[archive] from iFMagazine
Beth Riesgraf’s character on LEVERAGE, Parker, is the kooky one of the bunch. Filled with nonsensical quips and meaningless factoids about nothing, Parker is comedy relief for the show that relies on her to usually dangle from rooftops or crawl through vents in order to snake a famous art piece or get into a heavily guarded area.
With LEVERAGE beginning its third season with a two-hour event on Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 9:00 pm PT on TNT, we offer up the 10 things you need to know about Parker (The Thief) that will remind fans (and those just jumping into the series) of where the show's been and where it's going.
1) She’s the thief. If you need someone in a tight spot, Parker is the one to do it. Need someone to dive off a building without any fear? She’s your woman. Need a safe cracked? Parker has a great ear for hearing the clicks without the need of any special devices. She is her own special device having honed her skills over the years. Whatever it takes, Parker is the person you call on for the most dangerous and deadly feats.
2) She’s crazy. You have to be in order to rappel down buildings, ride a zip line, crawl through crazy spaces and do all sorts of other crazy sh** to pull off a con. Nate even said this much in the first episode of Season One when he went about trying to establish a team. Of course, this is in good fun for the show and it brings many hilarious moments usually during tension situations. This goes hand in hand with Parker being an adrenaline junkie who is obsessed with money.
3) She’s a mystery. Much like Sophie (Gina Bellman), Parker is an enigma. We don’t know a lot about her in terms of the cons she’s pulled or the reasons for pulling the cons in the first place. We do know a little about her past and her fear of horses through some wild, brief flashbacks but beyond that she’s pretty much a mystery on every other front. We don’t know her real age either although Hardison (Aldis Hodge) has tried to guess. Hopefully, we will get to see more of these hilarious flashbacks in Season Three and learn more about her.
4) We don’t know her first name. Much like Sophie again, we don’t know Parker’s first name. Everyone just calls her by her last name Parker and that’s fine with her. She isn’t willing to give up the info nor does she give it out willingly. Although no one has really worked on her to get it. Technically, we don’t know if Parker is even her last name.
5) She’s socially awkward. Parker has a hard time fitting in with normal society. She can’t function within social groups and blabbers on about random stuff when pressed to do so. She also seems to be unable to tell white lies when needed. This is perhaps the one area where Parker is fearful in her life. No fear of heights or being in a tight space, but being able to pass herself off as a normal person? That’s a real challenge.
6) She’s wanted in nine countries. What did Parker do that has her on the run and banned from these countries? This is part of her past we know so little about. She also had one of her foster parents die in an explosion. What really caused the explosion? Was it, in fact, Parker who did the deed or something more normal? We do know this has had a lasting impact on her as this has made her especially empathetic to foster children and orphans during the show.
7) She has a deep affection for a stuffed bunny. In the flashbacks we have seen, Parker has had a stuffed bunny with her. We don’t know why she cares so much for this bunny and what significance it holds for her or if she even still owns the stuffed animal. What we do know is that when she was a child it was obviously important.
8) She has an attachment to Hardison. Romantically isn’t the right word, but the two are clearly attracted to each other since the beginning. Probably more from Hardison’s point of view than Parker’s. But Parker has been more open and willing to have genuine conversations with Hardison more so than any other member of the crew (although she did open up to Sophie a few times when she was on her break). The two have kissed and shared a few moments, but for Parker it seemed to be more of part of the con than anything else. Hardison has tried to push the relationship further with subtle attempts at dates and getting her to reveal parts about her past but so far it hasn’t moved beyond a hands-off friendship. So far. Maybe this will develop further in Season Three?
9) She’s obsessed with money. Maybe Parker links money with happiness, because with money she was finally able to be free of whatever it was that she was trapped in during her childhood and thus leading to her having a better life. One thing is certain, before signing on to Nate’s crew, she was a thief for the thrill and because it allowed her to have money. Since then, her monetary desires have subsided a bit but not by that much.
10) She says what's on her mind. Granted, what's usually on her mind can some times sound a little strange when it comes out of her mouth. She is though, like an innocent child - which goes back to her social awkwardness. She's never experienced the normal touchstones most people have had in their lives, which is why so many things still fascinate her (we learn early on in Season Three that she never went to high school). Not having those filters though, is what makes her so endearing. She may know the ins and outs of thievery, but she's still learning what it is to a functioning person within a dysfunctional family (her team) and that's why she's so easily to love at every little thing she does.
