1.05 Family Business

Summary and spoilers

Nate takes on a thousand dollar job that entails ‘talking to some guys’ and immediately gets beaten to a pulp with a tooth knocked out to top it all off. He calls handy brother Michael, of course, to help him out. Michael agrees, as long as Nate promises to ‘clean up his act’, whatever that means. The client is Jake Miller, an airport security employee who became chummy with the Zamars, a Lebanese importer/exporter family that lent him money and gave him stuff in exchange for changing a few logs. When the Zamars ask him to remove a flight from the log entirely, Jake refused. The result was a visit to his home from the Zamars, and heavy-handed threats. Attempting to protect himself and his pregnant wife, Jake appeals to Nate, and now to Michael. Michael agrees to help, but he isn’t thrilled when Fiona’s spy sweep of the hanger reveals that the Zamars are arms dealers.

Through research and bugging, the younger brother Ari is identified as the weakest link in the family. Posing as an arms dealer, Michael offers Ari a deal for some high-grade C4 explosive. When Michael gains Ari’s confidence and is taken blindfolded to see the arms warehouse, Sam follows and gets the warehouse location. Michael and Sam clean the place out, and the Zamars flee, rather than taking the chance that they are about to be arrested and/or exposed.

Fiona discovers that the Charger is bugged and assumes (as has Michael) that it was done by Sam. Fiona wants to break Sam’s kneecap, but Michael says he is happy to let the situation be as it is. At one point during a stakeout, Sam seems poised to admit to the bugging, but he is interrupted by the arrival of the Zamars. Eventually, Sam does admit to the obvious crime; in return, Michael lets him break into his apartment and deliver a confidential letter to the Feds. But the Feds have news of their own; they are off the case, to be replaced by someone even higher up to take over Michael-watching duties.

Meanwhile, Nate is trying to convince Michael that he should have been given dad’s Charger. A scan of their dad’s will reveals that the car was not mentioned. Madeline lied, telling Michael that his dad wanted him to have the car. Michael and Nate flip for it, and Nate loses.

Burn Notice Quotes

"I’ll give you the distributor cap if you agree we should find Dad’s will. Deal?"
- Nate to Michael

Sam: Mike, I save your ass at the warehouse – the least you could do is have some decent beer in the fridge.
Michael: Next time you plan on saving my ass, tell me before I go to the store.

Fiona: Admit it. You were tempted.
Michael: Not for a minute, Fi. If I need a beautiful woman to mess up my life, I could a lot better than Debbie.