#while hardison is playing the violin eliot is getting beat up

[geeky-nightphilosopher]

That little; "No!" Eliot growls out when he sees the guard hurt Parker.

Like he failed in protecting her.

Which- he didn't of course.

[afraschatz]

Leverage - The Studio Job

It feels like ages since I’ve done one of these, and I MISS MY SHOW, so I popped in a random DVD and whohoo it is “The Studio Job”. So here is a random amount of things that I love about this episode. I love...

... the sheer swagger of Hasselhoff err Schneider err Kirkwood. Not many people can pull off that leather jacket, dude

... the fact that Eliot is present during the initial client meeting. I’ve been wondering about this actually, I mean obviously it’s clear why Eliot is here because he clearly is the only one with a decent taste in music and whatnot (what violin? Hardison who?). But, like, does Nate have a diary on his desk where he pencils in potential clients and he hasn’t yet figured out that the team reads that thing and just “happens to show up” to meetings they think interesting? Is the entire team actually present for the inital “hello” and then just randomly decides “nah, not today, today’s client is harshing my vibe, I’d rather hang out with my horde”? How do these meetings come about? I NEED TO KNOW THESE THINGS

... hahahaha, that music video is just the BEST THING. I kinda need a video like that with Eliot staring in it.

... Hardison dumping info like a boss. I know it’s common knowledge that Aldis Hodge was (in part) hired because of exactly that skill but seriously, he is SO good at it.

... “I don’t know how to play the fiddle” (Hardison probably does) and Hardison’s and Eliot’s reactions hahaha

... Kirkwood being a creepy douche. “But the computer...” - “Say it again.” Such a dick (and such a great little bit of characterisation)

... we are not talking about Hardison’s HORRIBLE outfit. Okay, maybe we are. We all know that Hardison has the best style of all of them (don’t fight me on this), so clearly the only explanation for this terribly mustard/brown combo is that he went to a thrift store and deliberately bought the most ridiculously 70s retro country shit he could find. Why? Well, to piss of Eliot, of course

... Nate wearing the white hat. Who are you trying to fool, mate? Oh, right. The mark.

... Parker’s dance theft. Hands down my favourite lift. Possibly ever. (Such a nice use of lazy sensual music there as well)

... Hardison’s clever strategy of responding to suspicion and anger by just mirroring that and instantly forming a bond of mutual pissed-off-ness

... Hardison’s condescension in reaction to the DJ’s super bad lie. Because lying is cool. But bad lying? That’s just offensive.

... Hot diggity dagum. Hahahaha, Hardison

... the notion that the entire time during that interlude Kirkwood is chewing Nate’s ear off

... Nate’s stutter - I love that he regularly uses these more obvious go-to-personas / tactics (like that stutter when he wants to come across as slightly gullible and not a threat) that aren’t that refined as those his team would chose. Why? Not because he can’t do any better. Just because he can’t be bothered. Ha, Nate, I love your casual arrogance

... sunglasses in that badly lit a club, Sophie? Really :)?

... Nate’s FACE the moment Kirkwood turns his back. You sexy, devious bastard. I love you.

... Parker and her refusal to buy into metaphors. Her sense of humour is just so - I mean OBVIOUSLY she gets it, like she gets every other metaphorical expression (“I didn’t even get to see the emerald!” anyone?). But yeah, I agree with you, it’s hilarious when the rest tries to be patient / loses their shit

... HELLO FIDDLE!

... that shot with Eliot and the blue and yellow lights

... Eliot being offended all over the place. Parker startled him! Parker was a kid!catburglar? (Dude, this is, what, the third season? How can that surprise you?) Eliot CAN sing!

... that little bit of maybe-stage-fright. And the fact that Parker is up there with him and her overacted astonishment. Which is a. seriously funny, and b. such a neat reaction because of course it pisses Eliot off, and a pissed off Eliot is not a nervous Eliot. I love these weird bits of their friendship

... Hardison following suit. - Darth Vader Eliot and Smurf Eliot. Parker’s genuine laughter. Oh God, could I love the friendship these three have any more? I think not. (And what’s the greatest thing? This isn’t even talked about, this isn’t even supposed to be the POINT of the scene. Other shows create entire episode’s, entire fucking seasons around moments like this one. Leverage? Just casually dishing it out. Because this show is perfection.)

... Hardison first comparing Eliot to Britney Spears, then calling him “baby”

...NATE poking fun at him for it

... Hardison being startled, not because of the “baby” bit obviously, but oops, there he was flirting with his best girl and his best guy and he might’ve forgotten that the coms were live

... HOW OLD ARE YOU, Nate :D

... “This must be the Southern charm I heard so much about”. Sophie, being brilliant with the “fuck you, you sleazebag” without the sleazebag actually noticing. I seriously love her throughout this episode. She has very little to do, but everything she does just reeks of that special brand of low-key arrogant professionalism and pride in her grifter skills. So much love for her.

