Burn Notice (TV Series)

Eyes Open (2010)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• [first lines] 

  Live TV News Reporter : [on television]  ... That's correct, Senator. We now have reason to believe that all the incidents you just listed can be linked to Drake Corporation's subsidiaries.

  Senator Gordon, R-Minnesota : All of you believe then the CEO of a major telecommunications company stood at the center of some sort of cabal - a conspiracy to profit for war, civil unrest, terror abroad - and the United States intelligence community knew nothing about it?

  Live TV News Reporter : Yes. Additionally there was the attack on the...

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies live in the shadows, but they dream of the light. When you're working covert ops for low pay and life-threatening conditions, the idea that your work won't remain secret forever keeps you going. One day the world will learn what you've done, even if your name is never known. Some of the sweetest moments come when the job ends and the bullets stop flying. That is, unless one of those bullets rips through your chest.

• [walking hospital hallways] 

  Michael Westen : Why can't I just stay in my loft?

  Madeline Westen : Those stairs? *I* could beat *you* in a 40-yard dash right now.

• [recap] 

  Michael Westen : Previously on "Burn Notice"...

  Adam Scott : They took Becky right out of the backyard. I know exactly who did it.

  ["Adam Scott" / "The Client"] 

  Dale Lawson : Tell him if he wants his girl, get my brother out of jail.

  ["Dale Lawson" / "Kidnapper"] 

  Dale Lawson : [of his freed "brother"]  Son of a bitch! That's not him! You think you can do this to me?

  Michael Westen : [to Adam Scott]  He's a little angry.

  Adam Scott : I'm angry, too.

  Fiona Glenanne : So what now?

  Michael Westen : The situation hasn't changed. Everything leads back to John Barrett. We found Barrett, he's in Miami, we grab him, and we ask him some questions.

  Fiona Glenanne : Jesse vowed to put a bullet in you. That should put him at the top of your to-do list.

  Michael Westen : There's not a whole lot I can do about that right now.

  John Barrett : [over radio]  Let's talk about my Bible.

  Michael Westen : [over radio]  You want the Bible, Mr. Barrett, you'll meet me at Dinner Key, noon, Tuesday.

  John Barrett : [over radio]  That can be arranged.

  Michael Westen : So that list is the key to destroying the people who burned me.

  [Vaughn and his men show up and open fire] 

  John Barrett : Take him!

  [a shot goes through Michael's left shoulder and through the guy holding him] 

  Fiona Glenanne : He shot Michael! What is Jesse doing?

  Sam Axe : No, he shot the guy *behind* him. He's savin' Mike's butt is what he's doing.

  John Barrett : Who do you work for?

  Michael Westen : I'm self-employed.

  [Michael grabs the wheel, flips the SUV. survives, sees the case taken away before passing out] 

• [Michael is in a hospital bed, Fiona sitting at his side] 

  Fiona Glenanne : [lightly slaps back of Michael's hand 5 times]  It's been three... days.

  [Fiona inhales sharply, slaps Michael's hand once more, then sits back] 

  Fiona Glenanne : Enough... already.

  Fiona Glenanne : [kicks Michael]  GET UP!

  [Michael awakens with a painful grunt as Fiona feigns surprise] 

  Michael Westen : [raspy voice]  W-where am I?

  Fiona Glenanne : Miami. Mount Sinai Hospital.

• Sam Axe : Oh, excuse me, Miss?

  Alicia Renson : Alicia Renson. I'm here for my brother, Walt.

  Sam Axe : Oh, I'm sorry, I don't work here, uh, but we just saw- I mean, were you there? Are you all right?

  Alicia Renson : Yeah, yeah, but my brother might have lost his hearing.

  Michael Westen : What happened?

  Alicia Renson : I don't know. I... Walt was, uh, having lunch with his- with his boss and... I-I went to get his... signature on this field-trip form. I watch...

  Alicia Renson : [sniffles]  the kids since Gina left. And, um... and, uh, W-Walt was coming out. And I looked over and-and I saw this-this young couple. And then it went off.

  Sam Axe : And they weren't there anymore.

