Burn Notice (TV Series)

Identity (2007)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Michael Westen : [voice-over]  You've been in the business way too long when you recognize the sound of a .45 caliber over a phone.

• [Sam attempts to disable a car that Fiona supposedly wired to turn off via a cellphone. It explodes] 

  Michael Westen : Fiona, you were supposed to stop the car, not blow it into the Everglades! What happened to shorting the ignition?

  Fiona Glenanne : You said disable; it's not going anywhere.

• Sam Axe : So, you're helping old ladies now? Good for you, Mike. Hey, I saw a kitten up a tree on my way over here.

  Michael Westen : They beat her up, took her life savings. You in or not?

  Sam Axe : Well, you put it that way, what can I say?

• Michael Westen : [voice-over]  My mother's understanding of my career changes with what she wants from me. One day, she can name everyone on the National Security Council, the next day, she thinks I work for the post office.

• Michael Westen : [voice-over]  A hitman is like a plumber, a dentist or a mechanic. Everybody is always looking for a good one.

• Michael Westen : Not bad for a man in his underwear.

  Sam Axe : Hey, you think that's good, you should see me without 'em!

• Michael Westen : [voice-over]  Eavesdropping and fieldwork go hand-in-hand. You wanna know what your target is saying, what he's typing into his computer. But technology can't work miracles: bugs don't plant themselves. Fact is, even the fanciest equipment usually needs help from a good old-fashioned crowbar.

• Michael Westen : [voice-over]  I don't like running from cops, but it has its advantages: it builds your credibility with a criminal when you flee a crime scene.

• Michael Westen : [voice-over]  You can't choose your intelligence sources. Might be a heroin smuggler, a dictator... or your mom.

• Madeline Westen : I told them that you were the perfect son. That you always wrote me, you called me all the time, and that the most important thing to you was family. I told them that. And they wrote it down.

  Michael Westen : Why did you tell them that?

  Madeline Westen : I don't know, Michael. Just seemed nicer than the truth.

• Michael Westen : [voice-over]  Often, the best way to get intel is to provoke action, set people in motion. Pros know better, but they usually have to work with a few amateurs, and they panic. So you beat the bushes a little and see what flies out. Once your frightened amateur leads you to the pros, the work begins.

• Michael Westen : Would you put some pants on?

  Sam Axe : What? I work better when I can breathe down there.

• Madeline Westen : I really don't notice what my neighbors do - I'm not interested in them.

  Michael Westen : You notice if the neighbor hasn't vacuumed his car. If the postman isn't wearing his wedding ring. Just tell me.

• Michael Westen : [voice-over]  There's a reason spies don't have a lot of parties. Everybody's got a history with everyone else.

• Michael Westen : Listen, Fi, uh, now's not a good time...

  Sam Axe : [following him in]  Oh, Jesus, Mike, you didn't tell me she was gonna be here.

  Fiona Glenanne : [rushes at Sam]  You cost me a lot of money, you son of a bitch! I've been waiting to talk to you for a long time!

  Sam Axe : Oh, I cost you? OK, for starters, what you're talking about never officially happened, all right? But even if it had, you deserved a lot worse than what you got, lady!

• Michael Westen : [V.O]  Truth is, identity theft isn't hard. A number and an ID is all you need to drain a bank account and return some money to some very surprised retirees. But why stop there? As long as you're stealing someone's identity, why not use it to contact some known terrorist organizations on unsecured phone lines? Why not use it to threaten federal judges and insult the local drug cartel? Most fun I've had in Miami.

• Michael Westen : [voiceover]  I don't much like dealing with paranoids. They get erratic, make bad decisions. Of course, that can be a help when you need them to make a bad decision.

• Fiona Glenanne : [Westen arrives home and finds Fiona waiting]  Hello, Michael.

  Michael Westen : Fi!

  [dubiously] 

  Michael Westen : ... you're... here.

  Fiona Glenanne : I came by for a visit. The door was locked, so I broke in.

  Michael Westen : New accent? New - style?

  Fiona Glenanne : Well, I'm in Miami now. I can't very well be talkin' like a friggin' leprechaun, now, can I? This is the new me, Michael - for now.