@kyouell @jarodrussell already answered this pretty thoroughly but for additional info, watch the DVD commentaries. The "ledger vs orange box" question is now a sort of short hand the fans picked up from the writers to ask the question "is that real or is it something plausible but completely made up?"
@kyouell I think the physical trust they place in Eliot is probably enough respect for him. Parker isn't even paying attention to the fight, and I think the fact that that trust was very nearly in vain may have been what caused Eliot's strong snap reaction. They're not supposed to have to worry about the thugs sent to kill them if he's doing his job right. Not to mention he got a nod of appreciation for the punishment he takes during "The Tap Out Job."
@Sonja High value and high profile aren't necessarily the same thing. The Strad would have to be reported stolen to raise red flags with a sale and instrument sales, even priceless instruments, seldom make the news. Also, they're thieves. If all else failed someone on the team probably knows a fence who could've moved the violin relatively quickly.
@Jane I don't think Eliot is getting lost in the couple stuff. I agree with @tori-angeli's assessment that their seeming disregard for his safety IS how they show their respect and appreciation. ALL the members of the team make the same basic assumption about the other members of the team that could be seen as taking that individual for granted. Just because it isn't almost lovingly stated like Hardison does regarding Sophie in Two-Live Crew doesn't mean it goes unappreciated. They trust Nate to make sure the plan works; Parker to get them in to wherever they need to be; Hardison to keep the cameras off them and any other computing wizardry they may require along the way; Sophie to finesse her/their way into or out of any predicatment; and Eliot to protect them where needed. Plus, Eliot's not meant to be the "couple" kind of guy. Nate was married before -- he's that guy. Sophie's been pining after Nate for years -- she's that girl. Hardison's got this sort of school boy crush thing going on that Aldis claims is going to get a bit more mature this season and a part of Parker just wants to at least come off as "normal."
And I definitely wouldn't characterize the Nate/Sophie relationship as "will they or won't they". The 1st season it went nowhere because, as John's said in commentary, Nate's a broken guy. He's not going to jump into another relationship. The 2nd season, due to Gina's pregnancy, Sophie's only physically in the first few episodes until the finale and for about half that time she has a boyfriend. Now, at least for the beginning of the 3rd season, she's really pissed at Nate and he's probably going to remain in the "dog house" for a while. But their's is a relationship that's always been meant to be going somewhere...eventually.
@zapaper If you've never witnessed a bar fight, then think back to middle/jr. high school or high school when a fight would break out. A lot of people watch, but ain't nobody gonna step in and break that shit up but someone whose job it is to do so, i.e. a teacher or bouncer. The average person is not going to intervene unless some guy starts beating on his wife/girlfriend.
Sliding in for one more thought - Tis the season for San Diego ComiCon, and all sorts of shows you wouldn't have pegged for a massive geek convention (like, say, White Collar) are going to be there. I realize that you guys are in production and everyone is probably super busy, but will you ever carve out time to make a showing there in the future?
@Tia Dugan Joe LoDuca does most of their music. I believe Chris Downey enlisted his wife's help in choosing Scheherazade to time the con to because it's in the public domain.
@Anonymous This has been answered before, but Nate doesn't get caught in part because The Italian will be shielding him and the team so they can do the job she blackmailed them into doing and also because no one is actively looking for him.
In regards to Parker, Eliot and Hardison's ages, the actors are all relatively close in age with their characters, even if they don't look it. In season one there is a flash back to when Parker is about 7 or 8ish, and it states 20 years ago, so she is in her late 20s, close to 30 (Beth is 32). Putting little clues together thru out the seasons puts Eliot in his mid 30s (Christian is 36). Hardison was around 21-22 in the first season - there were clues with flashbacks, like Parkers (Aldis is 23).
@Anonymous In The Lost Heir Job, the APB put out on Parker states she is in her late 20s, I think she's supposed to be around 29. Aldis Hodge is actually 22 until September. In The Two Horse Job it also states that Eliot left and came back several times up until Amy got married. The LAST time he came home was likely what was 8 years ago.
@Regan Does it really matter if Nate is the only person who wouldn't be able to crack her keypad password because it's Sophie's real name? The fact she has several dummy addresses makes it pretty clear she doesn't really expect/want a lot of visitors. Sophie's the only one who knows Parker well enough to think the password would be her real name (the boys went to the wrong address after all). With the team back together it's unlikely Nate would be without one of them anyway and it's most likely to be Sophie.
As for Nate's harshness with Hardison, there's an interview with John out there somewhere in which he mentions that you're always hardest on your star pupil. Also, while Nate isn't going to leave his "family" hanging, as he re-demonstrated with going in after Parker in The Inside Job, what I think he's trying to illustrate for Hardison is that to run a team you have to be willing to put them in positions in which they aren't comfortable to get the job done. As long as Nate's doing his job, they shouldn't ever be in a situation he can't think his way out of to get everyone out safely.
1) Did Gina just push some random numbers when she figured out Parker's code, or did she actually punch in what her real name is supposed to be?
Because I'm going to laugh so hard if it was just a random sequence. I can't wait to find out if the writers anticipated the fans freeze framing moments like that.
2) Somewhat related to that, I'll also be interested in hearing the explanation of the check amount being so much less than the Strad was worth. But my question is, did anyone actually anticipate that the amount of the check would be questioned?
3) And, finally, I know you've mentioned that "answering the e-mails" has become a standard joke in the writers room, but have there been many - or even any - things that the writers are surprised (and glad) that the viewers haven't noticed? Of course, if the answer to that is yes, you are required to provide at least one example. :)
What a fabulous person you are for taking the time to do this to the extent that you do. Of course, it does nurture our rabid loyalty to the show, but it's not like your job wasn't difficult enough to begin with.
Also, btw, the problem is not getting the questions in by Wednesday. It's that, the questions will continue coming until they are answered. I think it's generally understood amongst us all that, once you answer them, all future questions need to go in the comments of future posts.
Now, that always floors me. Aldis has that confidence and centeredness that always made me think he was a thirtysomething that successfully passed himself off as a late 20 something.
@John Cannot say enough good things about the show. And I appreciate the crew interacting with fans, as you are doing here. I agree with the earlier post that says the show is more of an experience that way. I learn so much from the show (Today I've wikipedia'd Sailor Bubba and Steranko), and so much about making TV from the DVD commentaries and these blogs. Thank you!
Now that you've directed (and I'd argue that The Inside Job was the best action oriented episode, great work), are there any lessons from that experience that will change your writing?
How did Gina Bellman get cast? I know her as Jane Christie from BBC's Coupling. I found Leverage when I saw her in the ads and couldn't wait to see her regularly again. In my own Leverage universe, I imagine that Jane grew into Sophie... The line in the Jailhouse Job about what kind of world would it be if every criminal went to prison is the kind of line I'd attribute to Jane.
Can I assume that the writers, all lovers of TV I’d guess, understand that most shows that put two characters together after some fun tension tend to jump the shark? (I’m still angry about Moonlighting…) Do the writers discuss this? I see three possibilities for conversations: We can do this, we’ll make it work; ugh, how can we make this work (I see this as accompanied with heads banging on the table); or we know that this is the pattern of how these things play out, so let’s just enjoy the ride (and admire the shark while we jump it).
@the blog audience Elliot – at the end of 305, I didn’t think he was hitting on the client at all. Recall how he acts when he is – The Runway Job, and even taking the drink during the fight in The Scheherazade Job. Very different behaviors. I see Elliot as being similar to Setsuna F. Seiei from Gundam 00 -- a child warrior on the wrong side of the conflict. Now he’s using his honed fighting skills to try and make amends.
Hardison – I wasn’t a big fan of Nate not telling Hardison about the hypnotism. That said, I’d argue that Hardison has started to take his grifting further, especially the hand gestures, than it needs to – seeming to forget the lesson of the Iceman Job. So I’m ok with Nate taking him down a peg. I’m looking forward to seeing the Nate/Hardison dynamic develop further.
Sophie -- I’ve often wondered how Sophie pulled off the job in the flashback where she got the tiara and fake big check (can’t remember the episode …) . I’d think that would have to be a very high profile con with a lot of details (lost heir maybe?) that would require Nate like planning. After seeing her performance in 305, I don’t have that question anymore. As far as I’m concerned, she showed herself to be his equal.
@jo I don't want Eliot to be in a couple. All I'm saying is that I don't want couples to be the focus of the show.
In fact I agree completely with anon's earlier words: "This show is great because all the characters are individually interesting. They don't really need couples. I'm willing to see how they develop them, because I do see chemistry with N/S and P/H, but I don't love that most of the cast is paired up and I think that formula gets old fast"
@tori-angeli @jo I do agree, and love, that they show appreciation by trusting Eliot to 'do his job' for them during a con. But I can't agree that the team show appreciation when they ignore him after the con or fight is over (like they did in 302).
All it would take is one simple acknowledgment. A word, a look, or a touch, to check if he's okay and if he made it out.
And yes, anon, Eliot did fight in Zanzibar, he had that marvelous "violence as an appropriate response" fight with Sterling.
well since my Q are already out there, just stopping by to say ' you did a great job, Mr. Rogers!' I love that ep. you directed. Also liked the fight scenes, specially that one when Kane knocked out the falling guard, send my regards out to the stunt coordinators of this Season, all of them, I meant all of them! Keep up the great work, We Grifters are very thankfull for that!
@tori-angeli @jo I do agree, and love, that they show appreciation by trusting Eliot to 'do his job' for them during a con. But I can't agree that the team show appreciation when they ignore him after the con or fight is over (like they did in 302).
I like to think, in 302, that they kept at it for the rest of the night to tick him off (because he really is funny when he's annoyed), then team mom Sophie quietly scooped him up some ice cream or something. Or made him a salad from the food he grows, I dunno (I like to think Sophie did this kind of thing when Nate was in prison and she had custody of the kids). But inevitably, Eliot would say something snarky and tick her off. Again. I dunno, I don't feel too bad when someone with an immature sense of entitlement doesn't get the attention they want. His ego can take it, and considering he was ranting at them over the ear buds, I'm pretty sure they knew he was fine. 'Sides, don't wanna ruin the floaty dance. That was amazingly romantic.
Mmmm, the fight in "Zanzibar." Nothing was more satisfying than the look of astonishment on Sterling's face when it got punched.
This show is great because all the characters are individually interesting. They don't really need couples. I'm willing to see how they develop them, because I do see chemistry with N/S and P/H, but I don't love that most of the cast is paired up and I think that formula gets old fast.
Costuming Question: Eliot seems to have a lot of hand-knits i.e. hats, fingerless gloves. Is someone in Wardrobe a great knitter, or are these the actor's personal items?
Are the gloves needed for Ass-Kickin', or is the Texan actor freezing his butt off in #PDX? Thanks!
Hi John! Simple question: What do we have to do to get a Fourth Season of Leverage? Is it as simple as e-mailing TNT? Point us in the right direction, please! Many Thanks
Great job on your directing debut!! I loved both episodes. I think most of the questions I had have already been answered but the one I have is, What was the process in choosing Scheherazade as the concert piece, and did it tie in at all with the end of the ep, when Nate convinces the President that his brother was plotting against him, in essence, taking a page from Scheherazade's book to save them all? Thanks!
@tori-angeli Before this season started I was already worried that the focus would shift from the team to the relationships. When 'The reunion Job' ended like that it confirmed my fears. (Hopefully it only seemed to and I'm worrying about nothing.)
So I wasn't in the best mindset at the time to appreciate the adorableness of the dance. Now I've watched it a few more times I can see it's very romantic *g*.
re anon's quote, it's exactly what I was trying to say but couldn't find the words for.
@Jane I completely understand. I would much rather keep focusing on the family dynamic than the pairings. I think the little TNT specials are a bit weird, talking about N/S and P/H like they're dishing out celebrity gossip and separately discussing Eliot's fights. It's like as far as the network is concerned, the romantic tension and the violence are the only important things about these characters.
All the same, I think the last two episodes really did a lot to ease my fears. In 303, Parker and Hardison were acting pretty much as though they'd never had that dance (baby steps, folks) and Parker spent more time with Eliot. In 304, I thought Eliot had one of the more moving subplots--as I said, particularly in light of "The Order 23 Job." Again, he had a lot of time with Parker. Nate spent a lot more time with Hardison than with Sophie, and clearly the episode was meant to highlight the relationship between those two. So even after the shippy moments in 302, they wisely chose to break the group up into non-romantic pairings for the next couple of episodes. It makes me feel much better about the way things are headed, and I'm more and more willing to relax and trust the writers.
That said, I'm gonna be a hypocrite and admit that I am absolutely terrified of 306's premise. I hope, Mr. Rogers, that you have a safety net for all of us who agreed that Eliot singing would be weird. I'm in the same camp as those wondering when all this publicity is going to shoot them in the foot.
@Jane - I forgot about that fight with Eliot and Sterling in Zanzibar. I totally agree with you though that it would be great and potentially a fun writer's challenge to have an ep where Eliot does not fight.
Re-watched 3.04 and have a couple questions:
1) The envelope Nate snatched for the Italian had what looked like the word "Elegy" in the upper corner in some shots. I know our baddie labeled things with musical terms, but is there any greater significance (assuming I'm reading that right)?
2) Nate has been fairly nurturing in the past with Hardison, in both Mile High Job and the Juror No. 6 job. Why the switch to tough love?
3) Any hints you would like to tease us with in the Sophie-centric episode? We got spoilers on Hardison's and Parker's and have seen things about Eliot's and Nate's, but not a single thing about Sophie's.
4) Are we going to learn what was in that envelope?
I have to say that these are two of the best episodes you've ever done. The first two episodes seemed run-of-the-mill to me (not such a bad thing, considering the sleek, beautiful and entertaining mill that is your show), but these two... wow. "The Inside Job" was, apart from being one of the most engagingly directed episodes in your run, a real acting tour de force. All that time you've spent making your cast act through the earpieces - with people not in the same physical location - seems to have really paid off; some of the work Beth Riesgraf did "alone" here was stunning (not to mention tear-inducing). Coming off an episode as affecting as "Inside", I didn't expect the same from "Sheherezad", but again, it contained some moments that really grabbed me. The musical heist sequence was funny, exciting and moving at the same time; not exactly easy to pull off, I'm sure. Great work by Aldis Hodges selling the violin solo, great work by rest of the crew reacting.
Regarding Elisabetta Canalis' accent: I don't find her difficult to understand, but her skewed emphases and stresses often make it seem like she doesn't know what it is she's saying. There's nothing wrong with having a thick accent, but wouldn't the Italian, this sophisticated character with good syntax and a big vocabulary, also know what English sounds like (its melodies, so to speak)?
Just a general comment r.e. those who are unhappy(??) about the focus on relationships within the family. Think it was Mr Rogers himself, in an iF interview, who said that season 3 was about the team going "ok. we're a family. a bloddy dysfunctional one. how are we going to work this out?". In the light of that, I fully expect this season to be exploring the dynamics between each pairing. I don't expect Parker to realise that she's really madly in love with Hardison, nor would it be reasonable to think "Sophie" is the forgiving type (as far as Nate is concerned).
Like @Jo said, Nate/Sophie was always going to happen. The fun is in seeing how it happens. And the opportunities to throw things at our TVs when Nate does something else to screw it up. Parker/Hardison was also there right from the start...think it was always meant to be a slow bloom. Right now, I just gotta have faith in the writers not to go down the "dream sequence/in a coma" crap of many shows to resolve this. And I have faith in the writers to maintain a focus on the heists with relationship-exploration as a side note. Shows like Bones, or even House, got abit blah once the relationships starting taking up half the air-time.
Adding to the numerous kudos and expressions of gratitude: You, sir, are a legend! The cast and crew of Leverage has made my thesis-writing more bearable!
Two more excellent episodes! Dang, you guys just aren't slowing down. Kudos on your directorial debut! Excellent job.
Is it really possible to hypnotize someone that effectively, without them being willing/aware of it or even knowing it happened? (And Nate learned this in prison, in six months? along with learning how to cook that scrumptious prison food? Wow, Nate.) Hardison says he feels "negatively" about mind control, and in "Scheherazade Job" Nate's doing it to him. And then rubbing it in his face, basically telling him he's too nice to run his own crew. Nate Ford is a very bad man. Are we going to see this "mind control" theme again? It's a little worrisome, especially considering how good Nate and Sophie are at it.
Did Parker overhear the conversations between Nate and Archie about her? They all still had earbuds in.
Technical questions on "Inside Job": What Hardison did with the cable in the wall - that isn't really possible, is it? At least not just by sticking a cable in a wall? And Parker saying the code wasn't ASCII, it was a shell code - what the heck did that mean?
Backing up to 3.01: When Nate digs the earbud out of the kielbasa and sticks it in his ear (eww) Hardison was right there listening. How come Hardison had an earbud in while playing with his toy helicopter? (Those earbuds must bounce off satellites, because they have a truly unbelievable range. Not that I mind.)
In "Inside Job" when Hardison and Eliot come skidding into Parker's "bedroom", where did they come from? They acted like they hadn't seen Nate and Sophie standing there, but it's a big room.
Is Hardison's new van a Dodge Sprinter? Nice!
Loved Parker saying, "I couldn't do it, but I was alone then; I'm not alone now." Kinda sums up the whole deal, really.
Let me just say that, IMHO, Sophie is much more beautiful than The Italian.
Any idea when we'll know if we get a fourth season? Anything we can do to help ensure it, besides watching and buying the episodes?
RE: Anon’s --“Was there a fight in Zanzibar Marketplace?” - Only one of the BEST fights!!! And, it was within the first 2 minutes of the show. When he heard “the voice” behind him, Eliot jumped up, turned around, and slugged Sterling. Then he proceeded to beat the sh#* out of him! (Don’t know if you remember, but the bartender turned to go and stop the fight but Hardison stopped him and passed him a wad of cash to ignore it. Hardison & Parker sat there with huge grins on their faces as Eliot continued to beat on Sterling).
RE: gypsyhrt – “When Nate hypnotized Hardison did he ask what Sophie’s real name is?” PRICELESS!! Laughed hysterically at that one. Hadn’t even thought of that possibility. Let’s hope “Nate” doesn’t read this blog or he might be hypnotizing Hardison again.
@Jane and, um, others whom I've forgotten *g*, re: the Eliot w/no fights thing, there've actually been several eps where he hasn't fought. S1 had Two-Horse, Stork Job and Snow Job, and in Miracle he just did a head-butt (while holding a gun down another guy's pants; I still love that scene!). In S2 there were no fights in Three Days of the Hunter or Three Strikes. Well, except for the runner at home. *g*
So they've done it, and it's worked. Of course, when there's an ep or two without a fight, fans start asking, "Why isn't Eliot fighting?"
I noticed that the check Nate gave Jane was drawn on an account for Leverage Associates in Miami, Florida. Hardison is clearly keeping their finances secure by keeping them out of state. That's cool.
