Burn Notice (TV Series)

Hard Times (2010)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  When you realize you're being followed, escaping isn't always the best option. If your pursuers don't know who you are, driving evasively, calling the cops, or pulling a gun will just send a message that you're a threat.

  [Sam dials...] 

  411 Operator : 411. How may I help you?

  Sam Axe : Yeah, uh-I'm currently on Northwest 12th Street. I need the address of the nearest criminal defense firm.

  411 Operator : One second... That would be Keller & Associates. They're at 77 Shortbreak Lane.

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Whenever possible, the best play is to make the bad guys think you're not somoene to worry about. If they think you might be a cop who's on to them, you have to convince them you're just a harmless attorney working on an appeal.

• [first lines] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  When you're preparing to interrogate a trained operative, the most useful information isn't professional, it's personal. You need to get into the target's head, understand what makes him tick. Of course, that's easier with some people than others.

• Vaughn : [about recaptured subject]  Did you learn anything?

  Michael Westen : Yeah, you should replace those handcuffs more often.

• Michael Westen : You want to break *in* to prison?

• Juan Ruiz : What are you gonna do with that?

  Michael Westen : Fight them off.

  Juan Ruiz : With a hand towel?

  Michael Westen : Why, do you have a gun?

• Fiona Glenanne : [on Michael's prison greens]  It's not a great color on you.

  Michael Westen : Great to see you too, Fi. So how's it going with Simon's buried treasure.

  Fiona Glenanne : Well, it's being guarded by a groundskeeper who's a little older than most of the people in the ground. Sam's busy with this, so I'm going to have to recuit your mom to help me.

  Michael Westen : Fiona.

  Fiona Glenanne : I don't want to argue. You only have a few minutes, let's focus.

  [a guard walks up, Fiona changes character] 

  Fiona Glenanne : I can't stop thinkin' aboutcha, babe. At night it gets so bad...

  Fiona Glenanne : [to guard]  Am I talkin' to you, perv? No, I am not! Keep your nose out of our pillow talk!

  Fiona Glenanne : [to Michael, still in character]  You been thinkin' about me too, babe?

  Michael Westen : I think he's gone.

  Fiona Glenanne : [pause]  You're no fun, Michael.

• Agent Lane : Full-blown riot, a prison gang leader tries to break out of jail, and now several guards are admitting to taking bribes. You had nothing to do with that?

  Michael Westen : You really want to know?

  Agent Harris : ...No, I guess we don't.

• Simon Escher : The man who tried to take the Bible, he's not like you and me, Michael. We're just pawns in a very, very large chess game. But he's... well, he's more like a king.

  Michael Westen : Last time I checked, a pawn can still take a king.

• [last lines] 

  Vaughn : You're not done yet, but you've made a hell of a lot of headway. Here's to you, partner. I'm glad we found each other.

  Michael Westen : Me, too.

• Simon Escher : You know, I have been stuck in these shackles for *months* now. Given me a lot of time to think about the Bible. Particularly my favorite verse:

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Handcuffs, like anything metal, are vulnerable to metal fatigue. Give someone enough time to work on them and they'll break down just like anything else.

  Simon Escher : John 8:32 "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you *free*"!

  [Simon snaps the cuffs on the chair's armrest, rushes Michael and carries them both through the window and over the balcony] 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Every environment has its rules and customs and your survival often depends on knowing them: in Russia, you never refuse vodka; in Pakistan, you always clear your dinner plate; and in prison, you're careful about making eye contact. Too little eye contact and you become a victim; too much eye contact and you become a threat. Either way, you're never more than a couple of blinks away from getting a shiv in your back.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Old cemeteries are great hiding places as long as you don't mind desecrating a grave. People don't often go digging in cemeteries, and unlike buildings or houses, they don't get demolished or remodeled. Bury your stash near an old, nondescript headstone and there's little chance anyone will uncover it, unless they're meant to.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  In the jungle, the first warning that a predator is approaching is silence. When violence is imminent, animals instinctively know that keeping quiet and still is their best shot at survival. Prison's a lot like the jungle: silence is not a good sign. Averted eyes, stockpiled food, and guys wearing heavy coats on a warm day also indicate trouble's on the way.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Suits of armor fell out of fashion because the added protection isn't worth the trade-off in speed and agility. Flak jackets and bulletproof vests are popular because they allow for a free range of motion. The key is to shield your core and mentally prepare for strikes against your unprotected arms and legs. All lightweight armor is vulnerable to some extent. Layered book cardboard won't stop a bullet, but it's dense enough to thwart all but the sharpest blade.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Fighting in tight quarters with your back against a wall may cut off escape options, but it creates a choke point and forces your opponents to form a single-file line. If you have to fight a group, it's better to take them one at a time.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  High school chemistry teaches us that volatile chemicals like sodium metal will burn when they come into contact with the moisture in the air, which makes them ideal triggers for particularly nasty boobytraps. High school chemistry also teaches us that oil and water don't mix. So to defuse a boobytrap triggered by moisture, you submerge it in oil. It's messy, but it'll keep you from being blown to bits.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Any medical facility is going to contain plenty of combustible material. Pure oxygen can pack a punch if paired with the right accelerant. The same properties that make ether a powerful anesthetic also makes it extremely flammable. Alcohol is used to sterilize wounds; poured on the floor, it can also make an effective fuse... Any place where lots of dental lab work is done on the premises will have a butane torch. It's used to cast molds or teeth out of wax. It can also be used for any other task that requires a controlled, pointed flame.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Few incidents inspire a police response as intense as a prison break... Local, state, and federal authorities come after a fugitive with everything they've got. Dump an escaped prisoner someplace, give him a gun, make a few calls, and you can guarantee he'll make a lot of new friends in law enforcement.

• Vaughn : I'll be damned. John Barrett. How'd you get Simon to talk, Michael?

  Michael Westen : He tried to convince me to kill you. I let him believe he convinced me.

  Vaughn : Should I be worried?

  Michael Westen : I just told a psychopath what he wanted to hear.