Parker Leverage - Tumblr Posts
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
The Ice Man Job (S02E08)
- The victim's main complaint is struggling to keep a roof over his family's head, so it does feel like one of those rare ones where they could've solved it just with money. Seems like it was more about the money than reputation/revenge. But this way's more fun.
- Eliot pushes Parker away from sitting with him and won't move next to her when asked by Nate. Which is funny because usually they're so physically close. I like that their characters have variation within them, they're not totally consistent 'cause real people aren't either. Like this episode Eliot just seems to have got out the wrong side of bed and we're not offered an explanation for that, except I guess he may be missing Sophie.
- Bless Hardison for being the peacemaker. Also I find something so intimate in him sitting close to her and saying "you happy?" like "you happy I'm physically close now, you comforted by my body being near yours? I see you, your needs matter to me, even if I don't understand them always."
- Eliot immediately knows Hardison being the main grifter is a bad idea and knows why. It begs the question why Nate doesn't make Eliot the main grifter, given he's so much better at it. Because he thinks he needs the muscle to be a separate character I guess?
- Weird Eliot thirst is when he bends the mark over the pool table, twisting one arm behind him and his other hand between his shoulder blades. You see where I'm going with that. I'm gonna need to learn how to gif.
- I don't know whether Nate is impersonating Sterling by giving his insurance guy character the same name, or just making an homage for his own amusement, but I like to imagine the latter.
- "I'd like to hear you do an accent." "I'd like to hear YOU do an accent." is some of my favorite Hardison/Eliot bickering. Especially because they both very much have a point.
- I get so frustrated watching Hardison going too quickly through the heist. Just slow down! They told you so many times. Nate actively has a gun pulled on him and is handling it better.
- Hardison and Parker's little moment of closeness escaping the vault. Underated Pardison ep.
- The Nate/Sophie conversation at the end: tv phone conversations are very weird. I'm not sure I've ever seen a realistic depiction of a phone conversation on tv and this is no exception.
why does this feel like it would fit for parker and elliot with hardison as spotter?
anyone else see it?
They don't talk about it.
But there's no way Nate should know those things. No way the client could have told him, no way he could've figured it out on his own. Not when these things were nothing more than fleeting thoughts from the mark. But Sophie notices him quietly go for the scotch behind the counter and rub at his head in pain with extra vehemence some days despite the latest con having no personal connection to him.
They don't talk about it.
But someone should've recognized Sophie on that con. There's no way she could have that many characters per con. No way none of those diplomats didn't recognize her from any of her previous cons. Not when she didn't change any more than her clothes and accent. But Nate notices her features seem to flicker at the peace and safety of home when she thinks he isn't watching.
They don't talk about it.
But no one could've survived that. And certainly not looking the way he does. There's no way he didn't come out of that fight broken and bloodied to all hell. Not when instead he walks out with a purposeful stride and only a clenched jaw, rolling his shoulders. But when he's cooking and accidentally burns himself, Parker notices the unmarked skin left behind.
They don't talk about it.
But not all vents are human sized. They all saw the size of the vent cover as she exists with a grin. There's no way she could've fit in there. Not when the human body can't bend that way, a way that even the greatest contortionist can't bend. But some days Hardison notices as she seems to stretch and bend before his eyes when she's feeling relaxed and safe enough.
They don't talk about it.
But that's not how computers work. There's no way Hardison could access that kind of thing. Not when he describes how he did it like that. Not when he does it so quickly like that. Not when he says he's taken berries and the next thing they know he's recreated a colonial era journal to perfection. But Eliot swore he shoved a glass of water at him, not more goddamn orange soda.
They don't talk about it, the thing lingering over their heads as they conduct each con, the unacknowledged thing between the five of them that's a little deeper than just a desire to take down the rich and powerful.
They aren't perfect, they all know that- sometimes they're too good with their covers, sometimes they have to shift gears as the con unfolds before them, but somehow things always seem to work out.
But no one asks about it, so-
They don't talk about it.
Don't mind me, just ugly crying about The Long Goodbye Job
They don't talk about it.