With LEVERAGE beginning its third season with a two-hour event on Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 9:00 pm PT on TNT, we offer up the 10 things you need to know about Parker (The Thief) that will remind fans (and those just jumping into the series) of where the show's been and where it's going.
1) She’s the thief. If you need someone in a tight spot, Parker is the one to do it. Need someone to dive off a building without any fear? She’s your woman. Need a safe cracked? Parker has a great ear for hearing the clicks without the need of any special devices. She is her own special device having honed her skills over the years. Whatever it takes, Parker is the person you call on for the most dangerous and deadly feats.
2) She’s crazy. You have to be in order to rappel down buildings, ride a zip line, crawl through crazy spaces and do all sorts of other crazy sh** to pull off a con. Nate even said this much in the first episode of Season One when he went about trying to establish a team. Of course, this is in good fun for the show and it brings many hilarious moments usually during tension situations. This goes hand in hand with Parker being an adrenaline junkie who is obsessed with money.
3) She’s a mystery. Much like Sophie (Gina Bellman), Parker is an enigma. We don’t know a lot about her in terms of the cons she’s pulled or the reasons for pulling the cons in the first place. We do know a little about her past and her fear of horses through some wild, brief flashbacks but beyond that she’s pretty much a mystery on every other front. We don’t know her real age either although Hardison (Aldis Hodge) has tried to guess. Hopefully, we will get to see more of these hilarious flashbacks in Season Three and learn more about her.
4) We don’t know her first name. Much like Sophie again, we don’t know Parker’s first name. Everyone just calls her by her last name Parker and that’s fine with her. She isn’t willing to give up the info nor does she give it out willingly. Although no one has really worked on her to get it. Technically, we don’t know if Parker is even her last name.
5) She’s socially awkward. Parker has a hard time fitting in with normal society. She can’t function within social groups and blabbers on about random stuff when pressed to do so. She also seems to be unable to tell white lies when needed. This is perhaps the one area where Parker is fearful in her life. No fear of heights or being in a tight space, but being able to pass herself off as a normal person? That’s a real challenge.
6) She’s wanted in nine countries. What did Parker do that has her on the run and banned from these countries? This is part of her past we know so little about. She also had one of her foster parents die in an explosion. What really caused the explosion? Was it, in fact, Parker who did the deed or something more normal? We do know this has had a lasting impact on her as this has made her especially empathetic to foster children and orphans during the show.
7) She has a deep affection for a stuffed bunny. In the flashbacks we have seen, Parker has had a stuffed bunny with her. We don’t know why she cares so much for this bunny and what significance it holds for her or if she even still owns the stuffed animal. What we do know is that when she was a child it was obviously important.
8) She has an attachment to Hardison. Romantically isn’t the right word, but the two are clearly attracted to each other since the beginning. Probably more from Hardison’s point of view than Parker’s. But Parker has been more open and willing to have genuine conversations with Hardison more so than any other member of the crew (although she did open up to Sophie a few times when she was on her break). The two have kissed and shared a few moments, but for Parker it seemed to be more of part of the con than anything else. Hardison has tried to push the relationship further with subtle attempts at dates and getting her to reveal parts about her past but so far it hasn’t moved beyond a hands-off friendship. So far. Maybe this will develop further in Season Three?
9) She’s obsessed with money. Maybe Parker links money with happiness, because with money she was finally able to be free of whatever it was that she was trapped in during her childhood and thus leading to her having a better life. One thing is certain, before signing on to Nate’s crew, she was a thief for the thrill and because it allowed her to have money. Since then, her monetary desires have subsided a bit but not by that much.
10) She says what's on her mind. Granted, what's usually on her mind can some times sound a little strange when it comes out of her mouth. She is though, like an innocent child - which goes back to her social awkwardness. She's never experienced the normal touchstones most people have had in their lives, which is why so many things still fascinate her (we learn early on in Season Three that she never went to high school). Not having those filters though, is what makes her so endearing. She may know the ins and outs of thievery, but she's still learning what it is to a functioning person within a dysfunctional family (her team) and that's why she's so easily to love at every little thing she does.