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Leverage 1x01-1x02, 1x07
ETA: I didn't realize the episodes were aired out of order, so this review is for The Nigerian Job, The Homecoming Job, and The Two Horse Job.
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ranalore recently got hooked on this, and when she introduced it as a caper show with weekly heists, complete with a computer/sf geek black guy and an antisocial woman in the ensemble. Sadly, neither Hardison (aforementioned geek) nor Parker (aforementioned antisocialite) are the leads of the team—the lead, of course, is a white guy—but they are still awesome.
Nathan Ford used to be an investigator for an insurance company, but he quit after his company denied payment for his son's medical treatment and subsequently sank into despair and alcohol. One day, he's given the chance to help someone out while sticking it to his old company, and he takes the offer and heads a team of people he used to try to catch. They consist of Hardison, who does the tech; Parker, who crawls through air ducts, hangs upside down, and blows stuff up; Sophie, who is a bad actress on stage but a great one in scams; and Elliott, who beats people up and is played by Christian Kane.
So far, I am pleased thatthe muscle is played by the white guy while (eta: see comments re: Christian Kane) the geek role is played by the black guy; that despite being a geek, Hardison is probably among the most well-adjusted of the crew; and that the amoral, money-loving, completely emotionally opaque one is played by the tiny blond woman. Sophie is more the standard femme fatale role, but the show seems to be setting her up with Nathan, and I like that they emphasize that her femininity is a cover and a scam and that they manage to do so without making the camera ogle at her and without putting her in horrible, revealing outfits.
This is probably not going to be the deepest of shows, but it's awesome brain candy. It's relaxing and funny and doesn't require me to keep my brain on for too much, and it does so without being horribly offensive! I realize the last bit sounds like damning with faint praise, but given the state of almost all TV I see, it seems to be much more difficult to achieve than one would think.
Also: capers!
ranalore recently got hooked on this, and when she introduced it as a caper show with weekly heists, complete with a computer/sf geek black guy and an antisocial woman in the ensemble. Sadly, neither Hardison (aforementioned geek) nor Parker (aforementioned antisocialite) are the leads of the team—the lead, of course, is a white guy—but they are still awesome.Nathan Ford used to be an investigator for an insurance company, but he quit after his company denied payment for his son's medical treatment and subsequently sank into despair and alcohol. One day, he's given the chance to help someone out while sticking it to his old company, and he takes the offer and heads a team of people he used to try to catch. They consist of Hardison, who does the tech; Parker, who crawls through air ducts, hangs upside down, and blows stuff up; Sophie, who is a bad actress on stage but a great one in scams; and Elliott, who beats people up and is played by Christian Kane.
So far, I am pleased that
This is probably not going to be the deepest of shows, but it's awesome brain candy. It's relaxing and funny and doesn't require me to keep my brain on for too much, and it does so without being horribly offensive! I realize the last bit sounds like damning with faint praise, but given the state of almost all TV I see, it seems to be much more difficult to achieve than one would think.
Also: capers!
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With regards to Christian Kane, he's not white, although I am pretty sure the show runners have intended that Eliot be read as white. CK identifies as a mixed-blood Native.
Aldis Hodge is amazing, I've missed him so much since he got killed off of SPN but I'd rather have him on Leverage.
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I need to see this show, but instead, I've gotten pulled into The Mentalist, which is awful in a way that I appreciate.
Plus this guy's in it:
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Or as wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mentalist) says: "Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker stars as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the fictitious California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. He also makes frequent use of his mentalist abilities and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium using paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned."
As you can tell, the plot and mysteries don't interest me AT ALL (which is great, because they don't really make sense). But I love all of the characters, and their interactions!
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I was cracking myself up about this the other day; my other main fandom right now is Psych, which stars James Roday, who plays Shawn Spencer. (Roday is a stage name; his actual last name is Rodriguez, and he identifies as Hispanic. Shawn is definitely supposed to be white, though-- his parents are played by Cybill Shepherd and Corbin Bernsen, his uncle by Steven Weber, etc.)
So I'm just like-- Really, tv? Could there even be a whiter name than "Shawn Spencer?"
And then Leverage comes out with... *Eliot* Spencer. And I'm like "wow, turns out there could be."
Although certainly Eliot might not be his real name. But still.
Aldis Hodge is amazing, I've missed him so much since he got killed off of SPN but I'd rather have him on Leverage.
I thought Aldis Hodge was hot and scary and sad as Jake on SPN, but I adore Hardison with the adoration of a thousand fangirls. *makes grabby hands at him* I could just watch the Hardison show all day long.
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Shawn Spencer, Eliot Spencer.... *smh* Agenda, anyone?
If I wasn't insanely OTP about my SPN boys I would write Sam/Jake in a heartbeat. When I finish the other nine zillion stories on my plate I plan to write an AU where he lives and leads a demon army with Sam.
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I am not thrilled at the way Sophie uses sex to do everything, but OTOH she's in her 40s, and it's nice to see an older woman being portrayed as a sexual being. And boy can she do accents.
My love for Hardison and Parker is pure. (: They're absolutely my favorite characters.
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I keep feeling like I am damning with faint praise when I say stuff like "At least when she capitalizes on sex, the camera does not leer at her and we cannot see every inch of her body!" And yet, I mean that as honest praise!
And yes, I do like that they're showing an older woman (presumably who has a fair amount of experience?) to be sexy and to also be in control of that sexiness, at least in the three episodes I've seen. I just keep contrasting it to Dollhouse and the little I know of SPN.
So far, Hardison, Parker, and Elliott are my favorites. Especially Parker when she blows stuff up. Or is scared of horses.
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I know you do! It's kind of sad to think how low our standards have to be, with network television.
The show is a giant load of fun and I will watch it with you anytime. (:
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Elliot/Parker/Hardison are so awesome. I also like how they clearly put some effort into having POC guest stars who aren't stereotypical - which is impressive considering how the guest stars of heist shows inherently tend to be villains or victims.
I recently used Sophie as an example of how yes, it is possible to have a female character deliberately play upon her own sex appeal without making her a stereotype or a victim, and without having to dress her in skanky outfits or make the camera leer at her - to put us in her shoes, rather than in the shoes of the leering man.
(I was explaining how it was that I had problems with both the premise and the execution of Dollhouse.)
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Also, yes about the comparison between Sophie and the Dollhouse characters. I mean, I will probably have more to say after I have seen more episodes, but right now, I'm all "It is not horribly offensive! OMG YAY!" Which... such a low bar! And yet, so hard to find!
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Leverage is my happy fun place, along with The Middleman.
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As was said above: such a low bar, and yet so nice to see.
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I need to pick up Middleman. I think that will be my next happy show after I tear through Leverage.
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1.) The Nigerian Job
2.) The Homecoming Job
3.) The Wedding Job
4.) The Snow Job
5.) The Mile High Job
6.) The Miracle Job
7.) The Two Horse Job
8.) The Bank Shot Job
9.) The Stork Job
10.) The Juror #6 Job
11.) The 12 Step Job
12.) The First David Job
13.) The Second David Job
I think there's a moment in "The Stork Job" (I don't want to spoil you, so I won't be more specific than that) that goes beyond not offensive and right into the way things should be, and, for me, it resensitized me to the way most TV shows get the treatment of women oh so wrong.
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Thanks for the FYI. I'd watched the first five episodes (up to the bank one) in the aired order and am now going back to watch the ones in between. And yeah, having the wedding one and the snow one and etc. coming after the horse and bank ones makes no sense.
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