And Moto's bodyguard: He was there giving Moto advice, and he gave Elliot the most trouble since Quinn in the First David Job. I think there's more to this fellow than meets the eye.
Are we supposed to take the ease with which Sophie set up the sniper's rifle in 304 as a clue to her background? I remember her making an offhand comment about 'stars and bars' in the Three Days of the Hunter Job, and it's had me thinking that she might have been an army brat. Getting colder? Warmer?
Also: every episode I tend to think something along the lines of "Damn! I can't imagine they could ever do anything that tops this!" and then you do. Because all of you are that damn good. Thank you for existing. And: 303 was superbly directed, Kudos!
I've seen the new promo (for the Double Blind Job), and I gotta say, I'm so excited to see jealous Parker. Care to spoil us any about that?
Also, like some other commenters, I'm wondering about the ages of the team. I feel like Nate and Sophie are supposed to be in their 40's, Eliot in his 30's, and Parker and Hardison about the same age, but in their 20's. Am I right?
These episodes were great; somewhere near my new favorites, for sure!
@Tia Dugan said...Complaint: Quit saying Christian Kane. I don't know why but it irritates me when you see CK next to Sophie or Parker. I know he is gorgeous and all but used the character name. Thank you!!
YW.
Ooooh, look! It's Sophie, Parker and Lindsey!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was prepared to be blown away by The Inside Job (and I was).
I was *not* prepared to be stunned by The Scheherazade Job.
Season 3 has been quite a surprise. What fascinating explorations of identity (self and other) we've seen so far: Parker's growing self-awareness, Hardison's burgeoning ambition, Sophie's musings on just how well she knows Parker and Parker knows her. And those magical moments when everyone comes to know Hardison through the power of music.
True art empowers us to see the world differently. Thanks for making art!
Must say, some of the references/nods to other characters/people in episode 303 I’ve had to look up. But, I’m learning a *lot* about the comic book & sci fi worlds! Curious - Was 303 the most jammed packed episode with references/nods to other characters/people ? Did the writers tally them as they went along? If so what was the total #? Is there a contest for ‘most used in one episode’ for season 3? I remember my brain racing throughout the entire episode, but I LOVED it! Once again lets hear it for the first time director, Rogers Rocks!!!!!
Loved Eliot's slide! And of course, all his fights. Can't get enough of the 'Wolverine' and Parker together. Big brother, little sister vibes. Daddy Nate being jealous of Archie (shows how much he cares . . "we would both die for her". Don't like Parker's heavy makeup either. I like the innocent looking Parker that's a little off center. I like it that it is part of Eliot's nature that he is the one who can always read people even better than Sophie. He knew when he first saw Parker in 1st episode what the deal was and 'wasn't surprised about her living quarters'. He loves her anyway in his Eliot (wolverine) way. I also think it's funny about the posts who can't believe corporate people wouldn't call them on their "Avenger" names. I have to tell you that no one in my social circles would have any idea even what an 'avenger' is, much less the names they used. Sorry. So here's my question: Are you going for more x-men vibes by having Nate hypnotize? Reminds me of Prof Xavier. Though, I have to say that I don't like the mind game stuff with each other. "A family has to be safe with each other". And . . just my opinion but I think Nate was being nasty at the end because he doesn't want to even think of a day that the team won't be together like they are now. After all, he is daddy. Anyway, that's how "I" feel about Hardison suddenly talking about having his own group. One more: Beginning reminds my daughter of the 1985 Equalizer series. Was that intentional?
Oh yeah, and I disagree that Eliot needs any weaknesses. He's like the x-men wolverine according to john rodgers blog. Heals quick and loves to fight so don't take that away from him. That's his job on the team by the way. Of course he does everything perfectly that he attempts. If he didn't he wouldn't be Eliot. You know, in his line of work, if he wasn't always on the ball he would be killed in a very short time. He is one character that can't afford a weakness.
@Jane I really don't think we have to worry about this season being too couple-centric. We did, after all, get criminal "My Two Dads" in The Inside Job. (Awesome!) I think those relationships are probably going to develop a little further, especially the Nate/Sophie one since they are "mom and dad," but not at the risk of the overall family dynamic. I mean, come on, it's Nate. He's going to take one step forward and two back with Sophie. Let's face it, if he "earns" her real name by the season finale it will be a shock. Plus, Tim tweeted something a few days ago about Kari Matchett which is a strong indicator she's guesting again this season and having Maggie around will likely throw a wrench in anything Nate and Sophie may have going on by then. And I have to agree with @tori-angeli with regard to The Reunion Job. They probably pushed his buttons all night long because of they family thing. Plus, I think he's kind of mocking them ending up caught up in the whole reunion experience after the job was done in a manner similar to how he razzes Parker in The Inside Job once she's gotten the canister out. The writers know what they're doing. Don't let TNT and their advertising throw you.
@Anonymous 1) The envelope Nate snatched for the Italian had what looked like the word "Elegy" in the upper corner in some shots. I know our baddie labeled things with musical terms, but is there any greater significance (assuming I'm reading that right)?
@johnrogers I apologize for my first comment to this post. It was far too confrontational and really doesn't reflect how I think about the episodes.
I was miffed and (still am slightly) afraid Leverage'll go where other shows have gone before (with the 'will they or won't they trope), and I'm picking up details and blowing them out of proportion as confirmation of fears I had before the season started.
@Maverick - I understand that Eliot needs to be "perfect" in some sense, and it's funny that he's so good at everything he picks up. But a character can only grow if he's got somewhere to grow from. We're seeing GROWTH in the personalities of Nate, Sophie, Parker and Hardison, and that's one of the things that has made this season so exciting.
The writers should be able to make Eliot great at 99.9% of things but have something that trips him up and still have it work within the show. And sorry, "the ladies" or "disadvantaed kids" doesn't cut it. That's kind of like the old interview answer to what's your greatest weakness. "Well you know, I'm just too organized and attentive to detail for my own good!"
Being Wolverine in a 2 hr movie is one thing. Being Wolverine in a long running TV show where all the other characters have nuanced, well-developed personalities is quite another.
Back to something a bit more basic: do you know the name of the theater/hall where the concert segment was filmed, and the name of the orchestra? It's a gorgeous facility, and the orchestra was first-rate, assuming we were hearing them -- if not, they sure looked the part!
There are 4 squillion questions here already so forgive me if this is a repeat question, but I was wondering what kind of research you did on hypnosis; is it truly feasable that one could go back to a point in one's life and remember how to play violin well, or is that just television hypnosis, and it wouldn't actually work quite that flawlessly.
I loved that whole musical moment, though. I love crowning moments of awesome/heartwarming.
PS Still hoping for more Doctor Who references this series! :)
@Jane for what it's worth, since this isn't my blog, I don't think you've been angry or irrational about anything. I've felt like this is a friendly discussion rather than a heated debate and actually enjoyed going back and forth with you. I like it when people make me re-think what I thought I already had figured out, and, as little as I know about you, I kinda like you already XD.
I understand that Eliot needs to be "perfect" in some sense, and it's funny that he's so good at everything he picks up. But a character can only grow if he's got somewhere to grow from. We're seeing GROWTH in the personalities of Nate, Sophie, Parker and Hardison, and that's one of the things that has made this season so exciting.
It's occasionally appropriate to have a relatively idealized character. Not every character needs to have growth (static characters are characters, too!), and some characters just exist so the audience can long to be them. That said, I don't think Eliot is a canon Gary Stu. Those don't usually act like five-year-olds when poked in the arm. Remember Hardison making fun of him for his choice in fashion? As much as he knows about womens' fashion, the geek's opinion is that he fails at dressing himself. Hmm, I don't think I need to list all of his little failings, but overall I keep getting the impression (not that I trust those) that Eliot has made some very substantial mistakes in his past. Amy was definitely one of them, seeing how much she was hurt by him.
And because I haven't done this yet: Mr. Rogers, I adored the new episodes. Was 303 your first directing job ever, or just your first directing job for this series? Either way, it was stunning and fast-paced and looked really good. Will we see you direct again in the future?
@Zenkitty714: Hardison and Eliot came from one of Parker's fake addresses (loved Sailor Bubba!). Remember, Nate said she had six of them.
And they were surprised not to see Nate and Sophie, but to see what constitutes "home" for Parker. Or, rather, Hardison was surprised. Eliot said it was exactly what he'd expected.
How did Nate know that Sophie was going to choose Scheherazade? He hypnotized Hardison before Sophie came in with the music. Did he arrange that with her beforehand, or does he just know her well enough to know she'd pick music about a great grifter?
I think Sophie's "what did you learn in prison" bit indicates that she didn't know his plan, which makes Nate's manipulation even sneakier.
Nearsightedness makes DISTANT objects blurred, therefore if Eliot was nearsighted he would NOT need glasses for reading or looking at something closely.
I was rewatching s1 the other day when I noticed Eliot put his glasses on for one of Hardison's presentations. That seems to fit with him being nearsighted.
...Why yes, I do pay attention to stuff like this. I like it when people have glasses on TV.
As I've been blathering on about theories on Eliot multiple times, it occurs to me that it may be a pain in the butt for you to go through all these comments and discussion posts to get to questions.
Would you prefer that we have the back and forth discussions somewhere else?
I kind of gravitate here, because all the most ardent fans show up at your doorstep after every show. :) But if we're dragging you down with all our theorizing, let us know!
Great work on 3x03. My burning question regards Parker during her time as Archie's junior apprentice. He told Nate, "My family thinks I'm an accountant." So Archie must have explained his frequent absences for purposes of thievery as "business trips". Presumably Parker was somewhere on her own, stealing to take care of herself. She couldn't possibly have lived WITH Archie and his family. Since we found out in 3x03 that she currently lives in a warehouse, and she mentioned in 3x02 that she was sort of glad she never went to high school, can we assume she was living in "unofficial" quarters (abandoned bldgs, empty stores, etc.)?
I adore that 3x03 had me relaxing into the sense that Parker had found her family, as had they all - and then you had Nate pull that on Hardison in 3x04. Awesome! Nate, as has been said before, is not a nice guy.
But that didn't stop me feeling all warm and wiggly over him calling Eliot 'El'. Was that scripted, or Tim?
It was nice to see the continuity in Eliot's fierce protectiveness of children. I know he's protective of the vulnerable generally, and children are perhaps simply the most vulnerable most of the time, but there seems to be something more specific there to me. Maybe. *g*
Finally (I promise), I just love all the geeky shoutouts throughout the season, so was very surprised and a little disappointed that Hardison described Steranko as having a "brain the size of a building", not "a planet".
Thank you so much for all your time and energy talking to us all here.
Sorry - I just re-read my comment and realised it ended up sounding really negative/carping with the comment re 'brain the size of a...' That was *not* my intention in the least. I love the show; it is absolutely my go-to place for when I need cheering up. The mixture of humour, suspense and really good, consistent, developing characterisation is a breath of fresh air on today's telly. :)
I just wanted to say you guys did a fabulous job on both these episodes. You're really awesome this season, to the level of epic and I didn't think this show could get any better - but it has!
1. Who really played the solo? Was it Aldis or not?
2. Parker seems to be very conflicting on her sexual/social balance. She strips her clothes off a few times in this and previous season, has no problem faking the kiss with Hardison, but then she seems kinda innocent in her sexting question and not being aware of her affects on men. Its to the point I don't know if she's a complete novice or a master seductress. So....which is it? lol
3. Parker didn't seem happy about what Nate did to Hardison (hypnotizing). Eliot didn't find out. Sophie didn't seem to approve either. So would Eliot have approved and did Sophie?
4. Both women - Beth and Gina - seem to look even more attractive this year than last. Is there something going on with the makeup or something? Cause if so, I need some! Or maybe its just the Portland water. Whatever it is, you need to bottle that shit.
5. Christian Kane's drunk act pretending he was trying to get his jacket back was hysterical. I love his 'drunk hands'! You'd think he's had experience being drunk ;)~
Once again, thank you for two such awesome episodes. I'm really loving this season so far. Story lines and characters are both wonderful.
"She strips her clothes off a few times in this and previous season, has no problem faking the kiss with Hardison, but then she seems kinda innocent in her sexting question and not being aware of her affects on men."
All of these behaviors are the signs of someone who is almost completely innocent of her sexual attraction and effect on men. She isn't stripping her clothes off and fake-kissing because she's being seductive - she doesn't comprehend how seductive those things are when she does them.
@Jo: I'm writing about how personality and trust perception affects (or doesn't affect) counterproductive work behaviours.
Already I'm re-re-rewatching eps. Can we fast forward this weekend and get to next Sunday already? Or cancel...the...(holidays...?) I just know the coming eps are gonna knock it way outta the ballpark again.
Just an observation: We don't know any of the female characters' real names -- Parker, Sophie and The Italian -- while the male characters are using their real names.
Is that intentional or just part of the "finding identity" theme?
Someone may have asked but, having missed the first few moments of 303, was there an explanation for the condition of Eliot's nose? Maybe an actual Kane injury?
John, I haven't watched these two yet, but it seemed like the Big Bad is in another country.
Can it be Freedonia? Pleeeeease? Can they have their own Aeronautics and Space Administration? Surely as a man who plays Shadowrun, you can appreciate the request.
Loved the episodes...they were pure awesomeness. But, I have a general peeve or two. 1)The intro for Leverage as a whole is great, but TNT is in a rut. Intros for Memphis Beat, Closer, Dark Blue, and God knows what else all have the same "look", and in my opinion that diminishes the specialness of Leverage, which I believe used the stop-motion first? 2) Also, Nate's new "We provide leverage" is too "cutesy". The original one, with the little tip of the head, was fabulous.
Questions (first ones after 4 episodes of S3!) Some comments here are on all about having (minor?) "weakness" in team members that can add to the overall drama of this show. So just curious:
1) How much easier in having Parker "quirky" and "unpredictable" already, to run-off and find some trouble on her own ? 2) Is Hardison's weakness still his (big) ego - that he is the very best at what he does? Is that something Nate now is trying to fix? (Not really concerned, but just asking if Nate was supposed to be in fear of losing a great hacker like H ? (That explains the bluntness in dealing with H?) The writers showing love for AD in these Nate vs Alec angles :) 3) If Eliot had a "weakness" I would guess it would be only something external. To me, Eliot's "character weakness" would be his bad-temper, trust issues and may be being a perfectionist (planning and strategy being main concerns of his) - like how else would Eliot have survived all those past dangerous solo missions and prison war camps, right?
@Anonymous: it's had me thinking that [Sophie] might have been an army brat. Getting colder? Warmer?
I was wondering this, too. Except that the American army brat culture is (as far as I know, anyway) specific to America. Other countries don't do it that way, and of all shows, I give these writers credit for doing the research! And while it's possible Sophie is American, I really don't think she is. I am certain she's a third culture kid, though; the best fit, from what I can tell, is diplomat's kid. Not that they'll probably ever tell us!
And Eliot's just as flawed as any of the others: Dark Secret. (Plus guilt, temper, and so on.) He's just worked to eliminate weaknesses as much as possible, because he couldn't afford them in his line of work. But that kind of flaw is not something that can be done in a gradual arc, like the others' flaws; that's a big, melodramatic ep + one or two of fallout. Which the writing team may never want to do. He's flawed, he just hides it better, and it'll take a pretty big trust breakthrough or some other tv-trauma to deal with it.
@Nina May: Recall one Job where Eliot *knew* that a dad was hitting his son, and that he was in with the police, so nothing was done. He went out of his way to get justice for that kid.
With Eliot, it's never that he's the Hitter; it's that, inevitably, he gets hit.
@cgeye: I agree that he gets hit, absolutely, but I wouldn't call that a flaw, in character terms. I guess it depends on how we define "flaw" and "weakness". It doesn't really set him apart from the rest of the team, either, since they've all had things that "hit" them at some point.
For example (and these aren't intended to be comprehensive), Sam's death for Nate, Nate's ass-yness for Sophie, Parker's brother's death for Parker, and various little things for Hardison (who's the second most empathetic on the team after Sophie). And they all go out of their way to right wrongs that hit close to home for them.
Actually, that reminds me of another question: what was the scripted order of the episodes? People keep talking about the numbers, but I haven't been able to get the exact timeline. The reason I ask is because it goes to Nate's relationship with the team; if Inside Job is intended to come after Scheherazade, then that puts a different slant on the rescue and Nate's actions, as he tries to establish where the boundaries of team (push them unethically if necessary) and family (die for them, never give up on them, etc) lie, and which is more important. Some remorse in play, perhaps?
And I can see it being what smoothes over some of the trust cracks with the team, restoring the relationships (until the writing team decides it all needs to bust open again, of course). Nothing brings a family back together like putting one of them in danger....
@NinaMay, you may be right. I should probably take the same advice I gave Jane and just wait to see what the Eliot-centric episodes hold. I understand that theres' a certain level of perfectionism he must have, but I'd also like to see him maybe just once not be perfect and what kind of fall out that has for him and the team, especially since everyone has made their mistakes. I do know its a tough line to walk, though, given Eliot's role on the team.
I only skimmed the last half of the comments so apologies if these have been asked already about the Inside Job.
1) I, like another commenter, assumed that when I saw Eliot with the crowbar, he was going to smash the window, especially since he kept telling Parker to get back. However, he suddenly appeared inside the building and the implication at the end is that the team got out the same way. Was he able to pry open the window?
2. Everything in Parker's apartment is rather stark except for the red cereal bowls and what looked like colorful glass paperweights, seen briefly behind Nate in a glass case. Do the paperweights have special significance or does Parker (i.e. set design) just think they look pretty?
I really like the recurring theme of family. Hardison tells her they're more than a team in The Stork Job, but I felt like Parker finally believed it in this episode.
As I understand it, due to guest star availability, the episodes were not filmed in the order they were intended to be shown, but they are being aired in the correct order regardless of the episode number.
Yikes! There are a heck of a lot of questions here. I just read through all of them and it took me all day (don't tell my boss). My sympathies are with you for having to not only read all of this, but to actually care enough to repond.
Every ep has been great so far this season. You are all just awesome!
I normally have no problem understanding accents, but I have to admit that The Italian's accent had me wondering at one point why she wanted Nate and the team to take out Demi Moore. (Go ahead and listen, you'll hear it, too. Don't even try to say you don't.) Maybe subtitles would be nice, so we don't lose anything important.
I think all my questions have already been asked (mostly I want to know how Sophie suddenly ended up in that vault behind Nate and the others) so I'll just wait and read the answers.
Thanks for taking the time and having the patience. We love you for it. (Well, that and all the Doctor Who references.)
I have a semi-unrelated question. In the last post the term Deancake was used and I have looked and looked and then just in case, looked some more. But I cannot figure out what it means, so can someone clue me in?
"Deancake" is the term for a special thing that Dean Devlin, when he's directing, gets to have or do, some expensive or difficult thing that a director normally wouldn't get to have, because Dean's also a producer of the show. Like, exploding a car in downtown Portland.
