Leverage 1x09-1x13
Yes! I have now hit semester-end heavy procrastination mode! Maybe I'll finish Middleman by the end of the semester if I can figure out how to get my hands on it.
The Stork Job
Oh Parker, you are awesome. And Hardison, you are also awesome! I love the "I like the way you turned out." Every time I think Hardison cannot possibly get more awesome, he does! And I see what people mean by the interesting gender roles here. I especially love that after the reveal of Parker's background and the orphanage, her first response is not to rescue them, as the viewers probably expect, but instead to ditch them. It's Hardison who wants to go back, and it's Hardison who I feel is more and more the moral center of the group. The best part was Parker kicking the ass of all the security guards, and her insistence on going lone ranger and doing it by herself. I feel that's very much a role that has been masculinized by fiction, that of the stoic go-it-alone cowboy.
Although we've seen motherhood before in the series, I think we've seen more fathers than mothers, given Nate's central drama. (The mothers I can recall are the wife of the guy in the real estate job, who isn't the main client, and the woman whose restaurant was taken by the mafia, and she's portrayed more as wife.) In this episode, we get Sophie being kind of motherly, Parker being... very sort of motherly, and the actress woman, whose maternal instincts are a sham for the camera.
The Juror #6 Job
More Parker learning how to socialize! Awesome. This is the second Parker job we get. We've gotten the Eliot job before, with the horses. I don't have that much to say about this one, save that I love Hardison the lawyer.
The 12 Step Job
This was definitely not a favorite of mine; I am not particularly impressed by Nate's angst and personal drama and hallucinations. Alos, Sophie playing the therapist trying to help him and in general being the supporting woman drives me crazy (even though she's right).
Also, I snarled a little at the unreal depiction of giving someone antidepressants right off the bat, even though the entire show is unrealistic. Ditto the way the pills supposedly make Parker act. Ha. I wish antidepressants in real life worked the way they do in fiction... no side effects, no trying multiple combinations, no meds suddenly failing on you, and magical happiness the second you take them!
I'm not sure if I saw it again in this episode, but the relatively often use of Hardison "playing the race card" has me a bit puzzled. I think the reactions he gets are spot on, and yet, I am not sure if it fully recognizes the extent of stereotyping going on in people's subconscious minds, or if it reinforces the thoughts of people who think Black people "play the race card" to get out of tough situations. I don't know. What do people think? I personally love the roles Hardison gets in the show, that he's consistently shown as someone who is not physical, very technologically adept, and emotionally intelligent and very kind, which is at odds with pop culture stereotypes of Black men (I do think some are stereotypically portrayed as very kind, but that usually goes hand-in-hand with the Magical Negro role).
The First and Second David Jobs
Nate's angst still boring me, although I love the twistiness of the two episodes. I also enjoyed us getting to meet Maggie, even though I wasn't thrilled with Sophie's jealousy. On the other hand, I liked Maggie a lot and especially like that she and Sophie are not set against each other. And I LOVED that Maggie gets to punch evil CEO guy. Oh! And Parker stroking her hair and thinking she's cute for being so innocent!
These are Nate and Sophie's jobs. We've gotten jobs from Nate and Sophie before (the church job, the wedding job), but these are far more personal and backstory-revealing, like the Parker jobs and Eliot job we got previously. I don't think we've had a Hardison one yet; maybe next season?
Also, this Sophie I like! I don't dislike her, but I get annoyed at the role she has to frequently play as the emotional balance to Nate, so it was great getting to see her grifter side showing through again. Bringing that in got some of the old dynamic back from the pilot episode, and oh, I loved her treasure trove in storage and her complete inability to apologize. Given how Sophie is usually the emotional reader on the team (actually, I personally think Hardison is, but the team more officially recognizes her as such), it's fun watching her mess up with team dynamics.
Plus, although the Nate angst is not my thing (also, the flashback to the hospital scene and him rushing in through the doors had me rolling my eyes and wondering about hospital operating room procedure and sterile environments), these two episodes were chock full of teamwork and ensemble-ness, which is why I love this show so much in the first place. Even though going back to the aerial shot of the five of them walking away (twice!) was maybe a tad heavy-handed for me, I still loved it. I love the callouts to the pilot. I love the rescue of the hideous Nate portrait, Hardison's sorrow at leaving the office, the team stubbornly refusing to disband (Eliiot's "I leave the team when I say so."), and the ending. Gah! New episodes in the summer, yes?
Now I want fic! Is there fic? Is this another one of my miniscule fandoms? (Then again, compared to "The Queen and the Soldier" or "Angel Sanctuary," it feels like a gigantic fandom already.) I love Parker, Hardison, and Eliot the most, and would especially love gen involving the entire gang, Parker/Hardison, or Parker/Hardison/Eliot. Nate bores me the most, although if there's amazing Nate fic, I will read that too.
