| Madeline Westen | |
|---|---|
| Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen | |
| First appearance | Pilot |
| Created by | Matt Nix |
| Portrayed by | Sharon Gless |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Spouse(s) | Frank Westen (Deceased) |
| Children | Michael, Nate |
Madeline Westen is a fictional character in the television series Burn Notice portrayed by Sharon Gless. She is the main character Michael Westen's neurotic, chain-smoking, hypochondriac mother.
It is unclear how much Madeline knows about her son's spy life. All she really seems to know is that he seemed to be in a different city, in a different country, or in a place where he could not disclose where he really was. Madeline is thrilled that Michael is back in Miami and hopeful that he will stay for a while. She occasionally asks him for help with her friends' problems.
Madeline believes that Michael was the one that irritated his father, and the reason that Michael's father beat him. She allowed Michael to join the military at 17 by forging his father's signature so he would have permission. Madeline has been angry at Michael for years for not attending his father's funeral, and asked Michael to visit his grave in exchange for his father's vintage Dodge Charger automobile.
Madeline keeps up on Michael's actions through Fiona Glenanne.
Over the course of the series, Madeline has often been drawn into events in one way or another, which has made her more aware of what Michael and his friends are actually doing. In the season 3 episode "End Run", she even cuts off Michael's attempt to fabricate an explanation with the words "Michael, please. I'd rather you not lie right to my face."
While she's still not "officially" told, she has actively helped out on occasion, such as assisting with surveillance in the season 3 episode "Friends Like These", or even successfully interrogating a captive about Michael's whereabouts in "The Hunter" while Fiona and Sam were still arguing about the best approach.
However, her fears are brought to light when she is forced to defend against an FBI interrogation, in the third season finale; the bureau questions her concerning his activities that got him burned, along with many other actions in his spy career. While able to deter Michael from returning, she is ultimately detained, but when Michael disables Simon, both disappear and Madeline is freed, but she anguishes in the disappearance of her son.
In season 4, after former counter-intelligence agent Jesse Porter joins the team, he moves in with Madeline. She begins to form a true friendship with Jesse and forms a mother-son like bond with him. Because Michael accidentally burned Jesse, like Fiona, Madeline expresses her dislike for all the lies that he continues to tell Jesse. At one point, she decides to go to Tampa to stay with a friend she didn't really like, for fear of slipping out the truth and seeing how Jesse would react if he ever found out.
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