Semi-quoting him from one of the screenings: "I'm a producer, so I'm supposed to rein in directors who want to go too far. And I'm a director who always wants to go too far..."
Was Inside Job originally intended to air after Scheherazade Job? Because if so, Nate asking Hardison "what's your play?" takes on a whole other level of significance. In addition to rescuing Parker, Nate's teaching Hardison.
Thanks. Do we have a source for it? After the way S1 was aired, and how choppy the changed sequence made the developing team dynamic, I could do with an official source for the correct chronology!
loved 'em. absolutely loved parker's place. yay she still has (and probably sleeps with) her bunny. i'm trying to catalog her place...bed with bunny, overhead mostion sensitive flood lights, shelves full of cereal(dry, nutritious food that keeps well, plus fun to munch on), hangers full of harnesses, job planning area, work benches with carabiners, and what looked like glue and i guess just the rest of the stuff she needs to make her custom high wire gear. what else am i missing??
Dagnabit, that's why I shouldn't rewatch episodes with my question hat on, I get all persnickety.
In Inside, when Nate tells Hardison to set the Sterenko to threat level 4, "hasmat", Hardison says he's been busting his butt to keep it from going to DEFCON 4 ... only I thought that for DEFCON, 1 was the highest threat level, and 5 the lowest. If Hardison regularly hacks the Pentagon, not to mention is a self-respecting geek ... shouldn't that be something he would not get wrong? I'm not even American (nor even a proper geek, according to friends who are) and I know that.
There was a nice symmetry thing there with the "4" and all, but still. Was it just a "ledger" thing? Because this piece of trivia is somewhat less arcane, and it's a throwaway line, not a plot necessity. Not going to chide you to "do better" ... just make a sadface, do the MST3K mantra and get over myself, I guess.
@todd - - Tim tweeted this back in April (?) It’s a video of what all was on Parker’s work bench/table. “the interests of Parker”.. http://twitvid.com/YNPHP
On the workbench/table there were LOTS of locks (various types & sizes), numerous pairs of scissors, spoons laid out for her cereal, zippers, door knobs w/locks, deadbolt locks, lock picks & metal filing tools. There were some devices in various sizes that look like large screws/nails with what look like rubber grips around the top & some round metal pieces. Sorry, not a thief so I haven’t figured out what these 2 things are yet – John could you help us out?
Other things I noticed - balance beam w/gymnastic rings nearby, large red bowls were on the top shelf of a storage unit & cereal boxes (taking up at least one entire shelf) were below the cereal bowls. Hope this helps.
I normally have no problem understanding accents, but I have to admit that The Italian's accent had me wondering at one point why she wanted Nate and the team to take out Demi Moore.
@Nina May I think whether level 1 or level 4 is highest depends on who's designing the system and how they feel it makes sense. If someone comes into a hospital as a "trauma category 1," it's the highest. However, if someone has "cancer stage 1," it's the lowest.
As everyone has posted any question that I may have asked, just a quick note to applaud you on your directorial debut and, what has been to this point, the best season of "Leverage" so far!
Loving the new season very much. Thank you so much for the Parker-centric episode, it pleased this Parker fan mightily.
I have no serious questions but am curious if anyone else saw Parker's super cool pad, paused the playback to study the shelves and such and then eventually thought "Hey! Where's the bathroom?" :D (Ongoing joke amongst Burn Notice fans about Michael's digs :D)
@tori-angeli: True, it's different for different systems, but what's bugging me is that DEFCONis an existing system, one which Hardison of all people would know about. Geeks (in my experience) are picky about getting these details right – sitting in the room with them is always entertaining when watching a movie that gets this stuff wrong – and Hardison hacks the Pentagon. And the White House. Saying he's trying to keep it from DEFCON 4 is saying he's trying to keep it from going to a slightly-higher-than-nothing security setting. Not the top one. This is not something he should be hazy on.
Although, now having looked it up to be sure, I have learned about Defcon, an annual hacker conference, which is a nice little research bonus. Still, I find it hard to believe that Hardison's saying that he's trying to keep the Sterenko from going to a conference, no matter how cool it is.
We just rewatched them (delightful!) and a question emerged. The team consistently leaves fingerprints everywhere; for instance, in 304 Parker is picking locks and opening safes with no gloves on. Sophie planting the scope is unusual in that she was wearing gloves. Is the disregard for fingerprints something the writing staff specifically discussed?
Loved the show from the first episode, seen them all, but just discovered this blog. Major respect for interacting with your fans this way. Loved the Steranko and Super-Skrull references. I would swear a shot of the WAKEFIELD logo on the skyscraper was cropped so that only "IELD" was visible in clear block "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." font.
Not surprised to see a Leverage quick-start RPG pdf out on the net. It's been fodder for my d20 Spycraft campaign all year.
Thanks again for the obvious effort and wonderful entertainment!
I think the lowball price on the Strad was a combination of "quick cash" and "high profile". Watch Pawn Stars some time to see how this works out "in real life" (as real as a show set in Las Vegas on History Channel can get at any rate).
RE: Eliot's weakness, I think Elito already has a weakness, it's his heart/emotions. If you watch in seson one we saw that desipte Amy marrying someone else Eliot still loves her and her family. How would Willie have known how to reach Eliot if Eliot hadn't remained in contact.
In season two we saw his reaction to the abused kid. Now in season 3 we have the fate of children at play.
I always got the feeling that Eliot is in constant battle to keep himself from trusting/caring about others. Hit and kicks he can recover from but I think he's afraid to let himself be emotionaly vunerable.
Which makes Sophie and Nates Conning of the team even worse. He trusts them and cares for them and would feel used.
Kudos to Aldis. Also, loved Nate's "glimpse of the future" scene that was similar to the Two Live Crew ones.
Some name choice seem interesting. Dr. Ha- nevermind. SueN. already noted it.
I also rewatched ep. 1, the Hodges bros. have some similar expressions and mannerisms, did not notice that before.
On to questions:
1. Wouldn't Parker prefer to sleep upside down? Or at least have something set up so she could nap upside down?
2. Must agree with some of the others about the new Parker eyes. Is this a side effect of Parker-Hardison development? (I know the probability of you answering this above will be high, but I'll ask anyway.)
3. Parker's password. Is this like ep. 302 where Parker uses names and things important to her as her password and implying "Sophie" is dear to Parker? Or is @Rebecca right that Sophie is just messing with Nate?
4. I thought saw a hint of a Parker-Hardison lovers' spat to come when Parker and Hardison talk about the con in 304 (a scene or two after he wakes up? I don't quite remember). Is this the beginning of the misery part of the relationship that you promised?
5. Will we ever need to steal an Eliot? If so, does that mean things are going terribly, terribly wrong or will go terribly terribly wrong?
6. Re the Sophie and the PR rep: Is this like Chuck Finley in Burn Notice, once you clear a name, you cling to it like Nate clings to his alcohol?
Just rewatched 303 again...who pulls them up thru the elevator hatch? He/she didn't appear to be dressed like anyone in the window washing scaffold scene that immediately followed.
Loved the episode. Great job. I don't really like Parker's new eye make-up (my sister says she looks like she has raccoon eyes, which I think I saw a few other people comment on) but I like how Parker seems to be coming into more depth as a character. Especially in these later episodes.
The Inside Job is currently one of my all-time favorites, because of the touching Parker-deep moments.
Questions: I think this one was already asked, but how did the team get the Strad (Strat?) in the end to sell? Wasn't it president's-evil-brother's? Did the team just run off and steal it, then sell it or what? That's one of the few times I've ever been pulled out of my happy state while watching and actually questioned what was happening. Usually I can float along just fine and take everything at face-value, but this was a sort of 'What's going on here?' moment for me, and sadly, it took me out of the show a little bit.
Again, a question that I'm pretty sure was already asked, but how did Eliot commandeer the window washing lift from the real window washers?
Also, what was the original plan in 3x04 to get out? The folder from the Italian was a last-minute add-on, right, and if they hadn't had the folder and Nate hadn't shown up, how were Eliot and Parker supposed to get out of the vault? Nate just bluffed his way out of the vault with the whole CIA thing, but Eliot and Parker wouldn't have been able to do that if Nate hadn't shown up, on account of not having the folder.
This has been said before, but I too don't really want the show to be too shippy. A little UST is always a good thing, but I adore the family/team aspect of the show, and having everyone coupling off just seems to take away from that.
Not that romance is bad. It just takes away from the familiar-team vibe of the show.
I`m sure this has already been asked yet i shall ask any way: SCHWARTZER JOB DID ALDIS HODGE ACTUALLY PLAY THAT VIOLIN SOLO, IF SO WHERE CAN I GET THE MUSIC NOTES!!!
I loved Hardison and Sophie's moment when he looked up to her in the stands he was like :oh man, i don`t know if i can do this. and she's like you`ll do fine.
i also soo a Parker Middle school reference. so she DID go to school but not high school???
INSIDE JOB So with Archie and Parker's relationship did he ever put her into foster care or something? i mean she was like 14 years old you`d just leave a kid on the streets??
Elliot`s nose? what up? did he walk into ANOTHER lesbian bar????
I also want to see Maury Chaykin in an episode. But, I've seen him play a bad guy in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. So, I would rather see him play Maggie's beloved uncle who is a victim and Maggie has to ask the team for help. He could be a bit dotty and has to accompany the team so they would have to deal with even more eccentricities than they normally do.
Oh, and Nate should ignore the whole Sophie's real name issue altogether. And even after he learns her name, he should still call her Sophie. I mean really, are they in third grade now? "I know a secret but I'm not telling you." Please.
1) Why was Nate so rude to Hardison at the end of 3x04? I understand that he needed to explain what happened, but couldn't he have said it differently? 2) How did Sophie get into the bank vault with Nate, Parker, and Eliot? Wasn't she in the audience? 3) Was the allusion to Cary Grant's real name in 3x03 intentional? I loved that... I kept giggling every time someone said Archie's name. 4) Is The Italian going to show up about every two episodes, like she has the past two weeks, or more often as they get closer to Moreau?
1) Does Hardison keep an eye out on the Intarwebs for previous baddies to make sure they don't get out of [jail, Tartarus, what have you] and seek revenge [exposing the crew, holding someone hostage, etc]? 2) Will we ever see a revenge episode with anyone besides Chaos? 3) Could it please please be Dr. Hannity? That woman looks like she'd defy death to stick it to Leach and/or the crew (Sophie).
And speaking of Leach, The Inside Job was magnificent! You guys managed to blend some old-time classiness (Archie), a supervillain and some touching Parker moments into one of your best episodes. Scheherazade was also excellent, but I'm in full-out Parker!squee! mode. Kudos! and thanks for such a great show.
I'm hoping the business with the Italian will somehow end up forcing Sterling and the gang to work together again. That episode where he was on the team was AWESOME.
(I kind of love Sterling and all his assholery. I also kind of love the instinctual fur-bristling reaction he provokes from the gang.)
@anon above, claiming none of the cast could pass for mid-twenties: Er, Aldis Hodge is 24, iirc, or something right around it.
Lila said "How did Nate know that Sophie was going to choose Scheherazade? He hypnotized Hardison before Sophie came in with the music."
He didn't specifically hypnotise Hardison to play a particular piece of music. He hypnotised him to (as I understand it) remember how he played as a child, thus giving him the skill and confidence to play the music, whatever piece it turned out to be.
Incidentally, I have to give kudus to Aldis for how he played that reveal. First time I've seen Hardison really want to punch Nate out. In fact, I'd like to put money on Nate getting punched/slapped by someone on the crew before season's end, he's certainly trying hard to earn it.
I wasn't actually thinking that Sophie was messing with Nate, although I find that an awesome idea as well.
I was wondering if Gina, the actress, just hit random numbers the way someone who was supposed to make a phone call in a play or movie would hit random numbers, never in a million years thinking that fans might pay such close attention to the keys she was hitting.
That is what would really make me laugh, that performers would have to add a whole other level of realism, just because we are slaves to our attention for detail. I can see them now, saying, "Is there no miniscule moment these people will not analyze?"
Oh wow, wv=heman. Would've thought that would be Eliot/CK, but it's your blog. And, you know what? After doing such a great job wearing ALL of your many hats, I think you deserve the title. Mr. He-man Rogers. Has a nice ring, methinks.
In "The Inside Job" when "Sofie" comes in and Nate's cooking, there's a news program on the TV and it's talking about Dr. Thomas Swift. I know who Tom Swift is, but is he anyone special in the Leverage-verse?
@Jo: Thanks for answering so many questions that haven't already been asked (and answered) several times already.
Thanks, also, for confirming what someone else had said that Parker's password contained a 7 and a 2 as the last 2 digits. I jokingly guessed "Sophia" back in the 301/302 answer post, and now I have to rethink my guess (assuming that Gina really did type in the numbers to the answer).
Did we just go through 300+ comments without a mention of Christian Kane's hair? That has to be a record. (This doesn't count. As a long-time reader of your blog, I always found this a bit humorous.)
Ben Dryl said,"I think this one was already asked, but how did the team get the Strad (Strat?) in the end to sell?"
I watched this episode this morning. Hardison said he was going to pull a violin out of storage and Sophie said the bad guy wanted him to play the Strativarius. I think it was when she was telling him about the piece of music. So, he played it during the concert and just walked out with it.
Another two great eps, thanks to you and your team!
Two questions from me:
1 - Who was the violinist on Sherazade?
2 - My boyfriend wants to know if the "ELD" in the pan shot as we were going to the roof of the building was designed to be the same font as the cover of Jim Steranko's "Nick Fury: Agent of Shield" (http://forum.valinor.com.br/attachment.php?attachmentid=17796&stc=1&d=1210696579)? The font was exactly the same, just wondering if it was deliberate? And thanks for the homage to him!
As always, thanks for taking the time out of your extremely busy schedule and making our favorite television program to answer questions from your fans. You are truly one of a kind.
@janele You're welcome. I was honestly a little worried people would be getting annoyed with all the times I've attempted to answer questions. "Krista" also ends with...something that fits the 7,2 combo, again assuming Gina typed something specific and didn't just randomly press buttons. I really hope it's not Kendra. That's my idiot boss's name.
You know, guys, something occurred to me, besides the fact that we really do need to find somewhere other than John's blog to hang out together online. Gina probably was supposed to press the 7 & 2 as the last digits for Parker's code because those were the only two presses shown other than the # key.
I also realized that it's interesting that Sophie knows how important it is for a PhD to publish. Character background or is "publish or perish" more common knowledge these days than I realized?
Watching the mini marathon tonight, I got caught up with the question, How did Parker call Hardison in the Wakefield building? Her phone says signal jammed, so his should be too.
giving him the skill and confidence to play the music, whatever piece it turned out to be.
Actually, while Hardison was hypnotized, Nate asked him what the last piece he played was (Scheherazade). Sophie used her mojo to influence the selection of the piece, so they knew it was something Hardison could play.
How did Parker call Hardison in the Wakefield building? Her phone says signal jammed, so his should be too.
Oh, I know this one! Her signal was jammed, so she called him on an office landline. Steranko was able to zero in on her and Hardison told her she had 20 seconds to get away from the desk.
@Christina said... Did we just go through 300+ comments without a mention of Christian Kane's hair? That has to be a record. (This doesn't count. As a long-time reader of your blog, I always found this a bit humorous.)
Actually, there've been 3:
@Claire said... Love that Elliot flips his hair at the end of 3.03. Made me laugh since it came right after Sophie's.
@Nina May said... The exposure of Nate and Hardison to publicity was mentioned, and I second that, but what about Eliot? Isn't he kind of hiding from people, hence the long hair?
@Anonymous said... One other question which applies to all episodes - how long does it take to straighten CK's hair each time...
IMO, TEH HAIR is a character in its own right and should get its own credit, so I pay attention whenever it's mentioned. ;-)
@Jo: Actually, "Krista" won't work because the 7 key (at least on my keypad) doesn't have the letter "t".
And, "Serena" was not supposed to be part of my list for a similar reason (no "n" on the 7 key).
If Sophie is English, then we can discount the "soap opera" names, such as Aurora and Sierra. My in-laws are Brits and my sis-in-law is especially vocally amused about how Americans give soap opera names to their kids. If I had to guess, it would be Louisa. Something plain that a grifter would try to change to something more prestigious such as "Sophie". But then again, I am not a H'wood writer.
If Mr. Rogers gets this far into the questions & comments, I will be in awe! Bless him for doing as much as he does with this blog!
My question: Sophie & Eliot have both had moments with Nate where they make it abundantly clear that he went too far in the Three Strikes Job/Maltese Falcon Job. Will Parker and/or Hardison do the same? I don't really count Hardison's "I'm not talking to you right now" bit when Nate first put his earbud in during the Jailhouse Job. Nate was (and is) a donkey's rear sometimes, though, and he needs to be called on it.
Ben Dryl said, "I think this one was already asked, but how did the team get the Strad (Strat?) in the end to sell?" I was not particularly curious about the selling of the violin (in relation to the whole heist) , but now curious to know something. Question: During the first and only (i assume) "rehearsal" with the orchestra - after H faking the "mother met with moped accident" - was H with the real Strativarius? So H actually made the excuse and packed up and walked off with it then? Did they leave it at that or replace it with an ordinary one later? Oh i also *heard* "The Italian" say "I don't like kidding alone" to Nate (their meet in the car) - and yes to someone else (sorry the post above, can't find it now) said she heard Demi Moore's name? It was like "..you're helping us to catch Demi Moore" It's all good with "The Italian" if only Nate could stop with the "deadly" thoughts in connection with this woman...
@zenkitty714 - Although Hardison did tell Parker to switch cubicale so Steranko couldn's find her, I took @Anon to mean: Parker called Hardison’s PERSONAL phone from a Wakefield land line phone when her PERSONAL phone showed ‘signal jammed’. The L-team uses the same type phone equipment, therefore Hardison’s PERSONAL phone should also have had a ‘jammed signal’ & if so, Hardison would NOT be able to receive incoming calls.- Right @Anon?
Damn ... that's impressive. Kudos to you, sir. (I'm assuming you're a sir. If not, apologies, madam.) I'm a little dismayed to find myself on the list, and that I did actually mention it, since I (am one of the very few, apparently, who) don't care about his hair at all! :)
@zenkitty-714: so she called him on an office landline. I think what the anon was asking was how was Hardison's cell (which Parker called him on from the landline) signal not jammed, when Parker's was. There's probably some technical handwave to be made, but it's pretty clear that things move, and work, at the pace of plot around here. I'm okay with it, but I know not everyone is!
@Jo: Finding somewhere to natter has been brought up before, to no real avail. I agree, though. And I second the thanks for the effort of your answers (and everyone else's, while I'm at it)!
Just a thought. The steranko had isolated the intruder (Parker) on the upper levels of the building. It knew she was somewhere in that section of floors. So I believe it wasn't locking anything else down or jamming cell phones on any other floors. There was no need. So Hardison's phone would not have been jammed. How's that for deductive reasoning?