... Nate’s sexy white hat profile!

... Eliot letting himself be seduced. Not gonna lie, there are plenty of his dates that I like better than the one in this ep, but this still is a great little scene. I really dig Eliot’s way with people (and it’s not just women; it’s people). Because he LISTENS.

... Sophie being a food snob. Again.

... Sophie’s outfit. The hair? The frigging jacket? So rad.

... Sophie’s way with Kirkwood compared to Nate’s earlier. See, this is the expert at playing people, the Shakespeare of grifters

... Eliot’s fucking voice

... Hardison’s little panic attack

... Nate’s FOCUS when he looks at Eliot. That’s not just because the con works. That is his super sharp shark focus of pride (which is totally an expression).

... seriously, Eliot’s voice. I need to dig out my old Kane CDs

... Eliot’s little smile at the end

... reward sex. You earned that, man.

... why do you take out your com? Everyone knows what you’re doing anyway. And now Nate has to beat up goons on his own. Jeez.

... “You two work out together” - hahaha, oh Nate

... “Forever 21, don’t hit me” - another seriously nice bit of interlacing the imminent danger of Nate potentially getting killed with teenage groupies. Not only is that little tidbit funny in its own right, it also tells us, before we even see it, that Nate’s all right. Eliot already knows, obviously, he has the ear bud back in and he is taking his sweet time to give that autograph and whatnot while definitely listening to Nate dealing with that problem. That is my version of how it went down and I’m sticking with it

... “Oh, ELIOT’s the fiddle” hahaha

... Parker’s outfit. Hardison’s COAT (btw, the way Parker and Hardison interact here? This is probably pretty close to how they must seem to the unsuspecting casual observer ALWAYS, just minus the outfit).

... “We was cool, we was vibin’”

... Eliot being chased, and all of this having such a retro Beatles vibe to it

... “Contrary to what you all believe, I do not control everything that happens on the internet”... five seconds later “Boom, fansite nuked”

... “I’m pretty certain a fatwa was issued!” - “You’re so vain, man.” (Because yes, Hardison. Eliot brags by telling people how many governments want him dead. That is absolutely how Eliot rolls.)

... “seriously, for breakfast?!” - I love you, Sophie

... Sophie’s superfast reactions and the joy of getting to slap Nate

... Parker’s traipsing and Hardison’s gangsta walk

... you know what is better than Hardison half naked in a recording studio? Hardison, half naking in a recording studio, yanking Eliot’s chain.

... Parker’s scale of what is weird being VERY different than anyone else’s

... “This is not from an iceberg”

... Hardison moving with Eliot’s music, then interrupting him, THEN cutting off communications :)

... niiice little bit of storytelling-by-superzoom, and Parker solving the case while Hardison and Eliot are just mucking around

... Ribs, Ribs, More Ribs

... “The guy who’s buying our fiddle? He thinks he IS the fiddle.”

... Locked off comedy frame - my favourite ever, actually. SO many great OT3 scenes in this episode

... beating goons up with a mic stand AND drumsticks

... black-hat-Nate (now, doesn’t that look more right?) impersonating Hannibal Smith

... nice shot of the four of them in the hotel

... a conveniently parked random motorbike

... Eliot err Kenneth Crane t-shirts

... Kirkwood lip-syncing

... a groupie flashmob

... Parker on stage. Because this is important. For the con. For Eliot.

... Eliot once again proving that he is a great actor (second best on the team) in that staged conversation with Kirkwood

... a conveniently placed cow-hide

... Eliot and Nate doing the gloat together.

... Nate’s black hat, toothpick combo (he is really loving this week’s outfit theme, isn’t he?)

... Eliot’s little laugh at the proposal of being one half of the next Johnny and June. I love that because it’s both sweet and kinda flattered as well as absolutely-not- are-you-kidding-me- as-that-could-tempt-me-away- from-the-sweet-gig-I-already-got

... that little beat, again with just Nate and Eliot. God, I love their friendship sosososo much. I should write a 5k essay about it. And by essay I mean ode.

... that way that Nate is not looking people in the eye when he wants to give them a bit of privacy. Or when he wants some himself

... “Notes on my performance” - “How were you?” - “No complaints” - And Eliot’s and Sophie’s relationship? SO different. Equally awesome.

... I also what to know what time it is, Eliot.

 Perfect episode. Perfect show.

