Leverage (TV)
Thanks to iamsab and dremiel for setting me up with DVDs! (The latter didn't play in my laptop, unfortunately, but maybe they will elsewhere.) I've seen the pilot and episodes 6-10, but don't worry about spoilers. This doesn't seem to be a show based around surprise.
It's a caper-a-week show, in which four former crooks and a former insurance adjustor rip off and steal from wealthy bad guys to benefit the people who were screwed by them - and themselves, though they're doing it more for the fun of it than for the money. I love capers, so all I ask is that I like the team and the plotting - and generally, I do.
The three younger members of the team are my favorites: Hardison, the computer geek; Parker, the borderline sociopathic thief and action heroine; Elliott, the muscle (formerly "Evil Hand" Lindsay from Angel. Their interaction, particularly the budding friendship or possibly romance between Hardison, who alone of the group could probably function in normal society if he wanted to, and Parker, who neither knows nor cares how normal society works, is the best part of the show.
The older two are less interesting, though more because of how they're written than inherently. Sophie is a seductive grifter with a mad crush on Nate, the honest man and team leader who became an alcoholic after his son died when his insurance wouldn't pay for treatment. Sophie wants him, he pushes her away; she nags him to stop drinking, he gets mad. It's very repetitive.
My favorite episode was the one where they impersonated wedding planners. It showcased the hilarious flashbacks and every team member. ("Have you ever been to Kiev? The Baker of Kiev could whip all our asses! And this guy's the Butcher!") Generally, the lighter moments work much better than attempts at seriousness. I would like Nate much better if his flashbacks weren't all about his dead son.
Though all the team members but Hardison are white, the show overall deals better with characters of color than a lot of US TV series. Hardison, who is African-American, is neither violent nor boringly perfect nor dead, nor is he sidelined in favor of the white guys. The guest stars are often people of color in non-stereotypical roles. Women, both white and of color, are also generally not stereotyped. Given what's often on US TV, this comes as a great relief.
It's a caper-a-week show, in which four former crooks and a former insurance adjustor rip off and steal from wealthy bad guys to benefit the people who were screwed by them - and themselves, though they're doing it more for the fun of it than for the money. I love capers, so all I ask is that I like the team and the plotting - and generally, I do.
The three younger members of the team are my favorites: Hardison, the computer geek; Parker, the borderline sociopathic thief and action heroine; Elliott, the muscle (formerly "Evil Hand" Lindsay from Angel. Their interaction, particularly the budding friendship or possibly romance between Hardison, who alone of the group could probably function in normal society if he wanted to, and Parker, who neither knows nor cares how normal society works, is the best part of the show.
The older two are less interesting, though more because of how they're written than inherently. Sophie is a seductive grifter with a mad crush on Nate, the honest man and team leader who became an alcoholic after his son died when his insurance wouldn't pay for treatment. Sophie wants him, he pushes her away; she nags him to stop drinking, he gets mad. It's very repetitive.
My favorite episode was the one where they impersonated wedding planners. It showcased the hilarious flashbacks and every team member. ("Have you ever been to Kiev? The Baker of Kiev could whip all our asses! And this guy's the Butcher!") Generally, the lighter moments work much better than attempts at seriousness. I would like Nate much better if his flashbacks weren't all about his dead son.
Though all the team members but Hardison are white, the show overall deals better with characters of color than a lot of US TV series. Hardison, who is African-American, is neither violent nor boringly perfect nor dead, nor is he sidelined in favor of the white guys. The guest stars are often people of color in non-stereotypical roles. Women, both white and of color, are also generally not stereotyped. Given what's often on US TV, this comes as a great relief.