Burn Notice (TV Series)

Breach of Faith (2010)

Jeffrey Donovan: Michael Westen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Lieutenant Seth Casey : Westen. I guess I should be thanking you. According to Patty, if you and your buddy Sam hadn't been around, things could've been a lot worse.

  Michael Westen : I was just helping out a friend.

  Lieutenant Seth Casey : Got the department's file on you. Says you have a fondness for explosives. Just so happens I got a safe blown out of the floor in there.

  Michael Westen : That was like that when we got here.

• [first lines] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies spend a lot of time traveling, but they don't usually end up in the most desirable destinations.

  ["The Bahamas" / "A Desirable Destination"] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  You're much more likely to find yourself visiting a rebel camp in the Philippine jungle or a hidden bunker in the mountains of Pakistan than lounging beachside in the Bahamas. But even when you do find yourself in a vacation paradise, it's still all about business.

  Fiona Glenanne : [cell phone rings, Fi answers]  Michael, I can't believe I waited this long to come to the Bahamas. I'm at this lovely little beach bar.

  Michael Westen : [in his place in Miami]  You're at a *bar*? What happened to identifying a dead body at the morgue?

  Fiona Glenanne : Relax! Jesse and I are hard at work.

  [Jesse is on his back on bar with a slice of lime in his mouth and being danced around by pretty girls] 

• Ty : [bringing Fiona a drink incorporating a flowering pineapple and two straws]  We call this a Love Boat.

  ["Ty" / "Coroner's Assistant"] 

  Ty : You can't leave the island without tryin' one of these.

  Fiona Glenanne : No, you can't.

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Like magicians, pickpockets rely on misdirection.

  Ty : Do you like it?

  Fiona Glenanne : I like it!

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Whether you're pulling keys out of a pocket or a rabbit out of a hat, it's all about big distraction.

  Fiona Glenanne : I can't stop.

  Fiona Glenanne : [laughs] 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies don't always have a choice of hiding spaces. Sometimes it comes down to taking what's available. But if you have to hide in something that is designed to be airtight, you better hope the danger passes before you run out of oxygen.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  In the field, you can never count on your first approach being successful. You have to be ready to change tactics on the fly. Spies learn to make lightning-fast observations and connects the dots just as quickly. Little things like a family photo with no father and a missing wedding ring can tall you all you need to know about a target's soft spot... or better yet, their sore spot.

• Josh Wagner : [threatening with a gun]  Just get me the money back!

  Nick Madison : I don't have it! I swear to God, I did *not* steal from you.

  Josh Wagner : Liar!

  Patty : He's not l-lying! Please don't s-shoot us, Mr. Wagner! Please!

  Sam Axe : [runs in with Michael]  Josh! You don't want to do this.

  Josh Wagner : Sam? What the hell are you doing here?

  Sam Axe : I'm here to help. Just put that down.

  Josh Wagner : [pointing gun at Michael]  Who are *you*?

  Michael Westen : My name's Michael. I'm a friend of Sam's. Listen. Let's talk about this.

  Nick Madison : No!

  Michael Westen : There's a better way to handle this, Josh.

  Nick Madison : No, no, *no*! I *tried* better ways, Sam. I-I-I went to the police. I asked nicely. Nothing happened. Nothing worked. I am out of options!

  ["Josh" / "Out of Options"] 

  Michael Westen : We don't want anybody to get hurt, Josh. We don't want you to go to jail.

  Josh Wagner : I *deserve* to go to jail for trusting the charity's money to this *thieving* *bastard*!

  ["Nick Madison" / "Thieving Bastard"] 

  Josh Wagner : I'm not going anywhere. Understand me? Not until I get every penny of that money back.

  Nick Madison : Josh, buddy. I know that you're upset, but...

  [Josh huts him in the face with the butt of his gun] 

  Nick Madison : Aah!

  Patty : Oh! Oh, my God.

  Josh Wagner : I'm not your damn buddy.

  [sirens wail] 

  Josh Wagner : Who called the cops?

• Lieutenant Seth Casey : This is Lieutenant Seth Casey, Miami Metro Police.

  ["Lt. Casey" / "Tough S.O.B."] 

  Lieutenant Seth Casey : Whoever you are, if you want this to work out, you will pick up the phone. Right now. We need to talk.

  Josh Wagner : W-what do I do? What do I say?

  Sam Axe : Mike, this train's about to start moving real fast. It's not too late for you to hop off, but I'm staying.

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  In a hostage crisis, first contact with the police is critical. One wrong word from a hostage taker can be the difference between the start of negotiations or the start of an armed assault.

  Lieutenant Seth Casey : Pick up the phone!

  Michael Westen : [as Josh goes to answer the phone]  Stop!

  Josh Wagner : He said I should...

  Michael Westen : Leave it. You sound like you're gonna jump off a bridge. You answer a phone like that, and you'll have a SWAT team banging through the door before you hang up. I'll get it.

  Michael Westen : [to Sam]  I leave when you leave.

  Michael Westen : [timidly into the phone]  Hello? Hello?

  Lieutenant Seth Casey : Who am I speaking with?

  Michael Westen : He says I can't answer any of your questions. He says that... no one will get hurt as long as... you don't... come any closer.

  Lieutenant Seth Casey : O-Okay, but tell him I can't help him... u-unless I can talk to him.

