Oh we’re starting with a hurt vet instead. Wow, vets in the reserves don’t get medical treatment? I’m going to learn about 5 different social injustices every episode, aren’t I?
“Can’t people just be here to help?” *doctor kicks him out*
Sophie’s bad acting gives me life. “Peggy killed her first husband” see THAT I believed. And she’s still the only one trying to go legit/non grift career…
Yeah, muscle guy is right. Stop telling each other what you did with your money. I'm annoyed by the lack of mistrust.
Parker’s black beret is hot
Hardison is down for Nate’s plan! He’s so excited it’s so cute.
They have pension plans and dental ❤️ how are they gonna fund this though?
Oh wow they’re down for it just because they can help the little guy. Maybe I should be less cynical.
Love Nate swiping the dip on this asshole’s jacket just to mess with him - oh no there was a read for that. Love how in synch they already are.
What’s Sophie gonna do if one day she can’t pull the Seductive card?
Okay, muscle guy beating up the Castleman guys in the hallway was hot. I’m starting to understand.
“A man only looks a woman in the eye when he’s lying to her.” No one disagrees with her. Maybe this show is a bit cynical. About certain people.
Comparing past jobs: “I actually hurt people, so…” lol
Sticking it to corrupt congressmen is the ultimate wish fulfillment.
Parker/Money is my Bad Romance for this show.
Love the whiteboard for exposition purposes. Sometimes I need a picture, ya know?
For someone who (allegedly) hasn't done full cons before Nate is pretty good at characters. He and Sophie must've worked together before, they're too good as a team.
They're all in gray at the end <3
"Is this stolen?" "Not anymore."
"One more..." Please tell me that becomes a running gag. (Also meta for binging shows. But I think this show came out before that phenomena?)
The Dad energy they're all starting to have with Nate is so lovely.
Perry: Doc, he’s cool, I found him on the internet.
Dr. LeRoque: Yes, that never goes badly. (to Nate) With me.
Nate: Uh… I’ll be in touch.
(Perry hands him the flash drive and Nate follows the doctor out of the room)
okay but big mood “I found him on the Internet” “that never goes badly”
but also,,, bruh we NEED to know how their clients found them,,, like ??? H O W
- - - - -
Dr. LeRoque: You can’t just come in here and get his hopes up!
Nate: I’m just here to provide options.
Dr. LeRoque: There are no options.
Nate: The Veteran’s hospital …
Dr. LeRoque: Is 400 miles away and has a five month waiting list. Everybody in that rehab room is a reservist. When reservists get out they get sent home no matter where home is or how far it is from the treatment they need. Nobody thought this through. We’re not a rich hospital, I cashed in every favor I had to take care of these kids for as long as I could but I have to go back in there and tell Perry we can’t treat him anymore. I have to do that. Run your scam on somebody with money.
Nate: It’s not a scam. I’m here to help.
Dr. LeRoque: People don’t just show up to help. That’s not the way the world works.
leverage really called out the us government’s negligence and neglect for veterans in episode TWO and we stan them so hard for it
leverage said “go big or go home” from the VERY beginning
- - - - -
[Audition Room]
Sophie: Why? Why? I can’t live like this anymore. With the lies and the filth. No. Help me. I want to be clean. I want to be clean.
(two directors watching are overwhelmed by just how awful Sophie is)
Rogers: Yeah, you understand this is a soap commercial, right?
Sophie: Uh huh. When I thought about Peggy I came up with this idea that the dirt was really this giant metaphor, for sin.
(Sophie’s cell rings, she glances at her purse)
Rogers: You should take that. No, no you should take that.
Sophie: Oh. (answers phone) Hello? When? (hangs up) Peggy killed her first husband.
Rogers: Thank you
I literally scream every time I LOVE SOPHIE S O MUCH WHAT THE FUCK
- - - - -
[Parking Lot]
(one man is laying on the hood of a car and another falls on top of him. Eliot turns away from the car as the last man pulls a gun on him. They stare at each other for a moment, then a phone rings)
Eliot: That you or me?
(man seems unsure as the phone continues to ring)
Eliot: Could be important. Does your mama have your number?
