3:50 PM
![I’m going to start by giving the most cogent argument for watching this show possible: Aldis Hodge’s face. It’s what drew me in and I’ve happily never looked back. But if you’re looking for a little more substance as to why this show is worth watching, hang on. I’ll mention a few of my main reasons for considering it one of (if not the most) underrated shows on TV right now.
First things first, Leverage is usually overlooked, I’d presume, because it’s skirting just this side of a crime procedural and a lot of people write those off as the stuff your parents watch in between Two and Half Men reruns, so it’s easy to assume this would be more of the same. But it isn’t. I promise it isn’t. There are moments where the formula is a bit obvious and the plot could be more original, but I love the characters most of all and if things seem a bit staid now and again, it’s hard to notice because each character tends to bring so much to the plot that you could be watching them reenact episodes of Friends’ greatest hits and it’d come off as fresh and fun. The most clear-cut example of how they deal with this is inherent in their use of Elliot’s hilarious “catch-phrase” (I use that loosely, on purpose), It’s a very distinctive… [random object about which there’s an obscure fact/identifier that only he would know]. Whether it’s the sound of a gun or a footprint or the way an armed guard walks, he can read things based on his unmatched combat experience. Now, this is something that would get worn out within a season of most shows on network TV. But somehow, on Leverage, I can’t always recall when they pop up because it’s sprinkled over a season maybe two or three times, but they are hilarious every time because it’s always so ridiculous and he’s always so dead serious. They’ve done it at least a dozen times and it takes me by surprise every time. So, basically, it’s the kind of show that can take the formula, use it to their advantage and put a spin on things in ways that aren’t too out there but aren’t too obvious, either.
Then, like I said, there’s the characters. It’s not your ordinary procedural crime show first and foremost because it’s starring the criminals. They’re a gang of misfits who always worked on their own and shouldn’t get along at all except they’ve accidentally become an adorably dysfunctional family. The cast is full of defied stereotypes, as well. There’s Parker, who despite being petite and blonde is hands down the most feared amongst the group for her infamous proficiency at stealing and reckless pleasure at jumping off buildings (literally). Or Hardison, who started hacking in his pre-teens to help fuel his Star Wars obsession and buy his foster mother, who he calls Nana, a house. And Elliot, who seems like your standard tough guy, except he’s totally not and is more teddy bear than villain 99% of the time. Plus, at the end of the day, it’s usually Sophie pulling a last minute grift that gets them out of trouble and acts as the mother to the group, keeping everyone in line and grounded despite being your basic femme fatale in her history with Nate. Out of the entire group, in fact, the only stereotypical one is the middle-aged white male, which I find delightful. But even Nate isn’t so bad, just believably troubled after losing his son to the corrupt company that used to employ him. He acts as the ringleader, the planner, and the mastermind, but beyond the plans to the mark he’s usually battling with his rampant alcoholism/sobriety. And for every aspect of Nate and Sophie’s on/off relationship that feels forced (there are moments that sell it, for me, despite not being invested in it the way the show sometimes is) there’s a relationship like Parker and Hardison’s to counter it. They’re two people that have a few things in common (being orphaned, stealing, etc) but mostly respect each other as individuals who are ridiculously talented in their own right and there’s hardly ever a feeling of “you need to change in order to be with me” or compromising of anything beyond putting themselves out there and running the risk they don’t usually take of being interested in another person romantically.
This brings me to this season’s premiere episode when the show really demonstrated why I love it in a simple scene between Elliot and Parker. Of the group, they’d be seen as the hardest. Although Elliot has been shown to have surprising depth in his history and being a generally more caring person than his gruff exterior implies, he’s still likely to have the highest body count by a long shot. Parker is equally cool in some ways, but she is more focused on stealing and small grifts, so there’s never been as big a calling for her to be violent. Still, they seem to be the most cut off from their feelings whether out of necessity or their inherently guarded personalities. In the scene, Parker breaks down in tears when they realize that her and Elliot aren’t going to be able to retrieve the corpse of a client’s late husband without risking freezing to death themselves. She openly acknowledges that if any other members of the group had been down there, they would’ve kept trying rather than just leaving the body behind like Elliot wanted to do. This parallels her relationship with Hardison in that he told her he liked her and would let her do with that information what she wanted. She seems to register that this is why their relationship is halted, worries that she’s unable to feel emotions and incidentally compassion towards the dead man and his distraught wife. What she doesn’t realize is that simply worrying about not being able to feel things properly is in fact feeling things, so it becomes a moot point when she later realizes that she does want to put herself out there and try to be as open and loving as her friends (her surrogate family, really). This show lets its characters acknowledge their shortcomings and progress to be better people. The entire premise is based around criminals that land a score so big after taking down a bad guy who tried to scam them that they could’ve retired. Instead they went into business of helping the helpless and stealing from the rich to give to the poor. It’s Robin Hood on crack.
I know a lot of people may still have a hard time warming up even after giving a few episodes a shot (some are just allergic to procedural show, I know), but I promise you that if you stick with it long enough to get to end of the first season, you may not be impressed with the plot, but looking back you’ll realize you accidentally fell in love with the characters. They get under your skin, as does the cast, because they are just unfailingly vibrant and themselves unleashed to do what they do best: kick ass at their jobs. And worst case scenario, there’s always Aldis Hodge’s face. Did I mention that it’s in every episode? Because yeah, that alone is worth it, to be totally honest.