  Michael Westen : He-he says I got to go.

  Lieutenant Seth Casey : Wait, wait, wait. Don't hang up. Tell him the line's open. Anytime he wants to talk, all he has to do is...

  [Michael hangs up] 

  Michael Westen : You hung up on him?

  Josh Wagner : This is more of a "less is more" situation. I'm just buying time.

  Sam Axe : Okay, Josh, we're gonna help you get your money back, but only if you let us call the shots.

  Josh Wagner : Are you sure about this? You could go to jail.

  Sam Axe : Right now we're just two friends trying to end this peacefully. As long as it stays that way, Mike and I can get your money back and stay out of jail. Deal?

  Josh Wagner : [sighs, shakes hands]  Deal.

  Michael Westen : Josh.

  [Josh is distracted for a moment, long enough for Sam to get the gun from him] 

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  When interrogators hear a story without any holes, they know someone's lying. Only people who are afraid of getting caught take the time to rehearse every detail and anticipate every question... The same holds true for accounting. Perfect books are like perfect alibis: it confirms you're dealing with a liar. But there's no way to prove it.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  In a hostage situation, it's standard procedure for police to run cellphone jammers and commandeer all the phone lines in your location. To make a call without a police operator, you need to access a line they're not listening on. It's a lot like stealing cable from your neighbor. If you can access a common wall and stretch the conduit, you can connect your phone to the unmonitored line next door.

• Sam Axe : [counting on his fingers]  Armed kidnapping... unlawful confinement... Madison's right: we're looking at some considerable jail time, Mike.

  Michael Westen : You're not helping the mood, Sam.

  Sam Axe : 'M sorry I got you into this, brother.

  Michael Westen : [checks watch]  I'm the one who decided to stay.

  Sam Axe : [chuckles]  Funny. When I was 10 years old, I wanted an air rifle more than anything in the whole world, but my dad wouldn't get it for me. So I used my five-finger discount.

  Michael Westen : You got caught stealing a BB gun?

  Sam Axe : Mike, it was a Red Ryder, okay? My dad told the cops to lock me up for a couple hours - you know, just to freak me out. I haven't seen the inside of a jail cell since.

  Michael Westen : It's a little early to call it a day, Sam.

  Michael Westen : [gets up]  We still got some cards to play.

• ["Tom Norris" / "Scam Artist"] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Making a cold approach to a scam artist is never ideal. They tend to assume that a stranger showing up out of the blue is either a cop or someone they've ripped off.

  Jesse Porter : My man, Tommy! How you been, dude? Listen, we need to...

  [Tom runs] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Either way, you have to be ready for them to run. Fortunately, tactical support can make foot chase much more civilized. Instead of relying on speed and endurance...

  [Jesse picks up a bottle and throws it...] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  all you need is a distraction...

  [near Tommy's feet, making him look back...] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  and good timing.

  [as Fi blocks his path with the car, causing him to roll over the hood] 

• Michael Westen : Fi, if there ever was a time to pull out all the stops, this is it.

  Fiona Glenanne : [sweetly]  Michael... I never thought I'd hear you say those words.

  [Fi hangs up and pops the trunk. Tom Norris is tied up inside] 

  Fiona Glenanne : Move over. You're lying on my C-4.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Floor safes are virtually impenetrable as long as they're in the floor. If you don't have a jackhammer to pry one out, you need to get creative. Homemade shape charges will do the trick, but if you want to avoid turning a standoff into a full-scale breach, you'd better have a way to muffle the blast... Once a floor safe is out of the floor, it offers about as much protection as a piggy bank.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies are trained to follow certain procedures when holding someone at gunpoint: stand out of arm's reach... keep your weight on your back foot... never take your eye off the target. Unless you *want* your weapon taken. Then you do exactly the opposite.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Spies don't always make decisions based on training, experience, or potential success of a mission. Sometimes, it's just a matter of doing what you think is right, even if it means putting your fate in the hands of a stranger.

• Michael Westen : [narrative]  Fresh-painted walls and steam-cleaned carpets are great if you're a realtor showing a vacant apartment. If you're a spy hoping to find a clue, there's nothing worse than a sparkling-clean home.

  Jesse Porter : Maybe Kassar's a neat freak.

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  If you can't even find spare change in the sofa, chances are you won't find anything at all.

  Michael Westen : You're wasting your time.

  Jesse Porter : Hey, you wanna go wait in the car, be my guest, all right? I didn't jump through all those hoops trackin' this guy down just to... give up 'cause you say it's a dead end.

  Michael Westen : It might not be a dead end. Spring cleaning like this takes time. Chances are somebody was seen.

  Jesse Porter : You want to go talk to the neighborhood watchdog?

  [Michael nods] 

  Jesse Porter : All right. I'm letting you know right now, that chick is a stickler for IDs.

  [Michael pulls out an FBI badge and credentials] 

  Jesse Porter : You just happened to bring that.

  Michael Westen : I had a feeling we might need it.

• [last lines] 

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  Every precaution you take to make something more secure also makes it less accessible. Concealing a high-density tape cartridge behind drywall is a great way to keep it from being found...

  Jesse Porter : She got away, man. We just blew a chance to end this thing.

  Michael Westen : [narrative]  but if you ever have to leave in a hurry, you can't expect to take it with you.

  Michael Westen : I don't know, Jesse. I think we're just getting started.