(man looks down and Eliot grabs the gun, punching the man in the neck. The man goes down, choking. Eliot unloads the gun and tosses it away before pulling out his phone and answering it)
Eliot: Yeah? Nothing, why?
“nothing”? I’m-
- - - - -
(guard walks by a painting hanging in a museum gallery. He looks away for a moment, and when he looks back a rope is dangling where the painting had been. A cell phone rings)
Parker: Parker. Shh. No, I wasn’t shushing you.
I love her, your honor
- - - - -
(Parker, Eliot and Sophie come around the corner and head down the hall)
Parker: From the first job?
Eliot: Yeah.
Parker: I put all that money in a Swiss bank account.
Eliot: Millions of dollars and you didn’t buy anything?
Parker: I don’t like stuff, I like money.
Sophie: I bought a little retirement home, an island.
Eliot: Nice.
Sophie: In Dubai. And Tokyo.
Parker: What about you?
(they reach the door which has a small envelope with Sophie’s name written on it. Sophie takes it off the door and opens it)
Eliot: Yeah, I’m not about to tell two known thieves what I did with a multi-million dollar payout.
Sophie: Don’t you trust us?
(Eliot doesn’t answer.)
- - - - -
Hardison: This is our new cover story. Welcome to Leverage Consulting and Associates, founded in 1913 by the great Harland Leverage the Third.
(Hardison points to a painting on the wall of an older man that greatly resembles Nate)
Sophie: I’m sorry. Nate is going to kill you.
Eliot: Did you paint that?
Hardison: I’m gifted.
Eliot: That’s weird
HARLAND LEVERAGE THE THIRD
- - - - -
Hardison: Now Leverage Consulting Inc. is squeaky clean, all corporate taxes on record as being paid for the last ninety years. (He gives them each a cell and a folder) All your identities as partners, your payroll taxes are paid, you guys have pension plans and dental, those are employment records, case files and company newsletters.
(the group walks the halls of the Leverage offices as they discuss the files)
Parker: In 1998 I won the sack race at the 4th of July picnic. Cool.
Hardison: Now these, these are your offices. Now you can bring something like a photo, you know what, a plant! I’m a big supporter of dandelions.
hardison goes hardcore when coming up with backstories
- - - - -
(Hardison opens doors to a conference room that holds a long table with many chairs around it. One wall is dedicated to large TV screens)
Sophie: Nice.
Eliot: My man.
Hardison: Long version or the short version?
Sophie: Short.
Eliot: Short version.
Parker: Shortest.
(Hardison hits a remote the TV screens illustrate his explanation)
Hardison: Photo and video forensics programs, back doors into every electronic banking system in the world, running heuristic data crawls all over the news sites to find our clients, oh also!
Parker: This is the short version?
Hardison: Facial recognition database tied into CIA, NSA and the FBI. But, the real pièce de résistance (changes screens to sports games) DirectTV HD Total Sports Package. NFL, NBA and I threw in a little bit of hockey ‘cause I know you people like that.
Eliot: Hockey.
hardison nests SO HARD
like, bring in all the highest tech into your cozy new office you designed for you and your fellow adopted criminals? heck yeah
- - - - -
Nate: Our client is the cameraman. Corporal Robert Perry. He says that the Castleman contractors spooked and started firing.
Eliot: 5.56 NATO rounds mixed in with some 9 mils from the sub-machine guns. Insurgents would have used AK-47s with 7.62 ammo. It has more of a... (hits the back of his hand to his palm) crack. Contractors shot 'em up all right.
Parker: You ID’d the weapon from the gunshot sound?
Eliot: It has a very distinctive sound
D I S T I N C T I V E
- - - - -
Nate: Yes, and lobbyists in every office in Washington, DC. The problem with a cover-up is all the paperwork it takes to keep the lies straight.
Hardison: Internal emails, memos.
Nate: Exactly.
- - - - -
[Roof]
[Hardison and Parker are wearing black and connected to repelling gear)
Hardison: I gotta go back to the office I just remembered something.
Parker (adjusting Hardison’s harness): What?
Hardison: I just remembered gravity and the squishiness of all my manly bits.
Parker: I designed this rig myself. The line is carbon fiber. Five point harness. Weight support here, here, and here. Auto-breaking resistance on the main pulley back here.
