Welcome back, Jim Sterling! 

Prior to tonight, we had not seen Nate’s longtime friend/nemesis in a while. But that didn't stop him from falling right into the groove in the summer season finale of Leverage, "The Queen's Gambit Job."

I’m a fan of Mark Sheppard. I have enjoyed him on shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, and Warehouse 13. So, yes, I was thrilled to see him back.

I was also thrilled that the episode didn’t disappoint. I loved every minute of it, from opening car chase to the concluding toast. In fact, had Parker and Hardison smooched during their touching dance-dance scene, or after she got in the van, it would have received a perfect rating from this critic. 

Speaking of Parker and Hardison’s dance-dance training, how awesome was his reassurance that she wasn’t alone? And then to follow that up by having packed her a parachute, knowing she might need it? 

It was also very cute that she needed him to hum the music so she could remember the steps they practiced. I adore the two of them together. I just wish the powers that be would let them move forward a step. Would a kiss really kill anyone?!?

Meanwhile, Nate was his typical clever self, but when I saw Olivia tapping the bishop on the table, I connected the fact she was Sterling’s daughter before the reveal. She spent way too much time talking about her “real dad” for it not to be obvious.

Adding a daughter to the mix for Sterling makes me wonder if we have seen a new side of him. He seems to have not only accept Nate’s choice in helping those who need it, but embraced it himself to get his child back. I hope we get to see more of him on the same side as the team, or as much as he's capable of.

We can all agree he would be a great contact. But am I the only one rooting for Jim and Nate to figure out how to repair their friendship? Okay, maybe Eliot isn't rooting for them to become pals.

Who can blame him, given that Sterling drugged his coffee and locked him in a control room? Then again, Eliot has a semi-healthy way of working out his anger issues by beating up bad guys. So maybe it’s all part of the bigger plan. 

On the topic of plans, I worry that so many of them include Hardison dying. Yes, I know Nate said them as if he were kidding, but given the level of danger in their job... exactly how much was he kidding? Hmmmm... 

While we still have two or three episodes from this season due in November, I am starting my wish list for Season 5 now:

• Hardison/Parker relationship moving forward - check!
• Nate and Jim start rebuilding friendship - check!
• Eliot finds a girl as badass as he is to date – double check!

Am I missing anything?

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