#leverage ot3: the mile high job

[independent-fics]

The Leverage OT3 in Every Episode

Leverage: 01x05 The Mile High Job

[theinfinitedivides]

'if you were a geek you'd be really turned on by now' babe you didn't even have to say the word when can i come over

[leverage-ot3]

op: #only someone you love can embarrass you THAT much

Leverage 1x8 - "The Mile High Job"

[leverage-ot3]

side characters that are invited to the ot3 wedding, in no particular order:

nana hardison

jim sterling

archie (blegh. we accept him for parker’s sake)

todd mcsweeten

the rest of the hardison family

tara cole

billy spencer

astrid pickford

jacob stone (eliot’s twin)

alex walker (eliot’s other twin) (they are triplets)

kai and ernesto (alex’s partners)

maggie collins

quinn

jack hurley

actually, any leverage international member that wants to come and is available (I’m thinking lee tae joon’s crew)

cassandra and ezekiel (ezekiel is on thin ice. he and parker have a thief rivalry that has been going on for years. frenemies!!!)

paul orozco

colonel vance

mikel dyan

olivia sterling

shelly (from the boys night out job)

edit: people I have been told I forgot

agent taggert

peggy

cheryl from the mile high job (she and hardison continued to be WoW buddies. she is bisexual because I said so and is a queer gaming elder to breanna that breanna totally doesn’t have a crush on)

patrick bonanno

[lemissingmask]

[ID: Sketches of moments from the season 1 episodes 1-5 of Leverage; Eliot and Hardison staring intently at each other while getting dressed in the elevator, Hardison and Parker stopping Eliot from running out from behind a shipping container, Eliot serving everyone food in a sleeveless top, Eliot carrying Parker away while she is dressed in patient scrubs and he is in doctor scrubs, and the crew (minus Hardison) on the plane just after they realise the mark's real plan. End ID]

-

Just wanted to do a 'scene per episode' series of sketches as warm ups lately, starting logically with season 1. Might become a 'scene per episode plus bonus between season unseen moments' (slightly swayed by headcanons of stuff between the hitter-hacker-thief trio between seasons as their bond grows). Anyway! Here are some sketches.

-

[ot3-watch]

Episode 5: The Mile High Job

WHY IS THIS EPISODE 8

FUCK THE NETWORK I’M VERY TIRED

So we’re starting on a client testimony. Which is sad because I kind of like the context establishing scenes

Sophie being French is hilarious

I’m not saying Hardison shouldn’t be able to take off when he needs to. I am saying that MAYBE THEY SHOULD PLAN HEISTS FOR DAYS WHEN THEY ARE A MEMBER SHORT?

Also, why does Hardison not put his food on a plate before he puts it in the microwave. That spinning plate does not get washed nearly enough for that to be sanitary

OK wait did Hardison just flake out? THEN WHY DID THEY NOT POSTPONE?

THEY SHOULD HAVE PLANNED THIS MUCH BETTER

I love Parker being magic and teleporting

The security guards always seem like idiots and tbh, working where I work with the security guards being who they are, I feel like it’s all bullshit and a disservice to security guards.

I love the Doctor WHo references. TOM AND SARAH JANE BAKER YES MA’AM

But also did no one make a Doctor Who comment? Like really. I know Tom Baker is probably a common name but I really want to know what happens when they get a whovian checking their IDs

THe poor flight attendant. That sucks. Can you imagine getting a COMPLETELY fake call that your cat might be put down? I’m sorry, I can’t. Completely innocent people get screwed by them sometimes and I feel bad

Eliot remembers everyone he’s slept with I love him.

THIS POOR FLIGHT ATTENDANT? WHat happens when she comes back and everyone is side eyeing her and being bitchy?

I hate the trope of girlfriends or love interests being overly sensitive about people remembering tiny details. Especially when they aren’t actually together. Especially when it happened years ago. Especially when they hold it against them for the whole episode.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE TERRIBLE MEMORIES OK

Also, this is Nate. It’s a shock he has any brain cells left with how drunk he is 99% of the time. Get OVER yourself Sophie.

