Burn Notice (TV Series)

Friendly Fire (2010)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Rincon : Tell me who you are or I will make this so painful that you will beg for mercy and it will not come.

  Michael Westen : You don't know what pain is. But you will. I promise. Don't look at them. They'll see what you really are. A coward.

  Rincon : [laughs]  Go to Hell.

  Michael Westen : Come with me.

• [first lines] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  In the intelligence community, an invitation to meet at a hotel pool is an olive branch. The person you're meeting is offering you multiple escape routes, a crowd to mix in with, and virtual certainty that nobody is concealing a weapon in their bathing suit. But if you're meeting the kind of guy who arranges coup d'etats for a living, it's still a good idea to bring backup.

  Fiona Glenanne : Champagne?

• Madeline Westen : Hey, Sam? You've got a visitor. Says he's an old friend of yours.

  [Sam sighs, goes into the house and meets-] 

  Sam Axe : Mack.

  Mack : [with hat in hand]  Hey, man. Been a long time.

  [Mack reaches out to shake hands, freeze frame] 

  Mack : ["Mack" / "Sam's old friend"] 

  [Sam hits Mack with a left cross] 

  Madeline Westen : Sam!

  Mack : [hand on chin]  That's okay. I deserved that.

  ["Mack" / "Sam's former friend"] 

  Mack : [Sam hits Mack with a right cross, then moves in for more] 

  Madeline Westen : [restraining Sam]  Sam! Sam! Hey, easy, easy. Sam.

  Mack : That one, too, I suppose. All right, look, Sam... I know you and I have had our problems, but I need your help. Can I buy you a beer? Please.

  Sam Axe : I'm not in a drinking mood.

  [Sam goes to the kitchen. Michael follows him in] 

  Madeline Westen : Sam, who is this guy?

  Sam Axe : Oh, we served together during my SEAL days.

  Madeline Westen : You don't look too excited to see him.

  Sam Axe : Yeah, we had a bit of a falling out.

  Michael Westen : [Madeline listens]  Anything you want to talk about?

  Sam Axe : I'm sorry, Mike. I...

  Sam Axe : [sighs]  Maybe I'll just let him buy me that beer. I'll be all right.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Neighborhood Watch is just a nice idea in most suburbs, but where you really see it in action is the inner city, only there, it doesn't protect against crime, it protects against cops. Just like cops have drug-detecting dogs, some neighborhoods have cop-detecting kids. Once the alarm goes out, criminal activity shuts down like a picnic when it rains, and any fugitives run like jackrabbits.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  In an army, a chain of command gets activated by unusual events: tanks amassing on a border, a hacking attack on a central computer, assassinations of key personnel. A street gang's chain of command is no different. Showing up in a stolen car and making a splashy entrance will get a message sent up the ladder.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Because warehouses store bulk items and not people, they're usually built cheaply. Most of the time, the roofs are just plywood and asphalt tile. Attach a hole saw bit to a silenced drill and you can bore through the roof without attracting attention. If you want to create a bigger opening, a few ounces of C-4 on the brackets holding the door in place will do the trick.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Dominance in the battlefield isn't always about the use of lethal force. Sometimes it's more effective to leave a few targets around to spread the word. Rubber composite bullets fired from a suppressed rifle won't kill your enemy... but it will make them think twice about staying in the fight.

  Michael Westen : I'm here for the van.

  Omar's Thug : What van?

  [Michael snaps his fingers. The C-4 detonates and the steel door to the warehouse falls outward, revealing the white van parked inside] 

  Michael Westen : That one.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Selling yourself to an adversary is a bit like getting drafted on a sports team: you may look good on paper, but eventually, they'll want to see you on the field.

  Michael Westen : [stops the van, gets out, and walks back to Gilroy's car]  Why the hell are you following me?

  Mason Gilroy : Just curious about where that van of yours is headed. I told you, I have to get to know you.

  Michael Westen : [pushing Gilroy back against his car]  You can do that without compromising my operations!

  Mason Gilroy : I had to see you in action. And, I have to say, you've lived up to your reputation. Such panache! Love the suit; who are you wearing?

  Michael Westen : [grabbing by the lapels]  You know, you're awfully confident I won't shoot you right here. Don't be.

  Mason Gilroy : Maybe I'm just not that afraid of rubber bullets. You were awful gentle with those chaps at the warehouse.

  Michael Westen : [looks around, lets go]  I was as gentle as I had to be. I can't have a homicide detective poking around.

  Mason Gilroy : Hmm. Fair enough.

  Michael Westen : Is that why you were following me? Complement me on my suit? And ask me stupid questions?

  Mason Gilroy : I came to see if you're the sort of person I'd like to work with, and it appears that you are.

  Michael Westen : I'm glad you liked what you saw.

  Mason Gilroy : I have a little project, may interest you. I'll be in touch.

  [Michael walks back to the van] 

  Mason Gilroy : Oh, by the way, who is the van for?

  Michael Westen : [without stopping or looking back, gets in]  I don't kiss and tell.

  Mason Gilroy : Good to know.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  The best offense isn't always a show of force. Keep an adversary in the dark about what you're capable of, and he has to assume the worst.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  When you're extracting a heavily guarded target, it's important to choose the right entry point. Guards watch windows and doors... so if you come in through the common wall of a neighboring apartment, you've got surprise on your side, not to mention a shower of shattered concrete.

  [Michael listens to the wall] 

  Sam Axe : What is it, Mike?

  Michael Westen : It's a little too quiet in there.

  Michael Westen : [looks to window]  And a little too quiet out there, too.

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Of course, surprise doesn't count for much if you're walking into a trap.

  Sam Axe : [of what he sees out the window]  Looks like Vega decided to crash the party.

  Mack : [at the door]  Hey, we've got guys coming up the stairs.

  Michael Westen : I hope you brought enough rope, Sam.

  [window blows out] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Traditional rappelling requires holding a rope with both hands, which is inconvenient if you're being shot at. That's why Special Forces are trained to rappel in unconventional ways.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Camoflage is commonly associated with jungle warfare, but the truth is that it's just as important in urban settings. You're bound to draw attention setting up a bulletproof barricade on a sidewalk, or toting a concussion charge down the street, but fruit stands reinforced with strips of steel-belted tires and ice-cream carts packed with explosives blend right in. Of course, the ultimate Trojan horse is a shackled prisoner.

  Fiona Glenanne : [dangling cuffs at Michael]  Where have you been hiding these?

  [Momentarily distracted, Michael's drill slips off the head of his screw. Next, he cuts a link from the cuffs, then places them back into an injection mold with a void for the missing link] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  A paranoid enemy might go so far as frisking a hostage who's wearing handcuffs, but people tend not to check if one of the handcuff *links* is made of polystyrene, or if there's a listening device in the pin lock.