Leverage August 8--The Fan Girl Review

Well, this was a very good episode of Leverage. Tonight, the wonderful Tom Skerritt appeared as the one and only, Jimmy Ford... also known as Nate's Dad.

Tonight's episode pitted Nate against his dad, as the team worked to stop Jimmy and a Russian gang from wreaking havoc on the city of Boston. The story itself wasn't too complicated: Jimmy, a former bookie and "fixer", and the Russians were blackmailing innocent people into helping them commit crimes in Boston. Nate and the Leverage team worked both Jimmy AND the Russians in an attempt to stop them.

Redirection was a major theme in this episode. Jimmy Ford was a fan of three card monte and Nate was able to use that knowledge to help figure out the true intent of both the Russians AND his dad. Now, I have to admit... the ruse the Russians/Jimmy were trying to pull-- the decoy crimes and the real crime-- this ploy I had already seen this summer on The Good Guys. As soon as I saw decoy crime versus real crime, I started looking for Dan Stark. Not hating, here... just sayin'.

I really enjoyed seeing Nate and Jimmy's relationship and how Jimmy helped create the Nate we see today. Yes, Nate does break the law; but unlike Jimmy, Nate breaks the law for a noble purpose. In the end, Jimmy is able to figure that out... especially since he knows Nate could have been a whole lot tougher on him than what he was in the end.

On Nate's end: it was very interesting to watch the battle between the determination to take Jimmy down and remaining the dutiful son. Leave it to Nate, though, to find a way to unify those conflicting emotions.

Watching Timothy Hutton and Tom Skerritt work together tonight was a real treat. Whether they were confronting each other about their past history or pulling a con together, they had that perfect amount of give and take during their scenes.

That has been a definite strong point of Leverage the entire season: the guest stars. The amount of talent this show has brought in this season is impeccable. The guest stars help bring out the very best in the main cast; and we, the viewers, benefit from it.

I have not really seen any weak episodes this season. Every story is hits the mark and the acting is top-notch. If you haven't caught Leverage-fever, yet... find the episodes online and catch up. You will be glad, you did.

Til Next Time!
Alexis-Rueal
(fan girl confessor)