Burn Notice: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Fiona

Michael Westen is the force that drives Burn Notice but Fiona “Fi” Glenanne is the heart and soul of it. The character is extremely likable, thanks to her daredevilry, one-liners, and a big heart. Fiona is always ready to help Michael accomplish his dangerous missions, even though the favors aren’t always returned.

Despite working well with Michael, her romantic relationship with him is often complicated. The two are experts at breaking up and getting back together. But that’s part of what makes the USA spy series so great. The following are some key facts about Fiona Glenanne that fans didn’t know.

10 Weapons Of Choice

Fiona is quite skilled with weapons, thanks to her former life as a member of the paramilitary organization, the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Michael even describes her as “a trigger-happy ex-girlfriend.” She has proven to be more skilled with weapons than Sam Axe, who served in the US military.

Her weapon of choice is the Walther PPK 7.65mm. She also enjoys using the Colt .45 ACP M1911. At various stages of the series, she has been spotted using shotguns too.

9 The Cars She Has Owned

At the beginning of Season 2, Fiona moves around Miami in a white Honda CRV. Later, Michael buys a SAAB 9-3 convertible from one of his clients and sells it to Fiona.

The car comes in handy at the end of Season 2 when it’s used to distract Carla’s agents as they are chasing Michael. Fiona sells the car just before she gets abducted. She is never seen purchasing another car in the series. Most of the time, she acquires random cars. Due to her skills on the road, she is often the designated driver when with her friends.

8 She Drops Her Irish Accent

In the pilot episode, Fiona speaks with an Irish accent, which is understandable since she had lived in Ireland most of her life. In future episodes, she switches to an American accent.

Even when she goes back to Ireland with Charlie and Michael, she still maintains her American accent. The reason for this isn’t clear. Perhaps actress Gabrielle Anwar wasn’t comfortable enough with the Irish dialect. Though Anwar is English by birth, she has lived in America for most of her life.

7 Her Favorite Meal

Fiona loves to eat Spanish omelet without the york. She has been seen eating them several times at Michael’s apartment and at the restaurants in Miami.

Michael, on the other hand, loves his yogurt. He keeps several packs in the refrigerator. Sam Axe isn’t much of a food guy. He prefers his mojitos which he takes from morning to evening. In fact, Same is rarely seen eating during the series. Alcohol matters to him more and we don’t blame him.

6 How She Ends Up In Miami

Fiona was a member of the IRA for 14 years. She began feuding with her superiors because she didn’t like being given instructions. This is a trait she maintains in the series.

She decides to move to Miami where she survived on her own by working odd jobs that required her skills. Before Michael arrives, she makes a living by detonating explosives, tracking down criminals as a bounty hunter, picking locks, and doing security jobs for high-net-worth individuals.

5 She Has A Soft Spot For Children

Even though she has no child of her own, Fiona has a soft spot for children. This trait manifests itself in her when she is forced to take care of a client’s child in Season 1. After that incident, she often becomes angry whenever someone endangers a child. At the end of the series, she even adopts a child.

In the Season 2 episode titled “Hot Spot,” she talks Michael into taking up a case that he isn’t really interested in. The case involves a football player whose life was threatened after he attacked a gangster for assaulting his younger sister. Michael thus makes it his mission to teach the gangsters a lesson.

4 She Has Siblings

Fiona mentions different siblings in various stages of the series. They all add up to 6. Her most notable sibling is her older brother, Sean, who is introduced in the series when he attempts to kill a person involved in a drive-by shooting.

Fiona also has a deceased sister named Claire. She mentions her in the Season 3 episode “Long Way Back.” Sam is shocked to find out that Fiona has a sister, meaning that this is information she kept from her closest friends. Fiona also reveals that she has been looking for the man who killed her sister for a very long time.

3 She Is An Expert In Bomb-Making

Fiona has unrivaled expertise in bomb-making. This is also a skill she acquired during her time with the IRA. She has proven to be better than Michael, who was trained by the CIA on such matters.

For example, when she takes on a Miami gangster named Felix Cole, with Michael and Sam, Michael tries making a bomb dubbed the “hockey puck.” The bomb is made from detcord coil and rubber. Michael struggles, so Fiona steps in and does it. By simply looking at pictures, she is also able to tell that Jason Bly is lying when he states that Michael was killed in a truck bombing.

2 She Is Multilingual

Apart from her different accents, Fiona is multilingual. She speaks French and can also adopt a French accent while speaking English, This was proven in Season 2’s premiere episode.

Fiona also understands Spanish. She was able to understand criminals who were speaking Spanish while Michael couldn’t figure out what they were saying. For Michael, this is surprising because spies are normally required to be proficient in several languages. A common language like Spanish shouldn’t be so hard to grasp for the former CIA agent.

1 The USA Network Created A Blog About Her

In June 2007, the USA Network created a blog about Fiona. The blog was frequently updated with stories about Fiona’s encounters in Miami outside the storyline series. Most of the encounters were with characters that weren’t in the series. They were mostly people from her former life or current friends.

Occasionally, Michael’s mother Madeline would be included in the stories too. Unfortunately, the blog didn’t last for long. Perhaps a Fiona sequel would have been a good idea.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1211 Articles Published)

Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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