Nate: Lets go steal us a close encounter. 

This season has really had a different flavor to it. I’m still putting my finger on it, but it seems to be a bit more savory and certainly seems to relay how close Nate and the team have grown. Much like a stew or soup left overnight to let the flavors merge and strengthen, Leverage Season 5 has enjoyed the benefit of time.

This week’s "The First Contact Job" was a prime example. Watching Eliot and Hardison singing a duet of Hardison’s improvised song “Two good ol’ boys” got it stuck my head and Parker and Hardison betting their next date on who could get to the server room first was awesome. 

We even got to witness Eliot do something other than hit people. Okay, he hit some people too. But before that he got to play a fun character, I could not stop laughing at the near vacant stare Christian Kane kept doing as “Willy." I really enjoy Leverage the most when we get to see team members doing new things. 

The only fly in the ointment really was Nate and his jumping to the wrong conclusions about the client wanting money. Then again, the episode’s overall message was about listening, so I guess someone had to “not listen” for the story to really hit home. I’m willing to go with it. 

It was sweet at the end that Parker had listened to Hardison, and tried to give him a picnic under the stars. And, of course, Nate had come around and listened to the client... even more sweet was that Sophie waited for Nate to come around and had faith that he would. 

Is anyone else worried that the some of the con's “presentation” are escalating to a point where they will become to unbelievable? First, the team faked stealing the Spruce Goose and now it faked an alien encounter. Don’t get me wrong, I loved all the little touches at the end of this Con with Sophie appearing to be abducted and the flashing lights. I’m just worried that these “bigger effect” cons are going to end up crossing a line of realism.

Of course, that said, my inner geek wouldn't feel right without giving kudos to all the nods this episode made to other sci-fi shows and movies. I picked up on E.T., Men in Black, and Star Trek: Next Generation. Be sure and check out the Leverage quotes to read these nods. Did you see any others I missed?

Jim G. is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow him on Twitter.