From 2007 through 2013, Burn Notice was one of the most entertaining action-adventure shows on television. Part of the famous Blue Sky, “Characters Welcome” Era of the USA Network, Burn Notice struck a chord with audiences for its amazing cast of charming characters, who shared exceptional chemistry, along with an intriguing spy-thriller premise. The series followed blacklisted CIA operative Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) investigating the reason for his burn notice from the CIA. Throughout multiple seasons, Westen discovers a deeply embedded secret rogue cabal operating within the United States government running illicit black operations. The shadowy group responsible for burning Westen was “The Organization.” While many fans would agree that “The Organization” and their collective members were the main villains of the show, the show’s best villain came in the form of Larry Sizemore, aka “Dead” Larry. Played to perfection by Tim Matheson, “Dead” Larry acted as the perfect adversary to Michael Westen and had a multi-episode character arc. Even after his presumed death, Larry continued to leave a mark on the show and Michael Westen.

Who Is ‘Dead’ Larry?

First introduced in the Season 2 episode, “Double Booked,” as an old acquaintance of Michael, the two men share a history together that’s not made completely clear until later in the series. Larry reintroduces himself to Michael, wanting his help for a freelance job to assassinate a widow who recently received a large inheritance. Essentially, Larry acts as the “Evil” Michael Westen throughout the show. Although Michael generally has a strong moral code, Larry serves as an example of what would happen to Michael if he had no moral compass or conscience. Larry was once a Marine who used to perform operations with Michael on behalf of the United States government, but he later faked his death while on a mission with Michael. He used the opportunity to become a rogue, freelance assassin, willing to kill anyone for the highest bidder.

In the aftermath of receiving a burn notice from the CIA, Michael becomes a freelancer for hire, but his focus is on helping the less fortunate. Throughout the show, his freelance work involves using his skills as a CIA agent to help people who are victims of criminals, gangsters, and other nefarious individuals. Larry is also a freelancer, but unlike Michael, he has no morals. He will kill anyone who gets in his way, and he has no problem with killing civilians or innocent people. Larry felt betrayed by his government, being forged into a weapon and killer, opting to fake his death and go rogue. However, Larry is not concerned with whom he hurts in the process as long as he gets paid the right price. Michael is never okay with that. Michael has killed individuals, and he has also committed questionable acts, even when trying to help others. However, he does not lack the compassion or empathy of Larry, who is a complete psychopath.

Larry’s Dark Influence Over Michael

Throughout his appearances in the series, Larry serves as a reminder of what Michael could become if he went over the edge and became completely unhinged. He repeatedly tries to lure Michael over to his side and way of thinking, even threatening the lives of Michael’s loved ones, his on-again/off-again girlfriend Fiona Glenanne (Gabrielle Anwar), and best friend Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell). Michael never wavers in his commitment to protect his friends from Larry. He never joins Larry’s side, despite Larry’s repeated attempts and threats of coercion.

In Larry’s first appearance, “Double Booked,” the question is raised as to why Michael doesn’t kill Larry when he has the chance. The episode leaves it ambiguous whether Michael did not have a clean shot to kill Larry with a sniper rifle, or if Michael felt reluctant to kill an old friend. Another possibility is that Michael simply did not want to risk shooting Larry’s hostage whom Larry was about to kill. Michael opting not to take the sniper shot, resulted in Larry killing that individual and getting away with some stolen inheritance money. Larry later calls Michael and points out that the hostage was going to die no matter what, a fact Michael knew, and Michael could have ended the “Dead” Larry saga right then and there. However, something stopped Michael from ending Larry’s life. Maybe it was Michael’s moral compass preventing him from taking a life, or maybe there was a deeper connection Michael still had for his old comrade in arms.

Another reason Larry is so dangerous is that his skill and intelligence are on a similar level to Michael’s. Larry is a trained, experienced soldier, not to mention possessing years of experience since going rogue and becoming a freelance assassin. He knows Michael’s playbook and can usually anticipate any move Michael is about to make. Except, unlike Michael, Larry is a vicious, ruthless killer with no moral qualms about who he hurts in the process. Since Larry has no integrity, that arguably makes him an even more volatile, dangerous variable than the show’s designated hero, Michael Westen.

