Burn Notice Summer Finale 'Long Way Back'

Show Notes

Awww. Those pictures... He's so sad. I love those pictures. A lot.

There she is! Upset.

This is so sweet. And sad. But mostly sweet.

Ireland? That's far away.

"This isn't about one fight. Honestly, Michael, if you didn't see this coming, you weren't paying attention." Yayyy Fi! She asked The Question... Well, more like stated it.

He's emotional about her GUN. That's a new one.

Irish!Michael. Haha.

Someone is trying to kill Fi? Oh, the look on his face. He loves her, and he just needs to frick-fracking say it.

She definitely lost her accent. I was expecting her to use it with Michael and Sean using theirs.

All of her big guns are packed away. That's not like Fi, even if she is moving.

Thomas O'Neill- Bloodthirsty Hooligan.

They wouldn't accept an American Spy. Fi says Sean better not find out.

Background checks. I love Sam. This Sean guy? Not so much.

Awww! She had a sister who was killed.

Danggg. This is sad.

"There's no point in fighting with him. Trust me."

"I am not one of your damn clients." Fiona- The Client.

Strickler, GO AWAY. Fi is like eighteen trillion times more important.

Partners. Ha. Strickler. Jump. In. A. Ditch. Actually, off of a cliff.

One-Man-Ultra-Radical-Splinter-Group. Uh-huh.

"Boys, put those things away." I think Maddy is my favorite.

Oh, no. She CANNOT sell the house.

"First your girl, then you're childhood home."

"But you like Fiona, right?"

Lucky Charms Brigade.

Missing a shot because she broke a nail or dropped her purse? He clearly doesn't know his sister.

Um, she never answers her phone while in danger. Haven't we learned that?

Ms. Reynolds. Uh-huh.

"Aw, just... Don't." Michael is bad for Sam's love life.

"No more ignoring your phone." Because, apparently, that's a problem.

Undercover as an American. Haha.

"Your accent's a bit dodgy." Bahaha. Fi is trying really hard not to crack up laughing.

"Helps unhappy people kill each other..." That is a GREAT description for a gun.

I love the name Glenanne.

"Butch, Sundance, cool it." Maddy is DEFINITELY my favorite.

Strickler. Frick. GO. AWAY.

"Nothing about this is clean." Amen.

Nothin else matters? What freaking ever.

"Why are you coming home without McBride?" That's a great question, Sean.

Of course she's still in love with him. And him with her. Duh.

Okay, maybe Sean isn't SO bad.

Protecting Fi is like Michael Westen Priority Numero Uno.

Okay, I take back the whole Sean thing. Turn the laser OFF!

Signature bomb. Lucky thirteen.

For sale? People hate Fi? Sad.

"How about you shut up?!" Go Fi.

Sean = Jerk.

"It's all right. I don't need to know." Oh, Maddy. You are the greatest.

"You probably won't understand this, but most people- normal people..." I love Maddy.

"It's not easy for everyone." This is ridiculously hard for him.

HE ALMOST SAID IT!!!

Michael got shot with drugs, Sean with bullets, and Fi has been stolen.

This is ah-mazing and yet will become eighteen million times better. Bring on Frantic/Worried/In Love!Michael.

Oh, my gosh, he's SOOO freaked out. I LOVE IT. Like I can't even describe.

Um, yeah, Strickler. This DOESN'T wait.

Oh, my heck. Strickler did this?

"She had to go." Oh, dear. Um... I can't even describe the intensity of this scene or Michael's rage.

"You can't have the girl AND the job." There's The Question.

"Fi isn't my past." Yesss!

HE KILLED STRICKLER!!!

Be still, my heart.

"In my version, I'm stabbing you in the throat with an ice pick." I love Fi.

She's scared but doing an awesomesauce job of hiding it. Fi is ah-mazing.

Hahahah. So is Sam. "Oh, I'm finishing this, Brother. I'm getting Fi out of there, no matter what. Just don't tell her I said that."

And she jumps into the water so I can have my Walking-Out-of-the-Ocean-Carrying-Her Picture, which is my iPod background.

Oh, dear. She hasn't come up... Oh, thank God. She breathes.

Awww! More Face-Holding. And Loving Looks.

I keep squealing. It's pathetic how much of a Fan Girl I am. *facepalm*

I officially hate commercials because they keep me from Fluff.

Awww! He's doctoring her. I love it.

