{"id":4591,"date":"2015-04-10T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2015-04-10T15:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4591"},"modified":"2015-03-31T18:26:32","modified_gmt":"2015-04-01T01:26:32","slug":"mark-watches-leverage-s04e13-the-girls-night-out-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/04\/mark-watches-leverage-s04e13-the-girls-night-out-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Leverage’: S04E13 – The Girls’ Night Out Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the thirteenth episode of the fourth episode of\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>, Parker gets embroiled in a complicated heist when she tries to maintain a friendship with someone. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Leverage<\/i>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For talk of anxiety, mental health.<\/b><\/p>\n

I genuinely think this is the best season of the show, as strange as it can be. The show has never felt more willing to poke fun at itself\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>and<\/i> to experiment with the sort of stories it can tell. I imagine that the following episode is going to focus on what the\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>hell<\/i> happened with the men of\u00c2\u00a0<\/span>Leverage<\/i>, since the few glimpses we got of their evening were RIDICULOUS. So, for now? Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s discuss \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Night Out Job.:<\/span><\/p>\n

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

I just care so much about Parker, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all.<\/p>\n

I appreciate that this show does as well. To many people, the idea of maintaining a casual friendship may seem simple and without challenge. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not an easy thing for a\u00c2\u00a0lot<\/i> of people. I find it difficult to maintain close friendships with a lot of folks I meet because of my own social anxiety, or because of my self esteem issues. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve sabotaged a lot of possible relationships because of it. And you know what I could have used? Some patience. Some understanding! Those things are offered to Parker, though initially, Sophie is eager to spend a night out with Tara (!!!!) and she dismisses Parker.<\/p>\n

However, the episode values Parker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attempt to maintain some sort of friendliness with Peggy. When she pisses Peggy off, the writers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t treat Peggy as a disposable character who serves no other purpose but to make Parker looks weird. Parker really cares about keeping peggy as a friend! And so do Tara and Sophie, who both make it their mission to rectify the damage done. I JUST REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS SO MUCH, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. I think this is a perfect demonstration of how respectful these people are. Parker doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to dodge the harm she caused Peggy, and Parker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s friends do what they can to support her through something that comes much easier to them. They do this without condescension or cruelty, either, and it matters so much to me.<\/p>\n

A Girls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Night Out<\/b><\/p>\n

I was pleasantly surprised by the re-appearance of Tara, so THANK YOU to everyone for not spoiling this for me. IT WAS FANTASTIC. Of course, this episode has ruined me a bit because now I want Tara, Sophie, and Parker to run\u00c2\u00a0every con ever<\/i>. The writers don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t waste this beautiful opportunity at all. Sophie and Tara competitively grifting everyone around them? God, I could sit here and watch that for HOURS. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so entertaining because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much respect between these two characters, and this is how they entertain one another. THROUGH CONS.<\/p>\n

And this con was a joy to watch because it was so bizarre. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always a pleasure to see the team go up against another con artist, particularly when they can\u00c2\u00a0destroy<\/i> the other person, but \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Night Out Job\u00e2\u20ac\u009d does something drastically different here. I certainly wanted Mattingly to be taken down because he was so gross towards Peggy. But Parker ultimately doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pursue this end for him. In a fascinating decision, she reveals not only her identity, but her motivation to Mattingly: to do good things for good people. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no financial gain for her, and Mattingly is completely bewildered by this.<\/p>\n

Yet? Mattingly changes his mind. Yes, extenuating factors affected that, like the fact that Escobar PLANTED A BOMB IN THE EMBASSY. Once Mattingly realizes what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s set into motion his changes his tune. And you know what? I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part of the reason why Parker realized Hardison\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appeal to her. Only when it benefitted himself did Mattingly decide to do the right thing. Sure, he had a lot in common with Parker, but does that common interest mean anything beyond that? No, not necessarily, and certainly not in this case. Parker isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t turning to Mattingly for help in this episode; she calls Hardison<\/i> multiple times. She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not enjoying herself because Mattingly likes the same things as her, either. Her affinity for Hardison is so much more complicated than that!<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m interested to see if we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get the other half of the team\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take on this, because I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d want Hardison\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s side of this relationship, too. He was clearly so excited about the Robot Wars tickets he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d gotten, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an observant guy. I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be surprised if he figured out that Parker wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all that into going with him. Regardless, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a whole lot I need to know about the men because WHY IS HARDISON BEING CHASED BY DOGS? Who were all the guys in the bar??? WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?<\/p>\n

Moment of silence for: Escobar and Tara doing the tango. Good fucking\u00c2\u00a0god<\/i>, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Girls\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Night Out 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":"