Under the Gun | |
Season 6, Episode 4 | |
Air date | July 12, 2012 |
Written by | Michael Horowitz |
Directed by | Dennie Gordon |
Episode Guide | |
previous Last Rites |
next Split Decision |
Under The Gun is the fourth episode of season 6 of Burn Notice.
Notes[]
- Client:
- Bad Guy: Rebecca (calling the shots)
Ayn (prison entrepreneur)
Synopsis[]
As Jesse, Sam, and Michael head into the Everglades on a mission, Sam ends up kidnapped. While in prison, Fiona ends up making a new friend when a couple of prisoners mark her as a target.
Spy Facts[]
- When you need to capture a target in a building, one of the most effective techniques is known as the "Hammer and Anvil." First, your team surrounds the structure, sealing off all exits; then you enter from all points at once, quickly and quietly. The goal is to find your target fast enough to avoid a stand-off or a fire-fight. It's hard to interrogate your target if he's dealing with a gun-shot wound. Of course it's even harder if he's dead.
- When you're abducted at gun-point, it's best to approach it like a blind date: you want to be an active listener, you want to stay positive and you want to make a connection. The more you humanize yourself in the eyes of your captor, the harder it will be for them to pull the trigger.
- When you're marked for death in prison, you're always anticipating the next fight. The earlier you spot a potential adversary, the better you can defend yourself. Unfortunately, that's not always enough. If you realize you have multiple attackers coming at you with a coordinated assault, just defending yourself won't work. The only move is to attack.
- There's a reason spies try to stick to the speed limit in operations. When the stakes are high enough, a simple speeding ticket can be a life or death matter for you; or, for the police officer who's just trying to do his job.
- As any crisis negotiator knows, only about one in five hostages survives a rescue attempt. If you're the hostage, you'd like to improve those odds, which means figuring out where your rescue is coming from and getting yourself out of the line of fire. Of course, if your captor is every bit as trained as you are, even the slightest attempt to adjust your position might be noticed.
- The standard M-112 demolition charge contains 1.25 pounds of C-4. When the charge is detonated, the explosive is converted into compressed gas and the shock-wave rips through anything within 16 feet; which means that if five of those charges are in your back-pack, anyone within a city block is in your blast radius too.
- Air-boats are built light with the least material possible, which is great if you want to skim quickly across the water; but, it's problematic in a gunfight when you don't have anything to hide behind. You want to make sure you fire first, and last. Of course, there's no need to hide when you've been chasing a decoy.
- They're certain fights you can't hope to win, your only goal is to not lose too badly. Surviving a beating from multiple attackers is about avoiding the worst blows. You protect your head, do your best to stay on your feet and most of all you, hope for a miracle.
Full Recap[]
Madeline visits Michael to hear about his visit with Fiona. "She's tired, she's scared. She's not eating enough, and someone's trying to kill her," he says. He assumes Anson's behind it and they're on the way now to visit the dirty prison guard who's involved.
At the man's house down in the Everglades, they're employing the "hammer and anvil," surround the house and everyone enter from different points at once. Jesse, Sam and Michael go in the house, but the guard is already dead inside.
In the other room, Sam gets a gun to his head. It's Rebecca, Anson's puppet. She shoots out their car then makes Sam drive off with her.
In the car, Rebecca zip ties Sam to the steering wheel. Michael's voice over explains that when you're kidnapped you want to approach it like a blind date: "You want to be an active listener, you want to stay positive, and you want to make a connection."
Sam makes friendly small talk. She digs his phone out of his pants. She calls Michael and warns him to stay away. She's keeping Sam until she's clear.
Michael patches up his car's bullet wounds with duct tape and they hit the road. He's not trusting her.
In prison, Fiona finishes working out in her cell. The guard comes to get her for chow time. She sees two women coming for her and fights off a knife attack, getting a deep cut along her arm. They knock her down and are about to attack when the guards come. The women kick their switchblades away and don't get caught.
In the mess hall, Ayn explains the women are contract killers and whoever's trying to kill Fiona isn't keeping things quiet any more. Ayn won't help, she doesn't want to deal with them.
Rebecca calls a helicopter tour company and books a ride. Then she pulls over, planning to kill someone for their car. Sam suggests a better plan.
He flags down a man in a truck. The man goes to the back of his truck to lend Sam a jack and Sam quickly gives him a message to give Michael when he shows up. Rebecca gets out of her car and knocks the man out, but he lives.
Michael goes 90 mph to catch up. They see Rebecca's parked car and pop the trunk. The man tells Michael "helicopter tour." He tells them a back road to take to get there.
Sam asks Rebecca why she's working for Anson. She gets annoyed and tells Sam to go faster. A cop quickly pulls them over. Rebecca tells Sam to deal with it or she'll kill the cop.
He asks why he's driving a truck registered to someone else. Sam spins a sob story about it belonging to his boss and Rebecca is his boss' abused wife. Rebecca plays along, crying what will happen to her if her husband finds her. The cop lets them go.
In prison, Fiona notices the guards are steering clear of her attackers. Ayn explains the guards let them do anything they want; the only way they're getting busted is if every cell gets shaken down. But she doesn't want to facilitate that because she'd lose all her stuff. Fiona asks her her price.