PLACE YOUR MASK OVER YOUR MOUTH AND NOSE ok Leverage predicting the future…

Parker being a terrible flight attendant is hilarious

Did I like her in this episode? I think I liked her in this episode

Eliot suffering through economy I can’t

I feel bad for the woman, but like… stop pushing? I know she’s nervous but the flight attendant is trying to do her job. I mean, it’s Parker, but in any normal situation…

Hardison pulls the same “You’re such a racist” bit every time he gets in a sticky situation, and it always works? Can you imagine if he tried to pull that on an actual racist?

Do planes have bars like that? I’ve been on plenty of planes and i’ve never seen a bar like that

Im never in first class though so whatever

OKAY GUYS THE IN-FLIGHT MOVIE IS ONE OF THE LIBRARIANS MOVIES

Which means noah wyle exists in the leverage universe.

HOW IS THAT GOING TO WORK WITH THE REBOOT THOUGH?

Unless they just… expected no one to notice? To be fair, it’s not like they focused on it

They probably just needed a movie they could use without securing rights first or running into copyright issues

But still… paradoxes

Eliot just going through a bunch of random people's bags…

HE AND PARKER MOVING AROUND EACH OTHER SO COMFORTABLY THOUGH

THIS IS SEASON ONE WHY ARE THEY SO GOOD TOGETHER ALREADY

I LOVE THEM GUYS

Parker. That’s not reassuring Parker. Parker that’s just terrifying. WHY WOULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT PARKER?? pARKER?? i’M CONCERNED PARKER!

I really hate Sophie getting mad at nate for this shit. It’s not funny. It’s not cute. It just makes Sophie seem unreasonable and bitchy

OK BUT Hardison and the woman bonding IMMEDIATELY over nerdy gaming is so great

Also i like that they made the other nerd a woman is great

OK but he is not talking nearly silently enough for the ONLY other person in the room to just stop listening to him?

Could you imagine the person you were talking to randomly stops talking, looks upset, and then sticks his head in the cabinet? And starts muttering to himself?

LIKE EITHER HE CAN’T TELL REALITY FROM FANTASY OR HES A SPY

WHY ARE YOU NOT SUSPICIOUS??

He really does pull this shit off really well.

The amount of men in that conference room is oppressive and very realistic ina very sad way

Parker must be in a thief’s paradise

OKAY I REMEMBER NOW AND I DID LIKE PARKER IN THIS EPISODE

“Nobody tells me anything”

THAT’S SUCH A MOOD

Literally the job I’m working in right now is exactly like that

My job is literally to know things and help people and provide them with the information they need

AND STILL I’M ONE OF THE LAST TO FIND THINGS OUT

IT’S VERY FRUSTRATING OK

WHy can I not remember why they’re going after genegrow? Someone died I think? But i cannot remember

“The guy in 1D wants to kill you. Ginger Ale?”

Why is it that all i can think about right now is harry styles and niall horan

I mean I KNOW why but like… why

I LOVE them but why?

WHAT IS THIS OFFICE WOMAN’S NAME I LOVE HER

How does no one question Hardison showing up out of nowhere though?

Im just saying… supposedly it’s “Dave’s” birthday, and they think they should have already known about it? He just started that job on that day?

Unless he’s pretending to have been there forever but even then…

This makes no sense? I’m so confused?

Eliot beating a guy up in an airport bathroom is fantastic

But also you can’t fit one person in a airport bathroom, let alone two

THe view from the top is much smaller than the shots from the side

Parker: the guy we just took out? Eliot: -_- Parker: The guy Eliot just took out?

Sophie always seems so shocked by the inhumanity of some of these people they interact with. Nate’s like “Yeah, people are awful” and Eliot’s like “I see worse all the time” and Parker’s like “Is this meant to be weird or something?” but Sophie’s like “WHAt? Someone wants people DEAD? And might KILL US IN THE PROCESS?”

