{"id":4461,"date":"2015-02-19T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T16:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4461"},"modified":"2015-01-31T14:51:39","modified_gmt":"2015-01-31T22:51:39","slug":"mark-watches-leverage-s02e10-the-runway-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/02\/mark-watches-leverage-s02e10-the-runway-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Leverage’: S02E10 – The Runway Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the tenth episode of the second season of\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>, the team adjusts to Tara\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence while trying to take down a couple who run a sweatshop. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of sweatshops.<\/b><\/p>\n

I definitely think that this show deals with a lot of real-world injustices in superficial ways, since we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not getting in-depth studies of certain environments or of a specific phenomenon. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re set-ups and premises for these stories. I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to understand that so that the show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s politics aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t described as being more radical than they actually are.<\/p>\n

Still, this episode doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do much to explain the horrors of sweatshops beyond the cold open, but it also outright accepts that the working conditions of these places is horrific and unjust. And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fascinating to me because it feels like the show expects certain things of the audience. They expect us to understand why these aspects of society \u00e2\u20ac\u201c which are very real in our own world \u00e2\u20ac\u201c are wrongs that need to be made right. And not just because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good thing, but because they routinely go unpunished within our own world. So, even if there isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a whole lot of detail or education provided about sweatshops, their working conditions, or what we as consumers can do to buy clothing that is ethically produced, this is still a working fantasy about people trying to save the lives of immigrants who are otherwise ignored or vilified by most folks in society. Like, not one of these five characters doubts that this is a case they should take, and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re sympathetic to what Florene and the other workers have gone through. Nate understands the difficulty of being an immigrant in the United States and how that might make someone like Florence afraid to report her boss for gross violations of her rights.<\/p>\n

These things are all outright spoken of in this script. I know that\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>primary goal is to entertain, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to distract from that or claim this show is something that transcends that, necessarily. But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me that hopes that in its own little way,\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i> can make people aware of the actual injustices in this world, especially since the show borrows so directly from our own society.<\/p>\n

Aside from this aspect of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Runway Job,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d this episode is rewarding because of the clever ways in which the writers fit Tara Cole into the narrative. Look, this a group of thieves and cons. They are not ever going to trust someone they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just met, even if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got assurances from Sophie that\u00c2\u00a0Tara\u00c2\u00a0can<\/i> be trusted. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that easy for them. At the same time, I appreciated that the show didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make this easy for Tara, either. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not desperate for attention or validation because she\u00c2\u00a0knows<\/i> that she is a fantastic grifter. Why should she have to prove her worth to anyone? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the challenge here. The team needs a talented grifter, but is having a hard time trusting the one they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got. Tara owes Sophie and wants to do something meaningful for her friend, but she finds Nate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s control and communication issues to be distracting and belittling.<\/p>\n

It was fun watching her win the team over, especially Eliot. And really, the experiences she has with them are the only thing that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to actually get them to trust her and vice versa. They all have to know that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got each other\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back. We know this because the beginning of this show demonstrated to us how hard it is for people like this to depend on anyone aside from themselves. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why the relationship between Sophie and Nate is so frayed at the moment, too. I get that the distance is playing a part in this, but Nate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s behavior doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help. Sophie is trying to deal with a very serious issue, and while it may seem silly that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s traveling the world while doing so, she did her absolute best to make sure the team still had help in her absence. I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s utterly fair, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! But oh my god, JUST MAKE OUT, THE TWO OF YOU. Okay, that won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t solve all their problems, but IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S A START.<\/p>\n

This setting \u00e2\u20ac\u201c a fashion show \u00e2\u20ac\u201c was also a lot of fun. I think the gay stereotypes for Andre V were a little too exaggerated for my tastes (as was that moment where Hardison made fun of Russell\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s last name don<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do that<\/i>), but CAN WE TALK ABOUT PARKER IN THAT DRESS. And her look! My god, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s incredible. So is Christian Kane in eyeliner, good LORD. Utterly unfair, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. UNFAIR.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Runway 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":"