Burn Notice (TV Series)

Neighborhood Watch (2010)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Fiona Glenanne : I say hit these dealers hard. Send them a message.

  Michael Westen : Guys, we don't even know who we're dealing with. Let's figure out who these guys are working with...

  Fiona Glenanne : Fine. Just promise there will be some hitting involved at some point.

• Michael Westen : [Madeline enters Michael's loft]  Mom, what are...

  Madeline Westen : I just talked to Lauren. She said that you... you and Fiona are bringing *guns* into the clinic?

  Michael Westen : It was that or shut it down for a while, and David wouldn't agree to have it shut down.

  Madeline Westen : The community needs that clinic, Michael. The whole point is to keep it open.

  Michael Westen : No, the whole point is to make sure it doesn't turn into a morgue.

• Michael Westen : [after setting a meet with Kendra]  We got one more shot at Kendra, but you won't like her conditions.

  Sam Axe : I don't like that there are conditions, period.

  Fiona Glenanne : I wish our phone conversations were as flirty.

  Michael Westen : She threatened to kill me.

  Fiona Glenanne : I can do that.

• Fiona Glenanne : Someone's getting a little too flirty for his own good.

  Michael Westen : Fi, I'm trying to snatch Kendra off the street and tie her to a chair.

  Fiona Glenanne : You are not helping your cause.

  Michael Westen : This is just a harmless game of cat and mouse between me and a professional killer!

• [first lines] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies are used to battling cutting-edge encryption and billion-dollar security, but sometimes the toughest challenge is cracking something old and out of date. If you find yourself up against an obsolete tape drive loaded with arcane software, you can either find yourself a time machine or admit defeat.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies always assume they're being followed. It could mean nothing that a route is blocked, forcing everyone to leave the building through one exit. But when that exit is in the view of a driver who's been sitting in a parked car since you walked in, that starts to mean something.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Being hunted isn't always a bad thing: when someone's on your tail, you can pick the route, and if you're really good, you can lead them into a trap of your own.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  If you've ever accidentally set off an alarm at a clothing store, you know how radio frequency tags work. Spies use lightweight RFID trackers too, but instead of catching shoplifters, they're able to tail their targets more effectively... Bounce radiowaves off an RFID tracker with a modified digital depth finder and you can keep tabs on whatever you like without having to get too close. Then it's just a matter of waiting for it to move.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Working in the field often demands making tough decisions... But if you have to choose between letting someone get killed... or getting beat up as a distraction... you pick the bruised ribs every time... Nothing distracts someone like rage, although getting someone really angry... can be risky.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies spend so much time thinking through operations from every angle that occasionally they get too clever for their own good. Sometimes you're better off keeping things simple. If a drug dealer is looking to get rich, there's no better approach than offering him a great deal on drugs.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Mass quantities of illegal drugs can be hard to get your hands on, but it's even harder to come by drugs regulated by the government: manufactured, distributed, and sold under lock and key. Even drug dealers recognize their value.

• Vince Cutler : It's mister song and dance.

  Michael Westen : Oh, please, my father's Mr. Song-and-Dance. Kyle. Call me Kyle.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Cops use checkpoints to catch drunk drivers. Drug dealers use them to catch people who don't belong in their neighborhood.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Making a getaway is often more about precise handling than raw horsepower, so in a hostile situation, rear-wheel drive is a nice advantage. That said, it doesn't hurt to have over 300 horsepower at your fingertips.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Aerial recon is invaluable in modern warfare if you need to scope out a place that's too dangerous to visit on foot. Using a homemade drone is almost as good as rerouting a spy satellite. Outfit a remote-controlled plane with an infrared camera and you can get a good look at your target from above. Install an engine cut-off switch and no one will even hear you coming.

• Vince Cutler : [shouting throughout]  I thought I told my boys to send you a message! I guess it wasn't relayed to you! You're closed down!

  [Cutler throws a trash bin through the clinic window] 

  Vince Cutler : Clinic's closed!

  Fiona Glenanne : [observing from a car with Michael]  Someone's off his meds.

  Vince Cutler : This is *my* town! You understand me?

  Fiona Glenanne : Where are the cops?

  Michael Westen : Maybe they're tired of answering David's calls.

  Vince Cutler : No one gets in my way!

  Fiona Glenanne : We have sniper rifles; let's stop them.

  Vince Cutler : You snitch, you're gonna pay the consequences!

  Michael Westen : If we intervene, he'll know something's up. Our best chance is...