Is the art theft world just not so violent?

Even hardison doesn’t seem shocked, just upset and offended. Sophie’s always like OoO though and it gets weird?

Now both Eliot AND Nate are fitting in the bathroom? With an already unconscious guy? I’VE BEEN IN AIRPLANE BATHROOMS. THEY AREN’T BIG ENOUGH FOR THAT.

Unless i’m just fat. Which is an option.

Why do people have random wires in their luggage? Who travels with a giant bundle of wires in their luggage?

Oh look. The red head was right. There is a tailwind

OK But THE OXYGEN MASKS CAME DOWN AND NO ONE IS TRYING TO PUT ONE ON?

I know they’re panicking but still

Nate really does just throw things at hardison and then Hardison goes like WHAT I CAN’T DO THIS and then he does it.

HOW is Hardison THAT talented it’s ridiculous

WE all talk about Eliot being hyper-competent in everything when Hardison is literally right there

Not to say that eliot doesn’t deserve attention because he does and I love him

I LOVE ELIOT OKAY

I’m just saying Hardison deserves more credit

HOW DID THEY NOT HIT ANY CARS WHEN THEY WERE LANDING? THERE ARE CARS RIGHT THERE? ANd then there’s suddenly no cars in font of them when they land ? It’s all deserted?

HARDISON IS SO GOOD THOUGH

How did they set up a party for “Dave” so quickly?

WHY DOES NO ONE LOOK TO SEE WHO DAVE WAS YELLING AT?

Everyone is so done with Hardison and honestly? Fair. He might’ve saved them, but he also screwed them over earlier. It came in handy, but still.

I really could not give less of a shit about the Nate Sophie storyline in this episode. In most of season one really. It’s all shitty and annoying

FINAL THOUGHTS: 8/10. Points off for people not acting like people. Points off for the shitty Sophie/Nate stuff. Extra points for Eliot being Eliot. (There will always be extra points for Eliot being Eliot). Extra points for Hardison’s badassery. Extra points because I liked Parker in this episode. Extra points for nerd girl. You go nerd girl. Points off because I literally remember nothing about this episode except for Hardison being awesome, the office scenes, and the fact that there was a plane crash. Why were they on the plane? No idea. Can’t remember.

Sam count: 3/5

IYS count: 2/5 (Am I remembering this wrong? I felt like there were more? Then again, I’m only 5 episodes in)

[aberfaeth]

OOOO HARDISON FOR THE ASK THING!

THANK YOU SO MUCH ANIYA I LITERALLY WAS HOPING SOMEONE ASKED FOR HIM BC I HAVE SUCH A WEALTH OF HARDISON PICS IN MY PHONE

favorite thing about them

ok so alec hardison is my favorite character in any piece of media ever no exaggeration so it’s sort of hard to pick but let’s just go with a tie between the following: his KINDESS and PATIENCE, the fact that he’s a giant nerd geek, his amazing grifting skills (shut up theyre good okay he is one of the team’s best improvisors and i will stand by that), his BRILLIANCE just in general he is so smart and capable and definitely the scariest out of the team just by how quickly he picks up every skill in the world. well he would be the scariest but he’s TOO NICE HE’S SO GOOD. HE’S SO GOOD HE IS THE BEST CHARACTER THAT EXISTS

least favorite thing about them

no <3

favorite line

“but you’re not alone anymore...you have a team. you have me. and i got you i got you, girl”

but also that bit where he’s like “oh i see. this is racial. this is about my ethniticity. it’s because im jewish. just cause a brother likes matzo ball soup” SCREAM king of comedy

brOTP

alec and sophie.....we trust nate to make sure the job goes well but we trust you to make sure we’re all okay...... watch how hard i can cry WPSCHCHCHHC

OTP

ot3 <33333 the way in which he is so patient with eliot and parker. the way they compliment each other. i talked about the parallels in my parker post but the PARALLELS. YALL MY PEOPLES AND I WAS SO SCARED. 

