#nate wilson

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: moe. - “Meat” (Live, Dec. 21, 2024)

Taking the stage without a word, the band temporarily known as mONKEYS oN eGGNOG offered just one word - “Meat” - during the first quarter-hour of its Dec. 21 gig in Vermont.

Under cover of its temporary pseudonym, moe. let the music do the talking on the show-opener and livestream sampler while highlighting its instrumental prowess with composition and improvisation; shifting tempos; and stylistic detours occasionally punctuated with the titular noun.

This is moe. in its element, playing to its strengths, nodding to its influences and taking chances from the jump while coloring mostly within the lines of familiar melody.

Grade card: moe. - “Meat” (Live - 12/21/24) - A-

12/22/24

[happygirl2oo2]

Slowly collecting my favorite descriptions of Leverage x

[ @alphacrone @sharpbutsoft @respectissexy @artsybi @reinanova @astralpenguin]

[highdefinitions]

fuck it. here’s another updated version of the idiots list

[augustheart]

rewatched the bank shot job and my partner was so enamored with all of hardison's unnecessary bits that this sprang into my mind fully-formed

[average-background-character]

This fucking episode. This fucking episode was sooo good. Parker as a femme fatale is sooo fun, and I enjoyed being able to see how far she's come. Parker from Leverage season 1 would not have been able to pull off a femme fatale for more than 5 minutes, nor would she have wanted to, and now she can pull off a con for several days acting as someone so unlike her. I just like to see how far she's come. Also, Parker's rant in the warehouse hit me in like, 37 different parts of my body. The inability to feel emotions the "normal" way, and so she started stealing emotions from everyone else, but then she forgot to stop doing that at some point was just. Autistic Parker is and basically always has been canon, but I like when they do it in a good way. Also, the fact that Sophie, Breanna, and Harry projected their own wants onto Parker, but Eliot just had her back. The Parker/Eliot dynamic was on fire this episode (as it has been throughout all of LevRed), and I knew they would come through for me, but holy shit! Holy fucking shit! The callback to the mountain conversation! The fact he has her back no matter what! The fact that he didn't need to ask about her reasons (I firmly believe if he hadn't heard her rant, if he even heard the whole rant, he wouldn't have cared because he doesn't need to understand her reasoning to back her) and would have just backed her on whatever she chose! They were on the same wavelength the entire fucking episode, and it was everything to me! I did enjoy the look into Parker's mind and the fact that she was kinda lying the entire time. Nate has been haunting this season more than normal, and I like the reminder that he chose Parker to be his successor for a reason. Not just that she's a great mastermind, but also that she's just as ruthless and willing to do what she wants/needs to do to achieve her goals. Also, the fact that Harry wanted Sophie to meet his mom because she was his best friend and one true thing! I no longer care about Harry/Sophie as a romantic ship, as an aromantic person that ending made me tear up. While this wasn't a regular 2-ep Leverage finale, it was truly an amazing finale, and I can't wait for season 4 to get renewed (it will, it willll) so we can see more. (And have more Hardison, I miss him sooo much)

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

"What's the character? It's very not you."

Leverage Redemption S03E10 The Side Job.

[reflectingiridescent]

The Side Job: an episode where we come full circle, and full circle has always meant Parker

So so so full of spoilers - read at your own risk.

"I don't feel things the way other people do, so I was using their feelings to look at mine. Everyone kept asking me why I was doing this, but they wouldn't let me answer. They just kept guessing why I was doing it. Always my feelings, through them. And then I thought, 'Do I even know what I want?' So I had to get away. Because I do have feelings. One a lot...anger...Because when I was younger...Anyway, now I'm strong and you're weak. So what am I going to do and why am I going to do it?"

People likely have been doing this to Parker her whole life. But let's focus on this episode. Everyone in this episode tries to understand Parker, but their understanding is informed by who they are as people (and, for those who have known Parker longer, it's informed specifically by common touchstones in their history).

With one notable exception. But before we get there, let's talk about everyone else first. The show sets this up in order of decreasing permeability of boundaries.

Sophie comes first, and while Sophie and Parker's relationship is allowed several lenses in the Leverageverse (I've written about this here), maybe more than anyone else's, I think it's significant that right before their major interaction of the episode, we are presented with Harry's struggle with boundaries with his mother. Sophie's come a long way from last season's "Everything I do is from them" line of thinking, but she's always going to feel a little responsible for Parker, Hardison, and Eliot.