Hardison: Okay cool, so it’s tested?
Parker: Not yet.
Hardison: Not yet? When the hell was you gonna test it?
(Parker pushes Hardison off the roof. She smiles, he screams)
Parker: Big baby.
(she jumps after him. Hardison screams until he stops upside down. Parker lowers herself to his side)
Hardison: Seriously? Seriously
hardison’s first time rappelling decidedly Did Not Go Well
- - - - -
Sophie: My company’s focused on meeting senators, but I’m thinking congressmen.
DuFort: You know the great thing about congressmen? Fifty, a hundred grand well spent will get one elected, but then once they’re in the incumbency rate is over 95 percent so you can get an average 18, 20 years’ use out of one of them. In these uncertain times buying a United States congressman is one of the best investments a corporation can make.
[DuFort’s Office]
Hardison: Oh I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. I’m a professional criminal and I find that disturbing
they’re going at america’s THROAT in this one and I love it. thank you john rogers
- - - - -
(while DuFort is distracted Sophie pulls out his wallet and removes the RFID card with her teeth. DuFort takes off his coat to look at the stain)
I am but a simple gay and this was Hot™
- - - - -
the phones hardison gave the team have six main buttons: internet, text, files, to-do, id scan, and mail
- - - - -
Nate: Parker, what’s the status of the voicelock?
[DuFort’s Office]
Parker: Uh, I’ve been sampling DuFort’s speech but I still need a few more sounds.
[Private Party]
Nate: How many?
[DuFort’s Office]
Parker: Well I only need the sounds puh, tuh, oo, ah, eh, oh, ah, ke, a, ef.
[Private Party]
Nate: Ah, only those. Eliot.
(Eliot walks by carrying two trays of appetizers)
Eliot: I’m on it. Pardon. (approaches Sophie and DuFort) Hello.
Sophie: Ooh. Mmm.
Eliot: (to DuFort) Appetizer, sir?
DuFort: Sure, what do you got?
Eliot: I’ve got the pâté d’escargot avec bière d'Argentine and (looks at second tray and grimaces) what looks like old duck, kind of greasy.
DuFort: I guess I’ll have the first one.
Eliot: Of course.
(Eliot offers him the second tray and Dufort looks at him expectantly)
DuFort: Well? May I have some?
Eliot: The greasy duck?
Sophie: Oh, no, no, no, I wouldn’t have the greasy duck.
Eliot: No I wouldn’t suggest it.
DuFort: No, the other one.
(Eliot pretends confusion)
DuFort: The the pâté d’escargot with the bière d'Argentine!
Eliot: Excellent choice sir (gives DuFort the first tray).
DuFort: (takes food) Who is this clown?
[DuFort’s Office]
Parker: Pretty good. Got most of them. Okay, now all I need is ef, uh and kuh.
[Private Party]
(DuFort spits out the appetizer he has taken)
DuFort: This is shrimp!
Eliot: Very good then. (walks away)
DuFort: It’s shrimp you stupid F----!
[DuFort’s Office]
Parker: Oh, there they are. Really loud too
parker being so competent and knowledgeable about voice activation codes? amazing. iconic.
and the whole scene with eliot and the food? hilarious.
also there already another meta post about this but this scene shows just how SMART eliot is,,, like coming up with that on spot??? don’t get me wrong, hardison is “the smartest man [any of them know]” but damn
- - - - -
continuing list of non-weapon objects eliot uses as weapons:
an IV stand
+ bonus
nate: the defibrillator/AED
- - - - -
Perry: Mr. Ford!
(Perry pushes a defibrillator towards Nate, who grabs the paddles. The first man runs toward Eliot with a knife, but Eliot grabs his arm and pushes him toward Nate)
Nate: Hello.
(Nate hits the man in the chest with the defibrillator paddles and he flies backward, unconscious)
eliot looking Impressed™ at nate for that
- - - - -
Eliot: Play time’s over Nate, it’s only a matter of time before they come after us. The tall one, the way he used a knife, ex-Marine, probably Force Recon.
Hardison: You ID’d a guy off his knife-fighting style?