nOTP

once again im not In The Spaces so idk what weird stuff ppl ship but um ill just say chaos again. no hardison/chaos in my house. hate that guy

random headcanon

adhd king! also re. quotes, he is jewish. nana is jewish. he has braces in all his bar mitzvah photos and eliot and parker think its ADORABLE

unpopular opinion

HARDISON IS GOOD AT GRIFTING. I WILL STAND BY THIS. EVERYONE ELSE IS SUUUUUCH A HATER NO I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT. HARDISON IS THE BEST IMPROVISOR ON THE TEAM. DO YALL REMEMBER THE MILE HIGH JOB WHERE IN THE FIRST SEASON HE CONVINCED AN ENTIRE OFFICE THAT HE HAD BEEN WORKING THERE FOR MONTHS IN BETWEEN THROWING HIMSELF A BIRTHDAY PARTY AND LANDING A PLANE FROM 3000 MILES AWAY

song i associate with them

parachute again......... parachute is the leverage SONG but also like two good ol boys. when will they put two good ol boys on spotify. hey hey aldis hodge. christian kane. please put two good old boys on spotify please

favorite picture of them

YOU WILL LOOK AT MY HARDISON PICTURES. YOU WILL

[pale-silver-comb]

You did it, you've got me rewatching Leverage again. Thank you though, honestly I was desperate for something good to rewatch now that my city is officially under a shelter in place order. I was about to lose my mind. Anyways, I just wached the Zanzibar Marketplace Job and the way Parker & Hardison were just beaming with pride while Eliot beat the shit out of Sterling has me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Ahhhhhh! :D:D:D If I hadn’t just finished watching it, I’d watch it all over again. I always need time to come down from shows before I watch them again though. As is, I’m reading a BUNCH of fic instead.

I know what you mean about losing your mind. I have an essay to write but being cooped up indoors is making it really hard for me to find the motivation for it. Honestly I’m just completely drained and as much as I love a good movie day, I hate being inside for long bouts of time. A show like Leverage is definitely a good way to help alleviate some of that endlessness. 

OH I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT SCENE. If I was any good at making gifsets I’d have a side by side comparison/parallel post of these three scenes:

The one you just mentioned.

The scene in The Rundown Job where Parker and Eliot give Hardison the most blatant Bedroom Eyes I’ve ever seen while he does his Genius Hacker Thing.

The scene in the same episode where Hardison and Eliot are watching proudly on as Parker works her way through the lasers.

THE OT3, BABY. It’s a thing of beauty. Competency kinks a mile high.

I also just love the deranged look of joy on Parker’s face when Eliot beats up Stirling in The Zanzibar Marketplace Job. It’s both terrifying and delightful. Meanwhile Hardison paying off the bartender will always have me in stitches. 

Anywaaaaay, I’m glad I pulled you back in! We all need something fun during this scary time. 

*hugs*

[afraschatz]

Most Watched Leverage Episodes

I recently started re-watching Leverage yet again (as one does), and I tend to gravitate towards certain episodes. Because while I have definitely watched every episode more than 20 times already, there are some, that reached the 50 times mark long ago. With some, it’s because I think them even better than others in terms of storytelling, genre-parody or character development, with others it’s just because they are like that comfortable pair of sweatpants we all own.

So, this a list of my Top 10 Most Watched Leverage episodes (and I’d love to read aboute everyone else’s!):

1 - The Rashomon Job - (aka the one where they all insist they stole that priceless dagger) unsurprisingly, of course because this ep is pure storytelling porn and so brilliantly highlights all characters’ personalities and the team dynamic as well

2 - The Jailhouse Job - (aka the one where they break Nate out of jail) I love this because it starts with a bit of fun storytelling, and it is the perfect opening episode for season 3 as it reintroduces the characters and so elegantly makes clear how the dynamics have shifted through a series of fun and yet so telling one-on-one scenes

3 - The San Lorenzo Job - (aka the one where they steal Moreau’s tax haven) even though Nate is quite rightfully stating at the end, that they just completely subverted democracy, this ep, especially after the (brilliant) emotional rollercoaster ride that is the episode right before) offers so much tongue-in-cheek, more lighthearted cleverness, everyone’s outfits are great and God, how much I love every scene with Nate and Moreau in it

4 - The Cross My Heart Job - (aka the one at the airport) I love this for the almost bottle-episode feel of it and because this is the episode definitely closest to a real-time version of a con. Because of that it’s like we are right there at the airport with them.

