And a kudos to the "Coming next week" editor, as last week's tease for this one was completely spoilerfilled, but in a way that completely spoiled nothing.
During that fight in the dark, I half expected this exchange:
Dirty McCopperson: "Where are you?!?" Eliot: "Here."
I keep thinking there's an extra element in play here, an that phone call the Italian made makes me all kinds of uncomfortable. To quote the great philosopher Solo, "I've got a bad feeling about this."
I keep thinking someone with the reputation Moreau would know when someone is hunting him, and would be hunting back. And whoever the Italian was working for might be as bad or worse than Moreau should he be taken out of the way.
@Video Beagle, I wouldn't go that far. Parker's "death" as part of the con was pretty obvious, given she played a corpse last time they tried to steal a federal witness.
First time writing one of these, so sorry if it's long. 1.Have you guys ever thought about doing a Christmas episode? Because that would be awesome. 2. Were the police identities Eliot and Hardison used were the Davies and Moffet aliases from "Three Monte"? 3. What crime did the criminal Hardison and Eliot were transporting commit? 4. Is there a specific reason Eliot is protective of kids, or is it just part of his personality? 5. According to Wikipedia there are only 3 episodes left in the season. How does that work out? Is it some sort of epic 3 part finale, or is it just some random episode that wasn't finished before the end summer? It just bugs me that the split (13-3) is so uneven. It doesn't even form a clean plot division like how Season 2 had Sophie episodes in the summer and Tara episodes in the winter.
Thank you and the rest of the cast and crew very much for all the great work on the show!
Forgot something: In the scene where Elliot is taking care of the mooks in the dark room, I got a weird horror game (i.e. Silent Hill) vibe, especially when the camera went to the cop's perspective like it was first-person. Was that intentional, or was it just me?
My guess for a while has been that the Italian was part of a set-up and that's she working WITH Moreau - at least for now. I think the team has taken down some of Moreau's associates in Season 1 and 2 without knowing it, and she's leading them straight to him. Especially given Rogers' admission that someone the team has crossed (other than Chaos) is going to be coming for revenge.
Probably off base, but that's my guess for now and I'm sticking with it.
Oh, and I am so going to be in withdrawal for the next 3 months.
Rogers - any idea yet if season 4 will start earlier this year than season 3 did?
Haven't seen the summer finale yet, but I wanted to ask some questions I've been wondering about for a while concerning Parker's romantic interest in Hardison.
It's my perception that Hardison realized his attraction to Parker before she realized her attraction to him. So how much of Parker's attraction has to do with simply figuring out that Hardison likes her (maybe planting the idea in her head & giving her time to consciously or unconsciously ponder - also knowing he likes her limits the likelihood of rejection) and how much of it has to do with Parker simply becoming more comfortable and more open with this team - perhaps the only people she's ever had this much consecutive contact with.
Is it significant that Parker is interested in someone who is younger than herself - rather than someone more sexually experienced like Eliot or more mature (i.e., more of a father figure) like Nate?
loved the ep except for the last scene. Not sure why but it went with that 'something's not right' quote throughout the ep. I don't know, I think I figured Nate would've reacted more to the attempt on the team.
great s3 can't wait til Dec.
Was Eliot's comment about 'that how he works' in reference to DM a clue in that he knows him better than the rest of the team?
do you guys remember the old law and order tagline that said although inspired by true events this is a work of fiction yadda yadda yadda. Do the lawyer humans ever come screaming into your office Rogers?
Just delurking to say this ep was fabulous! It flew by and there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth in our house when it was over. December cannot get here fast enough!
This is probably the funnest show on TV right now!
Okay---not only do I want Damien Moreau to go down, I want The Italian and Sterling (or whomever was on the other end of that phone call) to end up with dirt on their hands and egg on their faces. Nate *must* know he's being manipulated, right?
Will we get to see Moreau? Can you let us know the actor's name without spoiling too much? It isn't Mark Sheppard, is it? 'Cause that would cause aneurysms in fully half of your viewing audience . . . XD
And thank you for the lovely scenes between Nate and Sophie---we *will* know her real name by the end of season 3, won't we? Please?
I love Parker's expression during the "Ghostbusters!" exchange. She seems so pleased that she successfully made a pop culture reference like regular people.
Much love for this episode! When Parker shouted "Ghostbusters!" I totally had to rewind because I missed the next few minutes of dialogue due to laughing so hard. Kudos for that silly bit!
I'm wondering what got cut in post-production. The flashbacks in this ep came across as "Well, duh, of course that's what they did!" I wished we could have used that time a little more wisely. Like maybe going into a better explanation of the encryption code and how the numbers together make the account numbers appear on the phone. Anyone who has done any sort of web design knows the color codes and numbers (which was a cool shout-out!) but I'm afraid the average Joe just wouldn't understand what happened there.
I also have to send out incredible kudos to Gina's stunt-double. That freakin' roll into the cabinet rocked so hard! I was way impressed with that one!
Now for the questions:
1) Who the heck does The Italian work for?? I was way happy to see her in some good lighting. None of this dark alley stuff.
2) Was the case about the dirty cops the same case that MV was supposed to be testifying about? I thought he was laundering money for the mob and that's what he was talking about. I would have thought the team would have made a bigger deal about this guy taking down dirty cops rather than some mob guys. Yes, the cops and the mob guys could have been in on it together, but that part seemed a bit murky.
3) Why the hell wasn't Nate more pissed the Italian tried to off him and his team? Not only did she absolutely eff up their deal but it put his team's lives in danger (including Sophie which I totally thought would piss him off!).
OK, that's it for now but I might think of more later after I watch again... we seriously have to wait 3 month to see what happens? Please tell me Frakes directed #314 and its the Wil/Chaos Christmas ep. That would be the best present ever!
I might ask questions later after I watch it again, but for now I just want to say brilliant episode! And thank you for allowing Hardison to throw down a bit. Nice to let him show some skillz in the fighting department. Cannot wait until December.
LOVED THE EP. Eliot & Hardison as Boston Police .. their scenes together .. FTW! Nate, Sophie and Parker awesome as usual, and great to see McSweeten back.
My Q's have to do with all of Parker's Pop Culture references in this episode:
Has she been catching up TV & movies recently OR has it been THAT long since she actually watched TV or a movie?
Also, after Parker yells out "GHOSTBUSTERS!!" we get the expected Eliot reaction, but before the shot ends, he's smiling/laughing. Was that actually Eliot laughing, or did Kane break character and you just let it go because it was good moment (Parker/Beth also laughing after that).
So sad that I can't watch the episode until tomorrow. (I'm at work tonight.) I'm sure I will have questions then. But I do have a non-episode, industry qestion. Why is it that most TV shows now are only 10-15 episodes instead of the 20-24 that it used to be?
@Lesley - That's just for cable shows (on channels such as TNT and USA). Network shows (on channels such as ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX) still have the standard 20-24 episode per season format.
In both this and (I believe) The Double Blind Job, I'm wondering about the scanning usage of the phones. Parker turned the face of the phone to the documents from the safe, and Nate turned the face to the photo. Don't you have to use the camera (on the BACK of the phone) ?? All in all, a WONDERFUL episode, and I love the hotness of Eliot and Hardison in uniform, and the hilarity of their interaction. Awesome episode, and one of my favorites. Thank you all for the entertainment!!
Okay, so Eliot has now officially joined the ranks of "guys you don't want to meet in a dark room." Scary Eliot is scary.
And I loved that his taking down a cop didn't seem to faze the McRory's crowd. Just another day at the bar. *g*
And, say, has Eliot been coaching Hardison with the baseball bat? I do believe our young hacker has found his weapon of choice.
Btw, I now have the theme to "Cops" stuck in my head, thanks to Kane and Hodge. Those two need their own little featurettes on the DVDs.
Loved Parker in this. The whole Pinocchio/Ghostbusters was hilarious, as well as the "don't stab, don't stab" mantra. (Seriously, you fork one guy and you're marked for life. *g*) And she really got to shine in the con. But I most loved her scenes with McSweetie. So, has her burgeoning relationship with Hardison, um, "humanized" (I know there's a better word, but it escapes me at the moment) her enough for her to grasp the concept of infatuation and flirtation? Because she really seems to have developed an actual soft spot for him.
(And, btw, thanks for bringing McSweeten in. I actually cheered a little when I saw him. I have no pride. Also, the idea of Taggert teaching krav maga is just … yeah. Thanks for that, too.)
But, good Lord, things went south in a hurry! And when Sophie went sliding into that bookcase … Just how far in over their heads are our guys?! Way to make December seem even further away, thank you very much!
At this point (yeah, I'll probably be back), I guess my only question is, just why hasn't Nate let the team see The Italian? He can't be worried that she'll be able to identify them; clearly, she already knows who they are. So … is it to keep them from identifying her? And is it possible at least one of them already knows her? (I know, I know, but I had to ask.)
Anyway, great episode! Had me on the edge of my seat (when I wasn't laughing at the Hardison-Eliot show) and wondering what the hell y'all have in store for us come December.
Oh, God, December. Rogers, I thought you loved us!!
The only part I'm having trouble with is the way Eliot insisted on going out to the domestic call. Was their cover so complete that there weren't any other cars in that sector? It seemed a bit like Eliot was losing focus on the mission, that he didn't care that Sophie had a specific deadline to meet. I think I need to watch that again.
I have felt from the beginning that the Italian wants Moreau out of her way. I have wondered if she is perhaps his second or third in command and has dedided she wants his business for himself and that would explain why whe wants her hands clean.
just had a great idea, wouldn't it be just like Rogers and Co to have Clooney playing MOreau. LOL that would be something.
So, If we are going to find out more about Eliot than we want to, does this mean that he already knows the Italian? BTW, kudos for this...my D&D group now takes a leverage break during our sessions! None of us can stand to miss it!
Really nice episode! A great mix of funny, tension, inside jokes and social commentary.
1. Parker's "Pinocchio", "Ghostbusters", "Barney the Dinosaur"... trying to fit in as many references as possible in one episode? It was like she's still half in the childhood she never had.
2. Hilarious to see the dynamic duo get dragged into extra cop work. Eliot is really prepping for Batman, between vigilante calls, protecting the innocent, fighting in the dark and on ice...
3. Not too sure about the whole code-in-a-picture thing. For Nate to guess it was steganography from a "off-color" comment, to have him use a hand-held camera to take the comparing snap... Ah, the things we do to make technology viewer-friendly!
4. Great to see McSweeten again. I liked the line about him having been hunting down FBI-parker for a while. Those guys come in at just the right frequency. Is Hardison jealous? She even gift-wrapped his prisoner!
John's noted that they can't use Boston pro sports team logos and the like due to licensing fees. Thus the generic look of Vector's hockey uniforms. However, it's reasonable to assume that he set up as an investment sales type in the city where he played (particularly since as an enforcer, fans in other cities would dislike him) in order to take advantage of his reputation.
So he played hockey in Boston. Which, despite the red color scheme and "M" on the uniform would, in our world, make him a Boston Bruin. Thus, when Eliot was fighting him at the end, Eliot was finally fighting a bear.
Okay, in the season 2 commentary for The Order 23 Job (geek much?), y'all said that even though the theories run that Eliot being abused as a child is what compels him to act on behalf of children, that that wasn't the case.
The question now is, did y'all change your minds on that point? Because every time a child is involved, or he thinks one might be, things get very touchy very quickly. There has to be a reason, and you have to give it to us, even if it's not the reason we think. Something's going on there, because even though I really think Eliot has a soft heart despite what he does, most guys like him aren't overly concerned about kids unless something is underlying. (And beyond the abuse theory, I have seriously started to have this nagging feeling that perhaps Eliot HAD a child at some point and something happened to it? That's probably crazy, but about the only other thing I can come up with. Maybe an abused brother or sister?)
It's season 3, and we still kinda don't know much about these people. It might be wise to start letting more back story slip, because I, for one, am here for the characters. Love the cons, sure, but I love the characters more. Just sayin'.
That's my question. Otherwise, I would like to thank you for the Eliot/Hardison cop sequences, which only got more entertaining the more it spun out of their control. I was surprised Eliot hadn't taken Hardison out, too, by the end of it.
LOVED the fight in the dark, too. I will choose to believe that among Eliot's awesome powers is night vision, and the cell phone lights were only there for our benefit. Y'all don't call him Batman for nothing.
Also... the Parker pop culture references were adorable. I love Ghostbusters, and even Eliot couldn't resist that one. ;)
Lastly, I will chime in with my whine - Deceeeeembeeeerrr? We want it nooooow! And, done.
Another great ep, as always! You know, enough can not really be said about the production quality of this show. I never feel like I'm watching a TV show, it always has the look of a movie, so kudos to everyone who makes that happen.
My question is actually something that's been niggling at me all season - is the rest of the team aware of The Italian's threat to kill them if they don't bring down Moreau? I just rewatched the bit at the end of Jailhouse Job where Nate was telling them the situation, and it conveniently cuts to his actual conversation with The Italian instead of showing what he says to the team. They do respond with 'so she's blackmailing us', but then they protest going after Moreau, and I wondered if they would do that with a death threat on the table. Then in Rashomon, there was the discussion that if they don't take Moreau down in time, Nate goes back to prison. No one said anything about having to run for their lives, if I recall correctly. And then in tonight's ep, it's been spelled out that Nate has never allowed the rest of them direct contact with The Italian. So, is he keeping them in the dark about the death threat, and if so, why?
Is Elliot's protectiveness of children something that is part of who he is as a person or as a result of his past? Thank you for showing that people like Elliot have a heart & aren't always beating the crap out of people just because being a hitter is part of who they are.
This was so filled with lusciousness. At each commercial, I was savoring all the moments just seen. What a fabulous way to...stop for a while. Don't know how else to put it, not the end of a season, and yet...
Whatever, though. It doesn't really bother me except for not getting any new Leverage goodness for 3 freaking months. Grooooooaaannnn.
My question is: how did the prisoner escape the police car? Giving Hardison credit for stealing a real police car, the prisoner should not have been able to open the back doors or get thru the cage separating the front and back seats. So, unless I missed something - which is certainly possible - that guy should've been sitting in his own vomit when they got back. What happened?
Exciting episode! I love it when there's a lot of stuff going on. And unexpected things send the con off in various directions. Like McSweeten showing up, like Eliot & Hardison getting stuck with the prisoner, and the sniper.
Who chose the huge print of the praying mantis to be above "Alice's bed"? That seemed a little... weird.
How did Eliot know what a code 16 was - domestic dispute with a weapon - why was he so insistent that they respond instead of letting the real cops do it. Makes me think he's been a city cop - also makes me think when he was a little kid, he was nearby when the cops showed up on a code 16 because his parents (or people responsible for taking care of him) were the ones arguing. That Eliot, he sure comes off as a very complex guy - so many motivations seem to inform on his decisions and actions.
Speaking of Parker - what was up with those childhood reference Pinocchio and Ghostbusters - it was funny! Mostly, thouhg, about Parker, I wonder what her cereal preference is: does she eat the kids ones like fruit loops or Lucky Charms, or does she like the more adult serials like cheerios and shredded wheat? Does she even know how to make herself hot cereal? Would Eliot ever offer to do it for her or at least show her how?
Hope you have an enjoyable hiatus! I'm just glad we get a few more eps in December to tied us over until you can get Season 4 rolling.
John, Thanks again for answering our questions. We are so spoiled!! My question for this week is: How and when did Nate figure out that the Italian had sent the bad policemen after the team? I will ask, although I probably will not get an answer to this one: Who hired the sniper? Was it Morau? Is he already aware of the team?
@VideoBeagle - When my dad was a witness in court locally, the oath was pretty heavy-handed with the religious references; I think there was something to the effect of "if I'm lying, may the lord God smite me dead" at the end of the thing.
I suspect it may be one of those things that varies depending on the court, though?
Excellent! Loved Hardison and Eliot as boys in blue.
A couple of questions:
1. How did Parker suppress her pulse so that Vector couldn't feel it? Sure, he was in shock and hungover, but how could she be sure that he wouldn't feel her pulse? Does Parker practice some sort of meditation?
2. Was the Vector character based on a real sports figure/incident?
Long-time lurker, first-time caller here. So here we go.
1. My thorough background in criminal law (L&O University, followed by The Closer) suggests that in order to get immunity, you first need to confess. My question is: if Vector confessed to whatever crime he committed against the client, does this protect him from civil lawsuits as well? I know the explanation you gave was the cost of the suit, but I was wondering.
2. My theory is not that Eliot was abused as a child, but that in the course of a job he either didn't protect a child, or may have even killed one, and that was a turning point for him.
3. Every time Sophie taps someone, I think she's using NLP. So instead of focusing on Sophie arranging Nate's tie, I was thinking that she's conditioning him. So thank you very much for messing with my head.
4. How can the team accept Nate's refusal to let them see the Italian? The whole reason they are in this situation is that Nate lied to them. As much as they trust him, I can't imagine Eliot or Sophie jumping into something like this without knowing who exactly they are working for. Actually, I can't imagine Hardison or Parker doing so either. Sophie was just so calm in that final scene!
I really liked the vibe in this episode. Eliot and Hardison's adventures just got more and more hysterical as the episode went along, and having McSweeten show up was so much fun, too. And yet at the same time, there was this growing sense that something was about to go badly wrong with the whole con, which made the episode very intense.
(By the way, everyone did a great job on this one, but Kane and Hodge really nailed it with the buddy scenes, whether funny or serious.)
The fight in the dark was just ridiculously awesome. Whoever came up with that, I want to buy you a drink. Or several.
Just a couple questions. I suspect you'll already address this, but the code, can you go into that a little more? Real, I suspect? Where did you find this? And then also, it felt like Nate and Sophie might have turned a corner in this episode. Just my imagination?
Anyhow, thanks much, and congrats to everyone on a great summer finale!
Just throwing this out there, in answer to a couple comments: with respect, maybe Eliot just has a soft spot for kids and tries to protect them because he can. Doesn't have to be some lingering thing from his past. I seem to remember him saying in one episode, a while back (which one?) that helping people gets under your skin, and I figure that's exactly what we're seeing here.
Scooter - Parker put some fake skin over the pulse point on her wrist with the make-up bag. That was the first thing she started to apply. I think that's the reason Vector couldn't get a pulse.
Questions: Is it a spoiler that we see Sam's picture that was so important to the Maltese Falcon Job? Is there a connection between that job and the finale in S3 (other than Nate getting busted gave the Italian an in)?
Will Eliot recognize the Italian when she sees him? (I like the suggestion up thread that the Italian may be trying to step into Moreau's shoes. That would definitely make sense.)
Eliot knew exactly how Moreau's hitmen work. Was Eliot ever a trigger man for Moreau?
General Comments: Very exciting episode. I also thought it was wierd that Eliot would divert them offtask because there was a domestic dispute and if there isn't a payoff for that in the finale, the Eliot-loves-kids thing is going to start getting a little shticky. But you probably will, and it was an entertaining scene, especially after the prisoner got away.
The actor playing Vector was very good, and I thought the set up was very good. The hardest cons to sell, I think, are the ones were someone on the team is offering their services to a criminal mark (I for one thought Clancy Brown should have been way more suspicious in Gone Fishin Job), but having them splice in voice of Vector's attorney was a nice way to set that up here.
McSweeten was a nice touch, too.
Everyone had good moments in this one - those are the best eps.
