We Say Goodbye to Mike's Season 7 Beard

Goodbye, Mike's beard. You will be missed.

In Season 7's third episode 'Heat Run', clean-shaven Mike hits the ground running on his next assignment -- and decides to take Sam and Jesse along for the ride. Sam and Jesse land their plane in the Dominican Republic to meet up with Mike in the DR, where their first best-friends-spy-adventure is to blow up their private plane to block the cops on their trail. The accompanying four-screen shot of the plane exploding is reason enough to watch the show. Every time Burn Notice goes into full-scale spy mode, it's just pure cable special effects goodness.

Meanwhile, Mike's mom Maddie is confronted by Nate's former bookie -- he tells her to pay up the $80,000 Nate owed him, or her grandson Charlie will die. The bookie's parting gift to Charlie? A shiny bullet. (Doesn't he know that's a choking hazard?). Luckily, by the end of the episode, Maddie comes out on top. Her earrings are tacky but her tactics are fierce. You go, lady.

Mike reveals the deal he made to Sam and Jesse -- get close to Burke, and take him down. Finally, because Sam was worried that he didn't even know his best friend anymore. (Is that written down in the 'TV Show Best Friend Handbook' or something?). But Sam has something more to deal with than his friend's secrets -- the assignment they're on had Sam use his sniper rifle to take down a guard. Look, I get it -- that's a tough one, Sam. But you kind of went into a violent field... if your show was on FX, you'd have had the body count of a small town under your belt by Season 2.

This whole double-agent thing must be exhausting. No one is telling one another anything. And worst of all, NO ONE is listening to Sam Axe. Even when he's right. Which he is, throughout this whole episode. There is something fishy going on with Burke -- he's not working on his own terms. So, basically, he's even sketchier than everyone assumed. Which is bad for everyone involved.

By the way, are we supposed to buy Carlos from Desperate Housewives as a "very bad man"? His fight with Mike over who really betrayed Burke was about as intense as his fight with Gabby over a pair of shoes.

The best part of this Burn Notice episode? We got served with not one but TWO really great explosions! More thirteen-year-old boys should really start watching USA.