Monsters of Television

“It’s a dangerous mountain. There could be some polar bears or ill tempered Eskimos.”

Leverage‘s return left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. Sometimes the cons are just silly. Or boring. But it’s that oh so lovable ragtag group of liars, cheats and thieves turned do-gooders that keep us coming back. “The Long Way Down Job” was a prime example of why those who are fans of the show love it and why its naysayers are so adamantly against it.

A mountaintop is just not a place for the team to be. It’s a very challenging terrain. A hacker is almost no good because, as evidenced, signals are lost all the time and communication is hard to maintain. Sure Parker climbs buildings, but a mountain is a totally different story. Eliot is just good at everything so he should be fine.

The case itself didn’t really interest me that much. There was a buyout and some papers and a Russian but I didn’t really care. And that’s fine. It’s not like every episode of Law & Order SVU is always super interesting, but as long as Stabler punches somebody in the face I consider it a success. For Leverage, it’s the little moments between Parker and Hardison. So was this episode my favorite? No. But Parker hugging Parker in the end made it all worth it. And the “are they seeing each other?” moments of the episode are a fun and frustrating addition as well. Parker asking “Is this gonna be a thing?” when Hardison expresses concern for her well being was a huge tip. Parker saying she should meet his Nana is certainly evidence as well.I’m sure the show is going to tease us with the possibility for the entire season.

That’s not the only season long arc we’ll get this year. A bug that Hardison found is pretty advanced, meaning someone well connected is trying to get at the team. They go through the laundry list of enemies and and marks who could be out for revenge. Seems like someone (and I’m hoping it’s Chaos) is gonna be messing with Nate and crew for this season to come. I’m hoping this arc is better than last the one from last season. The Italian was annoying and the connections they kept finding to Moreaux were kind of loose. The show doesn’t really need it. There’s nothing wrong with a show like Leverage being more of an episodic procedural. There are (most times) interesting cases and interesting characters. That’s enough.

Speaking of interesting characters, Parker got some growth in the premiere. You’ll notice I talk about Parker a lot. She’s my Chuck Bass, my Jessica Hamby if you will, of Leverage. She didn’t want to leave the body Allen behind because getting him to his wife is the right thing to do. She wants to do the right thing. Being the one who comes from the most volatile (and arguably most criminal) background, she has continued to find the transition to good guy difficult. She won’t leave Allen behind, even though it puts her and Eliot at risk after the cave in. I liken Parker’s character development to that of Dexter. A flawed person trying to overcome an “unconventional” childhood, learning how to trust and what it means to be “human”.

Eliot says it’s good that it was he and Parker who got trapped down there because if it were the others they would have kept trying to get Allen’s body out and they all would have died. Eliot and Parker can do things the others, can’t or won’t. Parker wonders if that makes them bad people. Eliot says it’s a gift or a curse, it all depends on how she looks at it.

And its true. Those two can do more because of who they are and what they’ve done in the past. It deosn’t make them bad, it makes them valuable. It was a great scene. The brother/sister relationship between the two is only second to the will they/won’t they/hurry the fuck and make them of Parker and Hardison.

All in all it wasn’t a bad episode. Other than the brief Nate/Sophie stuff and the possible off screen Parker/Hardison romance, this could have been any episode. It lacked the punch that a premiere should have. But that’s ok, Leverage, I still love you.

Final Thoughts:

• What? No theme song? INSOLENCE!
• Seriously though, how great of a character is Parker? Top 10 TV girlfriend material for sure.