5 - The Office Job - (aka the one in the Gift Card company) one of the facts I love most about Leverage as a whole is how effortlessly and flawlessly they adopt different genres / show formats and make them their own. This is definitely one of the top 3 eps to do that. Plus, with the issue and the con so low key, compared to others, the ep shows so many hilarious and mundane every day issues that are bound to come up between people spending so much time together (and eating each others sandwiches). Plus, the German director is hilarious. Dairy of a snow leopard indeed.

6 - The Broken Wing Job - (aka the one where Parker stays at home with a broken leg) same with this one, as obviously this is Leverage’s version of Rear Window (my favourite Hitchcock film by far and in itself a little gem of brilliance in terms of storytelling), it has a lowkey “easy” con that is still fun to watch unfold, and offers both a great character study for Parker as well as hilarious WTF is happening with the rest of the team moments in between

7 - The Frame Up Job - (aka the one where Nate and Sophie are suspected of art theft) I love it back to back with The Big Bang Job, especially because of the difference in tone, storytelling and genre. But while The Run Down Job’s blockbuster action movie feel is brilliant (and oh, all the OT3 moments), I tend to rewatch The Frame Up Job even more. Because it’s Nate and Sophie as Nick and Nora and I LOVE The Thin Man, it’s an elegant, clever little detective job and has some beautifully executed camera angles / cuts

8 - The Gone Fishing Job - aka the one where Hardison and Eliot are handcuffed together. There is really nothing else to it.

9 - The Mile High Job - (aka the one on the plane, with Hardison at the office) I love the combination of a closed-room-mystery that the flight scenes have, paired with Hardison’s “every day life at the office” (especially considering The Office Job later)

10 - The Long Way Down Job - (aka the one with the snowy mountain) the fact that they really went up that mountain definitely shows in that ep, it has some really great character moments and again, an almost real-time con

[gingersnapwolves]

Any leverage changes? I bet these will be more specific because tbh that show was so well written, cast, directed, etc. 🤗

Oooh, okay, I can do this. XD

1) Obviously, there needed to be Season 6: OT3 Competence Porn. 

2) More Tara! I loved Tara. I was so happy when she came back for an episode, but I really wanted more of her backstory and everything. I would have loved to see her again.

3) The one canon relationship that bothered me the most was Nate and Hardison. I always felt that Nate was very dismissive of Hardison at times, especially his ability to mastermind, as seen in The Gold Job. Granted, Hardison wasn’t the best mastermind, but Nate never bothered to try to help him improve or nurture the talent he might have at it. Secondly the hypnotism thing in The Scheherazade Job didn’t sit well with me.

4) We never got answers about Sophie! I mean, obviously we couldn’t ever find out her real name, but I still want to know where she came from! Was she really from British nobility? How did she become a grifter? I have so many questions!

5) O-Okay, you guys are gonna laugh at me, but. This one time. In season 1. The Mile High Job. They needed to get a stewardess out of the way so Parker could take her place. And they did it by telling her that her cat was at animal control and could get put down if she didn’t get there right away! She must have gotten there! And they’d have no record of her cat! She must have been so frightened for her poor kitty! Bad con men, bad! I’ve watched the entirety of Leverage at least three times and that scene still bothers me. I think my priorities are kind of whack.

[independent-fics]

Leverage (2008-2012)

01x05 The Mile High Job

[independent-fics]

Out here trying to do the next gifset for my “Leverage OT3 in Every Episode” series and I am remembering how for episode 5 Hardison was the only one not in the plane. And it’s making finding moments real complicated.