  Vince Cutler : [as henchmen prepares to light a molotov cocktail]  No one goes against...

  Michael Westen : Nevermind.

  [Fiona grabs two, folding stock, silenced sniper rifles from the trunk] 

  Vince Cutler : Let's clarify the point with these...

  [Fiona snipes the lit bottle out of the henchman's hand. It falls at his feet, setting his legs on fire. Together, Michael and Fi shoot around the thugs, forcing them all to flee] 

• Michael Westen : Mom, if you have a plan for handling violent heroin dealers, I am all ears.

  Madeline Westen : Do you remember when you and Nate were in middle school together and there was that, that... bully, Todd, who was always picking on Nate?

  Michael Westen : [pause]  I really don't have time for this right now.

  Madeline Westen : [talking over]  Well, you went over to Todd's house, and you told him, if he messed with your little brother, then he was messing with you. And it worked. Todd left Nate alone for the rest of the year.

  Michael Westen : [nods]  Inspiring story. Listen, Mom, what does that...

  Madeline Westen : [talking over again]  Yeah, until the next year, when you went off to high school, and then Nate was fair game. Todd and a bunch of those punks made his life miserable.

  Michael Westen : I don't remember that.

  Madeline Westen : That's because he never told you, Michael. Anyway, that's not what solved the problem.

  [Madeline sits down on the steps] 

  Michael Westen : Okay.

  Madeline Westen : [takes a puff off her cigarette]  One day, Nate had had enough, and he whacked Todd with a two-by-four. Hm. Of course, he was suspended from school for a week, but after that, everybody left him alone, and do you know why? Because he stood up for *himself*.

  Michael Westen : Mom, David isn't up against middle-school bullies. These people will kill him.

  Madeline Westen : [nods, gets up]  I don't think that you're gonna let that happen.

  [Madeline goes inside. Michael thinks for a moment, then follows her in. Fiona blocks the door] 

  Fiona Glenanne : Either you're with us or you're not, but we're hitting Cutler back.

  Michael Westen : No, *we* are not. David's going to be the one that stands up to Cutler. We're just going to give him a little help.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Sending someone untrained into a combat situation is like dropping your kid off on his first day of school: you give as much advice as you can, you watch from a distance, and you cross your fingers that he comes back in one piece.

• Kendra : Do you have butterflies? I have butterflies.

  Michael Westen : I'd rather have my fifty thousand.

  Kendra : Soon enough. Care to show me what's in your briefcase? Girl's gotta be safe.

  [Michael steps forward, noting he's stepping out of Sam's line of sight] 

  Sam Axe : [with scoped weapon]  Damn it, Mikey! You're killing me here!

  [Michael pops the latches on the briefcase, opens it slowly, and takes out the tape for Kendra to see. He puts it back in and closes the case] 

  Michael Westen : I showed you mine.

  [Michael closes the case clasps] 

  Kendra : [grabs a red bag from her car too quickly]  The money's here.

  [Michael shifts position] 

  Kendra : [laughs]  What, do I make you nervous?

  [Michael cocks his head] 

  Kendra : Fifty thousand, unmarked, unsequenced.

  [Kendra flings the bag with a high arc to Michael, then pulls a blade from behind her back and lunges at him, cutting his left shoulder] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative during fight]  It's never a nice surprise when someone pulls out a concealed blade, but there's an upside to getting a look at their weapon. If they're using a Japanese tanto knife, they'd rather stab you than slice you, and you can use that to your advantage.

  Michael Westen : [deflecting stabs with the briefcase]  Why does it feel like we're breaking up?

  Kendra : Sorry, I'm a heartbreaker.

  [Kendra lunges again, but Michael blocks the knife with the briefcase. Despite the half-inch of metal siding reinforcement in the lining he put in, the knife blade goes through to the hilt, but it's strong enough for Michael to twist the case, disarming Kendra. He hits her in the face with the case twice, knocking her out] 

• [last lines] 

  [Sam is helping Michael lift and carry the bound Kendra...] 

  Sam Axe : Okay, buddy. Playtime's over.

  [... into the trunk of a car. Rest from POV of inside the trunk] 

  Sam Axe : Won't be easy to crack this gal, Mike. She's going to make our life hard.

  Michael Westen : Well, we're just going to have to make her life harder.

  [Sam slams shut the trunk] 

• Michael Westen : [during an op]  You ready, Fi?

  Fiona Glenanne : [scoffing]  Am I ready?