  Alicia Renson : [sniffs]  I don't think this was an accident. I told Walt not to work for a slimebag like Dale. It was a matter of time before something like this.

  Michael Westen : [Sam and Mike exchange looks]  "Dale"?

  Alicia Renson : Dale Lawson. This guy my brother works for. He's dead. Walt's no angel, but he didn't deserve this. Cops better find out who did this. Someone's gotta bring them to justice.

  Michael Westen : Someone will.

  Nurse : Excuse me? Your brother's asking for you.

  [Alicia goes with the Nurse to her brother. "Alicia" / "The client"] 

  Sam Axe : Adam Scott. You're thinkin' it too, right?

  Michael Westen : Dale kidnapped his daughter. Would be one hell of a coincidence.

  Sam Axe : You told him to get out of town. He promised that he would drop it.

  Michael Westen : Yeah, he's a lawyer, I guess I should have got it in writing.

  Sam Axe : Wait, didn't Scott say that he wanted Lawson's whole crew to pay? This could just be the beginning, Mike, like a declaration of war- okay, what are you doin'? The doctor said two weeks.

  Michael Westen : [pulling out his IV]  I'm fine! Time to get back to work.

• Adam Scott : Mr. Westen.

  ["Scott" / "Vengeful former client"] 

  Adam Scott : Miss... Glenanne. I-I wasn't expecting... What happened to you?

  Michael Westen : [indicating his immobilized arm]  Oh, this? Oh, this is nothing. It's not like I almost got blown up on South Beach.

  Adam Scott : Are you referring to that explosion?

  Michael Westen : Three days after you told me Dale Lawson is a dead men, Dale Lawson *is* a dead man.

  Adam Scott : Well, I was at a full bar at the Delano with... 200 people when that happened?

  Michael Westen : 23 hours a day you're holed up *here*, and just then you happened to be grabbing a beer? Is that a joke?

  Adam Scott : Well, it's called an alibi?

  Fiona Glenanne : Innocent people are dead because you had to have your revenge. Don't smile at us.

  Adam Scott : The man kidnapped my little girl. You know, I wish - I wish I *had* killed him. I wish I had been there to watch him burn. But I didn't do it.

  Fiona Glenanne : Of course not. A man with your clientele, I'm sure you could shake a bomber out of your sleeve.

  Adam Scott : Well, whoever it was, I'm hoping they're just getting started. I mean, Lawson's got a big crew.

  Fiona Glenanne : He doesn't seem to be getting it. If another innocent pers-!

  Adam Scott : If you're all out of baseless accusations, I'd like to kindly ask you to get the hell out of my house.

  [a security guard grabs Michael by his injured arm] 

  Michael Westen : Aah!

  Fiona Glenanne : [pulls a gun on guard]  Hands to yourself. We're leaving.

  [the guard backs off] 

  Michael Westen : Go be with your daughter. Enjoy the time. Prison visits are hard on kids.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  The site of a break-in is like a broken bone: years later, the spot will either have been made stronger or weaker by the ordeal. A replacement window pane installed with putty and weather stripping costs about 10 cents to remove.

• Sam Axe : Uh, hope you're done in there, bud, 'cause you are done in there.

  Michael Westen : Dennis is coming?

  Sam Axe : Yeah, I think we should call him "Dennis Wayne Barfield," you know, just to give him that, uh, serial-killer flavor.

  Michael Westen : I'll meet you 'round back in 5 minutes, Sam.

  Sam Axe : Yeah.

  ["Dennis Wayne Barfield" / "Serial killer"] 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  You need confidence and a can-do attitude to make it in the field. But if you don't have the physical strength to match your attitude, that confidence can just as easily get you killed.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : Excuse me, scumbag. You just picked the wrong guy to rob.

• Michael Westen : I wanted a closer look. I'm your biggest fan.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : A f- a fan?

  Michael Westen : My name is Gordon Letts and I've been following your work since the trial.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : [gesturing around]  I'm a photography student.

  Michael Westen : No. Your work. I read the papers. After this last thing on South Beach I just had to meet you. That's all. Please. Please put the gun down.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : I was acquitted at my trial. *I* did not do anything wrong.

