It is easy to be drawn into Leverage. Who doesn’t like the idea of evil corporate millionaires being served their comeuppance? But the hit TNT drama offers so much more. In the second season premier “The Beantown Bailout” our misfit team of hoodlums are once again drawn to their reluctant leader Nate Ford (Timothy Hutton). Much like the series pilot, Hardison (Aldis Hodge), Parker (Beth Riesgraf), Eliot (Christian Kane), and Sophie (Gina Bellman) must once again convince Nate to work with them.
After a bit of an awkward start as the show reintroduces the characters and premise for new viewers, the Fun Train (TM show co-creator John Rogers) leaves the station and we never look back. As the show opens we find that 6 months have passed since our Robin Hoodlums walked away from each other. A sober Nate is searching for honest employment and our Hitter, Grifter, Hacker and Thief find that they are no longer satisfied by their individual lives of crime. They miss the thrill of helping others, the rush of revenge and the satisfaction that comes from the crushing defeat they serve to the weekly bad-guy, as Hardison states “[Nate] took the world’s best criminals...and you broke us." After a chance encounter at the theater where Sophie, the world’s worst actress, is performing as Maria in a production of Sound of Music (shudder), the team discovers that Nate is in danger. Nate’s efforts to kick the team out of his life are ignored as they take over his condo and set up a new headquarters. Overcoming his reluctance and resistance to the idea of being a thief, Nate is once again convinced to work with his team.
Once Nate is on board, the team goes to work. Nate, the mastermind, names the con and assigns parts for each team member. Hardison and Parker, dressed as a priest and nun, rob a bank and then pose as State Police Investigators. Eliot takes on and beats up three bad guys and I must say – Christian Kane has never looked better. How can beating up people and twirling a baseball bat look so cool and so hot at the same time? Sophie puts on a red dress and an accent and convinces the bad guys to do her bidding. In the end, the bad guys get arrested, the client gets a legal payout, and the team gets the satisfaction of once again helping the little guy get even.
Although Leverage is fairly formulaic: client is identified, con setup, con goes bad, new con is worked out and in the end everyone is smiling as they congratulate the client on his or her good fortune, the twists and turns are surprising and the witty dialogue is engaging. Despite the occasional plot hole (sometimes big enough to drive the Fun Train through), the questionable use of computer graphics, and the classic TV Trope “exploding car” there is an excitement and humor to this episode and the series that captures the viewer. The fact that the show creators Rogers and Chris Downey have backgrounds in comics/geekdom is very apparent. With references from World of Warcraft, Doctor Who and a play on the classic “come with me if you want to live” Terminator line the Geek Love is out in full force in this show. Leverage may be billed as part of TNT’s “We Know Drama” campaign, but there is a humor and irresistible “feel good” quality to the show. I highly recommend you hop on the Fun Train and go for a ride.
