History Recap / BurnNoticeS1E7BrokenRules

It turns out that the criminal organization is being run by a particularly ruthless criminal, a woman named Concha. Michael adopts the persona of an unstable, boisterous, AxCrazy criminal trying to take over control of the neighborhood, believing that doing enough damage to Concha's mooks (along with some to the stores being extorted) will convince them that the neighborhood isn't worth holding onto against such a foe. He destroys his client's store and violently attacks some of Concha's mooks.

After a small delay that upsets the client (they always want immediate results), Michael continues his intimidation and is brought to meet boss-lady Concha, who wants him to continue ''her'' plan using his methods. It turns out that she's uninterested in old-fashioned control and has intentionally set her extortion too high for the neighborhood families and stores to meet because she wants to drive then out and make a killing by swooping in and purchasing the local real estate once the values plummet due to her reign of terror. [[VillainousGentrification Afterward she can develop the neighborhood on a large scale, and the low value, crime blighted area she picked up cheap will be worth millions]].

Concha then asks Michael to kill his client, as eliminating that man will break the morale and resistance of the rest of the neighborhood. Michael convinces him to be elsewhere during the attack. Then he convinces Concha's second in command Diego, (a more old-school gangster who disagrees with Concha's brutal methods and long term goals) that she has him marked for death. In desperation, Diego offers Michael a deal; he's willing to kill Concha, knows that a lot of her mooks will follow him because they're not really enthusiastic about her goals, and in return he'll turn over the neighborhood to Michael and they'll totally withdraw from it. Michael agrees and the hit goes forward.

With Concha dead and Michael apparently in control of the neighborhood, the villains are out of the picture for the foreseeable future, and the neighborhood is safe. With his blackmail of Bly in place, Michael refuses reward and walks away.

Bly and Michael have another chat, in which Michael presses for information about his burn notice, and Bly counters that Michael should get a new life. Bly offers him a complete package to that end. A job as a security guard. Safe, boring, reliable, and with no opportunities to cause Westen-style trouble.

Meanwhile, Michael uses the money fronted by the client of the week in partnership with the skills of money-launderer Barry to make it appear that Michael and Bly are in a close business relationship with more than $100,000 in cash. This and the events of the episode make it look like he and Michael are in a closer relationship than is actually the case. This allows Michael to blackmail Bly and get him to back off and give Michael information.

* BilingualBonus: After Michael mugs Fi, Diego says "No tiene nada aquí" while tapping his head. That's Spanish for "You don't have anything up here."

* CallBack: This week's client is Hispanic, like Michael's first client, Javier, who referred him to Michael.

* CuteBruiser: "All right, but if I'm not satisfied with your answers, I'm gonna kick your ass."

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: "As cover [=IDs=] go I prefer 'rich businessman' or 'international playboy' to 'crazy thief', but if the situation calls for it you do what you have to do."

* JustAGangster: Diego feels this way to a certain extent, he wants to stick with the old fashioned gangster ways that have worked for him in the past instead of getting involved with Concha's new way of mixing the legit and criminal worlds.
* KarmicDeath: Concha was going to have Michael killed by her henchman, who was also going to kill Michael's client and blow up his store. Instead, the henchman, upset by her ruthless tactics, blows ''her'' up.

* KissKissSlap: See SlapSlapKiss
* LargeHam: Michael's cover for this op is an over the top psycho criminal.
* MacGyvering: A military expert can put together a homemade firebomb in a few hours. An IRA trained guerilla can do it in twenty minutes, give or take.

* ManlyTears: This week's client is near tears when Michael refuses payment.

* MyWayOrTheHighway: Michael pressures the man who hired him into accepting Michael's plan, though it's not what he expected.
* NonActionGuy: Diego reveals at one point that prior to being forced to become Concha's dragon the most he ever did in organized crime was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookmaker managing the odds at a bookie]] for his old boss. One can see why he's out of place in multiple ways in Concha's organization.

* PillowPistol: After sleeping together, Michael and Fiona are shown to be asleep in bed with no clothes on... but when disturbed they ''both'' quickly produce guns that were hidden beneath their pillows.

* PoliceAreUseless: Usually the cops are useless in a ''particular'' case because it's a frame job or the criminals are extra vile. In this case, Michael suggests the cops and... they're just kind of shrugged off.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: To show that Diego, Michael's eventual ally, isn't ''all'' good. He calls Concha "That crazy puta..." or "That crazy whore...". He states that he doesn't care about his boss's gender; at his age working on the street isn't an option. Michael's persona, on the other hand... who knows?

