Leverage - TV Fanatic

Leverage Season Finale Review: Send In The Backups

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:23:11 EST

The season four finale of Leverage, "The Last Dam Job," really made me want more of the team, especially to see them with their “backups." Thankfully, we'll get at least part of that when the show returns this summer for season five.

While it's not new that Nate and his squad brought down a bad guy (in this case it was Latimer and Victor), what made this episode unique from other takedowns was the interaction of the team members with their counterparts. I loved it!

Watching Quinn (Clayne Crawford) and Chaos (Wil Wheaton) attempting to work together with Quinn wanting to hurt Chaos - while the latter spoke down to Quinn as he explained the way they were going to break into the computer - was refreshingly funny and brought back memories of season one.

The sudden appearance of Maggie Collins (Kari Matchett), Nate’s ex-wife, was also welcome. Actually, I want to give kudos to TNT for not showing her in the preview and giving us all a nice surprise when she sat down next to Latimer. Did any else catch her reference to Jim Sterling and her attraction to him? I wonder about the chances that Sterling and Maggie have seen each other again.

By far, it was Richard Chamberlain who stole the show as Archie Leach. I laughed so hard when he tazzered Chaos that I had to pause the show for a minute to wipe my eyes. Then, when he and Parker had the heart-to-heart about how he approved of Hardison, and she cared, it was really sweet.

Speaking of touching and sweet, how awesome was Eliot in his protectiveness of Nate?!? Between him trying to talk Nate out of killing Victor/Latimer to him nearly killing Victor himself, he showed how strongly he cares for Nate.

Many may think that the conclusion with Latimer was a bit rushed; to me it felt like it matched about how often we met him, so I didn’t mind at all. Honestly, I’m glad it’s done and I'm looking forward to this summer to see what Nate and the team gets into.

I do have some questions as we go into season five:

When Nate says he has to make some changes, does that mean he is climbing out of the bottle?
Why can’t they keep the cave? I like the idea of an “Eliot Signal."
Besides, don’t we still have some other bad guys out there wanting a piece of Nate?

Leverage Season 4 Finale Preview: How Will It End?

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:57:54 EST

Leverage delivered an emotional, funny, cliffhangery penultimate episode of season four last night, leaving fans anxious for this Sunday's finale, "The Last Dam Job."

What can you expect from the episode?

Look for Nate to enlist the help of "past allies and foes," according to the official TNT description, as he sets out to "crush" Latimer and Victor Dubenich. The following promo teases "twists, turns and an ending you need to see to believe." So buckle in and meet us back here Sunday night for a complete review.

Leverage Promo: "The Last Dam Job"

Leverage Review: A Father's Love

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:05:36 EST

Running the full emotional gambit - from completely silly to heart wrenchingly sad - "The Radio Job" will go down as one of my favorite episodes of Leverage.

On one end of the emotional spectrum, we had some of the funniest moments this show has offered. How could you not love the nod to Die Hard from Eliot as he was communicating with Special Agent Dennis Powell? The latter was on the verge of being over acted by the always great Michael Paré, but just when I thought it was going over the edge, he reigned it back in.

We also had Parker, Hardison and Eliot's initial break in. If I was Hardison, I would have asked the same thing about why he is always being pushed off of stuff. Was anyone else waiting for Eliot to knock him out after Parker suggested he be unconscious?

The icing on the hilarious cake was Eliot’s running commentary with the last goon he was fighting about being too greedy and not bringing any backup. This is the attitude and scenes that I for which watch this show.

Then we had the emotional side of this episode, as it went in a direction I would never have imagined it would go. While Jimmy Ford has been mentioned many times, we have only met him once before. It's taken more than 18 months, but I got my wish that the writers figured out how to bring Jimmy back again to work with his son.

When Jimmy revealed that he was doing the job to keep Nate safe because Latimer threatened to kill him, I literally sat with my mouth gapping. First, from the fact that Jimmy Ford was capable of putting someone else’s needs first, but also that the laid back Latimer had used that kind of threat.

That was only one of several slack-jaw gapping stares I gave the TV as the one-two punch of Jimmy being blown up in the warehouse was followed by the fact that Victor Dubenich (Saul Rubinek) had been behind the plan to kill the Ford family.

For the third time this season we are getting a blast from the past, given that Victor was Nate and the team's very first take down. It's going to be very interesting to see how Latimer and Victor are connected and what Nate decides to do.

Nate has been content to leave Latimer alone because none of Latimer’s hijinks have affected him or the squad. Now that he will feel that Latimer is involved with the death of his father, Latimer may have wished he had never met Nate Ford. I may be most curious to see how Nate moves forward after learning that his father cared about him enough to sacrifice his life. Nate’s had father issues from the very start.