And so Sophie guesses it's because Parker doesn't want to deal with well thought-out plans every once in a while and wants the adrenaline of not having everything planned out. This makes sense because this is Sophie's style of masterminding. The entire first episode of Redemption season 2 deals with this. This is not to say that Sophie has bad boundaries with Parker. Just the boundaries in their relationship are more permeable than anyone else's. This is made clear by the way that Parker ropes Sophie in (or the way that Sophie presents herself to be roped in, intutitively).

Breanna guesses it's because Parker wants to change up the way that they do cons, which is a reflection of how she has new ideas and, like her brother, is drawn towards a slightly different style of work than the rest of the crew. Breanna does bring a new energy to the crew, and it's actually that energy that helps Parker out of her rut in s1. It also challenges her.

Harry guesses it's because Parker wants to use this experience to see if it's possible to change, if change is possible in general. And like, that's Harry's entire arc on the show (he doesn't have as much material to draw from...but like yes if you were to sum it up in a sentence, that'd be it).

I think it's important to note that no one here is completely wrong. They all have pieces of the truth. That's why Parker replies, "Something like that." to each of them. Parker is in fact taking a risk (how calculated the risk is left up for our interpretation, but on Leverage, the best cons are based in truth, and we are told that over and over again), trying something new, and testing herself.

Sophie and Parker have always been able to bond over the adrenaline rush of a job and a plan made up on the fly. Parker's risks tend to be more physical, and Sophie's tend to be more emotional. But their most significant beats involve this concept. (Sophie using a rig to get Parker off the roof in exchange for the David, "Maybe that's why they call it falling in love," Parker willingly stepping back into pure theft on this specific team and letting Sophie call the shots).

The new energy Breanna brings to the team does help Parker rediscover her passion and get in touch with a different side of herself.

The parallel in Harry wondering if change is possible and Parker, Hardison, and Eliot's "we change together" is directly referenced in Harry and Parker's scene.

So who's the exception? It's Eliot. Eliot doesn't offer up anything, even a piece, of what's going on with Parker. He just holds up a mirror and affirms her choice, referencing their shared history but never once deviating from that affirmation. It's not that he isn't worried about her - he clearly is, almost as much as Sophie. He just knows what she needs.

Speaking of Sophie, let's go back to a moment with her, because it speaks volumes, especially on a rewatch.

Harry: You don't trust Parker? Sophie: With my life? Always. With her life? Usually.

It's a lovely statement, right? It speaks to the depth of their relationship and how Sophie really cares for Parker. And it's also not really what Parker needs right now.*

*It's also not something that makes Parker upset. Parker has a very good understanding of the people around her and the way that they relate to each other. As Sophie points out, she doesn't shut them out and actually makes use of this in her plan! And she also knows that this is part of the reason why not everyone can be around when everything comes down to the wire. After a long time with our families, we get used to the way they do things. It's never completely good but it's also never completely bad. It's the way it is.

Eliot, who ran red lights to stop Parker from maybe killing a guy rolling Nanas, knows what Parker needs right now. And that's someone who has her back. And also has some distance between them.

(Hardison isn't in this episode much, but it's significant that Parker's entire self-examination is prompted by him.)

And finally (because I've gone on way too long, but you all indulge me sometimes, so I'm going to keep going until I'm finished), let's talk about Parker's only other significant relationship, which is present in this episode even though the character is no longer on this mortal plane.

Like, it's Nate, right?

Nate, who also had one emotion a lot: anger. Same as Parker! Nate, whose decision to make Parker his heir was made with input from the whole team (whether or not they were aware). Nate, who trusted Parker's judgment but also backed that reasoning up by saying that she didn't get emotional. Nate, who never fully understood Parker but like so many others close to her, understood pieces of her. And that was enough.

In many ways but not all, Parker was raised by and informed by Nate. She is not Nate. She doesn't have his upbringing or his baggage. Eliot makes that crystal clear.

I feel like a broken record, but it bears repeating. Leverage is a story about Nate. It is also a story about Parker.

And Leverage: Redemption is a story about Sophie. It is also a story about Parker.

One common thread: Parker.

What Parker decides to become and do is the most important question of the Leverageverse. Always has been!

Actually, in their respective stories, Nate and Sophie both address this in episodes that are EXTREMELY THEMATICALLY SIMILAR.

Archie: I made her unique. What is she now? Nate: I have no idea what Parker is now. I doubt she knows. (Leverage, The Inside Job, 3x03)

In both episodes, the answer involves them having no idea. However, the vibe is that they're both supportive of her figuring that out for herself.

Sophie: She's been three steps ahead of you the entire time. And you gave her 30 minutes to set it up. Alexandra Bligh: To set what up? Sophie: I honestly don't know.* But it's going to be fun. (Leverage Redemption, The Grand Complication Job, 3x05)

*Okay, Sophie is a professional liar. She sort of kind of knew what Parker was doing in this situation because she was stalling so Parker would have time. It is however on theme. We know Sophie loves a theme.

