracting attention from the authorities, but it's made pretty clear he deeply dislikes doing it. He isn't averse to putting people in positions to get themselves killed, but it's very rare for him to pull the trigger himself. If he does, it's usually to protect his friends and family (one of the few times he shot a man dead completely unflinchingly was when Strickler sold Fiona out to ex-IRA extremists). This has been lifted slightly in S5 now that he's working for the CIA again but even still, he rarely gets an onscreen kill.
• Technically a Smile: Most of Michael's smiles are either this, or a smug grin when things go his way. There isn't really much of an in-between.
• Think Nothing of It: See Keep the Reward.
• Took a Level in Badass: Discussed. In order to understand his new "ally", James brings up Michael's history in the government, mentioning how Michael went from a "slightly above average field agent" to the Living Legend he is in the present.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Yogurt, particularly blueberry. He once did a job for a yogurt shop owner in exchange for a lifetime supply of the stuff. Michael also favors tuna tahini, though this is mentioned less frequently.
• Tranquil Fury: If Michael's yelling, it's probably because he's pretending to be someone else. If he's not, it certainly doesn't mean he's not pissed. Demonstrated excellently in "Out of the Fire" (toward Larry, who knows exactly how much he's pissed off Michael), and in "Last Stand", when Vaughn reveals he has Madeline held hostage.
• Tuckerization: A variant. Michael used the alias Terry Miller in the season 2 premiere. Terry Miller is one of the show's producers.
• Uptight Loves Wild: The serious, stoic Michael fell for the trigger-happy, emotional Fiona.
• Vigilante Man: Michael can seem like a more elegant form of this at times.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend: Gender-flipped. Hurting Fiona is not a wise move.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Michael and Nate spend some time arguing over who should get the Charger in the first season. It's rather subtextual, so perhaps you have to want to see it, but both of them wanted their father to have loved them and left them the car he cared so much for.
  • This is also why it's easy for people like Larry, Anson, and Tom Card to manipulate him. They endear themselves unto him like a father figure from whom he subconsciously seeks approval.
• What Have I Become?: Seems to be the theme for Michael in the final season.
• Wig, Dress, Accent:
  • Most of Michael's disguises, though he usually just restyles his hair instead of getting a wig. The personae he adopts are what sells them. The shows producers and writers call them "mini-sidles", because it's a mini-role for Donovan to play and they let Michael sidle up to the mark.
  • Subverted in "Sins of Omission". Michael is facing a very cunning ex-CIA agent, so he and Fiona break into the man's house and wait for him as...themselves.
• Would Hit a Girl: Doesn't matter the gender of his adversary, he'll attack them if necessary.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: This is well established, and in the final season, he is very upset when he is almost forced to shoot a sleeping girl.
• Xanatos Speed Chess: Michael is very good at adjusting plans on the fly and working around new information.

Fiona

Fiona Glenanne

Played by: Gabrielle Anwar

A trigger-happy ^* ex-girlfriend...

"Shall we shoot them?"

Michael's once-and-future girlfriend, an ex-IRA terrorist who LOVES making things go boom.

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• Action Girl: Fiona is probably the most dangerous of the three, if only because she is so unpredictable and Trigger-Happy. Specifically, she's probably the least well-trained and deadly of the three in hand-to-hand combat and gunplay, but she's the most willing to use them. That said, she's referred to as an expert markswoman, and is capable of precision aiming from a moving car, and occasionally uses a sniper rifle with absurd accuracy.
• Anti-Hero: The dangerous, willing to do anything aside from a few moral boundaries sort.
• Arms Dealer: In her down time, which is how she gets her hands on her hardware.
• Badass in Distress: At the end of season 5, she gives herself up in an attempt to help take down Anson and gets sent to prison. In season 6, it's revealed that someone's trying to kill her in prison.