I don't have any questions. I just wanted to say what an awesome episode you gave us last night! I'm currently writing a Leverage Fan Fiction right now where Eliot poses as a cop so last night's episode was so full of awesome for me! Thank you for making my year! I can't wait to see what December will bring us. Thank you for all your hard work and your willingness to read and respond to these comments!
favorite part was Sophie rolling to cover! great work by Gina's stunt double. as always, ya did an awesome job, and this Leverage withdrawal is gonna kill me, but hey, I'll see if they have it on in Hell.
had some questions, forgot 'em, gonna re-watch and ask later >.<
@Cassie: I don't think that there is any special reason for Eliot and kids other than what's been said. He did some very bad things in his past, first for the government (think ...Rambo?) and then on his own. To do things like that, and be surrounded by so much violence, you have to close some part of yourself away. Now that he's growing a heart, it seems that kids are his focus, almost like they are the rope that is pulling him out of the dark. You go from a forced insensitive, to hypersensitive.
For a question: I don't care if it's jumping the shark, could we please please have a 'very special episode' that features the team on a day off? And since I'm totally dreaming, pairing cop Eliot and Hardison with the Psych team would make for one of the best hours of comedy tv ever!
@Sarah W Will we get to see Moreau? Can you let us know the actor's name without spoiling too much? It isn't Mark Sheppard, is it?
Ha! Sterling's not Moreau, but if Mark Shepard played Moreau than international crime fighter Sterling would have an EVIL TWIN! whose an international criminal! XD
I loved the Nate/Sophie scenes so much. Loved how domestic and comfortable with each other they were, Sophie fixing his tie, mentioning their past (love that every time! when do we get more on that btw?), Nate replying that he prefers them on the same side and saying that he's never worried about her when doing her job. There was so much goodness in that scene. They were both adorable and it was nice to see them smiling at each other, just like in the last scene of the episode. Definitely among my favorite N/S scenes this season right there with the talk at the end of the Jailhouse, the kitchen scene tinged with a little sexual tension and the dance scene. Of course loved the scenes they shared in the King George and The Three-Card Monte as well. I am missing some follow-up scenes to the kiss last season, though. Anything like that coming up in December? There should be more kissing, in Nate's lovely bedroom preferably. Will we see it again? And when will Nate and the audience find out Sophie's real name?
If my memory serves me correctly, former baseball player Lenny Dykstra went into some sort of investment scheme after he finished baseball. He was heralded as a "stock savant" who actually was WAY over his head in debt. If I could find the article I read on that situation, I'd point it out. While he didn't get to the depth of Vector (once again, memory is foggy), Dykstra was in a similar situation.
Okay - I clearly missed something in this ep after re-watching the end to see the last Italian confrontation.
Why is going after Moreau now a choice and not a necessity? Doesn't Nate still need the Italian's influence to keep him out of jail? Or since she was willing to get the team killed to get the codes, is he just willing to accept fugitive status and finish the job?
Didn't the team see the Italian at the end of the season opener? When they opened the door to leave there were the gunmen and then she came down the staircase from the loft.
(comment edited since wasn't sure about my police code point)
Why do I get the feeling that one potential--or possibly ast---big bad is using the team to take down Moreau so they can take over his operation? And leaving our team to take the fall and the fallout for this?
Did Nate not tell the team about the death threat made by The Italian to them? Any mention of threats is always about Nate going back to prison, never about "oh and they are going to kill us"
I'm not sure what y'all are talking about - the ENTIRE team saw the Italian the first time we saw her, in Nate's apartment in the season premiere. They just haven't been privy to any of the following conversations Nate has had with her. While I'm betting that at least one of the team has an undisclosed connection to Moreau (what's a season finale without one of the team keeping a possible disastrous secret from the others?!?), I can't see how that reveal could be based on the Italian recognizing them/them recognizing the Italian since they've already seen each other.
LOVED Hardison and Eliot as cops, and the fight-in-the-dark was absolutely epic. And I appreciated the quiet Nate/Sophie moments amidst all the mayhem :)
Q: When Eliot pointed out the dirty cops' shoes, was that how he knew they were cops, or how he knew they were dirty? (I thought they looked like cop shoes, but I didn't know if we were supposed to get that they were, like, really EXPENSIVE cop shoes.)
Q: Taggart teaching Krav Maga at Quantico...hee! My only question is: when may we expect this webisode?
Thanks for making this kick-ass show even awesomer! [who would've thunk that was possible?]The awesomeness of this season got me through an unusually long and dreaded summer, so for that I am grateful.
Kudos to the cast and crew for all their hard work. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us for the December episodes.
Quick question: Is the awesome kick-ass Irish/punk song you guys use in The 12-Step Job available anywhere?
This summer finale was a bit underwhelming if we compare it to the David Jobs or The Two Live Crew Job which was meant to be a summer finale. I don't know if it's intentional or not but it seems to me that this season almost every episode leaves us with more questions than answers, somehow lets me down in a way 'cause I feel like my expectations haven't been met. Nothing major happening or being resolved. You're probably getting so many more questions on your blog this season than in the previous ones 'cause of that. Saving the very best for the season finale perhaps?
@video beagle For depositions in the NYC area, it is usually "affirm" rather than any religious reference, so it probably varies. I'm thinking it may be more common to use "affirm" in the Northeast than in other areas.
After this episode, my new theory about Elliot and kids is that one of his friends, maybe a next door neighbor, was hurt or killed during a domestic dispute. Getting this from the general "must protect kids" and the intense "must answer this call" during the episode--specifically the way Elliot was saying, "what if there's kids in the house?" and the way he was so adamant during questioning the woman about whether there were any kids in the house. Hope we find out the real story on this.
Enjoyed the show and enjoyed the moments between the team members, especially: Parker/Nate at the airport; Hardison/Eliot, well, the whole time; and finally, Nate/Sophie at the apartment. It all just worked well.
Question: How did the sniper find their location? By following Vector from the airport or the GPS on his phone. I guess either works tho. And does this mean the team has to relocate or just that Nate's place really, really needs to add an emergency door from the 2nd floor as well as bullet-resist windows?
Great episode! Our family laughed so hard at the Eliot/Hardison cop bit. Though Eliot's insistence at going to the domestic dispute was a complete turnaround from when he was yelling at Haridson about wasting time to transport the prisoner and I found that odd. Two questions (1) concerns their cop uniforms--why were they dressed like SWAT team and not in standard issue uniform? Seemed a little overboard for merely retrieving a file and most cops dont go around in bulletproof vests for ordinary jobs. (2) The sniper/guy at the airport is obviously a Moreau minion. Obviously Moreau is aware of the problems his organization has been facing and if he is as powerful as he is being made out to be, shouldn't he be aware of the team's identities? Thank goodness for DVRs because it is going to be a loooong wait to December!
Big old cups of coffee and the booze of their choice to the writers for using steganography in the show. Was this inspired by an actual criminal case from research?
1) What's up with Sophie and Nate having shots together A LOT these last few episodes? Just a follow-through on the "you're a thief now, you can save yourself" conversation? I really, really, really like it - it seems like there's a lot of subtext-y (subaction-y?) stuff there. (By the way, TEAM SHOTS FTW in Roshoman - I'm surprised they were all sober enough to - for reals this time - steal the dagger by the end of the episode).
2) Just something I wondered about after re-watching seasons 1 & 2: if Sophie Devereaux is so famous/feared in the crime world, how come none of the other Leverage peeps knew her when Nate procured her in the pilot (especially since Parker was apparently just as into stealing fine art as Sophie was)?
Thanks for making the best TV show I've seen in a long, long, long time.
The usual love, admiration, and promises of a round of drinks to the crew. Also as usual, I won't come up with a thoughtful question until I've watched the episode a few dozen, obsessive times.
The only thing that struck me this time -- Parker playing dead re; make up and stare was EXCELLENT (kudos to Beth and the make up crew) but...I tried to hold my breath for the amount of time the Bad Guy was looking at her, and I couldn't. Now, I'll admit right off I'm not nearly as fit as Parker, and of course she could sneak breaths or breath shallow while he wasn't looking at her (although she couldn't move her eyes to track him). And then there's the body temperature thing and certain other things that happen when a person dies -- not that I'd expect a hungover Bad Guy to catch them or even think about them. Still, those little details were the grit in an otherwise perfectly balanced instrument of an episode and they jolted me off the Fun Train (at least until the commercial break, when I forgave and forgot all).
Is there a particular Parker attributed skill for that, or some trick of tech besides make up used to cover those details? After all, they could not depend 100% on the Bad Guy totally freaking out.
Also -- love for the final bit with Parker draped over Elliot and Hardison. Elliot takes the taser away from her, but doesn't push her arm off his shoulder -- that really encapsulated the relationships there. Was that scripted, directed, or improved by the actors?
@Oona -- I knew this long hiatus was coming, so I held off obsessive repeated watchings of Season 2 (and, of course, I have DVRed season 3). I've only seen season 1 some 18-20 times and I'm itching to watch it again, too, but I'm resisting -- gotta make it all LAST.
If you remember from the show, the sniper cloned Vector's phone when they bumped into each other at the airport. Thus, he knew where he was from the GPS that every (it seems) cell phone has nowadays.
I think this was probably one of the fastest flowing episodes you guys had this season. It started and i blinked and the baddie was beating the crap out of the good guy. WOAH!
Parker has come a very LONG way since the first season, she's grown and i think is becoming a grifter in her own right :)
Hardison has started to come out more out of that nerdy shell and we've seen that he can really kick some ass.
Eliot.. well, what can i say about Eliot except that the fight scenes.. you boys are so creative. The fight scene in the dark was just brilliant.
By the end of the ep, i was scared for Nate and the gang because i know that she got him to take all of the blame now and someone as powerful as Damien M isn't going to just let them walk away :(
All and all it was a great Summer Finale
... Eliot & Aldis as Cops was like the show "Cops" on CRACK
Now to the questions..
1. When it comes to the fight scenes, Do Chris or Aldis improv anything?
2. When is Wil Wheaton's Ep? I'm dying for some Chaos ;)
3. Has there been an idea that you've had for an episode that was too outlandish to work?
I think that's all i wanted to ask. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I for one appreciate the time.
"You never know if you're gonna have to fight a guy on ice."
"Ghostbusters!"
"Don't stab."
"He's teaching Krav Maga..."
I love you guys.
And I love you guys are doing the old Sports Night/West Wing/Studio 60 camera circle. [Sure there's a good tech name for it, I'm sure... but still.]
Oh, and I love Eliot/Batman more than words can say. But. But the hair... the hair is a fighting liability. I'd grab it and hockey jersey him all day. He needs a buzz cut. [And good luck w/that.] LOL :)
This. Season. Has. Been. Awesome.
Thank you.
And now, the actual questions... What make/suppressor was that sniper rifle?
And, can you actually clone a phone from that quick a bump pass?
Oh, and you can't really headbutt somebody w/a ballcap on. Just sayin'.
All good questions...but has no one figured that it was Sterling that the Italian talked to on the phone...everything suddenly makes sense if she is a front for Sterling who is using the team to advance his career. He is in international law enforcement now, and of course has an intimate knowledge of the teams capabilities and also knows how to push their buttons and manipulate them.
Also, big city cops wear bullet proof vests 100% of the time, and frequently wear "tactical" uniforms depending on the area they patrol.
Sniper Guy didn't need GPS to track Vector. He cloned the phone, so he heard every call Vector made, and Vector first called his attorney, and then called "Adam Grieves" for help. Presumably, Vector told "Adam" where he was, since Nate-as-Adam showed up there. Thus, Sniper Guy heard the same directions/address that Nate-as-Adam got.
Check out Josh's comment. Agreed about Sophie becoming overshadowed and not liking that. http://www.daemonstv.com/2010/09/05/leverage-the-morning-after-job-review/
"She doesn’t need to be the resident grifter anymore if everyone else can do it. No one can hack, but it seems everyone can grift."
Maybe i am just misreading, but the team has seen the Italian-- at the end of the Jailhouse Job. I just went back to check as I thought I was going a bit nuts. Love this episode! Was a bit surprised at how distracted Hardison and Eliot got, but wow! So great! I will miss having new Leverage eps, it is the only show I subscribe to.
Tom said... All good questions...but has no one figured that it was Sterling that the Italian talked to on the phone...everything suddenly makes sense if she is a front for Sterling who is using the team to advance his career. He is in international law enforcement now, and of course has an intimate knowledge of the teams capabilities and also knows how to push their buttons and manipulate them.
That was my first thought when I saw Sam's drawing in Nate's apt - the thing that got Nate busted in season 2 by Sterling. And Rogers has said that Sterling and the Italian would know each other and not be adversarial. BUT - everyone has said there will be no Sterling this season due to Mark Shepard's scheduling conflicts.
So unless they're lying, it would have to be an offscreen Sterling, which would be a little anti-climactic.
I blurted out 'Ghostbusters' at the exact same time as Parker when watching the latest ep and I'm not sure what that says about me ;-). Maybe I should get a harness and take up jumping from buildings...
I don't think that there is any special reason for Eliot and kids other than what's been said. He did some very bad things in his past, first for the government (think ...Rambo?) and then on his own.
@Lynne M: At the beginning of the Scheherazade Job, Elliot was talking to the african journalist about seeing children who couldn't work in the mines become child soldiers. I thought at the time that it seemed unlikely that Elliot would have taken a job from the side which used child soldiers, but if he was on the other side, the likelihood is that at some point the opponents he faced were children.
I would think that could mess up your head pretty badly.
Could Sophie and the Italian know each other? Could it be that they're running a long con on the team together in order to bring down Moreau? Could it be that Moreau has done something unspeakably bad to them, and that's why they want Nate to do it for them?
This was an andrenaline rush from start to finish. It's possibly going to end up being my favourite episode of the entire season so far, partly because of the unusual sense of menace overhanging it all but also because every member of the team had a prolonged chance to shine.
The Hardison/Eliot scenes were absolutely hilarious, while their uniforms were disturbingly hot; the Sophie/Nate scenes were important and beautifully done, and Parker - well, all I need say is 'Ghostbusters' (she was a beat behind me on that one) and 'Don't stab'. Oh, and McSweethart. *loves*
As others have said, the smash into the furniture that Gina's stunt double did was amazing: it was that which really made me believe our guys were in trouble. The fight scene in the dark was BRILLIANT.
I didn't see Eliot's response to the dispatcher's call as out of character at all; it seems to me that he, of them all, is the one who consistently most wants to protect the vulnerable. It does raise all sorts of questions about his background, and I suspect that my rose-coloured spectacles re Eliot are going to end up stomped into the ground but, whatever his reasons, this is where he's ended up emotionally.
May I just echo an earlier question about how the cops' shoes gave them away as dirty cops? I'm sure they're very distinctive shoes, and I am quite happy to believe that it was meaningful to Eliot and to Hardison, but the significance passed me by completely.
This was a clever episode to leave us on; I'm really worried about our team come December, you rotter!
Having gratuitously insulted you, I would like to add my thanks to that of so many others for indulging us on this blog. Reading here adds so much to the enjoyment of each episode. Thank you for that.
@Anonymous (12:43): Yes, but what about when they need two grifters, as they did in this job? Unless Sophie's talents include bilocation, they actually do need a backup.
@coyote6: Sniper Guy didn't need GPS to track Vector. He cloned the phone, so he heard every call Vector made, and Vector first called his attorney, and then called "Adam Grieves" for help. Presumably, Vector told "Adam" where he was, since Nate-as-Adam showed up there. Thus, Sniper Guy heard the same directions/address that Nate-as-Adam got.
When Vector called "his attorney" (intercepted by the team), Vector says he is texting the address, implying that his original attorney will send it to the new one, so no verbal instructions were involved. Would the cloned phone have received the texted address from Vector to the original attorney? Or would the text message also have been intercepted by the team? Not sure how these things work.
@Anonymous (12:43): Yes, but what about when they need two grifters, as they did in this job? Unless Sophie's talents include bilocation, they actually do need a backup.
Well, not everyone is as GOOD as Sophie. And she's taking over some of the leadership and planning role (which used to be Nate's alone).
@Anonymous (12:43): Also, Sophie's grifting abilities are on a much higher level due to her knowledge of so many things: NLP, art, history, foreign languages, cultures around the world, et al. Plus, she has a creative ability to adapt when things go wrong, much as Nate does, at a very high level.
So, even if the others are becoming grifters, she is the master. That's why Nate says he never worries about her when she's grifting.
Amen about Gina Bellman's Sophie being a brilliant grifter. The others on the crew have varying degrees of grifting skills, but when she's running the con I get completely drawn in. In spite of the fact that I know damned well it's a con. On a television show, for cryin' out loud.
1) If someone testifies against crooked cops, do they really release the person to the police? That seems like a situation where the FBI would automatically assume custody.
2) I had a couple problems with the sniper. A) It seemed noisy, but neither Eliot nor anyone else not in the room seemed to hear it. B) They didn't come across as scared enough. Perhaps it is my tv-watching eyes where being under automatic sniper fire is normal, but I think the experience would be terrifying well beyond what we saw. That seemed to be implied in the writing of the show, but not really on screen.
@Erin and @Jen I think the shoes were only to show they were cops. We were supposed to get dirty from them being plainclothes in a group of four in a bar before noon and the conversation the boys had just had with the kid.
@gwangung, I never said anyone is as good as Sophie; they're not. I was simply responding to Anonymous' apparent complaint that having other team members as grifters somehow means they're overshadowing Sophie.
Sophie is the premier grifter on the team. But every now and then, they need two grifters. Having someone else who can pull the second role does nothing to undermine Sophie, anymore than Hardison taking out guys with a baseball bat undermines Eliot.
Ok, to be honest, I haven't read all the other comments to see if my questions or comments have been made - I do think some of the flashbacks in this ep would have fallen under the "no shit" category, and really didn't need explanation; would have preferred to see more seens in the present, especially the Eliot/Hardison or Sophie walking Parker through flirting parts. But I did think it was a great ep. In the one flashback of Parker making herself up to be dead, she puts something on her wrist, which looked like she was trying to appear as having slit her wrists? Um, I just might have missed it, but did we see her wrist at all in the morning? I was assuming they wanted him to think he beat her to death or choked her.
I also want to say I love when the team is discussing the names of different cons (i.e. the snow job, the beantown bailout, the studio job); how many of them are real names of cons? Do you use the correct descriptions of the cons or do you make up your own with real names? Were the two mentioned tonight real?
The Italian Woman and her associates really seem like Burn Notice's Management and the People Who Burned Michael. Am I way off base in this comparison or is this one plausible way of describing their organization?
Thought of another question: when Nate left the Italian at the end and she immediately pulled out her cell phone to call whoever it was, my first thought was "Oh, like he can't hear you!" That got me thinking: I'm sure Nate knows she wants the team to take down Moreau themselves but I think that, especially because the team almost got killed, Nate is going to take her down right along with Moreau.
@Anonymous 5:57: In the one flashback of Parker making herself up to be dead, she puts something on her wrist, which looked like she was trying to appear as having slit her wrists?
No, Parker was putting fake flesh over her wrist pulse points, so when Vector felt for a pulse, he didn't detect one and thought Parker was really dead.
Was Eliot's line "Next time maybe you can get us a firetruck!" a shout out to the episode you directed?
Absolutely LOVED this episode. Everything except McSweeten without Taggart. That was kind of sad. Also sad: One day the two of them will be running the FBI.
