Burn Notice Season 01 Episode 07 "Broken Rules" was first aired last August 9, 2007 and below are the spy tips and tactics:
* For anyone who works in covert ops, names have a special power. Knowing someone's real name and who they work for, you've got something on them. Out a spy in the field, and you could get him killed. Out a bureaucrat and you'll just piss him off.
* The longer you run from the police the more certain you are to get caught. There's a small window of time after a chase begins before backup arrives, before helicopters are deployed. If you want any chance of getting away you'd best use this time to find someplace secluded- and bail out.
* In intelligence work, surveillance is called coverage. It's like basketball- you can run zone defense or man-to-man. Man-to-man's risky. Follow someone too long, they're going to get suspicious. The zone is usually the way to go- stay put and let targets come to you. Less obvious, easier on the feet.
* Explaining the rules of covert ops is always a challenge. It's a world where good guys look like bad guys and two wrongs do, in fact, make a right.
* As cover I.D.'s go, I prefer rich businessman or international playboy to crazy thief. But if the situation calls for it, you do what you have to do.
* The term "shock and awe" gets misused a lot these days. It's a popular name for a military tactic known as "rapid dominance." Whether you do it with a thousand-pound bomb or with a can of turpentine and a power drill it's all about being spectacular.
* Piss off a criminal organization and you could end up dead. But if they don't kill you, they've got plans for you.
* There's no substitute for improvisation. Even the best plans can't anticipate everything. You better be able to roll with the punches.
* They say you only get one chance to make a first impression with an employer. Doesn't matter if you're a store manager or a strong-arm guy. You've got to put your best foot forward.
* Any new employer is looking for the same things. Are you willing to go the extra mile? Can you take the initiative, impress them?
* In any new job, there's always friction with your coworkers. They're wondering if the boss likes the new guy better if he's going to make them look bad. In some jobs, that can get you a dark look in the break room. In other jobs, that can get you a bullet in the back of the head.
* Military firebombs are typically white phosphorus or chlorine trifluoride. These are remarkably effective but they're also unstable, lethally toxic and hard to find at the grocery store. The main ingredient in a homemade firebomb, on the other hand is Styrofoam. A military demolitions expert can put something together in a few hours. An I.R.A. trained guerrilla can do it in 20 minutes, give or take.
* Being a spy, you have to get comfortable with the idea of people doing bad things for good reasons and doing good things for bad reasons. You do the best you can.
* In any kind of covert intelligence operation it's important to be careful what you wish for. The information that you fight so hard to get may be everything you wished for -or it may just make your life more complicated.
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