Burn Notice (TV Series)

Devil You Know (2010)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Michael Westen : [voiceover]  Work in intelligence long enough and you hang on to phone numbers. No matter who your enemy is, there's a chance you'll need him tomorrow. Churchill and Stalin weren't chummy in 1941. But once the Nazis marched on Moscow, they got past their differences.

• Michael Westen : [voiceover]  Spies are in the lawbreaking business. Call it espionage, covert ops, whatever you like. When you get right down to it, you're a criminal working for a good cause. When your job involves daily lawbreaking, chances are you're going to find yourself on the wrong end of a manhunt at some point.

• Michael Westen : [voiceover]  Commuter parking lots are great for fugitives. You can get some sleep while your pursuers lose momentum to exhaustion and shift changes. It's also one-stop shopping for a new phone or dry clothes.

• [first lines] 

  [Gilroy has just died by explosion in his SUV. Michael wakes up nearby to the vehicle mostly burned out but still on fire and calls Sam] 

  Sam Axe : [answers with]  Mike, what the hell is going on over there?

  Michael Westen : [hoarse]  Sam, Gilroy's dead. You know that prisoner he was helping escape?

  Sam Axe : Don't tell me.

  Michael Westen : He's out, Sam. He's free.

  Sam Axe : The whole reason we were getting involved here, Mike, was so he *didn't*.

  Michael Westen : [loudly]  No need to remind me!

  [pause] 

  Michael Westen : His name's Simon. That's all I know.

  [sirens] 

  Michael Westen : Right now I just need to get clear of the cops.

  Sam Axe : Mike, it's not just the cops. The FBI is involved now. Homeland Security's on alert. Pretty soon its gonna be the IRS, the Forest Service, and the Food and Drug Administration are gonna be lookin' for ya!

  Michael Westen : I'm heading through to Canal Street. I'll do my best to stay clear. See if you can do a little recon for me.

  Sam Axe : You got it, brother.

  Sam Axe : [to himself]  Holy crap holy.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  It's hard to get used to the idea that doing the right thing can mean being public enemy number one.

  FBI Agent Callahan : Stop right now! Put your hands on your head! Now!

  [Agent opens fire as Michael hotwires a jet ski] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  The good news is, you're usually too busy trying to survive to get upset.

  [Michael adjusts his aim to return fire on Agent's vehicle and rides off] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  The best thing is to get away, deal with the situation, and hope people are in a forgiving mood.

  [Agent fires again, but Michael swerves, gets out of range and away] 

• Michael Westen : [calls on a stolen phone]  Sam, it's me.

  Sam Axe : You've reached Sam Axe's Fugitive Assistance Service, Sam speaking. How was your night?

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies love places people tend to avoid: sewage plants, toxic dumps, condemned motels. All places you can put emergency supplies and not worry about whether they'll be there when you need them.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  A good operative doesn't believe in coincidences. It's true, of course, that food stands catch fire from time to time. It's even possible that one might catch fire at the same time you happen to be looking for a violent fugitive... but it's sure not likely.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  As a spy, you want to work with people with clear alliances. The biggest monster in the world becomes quite predictable on a government payroll. Your worst nightmare is a lone crazy person.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  When entering a possible combat situation, you want the element of surprise on your side. It's why Special Forces like to rappel down from helicopters. Of course, if you don't have a helicopter, you may have to improvise.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  When a trained team is advancing on your position, sneaking away is usually impossible. Your best bet is to give them something else to worry about.

  [Michael triggers a small C4 bomb by remote] 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Liquid nitrogen isn't available at the corner store, but it is a standard part of a bomb maker's workshop. It's also useful for defusing explosives. On a well-made bomb, you can forget about cutting wires: any decent bomb maker will make sure the important wires are impossible to reach... Freeze the detonator though, and you can usually remove it safely. Of course, "usually" is not a word you want to hear when you're working with explosives.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  To be a spy, you need physical fitness, a facility with languages, a tolerance for exotic foods and the bugs that come with them, but ultimately, there's no greater qualification than the ability to look someone who ruined your life in the eye and say, "Let's work together."

• Michael Westen : Right on time.

  Management : When it comes to Simon, I don't take chances. Where is he?

  Michael Westen : I assume he's planning on grabbing you down on the street.

  Management : About that, let's be clear about one thing before this begins: I might look like a nice old man but I assure you, Michael, I'm not.

  Michael Westen : I'll remember that. Do you have your guys in place?

  Management : Down on the street by the office. They've identified Simon's team.

  [Michael reacts and steps in front of Management] 

  Management : They'll grab Simon as soon as he shows his face.

  Michael Westen : "Simon's team"? Already?

  Management : Locals, apparently. They'll be eliminated as soon as the extraction starts.

  Michael Westen : [this isn't right]  Simon paid ten million dollars to break out of prison; he hired an amateur team.

  Management : Whatever tricks Simon has planned down there, we have more than enough firepower to take care of it.

  Michael Westen : [Down there? He looks up]  How many helipads in the area?

  Management : [glancing back]  Helipads? Just the one.

  Michael Westen : [alarmed]  Just the one? He knew where you were going to land!

  [Management looks up again. The helicopter explodes] 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  There's no trick to getting down off a building quickly; gravity will take care of that for you. The challenge is getting down without breaking your neck.