Well, that SUCKED. This is the first time Leverage has been so disappointing, and by disappointing, I mean absolutely make-me-angry stupid. The end game of the con depended on the grand jury witness being unnerved by seeing the “dead” girl and the FBI agent – except that the grand jury does not take place in a courtroom, and there is no audience. Grand juries are by definition SECRET – they occur in a closed room with only the grand jurors, the prosecutor, the witness, and the stenographer. No bailiffs, and no audience. How did it make sense to have the lawyer say, “I can’t go in there with you” and then turn around and have an audience? In your world, everyone is allowed in the grand jury room EXCEPT the attorney? Stupid. One simple Google search would tell you how a grand jury works! And that’s how the con is resolved? How stupid. And lazy.
I was already not feeling the episode, since Eliot and Hardison were so totally out of character and idiotic (someone give Eliot a Midol already, his perma-scowl and rage are tedious) – then the resolution made me want to shoot my TV. Sucky suckiness. And utter stupidity.
Oh man, maybe the most laughs per minute in an episode since The Wedding Job.
The cinematography in the cop scenes was tons of fun. Only thing missing was a grainy shot from the cruiser's camera.
Angry Authoritative Eliot is the best thing ever! "SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!"
And Aldis Hodge should SO win an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, except I guess Leverage wouldn't be considered in the comedy category. But he still should. Rules should be rewritten. (Am I the only one who would support a dramedy category? There are enough shows on the air to justify it, especially if they trim nominations for the series categories to five.) I'm about the same age as Mr. Hodge, and if I ever stop to think about that for too long, I'm struck by the most crippling inferiority complex. The man is a god.
I actually shouted "Oh, shit!" when Hardison took out the fugitive's legs. (Also when Eliot said, "Hardison. Dark.")
I want to echo what Liz and LynneM and Julia have said re: Eliot and kids. I'm not convinced that personal or familial childhood trauma would add anything especially compelling to the character. Plus the flashback in The Reunion Job suggests that through high school, at least, Eliot had a very "normal" and pretty happy upbringing. The idea that he's motivated rather by having done some bad things and seen even worse things--including everything that happens to kids in war zones--fits more naturally with our knowledge of that background. Plus maybe he's just one of those guys who really likes and is good with kids. Like Christian Kane himself.
Loved that Parker actually wondered out loud if there's something wrong with her growing fondness for the taser. And I loved even more that her draping her arms around Eliot and Hardison kinda-sorta mirrored the end of The 12 Step Job, only now if Hardison says or thinks "I kind of like this Parker," he doesn't have to be wistful about it. Even if maybe having Parker's hands close to one's throat, especially if one of those hands holds a taser, might be a worrisome thing. The writers and Ms. Riesgraf are doing an awesome job keeping Parker's emotional and moral growth balanced (juggled?) with the craziness that made us fall in love with her in the first place. Every week I'm a little more fond of her. This may be heresy, but I think she's cooler than Catwoman.
Who played the man from the house where Hardison got his baseball bat? He looked extremely familiar. Also, is this episode named for the morning after pill or the "Morning After" movie?
This isn't a question but a comment, and I realize it's a derailing the fun train type comment, but Hullabaloo has ruined tasers for me entirely, and has wound up making the constant tasing of people in TV shows, commercials, and movies--always played for laughs right now--kind of horrific.
I'm probably not in the majority, but it just makes it a little harder to watch Parker as she seems to now want to tase people all over the place.
I think because McSweeten was this episode, I loved it so much more. Can we expect to see more of Parker's relationship with him developing? She seems to be getting fond of him!
@ Archery I don't think that was the resolution of the con. Actually, the con went wrong because they did not get the information from the bad guy directly from him as the con was planned. It seemed like a last minute desperate way to freak him out so he would not get immunity. I would imagine they conned their way into the courtroom.
You know, a lot of people just have a soft spot for kids. Does there have to be any more to it than that?
Almost every episode has at least one line that makes me laugh stupidly, and probably belongs on a tee shirt. This one's was, "Shut up, we the police."
For those who are wondering why Nate is being so secretive about the Italian:
Operational Security.
Nate, being a clever-pants kind of fellow wants to be the buffer between the team, and the Italian and her boss, (Who is Sterling, i am sure.) While the Italian certainly has some juice, she may not KNOW everything, and there's no point in having the team involved if they don't have to be. One can pick up a surprising amount of information through simple contact. ("How do you know they're cops?" "The shoes.")
But also, while the Italian may have files on our favorite outlaws, there is information that they can't possess, that could be spilled through careful observation. Information that could be used against our team, For instance, Parker's file might have a great deal of infomation about our favorite cat burglar, but nothing about her burgeoning relationship with Hardison. A close examination of body language when the two are close to one another might give it away.
See what i'm getting at? Nate is insulating them from her. It also works to the Italians advantage. Mainly because I could see Parker strangling her to death.
I must say though, the color thing? Very hard to buy. I'm one of those who can give writers a lot of leeway in the interests of time and entertainment, but that was... asking a bit much.
Love this ep, wanted to add my praise. Loved seeing McSweetin again and thought it was cute how Parker told him how sweet he was. Could there possibly be some budding feelings? How funny was Parker's reaction to Nate having a harness? Was it his or hers that she'd forgotten? Oh, and bread mold shirt from "Fairy Godparents Job" in the airport FTW!!!!!!!!! Totally made my day!
Sidenote- to whoever said about him not noticing that she hadn't voided when she died, I think it's pretty common for shows to skip the icky details, except for serious crime shows. However, speaking from experience (I work at rest homes) sometimes the voiding isn't immediately apparent, it all depends on the last time they went on their own. For those of you who have no idea what voided means, to void ones bowels/bladder upon death. Muscles relax, it can get messy. Sorry for the ick factor, but I actually know something and can answer a question for once!
I was already not feeling the episode, since Eliot and Hardison were so totally out of character and idiotic (someone give Eliot a Midol already, his perma-scowl and rage are tedious) – then the resolution made me want to shoot my TV. Sucky suckiness. And utter stupidity.
Eliot and Hardison acting stupid is not out of character for them. Wait, throw in Parker there too. Not an episode worthy of being called summer finale that's for sure. Maybe those two should be in a spin-off but don't call it drama please, maybe a sketch comedy instead.
jamesmith3 said... I must say though, the color thing? Very hard to buy. I'm one of those who can give writers a lot of leeway in the interests of time and entertainment, but that was... asking a bit much.
Actually not that hard to buy. I'm in marketing and whenever I had ads made, I'd tell the graphic designers the colour-numbers, so no CI/CD guidelines could be violated by using the wrong shades. For example I'd not say 'red' but '485'.
I still think the Italian is going to end up to be a good guy for lack of a better word. I can't get past her sending Nate for that envelope. Why would she do that unless she wanted him to see what was in it? I think her connection to the dude (dudette?) on the phone was there and she wanted him to know about it. Am I even close?
On this ep, before Nate went upstairs to meet Vector, he said he wasn't worrried about Sophie but he clearly looked worried anyway. Was his spider sense just tingling or was that foreshadowing to the finale?
Oh, any also - those book titles. Any buried clues in there? Because I did not see a book about the "Battle of White Plains" titled "They Died in Vain" on Amazon.
I have officially become way too obsessed with this show.
OK, you left us not knowing who the Italian is working for... (Sterling?) I'm sure there is a fun twist waiting for us. This episode had a lot of detail, I will have to watch a few times to pick up on everything. It would have been nice to have seen some hockey played...future episode I hope. Question, I assume the fake skin was applied to the neck as well as the wrist, to mask pulse?... but I would be afraid the blue makeup would rub off and give Parker away. I use alcohol based makeup when I perform so it lasts and doesn't come off. She also looked worse when he first rolled her over that she did later lying there. (It's was still scary seeing a "Dead" Parker...)
@Arwen:I don't think that was the resolution of the con. Actually, the con went wrong because they did not get the information from the bad guy directly from him as the con was planned. It seemed like a last minute desperate way to freak him out so he would not get immunity. I would imagine they conned their way into the courtroom. The point being that a grand jury does not meet in a courtroom. A grand jury session is not public, it is secret. It takes place in a closed room. So the whole idea of having the bad guy get on the witness stand as if it's a trial and freak out when he sees Parker and the beat up victim (even if it didn't ultimately work) was stupid because they would never be there.
@gypsyhrt…Was Eliot's comment about 'that how he works' in reference to DM a clue in that he knows him better than the rest of the team?
My first thought when Eliot described him in Jailhouse Job was that Eliot worked for or against him before or possibly Eliot double crossed him once. Likewise when he said ‘that’s how he works’ in this episode.
@Rob Pugh…Oh, and you can't really headbutt somebody w/a ballcap on. You can when you’re Batman!
@SarahW…Will we get to see Moreau? Can you let us know the actor's name without spoiling too much? It isn't Mark Sheppard, is it? 'Cause that would cause aneurysms in fully half of your viewing audience . . . XD
We WILL see Moreau in December. Mark Sheppard is NOT Moreau. So as not to spoil it for anyone … those who WANT to know who’s playing Moreau it’s on Wikipedia, search for: Leverage (TV) & scroll down to “Recurring Cast” (the actor’s name is after Robert Blanche, ‘Capt. Bonanno’ & before Elisabetta Canalis, ‘the Italian’ character descriptions).
@24jg13…You've got a great idea - it would be FUN if Clooney was Moreau! He’s not, but there IS a connection!
MY QUESTIONS: A) What caused Sophie to violently roll into the furniture? Normally you would drop to the floor, not roll across the room; & B) ‘Las Vegas Wake-up Call’ or ‘Cuban Sandwich’?
@KevinK & Lissie… According to Wikipedia there are only 3 episodes left in the season. How does that work out? Is it some sort of epic 3 part finale, or is it just some random episode that wasn't finished before the end summer?.... When is Wil Wheaton's Ep? The Leverage crew wrapped in mid-August after ALL the episodes for Season 3 had been filmed. The 3 December episodes will consist of: “The Ho, Ho, Ho Job” (#314) where Wil Wheaton will reprise his ‘Chaos’ role & a 2-part finale – Part 1 (#315) = “The Big Bang Job” & Part 2 (#316) = “The San Lorenzo Job”
@Lissie… Has there been an idea that you've had for an episode that was too outlandish to work? On the ‘Boost Job’ Question Post I asked a similar question & JR responded: "@Dawn?StL-MO - Has there ever been a scene you wrote that ended up being totally unworkable - one or two you would have loved to have pulled off?"
JR's Reply: "Most of the time we find ways to do at least SOME version of the scene. There are a few times where physical production stops us -- there was a zipline beat in the Christmas episode that was cut. But generally, no, we find a way to do almost everything, just to scale."
Hope we get to see the "actual" cut zip line footage on the 3rd Season DVDs along with the "supposed" footage of Hardison & Eliot climbing the tree shirtless in Gone Fishin' Job!
One thing I loved about this episode is that I can now point to Hardison and his baseball bat as an example of spending a Plot Point in the RPG to get an Asset for the rest of the Job. Because that was definitely an Asset for Hardison.
COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS: I understand the Italian & her accomplice know Nate well enough to figure he’d eventually go after Moreau on his own terms, keeping them from getting their hands dirty, but: 1) How could they know the hockey fan’s problem would materialize much less that the fan would go to Nate & his team for help with Vector? & 2) If Nate’s deal is OFF with the Italian, wouldn’t Nate think she’d send the necessary people now to put him back in jail & wouldn't he be suspicious if she didn't?
P.S. Loved the episode, especially the “Don’t stab. Don’t stab!” & “Ghostbusters” lines. Also, the actor you got to play Moreau does a GREAT ‘evil’! Can’t wait - Congrats!!!
And am I the only one who thinks Parker would make an awesome Ghostbuster?
I wondered why Hardison and Elliott were breaking character so noisily in front of that prisoner, and why Elliott was pestering Hardison at a very crucial moment in feeding the fake phone message to Vector. Their little Abbott & Costello act is funny, but it's liable to get them in trouble some day.
Why did the network keep referring to this as the "season finale" instead of the "summer finale?" I'm sure a lot of people who don't pay attention to the Internet will miss the December episodes, assuming it's all over now.
@Sonja et al: I know about codes for colors. I'm saying, Nate knowing WHICH codes to use? And having the software on his phone to decrypt it? His phone and the mark's having the same color profile? No color shift when snapping the photo? Knowing it was the difference between the two colors, and not their sum, or some other random transformation between the two? All of which, rather than being boring pipe no one wants to see laid, could be dramatic complications for Hardison (or anyone) trying to crack a password.
And I'll be honest-- I could accept ALL of the above if I could buy Nate figuring it out that easily.
@jamessmith3: Wasn't Nate using Vector's phone, that he grabbed during the shootout? I think that's reinforced by the fact that the calculation of the code opened the file on the phone that had all of Moreau's ino - that file wouldn't have been on Nate's phone.
And, if Vector's phone was the one used to set the code, it would make sense that it would interpret the colors properly and decode the file.
adc1966's remark about possible confusion about "summer" finale and "season" finale...yes, I agree. I've seen a number of people on Twitter thinking this episode was it until next year when season four begins. Not everyone is familiar with the cable routine of one season broken into two parts, and I hope TNT keeps that in mind.
This "finale" topic got me wondering about something else, too. Was this episode specifically written to be a summer finale?
@Oona: re: the fake skin over the pulse point. Good catch! I couldn't figure out what that was about.
---- As pointed out, the Team has seen the Italian, so I'd doubt any of them have a secret past with her.
--- Re Elliot and kids. As I said in another forum, I think his kid thing goes to his whole "100 miles down the wrong road" loss of innocence thing. His is gone, but because he's Batman, he's going to protect others. (I do feel it seemed a bit extreme in this episode)
--- I'm guessing as part of Parker's thief skill package is breathing control so she can reasonably fake being dead.
--- @Stu: Parker's taser obsession is supposed to be unsettling. Rember, she is neither sane nor "good".
--- @Archery: Not everyone was getting in. The FBI handler and his partner and two district cops who the DA had been using to ferry paperwork and prisoners. (I'm not sure the beaten up "client" was actually there.)
--- Re: The phone/colors/pictures. My only "HEY!" bit on that was that such a trick would require pretty much exact duplication of the picture, same lighting, same angle...and Nate hit it easily...but that's the fun train..the rest of it, it's just a hi-tech version of those activity games for kids where you look at a picture thru red plastic to see the magic picture.
--- Phone cloning: Do I want to know if phones can be cloned by just passing vaguely close to someone?
Not only was it Sterling the Italian called, it's a long con with Sterling killing two birds with one stone: the team takes out Moreau, but get taken down themselves in the process.
@Rusty: That's possible; I'd wondered if he'd just cloned it, since that's a common trick on the show.
I'm not trying to harsh anyone's high. Like I said, I could no-prize any of those nitpicks, but not Nate's incredible leap in actually figuring out what to look for in the first place.
I know we're on the fun train here. But while most folks are hanging out in the bar car, I like to poke around in the engine room.
@VideoBeagle: Yep, exactly what I was saying. I interpreted the original poster's comments as meaning he thought Nate was using his own (Nate's) phone. But, the way I saw th events, Nate was using Vector's phone, comparing the "Barney the Dinosaur" pic to the one he took of the photo on the wall. That created the code, and decrypted the file that scrolled on the phone screen. The header was "Moreau accounts" or something to that effect, don't recall the exact wording. That file wouldn't have been on Nate's phone, only on Vector's. "...file's not on the server, not on the cloud...."
We're on the same page.
@jamesmith3 - no problem. You didn't "harsh my high" (love that phrase, lol) - just thought I would offer my perspective on the phone thing.
@Cassie - yep, season 3 filming is totally wrapped. Per TPTB, Mark Sheppard was unavailable for season 3, so no Sterling.
Deception? Maybe, but there are some pretty strong hints floating around the 'net as to who IS playing Moreau, including the fact that the suspected actor was at the season 3 wrap party. I won't say the name in case you don't want to be spoiled.
You have more faith in the Wikipedia than I do. Nadine Haders let a tweet slip that the mentioned actor is in the two-part finale, but I've seen nothing to indicate he's playing Damien Moreau. I wouldn't argue that it makes sense that he is, but considering we have no confirmation from the show, nothing in writing elsewhere, and a new unseen accomplice working with the Italian, I would think the Wikipedia entry is an assumption made by a Leverage viewer.
janesmith - I just assumed that Nate had seen that sort of encryption technique in the past, so when Parker made the comment about the purple uni, Nate didn't have a tough time figuring it out. Doing criminal investigation-type work and crimes, you figure he's going to run across that kind of thing.
But I fully appreciate you poking around the engine room. I left the bar car to try to figure out how that apparently completely inept hit man got his job, but then I got thirsty again and decided I didn't care. (Rogers was doing some crazy thing with lampshades in that bar car.)
I left the bar car to try to figure out how that apparently completely inept hit man got his job
@anonymous: It seems odd that whoever sent the dirty cops after Vector would arrange for someone to be shooting anything that moved in the room Vector was in. The risk of randomly killing cops would be pretty high in that situation, and the surviving cops would probably be pretty anxious to talk to someone about witness protection.
I'm vaguely wondering if the hit man and the cops were working together, or if he actually meant to hit anyone. Shooting up Nate's apartment would be a pretty good way to get him pissed off enough to go after Moreau himself if, say, the italian was behind the hit man.
@jamesmith3 - I'm pretty sure anyone who would have their squee harshed by nitpicking should stay away from this place, lol. I, for one, appreciate your attention to detail! Someone else already pointed out that Nate IS using Vector's phone in the last scene, so that part makes sense. In terms of Nate figuring it out - well, perhaps that part was only obvious if you come from a family of Boston sports fans, lol. A guy like Vector having a pic of himself on his phone where the jersey was incorrectly colored? Oh, hell to the no. I think it had less to do with Nate being familiar with encryption, and more to do with that being so unbelievable that it HAD to be relevant somehow :) I don't think Nate put it all together until Vector made his little speech about being the only one who knew how to access the encrypted information, though.
Sterling certainly looms large in our collective imagination, doesn't he? Hee. While I'd love him to be pulling the strings, my theory at the moment is that the Italian was on the phone to the sniper - I think they're working together to bring down Moreau, her from the outside of Moreau's organization and him from the inside.
On rewatching the ep, the sniper certainly seems to have a mirrorverse!Eliot thing happening (the Evil Twin Facial Hair is a dead giveaway). John, are those two eventually going to have the showdown they didn't get in this ep?
@Julia: Well the continued gunfire was weird (You take your shot, you miss...peppering the room hoping to hit your target isn't going to get you anywhere), but really, if it hadn't been Nate in the room, but actual lawyer guy, Vector would have been dead.
In a scenario where the Italian hired the shooter, and not caring if Nate got killed, or hired him to miss, I'm not sure how she thought screwing up Nate's plan in the wild hope he had gotten the codes would be useful.
The beat up client was in the grand jury room, he gestured to Vector that it was all over for him. But I just assumed witnesses were allowed in Grand Jury investigations and he was one of them.
I was never aware of the "secret" nature of a Grand Jury, and thought that the writers had very neatly handled the fact that a defendant isn't allowed to consult with his lawyer inside as during a regular trial. It didn't seem strange to me at all that law enforcement officials would be allowed inside. I just don't have extensive enough legal experience to have noticed anything out of place. But I'd be willing to bet that a vast majority of the viewing audience didn't either.
I can see how tech and legal mis-steps might jolt people who have more thorough knowledge of these subjects out of their suspension of disbelief, just as location specific errors would do the same for people who actually live in those locations. But, like any TV show or movie, they're playing to the masses here. Judging from the ratings, and the comments in this space, they seem to be doing an amazingly good job.