Of course, it's the goal of any parent to keep their child safe. But it took until this episode for us to buy into Jimmy Ford as that kind of parent. I hope that his last message to Nate helps Nate find closure, though I have a feeling full closure is going to come in the form of bringing Latimer and Victor to their knees next week on the conclusion of this caper.

How do you think Nate is going to react to his father's death? By climbing into a bottle? Climbing out? Murder? Post your thoughts below.

Leverage Review: A Double Prong Monkey Con

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:41:26 EST

Happy 2012 everyone!

When Nate and Latimer clashed last week and Nate threw down the gauntlet in the final few minutes, it looked like we were heading to a showdown between these two power players. What we got instead was "The Gold Job," which served as a lesson in video game creation when Hardison turned the “Marks” into “Players," using logic based on “Double Prong Monkey Con.”

As a gamer, I really enjoyed Hardison’s ability to turn a con into a live action video game. Did any other Portal fans catch that he named his voice activated computer "Glados?"

That said, I’m sure I’m not alone in my growing frustration with Leverage turning into the “Hardison Show.” Hardison is awesome as the tech-savvy geek, sure. But I don’t get why we need to see him try to do every role on the team, or get more screen time than any two other characters combined.

I understand the team has grown closer and individuals want to fill in when needed in other roles, such as when Parker was getting grifting lessons from Sophie. I was behind Hardison learning how to defend himself from Eliot; it came in handy in the frat house when several guys jumped him.

I also get him wanting to try his hand at leading a job, it’s natural in any profession to want to expand and grow your skills. What drove me near bat-crap crazy was the cocky attitude and the repeated pokes at Nate for how he runs a con.

I’m hoping his job going bust on him and the feedback he got from Nate brought him down a peg and that Hardison will check his ego at the door next time Nate lets him lead a mission.

Isn't lesson number-one about doing a new job is to not be over confident?

The heart-to-heart Nate and Hardison enjoyed at the end of the episode reminded us all why the former is the true leader. He's humble and he knows how to teach, encourage, and even pick up his team when it needs it. The letter Nate mailed to Hardison with the three steps to pull off the con was priceless.

Finally, I’m not sure if Voodoo Doughnuts sponsored this episode or if the product placement was there to make sure we knew they were in Portland (given their main locations are in Portland.) Either way, I have Parker to thank for craving their “The Loop” doughnut and being over 650 miles from the nearest one.

Overall, it was a decent offering, though I was disappointed with the lack of Latimer; next week we have the return of Nate’s father (Tom Skerritt), who we have not seen in a good while. It will be interesting to see what mayhem he brings with him.

Leverage Review: Can't Buy Love

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 22:01:00 EST

On this holiday evening, we all received a surprise gift in the form of "The Lonely Hearts Job," which reminded us that money can’t buy love, but it does make steak dinners worth betting on.

I’m amazed how far Hardison and Eliot have come in four seasons. I’m going to call it now and say that the steak dinner bet moved their relationship officially into the “bromance” category. Right? Who’s with me?

Speaking of relationships, did Nate and Sophie’s move forward or not? Nate’s admission to Sophie - I picked you - was an amazing look behind the wall he keeps, but at the same time, the lack of reaction from Sophie made it feel like we had already had this glimpse and I missed it.

Then again, Nate and Sophie are so good at what they do maybe that was exactly the way they wanted it to appear because Meredith was watching (even if she couldn't hear them). Either way, it was awesome to see some displays of affection between them around the rest of the team. I really hope we get to see more.

I enjoyed David Ogden Stiers as Walt Whitman Wellsley (the fourth). Given that he now owes Nate a favor, I think we will be seeing him again. The refreshing part of Wellsley is that he seems to be a good guy at heart and, given how often Nate and the team take down corrupt billionaires, it was nice to see that balanced out by helping one.

This job will also go on my list for favorite Parker moments, as she took Nate’s instruction to pick a fight literally, slugging Hardison’s date and turning it into a knock-down-drag-out cat fight. Parker maybe small, but damned if she isn’t scrappy!

Then again, we know that Parker is not sure how to handle the feelings of jealousy she feels when another woman takes an interest in Hardison, so a right hook may have been just the outlet she needed. She put 110% of her emotions behind that first punch.

Okay, raise your hand if you suspected Eliot was a romantic. Yeah, I did too! Seeing him order personality appropriate flowers for Parker and Sophie – and not take any credit for it – was awesome. Eliot can cook, fight, knows wines and is a romantic. I take back what I said last week about Shelly; my budding man crush is on Eliot!

And, as if in answer to a TV Fanatic reader’s request, Latimer made a return appearance at the end of the episode. First, I really want to know who he called after Nate refused the job. Second, if the last line of the episode is any indication, the final three episodes of this season are going to be big!

They kick off next week on New Year’s Day night.

Leverage Review: Boys Will Be Boys

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:53:25 EST

Last week on Leverage, we got a chance to see how the girls would handle a case without the guys around. This week we got the flip side of that with "The Boys Night Out Job."