As soon as I realized that Richard Chamberlain had been Parker's teacher, I started looking for references to Fagin and Oliver Twist (or maybe the Artful Dodger would have been more appropriate). I didn't see a thing, though, beyond the very broad "Mentor/Student" trope. Was I totally off-base? Or were y'all just too subtle for me?
Regarding Aldis and the violin: As someone who used to be good when I was young (around 20), I'll bet anything that he played a lot of the notes as written; but they looped in a pro for the soundtrack. Yes, it's an extremely difficult solo, because it's so delicate and so exposed. It has to be PERFECT -- If you hit a note that's even slightly off, it breaks the spell. It requires the use of several different techniques one after the other (harmonics, double-stops, broken chords, and so on); because of this, it's a standard audition or competition piece.
Oh, and by the way: Sophie mentions the composer as being "Korsakov". That's wrong, at least in America. The composer's last name is "Rimsky-Korsakov" (although it's possible that in Europe, they drop the "Rimsky").
(My apologies if this shows up twice. This is my first time here, be gentle with me.)
Regarding Aldis and the violin: As someone who used to be good when I was young (around 20), I'll bet anything that he played a lot of the notes as written; but they looped in a pro for the soundtrack. Yes, it's an extremely difficult solo, because it's so delicate and so exposed. It has to be PERFECT -- If you hit a note that's even slightly off, it breaks the spell. It requires the use of several different techniques one after the other (harmonics, double-stops, broken chords, and so on); because of this, it's a standard audition or competition piece.
Oh, and by the way: Sophie mentions the composer as being "Korsakov". That's wrong, at least in America. The composer's last name is "Rimsky-Korsakov" (although it's possible that in Europe, they drop the "Rimsky").
In regards to the "How did Parker call Hardison in the Wakefield building? Her phone says signal jammed, so his should be too." -
I thought the same thing as far as no cell service on that floor but I didn't attribute it to the Steranko. I thought that due to the nature of the business being handled on that floor, they had purposely put cell blockers in place so no one would be able to steal company info.
Oh, and I want to add one more thing about my Sophie/The Italian post: I, in no terms, think the Italian is better looking than Gina. It just seemed jarring to me to see Elisabetta (with her "Moonlighting Glow" and all) and then to see Gina in all the overhead lighting. Not even a question in my mind as to who would win that contest. Especially hearing Gina say, well, just about anything!!!
@zenkitty-714: I think what the anon was asking was how was Hardison's cell (which Parker called him on from the landline) signal not jammed, when Parker's was.
maverickkid said... Just a thought. The steranko had isolated the intruder (Parker) on the upper levels of the building. It knew she was somewhere in that section of floors. So I believe it wasn't locking anything else down or jamming cell phones on any other floors. There was no need. So Hardison's phone would not have been jammed. How's that for deductive reasoning?
***
OR Hardison had been 'fighting' the steranko for a bit before Parker called, and knowing she would call them for help, the 1st thing he did was to route ALL the teams' phones to his cell, and make sure the steranko would allow that cell to have reception. It seems more likely to me that Master Hacker Hardison would anticipate needing to be available for Parker, checking that he would be, and continuing on with the 'fight', not realizing that Parker's cell would be blocked while he was distracted until he saw she was on the landline.
Just caught an oops in something I typed above: If Hardison was so distracted by the 'fight' that he unthinkingly routed ALL the teams' numbers to his phone, he routed Parker's phone to his, so of course it wouldn't work! It might not've been the steranko that blocked Parker's cell at all.
But who/whatever blocked Parker's phone, I see Hardison as the reason Hardison's phone worked, rather than some convenient plot device/hole.
Nina May said... @sjrSpike: (I'm assuming you're a sir. If not, apologies, madam.)
***
I'm female, but don't worry about it. I get this confusion all the time -- it's because I take my online name from the coolest vamp ever. ([grumble, grumble] Why Dark & Broody got his own show, but Spike didn't, I'll never know!)
Nina May said... I'm a little dismayed to find myself on the list, and that I did actually mention it, since I (am one of the very few, apparently, who) don't care about his hair at all! :)
***
I know ([shrug]don't understand, but do know) that not everyone wants to belong to the Cult of Teh Hair. (To each their own, and "everybody's got their own definition of just their kind", I guess.) :) You can take solace from the fact you were only mentioning it as a method of disguise. So it wasn't really a hair comment, right? ;D
John R. – Sorry, we tried answering as many as we could for you, but there are still a LOT of unanswered questions. At least the questions are intermingled with MANY compliments on your fabulous LEVERAGE directing debut! Maybe they will make up “a little” for all the time you’ve invested in making sure you answer our queries. THANKS AGAIN! If it helps, we love you for it!!!!!
Crickey, not doing too well this comment thread. Sorry! But we could consider "sir" to be employed in a non-gender-specific manner, which I have been known to do on occasion. *handwaves*
Yes. From now on, everyone shall be "sir" to me. *nods firmly* That will solve everything!
... I am now much less worried about the fact that I inadvertantly included Eliot's hair in a comment. Clearly, I have bigger issues going on here.
Did you know that you were going to be directing Richard Chamberlain before you got tapped for the gig or did you get that sprung on you after you agreed to do it?
Also, was there any trepidation on your part as a first time director, directing an actor with Richard Chamberlain's legacy of work?
Finally, did any of the cast decide to have a little fun at your expense as a first time director? Intentionally saying lines from the wrong scene, "forgetting" a character's name and saying the actor's name instead, etc.
Is there a community for Teh Hair yet? Because I think it does a fabulous job with very little actual credit. The only time I've seen it mess up is when it seems to be humid outside. Otherwise, it really knows how to get blown around in the breeze, lie there awesomely, and stay in a ponytail until dramatically slipping out partway for a fight scene, making the owner of the head it grows on look more primal. It also does a great job of looking brown-but-not-too-brown, something that's really hard to pull off, especially in the acting world, you know, where blonder is better. So yeah, respect for Teh Hair. Can you imagine the disaster if it ever got cut?
@janele Really? I thought "P,R,S,T" were on the 7. I don't have a landline so I don't really know anymore. Having lived in England for 2 years I hear you on the common names and I honestly do think that the Leverage writers have probably taken that into consideration, depending on the character's real background. We know Sophie has some sort of military/intelligence b/g, but we don't know if she had military/govt parents or if she was the servicemember/agent.
@Nina May There is that new LeverageFans website. We might be able to claim that as our own area to speculate and field one another's questions, though I understand someone's past comment about hanging here for the "caliber," so to speak, of Leverage fans that congregate at Kung Fu Monkey.
Are we to assume that Sophie's been running the crew for the past 6 months that Nate's been in prison? It just occurred to me while I was rewatching Scheherazade that she seems to know her way around Hardison's monitor/computer set up pretty well. The "sharing" of knowledge/skill that would likely occur with Sophie at the helm, and that indeed seems to have happened, just makes sense given that when Sophie leads "you learn AND you con." My apologies if someone asked that in the 301/302 questions. I have forgotten if they did.
And you know, John, there's no "b" in Leverage either. There is an "a" an "r" and a few "e"s from which "Mastermind" could be built and still used in the title sequence. Just saying.
Finding somewhere to natter has been brought up before, to no real avail.
Nominating Television Without Pity (http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3174477&view=getnewpost) once again because:
1) They have the infrastructure to handle the traffic 2) Discussion focuses on the show (I'm guessing any TNT forum would be open to fanfic and flamewars) 3) Rules of conduct include reading the previous 15 pages, which tends to cut down on the repeated questions
If it's not for you, suggest someplace else. No reason all the nattering has to take place in one location.
@ChelseaNH There's nothing keeping us from making our own community, is there? TwoP scares me just a tad, and creating a community on LJ or wherever is pretty easy. Everyone would know where it is.
The only problem I see immediately with restricting all chatter to a separate community is that sometimes the fans answer the questions, easing the burden on Mr. Rogers. It's possible to work out a filtering system, where if a question can't be answered on the community it can be posted on this blog, but that might get a little...weird.
@ChelseaNH Leveragefans.com isn't sponsored by TNT, but I absolutely understand your pov. I've never been much of a fan of fanfic and those of us who congregate on KFM seem to be quite courteous.
@tori-angeli Good point. In the 301/302 post-game he did indicate being pleased that the fans are handling some of the questions for one another. Honestly, what seems easiest is if KFM featured a "reply" corresponding with each individual question. That way responding to each other would be organized and if the question was correctly fielded by a fan, John can just move on to the next group of threads. Of course, that would require us to be rather organized! ;-)
I'm pretty much down for anything. Where ever the majority of folks here want to assemble, that's where I'll move.
"On the workbench/table there were... some devices in various sizes that look like large screws/nails with what look like rubber grips around the top..."
I believe those are climbing bolts, for rock climbing. Ex. http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/500/Bolt_anchor_intall.jpg
TNT has a forum for the show on its site, that, unlike TWOP, allows multiple threads. It's not moderated, unfortunately, but happily there's no flame wars, fanfic or anything like it there. It's a perfect quiet, civil community.
@Stacy B – Thanks for the clarification on Parker’s equipment! Since I’m not a thief, nor a rock climber, I appreciate the assist. Guess the rubber grips make for easy removal & carrying.
Hopefully John doesn't get emails whenever someone posts here, because if so he's getting spammed like crazy. I got about 100 emails that this spammer has posted so far.
You know the plot's extra evil when Hannity and Rushing are the perpetrators. Did I miss a henchman named Beck someplace?
@ Lizardo - remember, Sterling is the good guy, we're rooting for the villians. Archie is only about two character beats from Granny Goodness. Mind you, those two items are significant:his genuine affection for his pupil and the absence of any Faganesque imprisonment/indentured servitude. A real goodguy would have adopted Parker into his legit family and given her a home instead of a vocation, but fortunately this Leverage on TNT and not Lifetime.
Question: I'm noticing more frequent use of the team roles (grifter and hitter especially) used overtly, like a character class. Hacker and thief are in common usage for that but the other three roles don't feel as natural in that context. Is it just my inexperience with pulp literature, or is this a case of writers room shorthand making its way into dialogue?
Thanks for the whole sereis. 303 is my pick for the season. I practically cheered when Parker chose conscience over craft in the CEO's office. That really drove home how much her new found family is distinct from her past life. This ep fits wit the best you've given us to date.
The hypnosis trick in 304 rang false until, on my second viewing, I realized Nate picked the piece because of Hardisson's experience with it. Mojo to remember works, mojo to skip a few years of practice bothered me. Next time I'll trust you to conduct the fun train for me.
Still curious about the uncredited violinist in Scheherazade, but wonder if the comment about Itzhak Perlman not being one of the Fantastic Four was actually a nod to the actual violinist. Itzhak is one of the few violinists who can capture such feeling while playing, such that all can relate, even those of us who normally pass on symphony music.
At the start of The Jailhouse Job (301), you didn't use any colorizing tricks to set apart Sophie's prison breakout fantasy because you were trying to fool the audience into thinking the team really was breaking Nate. I get that.
During Eliot's fight scene with his Israeli counterpart from the 2 Live Crew Job (207), an old film look was used to demonstrate what ensuing fight each were anticipating based on the opponent's fighting stances. I liked that.
But then during The Scheherazade Job (304) you employed the sound and color scheme usually reserved for flashbacks during Nate's fantasy scene of him being garroted during dinner with the Italian. I caught that.
Is this the director's discretion? If not, how has this been discussed amongst your production staff? I appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
Ep 303: WOW! Knocked it out of the park! Great job. An airtight episode with great tension and a deliciously evil villain. Truly one of the best of the series so far. I can't say enough good things about this episode.
Ep 304: Beautifully done. I loved the reaction shots when Hardison was playing his solo. Nate is really pushing Hardison to be his best, and I like it. Given previous comments about pushing your brightest students the hardest, I really look forward to the payoff in that story arc. Also looking forward to some resolution with Eliot, as it seems he's bit more grumpy than usual about the role he has to play on the team. I wonder what's eating him?
Ok, now that I'm done slobbering fan-boy drool on you, I have one criticism to make. Please bring back the cold openings you had in the first season. I can't say I really like the intros that the show has been making since season 2. It just doesn't have the elegance that your show openers had in the first season. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Thank you for making such a wonderful show, and it is an IMMENSE pleasure to watch a show where you can tell that the people making it love it as much as we do.
@GinaFan Which is? I have a blackberry. Keys make the same tones, but it's already been pointed out that I no longer know what letters correspond with what keys.
Fabulous episodes. I wanted to throw in a late question. I was looking at IMDB and according to them episode 6 will feature Christian singing. Is this true?
@GinaFan RE: “The keypad emitted audible tones for each key that Sophie pressed. They parallel the tones from a phone. They have already told us her full name.”
What if Sophie lied to Nate about what code she entered? She could have been just toying with Nate. She *is* trying to make him *earn* the right to know her real name. Payback is a bitch, but Nate deserves it. (So no one takes that the wrong way: I DON’T meaning in *any* way that Gina’s a bitch, because I love her character).
@Jo: You mentioned earlier you haven’t had a keypad in over a year, so: If Sophie DIDN’T lie to Nate, keypad #s are: 2 = ABC; 3 = DEF; 4 = GHI; 5 = JKL; 6 = MNO; 7 = PQRS; 8 = TUV; & 9 = WXYZ. Knowing that, what name/names do you come up with?
@antisocialbutterflie RE: “….looking at IMDB and according to them episode 6 will feature Christian singing. Is this true?”
YES, Christian will be singing in “The Studio Job”. The episode’s guest star will be John Schneider who played Bo Duke on “Dukes of Hazzard” years ago. If the episodes are played in order, it should be on Sunday, July 18th.
I've heard you say repeatedly that Nate is an a**hole but I was wondering, (as you see the character) was he an a**hole before or after the death of his son?
@Dawn/StL-MO I'll give it a re-listen to see if maybe I hear something, though @GinaFan now thinks s/he was mistaken about the tones being different. Yes, according to TNT, The Studio Job will be my b-day ep!
Hardison and Parker have the slowest boiling relationship I've ever seen on television. I like them better together than Sophie and Nate. Are we going to see anything else from these kids this season?
I was wondering about the Nate/Sophie scene in The Inside Job, he wants to talk about the kiss and she says that he's still working off the slap. Now, I remember at ConCon, Tim said his favorite Nate/Sophie moment is the kiss and then Gina said that he liked the kiss and she liked the slap. Did you guys kind of write that in the script later when you were writing The Inside Job 'cause I know the ConCon happened while you were still filming The Reunion Job. Were you inspired by the Tim and Gina banter at the ConCon?
440 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 440 Newer› Newest»@Anna The metronome is part of the hypnosis process. If you watch the reveal scene closely, you can see it.
@Kimmie Eliot also takes down the thugs on Archie in The Inside Job with just a nod from Nate.
@kyouell @jarodrussell already answered this pretty thoroughly but for additional info, watch the DVD commentaries. The "ledger vs orange box" question is now a sort of short hand the fans picked up from the writers to ask the question "is that real or is it something plausible but completely made up?"
@kyouell I think the physical trust they place in Eliot is probably enough respect for him. Parker isn't even paying attention to the fight, and I think the fact that that trust was very nearly in vain may have been what caused Eliot's strong snap reaction. They're not supposed to have to worry about the thugs sent to kill them if he's doing his job right. Not to mention he got a nod of appreciation for the punishment he takes during "The Tap Out Job."
@Sonja High value and high profile aren't necessarily the same thing. The Strad would have to be reported stolen to raise red flags with a sale and instrument sales, even priceless instruments, seldom make the news. Also, they're thieves. If all else failed someone on the team probably knows a fence who could've moved the violin relatively quickly.
@Jane I don't think Eliot is getting lost in the couple stuff. I agree with @tori-angeli's assessment that their seeming disregard for his safety IS how they show their respect and appreciation. ALL the members of the team make the same basic assumption about the other members of the team that could be seen as taking that individual for granted. Just because it isn't almost lovingly stated like Hardison does regarding Sophie in Two-Live Crew doesn't mean it goes unappreciated. They trust Nate to make sure the plan works; Parker to get them in to wherever they need to be; Hardison to keep the cameras off them and any other computing wizardry they may require along the way; Sophie to finesse her/their way into or out of any predicatment; and Eliot to protect them where needed. Plus, Eliot's not meant to be the "couple" kind of guy. Nate was married before -- he's that guy. Sophie's been pining after Nate for years -- she's that girl. Hardison's got this sort of school boy crush thing going on that Aldis claims is going to get a bit more mature this season and a part of Parker just wants to at least come off as "normal."
And I definitely wouldn't characterize the Nate/Sophie relationship as "will they or won't they". The 1st season it went nowhere because, as John's said in commentary, Nate's a broken guy. He's not going to jump into another relationship. The 2nd season, due to Gina's pregnancy, Sophie's only physically in the first few episodes until the finale and for about half that time she has a boyfriend. Now, at least for the beginning of the 3rd season, she's really pissed at Nate and he's probably going to remain in the "dog house" for a while. But their's is a relationship that's always been meant to be going somewhere...eventually.
@zapaper If you've never witnessed a bar fight, then think back to middle/jr. high school or high school when a fight would break out. A lot of people watch, but ain't nobody gonna step in and break that shit up but someone whose job it is to do so, i.e. a teacher or bouncer. The average person is not going to intervene unless some guy starts beating on his wife/girlfriend.
Sliding in for one more thought - Tis the season for San Diego ComiCon, and all sorts of shows you wouldn't have pegged for a massive geek convention (like, say, White Collar) are going to be there. I realize that you guys are in production and everyone is probably super busy, but will you ever carve out time to make a showing there in the future?
@Tia Dugan Joe LoDuca does most of their music. I believe Chris Downey enlisted his wife's help in choosing Scheherazade to time the con to because it's in the public domain.
@Anonymous This has been answered before, but Nate doesn't get caught in part because The Italian will be shielding him and the team so they can do the job she blackmailed them into doing and also because no one is actively looking for him.
In regards to Parker, Eliot and Hardison's ages, the actors are all relatively close in age with their characters, even if they don't look it. In season one there is a flash back to when Parker is about 7 or 8ish, and it states 20 years ago, so she is in her late 20s, close to 30 (Beth is 32). Putting little clues together thru out the seasons puts Eliot in his mid 30s (Christian is 36). Hardison was around 21-22 in the first season - there were clues with flashbacks, like Parkers (Aldis is 23).
@Anonymous In The Lost Heir Job, the APB put out on Parker states she is in her late 20s, I think she's supposed to be around 29. Aldis Hodge is actually 22 until September. In The Two Horse Job it also states that Eliot left and came back several times up until Amy got married. The LAST time he came home was likely what was 8 years ago.
@Joe: Aldis was born in September 1986; my math has him at 23, turning 24 in the fall.
@Regan Does it really matter if Nate is the only person who wouldn't be able to crack her keypad password because it's Sophie's real name? The fact she has several dummy addresses makes it pretty clear she doesn't really expect/want a lot of visitors. Sophie's the only one who knows Parker well enough to think the password would be her real name (the boys went to the wrong address after all). With the team back together it's unlikely Nate would be without one of them anyway and it's most likely to be Sophie.