  Michael Westen : Of course you didn't! You took out those degenerates. You are an inspiration. I could learn so much from you.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : I'm sure you could, Gordon.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : [raises the gun again]  But that's not gonna happen.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : [Dennis grabs Michael by his good arm to the door]  Now, *if* you come back, I *will* put another hole in you. But keep reading the papers, Gordon. There's more to love coming soon.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Bribery's a delicate art. Success often depends less on how much cash you offer and more on how you offer it... Pretending there's a standard fee for what you're asking for means you're less likely to report the bribe... And if you come across as unlikeable, even a normally ethical person might not pass up the chance to make a buck off your stupidity.

• Michael Westen : May I ask you something? Why do you do what you do?

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : It's in the genes, Gordon. It's a gift. Vision. When I see scum, I *have* to end them.

  Michael Westen : [slipping out of character]  I know the feeling.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : Take the other day, South Beach. I get a tip that a drug dealer, a gang leader, is going to be at a family restaurant. Well, who am I if I don't end him?

  Michael Westen : How do you feel about the people who... get in the way? The couple who died.

  Dennis Wayne Barfield : Casualties of war. It-it wasn't exactly what I'd intended, but radio detonators can be touchy: certain electronic devices get too close, and boom. Qué será.

• Michael Westen : After it's over, don't even think you're getting out of this without confessing.

  Adam Scott : Why would anyone ever confess to anything when there's a Fifth Amendment? I'll trade what I know and I'll have a pledge of immunity by the end of the day.

  Michael Westen : Not from me you won't.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Despite the expression, very few people actually shoot the messenger. Making a fake delivery is a great way to get close to a well-defended position. Carry a large-enough bouquet and you can very close without being IDed.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Foot chases rarely last long. During the initial burst of adrenaline, it's important to keep your target in view; if you can, you'll probably catch up. Few people have anything left in the tank after a quarter of a mile at top speed.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Triangulating someone's position from a radio or cellular signal works exactly the way it sounds: by recording the time and intensity of the signal from three separate positions, it's fairly easy to calculate the position of origin, and a computer program can do the work a lot faster if your trigonometry is rusty.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  More than anything, zealots crave an audience. Fanatics, at their core, believe they have something to teach the world. Dealing with a fanatic, then, is often just a matter of being a very good student.

• Michael Westen : When I see the world, what's wrong with it, twisted - there are demons among us - when I see something wrong, I have to act. I can't help myself.

• Madeline Westen : You look worse than you did when you got out of the hospital.

  Michael Westen : Yeah, well, I've had a long week.

  Madeline Westen : You never answered my question, by the way, about why you do what you do. Do you even think about it?

  Michael Westen : Since the day I was burned, every day.

  Madeline Westen : And?

  Michael Westen : And I don't know. I don't know if my reasons are that different than anybody else who likes the feel of a trigger on their finger. I wish I understood. I just don't.

  Madeline Westen : [pause]  Whatever.

  Michael Westen : "Whatever"?

  Madeline Westen : Yeah. I mean, maybe you've got some repressed crap, you know? Rage... about how it was for you as a kid, or the things you've seen, or... I don't know, maybe this is just how you fit into the world. Whatever.

  Michael Westen : Thanks, Mom.

  Madeline Westen : What I'm saying is, in the end, it doesn't matter. You're one of the good guys, Michael. I'm proud of you. I bought you a present.

  [Madeline gives Michael a small bag. Michael takes it and pulls out a small case. He pops open the snap and pulls out a pair of sunglasses] 

  Madeline Westen : Hm!

  Michael Westen : These are *exactly* like the pair I lost. How- how did you...?

  Madeline Westen : It's called shopping.

  Madeline Westen : [chuckles]  We all have our strengths. Now go do what you do.

• [last lines] 

  Jesse Porter : No briefcase, no NOC list.

  Michael Westen : No trace of where Justin Walsh went after he killed Sweeney for it.

  Jesse Porter : I did find Walsh's e-mail address. I know it's not much to go on.

  Michael Westen : Whoever this guy is, he's got the name and position of every one of the people who burned me, he knows how dangerous and valuable that information is, and he has a three-day head start.