Was there ever any question if the guys could handle a job by themselves? What I didn’t see coming was Hurley making a surprise visit, given that we haven’t seen him since the end of Season One. Okay, I wasn’t expecting a nun with a gun either, so it was an episode of surprises for me all around.

It’s rare that we get to see much of Nate and gang’s hometown of Boston. I liked the nod to the strong Irish community with the two hit men not wanting to go into the church to kill someone. The discussion that followed about the layers of a church and which might not be holy ground had me rolling.

We all new Sister Lupe (Sofia Pernas) wasn’t really a nun. Honestly, if more nuns looked like her and went swimming in two-piece bikinis (as shown by Hurley), there would be a line at the confessional. What I couldn’t figure out is how she ended up on Eliot’s knee doing shots. When did she meet Eliot?

I understand that the story called for Hurley to be left solo so he could bump into the cat loving Peggy for a love connection, it just seemed odd for her to be so cozy so fast.

Longtime fans of the show might also get a giggle remembering that Hurley was introduced in season 1 in “The 12-Step Job,” which aired the week before "The Juror #6 Job" where we met Peggy.

I guess Hurley and Peggy were just meant to be, right?

Speaking of Hurley, he had one of the best quotes from the episode when he told Nate he wanted to prove he was worth the second chance that Nate had given him. Like Hardison, I think Nate forgets all the good he has done and the number of people the team has helped.

The part that pushed this episode past the girls had to be Shelly and Bonanno. From their opening dialogue, to Shelly teaching him how to choke-out someone, ending with Shelly helping bust the two hitmen (while eating pizza). It just added that little something extra that made the entire hour that much more fun.

I know we will see Bonanno again, I just hope we get to see more of Shelly. He knew Star Wars like Hardison and fought like Eliot - I might have a little man crush going.

Over all, this week’s offering was very enjoyable. Maybe next season we will see more returning clients. It would be awesome to see how some of the other clients have done. I’m dying to know how the music career is going for Kaye Lynn from "The Studio Job" from Season 3.

Is there someone from a specific job you would like to know how they are doing now? What did you think of last night's Leverage overall? Discuss below!

Leverage Review: Two Grifters and a Thief Walk Into a Party...

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:28:38 EST

Stop me if you’ve heard this one... What do you get when Sophie, Parker, and the visiting Tara work together? "The Girls' Night Out Job," where no boys certainly didn’t mean no fun!

Jeri Ryan, welcome back to Leverage. We haven’t seen Tara since the end of season two and she seems to be doing well. Then again, Ryan has been keeping busy with another show that I also enjoy very much, Body of Proof.

It was fun getting to watch Tara and Sophie’s different styles of grifting. Tara was much more the “act first" type, figuring out a plan and just going with it. Conversely, Sophie was "think first," creating an interesting dynamic. Neither was bad, of course. Both were highly successful, as the party goers never knew what hit them.

Going into the episode, I was worried that Parker would be out of her league as the only thief mixed with the two grifters. My concerns were quickly put to rest, though, as the story unfolded and we learned that Parker was instigator for the job. Of course, she has also been learning from Sophie, so she had no problems getting Craig Mattingly to do what she needed.

I wonder if we will see the dapper and suave Mattingly again. Parker did a pretty good impression of Jiminy Cricket here, teaching him that he could steal for the right reason. This was further driven home when Sophie and Parker ended up with the money and he ended up with tape recorder of music (and Tara).

Given his fan-boy status for Parker, and his fawning over “The Parker,” I could easily see him come find her when he is trying to do a job for the right reason but need help.

Did Mattingly have an accent? I kept thinking I was hearing one, but I was never sure. Either way I can sympathize with Hardison. If my girlfriend sent me pictures of him, I would be a little worried too. And while we are on the topic of Hardison and Parker, how cute was he trying to get her excited about the robot battles?

Overall, it was a fun and refreshing episode that reminded us that sometimes girls can get things done solo. Well, solo might be a bit of a stretch since they did call Hardison a few times. This gave us a small glimpse into next week’s episode - The Guy's Night Out Job - that takes place during the same time frame as this week’s story. I can’t wait to see what the boys got into.

Leverage Review: Mockumentary Meets Mischief

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:00:00 EST

One thing I can say about "The Office Job" is that it set a new standard for Leverage team member, as they worked a caper into the format and style of the highly successful sitcom.

As a Leverage story went, this one was mildly entertaining and enjoyably quirky. Peter Stormare as Gunter the German filmmaker was a lot of fun. Nate pulling him into the caper and using him to help reveal the true villain was creative and would not have worked on many jobs they do.