But there's no way Nate should know those things. No way the client could have told him, no way he could've figured it out on his own. Not when these things were nothing more than fleeting thoughts from the mark. But Sophie notices him quietly go for the scotch behind the counter and rub at his head in pain with extra vehemence some days despite the latest con having no personal connection to him.
They don't talk about it.
But someone should've recognized Sophie on that con. There's no way she could have that many characters per con. No way none of those diplomats didn't recognize her from any of her previous cons. Not when she didn't change any more than her clothes and accent. But Nate notices her features seem to flicker at the peace and safety of home when she thinks he isn't watching.
They don't talk about it.
But no one could've survived that. And certainly not looking the way he does. There's no way he didn't come out of that fight broken and bloodied to all hell. Not when instead he walks out with a purposeful stride and only a clenched jaw, rolling his shoulders. But when he's cooking and accidentally burns himself, Parker notices the unmarked skin left behind.
They don't talk about it.
But not all vents are human sized. They all saw the size of the vent cover as she exists with a grin. There's no way she could've fit in there. Not when the human body can't bend that way, a way that even the greatest contortionist can't bend. But some days Hardison notices as she seems to stretch and bend before his eyes when she's feeling relaxed and safe enough.
They don't talk about it.
But that's not how computers work. There's no way Hardison could access that kind of thing. Not when he describes how he did it like that. Not when he does it so quickly like that. Not when he says he's taken berries and the next thing they know he's recreated a colonial era journal to perfection. But Eliot swore he shoved a glass of water at him, not more goddamn orange soda.
They don't talk about it, the thing lingering over their heads as they conduct each con, the unacknowledged thing between the five of them that's a little deeper than just a desire to take down the rich and powerful.
They aren't perfect, they all know that- sometimes they're too good with their covers, sometimes they have to shift gears as the con unfolds before them, but somehow things always seem to work out.
But no one asks about it, so-
They don't talk about it.
I suddenly woke up stupid early on my day off with multiple weird random aches and pains and a revelation about the Leverage chess metaphors.
They’re all wrong.
Look, I obviously adore the white knight/black king motif, and it works really well for that very specific discussion of Nate’s shift in morality and position at the opening of the series. But the show as well as I and other fans have then tried to take that equation and apply it to other jobs and to the crew as a whole. This is fun and awesome, but I believe you’re going to get it wrong every time if you start from the white knight/black king line.
Because in all other situations, Nate is not the king.
Couple important things about kings in chess: 1. They don’t move much. They can only move one space at a time, and for most of the game they stay in their own little box, well guarded by other pieces. This is because 2. When the king is checkmated (threatened with capture and no possible escape), it’s game over. There is no more hope. This is the sole requirement for losing the game. No matter who else is in play, if the king is down, you lose.
This is NOT how Nate operates. Yeah, he makes the plans, but he doesn’t just hide in the office while everybody else carries them out. He’s almost always right up in there playing the most obnoxious guy you’ve ever met or smashing windows or something. And if Nate gets captured, it’s not game over, in fact, it often isn’t even a PROBLEM. Let’s look at a few times that happens, just for fun: - In The King George Job, Nate’s getting beat up and Eliot slightly panics and is about to run to help, when Sophie says “NOPE, don’t do that, I can fix this without blowing our cover” and saunters in at her leisure. The jig isn’t up and she’s not even particularly concerned about him getting punched. I love it. - In the Maltese Falcon Job, Nate sacrifices himself to save the team. This is a classic thing to do in chess and chess metaphors, but, I cannot stress this enough, you cannot sacrifice your king. That’s just called LOSING. -In The Long Goodbye Job of course the whole con is structured around Nate getting caught. I guess this one kind of makes sense because the whole point is to look like they HAVE completely lost, but then at the end it appears that Nate’s going to secret prison and everyone else is escaping WITH the black book, so they STILL would be losing Nate but winning the job.
So if Nate isn’t the king, who is?
Hardison.
Let’s look at our points about kings again:
1. Doesn’t move as far or as quickly: Yes, Hardison ALSO gets out there and participates in the cons, everybody does. But Hardison does stay in the background more often, because that’s where his power is. He does the behind the scenes tech stuff and the remote stuff, he can wreck your shop without showing up through the power of the internet. He also does the forgeries of identities and objects, which are also done in his own space. At the same time, he has less physical power and less range – you don’t want him in a fistfight, or a gunfight, and his grifts are notorious for being a little… uh… interesting. So he has limited physical range and power but at the same time… .