Eliot: It’s a very distinctive style.
two distinctives in one episode
- - - - -
Hardison: I didn’t sign up for any of this. What I did before, nobody got hurt.
Sophie: I stole paintings for a living.
Parker: I never hurt anybody.
Eliot: I actually hurt people, so…
LMFAO eliot but also- notice that sophie never said that she never hurt people, she just said she stole paintings for a living
- - - - -
Sophie: Nate, if anything had happened to this kid--
Nate: You know you guys called on me. You remember? You begged me to run the crew, agreed to play by my rules. Now walk out if you have a problem with that. Walk out any day if you have a problem with that. It’s simple.
(everyone looks hesitant)
Eliot: We finish this one.
Parker: Just one
PSH like any of y’all believe that
- - - - -
Hardison: How do we hit ‘em?
Sophie: Congressman Jenkins, he’s our in. Looked me straight in the eye and told me he’d never even heard of the shooting.
Parker: So?
Sophie: Looked me in the eye? When men are telling me the truth they’re not looking me in the eye. A man only ever looks a woman in the eye when he’s making the effort to lie to her.
Eliot: ...Well you can’t argue with that.
Hardison: Noted and filed
LMFAO
- - - - -
Nate: All right, Jenkins is DuFort’s pet congressman, let’s see if we can get him to bite. The best way to get two people to reveal a secret, get ‘em to turn on each other.
- - - - -
Sophie: You should look out for the signs congressman. Missed phone calls, no more little favors.
Jenkins: Those are the same signs that your wife is cheating on you.
Sophie: That’s right.
Jenkins: What am I supposed to do when that happens?
Sophie (hands him her card): Play the field
- - - - -
Hardison: Congressman Jenkins is very careful. No direct bribes but he’s renovating his house and so far he’s received over $600,000 worth of work for a little over fifty grand.
(Hardison brings up pictures of Jenkins’ house on the screens)
Eliot: Castleman owns the contracting company, huh?
Hardison: I mean, he’s going through like three shell companies but yeah. And this man loves his house. Just check out his web browsing habits.
(Hardison changes the image to a website for wood panels)
Hardison: Look here, see the man spent three weeks picking out the perfect mahogany wood panels. This site is like wood porn.
Eliot: Is his house finished?
Hardison: Not even close.
Eliot: Can I borrow your phone?
Hardison takes out his phone, dials for Eliot and hands it to him.
Eliot (on phone): Hello? Yes, I’d like to cancel delivery on some mahogany wood paneling. Please.
(Hardison tries to help, Eliot walks away)
Eliot: The Jenkins house. Yeah, you know what, do me a favor man, just go ahead and cancel the whole order. Yes sir.
(Eliot leaves the room as Nate enters with a bowl of popcorn and two beers)
Nate: What’s he doing?
Hardison: Yanking the congressman’s chain
I love chaotic (pre)boyfriends
plus at one point it high hey looked like they were holding hands
and eliot’s SMILE at hardison ,,, you soft man, you never stood a chance
- - - - -
Hardison: A woo--whoa, whoa! A wood-- a wooden box?
Nate: A wooden box.
Hardison: Wood? Well, we can put a man on the moon but all our laws go into a wooden box.
- - - - -
Hardison: I mean, break a law, everybody’s done that, my mama’s done that but steal a law. Oh, she’s gonna be a legend baby.
(on screen, C-SPAN news shows the Senate floor where Parker is walking to “The Hopper”. She waves at the camera and puts the fake bill into box.
Parker: The eagle has landed.
Nate: It’s in!
Hardison: Uhn! Go ahead girl! Sexyness! Unh. Rrrnnn.
Nate: Might want to ease up on that a little bit.
Hardison: Just saying.
Nate: Yeah.
Hardison: Between me and you. Between me and you.
Nate: Never leaves the room.
adorable “the eagle has landed” parker + already-gone-for-her hardison ,,, I love it here
- - - - -
(also, again I am reminded that there is a 250 text block limit so imma have to make a part two and apparently this is my life now)
I'm about to start Leverage 1x02, so watch this space. I look forward to Nate angsting about his dead son. I am hoping for a bit less plot machinations and more of these characters not being able to stand each other.