[lemissingmask]

[ID: Sketch of Hardison, Parker, and Eliot, with Hardison in the foreground looking at the other two, both of who have their arms folded and are glaring at Hardison. Parker is wearing a flight attendant's dress with a scarf tied in a bow, and a dark jacket over the top, and Eliot is wearing a t-shirt and has a cut over his left eyebrow. End ID]

-

Continuing episode-based sketches. Today, The Mile High Job, specifically the point when they all return to the office once the job is done. Eliot gave Parker his jacket at some point because the flight attendant uniform isn't very warm. Now they are both demonstrating their disapproval of Hardison bailing on the job earlier.

-

[leverage-ot3]

emotionally charged character-specific leverage episodes

(the episodes are in no specific order)

nate:

the radio job

the last dam job

the cross my heart job

the 12 steps job

the first david job

the second david job

the miracle job

the three-card monte job

sophie:

the king george job (?)

the two live crew job

the fairy godparents job

the king george job

parker:

the long way down job

the inside job

the stork job

the grave danger job

the experimental job

the future job

the boost job

the 12 step job

the juror #6 job

the french connection job

the broken wing job

the white rabbit job

the toy job

hardison:

the grave danger job

the experimental job

the mile high job

the big bang job

eliot:

the two horse job

the tap-out job

the studio job

the big bang job

(basically a good amount of season 3 tbh)

the grave danger job

the order 23 job

the carnival job

the french connection job

the low low price job

ot3 emotionally charged episodes:

the grave danger job

the rundown job

the lonely hearts job

the gone fishin’ job

the van gogh job

the queen’s gambit job

the 12 steps job

the long goodbye job

nate x sophie emotionally charged episodes:

the bank shot job

the lonely hearts job

the reunion job

the frame-up job

team emotionally charged episodes:

the second david job

the carnival job

the juror #6 job

the big bang job

the long goodbye job

[leverage-ot3]

notable moments from The Rundown Job

leverage 5.09

the HEART EYES in parker and eliot’s eyes as they watch hardison crack the code of the vault is my religion

- - - - -

Hardison: Kiss for luck?

Parker: Who needs luck?

confident baby

- - - - -

(Parker begins doing elaborate moves and turns to get through the lasers, quickly reaching the far wall)

Hardison: I never get tired of that

THE HANDSHAKE BETWEEN HARDISON AND ELIOT BC THEY LOVE THEIR BADASS GIRLFRIEND

- - - - -

Parker (opens a case to reveal it is full of diamonds): Oh! Bup-bup.

(Eliot snaps at Parker to get her attention)

Hardison: Eight new schools. Okay, take care, sister Agnes. (hangs up)

(Parker closes the case and gives it to Eliot for mailing as Hardison dials the phone)

Hardison: Hey, Nate, we’re done in D.C. We’re flying back tomorrow. See you.

Parker: They’re so shiny. Couldn’t I have just kept one?

Hardison: Road to redemption, Parker. Just think how good it’s gonna feel when you get that Christmas card from those orphans. Hell, we may even get Eliot to smile.

parker deserves all the shiny things

“the road to redemption” THEY CHANGE TOGETHER

- - - - -

Riley: Why’d you quit, anyway? (pushes button again)

Eliot: Started running with some different people...

(Riley pushes button again but it doesn’t seem to be working)

Eliot: Like a hacker...

(Hardison enters room and nods. Riley pulls a gun from his drawer and shoots toward Eliot, but the gun is empty)

Eliot: And a thief.

(Parker taps on Riley’s head. He turns. She is holding the clip and a bullet from his gun)

Parker: Click. (tosses clip and bullet on table)

eliot “I started running with some different people” spencer loves his partners and I adore that with my whole (whole) heart

- - - - -

Eliot: Good night.