2. The game is over if you lose him. That far-reaching behind the scenes power is absolutely vital for 90% of the jobs. He does the massive amounts of research and hacking legwork needed just to START a job, even before you get to actually completing the job. You are pretty much dead in the water without Hardison. But that’s just from a practical standpoint. Losing Hardison is also a crisis from an emotional standpoint. He’s our moral compass and our sweet baby brother and when Hardison gets in trouble there is no “well he’ll be fine for a few minutes” and no “well he kinda had it coming.” No, when Hardison is in trouble everything else grinds to a halt and everyone comes running. (See: The Experimental Job, The Grave Danger Job, The Long Goodbye Job.)
So like, yes Nate is in charge. But the king isn’t in charge on a chessboard, the king is just a piece with a very unique role, which Hardison fills much better than Nate does. So, now that we have our real king, who are our other pieces?
Queen: Parker. This has nothing to do with her dating Hardison. The thing about the queen is she can do a little bit of everything – she can move in any direction, making her the most dangerous piece on the board. Parker’s whole character arc is about learning all the different roles and how to access the whole playing field. She’s the only one who plans and executes an entire episode-length job by herself (okay, with a little help from her girlfriend). Plus, the other cool thing about a queen is she has a built-in transformation story – a pawn that crosses the board can become a queen, which Parker mimics by initially being dismissed as “the crazy one” and ultimately becoming the mastermind.
Knight: Sophie. I know, I wanted Eliot to be the horsie too, but this makes more sense. The knight’s deal is that it’s sneaky – it’s the only piece that can turn corners – and it can jump over obstacles. Sophie’s whole philosophy of grifting is that she shouldn’t need to know about safes or security systems, she should be able to bypass (jump over) all that by insinuating herself with the mark (being sneaky by playing a character to get behind enemy lines)
Rook: Eliot. This is the straightforward one – it goes in a straight line. It also literally represents the castle walls. It’s also so, so fucking helpful to have around, I fucking hate losing my rooks. It’s your solid right hand man, basically. Is this a little reductive of Eliot? Absolutely, but I’m jamming five complex characters into five predetermined boxes, it’s not all gonna be nuanced. And I think Mr. Punchy would like being seen as the fortress that everybody depends on, and to let all the nuance go under the radar. That’s where he likes it.
Bishop: Finally, here’s where Nate is hiding. While the rook can only go straight (lol), the bishop can only go diagonally. Nothing can be straightforward for the bishop, he always has to come at things from an angle. Like, you know, constantly looking at all the different angles of a situation and finding the right angle to come at a mark from. Also, the bishops sit right in the middle right next to the king and queen. I don’t know that this is historically accurate, but when my dad taught me to play he told me that was because the bishops were important councilors to the rulers, they were the ones who had important wisdom that would tell them the best plan of attack. So the king here isn’t necessarily the one making the plans – that’s the bishop. And finally, apparently the bishop is called lots of different things in other languages, but we’re operating in English, which means it makes Nate a priest, and that makes me happy.
The Rundown Job was really the OT3 episode, uh?
I knew they worked well together, that's been obvious for a while. But in an episode of just them, it really hits how in sinc they are.
Hardison and Eliot doing their little handshake after watching Parker do her acrobat thing through a lazer grid.
Eliot's first concern being to get Hardison and Parker to safety. Them refusing to let Eliot go up against a terrorist attack. Parker's line about how they change together, for better or worse.
Eliot not being scared of the terrorists attack because he has Hardison and Parker on his side and he believes in them more than anything.
Also when Eliot put his hand on the back of Hardison's neck and looked into his eyes? That was so intimate. The tension was serious with undertones of sexual. It had the same tension as Parker diffusing the bomb.
The silent communication. The celebrating each other's victories.
Eliot throwing down the crutch in favor of leaning on his partners.
I'm sure other stuff I missed, it being only my first watch through and all. But that's the stuff that stood out the most to me.