• Berserk Button:
  • Don't hurt a child anywhere near Fiona. It's why she left the IRA and has motivated her in several cases the team has taken.
  • She also "has a thing" for lost little sisters, like her own.
  • She also seems to have a problem with laughing at the mentally handicapped, as when she saw Sugar's cousin Dougie being ridiculed and him not fully understanding it, she was about ready to grab a gun and shoot the Villain of the Week, breaking her cover be damned.
• The Big Guy: The member of the trio most inclined to swift (and highly destructive) action.
• Characterization Marches On: Fiona had a very thick Irish accent in the first episode. This was handwaved away when she said she was trying to blend in better in Miami. The reasons were... let's just say Gabrielle Anwar can better fake an American Accent. Her brother notices when he visits, and there's some Lampshade Hanging.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Has often become jealous of Michael talking to other beautiful women. Even if that woman was an enemy of his.
  Fiona: I wish our phone conversations were as flirty.
  Michael: She threatened to kill me.
  Fiona: I can do that.
• Cynicism Catalyst: The death of Fiona's sister Claire and her own guilt about them fighting shortly beforehand were what caused her to join the IRA. Her leaving was when she realized the people she worked with were willing to blow up children to get their way.
• Dude Magnet: Many men have shown to be attracted to her throughout the series.
• Femme Fatale: A competent Affectionate Parody of a typical Bond girl sidekick who's much more Fatale than Femme.
• Fetish: Meta-example in that according to Gabrielle, her ideal Burn Notice episode would involve Fi sneaking into the shoe department of Neiman Marcus and finding Michael naked on the grand piano with a Molotov cocktail in hand.invoked
• Fighting Irish: Fi is quick to recommend that any problem be solved by charging in with guns and bombs blazing, especially when it involves children being endangered. Her suggestions usually get shot down in favor of something less conspicuous, but when the firepower's needed Fi is always ready to provide.
• Girl with Psycho Weapon: With anything you can think of. Special mention must go to her Molotov cocktails in "Fight or Flight".
• Godzilla Threshold: Allowing (or simply being unable to stop) her from letting loose with explosives and firearms is a pretty big sign that Team Westen's situation has gone south in a bad way.
• Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Nearly always in favor of solving the problem with violence, which is frequently Played for Laughs.
• Informed Attractiveness: Not that the actress is anything to scoff at, but many of the teams' plans revolve on her being not just attractive, but to stand out amongst the sea of bikini models at any given Miami hot spot.
• Intimate Marks: As seen briefly in "Hot Spot" she has the letters "IRA" (for Irish Republican Army) tattooed above her butt.
• In-Series Nickname: Usually referred to as "Fi".
• Mad Bomber: Because everyone knows the Irish are good at two things: making bombs and hitting people!

• Morality Chain: While all of Team Westen acts as to Michael, Fiona is arguably the one who can pull him back or at least question his morally dubious actions.
• Murder Is the Best Solution: A huge proponent of this.
• Not Even Bothering with the Accent:
  • Fiona had a very thick Irish accent in the first episode. This was handwaved away when she said she was trying to blend in better in Miami. The reasons were... let's just say Gabrielle Anwar can better fake an American Accent. Her brother Sean notices when he visits, and there's some Lampshade Hanging that includes Sean saying that Michael's American accent is a bit dodgy.
  • In a few episodes, her accent rears its head again, mainly when she's extremely concerned about Michael. Presumably, Fiona is distracted and forgetting her American accent.
• Oireland: Casually violent, anti-authoritarian, IRA connection, played by a British actor... it's like they were ticking off a list. That said, because she hardly ever uses an Irish accent after the pilot, anyone casually watching the show who's never seen the pilot could be forgiven for failing to notice that she's supposed to be Irish at all.
• Parting-Words Regret: While she doesn't elaborate on exactly what she last said to her little sister Claire, she did say they were "vicious things, stupid things" they said to each other due to an argument they had about Fiona spilling cranberry juice on Claire's sweater. Claire stormed out and was gunned down by a British soldier firing into a crowd later on, never even knowing that Fiona made her favorite dessert, bread pudding, as an apology.
  "It tasted dreadful..."
• Psycho for Hire: While a much more sympathetic example than most with her own moral standards, she's an Arms Dealer, Bounty Hunter, and former IRA terrorist.

• Save the Villain: In "Good Intentions", she saves the Villain of the Week from burning to death in a building, despite him kidnapping a man from his family and threatening to kill him, because his actions were motivated by the death of his own daughter and many others at the hands of the company the man worked for, which he intended to attack through his victim.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Michael all about emotional control, Fiona is the exact opposite.
• Second Love: Michael was once with the thief Samantha, but fell out of love with her because he met Fiona, someone who knew him better than she did.
  Michael: And you don't marry someone when you love someone else.
• Sex Is Violence: Lampshaded by Michael. "Violence is foreplay for you."
• Shipper on Deck: She deemed Madeline and Virgil's relationship as a "romantic connection".
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: As she once stated, she prefers gentlemen.
  • While Fiona is aware of Michael's flaws, she loves him for his selfless, caring, and heroic qualities.
  • The men that Fiona dated outside of Michael were friendly and decent men.
• Small Girl, Big Gun: Despite having a figure to make most swimsuit models envious, Fiona always has a shotgun, assault rifle, or a large handgun with her or nearby.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Fiona is a tough and violent woman with an expertise in guns. She also likes wearing stylish clothing and fashion in general.
• Trigger-Happy: Even the Opening Narration acknowledges it.
• Vapor Wear: Fi rarely wears a bra. Justified in that she's small-busted, and bras can be wicked uncomfortable in Miami's muggy climate.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend: Anyone coming after Michael is pretty much sealing their own death wish. This is deconstructed in season 5, when she places a bomb to take Larry out when Anson convinces her and Sam that he plans to kill Michael. However, it turned out that Anson planned the whole thing, using Fiona's violent tendencies to his advantage.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Sam. They start off barely able to work together and bickering at any disagreement. Over time, she and him became closer and more protective of the other...while still trading the occasional, but much friendlier, jab.
• Waif-Fu: Her slim build doesn't stop her from being a hard hitting Action Girl.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Similarly to Michael, hurting kids is her Berserk Button. A big reason for her falling out with the IRA despite her Roaring Rampage of Revenge for the death of her little sister Claire was because she learned they were planning to bomb a prep school. She left while making sure those bombs never made it to the target.

