Burn Notice (TV Series)

Enemy of My Enemy (2011)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  The most advanced computer is worse at identifying faces than a newborn baby. Unless a photo is taken straight on under direct lighting, facial-recogntiion software is nearly worthless. Fortunately, driver's license photos are taken straight on under direct lighting for exactly that reason.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  When confronting an armed enemy, the big question is what weapons they're bringing to the fight. Trick your enemy into bringing the *wrong* weapon, and you've got the advantage.

  Michael Westen : [places a small electronic device on the window]  Time to say hello.

  [Michael pushes a button and the device shatters the window] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  If someone thinks they're taking fire from a sniper, for example, they'll choose something long range with a long barrel, which won't do you much good in close combat.

• Fiona Glenanne : He's not going to find that drone staring at those pasty bastards until they're tan.

  Michael Westen : No, but he'll start looking right after the bullets stop flying.

  Fiona Glenanne : [referring to earlier]  Hmm. Allow me. We've already established I'm the better shot...

  [Michael fires a suppressed round hitting his target perfectly. Fiona looks at him] 

  Michael Westen : Cellphone: slightly smaller target than a car tire.

• Gabriel Manaro : You look pretty pleased with yourselves for a couple of guys who just cut a deal with a drug kingpin.

  Matt Bailey : What the hell were you thinking? You know, we told you...

  Michael Westen : You said the *Serbs* couldn't find out the CIA was involved. But Carmelo finding out - that wasn't "mission critical," was it?

  Matt Bailey : Do you really expect us to make good on immunity for that bastard?

  Michael Westen : Actually, I do, because if you let him go to jail, that *bastard* has no incentive to keep his mouth shut.

  Gabriel Manaro : We keep him out on the street, you really think...

  Sam Axe : Maybe Pearce can explain it to you. Ask her to talk real slow, and you might get it.

  Agent Pearce : As long as Carmelo's got a reputation to protect...

  Gabriel Manaro : Well, that's just beautiful, but have you heard the story he told the cops?

  Matt Bailey : The guy said he went to the marina with his buddies for a picnic!

  Gabriel Manaro : Then Serbs attacked, out of nowhere!

  Matt Bailey : Oh, but luckily, Carmelo had the sense to bring all these automatic weapons with him to the picnic, you know, instead of food!

  Gabriel Manaro : This is the official story we get to sell to the Miami police.

  Matt Bailey : [talking over]  Yeah, this is what we get to do with this Carmelo guy.

  Gabriel Manaro : [talking over]  This is the mess you are leaving us with!

  Matt Bailey : [talking over]  Immunity. Fantastic.

  Sam Axe : Yeah, well, sucks being you. But I guess that's nothing new, right?

  Matt Bailey : Woah! Ho, ho! Ho!

  Gabriel Manaro : Ho! Woah! Mr. Axe! Not so fast. We need our glasses back.

  Sam Axe : Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I... lost them.

  [Sam and Michael get into the Charger. Sam chuckles to Michael as he pulls the glasses from his pocket] 

  Michael Westen : Sam, I just wanna say...

  Sam Axe : You don't have to, Mike.

  Michael Westen : I was *gonna* say, you owe *me* one.

  Michael Westen : [as Sam laughs]  And I owe you fifty.

• [first lines] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  There's a long tradition of using doubles in espionage. They're mostly used by dictators who want to confuse would-be assassins, but they have other less-common uses, like framing someone for a crime they didn't commit.

  Sam Axe : [pauses tape]  Okay, I know this video is grainy, but from that angle, it sure looks like you.

  Michael Westen : It's not me, Sam.

  Fiona Glenanne : I assume the burner cellphone he's buying made a call from the scene of Max's murder.

  Madeline Westen : Well somebody went to a lot of trouble to do this. Huh. They didn't find this guy sitting at a bus stop.

  Sam Axe : She's right, Mike. This is starting to feel personal.

  Michael Westen : It's been personal since Max bled out in my arms. Since he told me to say goodbye to his wife.

  Madeline Westen : So, what's the plan to keep my son out of prison?

  Sam Axe : We got to track down the fella on this tape. I mean, that's step one in finding Max's killer.

  Fiona Glenanne : Actually, step one is deciding what to do with the bloodhound the CIA sent to replace Max. Pearce knows we have the security footage.

  Michael Westen : I can buy us some time. I'll tell her it's taking a little longer to analyze the footage.

