Episode 516: Depth Perception

Depth Perception
Season 5, Episode 16

Air date	December 1, 2011
Written by	Ben Watkins
Directed by	Craig Siebels
Episode Guide
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Depth Perception is the sixteenth episode of Season 5 of Burn Notice.

Synopsis[]

Michael must ask Anson for help after Sam's old friend Beatriz turns up in Miami with a hitman on her trail.

Spy Facts[]

When a spy is killed in the field, it's often hardest on the people they were spying on. Mourning the death of someone you thought you knew is complicated enough when the spy was a trusted colleague or friend. But it's even more difficult when they were someone you loved.
The Cayman Islands are only home to 60,000 people. But thanks to lenient tax laws, it's the 5th largest financial center in the world. But it's not banking, like most people are used to. Bank locations tend to not offer services like online bill pay, drive-through teller windows, or even ATM's. What they lack in modern conveniences, they make up for in guaranteeing their clients complete security and anonymity. Whether you're a Wall Street executive looking for a tax shelter, or an international criminal hiding a small fortune, it's nearly impossible for government agencies to access your information when your bank of choice is nothing more than a number in a phone book, a sign on the window, and a sleazy banker with very white teeth.
When you want to catch a well placed and well protected spy, you can't just call local police. That kind of investigation takes high-level resources and an even higher level of operational secrecy, which means you have to start with someone connected to the very top.
Surviving an enemy sniper attack is about finding adequate cover while being able to stay mobile enough to escape the shooter's pre-scouted kill zone. Pulling the shifter linkage of a parked car into neutral and using it as a rolling barricade allows you to do both as long as you can get it moving.
As a spy, you get used to the idea that you sometimes have to ask your enemies for help. It's not an easy thing to do, but unfortunately, the best information is often in the hands of the worst people.
Faking someone's death is all about getting the details right. The human body contains five liters of blood. Finding half that amount spilled across the seat of an abandoned car is enough to lead any crime-scene investigator to draw the obvious conclusion. Answering the remaining questions of where the body went and how the victim was injured is as simple as a blood trail run cold, destroying any DNA that doesn't match the victim, and lots and lots of bullets.
If you want to incapacitate an enemy's moving car, the first thing you need is a bigger vehicle. A utility truck gives you enough horsepower to keep you from getting left in the dust, and a full-size metal bumper that can take a pounding. The trick is getting close enough to your target to precisely time an accident that keeps innocent bystanders out of harm's way and surprises your enemy with a hard impact to force them out of control. And if their wheels aren't touching the ground, they'll have no way to escape.

Recap[]

Maddie is still coming to terms with Benny's death, and her relationship with Michael continues to deteriorate after he tells her that Anson had filled in as her therapist; explaining how Benny's seemed to know her so well. As a result she slaps her son and kicks him out of her house.

Anson sends Michael and company to the Cayman Islands to help secure a bank account worth $200 million. Fiona and Jesse head over and meet up with the banker in charge of the account, a man named George Anders. They bribe him into helping them out by threatening to expose the identities of his major clients, mostly drug dealers and terrorists. Anders wasn't planning on cooperating, but Fiona and Jesse convince him otherwise. They promise him that they'll help fake his death and that he can get as much money from the account as he wants, and he agrees.

Meanwhile, Beatriz, Sam's colleague whom he met in Columbia, is in Miami to seek out Sam's help. She knows the Russians are after her for some articles she wrote about corrupt Russian oil companies in South America. Michael has no choice but to ask Anson to help profile the assassin. Anson agrees, but in exchange he gets to ask Michael personal questions about his life.

Anson identifies the assassin as a man named Oscar. Michael and Anson find out that Oscar's Russian handler is named Ivan, and he works at a Russian front company in Miami. Ivan threatens Michael, warning him to back off from the case or else he'll be killed. Michael, of course, refuses. He tells Ivan that Beatriz is a Russian spy herself, working undercover, which convinces Ivan to call Oscar off.

Sam tries to figure out a way to get rid of Anson completely, and he's checking around with his FBI contacts for help. However, Anson spreads word that if Beatriz is a Russian spy, then Sam must be working for the Russians as well. Sam's hands end up virtually tied.

Anson tells Michael that he's been gathering intel on him for a very long time. His most prolific source was Frank Westen himself. Anson pushed Frank for info about his son through a lot of drunken conversations, and Anson says that Frank wanted to apologize to his ex-wife and his son for his terrible behavior. But he'll never get to do that. Anson confesses to inducing Frank's heart attack, after Frank got too suspicious about Anson's true motives.

Cast[]

Main[]

Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen
Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne
Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe
Coby Bell as Jesse Porter
Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen

Recurring[]

Jere Burns as Anson Fullerton
Marc Macaulay as Agent Harris

Guest[]

Chris Marks as Oscar Markov
Ilza Ponko as Beatriz Pendas
Mark Ivanir as Ivan Vaskov

Notes[]

Beatriz appeared in the movie The Fall of Sam Axe.

References[]

Summary from tv.com.

Quotes[]

Sam Axe: [someone is trying to kill Sam's friend Beatriz] Mike, uh, this may sound crazy, but we know a shrink whose job it is to profile and identity agents like this.
Michael Westen: You want to bring *Anson* in on this?
Sam Axe: We got to find this guy before he takes another shot. Anson's our best bet at IDing him.
Michael Westen: Anson's killed at least four people since we met him. Are you sure you want to ask *him* for help?
Sam Axe: Mike, I don't like this either, but the kid means a lot to me, okay? She saved my life more than once when I was down in Colombia. So if she comes to me for help, I'm damn well gonna do it.

Share this quote

Anson Fullerton: You want me to help you find a Russian spy? Michael, I think you're confused about the nature of our relationship. You work for me.
Michael Westen: And I've done what you've asked. Now I'm asking for something in return.
Anson Fullerton: What you get in return is your girlfriend's freedom. Now don't call me again until you have my money.
Michael Westen: Before you go, I want you to think about something. You've seen my psych profile.
Anson Fullerton: I helped write your psych profile.
Michael Westen: Good. Then you know that if my friends are in danger - real danger - I will help them, whatever the risks.
Anson Fullerton: What's the point?
Michael Westen: My point is I'm no good to you dead or in jail. So you help me, and it's a lot more likely I will stay healthy, free, and useful to you.