She needs a package picked up from her ex-husband in Miami and delivered with the mail tomorrow by 9 a.m. It's a deal.
Fiona calls Madeline and gives her the details.
Michael and Jesse reach the helicopter tour place and find it's essentially a wide open field with no place to hide. Jesse hides the car and Michael goes over to the pilot and says he's investigating a complaint and needs some paperwork. The man races home to get it, leaving only the woman at the counter.
Rebecca uncuffs Sam and holds a gun on him under her shirt. They check in and then walk with the employee across the field to the helicopter. Michael is wearing a helmet inside and Jesse crouches behind the tanker.
Rebecca asks for a photo with the pilot and the employee radios him, but Michael doesn't respond. Rebecca gets suspicious and starts firing. Jesse takes cover and Michael gets out of the copter. Rebecca shoots at the gas tanker and it explodes, knocking Jesse and Michael to the ground. She drags Sam back into the truck and gets away.
Back on the road Sam yells about Anson enough that Rebecca says she only works for him because if she doesn't, her brother dies.
Michael and Jesse catch up to them and she turns off into a back road. Jesse reminds Michael his car is held together with duct tape, but he doesn't want to let her get away. He speeds up until the car sputters to a halt.
Back in prison, Fiona tries to convince Ayn to make the shakedown happen before her package arrives at 9 a.m. But Ayn doesn't feel like negotiating.
Outside a rough looking apartment complex, Maddy tries Michael and gets his voice mail. She goes in to the apartment. The guy lets her in and the locks the door then slams Maddy against the wall. He tells her he's not giving it to her and she leaves.
Rebecca pulls up to a trailer by water, planning to steal airboats. Sam points out all the chemicals around and suggests it means the men are cooking meth and probably aren't going to like having their boat stolen. Sam argues against killing anyone.
Rebecca has another idea. It starts with Sam walking over to the boat with explosives in his backpack and his hands tied. Five men see him and draw guns. He suggests one look in his backpack. He tells them the woman in the truck has the detonator.
He tells them all she wants is the airboat and for them to leave. They don't go along with it so Rebecca starts shooting. They get the message and pile in their truck and clear out. As they're driving off, Sam sees a cell phone laying nearby and slips it in his pocket.
Rebecca comes over and zipties him to a post while she checks out the boat. He calls Michael and gives him directions. Then he calls his girlfriend Elsa and leaves a message telling her he loves her. Rebecca catches him and aims her gun at his head.
Michael and Jesse pull up to the area. They see Sam lying on the ground. He's OK, she just clocked him over the head. His forehead is split open. "Thank god she didn't hit my chin," he says.
Jesse gets on the remaining airboat and follows her. He pulls up along side her boat and sees that it's empty. Jesse calls Michael with the news.
Sam walks over to the car and that's when Michael notices the explosives are under the car. Michael puts down his gun and shouts to Rebecca that she wins.
She walks out from behind a tent holding the detonator and a gun. Sam tells her she doesn't have to go through with it. He can see that she hates Anson almost as much as they do. Michael and Sam both tell her that the only way to get out from under him and save her brother is to help them. Michael knows what it's like to sell your soul a piece at a time to protect someone you love. She listens to them and releases the detonator.
Back in Miami, Michael storms up to Ayn's ex-husband's apartment. Maddy's face is badly bruised. Michael takes his anger out on the man, punching him in the face and holding him against the fridge while Maddy collects the package, a small box. He breaks the man's arm before he leaves. "That was for my mom," he says.
At 9:35 a.m. in the prison, Fiona can see her two attackers coming at her again with knives. She bracing herself for a beat down or worse when alarms go off and dozens of guards come in and toss the cells. They find multiple knives in the attacker's cells. They charge the guards with knives and are hauled away.
In the mess hall, Fiona asks Ayn what "the package" was. She shows her a gold locket that belonged to her mother. She died while Ayn was in prison. She knew her ex wouldn't give it to her because he blames her for his brother dying. Fiona asks why. "Because I shot him," Ayn says.
Fiona noticed the package didn't get there by her deadline. Ayn decided to feel what trust feels like.
Back at Michael's place, Rebecca shows Michael and Sam a photo of her brother taken six months ago. She doesn't know where it was taken or by whom. She's been trying to look, but she knows Anson will kill her if he finds her looking. Michael promises her they'll find him.
Cast[]
Main[]
- Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen
- Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne
- Coby Bell as Jesse Porter
- Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe
- Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen
Recurring[]
- Kristanna Loken as Rebecca Lang
- Zabryna Guevara as Ayn
Guest[]
- Hemky Madera as Eddie
- Curt Willis as Gator
- Jennifer Taylor as Elsa
Episodes | Season 6 | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scorched Earth • Mixed Messages • Last Rites • Under The Gun • Split Decision • Shock Wave • Reunion • Unchained • Official Business • Desperate Times • Desperate Measures • Means & Ends • Over The Line • Down & Out • Best Laid Plans • Odd Man Out • You Can Run • Game Change |