Pop Vultures

Summer is clearly meant to be a time of fun. It’s the season when people break out their lawn chairs, smallest clothes, and pitchers of margaritas and do their best to live in the moment, one afternoon at a time. Summer is not a time for deep thought. Why do you think all those famous philosophers come from cold countries like Germany? No one has ever heard of a famous Antiguan philosopher, have they? I rest my case.

I have been reveling in the purely fun nature of summer as much as anyone. In fact, since that I just wrapped up my last teaching contract and moved to a new, fabulous city, I’ve been having a whole lot of fun. Like, IV of tequila in one arm, ibuprofen in the other arm fun. In my few lucid moments, I am, of course, watching television. Still, even my television set knows it’s summer, and thoughtfully wrapped up all series that require deep thought weeks ago. Instead, we get joyously empty-headed programming to see us through the summer months, the televisual equivalent of drinks on the patio or a visit to a theme park.

My favorite of these shiny, happy shows is easily Burn Notice, which returned Thursday night on USA. Burn Notice embodies everything a summer series should be. It’s bright and colorful, full of pretty people wearing little clothing, and stuffed full of ridiculous plots that only make one demand of the viewers: go along for the ride, and you’ll have a good time.

And that’s exactly what this show is, a fun theme park ride, full of twists and turns and adrenaline. After watching the first season, I only wondered why every summer schedule hasn’t contained a lightweight spy drama, as it’s the perfect filler for the warmer months. A show that might seem like a bit of mindless fluff in November is absolutely perfect for the warm days of July.

The show’s success hinges in large part on its lead, played by Jeffrey Donovan. His spy is the bastard love child of MacGyver and Sydney Bristow, one who was raised in foster care long enough to develop some serious trust issues. Like any great fictional spy, the audience knows he can handle himself in any situation, and the joy comes from watching exactly how he finds his way out of the various scrapes. He’s probably the coolest guy on television, one whose clever, cynical voice-overs juxtapose neatly with the way he’ll go running as soon as his chain-smoking mother needs him. His character has just enough layers to keep him interesting in the midst of all the shiny fluff. His flaws — emotional distance, paranoia — are mostly internal, but since he never discusses his issues at any length, they merely add a quiet depth to his character, rather than serve as a platform for angst-filled conversations. He does have a truly terrible Cockney accent, but does it with so much style that I can forgive even that.

If that wasn’t enough, I’d have to support the show purely for the fact that it keeps Bruce Campbell working on a regular basis. The man can do no wrong in my eyes (hey, he even did his best in Bubba Ho-Tep). Here he adds consistent comic relief as the ex-Navy Seal who assists on the various cases. Gabrielle Anwar, as the gun-loving ex-girlfriend, is a bit less reliable — I really wish she would just pick an accent and stick with it — but she seems to be settling a bit more into her character’s strange mix of gleeful violence and emotional angst. This season’s addition of guest star Tricia Helfer manages to increase both the talent and the eye-candy quotient of the supporting cast, as well.

The show itself embraces its summery nature, with lots of loving shots of sunny Miami and more bikini-clad extras than you’ve seen since the beach episodes of 90210. At no point does it take itself too seriously, and its stylized production always manages to fall on the correct side of the “cleverly self aware or annoyingly quirky” boundary.

In the end, the show is a plain old good time, and I’m quite happy to have it back for a second season. Plus, I hear it goes even better with a margarita or two. Someone, pass the tequila.

Burn Notice airs Thursdays at 10pm on USA.