“Be Nathan Ford. Be the person we came back for.” – Parker, after Eliot said he’d have Nate’s back because that was his job
The title of this episode, “The Maltese Falcon Job,” got me all excited for a good old fashioned heist. Well, crap. I sure didn’t get that. Like the last episode, we got some great moments, but overall, I’m disappointed. Whereas last season’s Leverage finale was probably near-perfect, this season’s didn’t match up.
I’m disappointed that the Sophie storyline was predictable instead of innovative. She swept in, saved the world when Nate screwed it up and was this bizarre hero that just wasn’t believable to me. Keith predicted, and I fell for it, that there was more to the Sophie story line. I had faith the writers wouldn’t let me down, but now it looks like Sophie … I mean Gina Bellman … was just on maternity leave.
There could be an arms dealer on any procedural on TV right now. When I watch Leverage, I want a heist. A totally awesome con and a heist. These people are thieves and they hardly stole anything this season, and in this episode, just a mayor.
What a totally lame exit for Tara. Hey, thanks for your help, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Wha… really? I’ve grown really attached to Tara (and so has Eliot … and Parker, it seems) and that just seemed like a very abrupt way to usher her out and welcome Sophie back to the fold.
I need to stop complaining now because I sound like Aryeh — or at least myself when watching nearly any episode of How I Met Your Mother this season — so here are some things I did enjoy about this episode:
It’s interesting that after two seasons of denying he’s a thief, this episode ends with Nate’s admission: “My name’s Nate Ford and I am a thief.” Does he finally mean it or is he trying anything to protect his team, the “most honorable people” he’s “ever known.” My guess is that since he now considers these people his family, he’s proud to be considered one of them.
Where does that all leave us? I hardly think we can open season three with Nate behind bars, so still I hope … I hope for a smashing season three opener … I hope that the writers find their way back to season one’s greatness … I hope for more heists … I hope for more flashbacks. Is it too much to hope for?
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Feb 17, 2010 @ 23:00 EST5EDT
I was hoping it was just my imagination that this episode fell flat-especially for a finale. I was disappointed when it was over, but I blamed myself for getting too many tidbits (aka SPOILERS) from the blogs while I was waiting for the chance to download the episode. There weren’t that many, but it was enough that nothing surprised me when I finally got to watch.
The cons:
-Parker was way too human in this one. She’s supposed to be learning SLOWLY, but she made several years of progress since the last episode. Also, something about the way she forgave Tara so quickly felt unnatural to me. I agree she would have forgiven her because of Sophie, but the way it was written didn’t work.
-Did anybody notice that Sophie’s hair was way shorter in the helicopter than it was on the boat?
-What was up with that Tara exit? No explanation was given, and there’s no way everyody knew what was going on because the earbuds didn’t work on the ship.
-When Nate ran up the stairs to slow down the elevator, I kept thinking of the Zanzibar Marketplace Job, where Hardison hacked the elevators to allow for the rescue. If he could do that, then surely he could open the doors on every floor. If they needed Nate to do it for comic relief, then at least he should have asked Hardison to do it, then have the camera flash on Hardison tangled in the ropes and saying he’s busy in that adorable Hardison way. The whole scene would have been funnier that way.
-Stirling was way too emotional whan he was offering Nate a deal. He seemed to be angry, and it didn’t feel right. He is supposed to be a robot who never shows any emotion but mild amusement and smug sarcasm. That’s why we love to hate him.
-The whole Sophie thing was cheesy and predictable.
-Agent Nevin’s objection to Nate’s deal seemed wrong somehow. If she were going to object, she should have done it when Stirling offered his deal, since that would have let Nate go, the one person Nevins really wanted. She should have done a happy dance when Nate turned himself in. Then when Stirling overruled her, it felt wrong because she folded like a cheap card table. I thought these guys were supposed to be pretty territorial… she should have been at least a little angry that he threatened to shoot her and forced her to accapt the deal.
-The whole plot felt rushed, like it was written to be a two hour show and it had to be cut down to one.
There were still some good points, though, and I have no intention of abandoning the show because of one off day.
The Pros:
-Sophie’s back! Yay!
-Tara’s gone! Yay!
-Eliot’s countdown was cute.
-Parker’s “coffin with wind” line and Tara’s reaction.
-Angry Parker was awesome, I wanted more (or at least a better transition from Angry Parker to Normal Parker).
-Stirling’s face every time the elevator opened was hilarious.
-Tara and the towel thing… another one of those scenes that don’t fit Sophie or Parker, so maybe Tara will be back once in a while for those.
-Eliot’s reaction to Tara and the towel.
-Hardison tangled in the rappelling lines was a good way to inject humor into a very serious episode; if only it had been written a little better.
-I am actually starting to like Stirling. He’s always been a favorite because I love to hate him, but now he’s displaying an obvious soft spot for Nate (he really didn’t want to arrest him, and only did it because Nate gave him no choice; then when Nate was shot he was really worried). Another example of the great character development that Leverage does so well, even for the minor characters.
-Sophie and Nate are finally making progress on their relationship. Woohoo!
-Nate’s final lines wrap up the entire season admirably.
I still love the show and I am still counting down till season 3, but most of season 2, and especially the finale, felt a little off to me. Hopefully they’re back on their game next season.