Leverage ends with Parker repeating Nate's speech from the pilot, which is basically the thesis statement for the show, the explanation for what they do.

The Side Job ends with Parker answering why she does what she does. (It's also why the team does what they do, but for Parker, this is deeply, deeply tied into who she is as a person.) Redemption means being the best version of herself and helping other people, and for Parker, that's intimately linked to her doing crime. And she expresses that - in word and action - in a very Parker way.

This show is famous for treating every season finale like it's the end of the show. I deeply crave more Leverage, but if this was the last episode we ever get, it's a pretty damn good place to end.

[leveragecentral]

The Hustler Job (Redemption, S03E04) The Order-23 Job (Leverage, S02E03)

requested by @othnielias

[maspers]

I understand why they couldn't bring him back, but let's be honest a version of Leverage Redemption with Nate still around would have been an absolute joy to watch.

He'd take one look at Breanna and be like "who's this sassy lost child?" And he'd roll with it but he'd also just completely and possibly deliberately fail to explain ANYTHING to her. Breanna would call Hardison like every other day to complain about how Nate is a complete disaster of a man and Hardison would be like "Yes, I know, we all know, welcome to the club".

Meanwhile Harry Wilson would manage to spend the bulk of the season being even more confused than he already was in canon. Like. That's Nathan Ford??? I know about Nathan Ford, he was a legendary insurance agent! He went rogue and became one of the most successful criminals in the business! How is he A COMPLETE MESS??? Nate for his part is at first very untrusting of Harry and spends the first few episodes subtly manipulating the poor man into unnecessarily weird situations just to see what he'll do. Sophie chides Nate for being mean.

The schemes get changed, naturally, since Sophie is perfectly fine with letting Nate continue to be all Mastermindy, and the end result is very bizarre season that follows the same plot beats as the Canon one but in an inexplicably different way.

To make matters worse, when you have Nate around inevitably Maggie and Sterling show up (Sterling is oozing villainous enthusiasm at the chance to match wits with Nate and a slightly new Leverage Team, Maggie on the other hand does not want to be here but has accepted this is just a recurring part of her life now) and both of them arrive at the worst possible moment for everyone (except possibly Nate, who planned for this). Breanna immediately starts complaining about the sexual tension between Nate and Sterling, causing Hardison and Maggie to bust out laughing. There's a nonzero chance Harry ends up low key flirting with Maggie since Sophie's with Nate here, but it never goes anywhere.

Naturally the Mastermind Job gets significantly more bizarre than it already was. Everyone gives Nate a hard time over it. EVERYONE. The man never catches a break for the entire thing. They don't even let him run the con, partially because they're a bit mad but mostly just to troll him. Eliot grabs Nate and shakes him sternly at least once. Actually probably many times, throughout the season, as things get weirder.

Harry leaves at the end of Redemption Season 1 and Nate just nods knowingly and instructs Hardison to open a betting pool for how long it will be before Harry comes back. Parker wins, successful guessing it down to the exact day. Eliot accuses her of cheating.

Then in Redemption Season 2 Tara Cole shows up and everything gets worse.

[ageofthegeekdotcon]

It's so them-core

[stansayshi]

i fucking love it when leverage reminds us that parker is nate's one true successor. she is the mastermind now. sure everyone can run a con if it comes down to it, but parker is the mastermind

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: moe. - “Ups and Downs”

Part ballad, part thrasher, “Ups and Downs” finds moe. borrowing from “Super Freak” and “Throwing Stones” to preview its forthcoming album.

Eclectic in the extreme, moe. is one of a small number of bands that could meld riffs from Rick James (bass) and the Grateful Dead (guitar) into a tender, balladic story song about a long marriage interrupted by a fiery Chuck Garvey guitar solo that has no business fitting with the harmony vocals and spare musical accompaniment on either side. But the solo does fit - like a stormy period in an otherwise-placid relationship.

There are two versions - an in-concert take recorded Aug. 1 in Colorado, and the studio track that’ll appear on Circle of Giants, arriving Jan. 31, 2025. The former is imperfect, with less-than-smooth vocals but a longer, more-spontaneous delivery than its pristine studio counterpart.

Both have their place as Rob Derhak has written a strong, introspective song from a perspective only age can provide.

Grade card: moe. - “Ups and Downs” - B

11/12/24

[happygirl2oo2]

Leverage textposts part 23/?

[mintaikkcorpse]

DP got his timelines mixed up, whoops

Inspired by this meme I found on Pinterest

[leverage-ot3]

bonus: