Burn Notice (TV Series)

Center of the Storm (2010)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Cole : So, you're Matt Reese, huh?

  [Gun cocks] 

  Cole : ... Come on, man. I know the Turks put two hitters on this job. I heard you were one of their favorites.

  Michael Westen : Yeah, you got me. Turks love me; Ladies love me: Matt Reese.

• Michael Westen : Listen, if I was looking to buy a modified Saiga-12K, who would I talk to?

  Fiona Glenanne : Oh, Michael, that's so thoughtful of you! And it's not my birthday for months...

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  A trained operative can tell a lot about a bomb maker by the way they construct their device. A directional explosive wired to a pressure-senstitive trigger that's easy to activate, difficult to disarm, and only deadly to the person standing in front of it means you're probably dealing with an expert.

  [while Michael has been advancing, carefully taking up slack keeping the trigger wire steady, the other door opens and in walks...] 

  Michael Westen : This is awkward.

  Cole : You recognize a claymore when you see one.

  [... "Cole" / "Expert Killer"] 

  Cole : [smugly]  I'd appreciate it if you'd toss me your gun. If you don't concentrate, holding that line just so, I won't get my security deposit back.

• [first lines] 

  Bus boy : [moving table inside]  Let's go, man. You got it?

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Classified data has been digitally encoded since before computers were invented. Spies have used book cyphers for centuries to send numeric correspondence that can only be read when paired with a proper text. Bibles make good code books because of the variance between printed editions and the numbering of chapter and verse.

• Michael Westen : You said that this was my investigation.

  Vaughn Anderson : It is, but I'm sorry. I'm not gonna put our biggest enemy in the same room as our most valued asset.

  Michael Westen : So you're going back on your word. But, but, but it's because you're looking out for me.

  Vaughn Anderson : Simon is dangerous.

  Michael Westen : [shouting]  I risked my life! I got a man burned! And I've caught an *endless* *wave* of *grief* about it!

  Michael Westen : [normal tone]  Now I'm losing my patience. I'm asking a simple favor, and before you say "No," you need to remember that I'm pretty dangerous, too.

  Vaughn Anderson : [gets up]  This is me... saying "No."

  Michael Westen : Time to go.

  [Michael walks to the door] 

  Vaughn Anderson : You're taking this personally, Michael! You're not *thinking* straight!

  [Michael unlatches and holds open the door] 

  Vaughn Anderson : You're putting me out?

  [Michael says nothing. Vaughn walks over, puts on his overcoat] 

  Vaughn Anderson : A bigger storm's coming, Michael, and I'm gonna remember this.

  [Vaughn steps out into the storm. Michael slams the door behind him] 

• Michael Westen : In my experience, the types of people who hide in woodwork usually carry automatic weapons. Let's leave them there.

• Madeline Westen : Are you home, Michael? There are two FBI agents here to see you. They say they're your friends.

  Michael Westen : [walks into the house]  Hi, "friends."

  ["Lane and Harris" / "Not Michael's Friends"] 

  Agent Lane : Hey, Westen, uh, sorry to drop in like this but...

  Agent Harris : We, uh, need your help with something, off the books?

  Michael Westen : Last time I asked for *your* help, you both laughed in my face.

  Agent Harris : Hey, hear us out, will you? A guy like you might need a favor from the FBI someday.

  Michael Westen : [pause]  I'm listening.

  Agent Lane : [opens a file]  You're looking at James Bailey. He rus a non-profit for marine preservation and he's a blood donor, supports public radio...

  Michael Westen : I get it. He's a good guy.

  Agent Harris : A really good guy. And he's wanted dead by a Turkish syndicate. He witnessed a murder they pulled and he's taking the stand next week.

  Agent Lane : Harris and I were prepping his testimony with him.

  Michael Westen : I'm guessing we're coming up to the part where you got shot in the arm?

  Agent Lane : Hitter for the Turks found the safehouse we were working in right before the storm hit, opened up on us with a modified Seiga-12K. Bailey took off like a bat out of hell. We don't know where he is.

  Michael Westen : Let's back up. You got ambushed by someone carrying a fully automatic shotgun and all you ended up with is a scratch on your arm?

  Agent Lane : Maybe the guys thought dropping two Feds was a dumb thing to do. Maybe he's a hitman with a heart of gold. You're missing the point.

  Michael Westen : Then stop bleeding all over my Mom's table and get to it.

  Agent Harris : Look, these Turks, they're into drugs, human smuggling, murder, you name it.

  Agent Lane : Bailey's testimony can cut the head off their organization and they know it. They want him dead.

  Agent Harris : The guy's spooked. He's in the wind and he's gonna try to stay that way. Now, we'd find him ourselves, but we're due back at HQ. We're looking at suspension, or worse.