As I don’t watch The Office, I'm betting many of the workers that Nate and his team met were similar to those in the namesake show. Additionally, I wasn’t sure what to make of the “confession” shots where they sat down with one team member and had them talk to the camera. While it did generate one of the funniest quotes this week, it did slow down the action each time we cut to it.

These scenes likely work well in a sitcom, but in an action show like this it’s a bit tougher. Then again, I might be blurring the lines between the use of the confessions and Nate and Sophie’s passive aggressive antics this episode. Those two being snarky with each other really pulled me out of the story and I was thrilled at the end when they seem to make up.

I did, however, enjoy that the CEO turned out to be a hapless patsy and not the real bad guy. This was a surprise, as usually Hardison has good evidence to support the team going after someone before they actually do so.

Who knew that Eliot was such the cook? The sandwich he described made me hungry enough that I had to get a snack! And bravo to Hardison for being brave enough to eat Eliot’s sandwich. Then again, does anyone really make a sandwich to eat “later” if you’re not packing a lunch? While I don’t support work-place grazing, I can see how Hardison might have gone trolling for a snack given Eliot's skills.

I wasn’t surprise that there was no mention of Conrad this week. We have seen this pattern before where an episode seems to stand on its own and doesn’t play into the larger storyline. I’m guessing that we will see more of Conrad next year.

Overall, it was a good Leverage episode and appeared to be even be a decent The Office episode. If you saw references or jokes that I missed in regards to the latter, please comment below and share them!

Aldis Hodge Talks The Office, Guys' Night Out and More!

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:15:34 EST

What happens when The Office meets Leverage? Fans of the latter will find out tonight.

On the aptly-titled "The Office Job," Nate Ford and company will attempt to bust up an embezzlement scheme by infiltrating a business and acting as its employees. But this basic mission will take a turn when team members find themselves thrust into a documentary being filmed on location.

Leverage Promo: "The Office Job"

Previews Aldis Hodge, who says he's a huge fan of the NBC sitcom to which Leverage is paying homage:

"It was fun to mash up our style with theirs... they deal directly with the cameras every week, while our job is to be conspicuous, to be the guys you don't see. The results end up being terribly funny."

This week's installment marks the first in a run of unusual episodes for the TNT hit. Over the next two Sundays, for example, viewers will watch one big story rolled into two parts, Hodge told me over the phone.

"It's the first time we've ever filmed two episodes simultaneously, with the crew split and the women doing their own thing and the guys doing their own thing."

Indeed, "The Girls' Night Out Job" airs on December 11. It will feature a few bits of information that may not make sense until folks tune in the following week, and it will also features "ladies, legs and Jeri Ryan returning to do the Tango," Hodge says.

On December 18, viewers will then be treated to the resolution of the plot in "The Guys' Night Out Job."

"It's full of boys' stuff," Hodge said. "We're making noise, getting into fights, just being raucous all around."

Later in the season, meanwhile, Hardison will take center stage on "The Gold Job." The actor says his character will try to run the con himself for the first time and, well, "everything doesn't go exactly according to plan. But we get it done, the Leverage way."

Finally, there's this tease, regarding Leon Rippy's January reprisal of Latimer: "You'll see his role defined in a different way. You think he's running the show, but then events unfold and you may be surprised to see that's not actually the case."

Leverage Review: Back in The Groove

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:05:00 EST

Our holiday season was made a little brighter this week with the return of Nate Ford and his Leverage team in "The Experimental Job," the first of three episodes over the next few weeks.

When we last saw the squad back in August, ir had just helped Jim Sterling recover his daughter. While there was no mention of Sterling or how much time has passed, it didn’t take the team long to get into the thick of it again.

I’m on the fence about Mr. Conrad of the CIA. My instincts say he will not be a fan of Ford’s but, at the same time, I could see him using Nate and his unit to get things done outside normal channels.

The question then becomes what would it take for Nate to do a job for Conrad. That’s where it could get interesting. We'll soon find out.

One thing I didn’t get in this episode was the police detective. By the end, she was clearly in on the con, but at what point did they recruit her? Sophie went from European author to police office at the same time, as proven when she did most of the talking when they had Travis in the room alone.

On the flipside, Hardison are Parker were as cute as ever! It really showed with her attempts to show he was cool by bringing up when he took down a dragon in a video game.

She must love him, because only someone who really loved a gamer would pay enough attention to her boyfriend to know what he was doing overall (even if she was thin on the details). Then again, she also stepped up and did his homework.

Of course, she also saved his ass (again) when the frat boys were starting to beat the crap out of him... though we did get to see some of Eliot’s training come out as he was holding his on for a short time.

Overall, it was a decent story. I would have enjoyed a few more “how they pulled it off” scenes to explain a few more pieces of the puzzle, but at least we have Mr. Conrad. Will he be friend or foe?

And, more important, what would you recommend Hardison get Parker for Christmas?

NEXT WEEK... Leverage makes like The Office. See what we mean in this promo.