In the first episode of the fourth season of Leverage, nothing in the universe could have prepared me for this episode. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Leverage.
Trigger Warning: For discussion of death, mention of a dead body.
What an utterly fantastic and riveting episode of Leverage. There’s a lot here that’s atypical of the show, and I know that’s a big reason why I liked this so much. This show often outdoes itself in terms of the heists, cons, and premises for its episodes, and yet? “The Long Way Down Job†feels almost otherworldly. From the shooting location to the non-traditional con structure to EMOTIONS, this episode takes a lot of risks, and they work so well.
LET US DISCUSSÂ EVERYTHING.
The Con
This episode features Sophie pulling off a con by herself. BY HERSELF. Not just that, but her con of John Drexel isn’t even the focus of the story. (I’ll talk about that in a bit.) Her role is to cause chaos and to stall, which she does beautifully while stuck in a tent up on a mountain. It’s impressive, y’all! It’s not like she’s given a full deck to work with, either, and yet she still manages to pull hours worth of her con, sending the various investors into a tizzy and distracting Drexel in the process. However, as I said, it’s not the goal of this job, which is highly irregular for the show. But I like that! I think that this wouldn’t have been as thrilling as it was if it didn’t feel so new. Plus, the cast of characters is spread so thin across this mountain that it’s not like other cons where they can rely on one another as they need it. At one point, the only two in contact with one another were Sophie and Hardison. EVERYTHING WAS SO MESSED UP.
Nate
So, I incorrectly interpreted Nate’s actions when he set the triangulation device in front of Karen. I thought he was intentionally sending her to help out Parker and Eliot. WHOOPS. It now makes a lot more sense that Nate foolishly took this entire job to begin with and then gambled his own life to get Karen back down the mountain. I’d like to propose a theory about all of that. See, it’s not like the team to take a job so quickly after a season-ender; even Eliot seemed shocked that Nate called them in. Why? Why would he do that?
Denial.
In a grand misstep on my part, I thought that Nate and Sophie would continue to see each other and hide this fact from the others. N O P E. Instead, Nate, being the consummate adult that he is, chooses to ignore Sophie for two weeks, and then hope to stay in denial about their one night stand as long as possible. And yet? I’m willing to bet that he took the job because he knew he could compel Sophie to come back and he could see her and HE TOTALLY DID THIS, RIGHT? And then, because Nate is the most obvious Gryffindor on the face of the planet, he threw himself into harm’s way because THAT’S WHAT NATE FORD DOES.
Lord.
Hardison
Hardison being worried about Parker. Hardison wishing that Parker had hugged him. Hardison thankful that Eliot did hug him before heading up the mountain. Hardison turning into a puddle of overwhelming emotions when he thinks he has lost Parker and Eliot. Hardison nearly crying when he hears Eliot’s voice. HARDISON AND PARKER HUGGING. HARDISON CONFIRMING TO PARKER THAT A POSSIBLE ROMANCE BEING ABNORMAL IS TOTALLY NORMAL AND FINE WITH HIM
H A R D I S O N
I’m fine, I swear.
The Long Way Down
I’d be a fool to say that any other part of this episode was better because it’s simply not true. I don’t think I thought about this until this episode, but I’d never seen Eliot and Parker spend this much time with only each other before. That being said, it’s undeniable that they’re not only close, but that they deeply respect one another. I mean, it made sense to me that these two would be best equipped for a climb of this nature, given their physicality, but it wasn’t until Eliot’s little monologue later that I understood why these two were truly best paired with each other.
But there’s a very disturbing aspect to “The Long Way Down Job†that the show normally avoids: death. Now, it’s not like death hasn’t happened, because we’ve certainly seen cases detailing spouses or siblings dying, and their loved ones approach the Leverage team for help. However, Alan Scott’s death is pinnacle to this story, not just because Parker and Eliot are trying to obtain evidence to avenge him. When the two of them find Alan – after plunging through the snow and ice into a hidden cavern – Parker suddenly has a moment of panic. Her panic, though, isn’t about being trapped. In fact, I don’t think she ever expresses fear at though. No, she’s worried that they won’t be able to fulfill Karen’s wishes: to bring her husband back.
Parker’s moral journey over the course of this show is so fascinating because it’s about someone learning how to engage with right and wrong in the world. I don’t know that I would consider her an amoral person, of course. Maybe immoral at times? Hell, that doesn’t even feel right. I think that she just didn’t care all that much, not for the ramifications of her actions or the ways in which other people were hurt, too. That’s part due to her sense of empathy, and it’s partially because she had a whole lot of issues on her own, you know? But after working with these people for four years or so, she understands the closure and joy that they’ve brought to people’s lives. And now, standing in front of Alan Scott’s body, knowing that he died alone and afraid, she’s horribly upset that they might have to leave him behind.
So Eliot tells her the truth. They’re not terrible people for putting their own lives first. They’re not terrible people for leaving Alan Scott behind. They’re not terrible for being capable of making difficult, uncomfortable decisions when the time calls for it. That may make them unique, but that’s all it is. It’s who they are, and it’s how they’ve stayed alive for so long. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST SCENES IN THE ENTIRE SERIES, I AM STILL OVERWHELMED BY IT. Just… I love seeing Eliot act so affectionate towards Parker. In his own way, that is!
The Bug
Oh, I love the idea of forcing me to think back on EVERY person the team has ever crossed because ANY OF THEM COULD BE GETTING REVENGE. Yes. Y E S.
The video for “The Long Way Down Job†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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