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The Stork Job
Oh Parker, you are awesome. And Hardison, you are also awesome! I love the "I like the way you turned out." Every time I think Hardison cannot possibly get more awesome, he does! And I see what people mean by the interesting gender roles here. I especially love that after the reveal of Parker's background and the orphanage, her first response is not to rescue them, as the viewers probably expect, but instead to ditch them. It's Hardison who wants to go back, and it's Hardison who I feel is more and more the moral center of the group. The best part was Parker kicking the ass of all the security guards, and her insistence on going lone ranger and doing it by herself. I feel that's very much a role that has been masculinized by fiction, that of the stoic go-it-alone cowboy.
Although we've seen motherhood before in the series, I think we've seen more fathers than mothers, given Nate's central drama. (The mothers I can recall are the wife of the guy in the real estate job, who isn't the main client, and the woman whose restaurant was taken by the mafia, and she's portrayed more as wife.) In this episode, we get Sophie being kind of motherly, Parker being... very sort of motherly, and the actress woman, whose maternal instincts are a sham for the camera.
The Juror #6 Job
More Parker learning how to socialize! Awesome. This is the second Parker job we get. We've gotten the Eliot job before, with the horses. I don't have that much to say about this one, save that I love Hardison the lawyer.
The 12 Step Job
This was definitely not a favorite of mine; I am not particularly impressed by Nate's angst and personal drama and hallucinations. Alos, Sophie playing the therapist trying to help him and in general being the supporting woman drives me crazy (even though she's right).
Also, I snarled a little at the unreal depiction of giving someone antidepressants right off the bat, even though the entire show is unrealistic. Ditto the way the pills supposedly make Parker act. Ha. I wish antidepressants in real life worked the way they do in fiction... no side effects, no trying multiple combinations, no meds suddenly failing on you, and magical happiness the second you take them!
I'm not sure if I saw it again in this episode, but the relatively often use of Hardison "playing the race card" has me a bit puzzled. I think the reactions he gets are spot on, and yet, I am not sure if it fully recognizes the extent of stereotyping going on in people's subconscious minds, or if it reinforces the thoughts of people who think Black people "play the race card" to get out of tough situations. I don't know. What do people think? I personally love the roles Hardison gets in the show, that he's consistently shown as someone who is not physical, very technologically adept, and emotionally intelligent and very kind, which is at odds with pop culture stereotypes of Black men (I do think some are stereotypically portrayed as very kind, but that usually goes hand-in-hand with the Magical Negro role).
The First and Second David Jobs
Nate's angst still boring me, although I love the twistiness of the two episodes. I also enjoyed us getting to meet Maggie, even though I wasn't thrilled with Sophie's jealousy. On the other hand, I liked Maggie a lot and especially like that she and Sophie are not set against each other. And I LOVED that Maggie gets to punch evil CEO guy. Oh! And Parker stroking her hair and thinking she's cute for being so innocent!
These are Nate and Sophie's jobs. We've gotten jobs from Nate and Sophie before (the church job, the wedding job), but these are far more personal and backstory-revealing, like the Parker jobs and Eliot job we got previously. I don't think we've had a Hardison one yet; maybe next season?
Also, this Sophie I like! I don't dislike her, but I get annoyed at the role she has to frequently play as the emotional balance to Nate, so it was great getting to see her grifter side showing through again. Bringing that in got some of the old dynamic back from the pilot episode, and oh, I loved her treasure trove in storage and her complete inability to apologize. Given how Sophie is usually the emotional reader on the team (actually, I personally think Hardison is, but the team more officially recognizes her as such), it's fun watching her mess up with team dynamics.
Plus, although the Nate angst is not my thing (also, the flashback to the hospital scene and him rushing in through the doors had me rolling my eyes and wondering about hospital operating room procedure and sterile environments), these two episodes were chock full of teamwork and ensemble-ness, which is why I love this show so much in the first place. Even though going back to the aerial shot of the five of them walking away (twice!) was maybe a tad heavy-handed for me, I still loved it. I love the callouts to the pilot. I love the rescue of the hideous Nate portrait, Hardison's sorrow at leaving the office, the team stubbornly refusing to disband (Eliiot's "I leave the team when I say so."), and the ending. Gah! New episodes in the summer, yes?
Now I want fic! Is there fic? Is this another one of my miniscule fandoms? (Then again, compared to "The Queen and the Soldier" or "Angel Sanctuary," it feels like a gigantic fandom already.) I love Parker, Hardison, and Eliot the most, and would especially love gen involving the entire gang, Parker/Hardison, or Parker/Hardison/Eliot. Nate bores me the most, although if there's amazing Nate fic, I will read that too.
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