Burn Notice: Michael’s 10 Best Aliases

In the USA drama series Burn Notice, the newly blacklisted CIA operative Michael Westen takes up a job as a private investigator in his hometown of Miami to keep himself busy while trying to find out who was responsible for his ouster and why. In order to do his job as a P.I. well, he uses aliases on the regular.

Thanks to the numerous tricks he was taught at the CIA, Michael is able to come up with the most convincing of aliases. Apart from helping him blend in and gain trust, the aliases are always a source of humor too since Michael has a way of making even the smartest of villains look idiotic when he is pretending to be someone he is not.

10 McBride

Shortly before he gets “burned,” Michael goes by the name McBride while undercover as an IRA member in Ireland. In fact, among the things, fans miss about Michael’s love interest Fiona in Burn Notice is that she meets him during this specific period, making it a significant moment in the show.

The alias helps Michael fit in an organization that has a history of being impenetrable by spies and law enforcement officers due to detailed background checks of its members. The alias also boosts Michae’s odds of winning Fiona’s heart. Though she sticks with him even after learning that he is American, she has confessed that she would never have agreed to go on a date with him if she knew he wasn’t Irish.

9 Louis

As Louis, Michael pretends to be the “devil” himself. With a red shirt, black suit, and gruff voice, he convinces a religious gang that he is straight from hell. It all happens after one of Sam’s old Navy SEAL buddies seeks help in flushing out a sexual predator that is hiding among the gang members.

Michael’s creativity is the reason he is way more likable than the best TV and movie spies (such as James Bond). His alias here is basically a seesaw, switching between ridiculous and amazing. Posing as the devil, Michael is seeking to persuade the religious gang to let go of that “bigger sinner” among them or else hell awaits. And he sure is convincing since, when he snaps his fingers, explosives go off. These explosives have actually been placed by his buddies Sam and Fiona but the gang doesn’t know that. In the end, the predator is flushed out.

8 Sergei Yablonovich

To help a man whose sister has been kidnapped by the Miami-based Russian mobsters, Michael pretends to be Sergei, another Russian mafioso from Tampa. He convinces his Miami colleagues that the feds are watching hence they must move the girl.

Michael’s ability to pull off different accents so easily is something that can only be matched by the most talented of thespians. Here, he makes the mobsters believe that he is truly one of them. Warning them of impending doom if they don’t act fast makes him gain their trust. And by offering to personally move the girl, he becomes even more valuable. Little do they know that he wants to re-kidnap the girl and take her back to her family.

7 Steve Remington

Michael’s brother Nate has a habit of accepting jobs without Michael approving first. At one point, he pledges to help an airport security guard who is being threatened and pressured by gun runners to leave a plane off the log. Michael agrees to help and poses as a flashy arms dealer.

Another reason Michael’s aliases always work is that he always looks the part. Michael flaunting money inside a nightclub is enough to convince the arms dealers that he can help them grow their business. With trust gained, they foolishly show him where they are keeping all the weapons. Michael steals the arms, spooking the dealers in the process. Afraid that they are being targeted, they leave town. This alias is also partly influenced by Pierce Brosnan’s character in one of the best 80s cult shows, Remington Steele.

6 Andrew Chambers

A house-sitter finds himself in a difficult position when kidnappers take his fiancé, thinking he is the owner of the mansion and can pay a $5 million ransom. He hires Michael, who pretends to be a hostage negotiator named Andrew Chambers.

Again, Michael has this one well thought out. To prove he is not law enforcement, he wears Armani. In a voice-over, he states that lawmen aren’t always that flashy, so a flashy person indirectly communicates that they are not an undercover cop. It’s voiceover explanations like these that qualify Burn Notice for inclusion among the best shows from the 2000s to binge-watch. Michael’s strategy is simple: buy enough time by bonding with the chief gangster while his buddies work on freeing the hostage. When the gang leader heads back, to his warehouse, he finds the hostage gone.

5 Terry Miller

The CIA tasks Michael with helping a techie get data that is being guarded by a firm that offers mercenary firepower to businessmen. He thus poses as Terry Miller, the CEO of a mining company with interests in Kenya. To make sure he is getting the best deal, he asks to inspect the firm’s facilities.

A firm that provides mercenary firepower is guaranteed to prioritize caution, so it isn’t a surprise that they start doubting Michael. He expected it to play out that way too and that’s why he planned for his own buddies to attack the building and shoot at him, giving the impression that he is really in danger. This way, the firm is convinced. Michael is then allowed to inspect the facilities and obtain the information needed.

4 Rich Franklin

Curious about his new CIA handler, Carla, Michael poses as the Miami Herald reporter Rich Franklin and heads over to a consulate. He strongly suspects she worked for Kurdistan.

A good number of Michael’s plans have worked better when he is with Sam and this time, the two use a cliche yet effective method. Sam causes havoc at the embassy lobby, distracting security in the process. Michael then sneaks in and steals files. By doing this, Michael manages to find plenty of dirt on Carla. And by blackmailing her, he turns her from boss to puppet.

3 Tom Wellington, Esq.

A Venezuelan crime boss named Rufino Cortez begins grabbing land so Michael is hired by one of the victims to stop the menace. He approaches Cortez’s right-hand man as Tom Wellington, Esq., the lawyer of an investment group seeking to do business.

The alias yields double results. Not only does it help Michael gain access to Cortez but it also helps the burned CIA operative learn that one of his associates is a double-agent, working for Cortez too. It’s a more difficult mission for Michael since it’s out of US soil. He also gets shot, but the intel he acquires proves valuable in his quest to get reinstated at the agency.

2 Kyle Barkley

A doctor being terrorized by drug lords comes to Michael for help. The burned CIA agent thus poses as a Fentanyl dealer named Kyle. He then proposes a business deal with the cartel.

Michael’s persuasiveness works for him again this time. After getting close to the cartel, Michael makes himself valuable by painting himself as a man who has plenty of information about law enforcement. The cartel members thus lend him an ear. Later on, the gullible traffickers believe him when he informs them an ex-delta operative is coming after them. Afraid, they leave town and leave the doctor alone.

1 Mikey

Sam’s imprisoned friend rubs the leader of a prison gang the wrong way when he turns down a request. Michael gets himself arrested in order to protect him. While in prison, he goes by the name Mikey.

The episode has plenty of Prison Break and Lupin elements, with Michael and his band of buddies orchestrating an escape. All the challenges that come up are overcome because the people pulling the strings are too smart for everyone else. Once again, Michael proves that there is really nothing he can’t do.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
(1222 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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