Yayyy for not selling the house.

Sean-the-Jerk is not being such a jerk. Still... Dislikeee.

And her first concious action? Calling for Michael.

Oh, they can't say it, but they know.

I love the Face-Holding. Not many other characters do that.

Oh, don't answer your phone. Don't do it.

Diego is freaked. and drinking. *growls* Fi is more important!

More danger for Michael. Woo-hoo.

Diego died. Greattt.

No more Fluff? *pouts*

Ooh. The Enemy You Don't See. Scary.

How can I go so long without Burn Notice, especially after that awesomesauce? *weeps*

So, apparently, many more Near Death Experiences are in Michael's future.

And, according to Sam, Operation: Un-Burn Michael Westen is Off.

I CANT WAIT FOR JANUARY!

Why did I not tape this? Screw large screened TVs. When can I watch this over and over? The Solution- iTunes.

Discussion

Face-Holding

I have noticed in the last two episodes, that asa sign of affection, Michael likes to hold or stroke Fiona's face. This doesn't happen with many other characters I can think of (Booth has done it to Bones a few times when she has been hurt), and I love it. Their not a normal couple, so they don't do all of the normal stuff, such as holding hands or kissing, but Michael does have a way of touching her to show his affection. It's very gentle, very sweet, and... What can I say? I love it. I hope to see a LOT more of it in the future.

"We're so not good at this."

A major... I guess you could say 'problem' in Mike and Fi's relationship is their lack of ability to put their feelings into words. Particularly three little words. In this episode, each came dangerously close. And while they didn't say it in the way normal people might, they said it, in different words.

Both of them began to voice their feelings, obviously struggling to string the words together. And then, the other one says, "It's okay. We're so not good at this."

They know.

Pick Up the Phone!

In the episode before the Summer Finale, 'Friends Like These', Fi was in danger from some psycopathic chick who they thought was the victim. The second Michael found this out, he called Fiona. Over and over. It REALLY worried him when she wouldn't pick up the phone. Same thing in this episode.

Fi has a bad habit of not answering her phone when in danger and worrying the crap out of Michael.

This time, Sam called to warn her that there were more men, and she ignored her phone.

Now, it's sweet to see Michael worried, but he's going to drive himself crazy.

Fi, Querida, please pick up your phone.

The Question

It was answered in this episode when Michael shot Strickler.

"You can't have the job AND the girl." Strickler put the question out there and Michael HAD to answer.

"Fiona is not my past!" BANG. BANG. BANG.

Michael answered the question.

After he's already tried to tell Fi he... Yep. Loved her.

I am satisfied now.

Wait? What relationship problem shall we have next?

Gee, I don't know. I'd be a little mad if I just regained conciuosness after being kidnapped, was trying to tell the man I loved that I loved him, and then he answered his phone two seconds later and ran off.

I would like an ACTUAL relationship now. THOSE problems will be interesting.

But, if not... I'm happy that The Question was addressed. In an even better way than I could have imagined.

The Criminal Intent Corner

Law and Order: Criminal Intent is one of my favorite shows, and Bryn holds it in high regards as well. I’ve watched most of the episodes, and seen them on DVD as well. I know quotes from the episodes, and Bryn claims I’m obsessed. Recently we were watching a rerun at one on the CW and talking to each other over the phone. Here are some of the things we discussed that we thought would make good discussion topics for the blog.
1) No Continuation
Every now and then there is an episode of Criminal Intent that really stands out (Bryn said: In some shows like Bones every now and then you get a bad episode, but in Criminal Intent every now and then you get a good episode.). Certain episodes rank high on my favorites list, and I want to watch them over again (Purgatory, Amends, Blind Spot, Ladies Man). These episodes have everything from amazing acting to an awesome script, and great character interaction. But there is absolutely no continuation. Eames gets kidnapped and in the next episode it mentions one therapy session and that’s it. There are no story arcs, which, let’s face it, are really interesting. The only reoccurring theme, I guess you could say, is Nicole Wallace, and that’s spread out over seasons not episodes. Now, to be fair, I guess it would be harder to keep up a continuing story arc with the characters schedules (they alternate weeks), but it could be done. A story could be continued with the viewers knowing the next part every other week. And things aren’t ever mentioned after an episode is done. For example, Goren never asks how Eames is after the kidnapping, and things like that. To be fair, there was a little story arc with Wheeler and her now ex-fiancé. Though this was probably written in to coincide with Nicholson’s pregnancy.
2) Little Characterization
The characters of Criminal Intent are a big part of the reason why I love the show. Eames is a no-nonsense tough (not to mention sarcastic) woman cop, and Goren is a quirky yet intelligent profiling detective who still manages to amaze everyone (though, perhaps not Eames). Previous characters that we loved include Logan and Barek, my personal favorite Deakins. The current characters (including Wheeler and Nichols, Rodgers and Ross, and of course, Goren and Eames) are all amazing, and add a strange kind of quirky personality to the show.
However, the only time we learn anything about the characters is in those aforementioned amazing episodes. Sure, in the first few seasons there would be moments when we learned something about the characters, but these moments seem fewer and far between. It was a while before we learned anything about Eames. While it has been said that this Law and Order is character driven, I believe that it could be more so.
Aside from those awesome episodes, the rest can be classified as just procedurals. I personally don’t mind, I’ll watch any episode.