Recommended for people who like: Chuck, Ocean’s Eleven, White Collar.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnsvgl48aQ1qm5s5oo1_r5_500.gif)
I’m going to start by giving the most cogent argument for watching this show possible: Aldis Hodge’s face. It’s what drew me in and I’ve happily never looked back. But if you’re looking for a little more substance as to why this show is worth watching, hang on. I’ll mention a few of my main reasons for considering it one of (if not the most) underrated shows on TV right now.
First things first, Leverage is usually overlooked, I’d presume, because it’s skirting just this side of a crime procedural and a lot of people write those off as the stuff your parents watch in between Two and Half Men reruns, so it’s easy to assume this would be more of the same. But it isn’t. I promise it isn’t. There are moments where the formula is a bit obvious and the plot could be more original, but I love the characters most of all and if things seem a bit staid now and again, it’s hard to notice because each character tends to bring so much to the plot that you could be watching them reenact episodes of Friends’ greatest hits and it’d come off as fresh and fun. The most clear-cut example of how they deal with this is inherent in their use of Elliot’s hilarious “catch-phrase” (I use that loosely, on purpose), It’s a very distinctive… [random object about which there’s an obscure fact/identifier that only he would know]. Whether it’s the sound of a gun or a footprint or the way an armed guard walks, he can read things based on his unmatched combat experience. Now, this is something that would get worn out within a season of most shows on network TV. But somehow, on Leverage, I can’t always recall when they pop up because it’s sprinkled over a season maybe two or three times, but they are hilarious every time because it’s always so ridiculous and he’s always so dead serious. They’ve done it at least a dozen times and it takes me by surprise every time. So, basically, it’s the kind of show that can take the formula, use it to their advantage and put a spin on things in ways that aren’t too out there but aren’t too obvious, either.
Then, like I said, there’s the characters. It’s not your ordinary procedural crime show first and foremost because it’s starring the criminals. They’re a gang of misfits who always worked on their own and shouldn’t get along at all except they’ve accidentally become an adorably dysfunctional family. The cast is full of defied stereotypes, as well. There’s Parker, who despite being petite and blonde is hands down the most feared amongst the group for her infamous proficiency at stealing and reckless pleasure at jumping off buildings (literally). Or Hardison, who started hacking in his pre-teens to help fuel his Star Wars obsession and buy his foster mother, who he calls Nana, a house. And Elliot, who seems like your standard tough guy, except he’s totally not and is more teddy bear than villain 99% of the time. Plus, at the end of the day, it’s usually Sophie pulling a last minute grift that gets them out of trouble and acts as the mother to the group, keeping everyone in line and grounded despite being your basic femme fatale in her history with Nate. Out of the entire group, in fact, the only stereotypical one is the middle-aged white male, which I find delightful. But even Nate isn’t so bad, just believably troubled after losing his son to the corrupt company that used to employ him. He acts as the ringleader, the planner, and the mastermind, but beyond the plans to the mark he’s usually battling with his rampant alcoholism/sobriety. And for every aspect of Nate and Sophie’s on/off relationship that feels forced (there are moments that sell it, for me, despite not being invested in it the way the show sometimes is) there’s a relationship like Parker and Hardison’s to counter it. They’re two people that have a few things in common (being orphaned, stealing, etc) but mostly respect each other as individuals who are ridiculously talented in their own right and there’s hardly ever a feeling of “you need to change in order to be with me” or compromising of anything beyond putting themselves out there and running the risk they don’t usually take of being interested in another person romantically.
This brings me to this season’s premiere episode when the show really demonstrated why I love it in a simple scene between Elliot and Parker. Of the group, they’d be seen as the hardest. Although Elliot has been shown to have surprising depth in his history and being a generally more caring person than his gruff exterior implies, he’s still likely to have the highest body count by a long shot. Parker is equally cool in some ways, but she is more focused on stealing and small grifts, so there’s never been as big a calling for her to be violent. Still, they seem to be the most cut off from their feelings whether out of necessity or their inherently guarded personalities. In the scene, Parker breaks down in tears when they realize that her and Elliot aren’t going to be able to retrieve the corpse of a client’s late husband without risking freezing to death themselves. She openly acknowledges that if any other members of the group had been down there, they would’ve kept trying rather than just leaving the body behind like Elliot wanted to do. This parallels her relationship with Hardison in that he told her he liked her and would let her do with that information what she wanted. She seems to register that this is why their relationship is halted, worries that she’s unable to feel emotions and incidentally compassion towards the dead man and his distraught wife. What she doesn’t realize is that simply worrying about not being able to feel things properly is in fact feeling things, so it becomes a moot point when she later realizes that she does want to put herself out there and try to be as open and loving as her friends (her surrogate family, really). This show lets its characters acknowledge their shortcomings and progress to be better people. The entire premise is based around criminals that land a score so big after taking down a bad guy who tried to scam them that they could’ve retired. Instead they went into business of helping the helpless and stealing from the rich to give to the poor. It’s Robin Hood on crack.
I know a lot of people may still have a hard time warming up even after giving a few episodes a shot (some are just allergic to procedural show, I know), but I promise you that if you stick with it long enough to get to end of the first season, you may not be impressed with the plot, but looking back you’ll realize you accidentally fell in love with the characters. They get under your skin, as does the cast, because they are just unfailingly vibrant and themselves unleashed to do what they do best: kick ass at their jobs. And worst case scenario, there’s always Aldis Hodge’s face. Did I mention that it’s in every episode? Because yeah, that alone is worth it, to be totally honest.
Recommended for people who like: Chuck, Ocean’s Eleven, White Collar.