This episode did not turn out to be one of my all time favorites, but then, they can't all be, can they? There were still a lot of fabulous moments and, overall, I still had a great time watching it. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I think it was a really good episode to stop at for a while.
At least now we have more episodes to re-run while waiting for the new season, a little more help with the withdrawals.
@Rebecca: He's seen doing the throat cut gesture, but I don't recall seeing him anytime after that, thus my thought he might be a hallucination, as there's no reason for him to be there, otherwise.
It's pretty rare for Leverage to have a huge didn't-do-research section in their stories, so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to Rogers et al till we hear from them, that they got it right.
@VideoBeagle: I had the same thought....that the Leverage team's client was a hallucination. Mr. Rusty was watching the episode yesterday afternoon (since he missed it Sunday night), and I was looking through the remainder of that scene to see if I saw him again - didn't appear to me that he was there.
LOL - but I figured I was reaching pretty hard at that point, so didn't bring it up...glad to know I wasn't the only one that idea occurred to.
I think the sniper was not there to kill but to scare Vector, Nate, the team--take your pick or maybe it's all of the above. It's possible that Moreau didn't even send him despite Eliot's comment. Perhaps another part of The Italian's plan?
And how did the sniper police his ordinance? He was firing up until the sprinklers came on, thanks to Hardison, and got out of there fast.
I really hope I'm wrong, but I think I know why Elliot is so protective of children.
Elliot used to be a soldier. Elliot seems to hate guns with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns. Elliot will no longer kill unless it's absolutely necessary.
He missed his shot and killed a child instead of his target didn't he.
"incredible kudos to Gina's stunt-double. That freakin' roll into the cabinet rocked so hard! I was way impressed with that one!"
Ditto on that. I'd love to see the whole thing as an extra on the DVD. Was there a running start or something? Was she wearing something padded (I hope so!)?
Can some one point me to a "how each actor was cast" page? As a Whedon fan, I recognized Kane from Angel. But I think I read somewhere that Kane was recruited to audition for the role, based on his past work. Am I hallucinating this tidbit or is there proof of it somewhere?
With a spectacular episode like this the only question I can come up with to ask is: is it just me or has Sophie started drinking alot more than in previous seasons?
If this is a mid-season finale I absolutly cannot wait to see what you come up with for the season finale; excellent work, a solid 9.9!
A lot of people say Elisabetta Canalis is a, um, rather wooden actor. I always just interpreted the Italian as being generally understated and in constant "poker face" mode. I know, Mr. Rogers, that you're not exactly supposed to put down the people who work for you, so I'll put it this way: was the Italian meant to be in "poker face" mode all the time? If so, will we ever see her not in "poker face" mode?
Ack! Sorry! Have another question. Have you guys been planting any red herrings this season, in or out of the show? Some of the (unmarked!) spoilers I run into (by accident!) don't make a great deal of sense (I fear I can't un-read them).
Came back to read the comments and enjoy the conversation. Good gravy on a stick, people, if you all show up to another ConCon, I'll bring the chocolate and the good vodka!
I think it was Kevin who asked about a Christmas episode. Technically, there already has been a Christmas episode, The Miracle Job in season 1 (St. Nickolaus church, the children singing the carol in the opening scene, the poinsettias around the statue, Parker's "Santa Claus" confusion, the assorted "miracles"). It just wasn't a big shiny, typical Christmas Episode.
I liked the subtlety.
(And, yes, I'm watching Season 1 DVD again. I've lost count now how many times I've been through it.)
Several people have voiced what I've been thinking for a while, too -- the cons are cool and nifty and all, but I'm here for the characters. Watching THEM go through the cons is more interesting than the mechanics of the cons themselves. In fact, the high tech, special effect, secret technique part gets cold and takes up a bit too much space. And the characters sometimes (SOMETIMES) veer dangerously close to playing on their own tropes at times, which makes them less interesting to me. I'm adding my voice to the little chorus in the corner saying "Show us more of the characters being people." I'm perfectly happy if they don't keep upping the ante and topping themselves. I'd be happy if they were dealing with a smaller con, a smaller problem, where we get to see more of them interacting.
Maybe it's because I'm watching that much loved 1st season again, but there is a particular energy and fascination in those episodes. Part of it is the tensions everyone was under that first season where nothing was certain, and part of it was the discovery of these people and what they could do, but they are all still such mysteries to the audience and we've watched them now for three years. When do we actually get to know them as more than their skills and their quirks, tics, and catchphrases? We've been teased so often with little glimpses, but teasing can go on too long, until we lose interest.
First off.....GREAT EPISODE! I'm fairly new to "Leverage" and am lovin' this season! Spencer Garrett was frickin' fabulous, and his drunk stuff was off the charts right on!
Question: Why didn't we see the client get his money back at the end of the episode? Poor schmo was beaten to a pulp! Also, the actor who played the client was really familiar......has he been in something else "Leverage" related?
Sherri - right on, sister. I agree. Now, I still LOVE the cool work in the Second David Job and Rashomon Job - those eps with heavy focus on the cons and tricks KILLED. But not every show can reach those con-tastic heights. So, in the more run of the mill eps, if it comes down to a choice between (1) straightforward con with major focus on characters vs. (2) twisty con with mid-stream unexpected complication but little character development, I choose the (1) every time.
I will also personally say that sometimes (SOMETIMES), the Eliot/Hardison thing has felt just a wee little bit forced to me this season. It's almost become too much of a recognized "thing," so I think everytime they get together in a scene, people (maybe eg writers and actors) are trying to make sure the "thing" is there instead of just letting the "thing" happen. Which sounds like total BS, but I swear makes sense, although possibly only in my own head. I also did not like Nate's "I love it when a plan comes together" line. Too much. At least for me.
And now I'm heading back to the bar car. Clearly I'm getting too ponderous in my drunkeness and need to go find a quiet corner.
Remember Eliot's line about there could be kids in there? That's why he went in. He knows he's the best, and he's not about to let a kid be in even potential danger.
@Cherie - We didn't see the payoff, but Nate told the Italian in their last conversation that he was going to take enough out of Moreau's accounts to pay back the client, and then use the rest to take Moreau down. Payoff just happened offscreen.
"gwangung said... So, If we are going to find out more about Eliot than we want to, does this mean that he already knows the Italian? Um. Ex-lover? Oh-oh...."
It really would be funny if Eliot had been with the Italian before. I think it is soooo funny that we find out that every where Nate is ... Eliot has been! We found Eliot had met Sophie and had a little flirtation first. And then Maggie at the 1st David Job, although that wasn't 'first'. But so cute when you put Nate and Eliot as lover rivals. Eliot really, really, really does not want to get into that spot but somehow just keeps getting into it. LOL!!
McSweeten is so sweet and innocent and gullible and naive. He must never be a bad guy please please?! I think he's perfect for Parker to get to know because of those attributes. She only knows 'bad' people who always have ulterior motives (even though we love them). I don't want to harsh the fans who love romance but Hardison and Eliot are like brothers to her and I for one think they should stay that way. They have such a cute camaraderie like in the last scene where Parker throws her arms around them both. Brothers, I say, brothers!
So, after Parker's Ghostbusters comment, as the camera was panning away from Eliot, I saw him smile/giggle a little - was that Eliot or Christian? Either way it made it that much funnier. Also, when the hockey jackass said something along the lines of "..an ice fan who got in over her head..." (sorry, don't remember the exact wording) to Sophie, she had kind of an annoyed/pissed off look on her face - was that because he was being so callus about Parker, and she felt protective and insulted at that, or was it just because he is an asshole who expects everyone else to get him out of his messes because of who he is? Loved the little moment between Parker and Nate in the bedroom about him having the harness in his closet - would that be Parker's influence on him, or did he have it for her just in case? Great show. Can't wait for winter!
I'm Chatty Cathy this week, and I haven't even been to the bar car. Sorry, Mr. Rogers.
@Ally -- yes, ma'am! Chocolate vodka for you! Like you, I love the complex, high technology/technique cons, but my favorite episodes tend to be the ones with a more simple con (or when a con isn't a big, Nate-born plan, but where all the team members tweak and suggest and shape)and we see a lot of the characters being who they are, talking a bit, being people. I mean, after this point, sure, they all know each other fairly well, but we in the audience don't know them NEARLY as well, and they begin to feel more and more distant from us all the time. Even my husband remarked that season three feels "colder" -- yes, it's darker and things are more complicated, but we the audience are supposed to be in a magic position. We get to see things in a way the characters cannot, so we get to fill in our knowledge and build up the Leverage-verse in our heads. I feel like this is slipping away in the razzle dazzle of the fabulous cons.
Here's a whole 'nuther thought, a question to the collective, a pondering for the hive mind. I'm rewatching s1 (First David has just started) and will be heading into s2 this afternoon, and I'm thinking "Gee, I'd love to see that character pop up again...wow, she'd be really open for another story appearance...HE could easily start up another plot for the team..."
Aside from the Revenge of Dubenich/Dubenich Strikes Back, I'd love to see Heather, the blond bimbo Mob wife from The Wedding Job, show up on the arm of a new baddie to complicate things for the team. Also, Sophie owes her a Prada bag to the jaw. Another I'd love to see is Jack Hurly/New Name unknown from The Twelve-Step Job. He could be cleaned up and doing well, trying to help folks without crossing the line of the law, and he could maybe bring a case to the team (they did promise they'd still be watching, although I'm guessing it's a real back burner thing.) He's not really that dumb -- he could find them, I think. Or maybe he crosses that line trying to help someone else, thus triggering the team to remember him and getting them suckered into helping him and his "client".
So, who would you like to see show bring back (aside from Chaos,Sterling, Raquel Dyan, Apollo, Tara, and Maggie, who are givens, of course)? Speak, oh fandom, speak!
"I think the shoes were only to show they were cops. We were supposed to get dirty from them being plainclothes in a group of four in a bar before noon and the conversation the boys had just had with the kid."
Ah, of course - that makes perfect sense. Thank you!
What partly threw me was that I couldn't see why they were typically cop shoes (in the UK they would have been well-polished to give that impression), but them's the cultural differences at work!
@Tom Galloway: "...Eliot was finally fighting a bear."
::snerk:: Mister, you are my kind of crazy. :)
@Anon: "[Sophie] doesn’t need to be the resident grifter anymore if everyone else can do it. No one can hack, but it seems everyone can grift."
Everyone can pull off simple, short-term grifting at this point, but they definitely still need Sophie for the long cons and the more complicated / nuanced jobs. Plus, y'know, she's the mom. And she can (sorta) keep Nate in check.
I'm just going to poke my nose into the Bar Car, and check and see if John is banging his head against the bar muttering something about a demolition derby and a crazy Okie. Kane is participating in the Combative Motorsports Xperience in Nashville this weekend.
On the subject of Morning After - big no-no on the Grand Jury - NO ONE gets in the room, other than the witness on the stand and the DA asking the questions. There is no gallery. Did the writers rename a Preliminary Hearing, which can be in open court, as a Grand Jury, which is the more recognized term?
I certainly may be wrong about this but in regard to all the Grand Jury questions - Chris Downey wrote this episode. I believe he either is/was an attorney so I'm thinking he may have an idea of how a grand jury works. Any chance it could be somewhat different from state to state?
@msd: Any chance it could be somewhat different from state to state?
Think it was supposed to be federal, not state. I was wondering if the immunity agreement had something to do with it. How could they know that the agreement was fulfilled if they didn't hear the testimony? Looking forward to learning more about this.
@Anonymous (12:43): "She doesn’t need to be the resident grifter anymore if everyone else can do it. No one can hack, but it seems everyone can grift."
Don’t the majority of cons need a minimum of 2 grifters? Nate almost always plays one. In Beantown Bailout & Studio Job, like MANY of the other cons, the entire team is needed to grift.
@Anon – 10:28 am RE: accuracy of Wikipedia – normally DON’T trust it, but I saw the SAME actor listed as Damien Moreau on at least two (2) other sights, just couldn’t remember which ones.
@Anon – 10:41 am (Ally) & @janesmith … I just assumed that Nate had seen that sort of encryption technique in the past, doing criminal investigation-type work & crimes…
Some of the NEW tech items Nate has figured out, were NOT available when he was “doing criminal investigation-type work & crimes” over 3 years ago. Unless he’s been keeping close tabs with the current market, he’d be hard pressed to unravel some of the new gadgets/techniques/schemes, etc. But then again, he IS after all, the Mastermind!
@Kristin… Why the hell wasn't Nate more pissed the Italian tried to off him and his team? Not only did she absolutely eff up their deal but it put his team's lives in danger (including Sophie which I totally thought would piss him off!).
‘The Italian’ said, “Well to be fair, I didn’t count on the sniper, he was an outside contractor” Was he an added surprise that Moreau arranged…or was ‘the Italian’ lying? Think Nate concluded the gunman was there as a ‘scare tactic’ (not to kill anyone), especially since the ‘hired gun’ couldn’t hit the side of a barn.
Some of the NEW tech items Nate has figured out, were NOT available when he was “doing criminal investigation-type work & crimes” over 3 years ago. Unless he’s been keeping close tabs with the current market, he’d be hard pressed to unravel some of the new gadgets/techniques/schemes, etc. But then again, he IS after all, the Mastermind!
I am quite sure that steganography as a technique (and tools for it that you could run on a PC) were around in the late 90s (at least that's when I first encountered it). Back then the specific strategy was already "hide information in a picture".
Steganography as a strategy itself goes back to at least ancient Greece. Two items ISTR are one general or some such guy shaving the head of a slave, tattooing the message on the head, waiting for the hair to grow back and then sending the slave on his errand with some fake message in his pocket. Takes time, sure, but it's steganography (i.e. hide the message). Also, ISTR a story about wax-tablets (on which greeks and romans wrote) which were scrubbed clean of wax, the message written on the back wooeden board and then wax reapplied (so that a blank wax-board or one with an innocuous message on the front could contain a hidden message if you removed the wax)
@Dawn/StL-MO said... RE: accuracy of Wikipedia – normally DON’T trust it, but I saw the SAME actor listed as Damien Moreau on at least two (2) other [sites], just couldn’t remember which ones.
I could post that Damien Moreau is being played by Jean Reno on a message board, and it would be on the Wikipedia in 48 hours, tops. Remind me to sell anyone who believes message boards and the Wikipedia the Brooklyn Bridge.
@Dawn/StL: Really the picture/camera/encryption trick is just a fancy digital version of the puzzles on happy meal boxes where you look at something thru a red lens to see a different picture.
So I'm hearing that Jean Reno is playing Moreau...he's good an all, but frankly I'd have gone with Gerard Depredeux
I'm doing my best to stay spoiler-free, but I really hope that title means the team is going to CERN to steal the LHC. [/nerd]
@Red: "But I think I read somewhere that Kane was recruited to audition for the role, based on his past work."
If that's the case then, based on first season commentaries, I'd say it was probably a combination of his work on Angel (particularly the fight work in season 5) and Secondhand Lions for which he learned his mad blade skillz from Anthony "The Butcher of Kiev" De Longis. And possibly Into the West for the horse parts.
310 comments:
1 – 200 of 310 Newer› Newest»Is 8017 leet speak for Bolt?
Also, when can we expect the Hodge/Kane buddy cop spin-off "Black and Blue"?
When writing fan mail to actors, typically one sends letters via the actor's agent or agency. Is there a usual way to send a fan letter to a writer?
Does Batman watch hockey fights in case he has to fight on ice? No...he just has skates in his boots.
Eliot FTW.
So..are y'all just working on Kane's auditon reel in case Christian Bale doesn't want to return for Bat3?
He has it pulled back this ep, but I've been wanting to ask...how does Kane/Elliot get his hair to hang straight like that?
My hair is of a similar cut, but it does this annoying poof out to a darth vader shape unless I'm constantly hitting it with an iron.
Video Beagle said...
He has it pulled back this ep, but I've been wanting to ask...how does Kane/Elliot get his hair to hang straight like that?
I'm guessing your own hair and makeup department helps. ;)
Super fast paced ep tonight. A lot of fun so far.
Really...a last 5 minute gaslighting? Wow.
And a kudos to the "Coming next week" editor, as last week's tease for this one was completely spoilerfilled, but in a way that completely spoiled nothing.
@Oona...sadly I think that's the case.
I can't help but feel the split this season is a little weird, with such a tiny chunk of episodes in December.
Good episode, though. Can't wait for the last chunk, and then season four.
Will we see the sniper again?
During that fight in the dark, I half expected this exchange:
Dirty McCopperson: "Where are you?!?"
Eliot: "Here."
I keep thinking there's an extra element in play here, an that phone call the Italian made makes me all kinds of uncomfortable. To quote the great philosopher Solo, "I've got a bad feeling about this."
I keep thinking someone with the reputation Moreau would know when someone is hunting him, and would be hunting back. And whoever the Italian was working for might be as bad or worse than Moreau should he be taken out of the way.
To catch a wolf, will they unleash a tiger?
@Video Beagle, I wouldn't go that far. Parker's "death" as part of the con was pretty obvious, given she played a corpse last time they tried to steal a federal witness.
First time writing one of these, so sorry if it's long.
1.Have you guys ever thought about doing a Christmas episode? Because that would be awesome.
2. Were the police identities Eliot and Hardison used were the Davies and Moffet aliases from "Three Monte"?
3. What crime did the criminal Hardison and Eliot were transporting commit?
4. Is there a specific reason Eliot is protective of kids, or is it just part of his personality?
5. According to Wikipedia there are only 3 episodes left in the season. How does that work out? Is it some sort of epic 3 part finale, or is it just some random episode that wasn't finished before the end summer? It just bugs me that the split (13-3) is so uneven. It doesn't even form a clean plot division like how Season 2 had Sophie episodes in the summer and Tara episodes in the winter.
Thank you and the rest of the cast and crew very much for all the great work on the show!
Forgot something: In the scene where Elliot is taking care of the mooks in the dark room, I got a weird horror game (i.e. Silent Hill) vibe, especially when the camera went to the cop's perspective like it was first-person. Was that intentional, or was it just me?
My guess for a while has been that the Italian was part of a set-up and that's she working WITH Moreau - at least for now. I think the team has taken down some of Moreau's associates in Season 1 and 2 without knowing it, and she's leading them straight to him. Especially given Rogers' admission that someone the team has crossed (other than Chaos) is going to be coming for revenge.
Probably off base, but that's my guess for now and I'm sticking with it.
Oh, and I am so going to be in withdrawal for the next 3 months.
Rogers - any idea yet if season 4 will start earlier this year than season 3 did?
@Kevin: I think it was more a "I'm not locked in here with you, you're locked in here with me" Rorshach/Batman thing.
Haven't seen the summer finale yet, but I wanted to ask some questions I've been wondering about for a while concerning Parker's romantic interest in Hardison.
It's my perception that Hardison realized his attraction to Parker before she realized her attraction to him. So how much of Parker's attraction has to do with simply figuring out that Hardison likes her (maybe planting the idea in her head & giving her time to consciously or unconsciously ponder - also knowing he likes her limits the likelihood of rejection) and how much of it has to do with Parker simply becoming more comfortable and more open with this team - perhaps the only people she's ever had this much consecutive contact with.
Is it significant that Parker is interested in someone who is younger than herself - rather than someone more sexually experienced like Eliot or more mature (i.e., more of a father figure) like Nate?
Phenomenal episode - tip of the hat sir! Loved so many parts, especially that Nate is never worried about Sophie...