As for Nate's harshness with Hardison, there's an interview with John out there somewhere in which he mentions that you're always hardest on your star pupil. Also, while Nate isn't going to leave his "family" hanging, as he re-demonstrated with going in after Parker in The Inside Job, what I think he's trying to illustrate for Hardison is that to run a team you have to be willing to put them in positions in which they aren't comfortable to get the job done. As long as Nate's doing his job, they shouldn't ever be in a situation he can't think his way out of to get everyone out safely.
@Anonymous Damn! I guess I forgot how old my own sister is! She was also born in '86. Yes, Aldis will be 24 in September. My bad.
Questions inspired by the comments:
1) Did Gina just push some random numbers when she figured out Parker's code, or did she actually punch in what her real name is supposed to be?
Because I'm going to laugh so hard if it was just a random sequence. I can't wait to find out if the writers anticipated the fans freeze framing moments like that.
2) Somewhat related to that, I'll also be interested in hearing the explanation of the check amount being so much less than the Strad was worth. But my question is, did anyone actually anticipate that the amount of the check would be questioned?
3) And, finally, I know you've mentioned that "answering the e-mails" has become a standard joke in the writers room, but have there been many - or even any - things that the writers are surprised (and glad) that the viewers haven't noticed? Of course, if the answer to that is yes, you are required to provide at least one example. :)
What a fabulous person you are for taking the time to do this to the extent that you do. Of course, it does nurture our rabid loyalty to the show, but it's not like your job wasn't difficult enough to begin with.
Also, btw, the problem is not getting the questions in by Wednesday. It's that, the questions will continue coming until they are answered. I think it's generally understood amongst us all that, once you answer them, all future questions need to go in the comments of future posts.
We love you, John! Good job.
Not sure why I care, but is the Mercedes Nate and Sophie pull up to Parker's in supposed to belong to Nate or Sophie?
"Empty cubicle 27, go there, now." Plus, an earbud delivered to said cubicle. Do I spot a Matrix reference...?
Yes, Aldis will be 24 in September.
Now, that always floors me. Aldis has that confidence and centeredness that always made me think he was a thirtysomething that successfully passed himself off as a late 20 something.
@John
Cannot say enough good things about the show. And I appreciate the crew interacting with fans, as you are doing here. I agree with the earlier post that says the show is more of an experience that way. I learn so much from the show (Today I've wikipedia'd Sailor Bubba and Steranko), and so much about making TV from the DVD commentaries and these blogs. Thank you!
Now that you've directed (and I'd argue that The Inside Job was the best action oriented episode, great work), are there any lessons from that experience that will change your writing?
How did Gina Bellman get cast? I know her as Jane Christie from BBC's Coupling. I found Leverage when I saw her in the ads and couldn't wait to see her regularly again. In my own Leverage universe, I imagine that Jane grew into Sophie... The line in the Jailhouse Job about what kind of world would it be if every criminal went to prison is the kind of line I'd attribute to Jane.
Can I assume that the writers, all lovers of TV I’d guess, understand that most shows that put two characters together after some fun tension tend to jump the shark? (I’m still angry about Moonlighting…) Do the writers discuss this? I see three possibilities for conversations: We can do this, we’ll make it work; ugh, how can we make this work (I see this as accompanied with heads banging on the table); or we know that this is the pattern of how these things play out, so let’s just enjoy the ride (and admire the shark while we jump it).
@the blog audience
Elliot – at the end of 305, I didn’t think he was hitting on the client at all. Recall how he acts when he is – The Runway Job, and even taking the drink during the fight in The Scheherazade Job. Very different behaviors. I see Elliot as being similar to Setsuna F. Seiei from Gundam 00 -- a child warrior on the wrong side of the conflict. Now he’s using his honed fighting skills to try and make amends.
Hardison – I wasn’t a big fan of Nate not telling Hardison about the hypnotism. That said, I’d argue that Hardison has started to take his grifting further, especially the hand gestures, than it needs to – seeming to forget the lesson of the Iceman Job. So I’m ok with Nate taking him down a peg. I’m looking forward to seeing the Nate/Hardison dynamic develop further.
Sophie -- I’ve often wondered how Sophie pulled off the job in the flashback where she got the tiara and fake big check (can’t remember the episode …) . I’d think that would have to be a very high profile con with a lot of details (lost heir maybe?) that would require Nate like planning. After seeing her performance in 305, I don’t have that question anymore. As far as I’m concerned, she showed herself to be his equal.
@jo I don't want Eliot to be in a couple. All I'm saying is that I don't want couples to be the focus of the show.
In fact I agree completely with anon's earlier words: "This show is great because all the characters are individually interesting. They don't really need couples. I'm willing to see how they develop them, because I do see chemistry with N/S and P/H, but I don't love that most of the cast is paired up and I think that formula gets old fast"
@tori-angeli @jo I do agree, and love, that they show appreciation by trusting Eliot to 'do his job' for them during a con.
But I can't agree that the team show appreciation when they ignore him after the con or fight is over (like they did in 302).
All it would take is one simple acknowledgment. A word, a look, or a touch, to check if he's okay and if he made it out.
And yes, anon, Eliot did fight in Zanzibar, he had that marvelous "violence as an appropriate response" fight with Sterling.
well since my Q are already out there, just stopping by to say ' you did a great job, Mr. Rogers!' I love that ep. you directed.
Also liked the fight scenes, specially that one when Kane knocked out the falling guard, send my regards out to the stunt coordinators of this Season, all of them, I meant all of them!
Keep up the great work, We Grifters are very thankfull for that!
@tori-angeli @jo I do agree, and love, that they show appreciation by trusting Eliot to 'do his job' for them during a con.
But I can't agree that the team show appreciation when they ignore him after the con or fight is over (like they did in 302).
I like to think, in 302, that they kept at it for the rest of the night to tick him off (because he really is funny when he's annoyed), then team mom Sophie quietly scooped him up some ice cream or something. Or made him a salad from the food he grows, I dunno (I like to think Sophie did this kind of thing when Nate was in prison and she had custody of the kids). But inevitably, Eliot would say something snarky and tick her off. Again. I dunno, I don't feel too bad when someone with an immature sense of entitlement doesn't get the attention they want. His ego can take it, and considering he was ranting at them over the ear buds, I'm pretty sure they knew he was fine. 'Sides, don't wanna ruin the floaty dance. That was amazingly romantic.
Mmmm, the fight in "Zanzibar." Nothing was more satisfying than the look of astonishment on Sterling's face when it got punched.
Oh, and
This show is great because all the characters are individually interesting. They don't really need couples. I'm willing to see how they develop them, because I do see chemistry with N/S and P/H, but I don't love that most of the cast is paired up and I think that formula gets old fast.
Word. WORD.
Costuming Question: Eliot seems to have a lot of hand-knits i.e. hats, fingerless gloves. Is someone in Wardrobe a great knitter, or are these the actor's personal items?
Are the gloves needed for Ass-Kickin', or is the Texan actor freezing his butt off in #PDX? Thanks!
Hi John!
Simple question: What do we have to do to get a Fourth Season of Leverage? Is it as simple as e-mailing TNT? Point us in the right direction, please!
Many Thanks
Great job on your directing debut!! I loved both episodes. I think most of the questions I had have already been answered but the one I have is,
What was the process in choosing Scheherazade as the concert piece, and did it tie in at all with the end of the ep, when Nate convinces the President that his brother was plotting against him, in essence, taking a page from Scheherazade's book to save them all? Thanks!
Hm. I should mention that just hearing Gina say "Scheherazade" was a highlight of the night.
@tori-angeli Before this season started I was already worried that the focus would shift from the team to the relationships. When 'The reunion Job' ended like that it confirmed my fears.
(Hopefully it only seemed to and I'm worrying about nothing.)
So I wasn't in the best mindset at the time to appreciate the adorableness of the dance. Now I've watched it a few more times I can see it's very romantic *g*.
re anon's quote, it's exactly what I was trying to say but couldn't find the words for.
@Jane I completely understand. I would much rather keep focusing on the family dynamic than the pairings. I think the little TNT specials are a bit weird, talking about N/S and P/H like they're dishing out celebrity gossip and separately discussing Eliot's fights. It's like as far as the network is concerned, the romantic tension and the violence are the only important things about these characters.
All the same, I think the last two episodes really did a lot to ease my fears. In 303, Parker and Hardison were acting pretty much as though they'd never had that dance (baby steps, folks) and Parker spent more time with Eliot. In 304, I thought Eliot had one of the more moving subplots--as I said, particularly in light of "The Order 23 Job." Again, he had a lot of time with Parker. Nate spent a lot more time with Hardison than with Sophie, and clearly the episode was meant to highlight the relationship between those two. So even after the shippy moments in 302, they wisely chose to break the group up into non-romantic pairings for the next couple of episodes. It makes me feel much better about the way things are headed, and I'm more and more willing to relax and trust the writers.
That said, I'm gonna be a hypocrite and admit that I am absolutely terrified of 306's premise. I hope, Mr. Rogers, that you have a safety net for all of us who agreed that Eliot singing would be weird. I'm in the same camp as those wondering when all this publicity is going to shoot them in the foot.
@Jane - I forgot about that fight with Eliot and Sterling in Zanzibar. I totally agree with you though that it would be great and potentially a fun writer's challenge to have an ep where Eliot does not fight.
Re-watched 3.04 and have a couple questions:
1) The envelope Nate snatched for the Italian had what looked like the word "Elegy" in the upper corner in some shots. I know our baddie labeled things with musical terms, but is there any greater significance (assuming I'm reading that right)?
2) Nate has been fairly nurturing in the past with Hardison, in both Mile High Job and the Juror No. 6 job. Why the switch to tough love?
3) Any hints you would like to tease us with in the Sophie-centric episode? We got spoilers on Hardison's and Parker's and have seen things about Eliot's and Nate's, but not a single thing about Sophie's.
4) Are we going to learn what was in that envelope?
I have to say that these are two of the best episodes you've ever done. The first two episodes seemed run-of-the-mill to me (not such a bad thing, considering the sleek, beautiful and entertaining mill that is your show), but these two... wow.
"The Inside Job" was, apart from being one of the most engagingly directed episodes in your run, a real acting tour de force. All that time you've spent making your cast act through the earpieces - with people not in the same physical location - seems to have really paid off; some of the work Beth Riesgraf did "alone" here was stunning (not to mention tear-inducing).
Coming off an episode as affecting as "Inside", I didn't expect the same from "Sheherezad", but again, it contained some moments that really grabbed me. The musical heist sequence was funny, exciting and moving at the same time; not exactly easy to pull off, I'm sure. Great work by Aldis Hodges selling the violin solo, great work by rest of the crew reacting.
Regarding Elisabetta Canalis' accent: I don't find her difficult to understand, but her skewed emphases and stresses often make it seem like she doesn't know what it is she's saying. There's nothing wrong with having a thick accent, but wouldn't the Italian, this sophisticated character with good syntax and a big vocabulary, also know what English sounds like (its melodies, so to speak)?
Just a general comment r.e. those who are unhappy(??) about the focus on relationships within the family. Think it was Mr Rogers himself, in an iF interview, who said that season 3 was about the team going "ok. we're a family. a bloddy dysfunctional one. how are we going to work this out?". In the light of that, I fully expect this season to be exploring the dynamics between each pairing. I don't expect Parker to realise that she's really madly in love with Hardison, nor would it be reasonable to think "Sophie" is the forgiving type (as far as Nate is concerned).
Like @Jo said, Nate/Sophie was always going to happen. The fun is in seeing how it happens. And the opportunities to throw things at our TVs when Nate does something else to screw it up. Parker/Hardison was also there right from the start...think it was always meant to be a slow bloom. Right now, I just gotta have faith in the writers not to go down the "dream sequence/in a coma" crap of many shows to resolve this. And I have faith in the writers to maintain a focus on the heists with relationship-exploration as a side note. Shows like Bones, or even House, got abit blah once the relationships starting taking up half the air-time.
Adding to the numerous kudos and expressions of gratitude: You, sir, are a legend! The cast and crew of Leverage has made my thesis-writing more bearable!
Two more excellent episodes! Dang, you guys just aren't slowing down. Kudos on your directorial debut! Excellent job.
Is it really possible to hypnotize someone that effectively, without them being willing/aware of it or even knowing it happened? (And Nate learned this in prison, in six months? along with learning how to cook that scrumptious prison food? Wow, Nate.) Hardison says he feels "negatively" about mind control, and in "Scheherazade Job" Nate's doing it to him. And then rubbing it in his face, basically telling him he's too nice to run his own crew. Nate Ford is a very bad man. Are we going to see this "mind control" theme again? It's a little worrisome, especially considering how good Nate and Sophie are at it.
Did Parker overhear the conversations between Nate and Archie about her? They all still had earbuds in.
Technical questions on "Inside Job": What Hardison did with the cable in the wall - that isn't really possible, is it? At least not just by sticking a cable in a wall? And Parker saying the code wasn't ASCII, it was a shell code - what the heck did that mean?
Backing up to 3.01: When Nate digs the earbud out of the kielbasa and sticks it in his ear (eww) Hardison was right there listening. How come Hardison had an earbud in while playing with his toy helicopter? (Those earbuds must bounce off satellites, because they have a truly unbelievable range. Not that I mind.)
In "Inside Job" when Hardison and Eliot come skidding into Parker's "bedroom", where did they come from? They acted like they hadn't seen Nate and Sophie standing there, but it's a big room.
Is Hardison's new van a Dodge Sprinter? Nice!
Loved Parker saying, "I couldn't do it, but I was alone then; I'm not alone now." Kinda sums up the whole deal, really.
Let me just say that, IMHO, Sophie is much more beautiful than The Italian.
Any idea when we'll know if we get a fourth season? Anything we can do to help ensure it, besides watching and buying the episodes?
RE: Anon’s --“Was there a fight in Zanzibar Marketplace?” - Only one of the BEST fights!!! And, it was within the first 2 minutes of the show. When he heard “the voice” behind him, Eliot jumped up, turned around, and slugged Sterling. Then he proceeded to beat the sh#* out of him! (Don’t know if you remember, but the bartender turned to go and stop the fight but Hardison stopped him and passed him a wad of cash to ignore it. Hardison & Parker sat there with huge grins on their faces as Eliot continued to beat on Sterling).
RE: gypsyhrt – “When Nate hypnotized Hardison did he ask what Sophie’s real name is?” PRICELESS!! Laughed hysterically at that one. Hadn’t even thought of that possibility. Let’s hope “Nate” doesn’t read this blog or he might be hypnotizing Hardison again.
Dawn/StL-MO
I wonder if Moto's Strad was the same one that was being smuggled in "The Mile High Job."
@Jane and, um, others whom I've forgotten *g*, re: the Eliot w/no fights thing, there've actually been several eps where he hasn't fought. S1 had Two-Horse, Stork Job and Snow Job, and in Miracle he just did a head-butt (while holding a gun down another guy's pants; I still love that scene!). In S2 there were no fights in Three Days of the Hunter or Three Strikes. Well, except for the runner at home. *g*
So they've done it, and it's worked. Of course, when there's an ep or two without a fight, fans start asking, "Why isn't Eliot fighting?"
We're just a needy bunch. lol
I noticed that the check Nate gave Jane was drawn on an account for Leverage Associates in Miami, Florida. Hardison is clearly keeping their finances secure by keeping them out of state. That's cool.
And Moto's bodyguard: He was there giving Moto advice, and he gave Elliot the most trouble since Quinn in the First David Job. I think there's more to this fellow than meets the eye.
Wakefield Building named after Tim Wakefield? Steranko Security obviously named after Jim Steranko? Very nice.
Are we supposed to take the ease with which Sophie set up the sniper's rifle in 304 as a clue to her background? I remember her making an offhand comment about 'stars and bars' in the Three Days of the Hunter Job, and it's had me thinking that she might have been an army brat. Getting colder? Warmer?
Also: every episode I tend to think something along the lines of "Damn! I can't imagine they could ever do anything that tops this!" and then you do. Because all of you are that damn good. Thank you for existing. And: 303 was superbly directed, Kudos!
I've seen the new promo (for the Double Blind Job), and I gotta say, I'm so excited to see jealous Parker. Care to spoil us any about that?
Also, like some other commenters, I'm wondering about the ages of the team. I feel like Nate and Sophie are supposed to be in their 40's, Eliot in his 30's, and Parker and Hardison about the same age, but in their 20's. Am I right?
These episodes were great; somewhere near my new favorites, for sure!
One more thing, then I'm done. Maybe. *g*
Just watched "Inside Job" again and noticed Parker's ID tag in her cubicle. Beck.
So Dr. Hannity, Mr. RUSHing and Beck. Y'all hit the trifecta, huh?
@Tia Dugan said...Complaint: Quit saying Christian Kane. I don't know why but it irritates me when you see CK next to Sophie or Parker. I know he is gorgeous and all but used the character name. Thank you!!
YW.
Ooooh, look! It's Sophie, Parker and Lindsey!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was prepared to be blown away by The Inside Job (and I was).
I was *not* prepared to be stunned by The Scheherazade Job.
Season 3 has been quite a surprise. What fascinating explorations of identity (self and other) we've seen so far: Parker's growing self-awareness, Hardison's burgeoning ambition, Sophie's musings on just how well she knows Parker and Parker knows her. And those magical moments when everyone comes to know Hardison through the power of music.
True art empowers us to see the world differently. Thanks for making art!
Must say, some of the references/nods to other characters/people in episode 303 I’ve had to look up. But, I’m learning a *lot* about the comic book & sci fi worlds! Curious - Was 303 the most jammed packed episode with references/nods to other characters/people ? Did the writers tally them as they went along? If so what was the total #? Is there a contest for ‘most used in one episode’ for season 3? I remember my brain racing throughout the entire episode, but I LOVED it! Once again lets hear it for the first time director, Rogers Rocks!!!!!
Dawn/StL-MO
Loved Eliot's slide! And of course, all his fights. Can't get enough of the 'Wolverine' and Parker together. Big brother, little sister vibes. Daddy Nate being jealous of Archie (shows how much he cares . . "we would both die for her".
Don't like Parker's heavy makeup either. I like the innocent looking Parker that's a little off center. I like it that it is part of Eliot's nature that he is the one who can always read people even better than Sophie. He knew when he first saw Parker in 1st episode what the deal was and 'wasn't surprised about her living quarters'. He loves her anyway in his Eliot (wolverine) way.
I also think it's funny about the posts who can't believe corporate people wouldn't call them on their "Avenger" names. I have to tell you that no one in my social circles would have any idea even what an 'avenger' is, much less the names they used. Sorry.
