I finally caught last week’s episode of Leverage, and, more than anything else, what it did for me was solidify a question that’s been forming in my mind these last few weeks: since when is Sophie anything other than not really necessary?

Okay, maybe I should qualify that extreme of a question with “as far as I’m concerned.” Even so, where did all of that “we can’t do this without Sophie” come from? And, while we’re at it, since when is she qualified to be Nate’s co-leader, or to step in and fill his shoes, as she did four weeks back? Did I miss something? Read the rest of this entry »

Someone said to me today that Leverage is perfectly cast, and that’s an assessment that I truly can’t argue with. The show has a brilliantly put together group of actors, who are asked to do some pretty heavy lifting each week, what with the different characters they are asked to play. Not only the badass Thief, Grifter, Hitter, Hacker, and Mastermind that are their true personas, but the characters that they have to play each week as a part of the con.

Since about half way through the first season, even Parker and Hardison have been getting into the action. While it doesn’t necessarily fit their announced expertise, you’d have to expect that, when they were working alone, they had to work out of their comfort zone (though, Parker? Maybe not so much). As Team Leverage continues, though, the cross utilization becomes more and more a part of the story, and more and more fun as well.

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Checking out “The Big D’s” IMDB page, I was surprised to find that I know McDermott from none of his past work. I didn’t watch any of the shows that he was on, and I doubt I remember his small roles in a handful of movies. So why does he look, and seem, so familiar?

Don’t know; but, what I do know is that he’s back (from where?), helming a new show for TNT – Dark Blue. Right off the bat I can tell you: this is no HawthoRNe. The question of compelling drama does not apply.

On the other hand, I’m assuming this is no Closer or Saving Grace, either. Why, say you? No lady leader. Okay, so how’s about Leverage and Raising the Bar? Well, as for the former, Dark Blue lacks the light fun of Leverage. And the latter? It’s a legal drama, so that’s its own school. Why does it matter? Read the rest of this entry »

Leverage is back, and the whole opening sequence was just brilliantly directed. Starting with Nathan Ford attempting to get back into the white collar world he’d left behind, we’re immediately assaulted with slow motion scenes of just how miserable all the office drones are. Then, as soon as he rejects this life and steps outside, he literally has a car flying over his head and crashing right next to him; symbolic of the excitement and need to help others he’s come to cherish in his life.

He then gets to save a couple of lives, witness corrupt behavior, and escape in the nick of time before the car explodes. That’s more like it! Aaand … cut to the snazzy new intro explaining the show in ten seconds. Damn, it’s good to have Leverage back! Read the rest of this entry »

They say that procedurals repeat really well, and after looking at the lineup for this evening, I wonder if that’s because they are the only shows that networks show in repeats. It’s Wednesday night and there’s no Lost, I just can’t get on board with that. I can’t be the only one that would watch the whole season again in repeats, right?

• CBS kicks off the night with repeats of The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried. They finish off Wednesday with a couple of those patented CBS procedurals: Criminal Minds and CSI: NY.
• NBC has two Law & Order repeats after I’m a Celebrity (boy networks throw that word around pretty liberally these days).
• If you love reruns of reality shows then the CW is the place for you tonight: America’s Next Top Model is followed by Hitched or Ditched, with the fun starting at 8.
• TBS has a run of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne starting at 8.
• TNT has two episodes of Bones followed by a repeat of Leverage (a very quotable episode, as Debbie pointed out in her review).
• If you didn’t have enough procedurals to choose from: USA has three repeats of NCIS starting at 8.

“And you call your ex-wife a deep-fried Twinkie?” – Beckett to Castle

I noticed a couple of interesting things as I watched Castle last night. First things first — I still enjoyed it, even though I was actually much too tired to be watching TV. Does that say something about a show, or not? Should I have been able to follow the murder mystery while halfway to slumbersville? I tend to champion mindless yet smart TV, so I’m going with a hooray for Castle on this point.

I do have a couple of questions, though, about the flip-flopping of episodes and the way Aldis Hodge was used as a guest star in this installment of Castle.

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I don’t think there is anyone who would argue that Team Leverage (you know, Nate, Parker, Hardison, Sophie and Eliot of TNT’s Leverage) is anything but a study in perfection: they are well-rounded, bring different specialties to the plate, interact with one another in unique ways and balance each other out. Every episode brings us not only shining moments as individuals, but also a a unified team.

The season one finale was no exception, so I wanted to highlight my favorite shining moments in the finale for the team members. A fun way to end the season, right?

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