Leverage

New season started tonight!

Great cameo with Adam Baldwin during Elliot's "summer vacation". I hope we get to see him again sometime. And if I hadn't seen Cary Elwes's name in the opening credits at first I would never have recognized him. Farm Boy Westley has not aged well, sadly.

Loved Hardison and Elliot's spat over beer vs. wine and the restaurant menu. Also that Parker and Hardison are finally dating. And as for the end of the episode, guess that's our storyline thread for the season. They've got me intrigued.

I hear TNT is waffling about giving the show another season so I really, really hope they get solid ratings for a renewal. Maybe that's the reason behind Nate's cryptic "All good things come to an end."

Can't say I particularly loved that episode, but I was totally geeked to finally watch the show in real time! Also, I did not expect them to just straight out say that Parker and Hardison were dating. That seemed like a big thing to drop so casually after all the build-up in S4, but it was adorable seeing the summer flashback of their vacation. Poor Hardison is always getting the crap scared outta him! And whoa, Cary Elwes is looking kinda rough. I didn't realize it was him until about 15 minutes into the ep. The ending with Nate and Hardison has me so fired up and intrigued about what this mysterious scheme of theirs could involve.

Cary Elwes has been on Psych a couple of times recently, so I was pretty prepared for that. Overall, yeah, this one felt kinda boring but it had great character moments. I pretty much always love when Elliot gets to talk about cooking, and setting up in a pub means I'll probably get that a lot this season. Bring it on, Leverage!

An all-Parker episode! Loved seeing her take charge.

Plus Aarti Mann (Priya from the Big Bang)!

Loved it.

This season is really meh compared to the first four. I still adore the crew, but the heists just aren't as fun. I liked the DB Cooper Job, but that wasn't even a heist. Pretty cool to rope in Agent McSweeten for something substantial though! It was sad seeing him be all serious and grave instead of doofy, like e's always been in the past.

I haven't seen the latest ep yet, but I'm excited by the prospect of a Parker-centric ep. I feel like she's been underused so far in S5.

The last episode was really delightful. Lots of Parker is never a bad thing! And I looooved Aarti Mann. I really hope we see more of Amy (that was her character's name, right?).

I'm really, really looking forward to this week's eps. Team Awesome get a whole episode to themselves!


I kind of feel the same about this season, Whatthedeuce. But I'm hoping I'll like it more on a rewatch. I kind of felt the same way about last season, but I finally got the DVDs and rewatched them and I ended up really liking it. It was much more fun than I remembered it being. I hope this season will be the same.

Maybe my expectations were just to high since I marathoned the show in February. I've been obsessed with it ever since, and S5 could not come fast enough. I think I was gonna be a bit underwhelmed no matter what.

They're hitting as Rogers puts it, the back half. I think even they are recognizing that it's not as fresh as it once was and their hints that there might not be a season six might be a teasing way of saying that they're gonna be done after this season. Certainly the way Nate is behaving makes me think that they're ending after Season five.

Which I can live with, because I'd rather end strong for a story than kind of fizz out. But I've turned into a Rogers' fangirl thanks to this show.

Personally, I've liked the last few episodes (First Contact was a bit over the top, but I loved Eliot's grifting and I didn't love the hockey one, but the French Connection one was just fun as well as Sophie running Washington "I CAN SEE HER HOO-HAH SIR! HER HOO-HAH!"). And I'm never letting my kid be a cheerleader unless safety standards change. The DB Cooper Job I thought was hilarious with the 70s cop show callbacks.

Cutebutpsycho wrote:They're hitting as Rogers puts it, the back half. I think even they are recognizing that it's not as fresh as it once was and their hints that there might not be a season six might be a teasing way of saying that they're gonna be done after this season. Certainly the way Nate is behaving makes me think that they're ending after Season five.

Which I can live with, because I'd rather end strong for a story than kind of fizz out. But I've turned into a Rogers' fangirl thanks to this show.

Rogers has said for years on his blog that his general rule is 5 years and then done, so the show doesn't limp along to a slow death like so many. The hints they're broadly dropping (with Nate's behavior especially) does seem to indicate this is still his plan. Personally, I'm in total denial about this. While logically I think that's a good plan and I would much rather the show go out like than rather then descending into complete and utter garbage like, say, The X-Files, emotionally I am in no way ready to let go of these characters.


Anyway, I just watched the first episode of the two-episode finale (sadly, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to watch the second one) and it was FANTASTIC! By far, this was my favorite episode this season so far. It was exciting, tense and had some really, really nice character stuff. Also, Parker's little stunt with Hardison and the claymore and Eliot's new haircut were both really hot. Yay!