So here's my question: Are you going for more x-men vibes by having Nate hypnotize? Reminds me of Prof Xavier. Though, I have to say that I don't like the mind game stuff with each other. "A family has to be safe with each other". And . . just my opinion but I think Nate was being nasty at the end because he doesn't want to even think of a day that the team won't be together like they are now. After all, he is daddy. Anyway, that's how "I" feel about Hardison suddenly talking about having his own group.
One more: Beginning reminds my daughter of the 1985 Equalizer series. Was that intentional?
I'm with everyone else on this: how do we make a big enough push for TNT to give you/us a 4th season? DVR every time it comes on?
@babysmoke "The fun is in seeing how it happens. And the opportunities to throw things at our TVs when Nate does something else to screw it up."
And he will. We all know he will. Passing curiosity, what's your thesis on?
Oh yeah, and I disagree that Eliot needs any weaknesses. He's like the x-men wolverine according to john rodgers blog. Heals quick and loves to fight so don't take that away from him. That's his job on the team by the way. Of course he does everything perfectly that he attempts. If he didn't he wouldn't be Eliot. You know, in his line of work, if he wasn't always on the ball he would be killed in a very short time. He is one character that can't afford a weakness.
@Jane I really don't think we have to worry about this season being too couple-centric. We did, after all, get criminal "My Two Dads" in The Inside Job. (Awesome!) I think those relationships are probably going to develop a little further, especially the Nate/Sophie one since they are "mom and dad," but not at the risk of the overall family dynamic. I mean, come on, it's Nate. He's going to take one step forward and two back with Sophie. Let's face it, if he "earns" her real name by the season finale it will be a shock. Plus, Tim tweeted something a few days ago about Kari Matchett which is a strong indicator she's guesting again this season and having Maggie around will likely throw a wrench in anything Nate and Sophie may have going on by then. And I have to agree with @tori-angeli with regard to The Reunion Job. They probably pushed his buttons all night long because of they family thing. Plus, I think he's kind of mocking them ending up caught up in the whole reunion experience after the job was done in a manner similar to how he razzes Parker in The Inside Job once she's gotten the canister out. The writers know what they're doing. Don't let TNT and their advertising throw you.
@maverickkid Absolutely! Plus, Christian loves to do the fight scenes.
@maverickkid – Eliot already has a weakness….the ladies!
With Kari Matchett on USA’s new ‘Covert Affairs’, will you be able to get her this season?
Dawn/StL-MO
I have another question. Are we ever going to see Nate and Sophie history explored a bit more? Anything from the "tempted" era?
@Anonymous 1) The envelope Nate snatched for the Italian had what looked like the word "Elegy" in the upper corner in some shots. I know our baddie labeled things with musical terms, but is there any greater significance (assuming I'm reading that right)?
Any chance it's a Batwoman shout-out?
@johnrogers I apologize for my first comment to this post. It was far too confrontational and really doesn't reflect how I think about the episodes.
I was miffed and (still am slightly) afraid Leverage'll go where other shows have gone before (with the 'will they or won't they trope), and I'm picking up details and blowing them out of proportion as confirmation of fears I had before the season started.
@Maverick -
I understand that Eliot needs to be "perfect" in some sense, and it's funny that he's so good at everything he picks up. But a character can only grow if he's got somewhere to grow from. We're seeing GROWTH in the personalities of Nate, Sophie, Parker and Hardison, and that's one of the things that has made this season so exciting.
The writers should be able to make Eliot great at 99.9% of things but have something that trips him up and still have it work within the show. And sorry, "the ladies" or "disadvantaed kids" doesn't cut it. That's kind of like the old interview answer to what's your greatest weakness. "Well you know, I'm just too organized and attentive to detail for my own good!"
Being Wolverine in a 2 hr movie is one thing. Being Wolverine in a long running TV show where all the other characters have nuanced, well-developed personalities is quite another.
Back to something a bit more basic: do you know the name of the theater/hall where the concert segment was filmed, and the name of the orchestra? It's a gorgeous facility, and the orchestra was first-rate, assuming we were hearing them -- if not, they sure looked the part!
There are 4 squillion questions here already so forgive me if this is a repeat question, but I was wondering what kind of research you did on hypnosis; is it truly feasable that one could go back to a point in one's life and remember how to play violin well, or is that just television hypnosis, and it wouldn't actually work quite that flawlessly.
I loved that whole musical moment, though. I love crowning moments of awesome/heartwarming.
PS Still hoping for more Doctor Who references this series! :)
@Jane for what it's worth, since this isn't my blog, I don't think you've been angry or irrational about anything. I've felt like this is a friendly discussion rather than a heated debate and actually enjoyed going back and forth with you. I like it when people make me re-think what I thought I already had figured out, and, as little as I know about you, I kinda like you already XD.
I understand that Eliot needs to be "perfect" in some sense, and it's funny that he's so good at everything he picks up. But a character can only grow if he's got somewhere to grow from. We're seeing GROWTH in the personalities of Nate, Sophie, Parker and Hardison, and that's one of the things that has made this season so exciting.
It's occasionally appropriate to have a relatively idealized character. Not every character needs to have growth (static characters are characters, too!), and some characters just exist so the audience can long to be them. That said, I don't think Eliot is a canon Gary Stu. Those don't usually act like five-year-olds when poked in the arm. Remember Hardison making fun of him for his choice in fashion? As much as he knows about womens' fashion, the geek's opinion is that he fails at dressing himself. Hmm, I don't think I need to list all of his little failings, but overall I keep getting the impression (not that I trust those) that Eliot has made some very substantial mistakes in his past. Amy was definitely one of them, seeing how much she was hurt by him.
And because I haven't done this yet: Mr. Rogers, I adored the new episodes. Was 303 your first directing job ever, or just your first directing job for this series? Either way, it was stunning and fast-paced and looked really good. Will we see you direct again in the future?
@Zenkitty714: Hardison and Eliot came from one of Parker's fake addresses (loved Sailor Bubba!). Remember, Nate said she had six of them.
And they were surprised not to see Nate and Sophie, but to see what constitutes "home" for Parker. Or, rather, Hardison was surprised. Eliot said it was exactly what he'd expected.
How did Nate know that Sophie was going to choose Scheherazade? He hypnotized Hardison before Sophie came in with the music. Did he arrange that with her beforehand, or does he just know her well enough to know she'd pick music about a great grifter?
I think Sophie's "what did you learn in prison" bit indicates that she didn't know his plan, which makes Nate's manipulation even sneakier.
Found some great reviews.
http://snipsly.com/2010/06/30/tv-review-tnts-leverage/
http://www.pulptone.com/?p=5610
Great directing debut on The Inside Job! I loved both eps!
Just a couple of questions:
Did Sophie use the same Kristy Connelly alias she used in The Miracle Job (reporter turned PR rep?)
How did Sophie figure out that Parker used her real name as the code?
Who was responsible for coming up with the name Wadata?
When did Nate learn enough about music to be able to follow along with the musical score to time the hacking of the vault?
Will we ever find out what Alexander had on the Italian in that file?
Nearsightedness makes DISTANT objects blurred, therefore if Eliot was nearsighted he would NOT need glasses for reading or looking at something closely.
I was rewatching s1 the other day when I noticed Eliot put his glasses on for one of Hardison's presentations. That seems to fit with him being nearsighted.
...Why yes, I do pay attention to stuff like this. I like it when people have glasses on TV.
C'mon, tell the truth. Eliot's glasses are a riff on David Tennant's Tenth Doctor's glasses. I'm waiting for the fez on Hardison.
As I've been blathering on about theories on Eliot multiple times, it occurs to me that it may be a pain in the butt for you to go through all these comments and discussion posts to get to questions.
Would you prefer that we have the back and forth discussions somewhere else?
I kind of gravitate here, because all the most ardent fans show up at your doorstep after every show. :) But if we're dragging you down with all our theorizing, let us know!
Since Eliot seems to know Parker so well, is he the one who cracked Parker’s code so he & Hardison could enter Parker’s place?
Dawn/StL-MO
Why did the network decide to air two episodes back to back? Why not stretch the season for another week instead?
Also, excellent eps.
"Steranko" is a great bit of fan service. Thanks for that Mr. Fury.
Great work on 3x03. My burning question regards Parker during her time as Archie's junior apprentice. He told Nate, "My family thinks I'm an accountant." So Archie must have explained his frequent absences for purposes of thievery as "business trips". Presumably Parker was somewhere on her own, stealing to take care of herself. She couldn't possibly have lived WITH Archie and his family. Since we found out in 3x03 that she currently lives in a warehouse, and she mentioned in 3x02 that she was sort of glad she never went to high school, can we assume she was living in "unofficial" quarters (abandoned bldgs, empty stores, etc.)?
Kudos on a wonderful job directing 3x03!
I adore that 3x03 had me relaxing into the sense that Parker had found her family, as had they all - and then you had Nate pull that on Hardison in 3x04. Awesome! Nate, as has been said before, is not a nice guy.
But that didn't stop me feeling all warm and wiggly over him calling Eliot 'El'. Was that scripted, or Tim?
It was nice to see the continuity in Eliot's fierce protectiveness of children. I know he's protective of the vulnerable generally, and children are perhaps simply the most vulnerable most of the time, but there seems to be something more specific there to me. Maybe. *g*
Finally (I promise), I just love all the geeky shoutouts throughout the season, so was very surprised and a little disappointed that Hardison described Steranko as having a "brain the size of a building", not "a planet".
Thank you so much for all your time and energy talking to us all here.
Sam
Sorry - I just re-read my comment and realised it ended up sounding really negative/carping with the comment re 'brain the size of a...' That was *not* my intention in the least. I love the show; it is absolutely my go-to place for when I need cheering up. The mixture of humour, suspense and really good, consistent, developing characterisation is a breath of fresh air on today's telly. :)
Sam
Got one of my answers from Tim’s tweet today – looks like Wil Wheaton’s ChaOs will be in the Christmas show.
Dawn/StL-MO
I just wanted to say you guys did a fabulous job on both these episodes. You're really awesome this season, to the level of epic and I didn't think this show could get any better - but it has!
1. Who really played the solo? Was it Aldis or not?
2. Parker seems to be very conflicting on her sexual/social balance. She strips her clothes off a few times in this and previous season, has no problem faking the kiss with Hardison, but then she seems kinda innocent in her sexting question and not being aware of her affects on men. Its to the point I don't know if she's a complete novice or a master seductress. So....which is it? lol
3. Parker didn't seem happy about what Nate did to Hardison (hypnotizing). Eliot didn't find out. Sophie didn't seem to approve either. So would Eliot have approved and did Sophie?
4. Both women - Beth and Gina - seem to look even more attractive this year than last. Is there something going on with the makeup or something? Cause if so, I need some! Or maybe its just the Portland water. Whatever it is, you need to bottle that shit.
5. Christian Kane's drunk act pretending he was trying to get his jacket back was hysterical. I love his 'drunk hands'! You'd think he's had experience being drunk ;)~
Once again, thank you for two such awesome episodes. I'm really loving this season so far. Story lines and characters are both wonderful.
"She strips her clothes off a few times in this and previous season, has no problem faking the kiss with Hardison, but then she seems kinda innocent in her sexting question and not being aware of her affects on men."
All of these behaviors are the signs of someone who is almost completely innocent of her sexual attraction and effect on men. She isn't stripping her clothes off and fake-kissing because she's being seductive - she doesn't comprehend how seductive those things are when she does them.
@Jo: I'm writing about how personality and trust perception affects (or doesn't affect) counterproductive work behaviours.
Already I'm re-re-rewatching eps. Can we fast forward this weekend and get to next Sunday already? Or cancel...the...(holidays...?) I just know the coming eps are gonna knock it way outta the ballpark again.
Just an observation: We don't know any of the female characters' real names -- Parker, Sophie and The Italian -- while the male characters are using their real names.
Is that intentional or just part of the "finding identity" theme?
Thanks.
Someone may have asked but, having missed the first few moments of 303, was there an explanation for the condition of Eliot's nose? Maybe an actual Kane injury?
John, I haven't watched these two yet, but it seemed like the Big Bad is in another country.
Can it be Freedonia? Pleeeeease? Can they have their own Aeronautics and Space Administration? Surely as a man who plays Shadowrun, you can appreciate the request.
As a Broncos fan, I have to ask - is it possible to get Nnamdi Asomugha some sort of permanent role enticing enough to get the man to quit football?
Loved the episodes...they were pure awesomeness. But, I have a general peeve or two.
1)The intro for Leverage as a whole is great, but TNT is in a rut. Intros for Memphis Beat, Closer, Dark Blue, and God knows what else all have the same "look", and in my opinion that diminishes the specialness of Leverage, which I believe used the stop-motion first?
2) Also, Nate's new "We provide leverage" is too "cutesy". The original one, with the little tip of the head, was fabulous.
Awesome directing. The inside job is one of my most fav eps.
why does Ck have a bandage on his nose in the inside job?
and he is wearing a tshirt to cover his arms. was he hurt????
why does it take so long for CK to whoop that guy's ass in the Ep4? was it planned that way so that he will stand on the explosives.
was Eliot's reaction to parker getting the canister an ad lib??
love the teame reaction to hardison's solo. Eliot so serious and parker with tears rolling down her face. nice!!!
Is the chain Christian wears in the Ep4 his or for the character. Looks like a heart shaped pendent.
Questions (first ones after 4 episodes of S3!)
Some comments here are on all about having (minor?) "weakness" in team members that can add to the overall drama of this show. So just curious:
1) How much easier in having Parker "quirky" and "unpredictable" already, to run-off and find some trouble on her own ?
2) Is Hardison's weakness still his (big) ego - that he is the very best at what he does? Is that something Nate now is trying to fix? (Not really concerned, but just asking if Nate was supposed to be in fear of losing a great hacker like H ? (That explains the bluntness in dealing with H?) The writers showing love for AD in these Nate vs Alec angles :)
3) If Eliot had a "weakness" I would guess it would be only something external. To me, Eliot's "character weakness" would be his bad-temper, trust issues and may be being a perfectionist (planning and strategy being main concerns of his) - like how else would Eliot have survived all those past dangerous solo missions and prison war camps, right?
@Anonymous:
it's had me thinking that [Sophie] might have been an army brat. Getting colder? Warmer?
I was wondering this, too. Except that the American army brat culture is (as far as I know, anyway) specific to America. Other countries don't do it that way, and of all shows, I give these writers credit for doing the research! And while it's possible Sophie is American, I really don't think she is. I am certain she's a third culture kid, though; the best fit, from what I can tell, is diplomat's kid. Not that they'll probably ever tell us!
And Eliot's just as flawed as any of the others: Dark Secret. (Plus guilt, temper, and so on.) He's just worked to eliminate weaknesses as much as possible, because he couldn't afford them in his line of work. But that kind of flaw is not something that can be done in a gradual arc, like the others' flaws; that's a big, melodramatic ep + one or two of fallout. Which the writing team may never want to do. He's flawed, he just hides it better, and it'll take a pretty big trust breakthrough or some other tv-trauma to deal with it.
@Nina May: Recall one Job where Eliot *knew* that a dad was hitting his son, and that he was in with the police, so nothing was done. He went out of his way to get justice for that kid.
With Eliot, it's never that he's the Hitter; it's that, inevitably, he gets hit.
@cgeye:
I agree that he gets hit, absolutely, but I wouldn't call that a flaw, in character terms. I guess it depends on how we define "flaw" and "weakness". It doesn't really set him apart from the rest of the team, either, since they've all had things that "hit" them at some point.
For example (and these aren't intended to be comprehensive), Sam's death for Nate, Nate's ass-yness for Sophie, Parker's brother's death for Parker, and various little things for Hardison (who's the second most empathetic on the team after Sophie). And they all go out of their way to right wrongs that hit close to home for them.
Actually, that reminds me of another question: what was the scripted order of the episodes? People keep talking about the numbers, but I haven't been able to get the exact timeline. The reason I ask is because it goes to Nate's relationship with the team; if Inside Job is intended to come after Scheherazade, then that puts a different slant on the rescue and Nate's actions, as he tries to establish where the boundaries of team (push them unethically if necessary) and family (die for them, never give up on them, etc) lie, and which is more important. Some remorse in play, perhaps?
And I can see it being what smoothes over some of the trust cracks with the team, restoring the relationships (until the writing team decides it all needs to bust open again, of course). Nothing brings a family back together like putting one of them in danger....
Just watched Scheherazade for the second time, and it was still the green blanket! Hee!
My bad. I guess I assume Hardison will take the excuse to get more gear. But I guess then we don't get Nate's bankie.... :)
@NinaMay, you may be right. I should probably take the same advice I gave Jane and just wait to see what the Eliot-centric episodes hold. I understand that theres' a certain level of perfectionism he must have, but I'd also like to see him maybe just once not be perfect and what kind of fall out that has for him and the team, especially since everyone has made their mistakes. I do know its a tough line to walk, though, given Eliot's role on the team.
I only skimmed the last half of the comments so apologies if these have been asked already about the Inside Job.
1) I, like another commenter, assumed that when I saw Eliot with the crowbar, he was going to smash the window, especially since he kept telling Parker to get back. However, he suddenly appeared inside the building and the implication at the end is that the team got out the same way. Was he able to pry open the window?
2. Everything in Parker's apartment is rather stark except for the red cereal bowls and what looked like colorful glass paperweights, seen briefly behind Nate in a glass case. Do the paperweights have special significance or does Parker (i.e. set design) just think they look pretty?
I really like the recurring theme of family. Hardison tells her they're more than a team in The Stork Job, but I felt like Parker finally believed it in this episode.
No question for once, just a compliment that the Parker episode was tremendous!!
Haven't seen the director debut because I want to be sure and give it proper attention. CONGRATS!
People have said that the episodes are airing out of order. if so, what order are they supposed to air in?
As I understand it, due to guest star availability, the episodes were not filmed in the order they were intended to be shown, but they are being aired in the correct order regardless of the episode number.
Yikes! There are a heck of a lot of questions here. I just read through all of them and it took me all day (don't tell my boss). My sympathies are with you for having to not only read all of this, but to actually care enough to repond.
Every ep has been great so far this season. You are all just awesome!
I normally have no problem understanding accents, but I have to admit that The Italian's accent had me wondering at one point why she wanted Nate and the team to take out Demi Moore. (Go ahead and listen, you'll hear it, too. Don't even try to say you don't.) Maybe subtitles would be nice, so we don't lose anything important.
I think all my questions have already been asked (mostly I want to know how Sophie suddenly ended up in that vault behind Nate and the others) so I'll just wait and read the answers.
Thanks for taking the time and having the patience. We love you for it. (Well, that and all the Doctor Who references.)
I have a semi-unrelated question. In the last post the term Deancake was used and I have looked and looked and then just in case, looked some more. But I cannot figure out what it means, so can someone clue me in?
"Deancake" is the term for a special thing that Dean Devlin, when he's directing, gets to have or do, some expensive or difficult thing that a director normally wouldn't get to have, because Dean's also a producer of the show. Like, exploding a car in downtown Portland.