[nothingeverlost]

The Real Question (Leverage)

@beatrice-babe asked for Sophie and sexuality.  It ended up being a conversation with Hardison.  Sophie/Nate, Hardison/Parker, past relationships, future Hardison/Parker/Eliot OT3

II

“Are you ready to talk about it?”  Sophie settled herself on the stool next to Hardison, her hands wrapped around a mug, head cocked just a little to the side.  

“Talk about what?”  Hardison glanced up from his laptop.

“Whatever it is that’s been troubling you for days now.  Your soda bottle’s been empty the last four times you’ve taken a sip but you haven’t even noticed.”  She touched his forearm, her fingers warm from the tea.  He frowned, wondering if she was trying to get him to play the violin again, but they didn’t have an active mark and she wouldn’t do that to him just for kicks.

“I should get a new one.  Helps me focus.”  He didn’t move, though, except to look around the room and notice that no one else was around.  Eliot had been gone for hours, and Parker had plans for lunch, but he hadn’t noticed Nate leaving.  Maybe he did need to talk; he couldn’t afford to be so unaware once they picked their next job.  “Can I ask you a hypothetical question?”

“Of course.”  She knew just as well as he did that any hypothetical would be anything but, but if it made things easier to discuss it was fine.

“How do you know when you love someone, and how do you know when you’re in love?”

“I don’t think it’s always a matter of either/or.  Sometimes the answer is both.”

“Like with you and Nate?”  Even a few months ago it might have been a painful question, or at least awkward, but now she could just smile and nod.

“Like with Nate.  Being in love with him is like a perfect blend of the lust I first felt, and the love that grew.” it had been a delightful game at first, being chased across Europe and the Americas, admiring the man’s body and mind.  It wasn’t until the team had already formed that she’d realized she was already falling in love with him.  “Not, mind you, that I’m saying that Nate is perfect because he’s not.  But loving him is the most perfect thing I’ve felt; it’s like it’s where Nate and I are supposed to be.  Now with Tara, for example, I can say I love her, but it’s a very different kind of love, and while the sex was pretty fantastic I wasn’t ever in love with her.  Attraction and love aren’t even in the same ballpark sometimes.”

“Wait.  Back that up a minute, girl.  Did you just say you and Tara?”  Hardison didn’t realize his hand was on his keyboard, his screen filling up with a long series of D’s.

“You do know I had relationships before Nate, right?”  She teased, not letting on that she’d dropped that particular bomb on purpose.  She wasn’t blind, and had a fairly good idea of what was bothering her friend.

“Yeah, but that’s… I mean…”

“Completely normal, though I know some people have problems working with exes.  Tara and I figured out pretty quickly that we were better as friends; it never got as far as living together and I don’t even want to think about what battles over closet space would have looked like.  Do you know how many shoes the woman has?”  She took a sip of her tea, but it was already starting to grow tepid and she pushed it away.  “We’ve seen people do a lot of horrible things because of greed and hate and selfishness, Alec.  What we don’t see is bad things happening because people love.  Why don’t you ask the question you really want to ask?”

“I already did.”  He hesitated, just a moment, the lie clear between them.

“You’re in love with Parker, we all know that.  You’ve been together for months now.  Ask me the real question.”  She didn’t touch him, but the tips of her fingers were on the counter less than an inch from him hand.  

“Can you be in love with two people at the same time?”  His breathing stopped for a moment, air trapped in his lungs.

“I think you know the answer already.”  Her hand came up to rest against his chest, her palm covering his heart.  His lungs released their air, and inhaled again, his heart beating twice as rapidly.

“Eliot is my friend,” he whispered.

“Nate is my friend.  As is Tara.”  Sophie smiled.  “Parker is your friend and your lover.  Eliot could…”

“…kill me,” Hardison closed his eyes.

“He never would.  He love you too much.”  Sophie leaned forward, brushing her lips against Hardison’s cheek and feeling the tension there.  “Talk to him.  Talk to parker too.  You might be surprised.”

“You’re not,” Hardison opened his eyes, looking at her.

“I know people,” she said with a shrug.  She might have said more but the door from the pub opened and Eliot and Parker entered at the same time, bickering about Velveeta cheese.  Sophie laughed and squeezed Hardison’s hand.  “I think I’ll make myself scarce.”

“Sophie..”  He glanced over at the others and back to her, whatever he wanted to say stuck on the tip of his tongue.

“You’ll find the right words.  Just remember it’s the love that matters.”  She left with a smooth lie to the others about needing to run an errand.  After calling Nate to make plans for the afternoon and warn him to stay away from the pub for a while she dialed Tara’s number.  It was always good to talk to an old friend.