Leverage Meta
Note: I’m using examples from throughout the seasons here, including recent episodes so watch out for spoilers if you aren’t up to date. There’s quite a lot of references to The Lonely Heart’s Job which makes up for the fact I didn’t do a reaction post for that, I hope. Okay, onto the meta:
The Supporting Cast and Connections
I’ve been thinking about season four and the way it’s coming together. I really like the supporting characters that have been featured this time around; there’s been a really good balance between characters we already know - Sterling, Hurley, Peggy, Bonnano, Tara - and new characters -Shelley, Craig, the CIA guy from The Experimental Job (I really think he’s going to be important at some point, even if it’s next season rather than this one), Latimer. It’s meant that there’s familiarity and new people that have made it exciting.
I really hope we get to see some of the new characters again. Shelley, for example. I think he has the potential to make for some really interesting viewing and I’d love to see him interacting more with Eliot - it’d be a good opportunity to explore Eliot’s character more. To be honest, I can’t see why we wouldn’t see more of Shelley as there’s got to be a point in introducing him to the show in the first place, aside from providing some funny bits in the episode. I can see why we might not see Craig again (although I hope we do) because he served a purpose in that episode in terms of Parker’s character development. With Shelley, though, I feel like he still has more of a reason for being there.
Which brings me nicely to my next thought, related to my point about the supporting cast. Nate and the team seem to be making an awful lot of connections this season - it almost feels like Nate’s really just accepting that he’s going to be doing this for a long time now and he needs to build up a network - and a lot of those connections are powerful, the CIA man, the rich man from The Lonely Hearts Job and, I’m probably stating the obvious here, but I have a feeling these connections are all going to be important at some point.
The Little Details
I mentioned something about this in my reaction post for ‘The Gold Job’ (and probably in other reaction posts, too.) I think one of the show’s strengths is in the little details and moments it has, whether it’s the running gags -Eliot’s ‘distinctive’ lines, Parker’s couch adventures - or the way certain things mirror earlier episodes.
One of the examples that comes to mind is the plant that Parker gets at the end of ‘The Lonely Hearts Job.’ It’s such a lovely shout-out to Parker’s plant line when they first get offices together when she says ‘it’s a plant that does something’ and I love the way the show is so aware of itself and it has continuity that’s like this that just pulls it all together. It’s also just perfect for Parker because of course she’s going to love a plant that’s practical. It also shows just how well Eliot knows his team.
Which leads me onto Eliot as an endearing character. Eliot is a dangerous guy. We all know that. He can kill, has killed and there’s every possibility that he’ll end up killing again (most likely to save someone from the team.) But what show does so well is to make him a person, not just a hitter, by giving him interests (cooking) and letting him do or say something to surprise is every now and again (like the flowers or letting Hardison win at Rock, Paper, Scissors.) It’s what Leverage does so well - create complex, interesting characters that you can never quite predict. You think you know what they’re going to do and then they do something else and you realise their way is better.
Sophie and Nate
So, this is a subject where I could end up writing lots and lots of stuff but there’s just one thing I want to talk about and it’s role reversal. Maybe it’s just me who thinks this but I think it’s really interesting how their relationship has changed during this season. If you go back to season one, Sophie was ‘waiting for her man’ (‘The Wedding Job’) and Sophie waiting for Nate to really be ready was kind of a running theme. Even when Sophie’s arc was about finding herself, lots of the relationship aspect was about Nate not being sure where he belonged etc. I think in this season Nate’s had to make up for that, for making her wait. She’s making him seduce her, think about the way he treats her and I like that.
So, thoughts? Comments? Questions?