Semi-quoting him from one of the screenings: "I'm a producer, so I'm supposed to rein in directors who want to go too far. And I'm a director who always wants to go too far..."
@anjalee I think it's actually an arrowhead and I'm pretty sure he's worn it before (The Ice Man Job I believe).
@Toni If you watch carefully, Sophie just walks in the door and joins the team while Nate is spinning the tale of fratricide.
@anjalee
Someone asked CK about the necklace at ConCon. It is a guitar pic made from a mexican peso.
Was Inside Job originally intended to air after Scheherazade Job? Because if so, Nate asking Hardison "what's your play?" takes on a whole other level of significance. In addition to rescuing Parker, Nate's teaching Hardison.
@Zenkitty714
re: airing order
Thanks. Do we have a source for it? After the way S1 was aired, and how choppy the changed sequence made the developing team dynamic, I could do with an official source for the correct chronology!
Ok, it's time for the 303-304 post-game blog.
loved 'em. absolutely loved parker's place. yay she still has (and probably sleeps with) her bunny. i'm trying to catalog her place...bed with bunny, overhead mostion sensitive flood lights, shelves full of cereal(dry, nutritious food that keeps well, plus fun to munch on), hangers full of harnesses, job planning area, work benches with carabiners, and what looked like glue and i guess just the rest of the stuff she needs to make her custom high wire gear. what else am i missing??
Dagnabit, that's why I shouldn't rewatch episodes with my question hat on, I get all persnickety.
In Inside, when Nate tells Hardison to set the Sterenko to threat level 4, "hasmat", Hardison says he's been busting his butt to keep it from going to DEFCON 4 ... only I thought that for DEFCON, 1 was the highest threat level, and 5 the lowest. If Hardison regularly hacks the Pentagon, not to mention is a self-respecting geek ... shouldn't that be something he would not get wrong? I'm not even American (nor even a proper geek, according to friends who are) and I know that.
There was a nice symmetry thing there with the "4" and all, but still. Was it just a "ledger" thing? Because this piece of trivia is somewhat less arcane, and it's a throwaway line, not a plot necessity. Not going to chide you to "do better" ... just make a sadface, do the MST3K mantra and get over myself, I guess.
:(
@todd - - Tim tweeted this back in April (?) It’s a video of what all was on Parker’s work bench/table.
“the interests of Parker”.. http://twitvid.com/YNPHP
On the workbench/table there were LOTS of locks (various types & sizes), numerous pairs of scissors, spoons laid out for her cereal, zippers, door knobs w/locks, deadbolt locks, lock picks & metal filing tools. There were some devices in various sizes that look like large screws/nails with what look like rubber grips around the top & some round metal pieces. Sorry, not a thief so I haven’t figured out what these 2 things are yet – John could you help us out?
Other things I noticed - balance beam w/gymnastic rings nearby, large red bowls were on the top shelf of a storage unit & cereal boxes (taking up at least one entire shelf) were below the cereal bowls. Hope this helps.
Dawn-StLMO
I normally have no problem understanding accents, but I have to admit that The Italian's accent had me wondering at one point why she wanted Nate and the team to take out Demi Moore.
LMAO!
And spell hazmat right, while I'm at it.
That's it, I've had enough of reality, I'm getting back on the fun train!
@Nina May I think whether level 1 or level 4 is highest depends on who's designing the system and how they feel it makes sense. If someone comes into a hospital as a "trauma category 1," it's the highest. However, if someone has "cancer stage 1," it's the lowest.
As everyone has posted any question that I may have asked, just a quick note to applaud you on your directorial debut and, what has been to this point, the best season of "Leverage" so far!
Loving the new season very much. Thank you so much for the Parker-centric episode, it pleased this Parker fan mightily.
I have no serious questions but am curious if anyone else saw Parker's super cool pad, paused the playback to study the shelves and such and then eventually thought "Hey! Where's the bathroom?" :D (Ongoing joke amongst Burn Notice fans about Michael's digs :D)
@tori-angeli:
True, it's different for different systems, but what's bugging me is that DEFCON is an existing system, one which Hardison of all people would know about. Geeks (in my experience) are picky about getting these details right – sitting in the room with them is always entertaining when watching a movie that gets this stuff wrong – and Hardison hacks the Pentagon. And the White House. Saying he's trying to keep it from DEFCON 4 is saying he's trying to keep it from going to a slightly-higher-than-nothing security setting. Not the top one. This is not something he should be hazy on.
Although, now having looked it up to be sure, I have learned about Defcon, an annual hacker conference, which is a nice little research bonus. Still, I find it hard to believe that Hardison's saying that he's trying to keep the Sterenko from going to a conference, no matter how cool it is.
Anyway. Tiny moment in a brilliant episode.
Just one question. Was that really you in the Sailer Moon costume, if so, who did you lose a bet to?
As if you didn't already have enough questions --
We just rewatched them (delightful!) and a question emerged. The team consistently leaves fingerprints everywhere; for instance, in 304 Parker is picking locks and opening safes with no gloves on. Sophie planting the scope is unusual in that she was wearing gloves. Is the disregard for fingerprints something the writing staff specifically discussed?
Thanks!
Loved the show from the first episode, seen them all, but just discovered this blog. Major respect for interacting with your fans this way. Loved the Steranko and Super-Skrull references. I would swear a shot of the WAKEFIELD logo on the skyscraper was cropped so that only "IELD" was visible in clear block "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." font.
Not surprised to see a Leverage quick-start RPG pdf out on the net. It's been fodder for my d20 Spycraft campaign all year.
Thanks again for the obvious effort and wonderful entertainment!
I think the lowball price on the Strad was a combination of "quick cash" and "high profile". Watch Pawn Stars some time to see how this works out "in real life" (as real as a show set in Las Vegas on History Channel can get at any rate).
RE: Eliot's weakness, I think Elito already has a weakness, it's his heart/emotions. If you watch in seson one we saw that desipte Amy marrying someone else Eliot still loves her and her family. How would Willie have known how to reach Eliot if Eliot hadn't remained in contact.
In season two we saw his reaction to the abused kid. Now in season 3 we have the fate of children at play.
I always got the feeling that Eliot is in constant battle to keep himself from trusting/caring about others. Hit and kicks he can recover from but I think he's afraid to let himself be emotionaly vunerable.
Which makes Sophie and Nates Conning of the team even worse.
He trusts them and cares for them and would feel used.
@Stacy and everyone else who mentioned it...
No, John is not the Sailor Scout.
My evidence is this post from April 14th, which clearly shows them standing next to each other.
The actor portraying Sailor Bubba does, however, bear a striking resemblance to a good friend of mine who was the groomsman at my wedding.
Hardison says, " . . . . If godzilla was a gecko!"
Laughed till I fell over on that one!
P.S. Nice connection with Nate watching the news while cooking. Very efficient.
New wv: "soffyii"
Sometimes, the universe just aligns...
Kudos to Aldis. Also, loved Nate's "glimpse of the future" scene that was similar to the Two Live Crew ones.
Some name choice seem interesting. Dr. Ha- nevermind. SueN. already noted it.
I also rewatched ep. 1, the Hodges bros. have some similar expressions and mannerisms, did not notice that before.
On to questions:
1. Wouldn't Parker prefer to sleep upside down? Or at least have something set up so she could nap upside down?
2. Must agree with some of the others about the new Parker eyes. Is this a side effect of Parker-Hardison development? (I know the probability of you answering this above will be high, but I'll ask anyway.)
3. Parker's password. Is this like ep. 302 where Parker uses names and things important to her as her password and implying "Sophie" is dear to Parker? Or is @Rebecca right that Sophie is just messing with Nate?
4. I thought saw a hint of a Parker-Hardison lovers' spat to come when Parker and Hardison talk about the con in 304 (a scene or two after he wakes up? I don't quite remember). Is this the beginning of the misery part of the relationship that you promised?
5. Will we ever need to steal an Eliot? If so, does that mean things are going terribly, terribly wrong or will go terribly terribly wrong?
6. Re the Sophie and the PR rep: Is this like Chuck Finley in Burn Notice, once you clear a name, you cling to it like Nate clings to his alcohol?
Just rewatched 303 again...who pulls them up thru the elevator hatch? He/she didn't appear to be dressed like anyone in the window washing scaffold scene that immediately followed.
@Barbara, Hardison pulled them up.
Loved the episode. Great job. I don't really like Parker's new eye make-up (my sister says she looks like she has raccoon eyes, which I think I saw a few other people comment on) but I like how Parker seems to be coming into more depth as a character. Especially in these later episodes.
The Inside Job is currently one of my all-time favorites, because of the touching Parker-deep moments.
Questions:
I think this one was already asked, but how did the team get the Strad (Strat?) in the end to sell? Wasn't it president's-evil-brother's? Did the team just run off and steal it, then sell it or what? That's one of the few times I've ever been pulled out of my happy state while watching and actually questioned what was happening. Usually I can float along just fine and take everything at face-value, but this was a sort of 'What's going on here?' moment for me, and sadly, it took me out of the show a little bit.
Again, a question that I'm pretty sure was already asked, but how did Eliot commandeer the window washing lift from the real window washers?
Also, what was the original plan in 3x04 to get out? The folder from the Italian was a last-minute add-on, right, and if they hadn't had the folder and Nate hadn't shown up, how were Eliot and Parker supposed to get out of the vault? Nate just bluffed his way out of the vault with the whole CIA thing, but Eliot and Parker wouldn't have been able to do that if Nate hadn't shown up, on account of not having the folder.
This has been said before, but I too don't really want the show to be too shippy. A little UST is always a good thing, but I adore the family/team aspect of the show, and having everyone coupling off just seems to take away from that.
Not that romance is bad. It just takes away from the familiar-team vibe of the show.
I`m sure this has already been asked yet i shall ask any way:
SCHWARTZER JOB
DID ALDIS HODGE ACTUALLY PLAY THAT VIOLIN SOLO, IF SO WHERE CAN I GET THE MUSIC NOTES!!!
I loved Hardison and Sophie's moment when he looked up to her in the stands he was like :oh man, i don`t know if i can do this. and she's like you`ll do fine.
i also soo a Parker Middle school reference. so she DID go to school but not high school???
INSIDE JOB
So with Archie and Parker's relationship did he ever put her into foster care or something? i mean she was like 14 years old you`d just leave a kid on the streets??
Elliot`s nose? what up? did he walk into ANOTHER lesbian bar????
Stupid question based on a recent re-watch of "Second David Job," and one I don't think I've seen asked or answered before - IYS? "Insure Your Shit"?
Also, what was the original plan in 3x04 to get out?
They had a rope to climb back through the hole in the ceiling, but the security guards pulled it up before they could use it.
I also want to see Maury Chaykin in an episode. But, I've seen him play a bad guy in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. So, I would rather see him play Maggie's beloved uncle who is a victim and Maggie has to ask the team for help. He could be a bit dotty and has to accompany the team so they would have to deal with even more eccentricities than they normally do.
Oh, and Nate should ignore the whole Sophie's real name issue altogether. And even after he learns her name, he should still call her Sophie. I mean really, are they in third grade now? "I know a secret but I'm not telling you." Please.
i don't know what to say because i really like this episode show.
1) Why was Nate so rude to Hardison at the end of 3x04? I understand that he needed to explain what happened, but couldn't he have said it differently?
2) How did Sophie get into the bank vault with Nate, Parker, and Eliot? Wasn't she in the audience?
3) Was the allusion to Cary Grant's real name in 3x03 intentional? I loved that... I kept giggling every time someone said Archie's name.
4) Is The Italian going to show up about every two episodes, like she has the past two weeks, or more often as they get closer to Moreau?
1) Does Hardison keep an eye out on the Intarwebs for previous baddies to make sure they don't get out of [jail, Tartarus, what have you] and seek revenge [exposing the crew, holding someone hostage, etc]?
2) Will we ever see a revenge episode with anyone besides Chaos?
3) Could it please please be Dr. Hannity? That woman looks like she'd defy death to stick it to Leach and/or the crew (Sophie).
And speaking of Leach, The Inside Job was magnificent! You guys managed to blend some old-time classiness (Archie), a supervillain and some touching Parker moments into one of your best episodes. Scheherazade was also excellent, but I'm in full-out Parker!squee! mode.
Kudos! and thanks for such a great show.
I'm hoping the business with the Italian will somehow end up forcing Sterling and the gang to work together again. That episode where he was on the team was AWESOME.
(I kind of love Sterling and all his assholery. I also kind of love the instinctual fur-bristling reaction he provokes from the gang.)
@anon above, claiming none of the cast could pass for mid-twenties: Er, Aldis Hodge is 24, iirc, or something right around it.
Lila said "How did Nate know that Sophie was going to choose Scheherazade? He hypnotized Hardison before Sophie came in with the music."
He didn't specifically hypnotise Hardison to play a particular piece of music. He hypnotised him to (as I understand it) remember how he played as a child, thus giving him the skill and confidence to play the music, whatever piece it turned out to be.
Incidentally, I have to give kudus to Aldis for how he played that reveal. First time I've seen Hardison really want to punch Nate out. In fact, I'd like to put money on Nate getting punched/slapped by someone on the crew before season's end, he's certainly trying hard to earn it.
@g,
I wasn't actually thinking that Sophie was messing with Nate, although I find that an awesome idea as well.
I was wondering if Gina, the actress, just hit random numbers the way someone who was supposed to make a phone call in a play or movie would hit random numbers, never in a million years thinking that fans might pay such close attention to the keys she was hitting.
That is what would really make me laugh, that performers would have to add a whole other level of realism, just because we are slaves to our attention for detail. I can see them now, saying, "Is there no miniscule moment these people will not analyze?"
Oh wow, wv=heman. Would've thought that would be Eliot/CK, but it's your blog. And, you know what? After doing such a great job wearing ALL of your many hats, I think you deserve the title. Mr. He-man Rogers. Has a nice ring, methinks.
In "The Inside Job" when "Sofie" comes in and Nate's cooking, there's a news program on the TV and it's talking about Dr. Thomas Swift. I know who Tom Swift is, but is he anyone special in the Leverage-verse?
@Jo: Thanks for answering so many questions that haven't already been asked (and answered) several times already.
Thanks, also, for confirming what someone else had said that Parker's password contained a 7 and a 2 as the last 2 digits. I jokingly guessed "Sophia" back in the 301/302 answer post, and now I have to rethink my guess (assuming that Gina really did type in the numbers to the answer).
Aurora?
Alyssa?
Alvira?
Anissa?
Barbra?
Cierra?
Sierra?
Debora?
Elissa?
Elmira?
Elvira?
Eudora?
Kendra?
Lenora?
Louisa?
Marisa?
Samara?
Samira?
Sandra?
Serena?
Sondra?
Tamara?
Teresa?
Tressa?
(I couldn't think of any six-letter names ending in -sc or -pa.)
Did we just go through 300+ comments without a mention of Christian Kane's hair? That has to be a record. (This doesn't count. As a long-time reader of your blog, I always found this a bit humorous.)
Ben Dryl said, "I think this one was already asked, but how did the team get the Strad (Strat?) in the end to sell?"
I watched this episode this morning. Hardison said he was going to pull a violin out of storage and Sophie said the bad guy wanted him to play the Strativarius. I think it was when she was telling him about the piece of music. So, he played it during the concert and just walked out with it.
Another two great eps, thanks to you and your team!
Two questions from me:
1 - Who was the violinist on Sherazade?
2 - My boyfriend wants to know if the "ELD" in the pan shot as we were going to the roof of the building was designed to be the same font as the cover of Jim Steranko's "Nick Fury: Agent of Shield" (http://forum.valinor.com.br/attachment.php?attachmentid=17796&stc=1&d=1210696579)? The font was exactly the same, just wondering if it was deliberate? And thanks for the homage to him!
As always, thanks for taking the time out of your extremely busy schedule and making our favorite television program to answer questions from your fans. You are truly one of a kind.
~M & G
@janele You're welcome. I was honestly a little worried people would be getting annoyed with all the times I've attempted to answer questions. "Krista" also ends with...something that fits the 7,2 combo, again assuming Gina typed something specific and didn't just randomly press buttons. I really hope it's not Kendra. That's my idiot boss's name.
You know, guys, something occurred to me, besides the fact that we really do need to find somewhere other than John's blog to hang out together online. Gina probably was supposed to press the 7 & 2 as the last digits for Parker's code because those were the only two presses shown other than the # key.
I also realized that it's interesting that Sophie knows how important it is for a PhD to publish. Character background or is "publish or perish" more common knowledge these days than I realized?
Watching the mini marathon tonight, I got caught up with the question, How did Parker call Hardison in the Wakefield building? Her phone says signal jammed, so his should be too.
giving him the skill and confidence to play the music, whatever piece it turned out to be.
Actually, while Hardison was hypnotized, Nate asked him what the last piece he played was (Scheherazade). Sophie used her mojo to influence the selection of the piece, so they knew it was something Hardison could play.
wv=rogiau
Abbreviation for "Rogers is gold"...
How did Parker call Hardison in the Wakefield building? Her phone says signal jammed, so his should be too.
Oh, I know this one! Her signal was jammed, so she called him on an office landline. Steranko was able to zero in on her and Hardison told her she had 20 seconds to get away from the desk.
@Christina said...
Did we just go through 300+ comments without a mention of Christian Kane's hair? That has to be a record. (This doesn't count. As a long-time reader of your blog, I always found this a bit humorous.)
Actually, there've been 3:
@Claire said... Love that Elliot flips his hair at the end of 3.03. Made me laugh since it came right after Sophie's.
@Nina May said... The exposure of Nate and Hardison to publicity was mentioned, and I second that, but what about Eliot? Isn't he kind of hiding from people, hence the long hair?
@Anonymous said... One other question which applies to all episodes - how long does it take to straighten CK's hair each time...
IMO, TEH HAIR is a character in its own right and should get its own credit, so I pay attention whenever it's mentioned. ;-)
@Jo: Actually, "Krista" won't work because the 7 key (at least on my keypad) doesn't have the letter "t".
And, "Serena" was not supposed to be part of my list for a similar reason (no "n" on the 7 key).
If Sophie is English, then we can discount the "soap opera" names, such as Aurora and Sierra. My in-laws are Brits and my sis-in-law is especially vocally amused about how Americans give soap opera names to their kids. If I had to guess, it would be Louisa. Something plain that a grifter would try to change to something more prestigious such as "Sophie". But then again, I am not a H'wood writer.
@sjrSpike:
I think someone asked if CK's hair was flat-ironed all the time. I could be wrong. It could have been a comment from the 301/302 Q&A.
If Mr. Rogers gets this far into the questions & comments, I will be in awe! Bless him for doing as much as he does with this blog!
My question: Sophie & Eliot have both had moments with Nate where they make it abundantly clear that he went too far in the Three Strikes Job/Maltese Falcon Job. Will Parker and/or Hardison do the same? I don't really count Hardison's "I'm not talking to you right now" bit when Nate first put his earbud in during the Jailhouse Job. Nate was (and is) a donkey's rear sometimes, though, and he needs to be called on it.
