Following the suspenseful Burn Notice season 6 premiere, this season's second installment, titled "Mixed Messages", finds Michael teaming up with his former trainer to take down the cartel, while Fiona attempts to survive in prison. Though there's no sign of Anson in this episode, Burn Notice still maintained the level of storytelling shown in the last week's premiere (especially Fiona's story).

Moved to prison to await trial, Fiona begins to read aloud a letter that she's writing Michael. Showing scenes of her being processed at the facility, the once-strong Fiona is beginning to lose hope about her chances of ever being free again.

Sensing this from Fiona's letter, Michael upends one of his sole pieces of furniture. Telling Sam that he has to see her, Michael and Sam attempt to think of ways to make it happen. Noting that Fiona's letter only made it out because of Homeland Security contacts, Sam relays to Michael that none of their contacts want to get near this problem. Fortunately, Sam has another idea.

Reminding Michael that, even though they turned his back on him after being burned, he still has friends in high places, a trip is planned to visit Tom (John C. McGinley), the man who trained Michael. Of course, Michael's trip to his former trainer didn't go as planned. Though Michael tried to convey Fiona's innocence, Tom advises him to walk away from this. Unable to do so, Michael asks for a job, hoping that this will allow him to visit (and reassure) Fiona.

Tasked with helping Tom shutdown the Zetas cartel's expansion into Miami, Michael pulls his team together to make his move on the cartel. Unfortunately, Michael's past once again comes back to bite him, as a familiar face prevents him from joining Jesse on the mission. After a "nice lunch" with the target in question, Jesse sets their plan in motion, though against the wishes of Michael's trainer.

Using a dead body to sell his cover, Jesse finds himself face-to-face with a real DEA agent, who just so happens to be working for the cartel. Revealing that he has been feeding information to the Zetas, Tom, listening in, declares the leak his to handle. If it weren't for an ill-tempered cartel member, Tom could have had the chance. Dumping his body outside of the window, Jesse's cover is secure.

After meeting with a higher-level cartel member, Jesse is once again forced to prove his story in order for the cartel to move their shipment, thus being captured by the DEA. Thanks to some quick thinking from Michael, Jesse was able to convince the cartel to move their shipment, but not before the cartel opened fire on Michael, Sam and Tom.  You know, "to keep them busy."

Tipping off Michael with a few early gunshots, the team was able to get away safely, and the drugs were seized by the DEA. Unfortunately, the Zetas' boss wasn't as convinced by Jesse's story and witnessed the entire takedown. Calling his (now) former Zeta solider, who was still with Jesse, their well-planned mission had been exposed. Reasoning with the solider about his chances of survival with his former employer, Jesse convinces him to work with them.

Briefly joining in the episode, Michael's brother Nate explains how his wife has left him, taking their child with her.

Facing her own problems, Fiona finds herself up against the "boss" of the female prison. After dumping her food to the ground, Fiona begins her slow plan to secure her safety inside. Not knowing who they're actually up against, Fiona improvised some salt water fighting sticks to take down her threats. Having befriended another inmate during the course of her stay, Fiona may have found a way to get through her (hopefully temporary) holding. Or so we thought…

Working in the kitchen with her new prison pal, Fiona finds herself getting hit in the head with a metal pan. Falling face-first into the water, the attack from her "new friend" caught her off guard. Following a brief fight between the two, Fiona forces her friend to reveal who put her up to it. Explaining how a cell phone mysteriously ended up under her pillow, she was forced by a death threat on her sister to kill Fiona.

-

Burn Notice airs Thursdays @9pm on USA

Follow Anthony on Twitter @anthonyocasio