Sam

Sam Axe

Played by: Bruce Campbell

...an old friend who used to inform on you to the FBI...

"You know spies, bunch of bitchy little girls."

Former Navy SEAL, current womanizing lush, and Michael's most loyal friend.

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• Affectionate Parody: Of the machismo espionage heroes of Cold War action intrigue films. All the hard-drinking and eating has since caught up to his waistline in the modern-day and his devil-may-care playboy attitude has likewise rendered him a frequently homeless gigolo.
• The Alcoholic: Downplayed since he's never actually seen drunk (Though he is seen hungover in one episode). Not that it makes him any less effective, but scenes of him usually either show him drinking or talking about getting one. In fact, whenever he turns down a drink, his friends know something is wrong.
• Anti-Hero: On the lighter end of the anti-hero scale. He'll always do the right thing, he's just snarky about it. Aside from a few times when he's acted more like the Pragmatic Hero type.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Whenever Sam uses his "Chuck Finley" alias (usually as Mafia, CIA, or another suitably high-class occupation), he ditches the Hawaiian shirts and cleans up rather well.

• Berserk Button:
  • To an extent, Sam also has a thing about serious betrayals of friendship or messing with his friends. He will stand by and help his friends even if it means getting into trouble himself. For him, a friend in need is his highest priority and he'll try very hard not to screw over his friends. There are many examples, subtle and otherwise, but it's a large part of "Breach of Faith" and "Dead or Alive".
  • Comes up less often, but any tarnishing of his time as a Navy SEAL pisses him off. One bad guy managed to taunt him into getting close enough to snatch Sam's gun by suggesting he wasn't really a SEAL, and Mike asking him to use his SEAL credit to get information from the Coast Guard resulted in one of those rare moments where Sam was actually angry instead of just mildly annoyed or aggravated.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Sam is as friendly and jovial as they come, and does his best not to take life too seriously. However, as an former Navy SEAL, anyone who underestimates him does so at their own peril.
• Big Beautiful Man: He's on the stockier side, but still quite handsome and has a string of female love interests throughout the series.
• Big Fun: The most heavyset of the main cast, and generally a cheerful guy who's immensely fun to be around.
• Blue Oni: To Fiona, being less prone to violence and more willing to think things through.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: He's as gifted an operative as Michael, but he's generally happier living off of divorced women and drinking beer.
• Car Fu:
  "It's funny. You never really know a car until you drive it through a wall."
• Carpet of Virility
• The Casanova: Perfectly understandable.
• Catchphrase:
  • "I have a buddy in (insert government agency here)".
  • "Sure, I know a guy."
• The Cavalry: Tends to get to be this a lot.
• Chick Magnet: Sam is noted to have a number of "lady friends".
• Chivalrous Pervert: He's an unapologetic ladies man who spends much of his time and energy flirting with any pretty woman who crosses his path. But when is involved with someone, he's committed to her, we've never seen him cheat, and seeing women harmed or mistreated is a Berserk Button for him.
• Cool Old Guy: Probably the oldest of Team Westen aside from Madeline and a major bro who would happily stick his neck out for his friends and clients.
• Commanding Coolness: Was the rank of Lt. Commander (equivalent to Major) during his Navy days. Thanks to a deal he cut with an Admiral he was allowed to retire at the rank of Commander (equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel) with full pension pay and benefits. Currently he's more or less a retired badass who helps Michael when he needs it.
• Deadpan Snarker: Just watch the opening credits:
  You know spies - bunch of bitchy little girls.
• Drowning My Sorrows: Inverted. In "Dead or Alive" he grieves his murdered friend, and when offered a beer, he declines. After the case was solved he went with Mike to grab a drink. Later in "Friendly Fire" he's visited by an old SEAL buddy he had a grudge with. He's so angry that he stops drinking, which even Madeline claims is unlike him.
• Feeling Their Age: It's a major part of Sam's character, highlighted in the prequel movie Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe. He is no less reliable but in comparison to the main character and much younger Michael Westen, Sam is noticeably wearier and has gained a few pounds since his prime.