No question(s) for now; just wanted to send my love and whimpering withdrawal for the next few months. :)
loved the ep except for the last scene. Not sure why but it went with that 'something's not right' quote throughout the ep. I don't know, I think I figured Nate would've reacted more to the attempt on the team.
great s3 can't wait til Dec.
Was Eliot's comment about 'that how he works' in reference to DM a clue in that he knows him better than the rest of the team?
do you guys remember the old law and order tagline that said although inspired by true events this is a work of fiction yadda yadda yadda. Do the lawyer humans ever come screaming into your office Rogers?
Just delurking to say this ep was fabulous! It flew by and there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth in our house when it was over. December cannot get here fast enough!
This is probably the funnest show on TV right now!
@Anon: The pre-clear names and stuff before the the episodes are made.
The L&O bit is just to jazz the show up, like the old Dragnet tag...it's a gimmick with no legal standing.
Okay---not only do I want Damien Moreau to go down, I want The Italian and Sterling (or whomever was on the other end of that phone call) to end up with dirt on their hands and egg on their faces. Nate *must* know he's being manipulated, right?
Will we get to see Moreau? Can you let us know the actor's name without spoiling too much? It isn't Mark Sheppard, is it? 'Cause that would cause aneurysms in fully half of your viewing audience . . . XD
And thank you for the lovely scenes between Nate and Sophie---we *will* know her real name by the end of season 3, won't we? Please?
Did I just a see a snuggie on Parker at the start of the episode?
That fight scene in the dark? Genius, just really awesome.
How much input did Frakes have on that?
I loved this episode so much!
I was wondering how many times Beth started laughing when she was playing the dead girl.
Just curious are any of the team's parents still alive? We know Nate's dad is, but what about the others? Hardison's nana?
i'm now convinced that the italian works for AISE or something of that nature
I love Parker's expression during the "Ghostbusters!" exchange. She seems so pleased that she successfully made a pop culture reference like regular people.
Much love for this episode! When Parker shouted "Ghostbusters!" I totally had to rewind because I missed the next few minutes of dialogue due to laughing so hard. Kudos for that silly bit!
I'm wondering what got cut in post-production. The flashbacks in this ep came across as "Well, duh, of course that's what they did!" I wished we could have used that time a little more wisely. Like maybe going into a better explanation of the encryption code and how the numbers together make the account numbers appear on the phone. Anyone who has done any sort of web design knows the color codes and numbers (which was a cool shout-out!) but I'm afraid the average Joe just wouldn't understand what happened there.
I also have to send out incredible kudos to Gina's stunt-double. That freakin' roll into the cabinet rocked so hard! I was way impressed with that one!
Now for the questions:
1) Who the heck does The Italian work for?? I was way happy to see her in some good lighting. None of this dark alley stuff.
2) Was the case about the dirty cops the same case that MV was supposed to be testifying about? I thought he was laundering money for the mob and that's what he was talking about. I would have thought the team would have made a bigger deal about this guy taking down dirty cops rather than some mob guys. Yes, the cops and the mob guys could have been in on it together, but that part seemed a bit murky.
3) Why the hell wasn't Nate more pissed the Italian tried to off him and his team? Not only did she absolutely eff up their deal but it put his team's lives in danger (including Sophie which I totally thought would piss him off!).
OK, that's it for now but I might think of more later after I watch again... we seriously have to wait 3 month to see what happens? Please tell me Frakes directed #314 and its the Wil/Chaos Christmas ep. That would be the best present ever!
I might ask questions later after I watch it again, but for now I just want to say brilliant episode! And thank you for allowing Hardison to throw down a bit. Nice to let him show some skillz in the fighting department. Cannot wait until December.
Oh, the Creepy Praying Mantis portraits all over Nate's Bedroom was apropos to the con. A bit on the nose, really.
I wish to object to the fact that you teased us with hockey without including the make-Kane-play-dress-up fun of Eliot-the-hockey-player.
(... I would probably watch Kane as Batman. I admit it.)
LOVED THE EP. Eliot & Hardison as Boston Police .. their scenes together .. FTW! Nate, Sophie and Parker awesome as usual, and great to see McSweeten back.
My Q's have to do with all of Parker's Pop Culture references in this episode:
Has she been catching up TV & movies recently OR has it been THAT long since she actually watched TV or a movie?
Also, after Parker yells out "GHOSTBUSTERS!!" we get the expected Eliot reaction, but before the shot ends, he's smiling/laughing. Was that actually Eliot laughing, or did Kane break character and you just let it go because it was good moment (Parker/Beth also laughing after that).
So sad that I can't watch the episode until tomorrow. (I'm at work tonight.) I'm sure I will have questions then. But I do have a non-episode, industry qestion. Why is it that most TV shows now are only 10-15 episodes instead of the 20-24 that it used to be?
@Lesley - That's just for cable shows (on channels such as TNT and USA). Network shows (on channels such as ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX) still have the standard 20-24 episode per season format.
@joey_c I have the feeling we've seen the sniper before!
I'm wondering how much of this has been masterminded from behind The Italian's point of view, and how much Nate is catching on.
I also have a feeling there's a reason he's keeping hie team from the reach of "The Italian" Maybe he knows they'll recognize her?
Sterling is not Moreau.
Moreau is a huge criminal.
Sterling is a "honest man"...just a huge ass hole about it.
I notice when Vector gets sworn in it was "swear or affirm" and no "so help you G-d".
Is that how it is today? I'm surprised our Jesus obsessed country would let that go.
Video Beagle said...
He has it pulled back this ep, but I've been wanting to ask...how does Kane/Elliot get his hair to hang straight like that?
A flat iron and dimethicone/cyclomethicone (think anti-friz stuff) works for me.
But a hair stylist between scenes would do wonders.
Lots of meaty Nate/Sophie scenes here. Mmmm.
In both this and (I believe) The Double Blind Job, I'm wondering about the scanning usage of the phones. Parker turned the face of the phone to the documents from the safe, and Nate turned the face to the photo. Don't you have to use the camera (on the BACK of the phone) ??
All in all, a WONDERFUL episode, and I love the hotness of Eliot and Hardison in uniform, and the hilarity of their interaction. Awesome episode, and one of my favorites. Thank you all for the entertainment!!
Okay, so Eliot has now officially joined the ranks of "guys you don't want to meet in a dark room." Scary Eliot is scary.
And I loved that his taking down a cop didn't seem to faze the McRory's crowd. Just another day at the bar. *g*
And, say, has Eliot been coaching Hardison with the baseball bat? I do believe our young hacker has found his weapon of choice.
Btw, I now have the theme to "Cops" stuck in my head, thanks to Kane and Hodge. Those two need their own little featurettes on the DVDs.
Loved Parker in this. The whole Pinocchio/Ghostbusters was hilarious, as well as the "don't stab, don't stab" mantra. (Seriously, you fork one guy and you're marked for life. *g*) And she really got to shine in the con. But I most loved her scenes with McSweetie. So, has her burgeoning relationship with Hardison, um, "humanized" (I know there's a better word, but it escapes me at the moment) her enough for her to grasp the concept of infatuation and flirtation? Because she really seems to have developed an actual soft spot for him.
(And, btw, thanks for bringing McSweeten in. I actually cheered a little when I saw him. I have no pride. Also, the idea of Taggert teaching krav maga is just … yeah. Thanks for that, too.)
But, good Lord, things went south in a hurry! And when Sophie went sliding into that bookcase … Just how far in over their heads are our guys?! Way to make December seem even further away, thank you very much!
At this point (yeah, I'll probably be back), I guess my only question is, just why hasn't Nate let the team see The Italian? He can't be worried that she'll be able to identify them; clearly, she already knows who they are. So … is it to keep them from identifying her? And is it possible at least one of them already knows her? (I know, I know, but I had to ask.)
Anyway, great episode! Had me on the edge of my seat (when I wasn't laughing at the Hardison-Eliot show) and wondering what the hell y'all have in store for us come December.
Oh, God, December. Rogers, I thought you loved us!!
The only part I'm having trouble with is the way Eliot insisted on going out to the domestic call. Was their cover so complete that there weren't any other cars in that sector? It seemed a bit like Eliot was losing focus on the mission, that he didn't care that Sophie had a specific deadline to meet. I think I need to watch that again.
I have felt from the beginning that the Italian wants Moreau out of her way. I have wondered if she is perhaps his second or third in command and has dedided she wants his business for himself and that would explain why whe wants her hands clean.
just had a great idea, wouldn't it be just like Rogers and Co to have Clooney playing MOreau. LOL that would be something.
So, If we are going to find out more about Eliot than we want to, does this mean that he already knows the Italian?
BTW, kudos for this...my D&D group now takes a leverage break during our sessions! None of us can stand to miss it!
So, If we are going to find out more about Eliot than we want to, does this mean that he already knows the Italian?
Um. Ex-lover? Oh-oh....
Just a thought that popped in my head: is Moreau a 'Dread Pirate Roberts'-type?
Really nice episode! A great mix of funny, tension, inside jokes and social commentary.
1. Parker's "Pinocchio", "Ghostbusters", "Barney the Dinosaur"... trying to fit in as many references as possible in one episode? It was like she's still half in the childhood she never had.
2. Hilarious to see the dynamic duo get dragged into extra cop work. Eliot is really prepping for Batman, between vigilante calls, protecting the innocent, fighting in the dark and on ice...
3. Not too sure about the whole code-in-a-picture thing. For Nate to guess it was steganography from a "off-color" comment, to have him use a hand-held camera to take the comparing snap... Ah, the things we do to make technology viewer-friendly!
4. Great to see McSweeten again. I liked the line about him having been hunting down FBI-parker for a while. Those guys come in at just the right frequency. Is Hardison jealous? She even gift-wrapped his prisoner!
John's noted that they can't use Boston pro sports team logos and the like due to licensing fees. Thus the generic look of Vector's hockey uniforms. However, it's reasonable to assume that he set up as an investment sales type in the city where he played (particularly since as an enforcer, fans in other cities would dislike him) in order to take advantage of his reputation.
So he played hockey in Boston. Which, despite the red color scheme and "M" on the uniform would, in our world, make him a Boston Bruin. Thus, when Eliot was fighting him at the end, Eliot was finally fighting a bear.
Okay, in the season 2 commentary for The Order 23 Job (geek much?), y'all said that even though the theories run that Eliot being abused as a child is what compels him to act on behalf of children, that that wasn't the case.
The question now is, did y'all change your minds on that point? Because every time a child is involved, or he thinks one might be, things get very touchy very quickly. There has to be a reason, and you have to give it to us, even if it's not the reason we think. Something's going on there, because even though I really think Eliot has a soft heart despite what he does, most guys like him aren't overly concerned about kids unless something is underlying. (And beyond the abuse theory, I have seriously started to have this nagging feeling that perhaps Eliot HAD a child at some point and something happened to it? That's probably crazy, but about the only other thing I can come up with. Maybe an abused brother or sister?)
It's season 3, and we still kinda don't know much about these people. It might be wise to start letting more back story slip, because I, for one, am here for the characters. Love the cons, sure, but I love the characters more. Just sayin'.
That's my question. Otherwise, I would like to thank you for the Eliot/Hardison cop sequences, which only got more entertaining the more it spun out of their control. I was surprised Eliot hadn't taken Hardison out, too, by the end of it.
LOVED the fight in the dark, too. I will choose to believe that among Eliot's awesome powers is night vision, and the cell phone lights were only there for our benefit. Y'all don't call him Batman for nothing.
Also... the Parker pop culture references were adorable. I love Ghostbusters, and even Eliot couldn't resist that one. ;)
Lastly, I will chime in with my whine - Deceeeeembeeeerrr? We want it nooooow! And, done.
Another great ep, as always! You know, enough can not really be said about the production quality of this show. I never feel like I'm watching a TV show, it always has the look of a movie, so kudos to everyone who makes that happen.
My question is actually something that's been niggling at me all season - is the rest of the team aware of The Italian's threat to kill them if they don't bring down Moreau? I just rewatched the bit at the end of Jailhouse Job where Nate was telling them the situation, and it conveniently cuts to his actual conversation with The Italian instead of showing what he says to the team. They do respond with 'so she's blackmailing us', but then they protest going after Moreau, and I wondered if they would do that with a death threat on the table. Then in Rashomon, there was the discussion that if they don't take Moreau down in time, Nate goes back to prison. No one said anything about having to run for their lives, if I recall correctly. And then in tonight's ep, it's been spelled out that Nate has never allowed the rest of them direct contact with The Italian. So, is he keeping them in the dark about the death threat, and if so, why?
Is Elliot's protectiveness of children something that is part of who he is as a person or as a result of his past? Thank you for showing that people like Elliot have a heart & aren't always beating the crap out of people just because being a hitter is part of who they are.
This was so filled with lusciousness. At each commercial, I was savoring all the moments just seen. What a fabulous way to...stop for a while. Don't know how else to put it, not the end of a season, and yet...
Whatever, though. It doesn't really bother me except for not getting any new Leverage goodness for 3 freaking months. Grooooooaaannnn.
My question is: how did the prisoner escape the police car? Giving Hardison credit for stealing a real police car, the prisoner should not have been able to open the back doors or get thru the cage separating the front and back seats. So, unless I missed something - which is certainly possible - that guy should've been sitting in his own vomit when they got back. What happened?
Exciting episode! I love it when there's a lot of stuff going on. And unexpected things send the con off in various directions. Like McSweeten showing up, like Eliot & Hardison getting stuck with the prisoner, and the sniper.
Who chose the huge print of the praying mantis to be above "Alice's bed"? That seemed a little... weird.
How did Eliot know what a code 16 was - domestic dispute with a weapon - why was he so insistent that they respond instead of letting the real cops do it. Makes me think he's been a city cop - also makes me think when he was a little kid, he was nearby when the cops showed up on a code 16 because his parents (or people responsible for taking care of him) were the ones arguing. That Eliot, he sure comes off as a very complex guy - so many motivations seem to inform on his decisions and actions.
Speaking of Parker - what was up with those childhood reference Pinocchio and Ghostbusters - it was funny! Mostly, thouhg, about Parker, I wonder what her cereal preference is: does she eat the kids ones like fruit loops or Lucky Charms, or does she like the more adult serials like cheerios and shredded wheat? Does she even know how to make herself hot cereal? Would Eliot ever offer to do it for her or at least show her how?
Hope you have an enjoyable hiatus! I'm just glad we get a few more eps in December to tied us over until you can get Season 4 rolling.
random musing: if ever the leverage team goes down when the whole series ends, it'd be totally hilarious if Taggart and McSweeten take them down.
John,
Thanks again for answering our questions. We are so spoiled!!
My question for this week is: How and when did Nate figure out that the Italian had sent the bad policemen after the team? I will ask, although I probably will not get an answer to this one: Who hired the sniper? Was it Morau? Is he already aware of the team?
@VideoBeagle - When my dad was a witness in court locally, the oath was pretty heavy-handed with the religious references; I think there was something to the effect of "if I'm lying, may the lord God smite me dead" at the end of the thing.
I suspect it may be one of those things that varies depending on the court, though?
@KevinK "1.Have you guys ever thought about doing a Christmas episode? Because that would be awesome"
Yes. Wil Wheaton reprises his role as Chaos to play the Grinch That Hacked Christmas. Try googling "The Ho-Ho-Ho Job"
Excellent! Loved Hardison and Eliot as boys in blue.
A couple of questions:
1. How did Parker suppress her pulse so that Vector couldn't feel it? Sure, he was in shock and hungover, but how could she be sure that he wouldn't feel her pulse? Does Parker practice some sort of meditation?
2. Was the Vector character based on a real sports figure/incident?
Thanks, John.
Long-time lurker, first-time caller here. So here we go.
1. My thorough background in criminal law (L&O University, followed by The Closer) suggests that in order to get immunity, you first need to confess. My question is: if Vector confessed to whatever crime he committed against the client, does this protect him from civil lawsuits as well? I know the explanation you gave was the cost of the suit, but I was wondering.
2. My theory is not that Eliot was abused as a child, but that in the course of a job he either didn't protect a child, or may have even killed one, and that was a turning point for him.
3. Every time Sophie taps someone, I think she's using NLP. So instead of focusing on Sophie arranging Nate's tie, I was thinking that she's conditioning him. So thank you very much for messing with my head.
4. How can the team accept Nate's refusal to let them see the Italian? The whole reason they are in this situation is that Nate lied to them. As much as they trust him, I can't imagine Eliot or Sophie jumping into something like this without knowing who exactly they are working for. Actually, I can't imagine Hardison or Parker doing so either. Sophie was just so calm in that final scene!
I really liked the vibe in this episode. Eliot and Hardison's adventures just got more and more hysterical as the episode went along, and having McSweeten show up was so much fun, too. And yet at the same time, there was this growing sense that something was about to go badly wrong with the whole con, which made the episode very intense.
(By the way, everyone did a great job on this one, but Kane and Hodge really nailed it with the buddy scenes, whether funny or serious.)
The fight in the dark was just ridiculously awesome. Whoever came up with that, I want to buy you a drink. Or several.
Just a couple questions. I suspect you'll already address this, but the code, can you go into that a little more? Real, I suspect? Where did you find this? And then also, it felt like Nate and Sophie might have turned a corner in this episode. Just my imagination?
Anyhow, thanks much, and congrats to everyone on a great summer finale!
Just throwing this out there, in answer to a couple comments: with respect, maybe Eliot just has a soft spot for kids and tries to protect them because he can. Doesn't have to be some lingering thing from his past. I seem to remember him saying in one episode, a while back (which one?) that helping people gets under your skin, and I figure that's exactly what we're seeing here.
Scooter - Parker put some fake skin over the pulse point on her wrist with the make-up bag. That was the first thing she started to apply. I think that's the reason Vector couldn't get a pulse.
Questions:
Is it a spoiler that we see Sam's picture that was so important to the Maltese Falcon Job? Is there a connection between that job and the finale in S3 (other than Nate getting busted gave the Italian an in)?
Will Eliot recognize the Italian when she sees him? (I like the suggestion up thread that the Italian may be trying to step into Moreau's shoes. That would definitely make sense.)
Eliot knew exactly how Moreau's hitmen work. Was Eliot ever a trigger man for Moreau?
General Comments:
Very exciting episode. I also thought it was wierd that Eliot would divert them offtask because there was a domestic dispute and if there isn't a payoff for that in the finale, the Eliot-loves-kids thing is going to start getting a little shticky. But you probably will, and it was an entertaining scene, especially after the prisoner got away.
The actor playing Vector was very good, and I thought the set up was very good. The hardest cons to sell, I think, are the ones were someone on the team is offering their services to a criminal mark (I for one thought Clancy Brown should have been way more suspicious in Gone Fishin Job), but having them splice in voice of Vector's attorney was a nice way to set that up here.
McSweeten was a nice touch, too.
Everyone had good moments in this one - those are the best eps.
I don't have any questions. I just wanted to say what an awesome episode you gave us last night! I'm currently writing a Leverage Fan Fiction right now where Eliot poses as a cop so last night's episode was so full of awesome for me! Thank you for making my year! I can't wait to see what December will bring us.
