By Rebecca
Hi guys, when Dan asked me to guest post for the BT blog (Hi
Dan!) one of the first shows to come to mind was Leverage. I never caught this show during its run (2008 – 2012) and
never even heard of it until recently, but I love it! The great thing about
finding a show when it’s already wrapped is that you can mainline that sucker.
And mainline I did. I finished the complete five seasons in a couple of weeks.
Granted, they’re mostly short seasons (13-15 eps) but that’s some kind of
record for me. If you've never watched it, or only caught a later episode here
and there, get on it. All five seasons are out on DVD here in Australia (which
I assume means other English-speaking countries had them ages ago, probably on
Bluray with loads of extras).
But what is Leverage about? Well, I’ll let Nate answer:
The rich and powerful, they take
what they want. We steal it back for you. Sometimes bad guys make the best good
guys. We provide... "leverage".
It’s heists, and cons and hollywood hacking and Robin Hood. Since
I was a kid I've loved heist movies and hacker movies. Leverage has thieves!
Hackers! Thieves that hack! Yeah, there was always a good chance I was going to
like this show.
The basis of the show is that Nate Ford (former insurance
guy) sets up a team of criminals who traditionally work alone for ‘just one
job.’ You can probably guess where it goes from there, but predictability doesn't make the show less fun. Every episode, they’re approached by a new
client who’s been burned by someone otherwise untouchable. With each job, we
learn more about the characters and see their relationships change.
 |
| Here’s our team: Hardison (Hacker), Parker (Thief), Nate (Brains), Sophie (Grifter), Eliot (Hitter). |
I loved the whole team but, as I may have hinted, it’s
Hardison and Parker who stole my heart. Parker (whose name can’t be a
coincidence), the amazing super thief and there’s nothing Hardison can’t hack
with a smartphone (hell, he’d probably manage with an old Nokia and some foil).
No, this isn't realistic. Yes, it’s fun.
I have to admit that my geek heart near burst when Wil
Wheaton turned up as a rival hacker called “Chaos” and he and Hardison had a
HACKING DUEL. A showdown with laptops. If you watch one episode, make it that
one (The Two Live Crew Job).
The rest of the team have their roles, but one of the
interesting things about the show is seeing the characters learn from each
other. Yes, Eliot is the team’s heavy, the hitter, but that doesn't stop him
from playing the grifter. In one scene, we have Eliot teaching Parker some hits
and holds (training on Hardison, poor guy). The progress Sophie makes in
teaching Parker to grift is on-going throughout the series, while Nate plays
mentor for Hardison. However, nothing beats the Parker-Hardison team ups,
especially when she makes him play thief:
[While preparing to repel off a building]
Hardison: I
gotta go back to the office, I just remembered something.
Parker:
What?
Hardison: I
just remembered gravity. And the squishiness of all my manly bits.
If you love the team of Parker, Hardison and Eliot, there’s
even a Leverage boardgame (which I crave, but will probably not be easy to find
in Australia):
Look, I'm just going to cut the bullshit and accept that
this is whole post has been a thinly veiled Parker-Hardison love-fest. Just go
watch the show, ok? Meanwhile, look at these guys. Aww yeah
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