{"id":4490,"date":"2015-03-05T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T16:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4490"},"modified":"2015-02-07T16:52:01","modified_gmt":"2015-02-08T00:52:01","slug":"mark-watches-leverage-s03e04-the-scheherazade-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/03\/mark-watches-leverage-s03e04-the-scheherazade-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Leverage’: S03E04 – The Scheherazade Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fourth episode of the third season of\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>, Hardison is given a near-impossible task in order to help prevent an assassination. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Goddamn, what an episode. Where do I even start??? This was terrifying in a whole new way (OH LORD, PERFORMANCE ANXIETY IS THE WORST), and it nearly made me cry, and it was uncomfortable, and GIANCARLO ESPOSITO.<\/p>\n

h e l p<\/p>\n

Wadata<\/b><\/p>\n

Okay, not sure why the show felt the need to invent a fictional African country, but I understood that it was meant as a stand-in for Sierra Leone or somewhere along the Ivory Coast. The concept here is based on some truths, though, and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re meant to dislike Moto because he exploits people from his people so he can better his own life in the States\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i> back home in the country. It works, and Esposito is so charismatic and unnerving as Moto that I bought the part with little question.<\/p>\n

Hardison<\/b><\/p>\n

But this con \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which must take Moto out in a way to prevent him from running his home country \u00e2\u20ac\u201c involves Hardison pulling off a grift that would have been better suited for someone like Sophie. He brags to Nate at the opening of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Scheherazade Job\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that one day, he could probably run his own crew like Nate does. Thus, most of this episode is a test, albeit one that Hardison accepts entirely on his own. Can he see every angle necessary to make this heist work? Can he become the Wadatan immigrant whose masterful violin playing inspires Moto to let down his guard?<\/p>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think Nate ever once doubted Hardison\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skills. He knows Hardison is the best hacker around. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also relied on Hardison\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grifting \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which is often over-the-top and ridiculous \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to make cons work or to distract so that a heist can go more smoothly. The problem here is\u00c2\u00a0doubt<\/i>. When Nate and Sophie realize that they have the perfect opportunity to con Moto, they go ahead and set it up without asking Hardison whether or not he can actually\u00c2\u00a0do<\/i> what they require. Look, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even consider myself a mild expert of composers or classical music, AND EVEN I KNEW THAT KORSAKOV\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S\u00c2\u00a0SCHEHERZADE\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>WAS SUPER DIFFICULT TO PLAY ON THE VIOLIN. To make matters worse, a significant portion of the heist depended on Hardison being able to play the violin perfectly at the exact moment needed.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, I felt really bad for Hardison. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not comforting to see him panic like this; even in the past, when faced with monstrous hurdles, he never got\u00c2\u00a0this<\/i> anxious. I can understand the performance anxiety aspect of it. I still get nervous these days before I do my own events and readings. I actually have a little freak-out about half an hour before an event that allows me to get those feelings out. But Hardison\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fear wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just because he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d have to perform in front of a large, hyper-critical audience. No, he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even sure HE COULD PLAY THE VIOLIN AGAIN.<\/p>\n

So\u00c2\u00a0did<\/i> Nate go too far here? At the very least, Parker, Sophie, and Hardison are justifiably disturbed by Nate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision to use hypnosis (WHO DID HE LEARN THAT FROM IN PRISON???) in order to give Hardison the confidence he needed. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing that Nate thought this would be inspiring, that he would be praised for figuring out a way to give Hardison what he needed in order to pull off that solo. But Hardison was so jazzed to have been able to find his zone, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! Did you see how thrilled he was when he was talking to Parker? And then in swoops Nate, to take it away from him by taking credit. Hardison has every right to feel upset about this.<\/p>\n

Musical Design<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the absolutely coolest things this show has ever done is set that heist to\u00c2\u00a0Schehezerade<\/i>. The fight sequences? Perfectly timed and in-sync. It was a brilliant choice to highlight the unbearably tension of that whole scene. Would Hardison be able to pull this off??? Could they time it all perfectly so that no one would hear the explosions? AM I GOING TO SURVIVE THIS EPISODE?<\/p>\n

And then Hardison was hitting every note perfectly, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even care if Aldis Hodge wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t truly playing. THAT MOMENT WAS SO EMOTIONAL. It was so powerful that\u00c2\u00a0the rest of the team forgot they were in a vault<\/i>. How does that not speak volumes about the incredible nature of what Hardison accomplished? The team was shushed into distraction. INCREDIBLE.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Scheherazade Job\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– Mark Does Stuff is now on Facebook<\/a>! Feel free to Like the page, which I’m running myself, for updates and SILLINESS.
\n– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!<\/a>
\n– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com<\/a>. All Mark Watches videos for past shows\/season are now archived there!
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features will be\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, seasons 2 – 4, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>.<\/b>
\n– The 2015 Mark Does Stuff tour is being announced!!! Check my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page<\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"