After the shocking shake-up that ended season two, things haven't calmed down in the third season premiere of Burn Notice. The show may be short the sexiness of Tricia Helfer's Carla, but thanks to its steamy location in Miami Beach, Florida, and the always reliable Gabrielle Anwar as ex-IRA member Fiona, the heat is still on for Jeffrey Donovan's Michael Westen and his cohorts.

Last year's finale left Carla dead, and Michael finally got a look at those behind his burning (it's Frasier's dad, John Mahoney, in a nicely villainous turn). He doesn't have any real answers, but his decision to jump in the ocean from their helicopter was more than just an escape; he's no longer under the agency's protection, which leaves him open to investigation by both local police and foreign intelligence agencies. Due to a tip-off from the burners, it takes all of five minutes for the Miami P.D. to be on Michael's still-dripping tail at the beginning of "Friends and Family." The ex-agent's intelligence intervenes, and he smartly decides not to fight the police who try to arrest him, saying, "It's easier to dodge questions than to dodge bullets."

But all that question-dodging has Michael sitting in jail with little hope for escape, until an old friend comes to his aid. Billed as an "Old Buddy," Harlan (Brian Van Holt, the sadly short-lived Threshold) doesn't just have Michael's interests in mind. Instead, he wants Michael to help him out on a mission to extradite Rufino "El Jefe" Cortez, a criminal responsible for removing people from their land in a Latin American country. Of course, there's a pretty girl involved, but the job seems legit. Michael poses as an anonymous client's laywer to try to get access to Rufino, but all he gets is a dislocated shoulder from the kingpin's gatekeeper, Falcone (smarmy-looking Buffy alum Jeff Kober).

With help from Harlan, Fi, and Sam (Bruce Campbell), Michael plans a way around Falcone's proposed rolling meeting. But double crosses (unsurprisingly) abound here — as does plenty of explosive action — and it turns out that Rufino isn't the real target; it's Michael, and his "old buddy" is willing to give him up. Michael treats Harlan better than Harlan would have done to his friend, merely leaving him for the authorities to deal with.

Trust is a central issue to Burn Notice. Michael — and the audience — is never sure who is in his corner, and with Fi and Sam finally established as loyal, everyone else's allegiance is up in the air. The revelation that an old compatriot can be bought isn't a shocking one, but it's refreshing to see such a theme revisited so early in the season.

Along these lines, Burn Notice nicely channels the work of Elmore Leonard, including Out of Sight, The Big Bounce, and Rum Punch (which was adapted into Jackie Brown). Of course, locale is key; the action just wouldn't play as well in chilly Minnesota or dreary Seattle. Plus, it wouldn't look as stylish, which has been one of Burn Notice's strong points. This episode is nicely directed by actor Tim Matheson, who has made a fine behind-the-camera career directing episodes of this show, as well as Criminal Minds and Burn Notice's network mate Psych. Fight-wise, Burn Notice features camerawork in the same vein as The Bourne Identity and its sequels, giving the show a look more commonly associated with cinema than TV.

Burn Notice’s only occasional failing is its dialogue. Every so often the show suffers from poor writing, but its strong cast largely saves it. Only the always awesome Bruce Campbell could get away with saying some of these lines, but he not only gets away with it—the B-movie king’s dry delivery almost got a laugh out of me when the dialogue as written might have only prompted a groan at best.

If the shots of Fi in a tank top and pigtails wasn’t enough for you, the teaser for tonight's episode, "Question and Answer", promises a guest appearance by Terminator Salvation’s Moon Bloodgood.