1. Pilot

Complete story — includes the ending

Michael Westen, a covert-operations agent working for the U.S. Government, is on an assignment in Nigeria when he suddenly and unexpectedly gets " burned ". After barely escaping with his life on the first flight he can get out of the country, he wakes up in his hometown of Miami, Florida, under government surveillance. There, he also reconnects with significant people from his past: his gun-happy ex-girlfriend Fiona; his beer-loving, womanizing best friend, ex-Navy SEAL Sam Axe; even his very lonely, chain-smoking mother Madeline. In order to make ends meet and track down leads on who burned him and why, Michael uses his skills helping people in significant trouble, beginning with an estate caretaker ( David Zayas ) who has been framed by his boss ( Ray Wise ) for a high-priced art theft. Finally, Michael hears back from his old handler why he was burned and that he can't leave Miami without putting his life in danger, a reality proven when he returns home to find pictures of himself scattered about with a message: "Welcome to Miami," the show's tagline. The teleplay by Matt Nix won a 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Award, honoring the best in mystery, in the category Best Television Episode Teleplay.