{"id":4574,"date":"2015-03-31T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2015-03-31T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4574"},"modified":"2015-03-24T13:08:28","modified_gmt":"2015-03-24T20:08:28","slug":"mark-watches-leverage-s04e05-the-hot-potato-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/03\/mark-watches-leverage-s04e05-the-hot-potato-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Leverage’: S04E05 – The Hot Potato Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifth episode of the fourth season of\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>, the team deals with a frantic and last-minute con while Nate and Sophie navigate a possible relationship beyond a working one. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen so much of this show, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, and it still thrills me. It still excites me to see them try to pull off a con and a heist like this, and I find it rewarding to watch this show keep up its energy. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever feel like it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sluggish or lacking in ideas. Even after such a massive episode like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Van Gogh Job,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not disappointed by what follows it. THIS SHOW IS SO MAGNIFICENT.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sophie<\/b><\/p>\n

I know that Sophie and Nate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s second sexual encounter hangs over \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hot Potato Job,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d but I appreciated that the show went out of its way to avoid a pretty common trope here. Sophie is not portrayed as incapable of doing her job just because she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s had sex with Nate. Nate? Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s distracted a few times, he says a few choice things to Sophie, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a clever reversal. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m used to media portraying women as emotionally unable to handle relationships and work spaces, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad that Sophie absolutely fucking kills it here.<\/p>\n

LIKE, CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW INCREDIBLE HER GRIFT IS HERE? Without any preparation or initial help, she puts herself into Jana West\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vehicle and convinces her that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually part of VerdAgra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s security contractors. Yes, Hardison does help her remotely, but the bulk of the grift is based on Sophie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ability to be confident enough that Jana barely questions who she is. On top of that, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s utterly hilarious to watch how she slowly turns\u00c2\u00a0into<\/i> Hardison with the way she talks. I mean, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a nice touch because she uses that accent and her dependable tone to gain Jana\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s confidence, enough that when she moves into the Snipe Hunt con, Jana is eager to believe that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to save VerdAgra all by herself.<\/p>\n

I genuinely think this is one of Sophie\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s best grifts. What a spectacle! SHE ACTUALLY PICKS OUT A REAL MOLE DURING HER CON WHICH IS MEANT TO FALSELY ACCUSE PEOPLE OF BEING A MOLE. Oh my god, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s incredible. I also love that she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the one pursuing casual sex with Nate because\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, why the hell not? They enjoy it, they enjoy each other, IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO PERFECT. Oh my god, I bet this means my prediction is now going to come true. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a 0% chance the rest of the team doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going on.<\/p>\n

Parker<\/b><\/p>\n

Like the brilliance of Eliot teaching Sophie how to punch, I appreciated that brief moment where Parker guided Hardison through a lift. Did I find it romantic?\u00c2\u00a0You bet your ass I did<\/i>. But I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s indicative of the way that this team works with one another. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at a point where they understand that they work best when they have a myriad of talents instead of relying solely on their prime role. I mean, everyone recognizes that Hardison is only a good grifter when they need someone who is absurd and ridiculous, but that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean he can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t benefit from learning sleight of hand.<\/p>\n

At the same time, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always going to be a thrill in watching Parker do her thing, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. That scene in the hot vault with the lasers??? Getting the chance to watch her slide on her knees away from an explosion, much like Eliot did last season? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still maintaining that all my collected good karma is coming out in this show.<\/p>\n

Trevor<\/b><\/p>\n

I know that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not any greater sort of story told through this character, and yet? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kind of rad that Nate and Hardison take this kind under their wing solely to entertain him. He most likely acts up because of a need for attention, so they give him that, and look what happens. The joy on that kid\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face at the end of the episode is so\u00c2\u00a0real<\/i>, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I appreciate that. I appreciate that they gave him a day he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never, ever forget. JUST BECAUSE.<\/p>\n

VerdAgra<\/b><\/p>\n

Two marks in one episode!!! And one of them is played by Mitch Pileggi!!! Wow, it was so easy to hate both Jana West and Colin Saunders. The corporate agriculture industry is a terrifying place, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a factual basis to what VerdAgra tries to do to Emily Margold here in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hot Potato Job.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Of course, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the basis of a great deal of these stories: people or organizations who have access to an unreal amount of power will often wield that power to exploit others. That exploitation is at the heart of Emily\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s problem. VerdAgra knows that it can make a massive profit off of the work that Emily did, but they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll just justify it as\u00c2\u00a0helping her out<\/i>. (ahaha, SHUT UP, SAUNDERS.)<\/p>\n

Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what fucks me up: the team expertly takes down both Colin Saunders\u00c2\u00a0and<\/i> Jana West. They utterly destroy them! And yet, Jana West is acquitted??? How the\u00c2\u00a0fuck<\/i> is that possible? I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never seen a con undone like this before, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s DISTRESSING. How??? Is it someone else? Is it related to the people bugging Nate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s place??? This honestly makes no sense to me at all, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not good. It means that\u00c2\u00a0I will not be prepared for the explanation of it<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Hot Potato 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":"