I love Burn Notice. I love the Miami scenery, all the adventures, and especially the little tips done as voice overs.
I've come across lists people have made of "Stuff I Learned From Michael Westen," but none of them seemed detailed enough. Plus, some of his inventions do seem a bit farfetched - so I want to test them where possible. (Of course I do! Don't you?)
So, starting with season one, episode one - here's my Michael Westen wisdom from the pilot episode:
1)To avoid breaking your handbones in a fight, choose a location with lots of hard surfaces to smash your opponent into, like a bathroom.
2)If you are going to collapse on a plane, try to do so in business class.
3)When trying to hide, choose a place where your pursuers will stand out.
4)Take advantage of any distractions available.
5)Use delivery uniforms to automatically gain trust and access to places where you're not wanted.
6)To figure out if someone's following you, drive like a stupid person - slow down, speed up, use the wrong turn signal, etc.
7)Once you make your tail, just keep it up until they make a mistake and you can lose them.
8)Fake bombs are great attention getters.
9)A good money launderer is like a yellow pages for criminals.
10)No amount of training can make a broken rib (really, a broken anything) not hurt.
11)When going somewherre you don't belong, always look and act like you actually do belong there. It also helps to act confused.
12)Fighting for the little guy is for suckers, so do it as fast as possible and be done with it. Your mileage may vary, especially if an underdog always makes you think of Jesus looking for that one sheep.
13)When cornered, powerful people are unpredictable. Consider eavesdropping to get a heads up.
14)Don't attack or shoot through a reinforced door. Distract and go around.
15)A car wreck can make a bad guy late to a kidnapping.
16)The key to fighting a group is to take out the leader. Michael Weston calls this "bully psychology" and suggests dropping to the ground, pretending to be hurt and/or afraid. When the bully leans over you, jump up and head butt him (or her - I'm a feminist) under the chin.
17)Don't be surprised or hurt if/when a "friend" (ie someone you trust) betrays you. Expect it and prepare for it.
18)When you know someone is coming for you, especially if you are alone, you can set things up to your advantage and prepare for everything you can.
19)When faking someone's prints on a gun, don't forget the inside.
There were two MacGuyver like inventions in this episoode:
1)The spliced together cell phones made into a bug. I don't know how reliable this would be since calls can drop, plus smething that big could be easily found. There are products on the market that could probablly do the same thing wiithout breaking the bank.
2)The .357 loaded withh blanks and duct taped to a flare. This seems promising. I'm going to look into giving friends with country property the puppy dog eyes so I can try it out.
