#LEVERAGE

[anandabrat]

Man I just got a hand it to Leverage for being the best possible vehicle for explaining the evils of the world to a kid. My ten year old is currently deeply into Leverage, and we watch an episode together maybe three or four nights a week. Initially the draw was the heist (she saw Ocean's 8 and was delighted and wanted more), now she's hooked on the characters like we all are.

But man like. The kid learned tonight what child abuse was because she watched Eliot threaten to throw an abused down a stairwell and then make real damn sure the marshalls found that kid and helped him. Later while we're picking berries she says "hey mom, why do you think Eliot figured that out? Nobody else noticed that kid was in trouble."

"Huh yeah, that's a great question."

"is it just because he likes to hit people? But probably not, remember when Sophie said Eliot fights to survive."

Ten minutes later she says, "maybe he knows about that because it happened to him."

Five minutes later, "so maybe now he knows how to look out for other kids."

And then we talked about how teachers and doctors are mandatory reporters and what that means but like, her budding knowledge of adult life is couched in how people fight the bad shit and I fucking love it

[probablypixel]

[lilacofficial]

Breanna inheriting this from Hardison. ��

One of my favorite recurring gags in Leverage is how Hardison weaponizes the fear people have to actually be called out as racist/homophobic/transphobic and just uses it to its full advantage every time

[starsandaces24]

I love that leverage not only doesn't write the leader of the team as a person great at hiding all their problems, it does the exact opposite. Between Nate and Parker, there is a 100% rate of "oh, this is a weird little freak" whenever anyone interacts with them when they aren't in disguise. Nate may be trying, but no one is falling for it.

[creaturefeaturecommando]

I let my mom infodump to me about Leverage and she let me know that these fuckers did a storyline where it was reveled that Eliot was raised by black people. And his dad is freaking Keith David. I thought she was making it up but no. This is real.

They even dress the same. Oh my god. What the fuck does he know ? Eliot knows our secrets and ways ? Does this bitch use cocoa butter ? Does he wear a bonnet ? Is that why is hair is so healthy ? He knows too much.

[days-on-the-road]

For real. I grew up in a religion that emphasized forgiveness no matter what was done to you. If you don't forgive, you won't be forgiven by god and you'll end up in hell. Even if that person killed your child or did unspeakable things to you. I love me the revenge stories that actually give victims justice and the revenge is celebrated, and I love the stories where victims kill out of self defense after surviving hell, and then live with the guilt until they realize they don't have to forgive anyone for what was done, and they were in the right.

I think Leverage has a really neat take on the concept of revenge.

Because a lot of times, revenge gets framed as this inherently immoral act, like it doesn't matter how evil the person you want revenge on is, it doesn't matter that stopping them is a net positive for the world, revenge is just bad and wanting it makes you bad.

But I think that a lot of the problems with most revenge narratives come from the fact that the person/people seeking revenge put too much importance on getting revenge, but there's not enough catharsis in the actual act of taking revenge. They end up left with a whole lot of left-over righteous anger, and no acceptable targets left to vent it on. That way lies the bloodline ending feuds of greek tragedy and the like.

But Leverage says "No, actually you're right, that guy is absolutely terrible, he does need to be stopped and his victims should be awarded the catharsis of revenge." But then, instead of taking the easy way out of having Hardison siphon all the money out of their accounts, or sending Elliot over to their house with a baseball bat, they complicate the revenge plot. Instead of walking the easier path of the quick and unsatisfying revenge, they insist on poetic justice and dramatic irony and the complete and utter, very public destruction of the worst people in the world.

That's why I think Leverage feels different to, say, The Count of Monte Cristo, or other revenge-centric stories. They go the extra mile to tailor their revenge to the target, and give them Exactly what they deserve.

[augustheart]

what if you were a corporate lawyer and you HATED yourself so you became a CRIMINAL and NEVER TOLD YOUR DAUGHTER YOU WERE DOING CRIME and then you had to run a scam on a guy by PRETENDING to be BISEXUAL despite being ACTUALLY bisexual and then your daughter WALKED IN ON YOU ON A FAKE DATE WITH YOUR MARK and then said YEAH IT MAKES SENSE YOU'RE GAY because you're BAD AT INTIMACY.

[readwing]

I love whenever Nate and Sophie are having a Scene and off in the distance you can see Hardison, Parker, and Eliot together having some sort of Domestic Moment (TM)

[wumbletumblebumble]

I love how Redemption takes the jump from ruining people's careers and finances to just wrecking their lives and mental states. Like, it's not enough to shut down the guys factories and take his money. We need him to have the experience of being hunted by the government while living impoverished in a foreign country. Also they completely gloss over that time Sophie used electric shock therapy to make an oil exec see the error of his ways.

[beautifulscreaminglady]

It is now called Undue Medical Debt!

[jourke-rourke]

Leverage (2008) // Eliot in the Rashomon Job (S03xE11)

[leveragecentral]

The Scared Stiff Job (S03E03) LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION (2021—)

[generaltrashlad]

The way after this, that Sophie tried to bluff that she knew Parker would never do it. And Eliot agreed. But neither of them actually knew - and if Parker had done it, Sophie would have condemned her in some way, but Eliot would never. Eliot would have stood right beside Parker and told Sophie to back off.

The Side Job (S03E10) LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION (2021—)

[beautifulscreaminglady]

Watching the Spanish dub of The Two-Horse Job made me realize I think we HAVE seen Parker's brother. This little boy at the party looks a bit like Parker, seems to be a bit younger, and he's clinging onto her arm during this scene.

"The Two-Horse Job"

[almostavenger]

Leverage: Redemption - "The Scared Stiff Job"