(Parker stuns Riley, who slumps on the desk)

I’m glad they’re enabling her tasering obsession

- - - - -

Eliot (checks his watch): I’m gonna keep her alive. You guys find a way to get her out of here.

Hardison: With what? I…

Eliot (walks away): You stole a Michelangelo with tinfoil and chewing gum. Figure it out!

eliot is like bitch please you’re smarter than this

- - - - -

the way the three of them back up to each other, covering their backs ,,,

- - - - -

Hardison: This is a violation of my constitutional rights.

Vance: You’re Alec Hardison. You cracked the Pentagon servers when you were 12. N.S.A. has a file on you a mile long.

Hardison: Do they? What do they say about me? I hope they gave me a cool nickname.

Vance: Parker here... No file on you, which is...

(Parker appears to be sleeping)

Vance: Is she asleep?

Eliot: She bores easy. What do you got on us?

hardison probably does have a cool nickname

also I LOVE how they still have no clue about parker

+

eliot being like “she bored easy” 🤷🏼‍♀️ the MARRIEDNESS

- - - - -

Hardison: Y-you’re talking about stopping a terrorist attack in an afternoon. We’d need all your intel.

Vance: That truck back at the crime scene... It’s an N.S.A. Mobile response intelligence unit–

Hardison: With the Schneier cryptography system and the j-dam satellite uplink? That... I know nothing about, ‘cause that would be treason and wrong. (to Vance) Are you for real

hardison: I wouldn’t know anything about that because that wouLd Be TrEaSoN

- - - - -

Vance: So, you grab the truck... (moves to sit by Eliot) Hell... Your girlfriend’s already out of her cuffs.

(Parker sits up holding the handcuffs and tosses them to Vance)

...they didn’t deny that parker was eliot’s girlfriend. they didn’t bother to correct him because it is, in fact, true that she is both their girlfriends. in this essay I will-

- - - - -

Agent: No, I can’t let you in the truck.

Hardison: A gigabyte gone... your job, gone.

Agent: Security clearances.

Hardison: You’re not gonna let who...

Eliot: What are we, terrorists? Okay, that was my plan was to come here, show you a real badge that I somehow got, and then bring somebody crazy to break into a secure vehicle? We’re gonna move this down the block. He’s gonna spend about an hour doing spot-checks on databases. I showed you my badge. Man, here, take my badge. (tosses it to Agent) Call it in. I got to deal with this guy

it’s funny because it’s true

- - - - -

Hardison: It’s got every database... N.S.A., CIA, FBI. It’s got hard backdoors into most commercial systems, live feeds into every security camera on the grid. Man, if this wasn’t such a gross violation of our civil liberties, I would be in love right now.

they never stop calling out the government and I’m Here For It™

- - - - -

Parker: Where do we start?

Eliot: We start with getting you two on a plane out of here. You didn’t sign up for this. Trust me.

Hardison: And you? You’re going to handle this by yourself? Come on, she’s a lady, man. She needs the right touch. What you gonna do with your big punching hands... Punch the screens? No.

Parker: We agreed we all change. Better or worse, we change together.

Eliot (after a moment): What do they got on the gunman?

ELIOT JUST WANTS HIS PARTNERS SAFE

also,,, for better or worse, we change together??? BITCH THOSE ARE WEDDING VOWS

- - - - -

Parker: Do you know why you bring a cooler full of ice to a robbery? No? I do. Everything we need to know is in that basement. I’ll drive.

Hardison: Hold on.

Eliot: Exactly.

Hardison: No, hold on. (holds on to table)

Eliot: Oh, you... oh, hell, man (sits down in chair across from Hardison. the van horn honks twice and eliot looks around, fumbling) No seat belts up in this thing- (looks at Hardison) d-do you got a seat belt?

Hardison: No, uh-uh, hold the wall (holds the wall)

eliot and hardison being exhausted boyfriends at parker’s reckless driving, I love this song

- - - - -

Parker: How do you lose track of a whole laboratory?

Eliot: There’s over 200 tons of uranium missing from the United States nuclear storage.