Thank you for all your hard work and your willingness to read and respond to these comments!
favorite part was Sophie rolling to cover! great work by Gina's stunt double. as always, ya did an awesome job, and this Leverage withdrawal is gonna kill me, but hey, I'll see if they have it on in Hell.
had some questions, forgot 'em, gonna re-watch and ask later >.<
@Cassie: I don't think that there is any special reason for Eliot and kids other than what's been said. He did some very bad things in his past, first for the government (think ...Rambo?) and then on his own. To do things like that, and be surrounded by so much violence, you have to close some part of yourself away. Now that he's growing a heart, it seems that kids are his focus, almost like they are the rope that is pulling him out of the dark. You go from a forced insensitive, to hypersensitive.
For a question: I don't care if it's jumping the shark, could we please please have a 'very special episode' that features the team on a day off? And since I'm totally dreaming, pairing cop Eliot and Hardison with the Psych team would make for one of the best hours of comedy tv ever!
@Sarah W Will we get to see Moreau? Can you let us know the actor's name without spoiling too much? It isn't Mark Sheppard, is it?
Ha! Sterling's not Moreau, but if Mark Shepard played Moreau than international crime fighter Sterling would have an EVIL TWIN! whose an international criminal! XD
I loved the Nate/Sophie scenes so much. Loved how domestic and comfortable with each other they were, Sophie fixing his tie, mentioning their past (love that every time! when do we get more on that btw?), Nate replying that he prefers them on the same side and saying that he's never worried about her when doing her job. There was so much goodness in that scene. They were both adorable and it was nice to see them smiling at each other, just like in the last scene of the episode. Definitely among my favorite N/S scenes this season right there with the talk at the end of the Jailhouse, the kitchen scene tinged with a little sexual tension and the dance scene. Of course loved the scenes they shared in the King George and The Three-Card Monte as well. I am missing some follow-up scenes to the kiss last season, though. Anything like that coming up in December? There should be more kissing, in Nate's lovely bedroom preferably. Will we see it again? And when will Nate and the audience find out Sophie's real name?
@scooter
If my memory serves me correctly, former baseball player Lenny Dykstra went into some sort of investment scheme after he finished baseball. He was heralded as a "stock savant" who actually was WAY over his head in debt. If I could find the article I read on that situation, I'd point it out. While he didn't get to the depth of Vector (once again, memory is foggy), Dykstra was in a similar situation.
Questions forthcoming...
Okay - I clearly missed something in this ep after re-watching the end to see the last Italian confrontation.
Why is going after Moreau now a choice and not a necessity? Doesn't Nate still need the Italian's influence to keep him out of jail? Or since she was willing to get the team killed to get the codes, is he just willing to accept fugitive status and finish the job?
Didn't the team see the Italian at the end of the season opener? When they opened the door to leave there were the gunmen and then she came down the staircase from the loft.
(comment edited since wasn't sure about my police code point)
Why do I get the feeling that one potential--or possibly ast---big bad is using the team to take down Moreau so they can take over his operation? And leaving our team to take the fall and the fallout for this?
Did Nate not tell the team about the death threat made by The Italian to them? Any mention of threats is always about Nate going back to prison, never about "oh and they are going to kill us"
I'm not sure what y'all are talking about - the ENTIRE team saw the Italian the first time we saw her, in Nate's apartment in the season premiere. They just haven't been privy to any of the following conversations Nate has had with her. While I'm betting that at least one of the team has an undisclosed connection to Moreau (what's a season finale without one of the team keeping a possible disastrous secret from the others?!?), I can't see how that reveal could be based on the Italian recognizing them/them recognizing the Italian since they've already seen each other.
LOVED Hardison and Eliot as cops, and the fight-in-the-dark was absolutely epic. And I appreciated the quiet Nate/Sophie moments amidst all the mayhem :)
Q: When Eliot pointed out the dirty cops' shoes, was that how he knew they were cops, or how he knew they were dirty? (I thought they looked like cop shoes, but I didn't know if we were supposed to get that they were, like, really EXPENSIVE cop shoes.)
Q: Taggart teaching Krav Maga at Quantico...hee! My only question is: when may we expect this webisode?
The 'domestic' police call seemed a bit "too much," but then, where else would Hardison have obtained a baseball bat?
Good job, Leverage team! Great show.
Pen Death and Erin - yep, you're right. The team did see the Italian and she saw the team. Forgot about that one.
It's official you guys are idols!
Thanks for making this kick-ass show even awesomer! [who would've thunk that was possible?]The awesomeness of this season got me through an unusually long and dreaded summer, so for that I am grateful.
Kudos to the cast and crew for all their hard work. I can't wait to see what you have in store for us for the December episodes.
Quick question:
Is the awesome kick-ass Irish/punk song you guys use in The 12-Step Job available anywhere?
Thanks :)
This summer finale was a bit underwhelming if we compare it to the David Jobs or The Two Live Crew Job which was meant to be a summer finale. I don't know if it's intentional or not but it seems to me that this season almost every episode leaves us with more questions than answers, somehow lets me down in a way 'cause I feel like my expectations haven't been met. Nothing major happening or being resolved. You're probably getting so many more questions on your blog this season than in the previous ones 'cause of that. Saving the very best for the season finale perhaps?
@video beagle
For depositions in the NYC area, it is usually "affirm" rather than any religious reference, so it probably varies. I'm thinking it may be more common to use "affirm" in the Northeast than in other areas.
After this episode, my new theory about Elliot and kids is that one of his friends, maybe a next door neighbor, was hurt or killed during a domestic dispute. Getting this from the general "must protect kids" and the intense "must answer this call" during the episode--specifically the way Elliot was saying, "what if there's kids in the house?" and the way he was so adamant during questioning the woman about whether there were any kids in the house. Hope we find out the real story on this.
Enjoyed the show and enjoyed the moments between the team members, especially: Parker/Nate at the airport; Hardison/Eliot, well, the whole time; and finally, Nate/Sophie at the apartment. It all just worked well.
Question: How did the sniper find their location? By following Vector from the airport or the GPS on his phone. I guess either works tho. And does this mean the team has to relocate or just that Nate's place really, really needs to add an emergency door from the 2nd floor as well as bullet-resist windows?
Great episode! Our family laughed so hard at the Eliot/Hardison cop bit. Though Eliot's insistence at going to the domestic dispute was a complete turnaround from when he was yelling at Haridson about wasting time to transport the prisoner and I found that odd. Two questions (1) concerns their cop uniforms--why were they dressed like SWAT team and not in standard issue uniform? Seemed a little overboard for merely retrieving a file and most cops dont go around in bulletproof vests for ordinary jobs. (2) The sniper/guy at the airport is obviously a Moreau minion. Obviously Moreau is aware of the problems his organization has been facing and if he is as powerful as he is being made out to be, shouldn't he be aware of the team's identities? Thank goodness for DVRs because it is going to be a loooong wait to December!
@Erin … D'oh! Forgot about Jailhouse and The Italian in the apartment.
Damn, there goes a perfectly good theory …
10 bucks says McSweeten is a bad guy in the Winter season finale xD.
Big old cups of coffee and the booze of their choice to the writers for using steganography in the show. Was this inspired by an actual criminal case from research?
who's he gonna call?
GHOST BUSTERS!
Long time lurker and first time caller here, too!
Two questions at the moment.
1) What's up with Sophie and Nate having shots together A LOT these last few episodes? Just a follow-through on the "you're a thief now, you can save yourself" conversation? I really, really, really like it - it seems like there's a lot of subtext-y (subaction-y?) stuff there. (By the way, TEAM SHOTS FTW in Roshoman - I'm surprised they were all sober enough to - for reals this time - steal the dagger by the end of the episode).
2) Just something I wondered about after re-watching seasons 1 & 2: if Sophie Devereaux is so famous/feared in the crime world, how come none of the other Leverage peeps knew her when Nate procured her in the pilot (especially since Parker was apparently just as into stealing fine art as Sophie was)?
Thanks for making the best TV show I've seen in a long, long, long time.
The usual love, admiration, and promises of a round of drinks to the crew. Also as usual, I won't come up with a thoughtful question until I've watched the episode a few dozen, obsessive times.
The only thing that struck me this time -- Parker playing dead re; make up and stare was EXCELLENT (kudos to Beth and the make up crew) but...I tried to hold my breath for the amount of time the Bad Guy was looking at her, and I couldn't. Now, I'll admit right off I'm not nearly as fit as Parker, and of course she could sneak breaths or breath shallow while he wasn't looking at her (although she couldn't move her eyes to track him). And then there's the body temperature thing and certain other things that happen when a person dies -- not that I'd expect a hungover Bad Guy to catch them or even think about them. Still, those little details were the grit in an otherwise perfectly balanced instrument of an episode and they jolted me off the Fun Train (at least until the commercial break, when I forgave and forgot all).
Is there a particular Parker attributed skill for that, or some trick of tech besides make up used to cover those details? After all, they could not depend 100% on the Bad Guy totally freaking out.
Also -- love for the final bit with Parker draped over Elliot and Hardison. Elliot takes the taser away from her, but doesn't push her arm off his shoulder -- that really encapsulated the relationships there. Was that scripted, directed, or improved by the actors?
@Oona -- I knew this long hiatus was coming, so I held off obsessive repeated watchings of Season 2 (and, of course, I have DVRed season 3). I've only seen season 1 some 18-20 times and I'm itching to watch it again, too, but I'm resisting -- gotta make it all LAST.
@bartcal
If you remember from the show, the sniper cloned Vector's phone when they bumped into each other at the airport. Thus, he knew where he was from the GPS that every (it seems) cell phone has nowadays.
Still working on questions...
I think this was probably one of the fastest flowing episodes you guys had this season. It started and i blinked and the baddie was beating the crap out of the good guy. WOAH!
Parker has come a very LONG way since the first season, she's grown and i think is becoming a grifter in her own right :)
Hardison has started to come out more out of that nerdy shell and we've seen that he can really kick some ass.
Eliot.. well, what can i say about Eliot except that the fight scenes.. you boys are so creative. The fight scene in the dark was just brilliant.
By the end of the ep, i was scared for Nate and the gang because i know that she got him to take all of the blame now and someone as powerful as Damien M isn't going to just let them walk away :(
All and all it was a great Summer Finale
... Eliot & Aldis as Cops was like the show "Cops" on CRACK
Now to the questions..
1. When it comes to the fight scenes, Do Chris or Aldis improv anything?
2. When is Wil Wheaton's Ep? I'm dying for some Chaos ;)
3. Has there been an idea that you've had for an episode that was too outlandish to work?
I think that's all i wanted to ask. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I for one appreciate the time.
@Drew: Big old cups of coffee and the booze of their choice to the writers for using steganography in the show.
I swear they should change the tagline from "Sometimes bad guys make the best good guys" to "You con AND you learn!"
@ USRaider: Thus, he knew where he was from the GPS that every (it seems) cell phone has nowadays.
Which you can turn off. Which I did not know/realize until Leverage. Like I said, you con AND you learn.
Okay, I just gotta know …
I've got some tape on this guy. He can fight.
You watch hockey fights, alone, at night, in your room?
Just how long has Eliot had a TV? ;)
"You never know if you're gonna have to fight a guy on ice."
"Ghostbusters!"
"Don't stab."
"He's teaching Krav Maga..."
I love you guys.
And I love you guys are doing the old Sports Night/West Wing/Studio 60 camera circle. [Sure there's a good tech name for it, I'm sure... but still.]
Oh, and I love Eliot/Batman more than words can say. But. But the hair... the hair is a fighting liability. I'd grab it and hockey jersey him all day. He needs a buzz cut. [And good luck w/that.] LOL :)
This. Season. Has. Been. Awesome.
Thank you.
And now, the actual questions... What make/suppressor was that sniper rifle?
And, can you actually clone a phone from that quick a bump pass?
Oh, and you can't really headbutt somebody w/a ballcap on. Just sayin'.
All good questions...but has no one figured that it was Sterling that the Italian talked to on the phone...everything suddenly makes sense if she is a front for Sterling who is using the team to advance his career. He is in international law enforcement now, and of course has an intimate knowledge of the teams capabilities and also knows how to push their buttons and manipulate them.
Also, big city cops wear bullet proof vests 100% of the time, and frequently wear "tactical" uniforms depending on the area they patrol.
Sniper Guy didn't need GPS to track Vector. He cloned the phone, so he heard every call Vector made, and Vector first called his attorney, and then called "Adam Grieves" for help. Presumably, Vector told "Adam" where he was, since Nate-as-Adam showed up there. Thus, Sniper Guy heard the same directions/address that Nate-as-Adam got.
Check out Josh's comment. Agreed about Sophie becoming overshadowed and not liking that. http://www.daemonstv.com/2010/09/05/leverage-the-morning-after-job-review/
"She doesn’t need to be the resident grifter anymore if everyone else can do it. No one can hack, but it seems everyone can grift."
Maybe i am just misreading, but the team has seen the Italian-- at the end of the Jailhouse Job. I just went back to check as I thought I was going a bit nuts. Love this episode! Was a bit surprised at how distracted Hardison and Eliot got, but wow! So great! I will miss having new Leverage eps, it is the only show I subscribe to.
Tom said...
All good questions...but has no one figured that it was Sterling that the Italian talked to on the phone...everything suddenly makes sense if she is a front for Sterling who is using the team to advance his career. He is in international law enforcement now, and of course has an intimate knowledge of the teams capabilities and also knows how to push their buttons and manipulate them.
That was my first thought when I saw Sam's drawing in Nate's apt - the thing that got Nate busted in season 2 by Sterling. And Rogers has said that Sterling and the Italian would know each other and not be adversarial. BUT - everyone has said there will be no Sterling this season due to Mark Shepard's scheduling conflicts.
So unless they're lying, it would have to be an offscreen Sterling, which would be a little anti-climactic.
I blurted out 'Ghostbusters' at the exact same time as Parker when watching the latest ep and I'm not sure what that says about me ;-). Maybe I should get a harness and take up jumping from buildings...
I don't think that there is any special reason for Eliot and kids other than what's been said. He did some very bad things in his past, first for the government (think ...Rambo?) and then on his own.
@Lynne M: At the beginning of the Scheherazade Job, Elliot was talking to the african journalist about seeing children who couldn't work in the mines become child soldiers. I thought at the time that it seemed unlikely that Elliot would have taken a job from the side which used child soldiers, but if he was on the other side, the likelihood is that at some point the opponents he faced were children.
I would think that could mess up your head pretty badly.
Could Sophie and the Italian know each other? Could it be that they're running a long con on the team together in order to bring down Moreau? Could it be that Moreau has done something unspeakably bad to them, and that's why they want Nate to do it for them?
This was an andrenaline rush from start to finish. It's possibly going to end up being my favourite episode of the entire season so far, partly because of the unusual sense of menace overhanging it all but also because every member of the team had a prolonged chance to shine.
The Hardison/Eliot scenes were absolutely hilarious, while their uniforms were disturbingly hot; the Sophie/Nate scenes were important and beautifully done, and Parker - well, all I need say is 'Ghostbusters' (she was a beat behind me on that one) and 'Don't stab'. Oh, and McSweethart. *loves*
As others have said, the smash into the furniture that Gina's stunt double did was amazing: it was that which really made me believe our guys were in trouble. The fight scene in the dark was BRILLIANT.
I didn't see Eliot's response to the dispatcher's call as out of character at all; it seems to me that he, of them all, is the one who consistently most wants to protect the vulnerable. It does raise all sorts of questions about his background, and I suspect that my rose-coloured spectacles re Eliot are going to end up stomped into the ground but, whatever his reasons, this is where he's ended up emotionally.
May I just echo an earlier question about how the cops' shoes gave them away as dirty cops? I'm sure they're very distinctive shoes, and I am quite happy to believe that it was meaningful to Eliot and to Hardison, but the significance passed me by completely.
This was a clever episode to leave us on; I'm really worried about our team come December, you rotter!
Having gratuitously insulted you, I would like to add my thanks to that of so many others for indulging us on this blog. Reading here adds so much to the enjoyment of each episode. Thank you for that.
@Anonymous (12:43): Yes, but what about when they need two grifters, as they did in this job? Unless Sophie's talents include bilocation, they actually do need a backup.
@coyote6: Sniper Guy didn't need GPS to track Vector. He cloned the phone, so he heard every call Vector made, and Vector first called his attorney, and then called "Adam Grieves" for help. Presumably, Vector told "Adam" where he was, since Nate-as-Adam showed up there. Thus, Sniper Guy heard the same directions/address that Nate-as-Adam got.
When Vector called "his attorney" (intercepted by the team), Vector says he is texting the address, implying that his original attorney will send it to the new one, so no verbal instructions were involved. Would the cloned phone have received the texted address from Vector to the original attorney? Or would the text message also have been intercepted by the team? Not sure how these things work.
@Anonymous (12:43): Yes, but what about when they need two grifters, as they did in this job? Unless Sophie's talents include bilocation, they actually do need a backup.
Well, not everyone is as GOOD as Sophie. And she's taking over some of the leadership and planning role (which used to be Nate's alone).
@Anonymous (12:43): Also, Sophie's grifting abilities are on a much higher level due to her knowledge of so many things: NLP, art, history, foreign languages, cultures around the world, et al. Plus, she has a creative ability to adapt when things go wrong, much as Nate does, at a very high level.
So, even if the others are becoming grifters, she is the master. That's why Nate says he never worries about her when she's grifting.
Amen about Gina Bellman's Sophie being a brilliant grifter. The others on the crew have varying degrees of grifting skills, but when she's running the con I get completely drawn in. In spite of the fact that I know damned well it's a con. On a television show, for cryin' out loud.
Ok, I have a few questions/comments.
1) If someone testifies against crooked cops, do they really release the person to the police? That seems like a situation where the FBI would automatically assume custody.
2) I had a couple problems with the sniper. A) It seemed noisy, but neither Eliot nor anyone else not in the room seemed to hear it. B) They didn't come across as scared enough. Perhaps it is my tv-watching eyes where being under automatic sniper fire is normal, but I think the experience would be terrifying well beyond what we saw. That seemed to be implied in the writing of the show, but not really on screen.
@Erin and @Jen
I think the shoes were only to show they were cops. We were supposed to get dirty from them being plainclothes in a group of four in a bar before noon and the conversation the boys had just had with the kid.
@gwangung, I never said anyone is as good as Sophie; they're not. I was simply responding to Anonymous' apparent complaint that having other team members as grifters somehow means they're overshadowing Sophie.
Sophie is the premier grifter on the team. But every now and then, they need two grifters. Having someone else who can pull the second role does nothing to undermine Sophie, anymore than Hardison taking out guys with a baseball bat undermines Eliot.
Ok, to be honest, I haven't read all the other comments to see if my questions or comments have been made - I do think some of the flashbacks in this ep would have fallen under the "no shit" category, and really didn't need explanation; would have preferred to see more seens in the present, especially the Eliot/Hardison or Sophie walking Parker through flirting parts. But I did think it was a great ep.
In the one flashback of Parker making herself up to be dead, she puts something on her wrist, which looked like she was trying to appear as having slit her wrists? Um, I just might have missed it, but did we see her wrist at all in the morning? I was assuming they wanted him to think he beat her to death or choked her.
I also want to say I love when the team is discussing the names of different cons (i.e. the snow job, the beantown bailout, the studio job); how many of them are real names of cons? Do you use the correct descriptions of the cons or do you make up your own with real names? Were the two mentioned tonight real?
The Italian Woman and her associates really seem like Burn Notice's Management and the People Who Burned Michael. Am I way off base in this comparison or is this one plausible way of describing their organization?
Thought of another question: when Nate left the Italian at the end and she immediately pulled out her cell phone to call whoever it was, my first thought was "Oh, like he can't hear you!" That got me thinking: I'm sure Nate knows she wants the team to take down Moreau themselves but I think that, especially because the team almost got killed, Nate is going to take her down right along with Moreau.
