“My name is Machael Westen. I used to me a spy until—

When you’re burned, you’ve got nothing—no cash, no credit, no job history. You;re stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in. You do whatever work comes your way. You rely on anyone who’s still talking to you: a trigger happy girlfriend, an old friend who used to inform on you to the F.B.I., family too—if you’re desperate—and a down-and-out spy you met along the way. Bottom line: As long as you’re burned, you’re not going anywhere.”

 
In order to protect his family and friends, spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) agrees to take on a deep-cover operation for CIA agent Andrew Strong (Jacke Coleman). However, Michael soon finds himself falling deeper and deeper into the seedy world of the terrorist organization he his trying to bring down. But when he starts turning his back on these same family and friends he was trying to protect, it is up to them to snap him back into reality, before it’s too late.

Burn Notice goes out with a bang (literally and figuratively) in its final season. This season is darker and more serialized than the series has ever been—the thirteen episodes play out like one long arc following Michael’s personal and emotional journey. The season is well-scripted and well-acted, giving the whole cast a lot of great dramatic material to work with. Sharon Gless (“Madeline”) and Gabrielle Anwar (“Fiona”) have some particularly emotional scenes. This final season provides a very satisfying conclusion to the series, wrapping up storylines and bringing some sense of closure to every character.

The final season also features the series’ 100th episode, directed by Jeffrey Donovan. This special episode utilizes flashbacks (something the show has not done in the past) to give viewers a look at how Fiona and Michael first came together a decade prior.

The seventh season has some wonderful guest stars including Tim Matheson, Nick Tarabay, Stephen Martines, Adrian Pasdar, Ricardo Antonio Chavira, Alona Tal, and John Pyper-Ferguson. We also get to see some of our favorite recurring characters from the series one last time, including Dixon (David Fickas) and Barry (Paul Tei).

The picture quality on this DVD set is excellent. Everything looks very crisp and clear—almost indistinguishable from the show’s HD airings on USA. The audio track also sounds really good—the center channel is primarily used for the dialogue, while the stereo and surround channels are utilized for the soundtrack, ambiance and special effects.

The bonus features on the DVD set are entertaining but a little slim, consisting of a single audio commentary, a 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a gag reel and 6 minutes of deleted scenes.

Overall, I recommend both fans and lapsed fans check out this final season of Burn Notice as I really enjoyed it and felt it brings the series to a satisfying conclusion. Even though this final season is a bit darker and more serialized, the series still delivers that same mix of fun and action we’ve come to love over the years.

What’s Included on the Blu-ray:

Episodes: (572 min)

• All 13 episodes of Season 7:
  Disc 1: “New Deal”, “Forget Me Not”, “Down Range”, “Brothers In Arms”
  Disc 2: “Exit Plan”, “All or Nothing”, “Psychological Warfare”, “Nature Of The Beast”
  Disc 3: “Bitter Pill”, “Things Unseen”, “Tipping Point”, “Sea Change”
  Disc 4: “Reckoning”

• Widescreen 1.78:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Extras:

• Deleted Scenes (6:33)
  A collection of 9 deleted scenes are spread across discs 1-3, along with their respective episodes. These are presented in a 4:3 windowboxed format. While I’m glad they were included, there’s not really a lot of substance here. In fact, two of the scenes didn’t even contain a full sentence of dialog.
• Audio Commentary on “Forget Me Not” (42:32)
  Creator Matt Nix, writer Ben Watkins and stars Jeffrey Donovan (who directed the episode), Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless talk about the series’ 100th episode. The group is highly entertaining—they have a lot of fun riffing on one another while also providing an interesting discussion about the making of the episode and the motivations of the characters in general.
• Gag Reel (2:47)
  A fun collection of the cast flubbing their lines, having issues with props, and just joking around. The gag reel is presented in a 4:3 windowboxed format.
• Final Mission: Ending the Series (10:42)
  Creator Matt Nix talks about bringing the show to a close, and the darker tone of the final season. Matt and the cast talk about shooting the finale, the 100th episode, Madeline’s ultimate decision, Jesse’s journey, and more. Features interviews with stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Coby Bell, Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, the seventh season of Burn Notice is a satisfying final chapter to the series. The heavily-serialized nature of this season allows for the show to really explore the characters’ personal journeys while still giving the humor, action and drama that makes the show so enjoyable. The one disappointment is the small number of bonus features included on the DVD. However, fans of the series will definitely want to pick this up, and lapsed viewers will want to check out these final 13 episodes.