TV Jots

Spy Break

The second-season finale of USA Network’s Burn Notice debuts tonight at 10pm EST, and this is one episode that doesn’t disappoint. As star Jeffrey Donovan, known to Burn fans as super-skilled spook Michael Westen, revealed during a recent interview, “Lesser Evil” will deliver big time when it comes to the answers viewers have been wanting all season long.

What happens to Tricia Helfer‘s mysterious handler Carla? Will fellow burned spy Victor survive Michael’s wrath after being held captive following that bathroom beat down at the end of the last episode, “Sins of Omission”? Most of all, however, will we finally learn who the heck burned Michael in the first place and perhaps even why?

Some of the answers may surprise you when Lesser Evil premieres tonight — I know they shocked me while previewing the episode — but you can learn one just by reading the following Q&A.

In addition to revealing whether or not the “Who burned Michael?” question gets put to rest at last, Donovan gives fans lots of other reasons to be very happy about the series, which he says currently has no set end date since he just closed the deal on a contract for a sum of eight seasons. Of course, there’s no guarantee Burn Notice will hang around that long, but it sure is great knowing the show could.

Carla, Carla, Carla!

Tricia Helfer is not going to be back for next season, so could you tell us a little bit about her final appearances and what kind of closure we maybe can expect?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: Well, you know, I think it’s no surprise that Carla and Michael were going to eventually be in each other’s crosshairs. And in the final episode literally that happens. Without giving too much away, the eventual outcome was necessary. What’s going to happen is that she gets basically— She has powers above her that control her, and she basically relies on Michael to save her butt at the end. And he tries, but it doesn’t go as well as expected for her.

With Tricia Helfer leaving are there any guest stars for next season that you know of?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: Not yet because we haven’t started shooting yet. You know, there’s some people on our radar that would love to get on the show. And then there are actually people who have called and said they want to be on the show. So, we’re actually right now, I think, negotiating with a big TV actress to start recurring on the show. I can’t just say because it’s not closed, but if it happens I’ll be really excited.

Michael and Fiona — Together Forever?

What’s going to happen next season with Fiona [Gabrielle Anwar] and Michael? Where are they going in their relationship?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: We have great chemistry. And we love exploring the kind of push-pull attraction that we have for one another. But I think that, you know, Season Three you’ll probably see more of Michael and Fiona trying not to be together; really, really just trying to find out maybe there’s someone else.

Maybe there’s someone else out there that we can fall for and can give us the love that the other person can’t, you know. I think that because the more in Two and Three we get, the more you’re going to see people from Michael and Fiona’s past come back into their lives.

Bromance in the Air

What makes the bromance with Sam [Bruce Campbell] so special?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: You know, I haven’t figured it out and I don’t want to. It’s just so easy and so fun and— But I’d say 90 percent of it is just Bruce. He’s such a good spirit. He has great comic timing and he truly loves being on the show and it shows. So, when we’re together it’s us, you know — Jeff and Sam just having fun with the writer’s work, you know. And as long as we keep going with that then the bromance will be healthy.

Mama Mia!

I love your scenes with Sharon Gless [Madeline Westen] because there’s a lot of emotion plus comedy in them. Could you talk about working with her and dealing with the smoke?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: Man, she’s such a pro. She’s such a pro. I call her mama and I mean that in such an affectionate way. She’s so motherly to me, so caring and endearing and talented and God, man— You walk on set, she starts rehearsing with you, and you’re like you’re in the scene. You are just in the scene.

She’s your mom, you’re her son, and the comedy that comes out of it, she knows what she’s doing, man, and she makes it look like she doesn’t. It’s pretty remarkable to watch.

The smoking— The smoking is tough. She really smokes real tobacco. And it’s kind of hard to deal with, knowing that every time I’m in a scene with her is smoking. But that is what Michael goes through; he can’t stand it either.

Family Matters

Where does Michael Westen’s willingness to help the little person come from?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: You know, there’s an interesting theme between Madeline and Michael that was on last week ["Sins of Omission"] where she describes the map of how to fix the car’s radio and how it’s tied to the ignition. It was really well written. And she says, you know, I think [Michael's father] did this so that he would always feel needed and wanted and useful and we would want him around.