Thoughts?
@Anonymous 5:57: In the one flashback of Parker making herself up to be dead, she puts something on her wrist, which looked like she was trying to appear as having slit her wrists?
No, Parker was putting fake flesh over her wrist pulse points, so when Vector felt for a pulse, he didn't detect one and thought Parker was really dead.
Was Eliot's line "Next time maybe you can get us a firetruck!" a shout out to the episode you directed?
Absolutely LOVED this episode. Everything except McSweeten without Taggart. That was kind of sad. Also sad: One day the two of them will be running the FBI.
Well, that SUCKED. This is the first time Leverage has been so disappointing, and by disappointing, I mean absolutely make-me-angry stupid. The end game of the con depended on the grand jury witness being unnerved by seeing the “dead” girl and the FBI agent – except that the grand jury does not take place in a courtroom, and there is no audience. Grand juries are by definition SECRET – they occur in a closed room with only the grand jurors, the prosecutor, the witness, and the stenographer. No bailiffs, and no audience. How did it make sense to have the lawyer say, “I can’t go in there with you” and then turn around and have an audience? In your world, everyone is allowed in the grand jury room EXCEPT the attorney? Stupid. One simple Google search would tell you how a grand jury works! And that’s how the con is resolved? How stupid. And lazy.
I was already not feeling the episode, since Eliot and Hardison were so totally out of character and idiotic (someone give Eliot a Midol already, his perma-scowl and rage are tedious) – then the resolution made me want to shoot my TV. Sucky suckiness. And utter stupidity.
No question, just lots of ramble-y gushing:
Oh man, maybe the most laughs per minute in an episode since The Wedding Job.
The cinematography in the cop scenes was tons of fun. Only thing missing was a grainy shot from the cruiser's camera.
Angry Authoritative Eliot is the best thing ever! "SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!"
And Aldis Hodge should SO win an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, except I guess Leverage wouldn't be considered in the comedy category. But he still should. Rules should be rewritten. (Am I the only one who would support a dramedy category? There are enough shows on the air to justify it, especially if they trim nominations for the series categories to five.) I'm about the same age as Mr. Hodge, and if I ever stop to think about that for too long, I'm struck by the most crippling inferiority complex. The man is a god.
I actually shouted "Oh, shit!" when Hardison took out the fugitive's legs. (Also when Eliot said, "Hardison. Dark.")
I want to echo what Liz and LynneM and Julia have said re: Eliot and kids. I'm not convinced that personal or familial childhood trauma would add anything especially compelling to the character. Plus the flashback in The Reunion Job suggests that through high school, at least, Eliot had a very "normal" and pretty happy upbringing. The idea that he's motivated rather by having done some bad things and seen even worse things--including everything that happens to kids in war zones--fits more naturally with our knowledge of that background. Plus maybe he's just one of those guys who really likes and is good with kids. Like Christian Kane himself.
Loved that Parker actually wondered out loud if there's something wrong with her growing fondness for the taser. And I loved even more that her draping her arms around Eliot and Hardison kinda-sorta mirrored the end of The 12 Step Job, only now if Hardison says or thinks "I kind of like this Parker," he doesn't have to be wistful about it. Even if maybe having Parker's hands close to one's throat, especially if one of those hands holds a taser, might be a worrisome thing. The writers and Ms. Riesgraf are doing an awesome job keeping Parker's emotional and moral growth balanced (juggled?) with the craziness that made us fall in love with her in the first place. Every week I'm a little more fond of her. This may be heresy, but I think she's cooler than Catwoman.
Who played the man from the house where Hardison got his baseball bat? He looked extremely familiar. Also, is this episode named for the morning after pill or the "Morning After" movie?
This isn't a question but a comment, and I realize it's a derailing the fun train type comment, but Hullabaloo has ruined tasers for me entirely, and has wound up making the constant tasing of people in TV shows, commercials, and movies--always played for laughs right now--kind of horrific.
I'm probably not in the majority, but it just makes it a little harder to watch Parker as she seems to now want to tase people all over the place.
I think because McSweeten was this episode, I loved it so much more. Can we expect to see more of Parker's relationship with him developing? She seems to be getting fond of him!
Ooo, the ominous Italian talking to shadow players! It's totally Sterling isn't it? Speaking of him, are we going to get to see him this season?
The interactions between Parker and McSweeten are just hilarious/adorable. Are we going to see more of them and is Hardison jealous?
Of course, I also have to be terrible and poke fun at the stun gun. Why didn't Hardison and Eliot go down too? ;p
@ Archery
I don't think that was the resolution of the con. Actually, the con went wrong because they did not get the information from the bad guy directly from him as the con was planned. It seemed like a last minute desperate way to freak him out so he would not get immunity. I would imagine they conned their way into the courtroom.
You know, a lot of people just have a soft spot for kids. Does there have to be any more to it than that?
Almost every episode has at least one line that makes me laugh stupidly, and probably belongs on a tee shirt. This one's was, "Shut up, we the police."
For those who are wondering why Nate is being so secretive about the Italian:
Operational Security.
Nate, being a clever-pants kind of fellow wants to be the buffer between the team, and the Italian and her boss, (Who is Sterling, i am sure.) While the Italian certainly has some juice, she may not KNOW everything, and there's no point in having the team involved if they don't have to be. One can pick up a surprising amount of information through simple contact. ("How do you know they're cops?" "The shoes.")
But also, while the Italian may have files on our favorite outlaws, there is information that they can't possess, that could be spilled through careful observation. Information that could be used against our team, For instance, Parker's file might have a great deal of infomation about our favorite cat burglar, but nothing about her burgeoning relationship with Hardison. A close examination of body language when the two are close to one another might give it away.
See what i'm getting at? Nate is insulating them from her. It also works to the Italians advantage. Mainly because I could see Parker strangling her to death.
I must say though, the color thing? Very hard to buy. I'm one of those who can give writers a lot of leeway in the interests of time and entertainment, but that was... asking a bit much.
Love this ep, wanted to add my praise. Loved seeing McSweetin again and thought it was cute how Parker told him how sweet he was. Could there possibly be some budding feelings? How funny was Parker's reaction to Nate having a harness? Was it his or hers that she'd forgotten? Oh, and bread mold shirt from "Fairy Godparents Job" in the airport FTW!!!!!!!!! Totally made my day!
Sidenote- to whoever said about him not noticing that she hadn't voided when she died, I think it's pretty common for shows to skip the icky details, except for serious crime shows. However, speaking from experience (I work at rest homes) sometimes the voiding isn't immediately apparent, it all depends on the last time they went on their own. For those of you who have no idea what voided means, to void ones bowels/bladder upon death. Muscles relax, it can get messy. Sorry for the ick factor, but I actually know something and can answer a question for once!
Sorry, forgot to add in last post: Gina doing the desk hit or a stunt double. Looked like Gina to me....
I was already not feeling the episode, since Eliot and Hardison were so totally out of character and idiotic (someone give Eliot a Midol already, his perma-scowl and rage are tedious) – then the resolution made me want to shoot my TV. Sucky suckiness. And utter stupidity.
Eliot and Hardison acting stupid is not out of character for them. Wait, throw in Parker there too. Not an episode worthy of being called summer finale that's for sure. Maybe those two should be in a spin-off but don't call it drama please, maybe a sketch comedy instead.
Enjoyed the ep but I'm actually confused for once on where we stand. Why is the Moreau thing a choice now? Because Nate has the codes? (ditto Oona)
To me it's obvious that Moreau knows the team is after him - how couldn't he?
@anonymous - I REALLY hope McSweetheart doesn't end up being a bad guy.
Props to the person (who's name I cannot find now) that pointed out the color thing is real and called steganography. Fascinating.
Finally, fight is the dark was awesome. Cops w/ H&E was great fun and everyone could grift and it takes nothing away from Sophie. She's bloody SOPHIE.
jamesmith3 said...
I must say though, the color thing? Very hard to buy. I'm one of those who can give writers a lot of leeway in the interests of time and entertainment, but that was... asking a bit much.
Actually not that hard to buy. I'm in marketing and whenever I had ads made, I'd tell the graphic designers the colour-numbers, so no CI/CD guidelines could be violated by using the wrong shades. For example I'd not say 'red' but '485'.
I still think the Italian is going to end up to be a good guy for lack of a better word. I can't get past her sending Nate for that envelope. Why would she do that unless she wanted him to see what was in it? I think her connection to the dude (dudette?) on the phone was there and she wanted him to know about it. Am I even close?
On this ep, before Nate went upstairs to meet Vector, he said he wasn't worrried about Sophie but he clearly looked worried anyway. Was his spider sense just tingling or was that foreshadowing to the finale?
Oh, any also - those book titles. Any buried clues in there? Because I did not see a book about the "Battle of White Plains" titled "They Died in Vain" on Amazon.
I have officially become way too obsessed with this show.
OK, you left us not knowing who the Italian is working for... (Sterling?) I'm sure there is a fun twist waiting for us.
This episode had a lot of detail, I will have to watch a few times to pick up on everything. It would have been nice to have seen some hockey played...future episode I hope.
Question, I assume the fake skin was applied to the neck as well as the wrist, to mask pulse?... but I would be afraid the blue makeup would rub off and give Parker away. I use alcohol based makeup when I perform so it lasts and doesn't come off. She also looked worse when he first rolled her over that she did later lying there. (It's was still scary seeing a "Dead" Parker...)
@Arwen:I don't think that was the resolution of the con. Actually, the con went wrong because they did not get the information from the bad guy directly from him as the con was planned. It seemed like a last minute desperate way to freak him out so he would not get immunity. I would imagine they conned their way into the courtroom.
The point being that a grand jury does not meet in a courtroom.
A grand jury session is not public, it is secret. It takes place in a closed room. So the whole idea of having the bad guy get on the witness stand as if it's a trial and freak out when he sees Parker and the beat up victim (even if it didn't ultimately work) was stupid because they would never be there.
@gypsyhrt…Was Eliot's comment about 'that how he works' in reference to DM a clue in that he knows him better than the rest of the team?
My first thought when Eliot described him in Jailhouse Job was that Eliot worked for or against him before or possibly Eliot double crossed him once. Likewise when he said ‘that’s how he works’ in this episode.
@Rob Pugh…Oh, and you can't really headbutt somebody w/a ballcap on. You can when you’re Batman!
@SarahW…Will we get to see Moreau? Can you let us know the actor's name without spoiling too much? It isn't Mark Sheppard, is it? 'Cause that would cause aneurysms in fully half of your viewing audience . . . XD
We WILL see Moreau in December. Mark Sheppard is NOT Moreau. So as not to spoil it for anyone … those who WANT to know who’s playing Moreau it’s on Wikipedia, search for: Leverage (TV) & scroll down to “Recurring Cast” (the actor’s name is after Robert Blanche, ‘Capt. Bonanno’ & before Elisabetta Canalis, ‘the Italian’ character descriptions).
@24jg13…You've got a great idea - it would be FUN if Clooney was Moreau! He’s not, but there IS a connection!
MY QUESTIONS: A) What caused Sophie to violently roll into the furniture? Normally you would drop to the floor, not roll across the room; & B) ‘Las Vegas Wake-up Call’ or ‘Cuban Sandwich’?
Dawn/StL-MO
@jamesmith3: I must say though, the color thing? Very hard to buy.
It's real (i.e., orange box, not ledger).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganography
@KevinK & Lissie… According to Wikipedia there are only 3 episodes left in the season. How does that work out? Is it some sort of epic 3 part finale, or is it just some random episode that wasn't finished before the end summer?.... When is Wil Wheaton's Ep?
The Leverage crew wrapped in mid-August after ALL the episodes for Season 3 had been filmed. The 3 December episodes will consist of: “The Ho, Ho, Ho Job” (#314) where Wil Wheaton will reprise his ‘Chaos’ role & a 2-part finale – Part 1 (#315) = “The Big Bang Job” & Part 2 (#316) = “The San Lorenzo Job”
@Lissie… Has there been an idea that you've had for an episode that was too outlandish to work?
On the ‘Boost Job’ Question Post I asked a similar question & JR responded: "@Dawn?StL-MO - Has there ever been a scene you wrote that ended up being totally unworkable - one or two you would have loved to have pulled off?"
JR's Reply: "Most of the time we find ways to do at least SOME version of the scene. There are a few times where physical production stops us -- there was a zipline beat in the Christmas episode that was cut. But generally, no, we find a way to do almost everything, just to scale."
Hope we get to see the "actual" cut zip line footage on the 3rd Season DVDs along with the "supposed" footage of Hardison & Eliot climbing the tree shirtless in Gone Fishin' Job!
Dawn/StL-MO
And now, some gamer talk....
One thing I loved about this episode is that I can now point to Hardison and his baseball bat as an example of spending a Plot Point in the RPG to get an Asset for the rest of the Job. Because that was definitely an Asset for Hardison.
/gamer talk.
John –
COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS:
I understand the Italian & her accomplice know Nate well enough to figure he’d eventually go after Moreau on his own terms, keeping them from getting their hands dirty, but: 1) How could they know the hockey fan’s problem would materialize much less that the fan would go to Nate & his team for help with Vector? & 2) If Nate’s deal is OFF with the Italian, wouldn’t Nate think she’d send the necessary people now to put him back in jail & wouldn't he be suspicious if she didn't?
P.S. Loved the episode, especially the “Don’t stab. Don’t stab!” & “Ghostbusters” lines. Also, the actor you got to play Moreau does a GREAT ‘evil’! Can’t wait - Congrats!!!
Dawn/StL-MO
Spencer Garrett looks like a young Joe Don Baker.
And am I the only one who thinks Parker would make an awesome Ghostbuster?
I wondered why Hardison and Elliott were breaking character so noisily in front of that prisoner, and why Elliott was pestering Hardison at a very crucial moment in feeding the fake phone message to Vector. Their little Abbott & Costello act is funny, but it's liable to get them in trouble some day.
Why did the network keep referring to this as the "season finale" instead of the "summer finale?" I'm sure a lot of people who don't pay attention to the Internet will miss the December episodes, assuming it's all over now.
@Sonja et al: I know about codes for colors. I'm saying, Nate knowing WHICH codes to use? And having the software on his phone to decrypt it? His phone and the mark's having the same color profile? No color shift when snapping the photo? Knowing it was the difference between the two colors, and not their sum, or some other random transformation between the two? All of which, rather than being boring pipe no one wants to see laid, could be dramatic complications for Hardison (or anyone) trying to crack a password.
And I'll be honest-- I could accept ALL of the above if I could buy Nate figuring it out that easily.
Was a stretch. Hard, for me anyway, to get with.
To catch a wolf, will they unleash a tiger?
Ah! This! If I didn't know S4 was in the pipe, I'd be crapping building materials waiting to see who gets axed first.
Please don't kill anyone off! Ever?? I promise to be good!
ps Sorry to see moderation was neccessary, I had hoped your advisory last week was sufficient, I regret that it was not. Peace unto us all!
According to army.mil, the oath for commissioned officers has included "swear, or affirm" since 1830, FWIW.
@jamessmith3: Wasn't Nate using Vector's phone, that he grabbed during the shootout? I think that's reinforced by the fact that the calculation of the code opened the file on the phone that had all of Moreau's ino - that file wouldn't have been on Nate's phone.
And, if Vector's phone was the one used to set the code, it would make sense that it would interpret the colors properly and decode the file.
Did anyone else think that the way Sophie drew out the last word when she said "To Victory" was her way of telling Nate her real name is Victoria?
adc1966's remark about possible confusion about "summer" finale and "season" finale...yes, I agree. I've seen a number of people on Twitter thinking this episode was it until next year when season four begins. Not everyone is familiar with the cable routine of one season broken into two parts, and I hope TNT keeps that in mind.
This "finale" topic got me wondering about something else, too. Was this episode specifically written to be a summer finale?
@Oona: re: the fake skin over the pulse point. Good catch! I couldn't figure out what that was about.
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As pointed out, the Team has seen the Italian, so I'd doubt any of them have a secret past with her.
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Re Elliot and kids. As I said in another forum, I think his kid thing goes to his whole "100 miles down the wrong road" loss of innocence thing. His is gone, but because he's Batman, he's going to protect others. (I do feel it seemed a bit extreme in this episode)
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I'm guessing as part of Parker's thief skill package is breathing control so she can reasonably fake being dead.
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@Stu: Parker's taser obsession is supposed to be unsettling. Rember, she is neither sane nor "good".
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@Archery: Not everyone was getting in. The FBI handler and his partner and two district cops who the DA had been using to ferry paperwork and prisoners. (I'm not sure the beaten up "client" was actually there.)
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Re: The phone/colors/pictures. My only "HEY!" bit on that was that such a trick would require pretty much exact duplication of the picture, same lighting, same angle...and Nate hit it easily...but that's the fun train..the rest of it, it's just a hi-tech version of those activity games for kids where you look at a picture thru red plastic to see the magic picture.
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Phone cloning: Do I want to know if phones can be cloned by just passing vaguely close to someone?
@Rusty: Vector's phone's colors were set weird to work for the encryption (hence the Barney the Dinosaur comments earlier).
Not only was it Sterling the Italian called, it's a long con with Sterling killing two birds with one stone: the team takes out Moreau, but get taken down themselves in the process.
Right?
Have the last episodes already been filmed?
Cassie
@Rusty: That's possible; I'd wondered if he'd just cloned it, since that's a common trick on the show.
I'm not trying to harsh anyone's high. Like I said, I could no-prize any of those nitpicks, but not Nate's incredible leap in actually figuring out what to look for in the first place.
I know we're on the fun train here. But while most folks are hanging out in the bar car, I like to poke around in the engine room.
@VideoBeagle: Yep, exactly what I was saying. I interpreted the original poster's comments as meaning he thought Nate was using his own (Nate's) phone. But, the way I saw th events, Nate was using Vector's phone, comparing the "Barney the Dinosaur" pic to the one he took of the photo on the wall. That created the code, and decrypted the file that scrolled on the phone screen. The header was "Moreau accounts" or something to that effect, don't recall the exact wording. That file wouldn't have been on Nate's phone, only on Vector's. "...file's not on the server, not on the cloud...."
We're on the same page.
@jamesmith3 - no problem. You didn't "harsh my high" (love that phrase, lol) - just thought I would offer my perspective on the phone thing.
@Cassie - yep, season 3 filming is totally wrapped. Per TPTB, Mark Sheppard was unavailable for season 3, so no Sterling.
Deception? Maybe, but there are some pretty strong hints floating around the 'net as to who IS playing Moreau, including the fact that the suspected actor was at the season 3 wrap party. I won't say the name in case you don't want to be spoiled.
@jamesmith3
If you want exact answers, we'll have to wait for Rogers.
But I'm pretty sure he's in the bar car.
Hey, what's THIS button do...?
@Dawn/StL-MO
You have more faith in the Wikipedia than I do. Nadine Haders let a tweet slip that the mentioned actor is in the two-part finale, but I've seen nothing to indicate he's playing Damien Moreau. I wouldn't argue that it makes sense that he is, but considering we have no confirmation from the show, nothing in writing elsewhere, and a new unseen accomplice working with the Italian, I would think the Wikipedia entry is an assumption made by a Leverage viewer.
janesmith - I just assumed that Nate had seen that sort of encryption technique in the past, so when Parker made the comment about the purple uni, Nate didn't have a tough time figuring it out. Doing criminal investigation-type work and crimes, you figure he's going to run across that kind of thing.
