Leverage’s Star Trek reunion – a fun episode, but not very reunion-y

I’ve really been looking forward to Leverage‘s “The Juror #6 Job,” since it’s been hyped as a big Star Trek Reunion. We were delivered a funny, entertaining episode as always, but I was a little disappointed by the reunion angle. I expected to tune in and see the jury box filled with stars from the Star Trek franchise. Wouldn’t that have been fun, to see them all interact as jurors?

Instead, we got an episode directed by Jonathan Frakes (a very, very good thing), a main guest starring role played brilliantly by Brent Spiner (Data from ST: TNG) and a small role as a witness played by Armin Shimerman (yep, Principal Snyder from Buffy) from Deep Space Nine (yep, the Ferengi) — not even the same show as Frakes and Spiner, although he made guest appearances in Voyager and TNG. Oh, and Kitty Swink, who was on a couple of episodes of Deep Space Nine and just happens to be Armin Shimerman’s wife.

Where was Michale Dorn? Marina Sirtis? Wil Wheaton? That would have been a reunion.

Regardless, this was a fun episode that capitalized on Brent Spiner’s talents. He played one of Leverage‘s over-the-top but still believable guest characters: the owner of an herbal supplement company who liked to think of himself as a very earthy guy. He had some of my favorite quotes of the episode too:

• “Namaste. I’m very spiritual.” — Spiner’s character
• “I don’t have men. I wear sandals.” — Spiner’s character

One last guest star comment, and this one has nothing to do with Star Trek: What did you think of Lauren Holly? It seems to me that she’s got a little plastic surgery addiction. Once you’ve had one surgery too many, it’s really too late, eh Lauren? Well, someone out there must still recognize you.

In other fun, Parker and Hardison were brilliant, as usual, but I need to shout-out to two things that really caught my attention:

• Have you ever noticed how they slightly speed up Eliot’s fighting scenes? I love that technique; it makes Eliot seem even more badass than he is.
• Tim Hutton’s nerd disguise was entertaining in and of itself, but when he swiped Spiner’s phone and tossed it through Sophie’s open sunroof as she drove by, that took the cake.

Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Feb 11, 2009 @ 13:00 EST5EDT