  [cellphone buzzes] 

  Michael Westen : Speak of the devil.

  [Michael answers his phone] 

  Michael Westen : Agent Pearce, right on time. I-... Got it.

  [Michael hangs up] 

  Sam Axe : What's up? She got something new about the murder?

  Michael Westen : No, it wasn't about that. She wants to meet tomorrow morning, 0700. She's got another job for me, high priority at the CIA. Wish me luck.

• ["Serbian arms traders" / "Nasty", second line uncharacteristically appearing above the first] 

  Sam Axe : Look, I sure as hell don't want guys like that hanging onto a Predator drone, but, Mike, it's gonna take an army to get it back.

  Michael Westen : I agree. That's why we need help from someone who *has* an army. We're gonna trick our old friend Carmelo into going after the Serbs.

  Fiona Glenanne : [hushed tones]  Carmelo? As in the second biggest heroin dealer in Miami?

  Michael Westen : He's helped us track down mercenaries before. He's perfect for this.

  Sam Axe : Yeah, but isn't the last thing he said to you, "If I ever see you again, you're dead"?

  Michael Westen : That's why I was hoping *you* could handle the Carmelo thing.

  Fiona Glenanne : Oh, how generous. What is your plan, exactly?

  Michael Westen : We rip off Carmelo and leave Sam behind as a witness to the heist. He questions you. You steer him towards the Serbs. We play it right, he hunts for his heroin and finds our drone instead.

  Fiona Glenanne : And if we don't play it right, we find out if Sam is bulletproof.

  Michael Westen : I know it's dangerous, but if we don't do something, the CIA's source is dead, and some very bad people end up with a really dangerous weapon.

  [Sam lets out a silent sigh] 

  Michael Westen : Sam, I'll understand if you...

  Sam Axe : [gets up]  No. You're right. That's the play.

  [Michael nods] 

  Fiona Glenanne : All right. I'll go find us a heroin shipment.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  For a spy, one of the most useful contacts in the criminal underworld is the small-time drug dealer. Their work demands that they stay informed about their rivals, their suppliers, the police, and any other bad guys who might be operating in their area.

  [Fiona taps on the back of...] 

  Sugar : [turns, smiles]  Fiona!

  ["Sugar" / "Drug dealer"] 

  Sugar : [with a friendly "Get lost!" expression]  Now is not a good time.

  Fiona Glenanne : Oh, now's good.

  Sugar : Ladies, this is Fiona.

  Sugar's Girl : Hi.

  Fiona Glenanne : She's a very dear firend who would never dream of interrupting this magical time we're all having together.

  Fiona Glenanne : Oh, of course not. If you have found some friends that are okay with your medical condition, I wouldn't dream of imposing.

  [Sugar chuckles nervously] 

  Sugar's Girl : Um... "medical condition"?

  Fiona Glenanne : It's not a big deal, really. There are plenty of ways to manage the symptoms: there's, uh, ointments, gels, creams, suppositories...

  Sugar : She's joking. She actually has a very dark, twisted sense of humor.

  Sugar's Girl : Um, yeah, I think we're actually gonna leave.

• Michael Westen : So you're saying the Agency never tricks third parties into attacking our enemies? Huh. Times *have* changed.

  Agent Pearce : Of course we do, but a "Yojimbo" play is a Hail Mary to pull off, not to mention reckless.

  Sam Axe : Yeah, well, as the guy who's about to put his head in the lion's mouth, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop reminding me.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  The key to robbing an armed transport is to stop the vehicle without putting the guards on the defensive... Shooting a tire can cause a blowout without arousing suspicion, but it takes a gifted sniper to hit a target moving 40 miles per hour.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Staging a scene is one the most important deception techniques in espionage. You're telling a story, arranging evidence for someone to discover so they'll believe what you want them to believe. If it works, there's nothing like it. If it *doesn't* work, well, it's good to be nearby with a sniper rifle.

  ["Carmelo" / "2nd biggest heroin dealer in Miami"] 

  Carmelo Dante : [asking his thugs]  So, where were they hiding? The gunmen: the ones that sent you running off like little bitches? This badass crew that separated you from my dope? Now, you: you said there was a dozen, right? Where... did a dozen guys park their cars? Tell me. Because *I* *don't* *see it*!

