The first 2 seasons of Burn Notice were very enjoyable. A spy show that followed a fool proof formula, where they help a client each episode, while Michael tries to find out why he's been "Burned," or blacklisted by the CIA.
In season two, we begin to see Michael making progress towards discovering who burned him, and in tracking down the people who've been using his position to leverage spy work out of him against his will, but it has always followed the formula.
Season 3 is like watching a whole different show. The writing has gotten painfully generic, and even reliable characters like Barry, the self interested hacker and money launderer, have become generic stereotypes of their former selves. Previously, Barry had made very short appearances, doing most of his work alone, watching his own back, and demanding compensation for his services. He was part of Michael's team only peripherally.
In the latest episode Barry is portrayed as a prissy, ambiguously gay man who gets roped into helping all the way through the episode, from housework to intercepting phone calls, and at the end Michael's mother says that he is coming over for a hair gel party.
This is a complete disconnect with the characterization that had previously been done on the show: characterization that worked. The new Barry isn't nearly as interesting as the old Barry, and the same can be said of almost all of the other characters, and the plot and dialogue itself.
In another example, the motivation of the attractive female cop tailing Michael this season is completely absent. Compare this to Carla, the female spy who used him in season two, whose motivation of leveraging spy work from Michael was clear from the beginning.
Much good can be said about the first two seasons. It has been a very enjoyable show to watch. However, this season it feels like the whole show has unraveled without any warning. The same thing happened with Boston Legal in the final season. I felt, suddenly, like I was watching a different show, where all the intelligence in the writing and consistency in characterization and plot are thrown out the window.
In season two, we begin to see Michael making progress towards discovering who burned him, and in tracking down the people who've been using his position to leverage spy work out of him against his will, but it has always followed the formula.
Season 3 is like watching a whole different show. The writing has gotten painfully generic, and even reliable characters like Barry, the self interested hacker and money launderer, have become generic stereotypes of their former selves. Previously, Barry had made very short appearances, doing most of his work alone, watching his own back, and demanding compensation for his services. He was part of Michael's team only peripherally.
In the latest episode Barry is portrayed as a prissy, ambiguously gay man who gets roped into helping all the way through the episode, from housework to intercepting phone calls, and at the end Michael's mother says that he is coming over for a hair gel party.
This is a complete disconnect with the characterization that had previously been done on the show: characterization that worked. The new Barry isn't nearly as interesting as the old Barry, and the same can be said of almost all of the other characters, and the plot and dialogue itself.
In another example, the motivation of the attractive female cop tailing Michael this season is completely absent. Compare this to Carla, the female spy who used him in season two, whose motivation of leveraging spy work from Michael was clear from the beginning.
Much good can be said about the first two seasons. It has been a very enjoyable show to watch. However, this season it feels like the whole show has unraveled without any warning. The same thing happened with Boston Legal in the final season. I felt, suddenly, like I was watching a different show, where all the intelligence in the writing and consistency in characterization and plot are thrown out the window.