In many ways, Michael Westen and Larry Sizemore are like Burn Notice’s version of Batman and The Joker. Michael, in general, respects authority, the law, and order, even though he sometimes bends the rules and breaks the law in pursuit of his goals. Meanwhile, Larry is an unhinged lunatic who worships chaos, similar to The Joker. Yet much like Batman and The Joker, Michael and Larry have an eerie connection, and there is always something intangible that hinders Michael from ending Larry for good. Perhaps it’s psychological, and Michael, in his own way needs Larry to remind himself that if he were to break bad, he would become like Larry Sizemore.

The End of “Dead” Larry in ‘Burn Notice’

Larry meets his ultimate end in the Season 5 episode, “Dead to Rights.” Coincidentally, this is the same episode that introduces another significant villain of the series, Anson Fullerton (Jere Burns). At first, Fullerton appears as a hapless victim of Larry, but Fullerton turns out to be the true puppet master operating behind the scenes throughout the entire series at that point. Fullerton is revealed to be the true founder and brains behind “The Organization,” the group that framed and orchestrated the blacklisting of Michael from the CIA, causing his burn notice. However, that does not get revealed until later.

By using Anson as his unwitting hostage, Larry coerces Michael into breaking into the British Consulate to steal money after Larry lost all his financial assets to escape an Albanian prison. Fiona manages to lure Larry into a carefully prepped room in the British consulate and sets off an explosion, seemingly killing Larry. While Larry is believed to have died in this explosion, his actual death is left ambiguous. Anson Fullerton sets off another explosion in the consulate that kills two security guards. It’s later revealed that the police only discovered two bodies in the explosion — likely the bodies of the two security guards. In other words, Larry’s body was never found. So just like any good villain, Larry’s ultimate fate is left in the air.

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The Mark Larry Leaves on Michael Is Huge in ‘Burn Notice’

While “Dead to Rights” serves as the canonical ending for Larry in the Burn Notice saga, it is not the character’s last appearance. Larry makes one more in the final season in the Season 7 episode, “Psychological Warfare.” In the episode, Michael undergoes an extreme form of interrogation as he attempts to infiltrate the rogue organization headed by James Kendrick (John Pyper-Ferguson). Under the influence of psychoactive drugs, Michael is haunted by the “ghost” of Larry in his visions. Michael is forced to confront his deepest, darkest fears and his memories, and many of them involve Larry Sizemore.

The flashbacks in this episode reveal Michael’s past missions with Larry, and it’s also revealed that Michael feared that he was becoming like Larry. This episode indicates that even after his apparent death, Larry continues to haunt Michael. Things in Michael’s past left deep emotional and psychological scars, and Larry was a huge part of that. The torturous interrogation Michael undergoes in this episode breaks Michael down, and he almost loses himself, resulting in Michael confronting his fears of becoming like Larry in a way the series had never previously addressed.

Tim Matheson Was More Than Just Larry, He Also Worked Behind the Camera

The writers and producers of Burn Notice did an excellent job in creating Larry Sizemore, and Tim Matheson truly breathes life into the character with his exceptional performance. Matheson, who became a prominent television director over the years, also directs the episode featuring Larry’s introduction in the second season, along with four other episodes throughout the show’s run. Matheson also directed episodes of many of Burn Notice’s contemporaries of the era on the USA Network, including episodes of Covert Affairs, Suits, and White Collar.

Matheson plays a surprisingly memorable bad guy in Burn Notice. What’s scary about Larry is that he doesn’t come off as outwardly threatening or dangerous at first. If anything, Larry comes off more like an old drinking buddy or jovial uncle. At first glance, he seems like an old pal you’d want to hang out and have beers with and reminisce about old war stories. However, that friendly outer layer only hides the true monster that lurks beneath Larry. Matheson’s performance is also effective in how he handles those moments where Larry drops his mask and shows the monster that hides underneath, a killer with no remorse. He handles both the conversational, seemingly friendly, and easygoing side of Larry, along with depicting his true nature. While Larry is a ruthless killing machine, the series and Matheson successfully display Larry’s background and what made him this way. While Larry was only a semi-recurring character, he continues to leave his mark on Michael Westen long after his supposed death since transforming into a monster like Larry is what frightens Michael the most.

Viewers who want to revisit Burn Notice, or even check out the series for the first time, will likely enjoy what Larry brings to the series as the show’s best recurring bad guy. While Larry is not the main villain of the series, it is Larry who unnerves and gets under Michael’s skin unlike any of the other characters. Along with Matheson’s incredible portrayal, Larry Sizemore remains the best villain of the Burn Notice saga.

All of Burn Notice can be streamed on Hulu.