{"id":4559,"date":"2015-03-25T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2015-03-25T15:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4559"},"modified":"2015-03-17T12:16:53","modified_gmt":"2015-03-17T19:16:53","slug":"mark-watches-leverage-s04e01-the-long-way-down-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/03\/mark-watches-leverage-s04e01-the-long-way-down-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Leverage’: S04E01 – The Long Way Down Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first episode of the fourth season of\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>, nothing in the universe could have prepared me for this episode. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of death, mention of a dead body.<\/b><\/p>\n

What an utterly fantastic and riveting episode of\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lot here that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s atypical of the show, and I know that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Long Way Down Job\u00e2\u20ac\u009d feels almost otherworldly. From the shooting location to the non-traditional con structure to EMOTIONS, this episode takes a lot of risks, and\u00c2\u00a0they work so well<\/i>.<\/p>\n

LET US DISCUSS\u00c2\u00a0EVERYTHING<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The Con<\/b><\/p>\n

This episode features Sophie pulling off a con by herself.\u00c2\u00a0BY HERSELF. Not just that, but her con of John Drexel isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even the focus of the story. (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impressive, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the goal of this job, which is highly irregular for the show. But I like that! I think that this wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have been as thrilling as it was if it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel so\u00c2\u00a0new<\/i>. Plus, the cast of characters is spread so thin across this mountain that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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.<\/p>\n

Nate<\/b><\/p>\n

So, I incorrectly interpreted Nate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions when he set the triangulation device in front of Karen. I thought he was\u00c2\u00a0intentionally\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to propose a theory about all of that. See, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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?<\/p>\n

Denial.<\/p>\n

In a grand misstep on my part, I thought that Nate and Sophie would continue to see each other and\u00c2\u00a0hide<\/i> 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s way because THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S WHAT NATE FORD DOES.<\/p>\n

Lord.<\/p>\n

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

Hardison being worried about Parker. Hardison wishing that Parker had hugged him. Hardison thankful that Eliot\u00c2\u00a0did<\/i> 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s voice. HARDISON AND PARKER HUGGING.\u00c2\u00a0HARDISON CONFIRMING TO PARKER THAT A POSSIBLE ROMANCE BEING ABNORMAL IS TOTALLY NORMAL AND FINE WITH HIM<\/i><\/p>\n

H A R D I S O N<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m fine, I swear.<\/p>\n

The Long Way Down<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be a fool to say that any other part of this episode was better because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s simply not true. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think I thought about this until this episode, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never seen Eliot and Parker spend this much time with only each other before. That being said, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s undeniable that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t until Eliot\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s little monologue later that I understood why these two were truly best paired with each other.<\/p>\n

But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very disturbing aspect to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Long Way Down Job\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that the show normally avoids: death. Now, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like death hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t\u00c2\u00a0happened<\/i>, because we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve certainly seen cases detailing spouses or siblings dying, and their loved ones approach the Leverage team for help. However, Alan Scott\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c after plunging through the snow and ice into a hidden cavern \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Parker suddenly has a moment of panic. Her panic, though, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t about being trapped. In fact, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think she ever expresses fear at though. No, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worried that they won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be able to fulfill Karen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wishes: to bring her husband back.<\/p>\n

Parker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s moral journey over the course of this show is so fascinating because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about someone learning how to engage with right and wrong in the world. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that I would consider her an amoral person, of course. Maybe immoral at times? Hell, that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even feel right. I think that she just didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t\u00c2\u00a0care<\/i> all that much, not for the ramifications of her actions or the ways in which other people were hurt, too. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part due to her sense of empathy, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve brought to people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lives. And now, standing in front of Alan Scott\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body, knowing that he died alone and afraid, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s horribly upset that they might have to leave him behind.<\/p>\n

So Eliot tells her the truth. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not terrible people for putting their own lives first. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not terrible people for leaving Alan Scott behind. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not terrible for being capable of making difficult, uncomfortable decisions when the time calls for it. That may make them unique, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all it is. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s who they are, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s how they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve stayed alive for so long. IT IS ONE OF THE BEST SCENES IN THE ENTIRE SERIES, I AM STILL OVERWHELMED BY IT. Just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I love seeing Eliot act so affectionate towards Parker. In his own way, that is!<\/p>\n

The Bug<\/b><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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

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

– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S., Canada, Europe, the U.K., and Ireland. Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\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 for Mark Watches will be the remainder of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
\n– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running,\u00c2\u00a0 I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!
\n<\/a>– Please check out the\u00c2\u00a0 MarkDoesStuff.com<\/a>. All Mark Watches videos for past shows\/season are now archived there!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"