Leverage 2 hour event: June 27--the fan girl review by Alexis-Rueal

"Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys"

Another week of Leverage and another 2 hours of Nate and the gang putting the cock block on greedy bastards that try to cornhole the little guy every chance they get.

Here's the run down on each hour

***MINOR SPOILERS BELOW***

The Inside Job-- "let's go steal us a Parker"

This episode had Nate and the gang racing against the clock to save Parker after she gets trapped while breaking into the Wakefield agricultural corporation. They have to face down the Steranko security system that Hardison says "the CIA calls 'overkill'."

As the team works to break Parker out, they discover that she was working with Archie Leach-- whom they discover was her mentor, and one of the greatest thieves in the world. Leave it to a show like Leverage to bring out the big guns by getting Richard Chamberlain to play Archie.

I going to get on a soapbox for a moment: We are woefully hard-pressed to find actors with the suave demeanor, impeccable skill... and dashing looks as Mr. Chamberlain. (DAMN! I woulda gone so fan-girly on him about 30 years ago-- people would think I needed help) He brought a nice juxtaposition to Timothy Hutton's Nate, and their scenes together were a lesson in fine acting. *steps down from soap box*

Anyway, we find out that Archie's really real family will be killed if Archie doesn't steal an item from the company-- which focuses on developing grains and cereals. After discovering that this company has been fighting take-over bids for quite some time, the team sends Hardison and Sophie in as auditors so that Hardison can get into the computer system and get Parker a path out of the building.

It is discovered that Archie was hired by an inside employee named Dr. Hannity, who wanted them to steal some mega bad-ass wheat (really... this shit is EPIC bad) so it would infect all the wheat in the world and her company could make a killing selling their brand of immune wheat. (It just got real for our Wheaties)

The team does what they do best in order to get Parker out; but what made this episode so interesting is what Parker chooses to do when forced to decide between escape or bringing down the bad guy-- which, in essence, was choosing between her mentor and her team. Her decision caused some tension between Archie, who believes in staying out of the reasons WHY someone wants an item stolen; and Nate, who believes using their powers of mild evil to bring about some good in the world. The way the team and Leach come together to work around that decision provided a really entertaining and original way to bring down Dr. Hannity

There was a very sweet scene at the end between Parker and Archie-- a goodbye to her former life and an acceptance of who she has become thanks to Nate and the Leverage team.

These episodes just keep getting better and better, and we keep learning little tid-bits about the team's past. We also know that Nate is still in the doghouse with Sophie (working off the slap from the end last season). I was engrossed in this episode and looking forward to the next hour.

Speaking of which:

The "Scheherazade Job" was just as good of an episode tonight.

This episode focused on a the team trying helping a reporter in taking down an African diamond smuggler and all-around prick extraordinaire, Alexander Moto. He is the brother of the President of a country called Wadata; and while the President is a good man, Moto is the little son of a bitch that uses children to mine the diamonds and then doesn't feed them or pay them if they don't make quota. The team discovers that Moto wants to get rid of the president so he can take over and sell the country.

This case has Elliot all ready to rip Motto's throat out and spit in the hole because he used to fight in those African conflict nations, and saw first hand the abuse the children went through while being force to mine the diamonds. I have to admit, Elliot is rather hot when he gets righteously indignant. Damn....

The team uses Moto's guise as a patron of the arts AND his 4.5 million dollar Stradivarius violin to get an in to the building where he keeps the vault the diamonds are stored in. Sophie infiltrates as a PR person, uhm, "Perception Manager", to get in and brings along Hardison as a young violin prodigy whom Sophie suggests perform as a featured soloist on the night his brother visits the country. Watching Hardison, who used to play violin when he was younger, sweat this out was quite amusing. I was interested to see how he was going to pull it off considering he hadn't touched a violin in 10 years. Leave it to Nate, to figure out a way...

There was a twist to this little endeavor, however; the mystery woman from the season premiere showed up threw a monkey wrench into the operation. Said to do this would get them one step closer to the season bad-ass they team is chasing down.

The way they broke into the vault rather intricate-- timing every element of the break in to the concert going on above them. Leave it to Nate to play the conductor to this fine little operation.

I have to admit, when Hardison's featured solo came up, I had a feeling he was going to pull it off. He was ALL UP in that Strad. That was some damn fine playing from the hacker-- had the team touched and made Parker cry. If that solo didn't get him laid that night, I don't know what would have.

Knowing this show-- we know this episode had a just ending. What I want to talk about, though, is that there is still a somewhat fractured relationship between Nate and his team. Nate will do what it takes to get the job done, which also includes pushing his team's buttons when he has to. Which also includes hypnotizing Hardison before his violin solo (you are one sneaky bastard, Nate). The writers, I think, are doing a wonderful job showing how the team respects Nate, but really want to kick his ass, too, for pulling some of the stunts he pulls. I like that drama, but I also can't wait for the day when Sophie lets Nate out of the dog house and admits her feelings for him, too.

So... I am exhausted. These people and their two hour blocks of new episodes. I won't complain, because it is terribly entertaining and I enjoyed watching both hours.

Til we meet again..
Alexis-Rueal
(fan-girl confessor)