If you have any thoughts on this show, we’d love to hear them.
All the best,
~Mila

The Importance of Research and Criticism in Writing

As a writer I tend to find myself being a critic as well sometimes. It comes in handy when I get the honor of editing work for other amazing authors on www.fanfiction.net. However, there is a difference between constructive criticism (which is what I give out), and just cold hard criticism. I prefer to not use the Gordon Ramsey/Simon Cowell type of criticism.
What I’m trying to say is this: I recognize mistakes in writing. But it isn’t simple spelling mistakes that bother me the most. What I find annoying is un-researched writing. Let me explain.
Since cop stories are my story of choice, I’ll use that as an example.
If there is a story saying that there was a ‘cop’ who worked in ‘this building’ and worked for ‘the murder unit’ I can tell that it’s been un-researched. But if there is a story saying that there was a Detective who worked at One Police Plaza for the Homicide Department, I can tell that this person did their research (or just knows what they’re talking about).
If someone were writing a story about an FBI Agent, it would be nice to look up a few things. Would this person have a partner? What type of cases would they work? What other law enforcement personnel would they work with?
If someone were writing a story where their characters go to another country it’d be beneficial to research the culture, the weather, the sights of the place.
Remember, other people are reading your work. They believe you. Misinformation is usually not a good thing, and pretending to be knowledgeable on something you don’t know much about can have bad results.
Ask for help. There are people who know more than you in some areas. They can help you. Another thing I find helpful are disclaimers. Often times you can get help through them. For example, “I’m sorry if the little music scene I have is wrong. I don’t play piano, so if I messed something up please feel free to tell me”.
See, I think that people are afraid to give - and receive- criticism. And I suppose that is plenty reasonable. No one likes having their mistakes pointed out to them; no one likes being told what doesn’t work. And no one likes to be on the giving end of criticism either. They’re afraid of coming off too…well, critical. But the truth is, constructive criticism can do wonders to your work. Often times you understand how you want something interpreted, but when you see it through someone else’s eyes you realize what needs improvement.
Often times the best reviews or critiques are the ones who are truthful, not the ones that tell you what you want to hear.

