This is your brain with a fever. This is your brain with a fever watching Leverage.

[lagilman]

okay, I am finding the sight of Nate the Control Freak being leashed (and knowing it's all going to End Badly) really really funny. Not that I know any control freaks, me. *blinks innocently*

"Do I sound that creepy when I..."
"Hell yes."

(this was, I bet, stolen out of every writers' meeting. because, yeah. we get like that when we're rolling')

Overall, a good episode [I always approve of taking down talking-head newscasters], and I appreciated the fact that they were playing with delicacy -- push too hard and the mark gets suspicious... or, in this case, takes the con to a dangerous level in their own enthusiasm. And then the team has to scramble to keep up with their own con, escalating and keeping control with fingertips and fast-moving brain cells. On a purely editorial level, I'm admiring how easy the writers make that look (it's not, trust me).

And the idea of stealing back someone's reputation? Oh, I like that. A lot.

The stuff under the con as just as good, IMO. "I like it when we switch jobs. It's exciting." And we get the Look that says without speaking, "Parker, there's something wrong with you." Because yeah they're picking up each others' skills, but they still are who they are -- going back to my earlier comment about Who Am I? and What Am I?. Sophie is a grifter; she can read people, but leading them? That's a different skill. Eliot can access files now, but he's not getting off on punching keys instead of people. Etc. But at the same time, they leave the option for change open (Nate can stop drinking, Parker can interact with people). This is the logical extension of "think like someone else" from last season's ender.

Here, Sophie got her chance to be in control of the team -- and decided that it wasn't what she needed. Her kink is different from Nate's. Nothing wrong with that -- she has to find her own satisfaction, her own way. But now she's got support while she looks, which is a luxury they didn't have on their own. The fact that Nate knew Sophie'd been dumped -- and she was okay with talking about the fact that she'd been dumped -- was a nicely telling bit. As was the team's tormenting of poor Parker. Guys, it's not nice to tease the gullible. Entertaining, but not nice. But the team dynamic is evolving again. [eta: specifically, we're being SHOWN that it's evolving, rather than being told about it, but with no sense of shorthand]

Alcohol bit: Nate smelling the wine, with approval...and Hardison doing the same with his glass of orange soda? Heeeee. I felt like they did that just for me.

(on a purely shallow level: Nate in that beret? Nom. I take back all the Bad Hat Brigade comments. And since Nate kept it even when he was out of uniform, they knew damn well that it looked good. Or TH was having a Really Bad Hair Day)

Comments

[windrose.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this one, and not just because of the particularly nasty mark they were going after. The character interaction was fantastic, and how they reacted to taking over each other's jobs quite telling. I love that Parker had trouble being a bad thief. And yeah, I thought of you when the wine came out. *g*

[lagilman]

The thing about the alcohol is that I just know it's leading to a bad place -- Nate's going on iron-hard control right now, testing himself constantly, and one bad hard push will be all it takes to lift the glass back to his lips.

(I can stand and smell cigarette smoke happily, but I'm not an addictive personality. Nate has been established as such)

[michael-b-lee.livejournal.com]

I've got to say, the show is really starting to grow on me - though Eliot's hair drives me absolutely nuts. Every time I see him disguised as a cop or a government agent with that ponytail it makes me a little crazy. ;)

[lagilman]

Hah, not just you. I kept thinking "a proper con would wear a skullcap and a wig -- hell, if the Deadhead stockbroker kept his long hair hidden 5 days a week (true story), Eliott could do the same for one con."

Then I think "and the fans might yowl."

But damn it, if I were writing a Leverage book (you listening, tie-in gods?) I'd have a very funny scene wherein they have to convince him to either hide the hair, or shave it off. With Parker holding a straight edge razor in her hand and humming happily.

[wedschilde.livejournal.com]

mmmmmmmmmmmmm eliot.

[house-draven.livejournal.com]

You got me into this, Meerkat. You're an enabler to my addiction. Unfortunately, we don't have cable, so I have to wait until season 2 is released on DVDs. Even P got into them, and he's not much of a TV guy. I did, however, get the first season DVDs and pretty much watched them in a marathon viewing.

And I am hooked.

I think my favorite character is Elliot, but Parker runs a close session.

Oh, I know you tweet; are you following Christian Kane?

[lagilman]

Not CK, no, but showrunner John Rogers (@Jonrog1), and Tim Hutton (@T47) and @BethJRiesgraf for the set photographs.


And you know that you can watch the eps at tnt.tv, a week after they're aired, right?

[booraven22.livejournal.com]

Aldis is also on Twitter (@Aldishodge02)!

[house-draven.livejournal.com]

Nope, didn't know I could do online viewing. Am now caught up on 2nd season (or close to it), but will still by DVDs. Wil Wheaton just screened his upcoming episode and says it looks fantastic, so I'm stoked for that. (I've always liked Wil, and I've always been so pissed at the Trek fans who dumped on him as a teenager, so I'm happy for his success now.) If you're interested in following Christian, it's @ChristianKane01. He mainly talks about beer and his band, but other stuff gets in there as well. Thanks for the locations of the others; have added them to my following list.

[booraven22.livejournal.com]

LOVED the ep last night. Eliot & Hardison messing with Parker on all the conspiracy theories was HILARIOUS. Also loved that the biggest part of Eliot's job was just to walk into eyeline, glare and walk away again. And he's just so good at it. :)

Also funny, they aired a Nancy Grace ad during Leverage. I cackled a bit at that.

All points above -- agreed!
(But I like him with the long hair. I get that it's stretching credibility....but NOM NOM NOM)

[allaboutm-e.livejournal.com]

Last night's ep was great fun -- but one wonders how watching it with fever brain might be different...

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Argh, I totally spaced last night-- turned on the TV but couldn't remember what I wanted to watch to I turned it back off.

Argh!

[(Anonymous)]

this epi was seriously funny...parker's "i like swapping" and elliot showing hardison how cracking jokes otp isnt so cool when you are out there...too funny.

[blazedglory.livejournal.com]

This was lovely. I want to watch it again. The kid says her favorite bits were ones I don't remember. Which I'd probably love, but there are so many ... So. Need to watch it again.

The mark seemed familiar, but if weren't for El. I would never have recognized her as the actress who played Aunt Zelda on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Just a bit of trivia.

I love this show.