  Michael Westen : How would you find him if you weren't busy getting suspended?

  Agent Lane : Lady pulling her patio furniture in saw Bailey steal a black Toyota pickup a few miles from the safehouse. That's the license plate number. Only lead we've got.

  Michael Westen : What about the gun? A black pickup isn't as rare as a modified Saiga-12K. You wanna find Bailey, you find the guy trying to kill him. Tracking the gun might put us on his trail...

  Agent Harris : Did... you say "us"?

  Michael Westen : I'll look into the gun, see if I can point you towards the hitter. And you *will* owe me.

  ["Lane and Harris" / "The Clients"] 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Hitmen, like most career criminals, know the advantages of renting a cheap, furnished apartment: you can pay in cash, remain completely anonymous, and you can usually get free cable. The downside is, it doesn't include top-notch security, which can be a problem unless you make your own line of defense.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  In the field, circumstances can change as fast as the weather. Salvaging a mission depends on your ability to change tactics and communicate Plan B to your own team... If you need your team to stand by a radio rather than come charging in, you'd better send a clear message.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Taking control of a situation isn't always about having the tactical advantage... If you can convince your enemy to want the very thing you need, it's as good as calling the shots yourself. And if what you need is a two-way radio, you'd better steer the conversation in that direction.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  If slipping your restraints is impossible, removing what you're tied to is the next best thing. Airbags deploy with enough force to shatter windshields, break your nose, or loosen the center bolt of a steering column. After that, removing the steering wheel just takes a little leverage.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  If you need to convince an enemy to work with you, it's a good idea to offer a token of friendship. But make sure they know it comes with a price.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Anyone who ever passed a note in class knows there can be serious consequences to sending messages in front of your enemies... When communication lines aren't secure and you don't want to tip that you're relaying sensitive information, you'd better disguise your message.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Parking garages are designed with tight corners to prevent traveling at high speeds, which is why if you're making an escape in a parking garage, you're better off on foot than in a heavy vehicle.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  In the heat of battle, making your alliances known... can be a challenge... You have to make sure your actions speak louder than words.

• Michael Westen : Get in the kitchen, now!

  Joanne : Why?

  Michael Westen : Don't worry! I'm a friend!

  ["James and Joanne" / "In need of a friend"] 

  Michael Westen : [blocks the kitchen entrance with a refrigerator]  Good.

  Joanne : What do you want?

  James Bailey : Who the hell are you?

  [Cole kicks in the door] 

  Michael Westen : I'm Michael Westen. I'm here to save you people.

  Cole : [fires three shots, all hitting the refrigerator, yells]  Who the hell are you?

  Michael Westen : [rolls eyes]  I'm Michael Weston! I'm here to *save* these people!

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  You can't have an explosion without plenty of heat and pressure. Ruining an air conditioner by removing the safety sensor and pinching the cooling coil is a good way to generate both. Add some flammable household cleaner to the condensation pan and your AC unit will pump out fire instead of cold air.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  SWAT teams call hallways and alleys "fatal funnels". Anyplace that's narrow and offers no cover is the last place you wanna be when the bullets start flying.

• [last lines] 

  Agent Harris : Little early for a cocktail. Vaughn, right?

  Vaughn Anderson : Who's askin'?

  Agent Lane : Federal Bureau of Investigation. This is Agent Harris, I'm Agent Lane, and this...

  [Agent Lane puts down an FBI Most Wanted poster with a blank spot, top center] 

  Agent Lane : ...could be you. Public Enemy Number One.

  [Vaughn looks over his left shoulder. Michael Westen, sitting at another table, looks back. The Agents leave Vaughn and approach Michael] 

  Agent Harris : We're even, Westen.

  Michael Westen : Not quite, but it's a start.

  [the Agents leave. Vaughn approaches] 

  Michael Westen : [to Vaughn]  My very own guys in black suits. Pretty scary, huh?

  Vaughn Anderson : I could have them killed. You, too.

  Michael Westen : You pay Fiona another visit, you'll need to. So when do I get to talk to Simon?

  Vaughn Anderson : You want him, you got him. I'll set up a meetin' for ya. But know this: I was tryin' to protect you.

  Michael Westen : Right, because you're my "buddy".

  Vaughn Anderson : Understand somethin', Michael: you can't dig inside Simon's head without letting him into yours, and I'm not sure you're ready for that.

  Michael Westen : I guess we'll find out.

• Sam Axe : Okay. Well, you're probably not going to love this: I'm trying to get a face-to-face with Simon. I've asked Vaughn to come to town to talk about it.

  Michael Westen : You know, I thought the weird feeling in the air was just the calm before the storm? No! It's a disturbance in the Force!