There's been some movement on Michael's burn notice, with lots of experts studying it to see if he can be brought back into the fold. Complicating matters, Fiona's past has caught up with her. An old enemy is in town and her brother followed to defend her.
- Berserk Button:
- When Fiona gets taken, Michael loses his cool.
- Fiona rattles O'Neill by saying he's so hated in Ireland that the locals want him dead.
- Cliffhanger: In the fallout of Strickler's death, someone is cleaning up loose ends. Finding Diego dead, Michael knows this new enemy is coming after him next, but he has no idea what to expect.
- Easily Forgiven: Though never legally connected to his bombings, O'Neill is widely hated and shunned back in Ireland for his practices. However, he's certain that delivering Fiona to some well-connected enemies will change his standing considerably.
- Fighting Irish: Fiona's brother has quite the temper. It takes a lot of urging to keep him from opening fire on O'Neill even with Michael in the crossfire. he also ignores Michael and goes after O'Neill on his own. O'Neill counts, too.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Michael cautions Sean about where to park his car in relation to the safehouse. Sean insists that's not his car right before O'Neill's men burst in.
- Foreshadowing: As O'Neill and his men attack, Michael is left incapacitated. Before he passes out, he sees O'Neill ordering a mook to spare him and using his real last name. After waking up, Michael immediately knows that O'Neill and Strickler cut a deal.
- Framing the Guilty Party: The intent is to stick an unaware O'Neill with a recreation of one of his signature bombs and then call the authorities. In the end, Michael gets one such bomb into O'Neill's getaway boat, with Sam handling the call to the Coast Guard. However, Michael leaves another such bomb next to Strickler's body. O'Neill is implicated and charged in Strickler's murder, as well as officially connected to the bombings he previously got away with.
- Fun with Subtitles:Fiona: I am not one of your damn clients.
Subtitle: Fiona - The Client - Hidden Heart of Gold: Michael doesn't have a lot of fond memories of the house he grew up in, but he's taken aback by Maddie wanting to sell the place and not quite ready to let it go. He tries to remain detached and unconcerned whenever the subject is brought up, but he's passive-aggressive about Maddie springing this decision on him, and he can't quite hide his interest in the boxes of his childhood belongings. Ultimately, he concedes he's not ready to move on.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: O'Neill is said to have performed 12 bombings with his signature design, but no one could ever prove anything legally. Michael ensures that changes by sneaking a copy of said bomb into his belongings. O'Neill is ultimately arrested and facing assorted charges.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Fiona's brother says that Michael's American accent seems a bit dodgy. Fans had been noting for a while that Donovan's Massachusetts accent was wildly out of place for a kid who grew up in Miami.
- Makes Us Even: Out of concern anyone in Ireland might go after Michael for being an undercover American, Sean promises to keep any trouble at bay. He feels that's repaying the debt of Michael saving Fiona's life.
- Never Suicide: Diego wanted to meet up with Michael and discuss the situation, including his belief that someone was following him. By the time Michael gets there, Diego is dead on the ground and believed to have jumped out a window.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: O'Neill tells Michael that he's fortunate to have friends in high places and uses his real last name. It doesn't take Michael any time to figure out who O'Neill was talking about.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Michael kills Strickler. Two shots to the chest. No hesitation.
- Persona Non Grata: O'Neill goes down for his crimes (and something Michael actually did), but not before he outed Michael's true identity to those back home. Sean says that, for their own safety, neither Michael nor Fiona can ever go back to Ireland.
- Properly Paranoid: According to Sean, there were always those in their circle in Ireland that suspected Michael was secretly working against them.
- Race Against the Clock: After killing Strickler, Michael has only an hour to go get Sam for back-up, head to the docks, and rescue Fiona.
- Rage Breaking Point: Michael storms into Strickler's office in a rage, but he goes off the chart when he learns that not only did Strickler sell her to O'Neill, but he refuses to let Michael save her.Strickler: Why don't you do yourself a favor and just forget the past!
Michael: Fiona is not my past. [shoots Strickler] - Sadist: O'Neill's signature bomb includes a type of rat poison containing an anticoagulant. As Fiona says, it's designed to increase the chances of those who survive the blast bleeding to death. Sean thinks O'Neill does it for the headlines and infamy, but Fiona thinks he enjoys the suffering he causes.
- Shadow Archetype: O'Neill to Fiona. The death of her sister, Claire, pushed Fiona into a murderous rage, something that O'Neill initially thought made them kindred. He also shares her smart mouth and penchant for spectacle. However, Fiona was always against doing anything that would harm children, a sentiment that O'Neill never shared. She denounces him as a monster that practically used any excuse simply to murder women and children.
- Skewed Priorities: After Fiona gets away, O'Neill desperately tries to go after her. His remaining mooks, however, refuse on account of the firefight going badly and the authorities being certain to show up any moment.
- Spiteful Spit: Fiona after mocking O'Neill's punching ability.
- Status Quo Is God: Played with. This episode teases two major changes to the status quo (Fiona returning to Ireland, and Maddie selling her house to move somewhere new) but by the end neither of those happen (Fiona discovers she's now Persona Non Grata back in Ireland, and Maddie realizes the house means too much to everyone for her to sell it). On the other hand, the story arc of Strickler fixing Michael's burn notice comes to an abrupt end when Michael finally realizes how bad Strickler is and shoots him dead—and the cliffhanger ending implies someone is in Miama cleaning up Strickler's loose ends, and will be gunning for Michael next.
- Tranquil Fury: Michael starts his final confrontation with Strickler shouting and knocking over furniture. He ends it calmly stating his position and murdering Strickler.
- Use Your Head: During the firefight at the docks, Fiona does to O'Neill so that she can make a break for it.
- What the Hell, Hero?: With Strickler dead, the truth about him comes to light with the agency and Diego calls Michael in terror asking what the hell he was thinking working with the man.
- Worf Had the Flu: As Fiona says, she was in the middle of a move and already sent the biggest pieces of her arsenal on ahead, which leaves her more vulnerable than usual to O'Neill and his team. She can't stand the fact that this technically makes her one of Michael's clients.
- Would Hit a Girl: Double subverted. O'Neill wants Fiona in one piece for the auction and resists the urge to do anything, but when she deliberately rattles him, he decks her.Fiona: You hit like a girl.
- You Monster!: While in captivity, Fiona denounces O'Neill this way.
- Your Costume Needs Work: Sean takes Michael's Irish accent at face value, but he feels the American accent is dodgy.
