Leverage’s season three finale is all about good decisions

“By the way, the white hat doesn’t suit you, but I love the hair.” – Moreau to Eliot

Leverage is always surprising me. I have to say, these last two episodes of season three were absolutely nothing like I thought they’d be. What I pictured was slightly more dark and angsty, but I’m thinking they went light for a reason. There’s no room for dark and angsty anymore: Nate’s over his season one trauma and happy to be a thief and these people are truly a team and nothing is going to split them up. So why tease the audience with such nonsense? Well played, Powers That Be.

The only real serious stuff we got was from Eliot. We know that Eliot’s done some dark things. I’m glad they left what he did for Moreau a secret … it’s so much easier to believe in Eliot’s redemption when we don’t know the specifics of his past, and it’s also hard to imagine the writers could come up with a specific action that would satisfy all of the viewers. Again, Powers That Be, nice decision.

The very best moment of the first episode also goes to Eliot, who doesn’t like guns, yet manages to perfectly aim at a baddie from behind without actually looking. Oh, while sliding on his knees underneath the line of fire from about a dozen different guns. I love it when we’re reminded just how truly badass Eliot is — both with the delightfully unrealistic gunfire scene, but also when he kills his former acquaintance.

Probably my favorite moment of the second episode is when Moreau shouts from his jail cell: “Who are you people?” That’s been his refrain for the two episodes, so I liked how those were his last words. I also really liked when Sophie put the whole Nate-Sophie will-they-or-won’t-they thing to rest … and then they got drunk and ruined it. It will be funny watching them get out of that predicament, hopefully, but I really don’t want to sit through them trying to figure out a relationship. So here’s hoping the Powers That Be make more good decisions for season four.

This and that:

• Was Sophie channeling Sarah Palin when she played the congresswoman touring the lab, or am I politically ignorant? That was an Alaskan accent if I’ve ever heard one….
• I love the way they’ve been consistent about throwing in the little Eliot surprises, like when the general refers to him as “Commander.”
• “What were you thinking? I mean, this guy, he’s too tall….” – Nate
  “What was I thinking? You asked for a white male John Doe you got a white male John Doe. This ain’t The Gap.” – Hardison
• We haven’t seen Sophie’s overacting for a while — fun.
• Parker … oh, Parker. From switching the passes to jumping the train, singing to the pipes to prove they went up 60 feet to crawling through the steam vent to rescue the general. You did some fine work this evening.
• “Let’s go steal a country.” – Nate
• Eliot and Parker delivered a phone to the general through a toilet. ‘Nuff said.
• “Age of the geek, baby.” – Hardison

Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Dec 19, 2010 @ 23:00 EST5EDT