Family Business (Burn Notice)

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“Family Business”
Burn Notice episode

Michael Westen.
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 5
Written by Matt Nix
Directed by Jace Alexander
Production no. BN104
Original airdate July 26, 2007
Episode chronology
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"Old Friends" "Unpaid Debts"
List of Burn Notice episodes

Family Business is the fifth episode of Burn Notice, an American television drama series created for the USA Network. Michael Westen infiltrates a family of gunrunners after they threaten an airport supervisor, hoping to scare them off. Meanwhile, the FBI are putting pressure on Sam Axe to gather more information on Michael.

Contents

[edit] Plot

The episode opens with Michael getting a call from his brother, Nate, who asks for Michael's help after he gets into trouble. This time Nate's problems are not gambling related, but instead, he tried to help out a friend and got beaten for it. Nate is frustrated that Michael now has their father's car. He feels that since Michael left home early, he has earned their father's car. Nate wants to find their father's will to figure out who rightfully owns the car. Michael agrees to help Nate out only if Nate cleans up his act.

Fiona Glenanne & Michael are working on his father's car. While working, Fiona finds a bug in Michael's car, but Michael already knows of it. Fiona accuses Sam and wants to ask him up front, but Michael holds her back.

Nate has accepted a job from Jake Miller, an airport security employee who has gotten in way over his head. After the Zamar family gave him a few bribes, they started asking favors. Now they want him to lie about what flights are going out, and are threatening his pregnant wife.

The leader of the organization, Eli Zamar along with his older son Ilan and his younger son Ari. Michael starts with some light intelligence gathering, and find that their home is tightly secured.. Michael sends Fiona to do some more personal observations, she uses the "looking for a bathroom" excuse to try to explore the airport they work at as much as possible, but she doesn't get far. However, Fiona is easily able to tell they are arms dealers by the smell and shape of the boxes. They later determine that the father is an ex-agent of the Mossad.

Michael explains to Jake, the client, that he can't go to the police. The old security manager died under mysterious circumstances. The only solution Michael sees is to get them busted with the guns. Sam & Michael follow the Zamar family, only to be forced to walk around an alley way searching for where the guns are stored. However, Michael ends up getting caught exposed. Before Michael is forced to fight, Sam comes and provides a distraction, thus keeping Michael safe.

Back at Michael's apartment, Sam & Michael rethink their strategy for figuring out the location of the warehouse of guns. The younger brother (Ari), according to Fiona, isn't as bright. Sam bugs his car, they find out what his likes and dislikes are so Michael can con him later. Back at Michael's apartment, Michael and Fiona have bought supplies. Michael uses cake icing to make large quantities of fake C4, while Fiona makes a small sample of the real thing. Sam prints up a fake ID for Michael, Steve Remington.

Michael now goes to his mother's house to help them look for his father's will. Madeline Westen told Nate and Michael that their father mentioned the car in his will, but they can't find it. Madeline explains to Michael that Nate is angry because he felt the car was something personal from their father.

At a club, Michael swoons Ari Zamar by buying Ari's favorite wine in front of him, then talks to him and his girlfriend, Debbie, by conveniently enjoying the same things Ari enjoys (information he learned from the bug in Ari's car). Ari gets pulled away by his older brother Ilan, but Michael leaves his fake business card with the time 1 am written on the back. Later Michael and Ari meet so Michael can try to sell his fake C4 to Ari. Ari is interested, but wants to see a demonstration. Michael takes the sample of real C4 Fiona prepared and blows it up without flinching.

Debbie, Ari's girlfriend, is apparently more interested in hooking up with Michael than staying with Ari. She called him five times in one night, however, Michael isn't interested. Michael tries to further sweeten the deal with Ari by throwing in 50-caliber machine guns. Ari is unsure of doing business without his father's approval, however, when Michael threatens to walk away, Ari stops him and decides to do business.

While Sam and Michael sit outside a restaurant, Sam admits to putting the bug into Michael's car, but defends himself by saying he made it obvious. Sam explains that the FBI are pushing him hard, and mentions that they wanted him to break in to his apartment. Michael tells Sam to do just that, and even tells him where to look.

At a meeting with Ari, Debbie shows up early to seduce Michael. Ari confronts Michael and accuses him of trying to steal Debbie away from him. Michael laughs off the accusation and pretends to think it was a test, Ari is convinced. Michael will still get to see the warehouse of weapons.

Michael is blindfolded and driven to the warehouse by Ari. However, Ari doesn't know he's being followed. At the arms location, Ari tells Michael that he has paid off some of the police, so Michael's original plan no longer works. Michael continues to play along as Steve Remington. He instructs Jake, the client, to go up to Eli Zamar and ask him why he's now answering to Ari's friend Steve. He claims Steve knows of his own personal information and that he has pictures and information about the Zamar operation.

Eli, the boss, runs Jake out and rushes to the warehouse. However, Michael has already come, emptied the supply, and left his fake, Steve Remington business card. The Zamar's are left chasing a ghost while Sam throws the stolen weapons into the river. The family is forced to run. Jake and his wife are now safe.

Sam Axe hands over a confidential document he "stole" from Michael's apartment to the FBI agents. Apparently, this information is so good, so important, that they are being taken off the case, and a new person will be taking over Michael's case.

Nate and Michael find their dad's will, but there is nothing in it about the car. Madeline lied so they would come together. Nate hugs Michael in a moment of compassion, then steals his wallet.

[edit] Errors

Fiona said that Eli Zamar was carrying a Desert Eagle 9mm. The Desert Eagle is not available in 9mm. Based on the appearance of the gun in the episode, it appears that the writers were referring 9mm Baby Eagle handgun also made by IMI (Israel Military Industries) and known as the Jericho 941 and imported into the US by Magnum Research.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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