Recap / Burn Notice S 3 E 5 Signals And Codes

A delusional man tracks Michael down and asks for help dealing with "aliens", actually spies and traitors.

In his efforts to get his burn notice reversed, Michael stakes out the airport, finds an unregistered black ops plane, and goes in to try and pressure the spy in charge.

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• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • What gets Team Westen to visit Spencer's house is him pointing out how his patterns allowed him to figure out who Michael is and where he lives.
    Spencer: Hey, I found you, didn't I?
  • Shannon is certain that Spencer doesn't have the goods, so she starts walking away from the meeting. To keep the plan afloat, Spencer takes a shot.
    Spencer: I'm bluffing? Then how do I know that you're setting up a deal to sell another name to the Venezuelans?
• Awesomeness by Analysis: Spencer's gift for finding and cracking patterns serves him well, be it uncovering a big conspiracy or figuring out how to sneak past nurses at the psych ward he keeps getting sent to.
• Bittersweet Ending: Things end just fine for Spencer, but Michael's efforts to get back into the CIA stall out (with just a token file review to look forward to at best). Fiona is resigned to supporting Michael's decision, but she's clearly still not happy about it.
• Call-Back: One reason Michael is so eager to get back into the CIA is because of Management's warning about approaching danger.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: In the last scene, Michael says the big reason he wants back into the CIA because it gives him the chance to make the world a better place and save American lives every single day.
• The Cuckoolander Was Right: Spencer goes on and on about the guardians fighting off aliens and that there's a clear pattern to all these various newspaper clippings in his home. Team Westen is barely humoring him, only for Michael to find something off about these articles and Sam finding a story from today panned out exactly like Spencer said it would.
• Cutting the Knot: Spencer tried to hack Sharon's computer remotely, which tipped her off that he was on to her, so she arranged for the same "accident" that befell Brad. Michael and Fiona get to the house before the fireworks start, but Spencer just keeps ranting about how they can't be there. Fiona tries to reason with Spencer; Michael just punches him out and carries him to safety.
• Delayed "Oh, Crap!": After listening to a recording of Sharon talking to her goon, it takes Spencer a moment to realize they were talking about killing him.
• Foreshadowing: Fiona's displeasure with Michael trying to get back into the CIA is not resolved. How far Mike is willing to go results in her announcing she's leaving Miami and going home.
• Fun with Subtitles: "Murderer, Traitor"—>"Probably Not An Alien"
• He Knows Too Much: Spencer theorizes that his friend, Brad, was killed because "the aliens" thought he was on to them. In truth, Spencer was just using Brad's work station.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • Outside the loft, Spencer stresses that he can't be seen in the open, as "they" are no doubt looking for him.
    Sam: The aliens?
    Spencer: The police. I broke out of a psych ward. Weren't you listening?
  • Spencer (the guy talking about aliens and decoding codes from beams of light) scoffs at the idea of someone cracking the Zydeco code, saying that would be absurd.
• It's Personal: Sam knew one of the operatives who the bitch (probably not an alien) betrayed.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: Sharon had her goon dispose of Brad, with the fire being ruled a mere accident. Sam's friend was also believed to have died in a rock climbing accident.
• Mean Boss: Shannon so much so that, after seeing Michael rattle her, the receptionist gives him whatever he asks for and calls him a hero.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Spencer's attempt to remotely hack into Sharon's computer gets traced, so she has a mook take care of him. Fiona has to leave her post, thus allowing Sharon to erase her secret copy of the Zydeco code (the biggest evidence of her misdeeds) without getting caught.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: After Shannon goes down, Michael thinks he's got something to give the CIA reason to reconsider him. Diego says the whole situation is so messy that his superiors just want to brush the whole thing under the rug and pretend it never happened.
• Oh, Crap!: Michael and Sam over Spencer being right about his claims.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Fiona skipped the usual trip to the shooting range. She's that upset about Michael's efforts to get back into the CIA.
• Pet the Dog: Sam gets Spencer a crypto job after the mission's over, and the job gets him the meds he needs.
• The Schizophrenia Conspiracy: Spencer is intelligent enough to see patterns in the newspaper that clue him in to good guy spies (guardians) and bad guy spies (aliens from Procyon B).
• You Have to Believe Me!: Spencer when talking about the pattern, especially when Team Westen is looking at the clippings in his home. He's panicked, stammering, and crazed, but they find they really should believe him.
• You Owe Me: Barry feels he can charge Michael for services this time, as the current job required going up north where his mother lives. He says he's been getting her guilt trips for years now, and it's very grating to listen to. Michael, who can understand where Barry's coming from given everything with Madeline, admits that "fair enough".