While Michael tries to help Jesse with a job at an airport, he and Madeline end up entangled in a hostage crises.Madeline tries to wrangle the passengers to safety for Michael while Michael poses as a member of the hostage takers and tries to keep the volatile leader in check.Meanwhile, Sam and Fiona kidnap an old ‘friend’ of Sam’s in the hope of decoding a half-melted hard drive Michael rescued from the fire

So this week we got our first glimpse of The Guy Who Really Killed Max.We have two episodes left in the half-season, with a November return date planned for the show.The show’s climbing back on the ball, tension-wise, when it comes to building interest in what happened to Max.Performances were solid all around, from the airport plot to the humor-filled romp with Sam and Fi.

It crackles with energy from all of the principles, and it’s nice to see Michael grit his teeth and nearly lose it to prove his own worth.

Much of this episode’s success should be credited to Michael T. Weiss’ turn as the head of the hostage takers’ gang.He’s got a bite in this role: his performance feels like something out of a 40’s gangster picture and it’s wonderful to pay witness to.

Once again, the Michael and Madeline son-and-mom relationship is excellent and beautifully rendered, but among the regular cast, watch those Sam and Fiona scenes.They’re funny, acerbic and just this side of adorable (as adorable as a woman tasering a man can be).

“Army of One”is a fun exercise, well within Burn Notice’s usual milieu, but a fun watch .Thumbs up.