But I fully appreciate you poking around the engine room. I left the bar car to try to figure out how that apparently completely inept hit man got his job, but then I got thirsty again and decided I didn't care. (Rogers was doing some crazy thing with lampshades in that bar car.)
Ally
I left the bar car to try to figure out how that apparently completely inept hit man got his job
@anonymous: It seems odd that whoever sent the dirty cops after Vector would arrange for someone to be shooting anything that moved in the room Vector was in. The risk of randomly killing cops would be pretty high in that situation, and the surviving cops would probably be pretty anxious to talk to someone about witness protection.
I'm vaguely wondering if the hit man and the cops were working together, or if he actually meant to hit anyone. Shooting up Nate's apartment would be a pretty good way to get him pissed off enough to go after Moreau himself if, say, the italian was behind the hit man.
@jamesmith3 - I'm pretty sure anyone who would have their squee harshed by nitpicking should stay away from this place, lol. I, for one, appreciate your attention to detail! Someone else already pointed out that Nate IS using Vector's phone in the last scene, so that part makes sense. In terms of Nate figuring it out - well, perhaps that part was only obvious if you come from a family of Boston sports fans, lol. A guy like Vector having a pic of himself on his phone where the jersey was incorrectly colored? Oh, hell to the no. I think it had less to do with Nate being familiar with encryption, and more to do with that being so unbelievable that it HAD to be relevant somehow :) I don't think Nate put it all together until Vector made his little speech about being the only one who knew how to access the encrypted information, though.
Sterling certainly looms large in our collective imagination, doesn't he? Hee. While I'd love him to be pulling the strings, my theory at the moment is that the Italian was on the phone to the sniper - I think they're working together to bring down Moreau, her from the outside of Moreau's organization and him from the inside.
On rewatching the ep, the sniper certainly seems to have a mirrorverse!Eliot thing happening (the Evil Twin Facial Hair is a dead giveaway). John, are those two eventually going to have the showdown they didn't get in this ep?
@Julia: Well the continued gunfire was weird (You take your shot, you miss...peppering the room hoping to hit your target isn't going to get you anywhere), but really, if it hadn't been Nate in the room, but actual lawyer guy, Vector would have been dead.
In a scenario where the Italian hired the shooter, and not caring if Nate got killed, or hired him to miss, I'm not sure how she thought screwing up Nate's plan in the wild hope he had gotten the codes would be useful.
The beat up client was in the grand jury room, he gestured to Vector that it was all over for him. But I just assumed witnesses were allowed in Grand Jury investigations and he was one of them.
I was never aware of the "secret" nature of a Grand Jury, and thought that the writers had very neatly handled the fact that a defendant isn't allowed to consult with his lawyer inside as during a regular trial. It didn't seem strange to me at all that law enforcement officials would be allowed inside. I just don't have extensive enough legal experience to have noticed anything out of place. But I'd be willing to bet that a vast majority of the viewing audience didn't either.
I can see how tech and legal mis-steps might jolt people who have more thorough knowledge of these subjects out of their suspension of disbelief, just as location specific errors would do the same for people who actually live in those locations. But, like any TV show or movie, they're playing to the masses here. Judging from the ratings, and the comments in this space, they seem to be doing an amazingly good job.
This episode did not turn out to be one of my all time favorites, but then, they can't all be, can they? There were still a lot of fabulous moments and, overall, I still had a great time watching it. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I think it was a really good episode to stop at for a while.
At least now we have more episodes to re-run while waiting for the new season, a little more help with the withdrawals.
@Rebecca: He's seen doing the throat cut gesture, but I don't recall seeing him anytime after that, thus my thought he might be a hallucination, as there's no reason for him to be there, otherwise.
It's pretty rare for Leverage to have a huge didn't-do-research section in their stories, so I'm giving the benefit of the doubt to Rogers et al till we hear from them, that they got it right.
@VideoBeagle: I had the same thought....that the Leverage team's client was a hallucination. Mr. Rusty was watching the episode yesterday afternoon (since he missed it Sunday night), and I was looking through the remainder of that scene to see if I saw him again - didn't appear to me that he was there.
LOL - but I figured I was reaching pretty hard at that point, so didn't bring it up...glad to know I wasn't the only one that idea occurred to.
Actually, I also thought it might be a hallucination, maybe if Vector was still affected by the drug they gave him, or something like that.
I think the sniper was not there to kill but to scare Vector, Nate, the team--take your pick or maybe it's all of the above. It's possible that Moreau didn't even send him despite Eliot's comment. Perhaps another part of The Italian's plan?
And how did the sniper police his ordinance? He was firing up until the sprinklers came on, thanks to Hardison, and got out of there fast.
I really hope I'm wrong, but I think I know why Elliot is so protective of children.
Elliot used to be a soldier. Elliot seems to hate guns with the burning passion of a thousand fiery suns. Elliot will no longer kill unless it's absolutely necessary.
He missed his shot and killed a child instead of his target didn't he.
@SueN: "Rogers, I thought you loved us!!"
He does love us. He loves to hear our cries of anguish. :)
"incredible kudos to Gina's stunt-double. That freakin' roll into the cabinet rocked so hard! I was way impressed with that one!"
Ditto on that. I'd love to see the whole thing as an extra on the DVD. Was there a running start or something? Was she wearing something padded (I hope so!)?
Can some one point me to a "how each actor was cast" page? As a Whedon fan, I recognized Kane from Angel. But I think I read somewhere that Kane was recruited to audition for the role, based on his past work. Am I hallucinating this tidbit or is there proof of it somewhere?
Thanks in advance, and see you in the bar car.
@Red: Kane wasn't cast. He went to Rogers and said "You will make a show about my life!"
Tru'nuff
LOL - just have to say, joining everyone in the bar car sounds like a lot of fun.....
With a spectacular episode like this the only question I can come up with to ask is: is it just me or has Sophie started drinking alot more than in previous seasons?
If this is a mid-season finale I absolutly cannot wait to see what you come up with for the season finale; excellent work, a solid 9.9!
A lot of people say Elisabetta Canalis is a, um, rather wooden actor. I always just interpreted the Italian as being generally understated and in constant "poker face" mode. I know, Mr. Rogers, that you're not exactly supposed to put down the people who work for you, so I'll put it this way: was the Italian meant to be in "poker face" mode all the time? If so, will we ever see her not in "poker face" mode?
Ack! Sorry! Have another question. Have you guys been planting any red herrings this season, in or out of the show? Some of the (unmarked!) spoilers I run into (by accident!) don't make a great deal of sense (I fear I can't un-read them).
Came back to read the comments and enjoy the conversation. Good gravy on a stick, people, if you all show up to another ConCon, I'll bring the chocolate and the good vodka!
I think it was Kevin who asked about a Christmas episode. Technically, there already has been a Christmas episode, The Miracle Job in season 1 (St. Nickolaus church, the children singing the carol in the opening scene, the poinsettias around the statue, Parker's "Santa Claus" confusion, the assorted "miracles"). It just wasn't a big shiny, typical Christmas Episode.
I liked the subtlety.
(And, yes, I'm watching Season 1 DVD again. I've lost count now how many times I've been through it.)
Several people have voiced what I've been thinking for a while, too -- the cons are cool and nifty and all, but I'm here for the characters. Watching THEM go through the cons is more interesting than the mechanics of the cons themselves. In fact, the high tech, special effect, secret technique part gets cold and takes up a bit too much space. And the characters sometimes (SOMETIMES) veer dangerously close to playing on their own tropes at times, which makes them less interesting to me. I'm adding my voice to the little chorus in the corner saying "Show us more of the characters being people." I'm perfectly happy if they don't keep upping the ante and topping themselves. I'd be happy if they were dealing with a smaller con, a smaller problem, where we get to see more of them interacting.
Maybe it's because I'm watching that much loved 1st season again, but there is a particular energy and fascination in those episodes. Part of it is the tensions everyone was under that first season where nothing was certain, and part of it was the discovery of these people and what they could do, but they are all still such mysteries to the audience and we've watched them now for three years. When do we actually get to know them as more than their skills and their quirks, tics, and catchphrases? We've been teased so often with little glimpses, but teasing can go on too long, until we lose interest.
Season 4, maybe? Please? PLEASE?
@Tori...I'm not seeing much wood here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ybojSarGkI
First off.....GREAT EPISODE! I'm fairly new to "Leverage" and am lovin' this season! Spencer Garrett was frickin' fabulous, and his drunk stuff was off the charts right on!
Question: Why didn't we see the client get his money back at the end of the episode? Poor schmo was beaten to a pulp! Also, the actor who played the client was really familiar......has he been in something else "Leverage" related?
Super season.....can't wait until December!
Sherri - right on, sister. I agree. Now, I still LOVE the cool work in the Second David Job and Rashomon Job - those eps with heavy focus on the cons and tricks KILLED. But not every show can reach those con-tastic heights. So, in the more run of the mill eps, if it comes down to a choice between (1) straightforward con with major focus on characters vs. (2) twisty con with mid-stream unexpected complication but little character development, I choose the (1) every time.
I will also personally say that sometimes (SOMETIMES), the Eliot/Hardison thing has felt just a wee little bit forced to me this season. It's almost become too much of a recognized "thing," so I think everytime they get together in a scene, people (maybe eg writers and actors) are trying to make sure the "thing" is there instead of just letting the "thing" happen. Which sounds like total BS, but I swear makes sense, although possibly only in my own head. I also did not like Nate's "I love it when a plan comes together" line. Too much. At least for me.
And now I'm heading back to the bar car. Clearly I'm getting too ponderous in my drunkeness and need to go find a quiet corner.
@briddie
Remember Eliot's line about there could be kids in there? That's why he went in. He knows he's the best, and he's not about to let a kid be in even potential danger.
Because he is Batman.
@Cherie - We didn't see the payoff, but Nate told the Italian in their last conversation that he was going to take enough out of Moreau's accounts to pay back the client, and then use the rest to take Moreau down. Payoff just happened offscreen.
"gwangung said...
So, If we are going to find out more about Eliot than we want to, does this mean that he already knows the Italian?
Um. Ex-lover? Oh-oh...."
It really would be funny if Eliot had been with the Italian before. I think it is soooo funny that we find out that every where Nate is ... Eliot has been! We found Eliot had met Sophie and had a little flirtation first. And then Maggie at the 1st David Job, although that wasn't 'first'. But so cute when you put Nate and Eliot as lover rivals. Eliot really, really, really does not want to get into that spot but somehow just keeps getting into it. LOL!!
McSweeten is so sweet and innocent and gullible and naive. He must never be a bad guy please please?! I think he's perfect for Parker to get to know because of those attributes. She only knows 'bad' people who always have ulterior motives (even though we love them). I don't want to harsh the fans who love romance but Hardison and Eliot are like brothers to her and I for one think they should stay that way. They have such a cute camaraderie like in the last scene where Parker throws her arms around them both. Brothers, I say, brothers!
So, after Parker's Ghostbusters comment, as the camera was panning away from Eliot, I saw him smile/giggle a little - was that Eliot or Christian? Either way it made it that much funnier. Also, when the hockey jackass said something along the lines of "..an ice fan who got in over her head..." (sorry, don't remember the exact wording) to Sophie, she had kind of an annoyed/pissed off look on her face - was that because he was being so callus about Parker, and she felt protective and insulted at that, or was it just because he is an asshole who expects everyone else to get him out of his messes because of who he is? Loved the little moment between Parker and Nate in the bedroom about him having the harness in his closet - would that be Parker's influence on him, or did he have it for her just in case?
Great show. Can't wait for winter!
I'm Chatty Cathy this week, and I haven't even been to the bar car. Sorry, Mr. Rogers.
@Ally -- yes, ma'am! Chocolate vodka for you! Like you, I love the complex, high technology/technique cons, but my favorite episodes tend to be the ones with a more simple con (or when a con isn't a big, Nate-born plan, but where all the team members tweak and suggest and shape)and we see a lot of the characters being who they are, talking a bit, being people. I mean, after this point, sure, they all know each other fairly well, but we in the audience don't know them NEARLY as well, and they begin to feel more and more distant from us all the time. Even my husband remarked that season three feels "colder" -- yes, it's darker and things are more complicated, but we the audience are supposed to be in a magic position. We get to see things in a way the characters cannot, so we get to fill in our knowledge and build up the Leverage-verse in our heads. I feel like this is slipping away in the razzle dazzle of the fabulous cons.
Here's a whole 'nuther thought, a question to the collective, a pondering for the hive mind. I'm rewatching s1 (First David has just started) and will be heading into s2 this afternoon, and I'm thinking "Gee, I'd love to see that character pop up again...wow, she'd be really open for another story appearance...HE could easily start up another plot for the team..."
Aside from the Revenge of Dubenich/Dubenich Strikes Back, I'd love to see Heather, the blond bimbo Mob wife from The Wedding Job, show up on the arm of a new baddie to complicate things for the team. Also, Sophie owes her a Prada bag to the jaw. Another I'd love to see is Jack Hurly/New Name unknown from The Twelve-Step Job. He could be cleaned up and doing well, trying to help folks without crossing the line of the law, and he could maybe bring a case to the team (they did promise they'd still be watching, although I'm guessing it's a real back burner thing.) He's not really that dumb -- he could find them, I think. Or maybe he crosses that line trying to help someone else, thus triggering the team to remember him and getting them suckered into helping him and his "client".
So, who would you like to see show bring back (aside from Chaos,Sterling, Raquel Dyan, Apollo, Tara, and Maggie, who are givens, of course)? Speak, oh fandom, speak!
@Anonymous 4.32pm
"I think the shoes were only to show they were cops. We were supposed to get dirty from them being plainclothes in a group of four in a bar before noon and the conversation the boys had just had with the kid."
Ah, of course - that makes perfect sense. Thank you!
What partly threw me was that I couldn't see why they were typically cop shoes (in the UK they would have been well-polished to give that impression), but them's the cultural differences at work!
@Tom Galloway: "...Eliot was finally fighting a bear."
::snerk:: Mister, you are my kind of crazy. :)
@Anon: "[Sophie] doesn’t need to be the resident grifter anymore if everyone else can do it. No one can hack, but it seems everyone can grift."
Everyone can pull off simple, short-term grifting at this point, but they definitely still need Sophie for the long cons and the more complicated / nuanced jobs. Plus, y'know, she's the mom. And she can (sorta) keep Nate in check.
I'm just going to poke my nose into the Bar Car, and check and see if John is banging his head against the bar muttering something about a demolition derby and a crazy Okie. Kane is participating in the Combative Motorsports Xperience in Nashville this weekend.
On the subject of Morning After - big no-no on the Grand Jury - NO ONE gets in the room, other than the witness on the stand and the DA asking the questions. There is no gallery. Did the writers rename a Preliminary Hearing, which can be in open court, as a Grand Jury, which is the more recognized term?
And it's going to be a long wait until December.
OK, I'll try again....I really should remember to proof before I post...
I just came over to post about the demo derby myself, lol.
Well, at least they're not currently filming, so no lesbian bar jokes to explain injuries.
I certainly may be wrong about this but in regard to all the Grand Jury questions - Chris Downey wrote this episode. I believe he either is/was an attorney so I'm thinking he may have an idea of how a grand jury works. Any chance it could be somewhat different from state to state?
@msd: Any chance it could be somewhat different from state to state?
Think it was supposed to be federal, not state. I was wondering if the immunity agreement had something to do with it. How could they know that the agreement was fulfilled if they didn't hear the testimony? Looking forward to learning more about this.
@Anonymous (12:43): "She doesn’t need to be the resident grifter anymore if everyone else can do it. No one can hack, but it seems everyone can grift."
Don’t the majority of cons need a minimum of 2 grifters? Nate almost always plays one. In Beantown Bailout & Studio Job, like MANY of the other cons, the entire team is needed to grift.
@Anon – 10:28 am
RE: accuracy of Wikipedia – normally DON’T trust it, but I saw the SAME actor listed as Damien Moreau on at least two (2) other sights, just couldn’t remember which ones.
@Anon – 10:41 am (Ally) & @janesmith … I just assumed that Nate had seen that sort of encryption technique in the past, doing criminal investigation-type work & crimes…
Some of the NEW tech items Nate has figured out, were NOT available when he was “doing criminal investigation-type work & crimes” over 3 years ago. Unless he’s been keeping close tabs with the current market, he’d be hard pressed to unravel some of the new gadgets/techniques/schemes, etc. But then again, he IS after all, the Mastermind!
Dawn/StL-MO
@Kristin… Why the hell wasn't Nate more pissed the Italian tried to off him and his team? Not only did she absolutely eff up their deal but it put his team's lives in danger (including Sophie which I totally thought would piss him off!).
‘The Italian’ said, “Well to be fair, I didn’t count on the sniper, he was an outside contractor” Was he an added surprise that Moreau arranged…or was ‘the Italian’ lying? Think Nate concluded the gunman was there as a ‘scare tactic’ (not to kill anyone), especially since the ‘hired gun’ couldn’t hit the side of a barn.
Dawn/StL-MO
Some of the NEW tech items Nate has figured out, were NOT available when he was “doing criminal investigation-type work & crimes” over 3 years ago. Unless he’s been keeping close tabs with the current market, he’d be hard pressed to unravel some of the new gadgets/techniques/schemes, etc. But then again, he IS after all, the Mastermind!
I am quite sure that steganography as a technique (and tools for it that you could run on a PC) were around in the late 90s (at least that's when I first encountered it). Back then the specific strategy was already "hide information in a picture".
Steganography as a strategy itself goes back to at least ancient Greece. Two items ISTR are one general or some such guy shaving the head of a slave, tattooing the message on the head, waiting for the hair to grow back and then sending the slave on his errand with some fake message in his pocket. Takes time, sure, but it's steganography (i.e. hide the message). Also, ISTR a story about wax-tablets (on which greeks and romans wrote) which were scrubbed clean of wax, the message written on the back wooeden board and then wax reapplied (so that a blank wax-board or one with an innocuous message on the front could contain a hidden message if you removed the wax)
@Dawn/StL-MO said...
RE: accuracy of Wikipedia – normally DON’T trust it, but I saw the SAME actor listed as Damien Moreau on at least two (2) other [sites], just couldn’t remember which ones.
I could post that Damien Moreau is being played by Jean Reno on a message board, and it would be on the Wikipedia in 48 hours, tops. Remind me to sell anyone who believes message boards and the Wikipedia the Brooklyn Bridge.
I could post that Damien Moreau is being played by Jean Reno on a message board,
aaaand you just did.
Although, wouldn't that be incredibly awesome?
@Dawn/StL: Really the picture/camera/encryption trick is just a fancy digital version of the puzzles on happy meal boxes where you look at something thru a red lens to see a different picture.
So I'm hearing that Jean Reno is playing Moreau...he's good an all, but frankly I'd have gone with Gerard Depredeux
@Dawn: "...Part 1 (#315) = The Big Bang Job..."
I'm doing my best to stay spoiler-free, but I really hope that title means the team is going to CERN to steal the LHC. [/nerd]
@Red: "But I think I read somewhere that Kane was recruited to audition for the role, based on his past work."
If that's the case then, based on first season commentaries, I'd say it was probably a combination of his work on Angel (particularly the fight work in season 5) and Secondhand Lions for which he learned his mad blade skillz from Anthony "The Butcher of Kiev" De Longis. And possibly Into the West for the horse parts.
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