* SeriesContinuityError: Michael got a bundle of cash worth thousands of dollars in the previous episode. Perhaps tens of thousands, or even a full hundred grand. Yet in this episode he's once again scrounging for cash.

* VillainousGentrification: It's at the heart of Concha's plan. First, up the crime level in the neighborhood so she can push out all the everyday people and businesses with her criminal activity. When they're gone and the value of the neighborhood plummets due to the crime wave and urban blight, buy it up cheap. After buying the land for pennies on the dollar, get paid by the government to redevelop it into a high end, luxury part of the city. She can potentially make tens of millions doing this, far more than simple protection rackets would ever net her.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Sam and Fi are definitely making moves in his direction from HeadbuttingHeroes, with Sam asking Fi for relationship advice and the two working well together on the mission, despite ''very'' different styles.

* WickedCultured: Concha has a lot of nice artwork, and nice liquor, and shark jaws, and some plants.
* WouldHurtAChild: Concha killed Diego's former boss at his kid's birthday party, in front of the kid. Then she tells Michael to go after Ernie (the client) and kill him and his whole family.

* YouDoNotWantToKnow: Fiona asks how Sam could ''possibly'' deserve such wonderful gifts from his lady friends. He replies "Wouldn't you like to know?" but the implication is clearly the opposite.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Diego, TheDragon, is old school. He doesn't like Concha's technical plans or heavy-handed tactics. He like his crime to be in your face, personal... caring.

* MoneyDearBoy: InUniverse: Diego explains he works for Concha solely because of this trope.

* ModestyBedsheet: Fi and Michael are shown under one after sleeping together. Michael's sheets simultaneously cover more and less of him. It covers all the naughty bits, but he immediately puts on pants, and it only covers Fi's ''front'', so her right side is exposing a great deal of her [[ToplessnessFromTheBack back]], [[{{Sideboob}} side]] and [[ShesGotLegs legs]].

* NiceHat: Michael grabs one on his way out of the client's shop so he can avoid recognition later on the street.

* NotSoDifferent: Fiona is upset that Michael criticizes her for having illegal weapons in a stolen car while being chased by the cops, claiming that she has always supported ''his'' work. He objects that he's helping people, she's running guns. Big difference.

* CulturallyDistinctNeighborhood: This week's episode takes place in Little Havana, which is 85% Latino and Hispanic and it shows. Gringos Michael, Fiona, and Sam are out of place.

--> '''Michael [Narrating]:''' For anyone working in covert ops, names have a special power.
* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: Their fight at the end of the episode clearly and completely mixes both for Mike and Fi. It's mostly fight until it's mostly sex, but it's never not both.

* MadeOfIron: Ernie, the client, expects Michael to be this; Michael disabuses him and convinces him a more subtle approach is appropriate.

* ModestyBedsheet: Michael's sheets simultaneously cover more and less of him. It covers all the naughty bits, but he immediately puts on pants, and it only covers Fi's ''front'', so her right side is exposed from tip to toe... and it's delicious.
* MoneyDearBoy: In-universe: Diego explains he works for Concha solely because of this trope.

* PillowPistol: Michael and Fiona ''both'' sleep with a gun in their hands.

* RelationshipUpgrade: Since Sam's connections got a mysterious government agent to back off, his relationship with Veronica gets an upgrade. He gets to keep a toothbrush at her villa, and she gives him a Cadillac. [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections Sam's got buddies.]]
** The episode also ends with a '''big''' talk between Michael and Fiona...

* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend

Concha then asks Michael to kill his client, as eliminating that man will break the morale and resistance of the rest of the neighborhood. Michael convinces him to be elsewhere during the attack. Then he convinces Concha's second in command, (a more old-school gangster who disagrees with Concha's methods and long term goals) that she has him marked for death. In desperation, NumberTwo offers Michael a deal; he's willing to kill Concha, knows that a lot of her mooks will follow him because they're not really enthusiastic about her goals, and in return he'll turn over the neighborhood to Michael and they'll totally withdraw from it. Michael agrees and the hit goes forward.