It’s all about balance, remember that.
Until next time,
~Mila

True Crime Vs. Fiction

Bones. Law and Order: Criminal Intent. CSI. Criminal Minds.
It’s the Crime sensation gripping the nation. America is obsessed with crime, and it seems that as the crime rates rise in the world today the number of shows devoted to crime rise as well. All throughout literature crime has been making its mark, from Agatha Christie’s amazing work to children’s series such as “Encyclopedia Brown”. Crime shows have been on for a number of years now as well, with series such as “Law and Order” spanning over many years. And all the crime has been immensely popular.
Crime is one of those things we as a culture are captivated by. Grisly murders give us the chills, but we can’t rest until we figure out the whodunit; we want to know more. Like a horror movie (or a train wreck) we can’t look away.
But, a thought occurred to me as I was reading an old article in TVguide magazine about the fascination America has with crime. Which is more popular, True Crime (real events which happen to real people) or Fiction (crimes written by authors, where everything from the crime itself to the people involved is created by the author)?
If you go to your local bookstore or perhaps library and find the crime section you’ll notice that both these…genres, have well developed sections, with many kinds of crime books. Books by such authors as Ann Rule explore the chilling details of real life murders and murderers, while books such as those by Max Collins focus on fiction cases involving characters from well-known TV shows. I’ve read books by both authors, and enjoyed them equally.
I recently set up a poll on fanfiction.net, asking which the voter preferred, true crime or fiction. So far, there haven’t been enough voters to give a conclusive response to which is more popular (you can find the still open poll at www.fanficiton.net/~missmila). So far, however, voters tend to lean towards Fiction, since it isn’t as ‘creepy’, since it isn’t real. Which is reasonable. As much as we love crime we don’t want it happening to or near us. We want to distance ourselves from it, and reading works of fiction give us the ability to do just that while still enjoying the crime aspect.
On the other hand, I talked to a person who didn’t vote on the poll, but prefers True Crime. They argue that True Crime is real, and that’s why it appeals to them. Everything is portrayed accurately. Things don’t always fall into place, and the reader (or author) doesn’t always know the end result. Everything is told how it happened (hopefully).
As for me? I don’t mind much. If there’s a decent crime or murder and amazing Detectives it can be real OR fiction and I’ll read it. Though with True Crime I’m often amazed by the real actions of amazing, hardworking Detectives who do all they can to find a person, or to bring closure to a family.
The poll is still opened, and if you have time to visit the site (though I recently found out you have to have an account on the site...I think), please do so. Or, leave a comment right here in the comment section below. I’m interested to hear what you think.

All the best,
~Mila

Stereotyping in Writing and On TV

As much as we hate to admit it, writing and TV have become full of stereotyping. And the thing is, we encourage it. We love it. But if it happens in real life, it’s different.
Does this sound familiar: There’s a very ordinary main character with good looks that lost their parents(s). They have a sidekick or two and find an evil villain, who’s usually quite ugly. There are a few evil sidekicks, obstacles and fights, a few romances, and the main character is always victorious.
Or how about this: There’s a good looking man, so he must be afraid commitment, and he’s dating a blond girl, so she must be flirty and dumb. He finds a real girl and changes his ways. They end up married, living the picket fence life.
Just because she’s blonde, doesn’t mean she’s stupid, just because he’s good looking doesn’t mean he’s fearful of commitment, or perfect. But most of our movies and pieces of writing say otherwise. Granted, there are those movies with characters that start off stereotypical but prove the viewer otherwise.
Now, humans are often times known as creatures of contradiction, which explains why we love watching something we hate. We always tend to go towards something familiar, and certain stereotypes have been around for a while.
I classify stereotypes as personalities assigned to certain looks (generalizations), or certain reoccurring themes (as in movie formats) that are easy to predict.
Most police procedurals have these elements as well.
Both “Bones” and “Leverage” have incredibly intelligent lady individuals who tend to act cold or heartless but are really caring deep down, and good looking men who are, well, normal. Goren from “Criminal Intent” has his white whale, Nicole Wallace; similar to how Harry Potter has Voldemort.
Stereotypes (especially those in high school settings) make everything more predictable. However, it is the writer (or show) that is able to use these stereotypes AND keep people guessing that is the successful one.
The predictability of stereotyping brings something else to light. We, as a general people, don’t like surprise. There seems to be little surprise with stereotypes, which is probably why we chose them. All through time we’ve stayed away from the different or uncomfortable. Why choose a new favorite ice cream when rocky road is just fine? Why listen to that song when our favorite is better? It’s the same concept with stereotypes. People want characters to act in a way that is easier to predict…to relate to. As much as a contradiction as it is.

All the best,
~Mila

The Write Reason

A few weeks ago I was watching a movie with my family called “Alex and Emma”. It was a pretty good movie, in my opinion. It’s about a man named Alex who owes money to the Cuban mob. He can get the money only if he finishes his latest manuscript, and if he doesn’t get the money…I’m sure you can guess. The only catch is, he has 30 days to finish the book. So, he hires a stenographer named Emma to write what he dictates. She ends up being an inspiration for him, as well as a critic while he’s writing.
The movie talked about writing in general and why Alex writes.
Which got me thinking about the reasons I write. I guess you could say I inherited my love for writing from my dad. But I think that my family often wonders what draws me to writing.
Being a writer lets you (through your character) do things you can’t do, or say things you can’t say. You can face your fears as a writer, deal with obstacles.
As a writer you have a certain level of control, of power. But the real magic of being a writer (the reason I do it) is making your characters come alive. Letting your characters tell you where the story will go, letting things play out how they will.
Writing is about compromise. About giving your characters what they want, but ultimately taking the story where you want it to go. Writing is about creating worlds and people and places. It’s about letting you use your imagination. Writing is addictive. And yes, I do talk to my characters.
I know I probably sound crazy to some of you non-writers, heck, probably to the writers. But it’s something difficult to understand, why someone does things. It’s like trying to understand why a bungee jumper jumps. You can only try and understand.
I love to write, to escape reality for a short time. It…relaxes me.
So, there. That’s why writing appeals to me. Whatever reasons you have for doing what you love, I’m sure it’s the write reason (haha, get it?).
All the best,
~Mila

