#astrid pickford

[alinaandalion]

i remain obsessed about how attached astrid is to sophie considering sophie wasn't astrid's stepmom for very long

i seriously think sophie was the best parent astrid had and that is deeply tragic considering i don't think sophie would have been that good at it back then

it makes so much sense if sophie is the first parental figure to actually pay attention to astrid and so the impact of her disappearance was devastating

[villadiodatis]

The Grand Complication Job is such a great example of an episode showcasing all the cool women on the show without feeling contrived or patting itself on the back like the Marvel moment. It feels natural and it makes sense because these characters, their skills, and their relationships are pre-established. There are enough existing female characters in different roles that you can build an all-female episode easily and organically! It’s so wonderful!

[danburys]

i think astrid should become sterling's favorite eventually and then he finds out about her and sophie and he's all like, "be careful around these people, agent, they're nothing but trouble." but then astrid is in the states and she visits the crew except sterling is there and everyone's glaring at him but also they're all fully immersed in a case??? and astrid's like, what are YOU doing at the devil's sacrament, boss????

[lindseymcdonaldseyelashes]

Leverage: Redemption 3x5- "The Grand Complication Job"

[leveragecentral]

Astrid Pickford in The Grand Complication Job (S03E05) LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION (2021—)

[smallblueandloud]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Leverage Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sophie Devereaux & Astrid Pickford Characters: Astrid Pickford, Sophie Devereaux (Leverage), Jim Sterling (Leverage) Additional Tags: Minor Sophie Devereaux/Nathan Ford, Complicated Parent-Child Relationships, sometimes good people are bad parents, astrid doesn't know how to forgive that, but maybe she and sophie can figure it out together, Leverage: Redemption (2021) Spoilers Summary:

“And then you moved on? Kept moving on, leaving us behind?”

“Yes,” says Sophie. She closes the cupboards and leans against the counter, gazing at Astrid. “There were always bigger jobs. Always bigger risks, better scores... I won’t pretend to be someone I’m not.”

Astrid laughs sharply, struggling with a last piece of carrot. “Isn’t that your whole thing?”

[reflectingiridescent]

Watching The King George Job after seeing Leverage: Redemption

Wow, it is MEATY. Poor Sophie.

Up until now, the show - through Sophie's impeccably selective language - has been very careful in suggesting her art theft as a fun game she played with the rich and powerful, something relatively in line with the premise of Leverage in general. This is the first time the show really leans into how art theft links to terrorism, a link that is drawn out explicitly in Redemption S2 in dialogue between Sophie and Eliot.

The girl at the beginning is almost certainly and purposefully written as being around the same age Astrid would have been when Sophie left, which already has Sophie primed to think about her past, the "archeology" of her crimes. Were the things she stole used to fund deeper crimes? Maybe, maybe not. But the damage to Astrid has been done. She just hasn't told anyone.

Just a few episodes ago in The Three-Card Monte Job - a heavily Nate-centric episode - we saw Sophie get unusually firm about civilians being used as pawns in crime. The thematic exploration of collateral damage continues in this episode.

Sophie's more upset than usual during this briefing. Nate clocks it early on.

When Parker says that she should have gotten into this line of work (stealing unregistered, uninsured art) years ago, Sophie is visibly uncomfortable.

Nate goes after Sophie and tries to get her out of her head. It's refreshing to see that dynamic reversed. The suggestion that works? Basically asking her if she wants to run a game on Keller.

I'm biased, but it's REALLY NICE to see Sophie in her element, with all of the art. And! When Sophie takes point, you learn and you con!

Sophie takes over when the first con doesn't work, and everyone rolls with it.

Little pause before Sophie introduces herself as Charlotte Prentiss. It's like you can feel the weight that the persona carries for her.

Cute that all of the beats about the more exciting parts of royalty happen between Sophie and Parker. Sure, they're the women on the team, and we don't know it yet, but they're both living out rags-to-riches stories of sorts.

"Good guess. *little wink*" / "It's not really a guess if it's that good, is it?" The Sophie/Nate dynamic is much more understated this season, but it really, REALLY works. I love seeing them at partners, in crime some more.

PARKER WHEN DID YOU STEAL A CORPSE JFC?

I can't say enough how much I like seeing Sophie teach. Also she is very pretty this episode (and every episode, but I'm obsessed with her black cutout dress).

We see the beginnings here of Sophie teaching Hardison how to forge, which carries over into Redemption. Hardison likes learning about art and culture but doesn't always see how it ties into his speciality. Sophie helps him.

The past few episodes have really leaned into the Sophie & Parker dynamic, and I like it a lot. Through Parker, Hardison, and Eliot, they cover the three senses involved when really analyzing a relic: smell, touch, and taste.

