Leverage July 18--The Fan Girl Review by Alexis-Rueal

Well, due to a snafu last week, I didn't get to post on Leverage. Well, I am definitely making up for it this week. How can this fan girl NOT post of one of the best shows of the summer? Especially this week...

Let's get the squealing out of the way: JOHN SCHNEIDER IS ON TONIGHT!!!!! SQUEE! Oh, yes... the TV of my youth (and I'm not that damn old, thankyouverymuch)and John Schneider was right in the middle of it on The Dukes of Hazzard. No, he wasn't too bad looking in his 20's...

(honestly, I didn't set out looking for shirtless photos...but since it was there...)

But, I have to admit... I downright blush at how positively handsome he turned out at 50...

Damn... honestly, that's all I have to say. Between Timothy Hutton (whom I have always been quite fan-girly over) and John Schneider... tonight is a VERY good night for watching TV if you're a girl.


Tonight's episode involved the country music business. The clients are a girl and her brother who are signed to write and record songs with a music label owned by Schneider's character Mitch Kirkwood. The brother and sister, Kaitlyn, are getting railroaded for hundred's of thousands of dollars AND their music; and when they went to a lawyer, the brother got his hands broken.

The team decides to help them by using a little con known as the Fiddle Game-- sell Kirkwood a fiddle, or in this case a singer, and use that in to get the money AND the master tapes back.

It looks like the team is setting up Kirkwood at a honky tonk club that Kirkwood owns. Nate is playing a music manager looking to get a singer signed and Sophie as a rival studio exec wanting to sign that same singer... want to venture a guess on who the singer is?

It's ELLIOT!!!!!!

Elliot is nervous as hell about having to perform, but Hardison is using his super doo wacka doo computer skills to give Elliot perfect pitch for the evening.

Elliot is talking with Kaitlyn, whose song Elliot will be singing, and there are SPARKS! She helps Elliot feel the emotion in country music by having him explain why he isn't in a relationship (you know, that whole "I couldn't devote myself to the Government AND a girl chestnut).

Sophie is doing a bang up job whetting Kirkwood's appetite on hearing Elliot-- and we are NOT disappointed when Elliot starts singing...

E can sing!!! Hardison actually thought his computer program wasn't working, but Nate said the computer didn't need to fix anything. I'm telling you, I would be downloading this music. Christian Kane has a WONDERFUL voice.

Well, the performance does what it set out to do: Get Kirkwood interested and willing to do what it takes to sign Elliot; and get Elliot a little fan girl action with Kaitlyn.

With Elliot signed, the team gets the sister money and when Elliot goes into the studio, the team plans on having Parker will break in and steal the master's of the songs the siblings wrote.

How do Hardison and Parker get into the studio? Hardison goes as a record producer and Parker--well, she could give Bjork a real run for her money with the get up she's wearing. The funniest part of this entire episode was watching Hardison and Elliot working on recording... I believe that Hardison went to the Randy Jackson school of musical commentary (I never want to hear the word "Pitchy" again... really).

Sophie finds out that Kirkwood wants to steal Elliot's song and record it himself. And what about Elliot, you ask? Well, the Kirkwood lackey with the gun pretty much answers that. Don't worry, though. This is Elliot we're talking about. He won't puss out on us.

As Elliot is busy fighting for his life (really this scene was funny as hell), the rest of the team find out that the song that make Kirkwood famous was stolen from another singer and that original singer was killed...

The team find out that Kirkwood is getting ready to perform Kaitlyn's song at a major music festival, with a lot of music executives; which would mean that Kaitlyn would lose the song for good. Elliot and Kaitlyn race to get to the music festival to confront Kirkwood about the theft AND the murder. The rest of the team stall so they can perform the final con to bring Kirkwood down.

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting what happened next: Let's just say, instead of Kirkwood getting the performance of a lifetime-- Kaitlyn did... Oh, don't think Kirkwood didn't get his moment in the spotlight; thanks Elliot and his ear bug, EVERYONE got to hear about Kirkwood's role in the murder of the singer of his first song.

I really enjoyed this episode. We learned a lot about Elliot and it was nice to see Christian Kane get a spotlight for an episode. John Schneider pulled off the baddie role very well, and we were even treated to some of his own singing (damn fine voice). All in all, this is turning out to be a fine season of Leverage. One of the few shows I actually look forward to watching each week.

So, what do you think? Are you enjoying the cons? The guest stars? Tell me what you think-- we at the Warrior are always looking for new opinions and takes on the TV shows we cover.

I'll be back Monday for the new episode of Lie to Me.

Til then!
Alexis-Rueal
(fan girl confessor)