• The Fixer: Sam has contacts that can do background checks and research and provide whatever generic intel Team Westen needs for a given episode, and has a seemingly endless pool of acquaintances whom he can tap for resources such as disposable vehicles, or secluded locations. His catchphrases all relate to his access to people. In fact watching through the series it gets sort impressive the sheer amount of contacts and favors he must've been owed for all the stuff he pulls.
• Friendly Sniper: Though all four members of Team Westen are capable of it, Sam most often takes this role. Put to epic and awesome Big Damn Heroes use in "Out of the Fire" when just as Larry's going to kill Michael, a red dot appears on his chest and Sam calls Michael's cell begging to shoot the guy.
  • He's okay with shooting people who have it coming, but he doesn't like killing in general. In "Down Wind," Sam has no choice but to kill some random mook in order to preserve Michael's cover. He's pretty badly shaken by the experience, and insists on seeing the operation through from that point on, so he can be sure that he didn't commit cold-blooded murder for no good reason.
• Friend on the Force: Not one himself, but he seems to have an endless list of buddies in any agency you care to name. Except NASA.
• Go-to Alias: Chuck Finley. Named after the left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, who was a friend of Bruce Campbell's dad back in the day, according to ''The Press Democrat''.
• Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: Always wearing a Hawaiian shirt unless he needs to get cleaned up.
• The Heart: He tends to be the moral center of the group that reels in Michael and, to a lesser extent, Fi when they're getting close to the line. When Larry first shows up, the instant Michael reveals he's alive to Sam the man drops his drink and smile to seriously remind Michael that Larry's a parasite and no good comes with working with him (and is all for helping out when he learns they're working against Larry).
• Heroic Vow: He takes his given word very seriously.
• Hypocritical Humor: He doesn't have a high opinion on intelligence agencies, but he employs so many of their techniques that he might as well be a spy.
• The Kirk: Compared to Michael and Fi, Sam wears his heart on his sleeve more.
• The Lancer: He's Michael's Number Two and tends to take command when Michael isn't available for some reason. He can also pull double-duty as extra muscle with Fiona.

• Large Ham: Normally Sam is just a guy, but when he gets into a character, half the time he plays it huge.
• The Mole: In season 1 the FBI thinks they've got Sam playing this role, spying on Michael for them, but Sam's only telling them what he and Michael think they should know.
• Morality Chain: For all his drinking and womanizing, Sam's usually the one to remind Michael and Fi not to cross any lines, to the point characters refer to the soused bedhopper as a boy scout. This fits with their backgrounds, as Mike's a spy, Fi's a criminal, and Sam's a soldier^note Sailor. Or Seaman. He's a Navy SEAL. This is important. To them.. That's like being a boy scout for adults. (A boozing, womanizing boy scout, but a boy scout nonetheless.)

• The Nicknamer: Played subtly. While everyone else calls Michael Westen "Michael", even Fiona, Nate, and Maddie, Sam calls him "Mike" or "Mikey". He also calls Madeline "Maddie" while Fi tends to go with "your mom" or "Madeline" and Jesse prefers the more formal "Mrs. Westen".
• Older Sidekick: He's got at least a decade on Michael and Fiona, yet usually follows the former's lead.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: You know things have hit the fan when Sam refuses alcohol.
• Oops! I Forgot I Was Married: Sam Axe, ever the sharp tack, only remembers this little detail after his girlfriend pops the question. Well, he never had a need to mention it to the other members of Team Westen before then so whether he explicitly forgot is arguable. He was definitely taken by surprise by the proposal.

• Obfuscating Stupidity: Probably the best of Team Westen at this, and embodies it completely. The initial impression one gets of him is a slightly overweight womanizer who chugs beers and has about as much insight as a sixth grader. While the first part is fairly accurate, one learns over the course of the series that he's a former Navy SEAL, has numerous contacts across multiple government agencies, and can be just as manipulative and technologically proficient as Michael or Fi.