Ok I just finished rewatching The Rundown Job and so far I have -
The most ridiculously peacocking display of competence porn. What do you mean "'sup Eliot." What do you mean "who needs luck". Where is your damn shame? Where is hundred more episodes of just like this? 10/10 worth every watch.
'I've got a hacker *enter bf*, and a thief *enter gf*'
Only Parker noticing 'too many cops'. It's such a cool detail throughout the show how observant she is just offhandedly, unlike Eliot who observes actively.
Parker pretending to promptly fall asleep as soon as they're in the truck, only to have the handcuffs off in seconds.
"What do they say about me? I hope they gave me a cool nickname." I'll bet all the kudos on my most popular fic that he hacks into his own pentagon file regularly to make up his own nickname.
"Hell your girlfriend's already out of the cuffs" *Parker smiling and sliding them off* AND IT'S DIRECTED NOT TO HARDISON, HER EXPLICITLY STATED BOYFRIEND, BUT AT ELIOT, THEIR BOYFRIEND.
Putting Hardison in those glasses. Those damn glasses. I need a glass of water jfc it's hot in here
'For better or worse, we change together'. Aaaaaand that's on wedding vows.
"I'll drive." "Hold on." "Exactly." "No, I mean hold on. (Our gf is a former gateway car driver)". "Oh. Oh you mean. Yeah."
The hand on the wrist and eye contact and saying 'I'm not afraid. I got the best thief and the smartest guy I know chasing this guy'
HAND ON THE BACK OF THE NECK AND PULLING CLOSER 'HEY LISTEN TO ME YOU'RE THE SMARTEST GUY I'VE EVER KNOWN HARDISON I NEED THAT BRAIN TO GET ME TO HIM. GET ME TO HIM'. Screaming crying frothing at the mouth et cetera et cetera
Figuring out the job TOGETHER
This is Hardison. Hardison likes his personal space. These are Parker and Eliot. Parker and Eliot also like Hardison's personal space.
The eyes on each other's lips during unlocking doors and saying thank you
'Kiss for luck?' the sequel: love boogaloo
HACKING THE MF CAR HORN WITH AN SOS THROUGH A MOBILE PHONE
"BOOM MY BOY THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!" first of all that's his boy so jot that down
Also side note this episode shows the fascinating way Hardison uses his brain and I wish we saw more of it because it's fascinating how he derives what he does from the few bits of data he gathers
"He's on the train!" "Yeah well so am I." "When you pick him out of the crowd-" "No. I'm ON the train! 🙄 Never mind..."
Two good ole boys behind the wheel 🎶 chasing the target and their gf in a million dollar car 🎵 two good ole boys-
*Hanging by her fingertips from a running train roof almost mashed into pulp by signage" WOOOOOO HOOOOO
The way Parker picks him out, not by using thief sense, but mastermind sense that he's immune -> got vaccinated -> pain in the arm. Brilliant way to pick someone out from a crowd while not raising panic
Keeping him talking till she takes the briefcase that he HANDCUFFED to himself right under his nose. How? Well, she's Parker.
"I kept one diamond. Sorry." I love her
Finally "kiss for luck" the trilogy comes to an end
*casually endangers self* "Fire is the only thing that kills it right?"
"Don't do that to me, I can't lose you. Do you understand? I can't lose you. Don't scare me like that. I can't-"
Eliot Spencer: *Barks 'Alright!' at the guy touching him to literally patch up his bullet wound.* Also Eliot Spencer: *ditches crutches so he can lean on his girlfriend and boyfriend*
"I work with them now." Would you like to stay for dinner? "Honor among thieves? Something like that." WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY FOREVER??!!!
"I don't do hospital." "I told you, he takes getting shot very lightly." Uh huh, you know what I smell? LOVE. In the air! Might be some blood from those bullet wounds too ig.
What a show.
okay i literally just started s4 and i'm sorry but,,, the long way down job is literally out the gate with ot3 moments (also are they seriously just called leverage ot3? do they have a better ship name??)
hardison hugging eliot to try and steal his body heat and eliot allowing it for like 3 seconds before shoving him off
hardison trying to be weirdly overprotective of parker and and her just leaving when he tries to hug her, so eliot hugs him instead. bonus points because he says "At least Eliot hugged me."