After a small delay that upsets the client (they always want immediate results), Michael continues his intimidation and is brought to meet boss-lady Concha, who wants him to continue ''her'' plan using his methods. It turns out that she's uninterested in old-fashioned control and has intentionally set her extortion too high for the neighborhood families and stores to meet because she wants to drive then out and make a killing by swooping in and purchasing the local real estate once the values plummet due to her reign of terror. Afterward she can develop the neighborhood on a large scale, and the low value, crime blighted area she picked up cheap will be worth millions.

* WouldntHitAGirl: During their fight at the end of the episode, Michael socks Fi and ''immediately'' apologizes.

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: A ''nonverbal'' version. When "trashing" Ernie's store, he takes a bat to the countertop, a donut display, and then very gently pushes over a rack of flowers.

* GenreSavvy: "If it makes you feel any better, she's planning to kill me, too."

It turns out that the criminal organization is being run by a particularly ruthless criminal, a woman named Concha. Michael adopts the persona of an unstable and boisterous criminal taking over the neighborhood to convince them to give up control of the neighborhood. He destroys his client's store and violently attacks some of Concha's mooks.

After a small delay that upsets the client (they always want immediate results), Michael continues his intimidation and is brought to meet boss-lady Concha, who wants him to continue ''her'' plan using his methods. She's uninterested in old-fashioned control and wants to make a lot of money with real estate, developing the neighborhood on a large scale.

Concha asks Michael to kill his client, eliminating that man will knock down the rest of the neighborhood. Michael convinces him to be elsewhere during the attack. Then he convinces Concha's second in command that she has him marked for death, and he agrees to kill her.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: "As cover IDs go I prefer 'rich businessman' or 'international playboy' to 'crazy thief', but if the situation calls for it you do what you have to do."

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Fiona. Again.

* DistressedDamsel: Fiona objects to the notion that she might not have gotten away from the cops without Michael's help.

* KillItWithFire: How Michael ''really'' intimidates some of Concha's {{Mook}}s. He disables their car, drills some holes in the roof, douses them with turpentine, and threatens them with a horrible death.

* MoneyDearBoy: Diego explains he works for Concha solely because of this trope.

* WhatTheHellHero: Diego attacks Michael for mugging a random civilian. That sort of crime will attract the cops. Fortunately, it's entirely in character for Michael both as a crazy crook and as a savvy operator, as random street crime will drive down real estate prices even faster and is something a typical {{mook}} wouldn't do.

!!

After a small dealy that upsets the client (they always want immediate results), Michael continues his intimidation and is brought to meet boss-lady Concha, who wants him to continue ''her'' plan using his methods. She's uninterested in old-fashioned control and wants to make a lot of money with real estate, developing the neighborhood on a large scale.

* TheNotSecret: Michael's identity is rapidly becoming this in certain circles. Javier, his first client, failed to keep quiet about Michael's role in his salvation.

* CompleteMonster: Crime Boss Concha is introduced suggesting that if a victim can't pay extortion, her {{Mook}}s should just kill his wife and take the insurance.

Michael has learned his new federal agent's name: Jason Bly. Michael outs him as an intelligent agent in a restaurant to make him angry. Bly responds that learning to live with having been fired is a process, and Michael should think about what could happen not just to himself, but to his friends and family as well. Fiona pulls up in a stolen car with illegal weapons in the trunk, just as sirens start to blare in the distance. Michael and Fiona have to flee.

Instead, Michael asks money-launderer Barry to set up a surprise business relationship between Michael and Bly. Barry agrees in return for a small amount of money and the promise of a future favore.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: To show that Diego, Michael's eventual ally, isn't ''all'' good. He calls Concha "That crazy púta..." or "That crazy whore...". He states that he doesn't care about his boss's gender; at his age working on the street isn't an option. Michael's persona, on the other hand... who knows?

* ShroudedInMystery: Michael, thanks to his career as a spy, doesn't have job references or anything like that.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Sam and Fi are definitely making moves in his direction from HeadbuttingHeros, with Sam asking Fi for relationship advice and the two working well together on the mission, despite ''very'' different styles.

Client of the Week: A criminal syndicate is squeezing out merchants in a neighborhood in Little Havana. Michael has been hired by a shop owner to take them out. He goes undercover as a wild criminal and begins dismantling the organization.

Burn Notice Arc: Michael has learned his new federal agent's name: Jason Bly. Bly is pressuring Michael to accept being burned and adapt to a new life as a security guard. Meanwhile, Michael enlists the services of money launderer Barry to help him blackmail Bly. Bly gives Michael more information about his burn notice and leaves town.