You know what gets me about leverage? Every single villain is absolutely and utterly boring. And I mean that in the best way possible. No dark and mysterious sexy villains or misunderstood extremists who actually had the right idea maybe hmmm it’s complicated. NO. Just corrupt white guys (and sometimes non-white non men but 9 times out of 10 it’s an old white guy in a suit) being greedy, and greed and or overconfidence being their downfall. There are a few instances where the show grants some sympathy for the villain of the week who “can be a decent guy but currently kinda going through something and not realizing the damage they are causing but start doing better once they are confronted (pretty dramatically) about it, and also usually after most of the consequences of their actions have already started biting them in the butt big time” (Hurley, Molly’s dad).
But other then that? The show is committed to showing that all these evil things are happening due to greedy people with too much power, and most importantly, that’s not interesting. Those people are boring.
Even Moreau? Hyped up for an entire season, complicated dark past to one of the team members? Boring, greedy, overconfident dude. Gets taken down by his own overconfidence more than the “24 year old genius with a smartphone and a problem with authority”. Not once does the show try to spin him in a more compelling, intriguing light. We get “He prefers beer” and then like, two episodes of proof that Moreau didn’t pay much attention to Eliot after he left (and is in general not that smart of a dude but that’s a different post). Moreau was only “interesting” as far as Eliot’s character development was concerned but beyond that he had the depth of an origami clown.
Latimer and Dubenich? Same hype, same downfall. Same lack of depth.
Udall? Who I think is one of the only “ideological” villains in the show? Not for a second are his ideas entertained, instead they hint strongly that Vance (one of the “good guys”) is on pretty thin fucking ice as well for someone on the “”“opposite end”“” of that spectrum (I do not expect criticism of the US military/police state in US television at all, so I felt like that leeway was as good as it gets, lol).
I’m not saying villains in fiction shouldn’t be interesting or have a point or whatever, because that’s literally their narrative function. But I do appreciate how Leverage came to point out the problems at the tip of the system and went “these kinda guys exist irl, they have blood on their hands, and they are not sympathetic or compelling. They are just greedy and they suck.”
Imagine you’re some big time lawyer for a multinational, multimillion dollar company and you’re walking into court to defend your company against charges for crimes they absolutely committed. And you’re thinking to yourself, “I’m a big time lawyer for a multinational, multimillion dollar company— I can win this case in my sleep and if I can’t, I can always buy it out.” And you walk into court on the first day of trial thinking you’ve got this in the bag, thinking there’s no way you could lose. And you walk into the court room, and you approach the bench. And you’re confronted with fucking Jimmy Papadopoulos. And he WINS.
There are two queens in Team Leverage and currently Sophie is leading the Home Team, and we might see Sophie as the active leader but when all is said and done, Parker is still the one with the final say.
And in the Harry Wilson Job we can see Parker in the background, pacing like a caged tiger. She’s already angry from what happened to the people in the oil rig, but this new supposed betrayal by Harry? She’s beyond that now.
Look at her pacing in the background, she’s trying to contain her anger here and then she stops pacing and stands with Eliot. She’s still and quiet and tbh, Parker is all the more scary when she isn’t moving.
Seriously, Parker is the calm stillness before the storm, I know I’ve been enthusiastic about Sophie’s mastermind energy this season, but Parker is also a power. She’s just not choosing to wield it.
The way she’s even framed in this scene, in all black, with the sunlight behind her. It’s amazing tbh.
Eliot and Sophie know that with the reputation and cred Harry gathered, he’s a prime and ideal candidate for R.I.Z.
But Sophie can’t let it go, she’s still wondering why Harry still let her go.
Parker, however, was having none of it. The way she says, quietly but firmly, Harry Wilson was all out of chances.
But also this is Team Leader!Parker, this is the time where we’re reminded and Sophie is reminded that Sophie is leading the team because Parker is letting Sophie lead the Home Team.
Look at Parker’s body language, her whole vibe doesn’t brook any arguments and Sophie can read it plain as day.
Parker is reminding Sophie Harry was her project but Parker is done.
Parker’s voice gentled a bit when she reminded Sophie ‘Not everyone can be saved.’
I think one other reason why Parker is happy that Sophie is the Team Lead because as the Team Lead, Parker found she has to put herself at a distance because of some decisions she has to make. And we’re seeing here is that Parker, Parker who is the Head of Leverage International for 9 years running.
In a way, this reminds me of the Genetic empire in the current Foundation series where there is a balance of leadership between the Three Cleon Emperors, but also they can take the current emperor in the middle seat to task when needed.
It’s a subtle moment between Sophie and Parker but we can see it hear and I love it.
Two powerful women in their prime and never butting heads but also holding the other accountable when needed. I love this show so much.
Can someone smarter than me please explain why the lift handoffs in leverage are so goddamn intimate?
Like, I am handing you this stolen object discretely and out of sight from everyone else. Our hands are touching but we’re not looking at each other at all. We are passing through a crowded room heading in opposite directions yet we are on the same team and we are having a brief point of contact to exchange something important and illicit. We are complementary parts of a greater design, two fitting cogs of a machine we’ve built together.
I’m making my best friend watch through Leverage with me and jfc I forgot just how much I love this show. I’m sorry barring how lovable the characters are and how cathartic it is to watch them ruin rich people’s lives every episode and it being the best example of the found family trope I’ve ever seen it’s just.
This show is so motherfucking funny.
Like in the Missing Heir Job the mark asks what Parker was doing in the other room and Nate just straight out his ass goes “ummmm stealing! she has a meth problem!” and Parker deadpanning harder than any human has ever deadpanned before goes “I do. I love meth.”
Note that this is after Nate conspicuously keeps trying to loudly work the word “safe” into his convo with the mark to get Parker to stop robbing the guy and come pretend to be the long lost heir of the dude whose inheritance they’re trying to get in the right hands– which the mark buys to such a degree that he immediately tries to have Parker killed.
Nothing is funnier to me than when this group of savant geniuses fall apart in the middle of a con and have to bullshit their way out. Leverage Inc has one brain cell and Sophie has it 95% of the time.