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  For a spy, there's no greater victory than successfully inserting an asset into a hostile organization. Of course, it's a little hard to celebrate that victory when the hostile organization is a bunch of trigger-happy drug dealers and the asset is your best friend.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  The first moments of an infiltration are crucially important. That's when you're establishing yourself: what you know about them, what they know about you, and, most importantly, how useful you're going to be... If the target decides you're useful, you're in. If they decide you're not useful, you're usually dead.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Establishing a cover as a drug addict isn't glamorous, but it has its advantages. People don't expect addicts to be rational... so they don't question their motives. Nothing explains an unwanted intrusion quite like the impression that you're high as a kite.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Not all of the intelligence spies use is stolen or even secret. When the information you need involves a lot of data - like searching for a single face in the population of Miami - what you really need is access to the right database, which is usually behind the counter at the closest government agency.

  Fiona Glenanne : [sighs]  I can't believe the boys get to go up against heroin pushers and arms traffickers and I'm here stuck in the County Clerk's office... in these earrings.

  Madeline Westen : Hey, I love those earrings. And we're here to keep your boyfriend out of jail.

• Gabriel Manaro : [instantly abrasive]  You Westen?

  Matt Bailey : [instantly abrasive]  Do you want to tell us why the name Sam Axe is appearing on equipment-requisition forms?

  Gabriel Manaro : You really put a $40,000 bug on that man's face?

  Michael Westen : [pause, then to Agent Pearce]  Which one should I answer?

  [Bailey scoffs] 

  Agent Pearce : Michael, this is Gabrial Manaro and Matt Bailey. Guys, this is...

  Gabriel Manaro : Oh, we know who he is! He's the genius who involved a heroin dealer in a classified CIA field operation, not to mention Sam Axe!

  Michael Westen : [walking past, pronouncing Manaro's name with contempt]  Sam mentioned there was a dustup with whichever one of you is Manaro?

  Gabriel Manaro : A-a dustup? You could say that. We're not fans.

  ["Gabrial Manaro & Matt Bailey" / "Not fans of Sam Axe"] 

  Michael Westen : [pouring wine]  So, when did you work with Sam?

  Matt Bailey : Five years ago, he compromised a CIA facility in Colombia. He endangered a mission *and* its personnel.

  Gabriel Manaro : Specifically us.

  Matt Bailey : Yeah.

  Michael Westen : I'm sure he had his reasons.

  Agent Pearce : Okay. Focus. Mr. Axe's position with Carmelo Dante is... precarious. His story's being checked against a captured Serb. Michael thinks we need the cavalry on call.

  Matt Bailey : [laughing]  What cavalry? What's with this guy?

  Gabriel Manaro : You put an asset in the field...

  Michael Westen : [angry]  I put my *friend* in the field! Now, I haven't asked for anything yet, but if I do, you better be ready!

  Matt Bailey : I wouldn't hold my breath. This mission comes first.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Navigation systems combine data from traffic helicopters, police scanners, and road sensors to estimate the driving time along your route. But compiling all that data creates a time lag... There's still no quicker way to get across town than being guided by somebody who has access to real-time satellite imagery.

  Michael Westen : [narrative continued in closed captions, camera focusing on the Hyundai branding]  and driving a very, very fast car.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  For a spy, sneaking into the middle of a gun battle to pull someone out is one of the less popular assignments. It's mostly about timing: go in too early, and you have both sides shooting at you; go in too late, and, well, you're too late.

• Carmelo Dante : Seriously, I will kill you if I ever see you again.

  Michael Westen : Yeah, I've heard that before.

• [last lines] 

  Sam Axe : [joins Michael in the Charger]  So, you found the fake Michael Westen, huh? That's great, buddy.

  Michael Westen : Yeah, Fi and my mom tracked him down, and I tailed him here. Name's Jacob Starky.

  ["Jacob Starky" / "Fake Michael Westen"] 

  Michael Westen : I told Pearce the tapes were a dead end. We got a little breathing room for the moment.

  Sam Axe : Good-looking fella. Doesn't quite have your chin, though.

  Michael Westen : That means a lot coming from you. Wait. Here we go.

  [a car pulls up to Starky. He goes over to it and gives some money] 

  Sam Axe : That looks shady.

  [Sam looks through binoculars and sees the driver hand over a gun to Starky] 

  Sam Axe : Okay. That looks *very* shady. So, our new pal, Jacob, is buying a Glock, Mike. What do you think he needs a gun for?

  Michael Westen : I don't know, but it looks like things are about to get interesting.