p.s And if you're wondering, I like the central format of these posts better...it looks nicer.

It's All in a Name

I was recently reading the blog of one of our favorite authors; Scott Westerfeld, {http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/} and I came across an interesting post. He talked about the importance of names in writing, and it really got me thinking about the impact of names in my own writing, and in the TV shows I watch.
Now, names aren’t everything in writing, or on TV. Character, personality, and attitude are all equally important. But names can sometimes establish these things. And they often provide information such as where someone is from, or which nationality they are. It’s important to put thought into names; I find myself not getting far in stories where the main character is Bob Smith.
In my personal experience I tend to take certain things into consideration when I name a character. These are usually the things that go through my head:

1) The first thing I do is decide what kind of story I am writing, so that I know whether to put more consideration into the first, or last, name. Let me explain. I usually write stories based off of the shows I watch. Cop dramas with a little bit of romance. As you know, cops are usually referred to by their last names, sometimes preceded by “Detective” or “Captain”. Let’s do a sample name. A good last name is…Denver. Detective Denver. Captain Denver. They both sound good.
2) Then, I think about the personality of my character. I usually have strong, tough characters, so a name like Priscilla just won’t do. Another thing to consider is balance. You shouldn’t have a character with a flashy first name and a flashy last name, unless that character is really flashy themselves. So, for the first name, how about Camryn?
3) Spelling can make an ordinary name extraordinary, even unique. So, instead of Camryn, why not Kamryn? Kamryn Denver. That’s a good name, in my opinion.
4) We didn’t really take this into consideration for Kamryn’s name, but you should take nationality into consideration. Trust me, it’s not stereotyping to name a Hispanic character Maria, or give her a last name Lopez, or to give an Irish character the last name McNeil, or O’Toole.
5) Another thing you want to think about is the time period of the story. You can’t really have a boy in the 1800s named Jake, or a boy in the 21st century named Bartholomew…unless you have some kind of unique plot.
6) Since my writing usually has a strong friendship or romance sense to it, nicknames are used a lot. I always find myself looking for names I can shorten, Kamryn can be Kam, and Elizabeth can be Liz, or Beth.
7) Research. The Internet is right there, don’t be afraid to Google “boys names” or “Irish girl names” or things like that.

Now, I’m not saying you have to go through this entire process every time you introduce a new character. This should be used for the main characters, the ones who you’ll be referring to throughout the whole story, not for the man at the desk who your character passes by once.
Anyway, that’s how I go about it. Now I’d like to mention characters’ names from a few TV shows and movies that I particularly like.
Cynthia Morales from “Chasing Liberty”-- Being a Secret Service Agent calls for a good last name, and Morales is an amazing last name. This movie is one of my favorites, as is the character herself.
Alexandra Eames from “Law and Order: Criminal Intent”--Eames is a cop in this drama, and her name is unique. It’s a good name for such a tough, no nonsense woman. She’s one of my favorite TV characters.
Abigail “Abby” Sciuto from “NCIS”--A unique name for a very unique character. A name like this wouldn’t work for just anyone, but Abby pulls it off.
Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo from “NCIS”--This character is Italian, just as his name suggests. A common first name and an uncommon last name work together well.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs from “NCIS”--The name is slightly old fashioned, just like the character himself.
Horatio Caine from “CSI: Miami”--Another unique name, though this one is…solid. Strong. Works well for this character.
Another thing I’d like to mention is that naming characters after times and places is okay. Me, I love names like Brooklyn, Liberty, April, and Summer. They aren’t that common, and they add diversity to stories.

I hope I’ve given you something to think about.
Until next time,
~Mila

It's Time to Update the Ship List

More shows means more ships.