Parker teasing Hardison about sucking at climbing + Parker going "seriously?" when Eliot does that thing where he recognizes people through innocuous details of their clothing or some shit
Parker and Eliot stuck in the cave.
ELiot: "Hey. It's a good thing it was us." Parker: "Because we'd leave him." Eliot: "Because they would have kept trying and they would have froze to death right next to him. Especially Hardison. So it was a good thing it was us. The two of us, we do things they can't. Won't." Parker: "That make us bad?" Eliot: "It makes us...us. Now you can take that as a gift or take that as curse. That's up to you."
Them finally leaving the cave and comms come back on and Hardison being so relieved he tears up and both Parker and Eliot tell him to shut the fuck up LMAO "I was so worried...You my peoples..."
gajeel redfox is so elliot spencer coded
i like how leverage throws in random details that are never elaborated on. hardison gets himself a front row seat at the oscars each year, but we only see that in a single throwaway flashback. parker broke a guy's fingers for touching her and it wasn't even a plot point, it was just one in a series of memories of stabbings and so forth. eliot continually knows extremely specific information which implies some extremely specific scenarios he's been in. the more we find out about sophie's backstory, the more questions it raises about what the hell is wrong with her. and the more we find out about nate's backstory, the more questions it raises about what the hell is wrong with him.
Either Chris Downey or John Rogers has said on The Official Leverage: Redemption After Show that they knew from the moment they saw the “we provide leverage” scene at the end of the first episode that it would be the ending of the show as well but with Parker in Nate’s seat.
Rewatching the series there is TOTAL foreshadowing that Nate was grooming Parker from the start. He always calmly takes the time to explain what con is what, give little coaching moments (ie “The Order 23 Job”), and towards the end of the series easily lets Parker come up with the plan and follows her lead implicitly (“The Blue Line Job”).
It’s a lot of fun to rewatch and spot the little moments once you know what to look for.
Things I hadn't noticed in the Nigerian Job till my 6th re-watch-
The thing is, Parker does go out on the original count Nate starts on the rooftop, not the one he restarts after Hardison comments. That is her following the plan. The original plan.
Now when Hardison has Eliot at gunpoint in the abandoned factory Dubenich assembled them in, when Nate asked Eliot why he didn't look worried Eliot says 'safety's on', but Hardison doesn't fall for it. It's only when NATE says it he goes to check and gets the gun taken away. He gets the doubt from NATE, not Eliot. Because Nate is the (former) white knight, the straight and narrow, the Not-thief in their merry little band. They show us from the beginning just how powerful Nate's role is, having played both sides of the coin
Thirdly, Nate approaches a pissed off and cheated-out-of-her-money Parker a lot different than he treated the other two. He talks to Eliot in a levelheadedness he knows a professional hitter and extraction specialist like him would have. And he treats Hardison with quick and easy ruses so he's appeased and disarmed for the moment allowing him a moment to calm down. But PARKER, he treats with care and patience. Not condescension. Just a healthy respect for the fact that she is the best at what she does and the fact that she's not gotten her money yet makes her unpredictable and with her skillset nearly unwavering at her stance.
Idk man, every time I watch this show I'm blown away at the details and characterizations
every time parker and hardison pretend to be a couple they show up, arms linked, in coordinated outfits with mental lists of the most obnoxious pet names they can think of. and I think that’s beautiful
Re: the leverage tipping "discourse", here's my thoughts on the characters' tipping behavior--
Nate: tips 15%
Sophie: tips well as herself but if her persona for a con wouldn't she doesn't
Eliot: always tips well and leaves a note sometimes
Parker: 50/50 if she remembers to tip, but when she does she will leave a vaguely suspicious roll of cash. She gets better at remembering as she gets more exposure to the service industry
Hardison: my man doesn't tip *in cash*. He doesn't have a wallet, and his phone is plenty to let him divert company funds into giving the employees a raise. It's the age of the geek, baby, and that means ensuring a living wage long-term and making up for the assholes who inevitably won't tip at all. He's still gonna rile up Nate and Eliot given the opportunity though