• Retired Badass: At the start of the series. The Sam-centric TV movie takes place before he's washed out of the Navy.
• The Scrounger: Sam doesn't really pay for food or booze much.
• Shipper on Deck: After Virgil and Madeline head out on a date, Sam tells Michael that Virgil would make a decent step-dad.
• The Sneaky Guy: He's huge, but his core skill set involves intelligence gathering, misdirection, and sabotage.
• Trademark Favorite Drink: Sam likes his mojitos and beer.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Fiona. They start off barely able to work together and bickering at any disagreement. Over time, he and her became closer and more protective of the other...while still trading the occasional, but much friendlier, jab.
• Watch the Paint Job: His cars inevitably get totaled by Michael in the line of duty.
• We Need a Distraction: Sam specializes in making distractions, often the hammiest and most audacious possible. Further justified in that if a beautiful woman like Fi tries this, odds are the macho guards will want her to stay around; in comparison, a hammy and boisterous man like Sam will annoy them and they just want him to leave. Even further justified by the fact that...IT'S BRUCE FREAKING CAMPBELL.

Jesse

Jesse Porter

Played by: Coby Bell

...and a down-and-out spy you met along the way.

"Boom! That's how we do it people!"

A former spy (technically, counter-intelligence), introduced in Season Four as a foil for Michael. Over the fourth and fifth seasons, he's become an important part of the team. Though subtle, his role as a foil and being the only real clean cut responsible one of the team, has put him and Michael in something of a both a sibling and a mentor relationship.

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• Chick Magnet: During an op, Jesse can be seen having more than 3 women flirting with him. Fi even notes on how cute he is.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Which got in the way of him being a field agent and eventually resulted in him being demoted to a desk job. Eventually, the influence of Team Westen results in him leaving said job after clearing his name.
• Cowboy Cop: Subverted in Season 7, as when the others are in favor of a direct approach (usually involving pulling Michael out of some sticky situation), he is usually the one to make everyone stop and think of a plan.
• Dark and Troubled Past: His mother was killed in a robbery when he was nine. He then spent the next 25 years trying to solve his mother's murder but did not reach any leads.
• Et Tu, Brute?: He took it very badly when he found out Michael had gotten him burned.
• Fake Guest Star Until season 6.
• Family of Choice: Team Westen - Maddie and Charlie in particular - have become this to him. Though implied for everyone, Jesse is the first to get called "Uncle" onscreen in regards to Charlie.

• Go-to Alias: Virgil Tibbs. Named after the character in In the Heat of the Night.
• Hopeless Suitor: To Fiona in the first part of season 4. Fi is attracted to Jesse and having one of her rocky patches with Michael, but as Maddie has to explain, at the end of the day none of that's going to get between Michael and Fiona.
• Missing Mom: Not missing but dead. But it had enough of an effect on him that he takes to Madeline pretty quickly and vice versa, enough that one could almost call Jesse Maddie's responsible son.
• Motor Mouth: A lot of his cover IDs are this, and the results are usually hilarious. It also helps to make his bumrush espionage tactics more effective.
• One-Hour Work Week: Even after finding a new job, Jesse still has plenty of time to help team Westen.
• Only Sane Man: A little more than most of the others due to his more straight laced background. Outside the team such as to the CIA, he often seems this way (to the team's benefit usually) since unlike the other members, he's basically still in good standing with the CIA as opposed to being thought of as a washed up drunk who used blackmail to escape time in a military jail, a potential terrorist, or a dubious ex-burned spy.
• Promotion to Opening Titles: As of season six, he's now a part of the opening narration.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Which is why he got pulled out of field work before getting burned. Some people are able to watch the innocent get hurt or a woman be beaten in order to maintain a cover identity. Not Jesse.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: In season five, since he's got a high-profile security job.
• Sixth Ranger: Jesse spends a good part of the show with the team after they get established in their old dynamics and takes a little while to really integrate with them afterwards.
• The Smart Guy: He crunches data better than anyone, which is something of a play, since out of the main cast, he's the tallest and most athletically built, attributes more commonly associated with other archetypes. Because his analysis and technical skills are far better than the other members of the team, he typically comes up with more concrete plans versus Michael's Indy Ploys and often acts as Mission Control by default.
• Tragic Keepsake: Jesse wears a religious pendant that belonged to his mother - it was the only thing he retrieved from his old housing after he got burned.
• What, Exactly, Is His Job?: In the fifth season Jesse decide to leave intelligence work and gets a high paying gig for a private security company. Said job is nebulous enough in nature to give him access to all sorts of things, a One-Hour Work Week and with varied enough duties to give team Westen new adventures. And he's got enough leeway and security clearance to still do contract work for the CIA under Michael.
• Wild Card: In Season 4, he fluctuates between being a tremendous asset to the trio or being The Load. Sometimes in the span of the same episode.