I don't know if I'm ready to let go either, but I'd say that they're pretty much done. They have the syndication rights that they wanted and the podcasts have been pretty not-subtle in the whole "SERIES ENDING!" teasing. But weirdly, I trust Rogers more with ending this on a good note than say Moffat.

I will admit, I am hoping for a spin-off where Eliot has his own restaurant is happy busy working that and there's a pile of assassins on the floor that tried to kill him. "I HAVE THIRTY SIX ANGRY TABLES, A SOUS CHEF WHO IS BEING HELD HOSTAGE AND RUSSIANS POINTING ROCKETS AT THE RESTAURANT. I AM NOT IN THE MOOD FOR MY HOSTESS TO HAVE A SNIT FIT BECAUSE SHE WAS DUMPED."

Yeah, I said it. I think Rogers runs a tighter writing crew than Moffat.

Too bad if they end it, because having them shoot it around here has been good for the local economy. We'll still have Grimm and Portlandia, though.

Cutebutpsycho, I think you just created the greatest spin-off ever: Chef! meets Burn Notice.

Although, I would also totally watch The Nate-Sophie-Sterling Snark Hour. Then again, I would also watch the Mark Sheppard Glares At People series or The Gina Bellman Wears Fabulous Dresses Show.

Needless to say, I adored "The Frame Up Job." AGENTS TENNANT AND SMITH!

I'll miss these characters when they're gone, too, but I agree that I'd rather see the series come to a natural, healthy, logical end than limp forwards painfully for years until it keels over. Also, I really admire how all the character arcs MAKE SENSE. All five are where I expected them to be at the end, given how they began, and I mean that in the best possible way. There were no Twists for the sake of being Twists. Rogers and Company solved the equations they set up at the beginning. They didn't suddenly decide that 2 + 2 = BUNNIES!

OMG WE JUST SAW THE SEASON FOUR EPISODE THE RADIO JOB AND THAT ENDING, YOU GUYS!! THAT ENDING!!!

When they brought back your man from the first episode, I gaped. Literally gaped. There are not many shows that can make me do that. Bravo, Leverage, bravo.

I loved that they brought the show full-circle like that. It actually would've made a perfect conclusion to the series, but thankfully, it didn't end there.

Cutebutpsycho wrote:Yeah, I said it. I think Rogers runs a tighter writing crew than Moffat.

I thought the common opinion was that Moffat is a great writer but a rubbish showrunner.

Actually, can we start a grassroots campaign to get Rogers as the next Doctor Who showrunner? He clearly knows the series, with all the references in Leverage, and would be so much better at creating cohesive plotlines and character arcs. Also, he doesn't get his kicks by trolling fandom.

Unless the universe explode if a non-British person ran Doctor Who. In which case, can we please at least have an episode?

I dont want Rogers to leave. It seems like when you sign into Doctor Who youre signing onto a bucket of crazy. And like that fan of an indie band, I love knowing he's our little secret.

QueenSix wasn't that great? I squeed when I saw him and I just was so happily surprised.

ETA I'm of the opinion that Moff creates great beats and clever dialogue, but he can't write realistic characters to save his life. Coupling bored the fuck out of me.

When the Doctor Who-esque theme played when they showed a flash of Nate's Dad and Parker's suggested time machine, I literally squeed and clapped. That was so brilliant and unexpected. I had no idea that they put in Who references from time to time. I am a bad viewer.

The first season had references to a Sarah Jane and Tom Baker (and some others that I can't remember off the top of my head) during the Airplane Job. Also the Frame Up job sounds like it's got more Doctor Who references :).

In an S1 ep, I remember that Hardison mentioned he was downloading Doctor Who via torrent, and Parker said that was illegal!

Eliot and Hardison once used the aliases Agents Davies and Moffat. Nate also had fate IDs as Peter Davison and Sylvestor McCoy. Hardison once wore a bow tie and said "Bow ties are cool."

It's sad how I knew these off the top of my head.

No, that's not sad. You get Doctor Who references now. Doctor Who references are cool.

I see what you did there.

Oh wait, I just remembered something that will soften the blow of the show (possibly) ending: Rogers has confirmed there's going to be tie-in novels! So there's that at least.

Look, as long as I can see Elliot running a restaurant, with Amy providing backup and special appearances by Parker and Hardison, I'll be happy. (Nothing against Sophie and Nate. But I feel more like they're ready to bow out, versus the other 3-4, who still have stuff to do).