"But to a mark that's always in his head, the heart con's the only one that works." I should start a list of lines that are super core to who Sophie is, because this is def on the list. It's about William and Nate and Sophie's entire career and Sophie herself.

"Some say she became a commoner in Massachusetts. Some say she died at sea. Some say she never left London at all." I've also never paid attention to the parallels between Sophie and the story she tells Keller about the mistress of King George III, but they are RIGHT THERE. This show makes me want to climb walls.

Nate is considering if Charlotte is Sophie's real name. He asks about it, in his way. She deflects and asks about the con. Notable here is how Sophie's doing all of this for the team. This is going to help them get to Moreau. Any effect that it has on her is something she's going to deal with on her own time.

This is the second time this season Eliot is stalling by taking people on a city tour.

A lovely shot of Sophie being excited during the auction - is it over the diary, about the way that Parker's playing the auctioneer, or both? I think it's both.

Watching Sophie and Nate hustle the auction crowd is incredible. Sophie uses neurolinguistic programming. Nate and Parker gang up on another guy in the crowd. 😂

"Is Sophie a princess?" We don't know it yet, but Sophie actually fulfills several roles in the Cinderella story: she is evil stepmother, fairy godmother, and Cinderella herself rolled into one.

"That storage locker was filled with some of the very first things I ever stole." Charlotte's past scandal has hurt her reputation deeply, but it doesn't matter. The team's done their job, with a lot of personal investment from Sophie.

Eliot gets a great fight scene with a belt!

Sophie is shown to be very motivated by the little girl throughout the episode, but the beats with the girl at the end happen with Eliot, who actually had contact with the girl and speaks her language. Much like Sophie's done with Astrid since leaving, Sophie's benefaction happens in the shadows.

It pales in comparison to everything else that's going on in this episode/this season, but earlier in the episode, Sophie says that The Mummy's Tiara is virtually impossible to pull off in a country with an actual monarchy. Our favorite team rewrites the book on crime, once again.

[aardvaark]

"did you call me family? is that what you meant?" aw astrid, you’re adorable. you don’t know this yet, but around here we speedrun found family by getting into deadly situations and creating multilayered cons. welcome to the group <3

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

Mother/daughter hugs!

Leverage S02E15/Redemption S03E05

[happygirl2oo2]

Girls Night Out 2.0 type of episode?? And this time it's also focused specifically around their love for Sophie (especially her as Astrid and Parker's adoptive mother)?? Learning Parker dislikes Astrid so much not only because she's Interpool but specifically because she's the reason Parker and Hardison had to split up after a job a few years back and for a while Parker couldn't know if he is even alive?? Tara Cameo?? "Let go steal Sophie Devereaux"?? AHHHH, Y'all, I am absolutely LIVING over here 🤗

[246bce]

Leverage Redemption 3x05: The Grand Complication Job

[danburys]

there's something so truly heartbreaking about astrid in the grand complication job, a woman so jaded and grown up, who was so hurt when she was little that she's still unsteady on her feet when it comes to anything outside of her control. when sophie talks about her to bligh, calls herself her mother she's close to tears. she asks, so small, if parker includes her in family. she tries to tell parker smth nice by saying she wouldn't kill her when parker takes people trying to kill her as a compliment. she's so out of her depth among professional con artists but by god, she's trying while still holding on by her fingernails to the person she's built herself into for 20 years.

what her presence means for both sophie and parker adds so much to their story at this time, too. i think there is a LOT said in this episode and it only scratches the surface.

[lindseymcdonaldseyelashes]

Leverage: Redemption 3x5- "The Grand Complication Job"

[leveragecentral]

The Grand Complication Job (S03E05) LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION (2021—)

[viharistenno]

Staying on yesterday's theme with a different perspective

[reflectingiridescent]

Great article with a lot of different perspectives on what went down in The Great Complication Job!

Bellman points out that the days of Sophie feeling maternal to Parker are over. "She’s been running international crews. She’s a powerful woman in her own right. The final episode this season, she’s really in her power. I feel like in a way Sophie’s always going to look out for her crew, but I think that relationship has evolved. So I think it’s really nice that Sophie gets to be maternal with Astrid..."

And then my favorite insight, from Beth about Parker:

"She’s very territorial, isn’t she? Over Sophie and her friends...But I think by the end, there’s a real revelation that occurs when it’s like, ��Okay, wait a second. We would both kill for this person. We would both do anything for this person.' Now that Parker knows she can trust Astrid, I think for her, that’s everything...if any of them are in danger, she goes right back to that and has not a hesitation about doing the right thing. If it means losing your life, so be it. "

Because that reminds me of this.

Aka another time when a person's relationship with Sophie completely changed the way Parker saw them. And hey, that person was in this episode!