Hardison: The air force lost a hydrogen bomb off the coast of Georgia.

Eliot: Countries are big things, Parker. A lot of secrets slip through the cracks.

wow I love knowing these things and having to live with it

- - - - -

Hardison: The Spanish flu killed 50 million people during World War I, and now somebody’s got it. (opens door)

Parker: Look, we can do this. Just treat it like any another job.

Hardison: This isn’t just any other job.

Eliot: All right, all right. Stay focused.

Hardison: I focused! That bug in there killed 50 million people! 50! And that was when the population was lower.

Parker: Now?

Hardison: Now? 150 million people. 150 million dead. Hey, we’re thieves, man, and we’re good at what we do, but this is way, way out of our league. And you expect us to go catch some psycho with a city killer? A country killer?

Eliot: You scared?

Hardison: You’re damn right.

(Hardison turns to enter the truck but Eliot grabs his wrist, holding him back)

Eliot: I’m not. I got the best thief And the smartest guy I know chasing this guy.

(Hardison looks at Parker, but Eliot grabs his head and pulls him back)

Eliot: Hey, listen to me. You’re smartest man I’ve ever known, Hardison. I need that brain to get me to him. ‘Cause you know if I lay my hands on him, it’s done. Get me to him. (lets Hardison go)

tHe WaY hE gRaBs HaRdiSoN’S fACE

eliot knows hardison is spiraling but he also knows how to get him out of it because he knows hardison like the back of his hand and knows how to get through to him

THEY LOVE EACH OTHER

- - - - -

there are so many good ot3 shots in this episode it brings me so much joy

- - - - -

parker climbs hardison like a T R E E to turn off that detonator as eliot provides counterbalance

- - - - -

Eliot: Did it work?

Hardison: I... I don’t know. I’m trying to get the phone speaker.

Vance (on phone): Move, move, move! Get to cover! Pull everyone back to the perimeter!

Eliot: Ohh! My boy! (hugs Hardison) That is what I’m talking about!

tHe HuG, yOuR hOnOR

- - - - -

they really be playing grand theft auto in this one

- - - - -

(Udall fires toward the trio and they dive for cover. Eliot and Parker look at each other and nod. Parker looks at Hardison)

Parker: For luck.

(Parker kisses Hardison, then she and Eliot nod at each other. Parker grabs the briefcase and runs off the train while Eliot runs toward Udall. Hardison goes after Parker, and Udall shoots Eliot in the leg. Eliot reaches Udall and punches him, knocking him out. Hardison continues after Parker, who stops and opens the briefcase)

F O R L U C K

also high key the look parker and eliot share? it had the same vibes as “we do the things that they can’t, won’t”

+

parker high key kissing hardison “for luck” but also kissing him because eliot can’t

- - - - -

Hardison: Yeah. Yeah, that’ll do... that’ll do it. (he pulls her into his arms) Don’t do that to me. I can’t lose you. Do you understand? I can’t lose you. Don’t scare me like that.

Parker: Yeah.

Hardison: I can’t

he loves her so, so much

- - - - -

Vance: Promise you’ll at least consider working with us again.

Eliot: I work with them now.

Vance: Honor among thieves?

Eliot: Something like that. (walks away)

something like that,,, HE LOVES THEM, YOUR HONOR

- - - - -

Vance: World can always use some more good guys.

Parker: Yeah, well, too bad we’re the bad guys

smh, “sometimes the bad guys are the best good guys”

- - - - -

Parker: You’re shot. You should go to the hospital.

Eliot: I don’t do hospitals. (drops crutch)

Hardison: I told you. He takes getting shot very lightly

he drops his crutch to lean on parker and hardison THIS IS NOT A DRILL

- - - - -

after watching this episode, I agree with y’all wholeheartedly that this was an ot3 GOLDMINE

edit: also, notice how much is written in pink (the colorcode for ot3 notes and meta). like, more than half of it. because LITERALLY ALL OF THIS IS OT3 MATERIAL