Ben Dryl said, "I think this one was already asked, but how did the team get the Strad (Strat?) in the end to sell?"
I was not particularly curious about the selling of the violin (in relation to the whole heist) , but now curious to know something.
Question: During the first and only (i assume) "rehearsal" with the orchestra - after H faking the "mother met with moped accident" - was H with the real Strativarius? So H actually made the excuse and packed up and walked off with it then? Did they leave it at that or replace it with an ordinary one later?
Oh i also *heard* "The Italian" say "I don't like kidding alone" to Nate (their meet in the car) - and yes to someone else (sorry the post above, can't find it now) said she heard Demi Moore's name? It was like "..you're helping us to catch Demi Moore" It's all good with "The Italian" if only Nate could stop with the "deadly" thoughts in connection with this woman...
@zenkitty714 - Although Hardison did tell Parker to switch cubicale so Steranko couldn's find her, I took @Anon to mean: Parker called Hardison’s PERSONAL phone from a Wakefield land line phone when her PERSONAL phone showed ‘signal jammed’. The L-team uses the same type phone equipment, therefore Hardison’s PERSONAL phone should also have had a ‘jammed signal’ & if so, Hardison would NOT be able to receive incoming calls.- Right @Anon?
Dawn/StL-MO
@sjrSpike:
Damn ... that's impressive. Kudos to you, sir. (I'm assuming you're a sir. If not, apologies, madam.) I'm a little dismayed to find myself on the list, and that I did actually mention it, since I (am one of the very few, apparently, who) don't care about his hair at all! :)
@zenkitty-714:
so she called him on an office landline.
I think what the anon was asking was how was Hardison's cell (which Parker called him on from the landline) signal not jammed, when Parker's was. There's probably some technical handwave to be made, but it's pretty clear that things move, and work, at the pace of plot around here. I'm okay with it, but I know not everyone is!
@Jo:
Finding somewhere to natter has been brought up before, to no real avail. I agree, though. And I second the thanks for the effort of your answers (and everyone else's, while I'm at it)!
Er. Well that's just awkward. Hi Dawn :)
wv: equiver. Someone who deals equity loans in a shaky sort of way.
Just a thought. The steranko had isolated the intruder (Parker) on the upper levels of the building. It knew she was somewhere in that section of floors. So I believe it wasn't locking anything else down or jamming cell phones on any other floors. There was no need. So Hardison's phone would not have been jammed. How's that for deductive reasoning?
That, sir, is a technobabble handwave of the first order. Well done!
Is 'The Studio Job' a real episode or is someone playing a joke on us? I don't want to get excited only to be disappointed.
@Tia Dugan, if you're asking about Eliot/CK flexing his vocal muscles, it is a real episode. John Schneider is the Big Bad for that one.
As soon as I realized that Richard Chamberlain had been Parker's teacher, I started looking for references to Fagin and Oliver Twist (or maybe the Artful Dodger would have been more appropriate). I didn't see a thing, though, beyond the very broad "Mentor/Student" trope. Was I totally off-base? Or were y'all just too subtle for me?
Regarding Aldis and the violin: As someone who used to be good when I was young (around 20), I'll bet anything that he played a lot of the notes as written; but they looped in a pro for the soundtrack. Yes, it's an extremely difficult solo, because it's so delicate and so exposed. It has to be PERFECT -- If you hit a note that's even slightly off, it breaks the spell. It requires the use of several different techniques one after the other (harmonics, double-stops, broken chords, and so on); because of this, it's a standard audition or competition piece.
Oh, and by the way: Sophie mentions the composer as being "Korsakov". That's wrong, at least in America. The composer's last name is "Rimsky-Korsakov" (although it's possible that in Europe, they drop the "Rimsky").
(My apologies if this shows up twice. This is my first time here, be gentle with me.)
Regarding Aldis and the violin: As someone who used to be good when I was young (around 20), I'll bet anything that he played a lot of the notes as written; but they looped in a pro for the soundtrack. Yes, it's an extremely difficult solo, because it's so delicate and so exposed. It has to be PERFECT -- If you hit a note that's even slightly off, it breaks the spell. It requires the use of several different techniques one after the other (harmonics, double-stops, broken chords, and so on); because of this, it's a standard audition or competition piece.
Oh, and by the way: Sophie mentions the composer as being "Korsakov". That's wrong, at least in America. The composer's last name is "Rimsky-Korsakov" (although it's possible that in Europe, they drop the "Rimsky").
@Nina May
That, sir, is a technobabble handwave of the first order. Well done!
Thanks! Female, though. Just love riding horses, etc. :)
In regards to the "How did Parker call Hardison in the Wakefield building? Her phone says signal jammed, so his should be too." -
I thought the same thing as far as no cell service on that floor but I didn't attribute it to the Steranko. I thought that due to the nature of the business being handled on that floor, they had purposely put cell blockers in place so no one would be able to steal company info.
Oh, and I want to add one more thing about my Sophie/The Italian post: I, in no terms, think the Italian is better looking than Gina. It just seemed jarring to me to see Elisabetta (with her "Moonlighting Glow" and all) and then to see Gina in all the overhead lighting. Not even a question in my mind as to who would win that contest. Especially hearing Gina say, well, just about anything!!!
@zenkitty-714: I think what the anon was asking was how was Hardison's cell (which Parker called him on from the landline) signal not jammed, when Parker's was.
maverickkid said... Just a thought. The steranko had isolated the intruder (Parker) on the upper levels of the building. It knew she was somewhere in that section of floors. So I believe it wasn't locking anything else down or jamming cell phones on any other floors. There was no need. So Hardison's phone would not have been jammed. How's that for deductive reasoning?
***
OR Hardison had been 'fighting' the steranko for a bit before Parker called, and knowing she would call them for help, the 1st thing he did was to route ALL the teams' phones to his cell, and make sure the steranko would allow that cell to have reception. It seems more likely to me that Master Hacker Hardison would anticipate needing to be available for Parker, checking that he would be, and continuing on with the 'fight', not realizing that Parker's cell would be blocked while he was distracted until he saw she was on the landline.
Just caught an oops in something I typed above: If Hardison was so distracted by the 'fight' that he unthinkingly routed ALL the teams' numbers to his phone, he routed Parker's phone to his, so of course it wouldn't work! It might not've been the steranko that blocked Parker's cell at all.
But who/whatever blocked Parker's phone, I see Hardison as the reason Hardison's phone worked, rather than some convenient plot device/hole.
Nina May said... @sjrSpike: (I'm assuming you're a sir. If not, apologies, madam.)
***
I'm female, but don't worry about it. I get this confusion all the time -- it's because I take my online name from the coolest vamp ever. ([grumble, grumble] Why Dark & Broody got his own show, but Spike didn't, I'll never know!)
Nina May said... I'm a little dismayed to find myself on the list, and that I did actually mention it, since I (am one of the very few, apparently, who) don't care about his hair at all! :)
***
I know ([shrug]don't understand, but do know) that not everyone wants to belong to the Cult of Teh Hair. (To each their own, and "everybody's got their own definition of just their kind", I guess.) :) You can take solace from the fact you were only mentioning it as a method of disguise. So it wasn't really a hair comment, right? ;D
By the way, the first four episodes are streaming at the TNT site, but not on Netflix yet.
John R. – Sorry, we tried answering as many as we could for you, but there are still a LOT of unanswered questions.
At least the questions are intermingled with MANY compliments on your fabulous LEVERAGE directing debut! Maybe they will make up “a little” for all the time you’ve invested in making sure you answer our queries. THANKS AGAIN! If it helps, we love you for it!!!!!
Dawn/StL-MO
7/6/10
@maverickkid:
Thanks! Female, though.
@sjrSpike:
I'm female, but don't worry about it.
Crickey, not doing too well this comment thread. Sorry! But we could consider "sir" to be employed in a non-gender-specific manner, which I have been known to do on occasion. *handwaves*
Yes. From now on, everyone shall be "sir" to me. *nods firmly* That will solve everything!
... I am now much less worried about the fact that I inadvertantly included Eliot's hair in a comment. Clearly, I have bigger issues going on here.
And with that, sirs, goodnight!
Did you know that you were going to be directing Richard Chamberlain before you got tapped for the gig or did you get that sprung on you after you agreed to do it?
Also, was there any trepidation on your part as a first time director, directing an actor with Richard Chamberlain's legacy of work?
Finally, did any of the cast decide to have a little fun at your expense as a first time director? Intentionally saying lines from the wrong scene, "forgetting" a character's name and saying the actor's name instead, etc.
Was Parker actually showing empathy towards Hardison when she left behind him? Really liking her development.
I really loved episode 304 but it really seemed like that hustle was more complicated than it needed to be.
@sjrSpike
Is there a community for Teh Hair yet? Because I think it does a fabulous job with very little actual credit. The only time I've seen it mess up is when it seems to be humid outside. Otherwise, it really knows how to get blown around in the breeze, lie there awesomely, and stay in a ponytail until dramatically slipping out partway for a fight scene, making the owner of the head it grows on look more primal. It also does a great job of looking brown-but-not-too-brown, something that's really hard to pull off, especially in the acting world, you know, where blonder is better. So yeah, respect for Teh Hair. Can you imagine the disaster if it ever got cut?
Oo, I just scared myself.
@janele Really? I thought "P,R,S,T" were on the 7. I don't have a landline so I don't really know anymore. Having lived in England for 2 years I hear you on the common names and I honestly do think that the Leverage writers have probably taken that into consideration, depending on the character's real background. We know Sophie has some sort of military/intelligence b/g, but we don't know if she had military/govt parents or if she was the servicemember/agent.
@Nina May There is that new LeverageFans website. We might be able to claim that as our own area to speculate and field one another's questions, though I understand someone's past comment about hanging here for the "caliber," so to speak, of Leverage fans that congregate at Kung Fu Monkey.
Are we to assume that Sophie's been running the crew for the past 6 months that Nate's been in prison? It just occurred to me while I was rewatching Scheherazade that she seems to know her way around Hardison's monitor/computer set up pretty well. The "sharing" of knowledge/skill that would likely occur with Sophie at the helm, and that indeed seems to have happened, just makes sense given that when Sophie leads "you learn AND you con." My apologies if someone asked that in the 301/302 questions. I have forgotten if they did.
And you know, John, there's no "b" in Leverage either. There is an "a" an "r" and a few "e"s from which "Mastermind" could be built and still used in the title sequence. Just saying.
@sjrSpike
HA HA -- Love the Kane Lyrics reference you slipped in there!
Finding somewhere to natter has been brought up before, to no real avail.
Nominating Television Without Pity (http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3174477&view=getnewpost) once again because:
1) They have the infrastructure to handle the traffic
2) Discussion focuses on the show
(I'm guessing any TNT forum would be open to fanfic and flamewars)
3) Rules of conduct include reading the previous 15 pages, which tends to cut down on the repeated questions
If it's not for you, suggest someplace else. No reason all the nattering has to take place in one location.
@ChelseaNH There's nothing keeping us from making our own community, is there? TwoP scares me just a tad, and creating a community on LJ or wherever is pretty easy. Everyone would know where it is.
The only problem I see immediately with restricting all chatter to a separate community is that sometimes the fans answer the questions, easing the burden on Mr. Rogers. It's possible to work out a filtering system, where if a question can't be answered on the community it can be posted on this blog, but that might get a little...weird.
@ChelseaNH Leveragefans.com isn't sponsored by TNT, but I absolutely understand your pov. I've never been much of a fan of fanfic and those of us who congregate on KFM seem to be quite courteous.
@tori-angeli Good point. In the 301/302 post-game he did indicate being pleased that the fans are handling some of the questions for one another. Honestly, what seems easiest is if KFM featured a "reply" corresponding with each individual question. That way responding to each other would be organized and if the question was correctly fielded by a fan, John can just move on to the next group of threads. Of course, that would require us to be rather organized! ;-)
I'm pretty much down for anything. Where ever the majority of folks here want to assemble, that's where I'll move.
Dawn-StLMO said...
"On the workbench/table there were... some devices in various sizes that look like large screws/nails with what look like rubber grips around the top..."
I believe those are climbing bolts, for rock climbing. Ex. http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/500/Bolt_anchor_intall.jpg
TNT has a forum for the show on its site, that, unlike TWOP, allows multiple threads. It's not moderated, unfortunately, but happily there's no flame wars, fanfic or anything like it there. It's a perfect quiet, civil community.
@Stacy B – Thanks for the clarification on Parker’s equipment! Since I’m not a thief, nor a rock climber, I appreciate the assist. Guess the rubber grips make for easy removal & carrying.
Dawn/StL-MO
Nate says "buckle up" which in turn brings the mind to "buckle up tight" in Christian's song. Is that a little shout out to the song and video?
Hopefully John doesn't get emails whenever someone posts here, because if so he's getting spammed like crazy. I got about 100 emails that this spammer has posted so far.
You know the plot's extra evil when Hannity and Rushing are the perpetrators. Did I miss a henchman named Beck someplace?
@ Lizardo - remember, Sterling is the good guy, we're rooting for the villians. Archie is only about two character beats from Granny Goodness. Mind you, those two items are significant:his genuine affection for his pupil and the absence of any Faganesque imprisonment/indentured servitude. A real goodguy would have adopted Parker into his legit family and given her a home instead of a vocation, but fortunately this Leverage on TNT and not Lifetime.
Question: I'm noticing more frequent use of the team roles (grifter and hitter especially) used overtly, like a character class. Hacker and thief are in common usage for that but the other three roles don't feel as natural in that context. Is it just my inexperience with pulp literature, or is this a case of writers room shorthand making its way into dialogue?
Thanks for the whole sereis. 303 is my pick for the season. I practically cheered when Parker chose conscience over craft in the CEO's office. That really drove home how much her new found family is distinct from her past life. This ep fits wit the best you've given us to date.
The hypnosis trick in 304 rang false until, on my second viewing, I realized Nate picked the piece because of Hardisson's experience with it. Mojo to remember works, mojo to skip a few years of practice bothered me. Next time I'll trust you to conduct the fun train for me.
Thanks again
Beck on a nameplate - nice catch. Now I need to freezeframe the whole ep and look for Savage, Doyle...
Still curious about the uncredited violinist in Scheherazade, but wonder if the comment about Itzhak Perlman not being one of the Fantastic Four was actually a nod to the actual violinist. Itzhak is one of the few violinists who can capture such feeling while playing, such that all can relate, even those of us who normally pass on symphony music.
At the start of The Jailhouse Job (301), you didn't use any colorizing tricks to set apart Sophie's prison breakout fantasy because you were trying to fool the audience into thinking the team really was breaking Nate. I get that.
During Eliot's fight scene with his Israeli counterpart from the 2 Live Crew Job (207), an old film look was used to demonstrate what ensuing fight each were anticipating based on the opponent's fighting stances. I liked that.
But then during The Scheherazade Job (304) you employed the sound and color scheme usually reserved for flashbacks during Nate's fantasy scene of him being garroted during dinner with the Italian. I caught that.
Is this the director's discretion? If not, how has this been discussed amongst your production staff? I appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
The keypad emitted audible tones for each key that Sophie pressed. They parallel the tones from a phone. They have already told us her full name.
Ep 303: WOW! Knocked it out of the park! Great job. An airtight episode with great tension and a deliciously evil villain. Truly one of the best of the series so far. I can't say enough good things about this episode.
Ep 304: Beautifully done. I loved the reaction shots when Hardison was playing his solo. Nate is really pushing Hardison to be his best, and I like it. Given previous comments about pushing your brightest students the hardest, I really look forward to the payoff in that story arc. Also looking forward to some resolution with Eliot, as it seems he's bit more grumpy than usual about the role he has to play on the team. I wonder what's eating him?
Ok, now that I'm done slobbering fan-boy drool on you, I have one criticism to make. Please bring back the cold openings you had in the first season. I can't say I really like the intros that the show has been making since season 2. It just doesn't have the elegance that your show openers had in the first season. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. Thank you for making such a wonderful show, and it is an IMMENSE pleasure to watch a show where you can tell that the people making it love it as much as we do.
@GinaFan Which is? I have a blackberry. Keys make the same tones, but it's already been pointed out that I no longer know what letters correspond with what keys.
Fabulous episodes. I wanted to throw in a late question. I was looking at IMDB and according to them episode 6 will feature Christian singing. Is this true?
@GinaFan RE: “The keypad emitted audible tones for each key that Sophie pressed. They parallel the tones from a phone. They have already told us her full name.”
What if Sophie lied to Nate about what code she entered? She could have been just toying with Nate. She *is* trying to make him *earn* the right to know her real name. Payback is a bitch, but Nate deserves it. (So no one takes that the wrong way: I DON’T meaning in *any* way that Gina’s a bitch, because I love her character).
@Jo: You mentioned earlier you haven’t had a keypad in over a year, so:
If Sophie DIDN’T lie to Nate, keypad #s are: 2 = ABC; 3 = DEF;
4 = GHI; 5 = JKL; 6 = MNO;
7 = PQRS; 8 = TUV; & 9 = WXYZ. Knowing that, what name/names do you come up with?
@antisocialbutterflie RE: “….looking at IMDB and according to them episode 6 will feature Christian singing. Is this true?”
YES, Christian will be singing in “The Studio Job”. The episode’s guest star will be John Schneider who played Bo Duke on “Dukes of Hazzard” years ago. If the episodes are played in order, it should be on Sunday, July 18th.
Dawn/StL-MO
I've heard you say repeatedly that Nate is an a**hole but I was wondering, (as you see the character) was he an a**hole before or after the death of his son?
Is the Nate/Sophie breakfast scene the hottest one between them this season?
Has Jon forgotten about us? :(
Upon relistening, all of the tones from the keys were the same. Sorry about that.
Not a question, just a comment...
I always love the show!!
Just one nitpick:
I did think that the reasoning behind "Scheherazade" was a bit weak. Hypnotism? Really? Come on...lame.
@Dawn/StL-MO I'll give it a re-listen to see if maybe I hear something, though @GinaFan now thinks s/he was mistaken about the tones being different. Yes, according to TNT, The Studio Job will be my b-day ep!
Hardison and Parker have the slowest boiling relationship I've ever seen on television. I like them better together than Sophie and Nate. Are we going to see anything else from these kids this season?
Hey, it's Gina's birthday tomorrow. Happy b'day Gina!
Does Parker have the ability that Hardison lacks?
I was wondering about the Nate/Sophie scene in The Inside Job, he wants to talk about the kiss and she says that he's still working off the slap. Now, I remember at ConCon, Tim said his favorite Nate/Sophie moment is the kiss and then Gina said that he liked the kiss and she liked the slap. Did you guys kind of write that in the script later when you were writing The Inside Job 'cause I know the ConCon happened while you were still filming The Reunion Job. Were you inspired by the Tim and Gina banter at the ConCon?
Anybody know if Rogers is okay? If he's just busy, no problem, but I am starting to feel concerned.
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