And I think that Michael went away from his family because he didn’t feel wanted or needed. And so he went with a bigger family, you know. He went for the flag, and the country needed him. And so I think that when he’s back in town, when he helps a little guy, it’s less about the little guy and it’s more about that Michael is somehow validating that need, that someone needs him. And he never got it as, you know, not to be too psychological, but he never got it as a child.

Keeping It Real

One of my favorite elements of the show is Michael’s narration because inside his head is a very interesting place to be. How much work goes into creating those?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: They’re very important. I think that they’re the heart of the show because what’s great about Burn Notice, especially with Michael, is that Michael never lets on how he feels about something except when he’s with his family. So, 90 percent of the time of his job is he’s covering.

And what’s great about playing that role that way is I don’t have to show anything that I actually feel or think because I know that in the back of my mind that narration is going to let you know. And I think that’s kind of a cool device that we take really seriously that we get to say, “Hey, here’s a secret — this is what I’m thinking.” And it’s a little conspiratorial with the audience, and I think it’s a great element.

Is it important to you that you don’t cut corners on the show? And are those moments fun when you’re building your gadgets?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: Yeah, it’s really important that not only do I build my own gadgets that I do my own fights. They don’t let me do my own stunts for insurance reasons, but it’s really important that I keep it authentic. And one of the things that I take pride is in that even though we shoot 16 episodes and it takes six months, I actually train in the off season — I call it my off season, like an athlete — to get ready for those 16.

So, I’m doing workouts in the weight room three days a week, and then I’m doing mixed martial arts those other three days, and on Sunday I rest. And it’s really important that when I do something it looks like I can actually do it.

Favorite MacGyver Moment

MacGyver has nothing on Michael Westen as far as the spy gadgets go. What are some of your favorite spy gadgets to date that you’ve actually gotten to play with on the show?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: You know, I thought one of the coolest things was the episode where I built an x-ray machine in my trunk. I thought that was [impossible], and what I found out from our consultant is he actually did it.

Well our consultant is an ex-spy, and he gave us the idea that you can put a Taser through an old TV tube that still has a radioactive— Not radioactive; I don’t even know what it is. But a radio wave that you can ignite, which would create an x-ray with a lead plate behind it. I couldn’t believe it and it did it. But that was one of my favorites.

The Secret of Burn Notice‘s Success

You’re headed to Season Three, you’ve renegotiated your contract. Did you ever expect that Burn Notice was going to become the success it has?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: You know, I don’t think anyone goes into projects thinking they’ll fail. I think we all believe that what we’re doing is going to be good. But more specifically with me and that mix, we sat down and very pointedly said to each other we’re going to make a TV show that we would watch, that we would be interested in, not the networks, not the fans, not anybody, just us. What would we want to do because we have to do this for seven years. And that was the pilot.

And that it was received so well critically and that the fans, you know, started [at] a couple million and have grown to over five million is just— It’s just icing on the cake of what we started with at the beginning, which was pursue something you believe in with your entire heart in your craft and want to do that and only that and don’t feel [you have to] water it down. Make what you want and see if it sticks. And USA was so gracious to give us that room and let it grow, and it’s been growing ever since.

What is it about the show you think enables it to transcend being a wonderful personal project to having such great appeal to a wider audience?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: You know what, and this is going to sound vague, because the groups that watch it watch it for different reasons. I meet kids, I meet teenagers who run up to me and go we love your show. And I say, well, why do you like it? And they’re like oh man those cool gadgets.

And then I’ll meet some, like, 40-year-old guy who’s like man you and Fi, God, that reminds me of my marriage. And I’ll meet like, you know, old ladies who are like you and your mom are so sweet together. So, I think that there’s just these really specific elements that are really identifiable to a lot of people. I don’t know if there’s just one thing.

Oh, Yeah — What About the Burner?

It seems like we’re getting perhaps a little bit closer to finding out who burned Michael. How much more in depth do you imagine this is going to be? How many more layers might we expect before he maybe comes close to an answer?

JEFFREY DONOVAN: I think that the actual person who burned me, you’re actually going to meet in the season finale. And he’s going to have answers that only will satisfy people halfway.

Dealing anytime with any kind of covert organization, they can’t ever spill the beans totally. But what you’re going to see in the finale is pretty exciting because, though Michael does find out who burns him, it doesn’t release him from the perils of his career choice. And that’s what Season Three is going to really focus on — who in his past is a threat to his livelihood. And that’s what basically you’re going to find out in Season Three.