Law and Order: Criminal Intent- Goren/Eames and Logan/Barek or Logan/Wheeler (Depending on what season it is. But trust me, we have a story)

In Plain Sight- Mary/Marshall or Mary/Raphael (It's undecided) and Brandi/Peter

House- House/Cuddy, Cameron/Chase and Foreman/Thirteen

CSI: Miami- Eric/Calleigh, Ryan/Natalia and Horatio/Yelina

NCIS- Gibbs/Jenny (Which is, sadly, no longer), Tony/Ziva and McGee/Abby

Fringe- Peter/Olivia

Lie to Me- Lightman/Gillian and Loker/Torres

Criminal Minds- Morgan/Garica

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit- Elliot/Olivia

Leverage- Nate/Sophie and Parker/Elliot or Parker/Hardison (I'm leaning more toward Parker/Elliot, but the show prefers Parker/Hardison)

Dark Blue- Dean/Jaimie

CSI: NY- Flack/Angell (Which is no more), Danny/ Lindsay (About as canon as it gets) and Mac/Stella

Bones- Booth/Bones and Hodgins/Angela

Burn Notice- Michael/Fi

CSI- Greg/ Riley (But no more Riley) and Grissom/Catherine (Which has also been shot down)

Eleventh Hour- Hood/Rachel

Psych- Shawn/Juliet

I think that's all.

Burn Notice

Recently, I've REALLY gotten into the show Burn Notice on USA (I now watch all of USA's original series). I've caught three of the most recent episodes, and about ten from the first and second seasons during a marathon. Next week is the Summer Finale, but I'm following well.

The show follows Michael Westen, an ex-spy with a Burn Notice out on him (Tagline: "Spies don't get fired. They get burned.). Basically, this means he has nothing- no job, no money, no credentials... He was dumped in Miami, and the only people he can truly trust are Fiona, or Fi, "a trigger happy ex-girlfriend", Sam "a friend who used to inform on you to the FBI", and his mom, Maddy.

I am officially hooked on this show.

The OTP

Series Creator Matt Nix says "The thing about the relationship with Fiona is... They are two people who really don't have anybody else that they can be with. Anybody else is going to be afraid of what Michael does, and it sort of turns her on, and anybody else for Fiona is going to be uninteresting. He is attracted to her, but part of what we explore over the first season is that they really are attracted with each other, and yet there is a reason they broke up. She is an incredibly chaotic person who just thrives on disorder. Violence is foreplay for her."

I'm not quite sure how to define the Michael/Fiona relationship. It's very complicated... I know they once dated, but what about now? Lover? Love interest? Friend? They surely act like a married couple. (For sure OTP, but anyway...) The most conflicting episode was 'Wanted Man', with Fi upset by the lack of attention Michael is paying her, her trying to make him jealous, and Maddy trying to talk to Mike and Fi about their relationship, stating that Fiona is the best thing that ever happened to Michael.

As of 'Friends Like These', they are fighting over Strickler. Fi doesn't trust him in the slightest, and is worried about Michael. He knows that Strickler is his only way back in to the Spy Game, however, and he feels he has no choice. This episode has me wondering if Fiona is asking "Who is more important? Me or the job?" This question defintely needs to be addressed. She's been subtly asking it over the entire course of the show, and he desperately needs to answer before he loses her.

'Friends Like These' was also a great episode to show how much Michael cares about Fiona. When he finds out she is alone with the psychopathic killer, he panicks and keeps calling her. When she doesn't answer, he keeps calling, obviously very worried. When he arrives, to see that she has let the killer out of her handcuffs he says that he has to cover a rush of adrenaline with an emotion that won't give him away.

He decides to cover this adrenaline with anger, and he hits her. You can tell that as soon as his hand makes contact, he hates himself. He apologizes over and over, gently holding her face in his hands. He felt horrible for doing it.

Also, in the end, she tells him she's leaving. He calls after her, and while he doesn't go after her, you can tell he's upset she's leaving. In a voiceover, he admits to wanting her on every mission he goes on. He also says there is nothing worse than losing someone to bullets, politics, or personal reasons. When she appears in her position, he smiles.

Next week, she is kidnapped. Michael is angry and worried beyond reason. In just the preview, he is a thousand times more upset than he was when Sam was kidnapped. Perhaps the question will be answered as Strickler tells him to "just forget the past".

It's clear that they definitely care for each other... And yes, I dare say, love each other.