So, it’s been a few weeks since the initial Leverage thread on the SDMB, and I thought it was time to see how people are feeling about the show.
Personally, I’m still having a great time with it. The cast seems to have good chemistry, Timothy Hutton is adorable, and Aldis Hodge steals almost every scene he’s in. While the first episode wasn’t the strongest, they’ve been solid and improving since. I’m sure some of you will point out the plot holes, I haven’t found too much that I couldn’t keep my disbelief suspended over.
We’ve seen 3 episodes so far (missed the first few). We weren’t sure about it at first, but the last ep we watched (stuck in the bank), we really enjoyed. I’ll keep watching for awhile, because I hope it grows into a really good show!
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Leverage. I didn’t expect much from it beyond goofyness and explosions, but the cast has good chemistry. I really like Aldis Hodge and the crazy blonde chick.
Christian Kane has GOT to cut his hair though. No man should be doing that much flat ironing.
They do some absolutely terrible things to people whose biggest “sin” seems to be having bad taste and worse attitudes. I mean, they hurt a lot of people who did nothing outright wrong except be a dick. Broken Aesop, anyone? I found many of the characters to be likable and interesting, but our Main Dude was just an arrogant jerk.
Its become one of my must-see’s. My only complaint is for some reason they have been showing the episodes out of order, which is extremely confusing with the character development.
But I love the whole cast. I really hope it gets renewed.
Definitely agree with this. He’s probably the best character on the show. I’m still not sure about Christian Kane though. He doesn’t really pull off the “tough guy” role. He’s trying way too hard.
Can you provide examples? I can’t think of a single ep so far where they have not been up against certified “bad guys.”
Episode 1: The Nigerian Job - Guy tried to have them killed after persuading them to take a job under false pretenses.
Episode 2: The Homecoming Job - Corporation killed soilders to smuggle stolen money out of Iraq.
Episode 3: The Two-Horse Job - Guy burnt a stable full of horses alive then blamed an innocent man.
Episode 4: The Miracle Job - Guy sent thugs to beat up a priest and try to get a church closed.
Episode 5: The Bank Shot Job - Corrupt judge in league with meth dealers sets a known killer free.
Episode 6: The Stork Job - Couple running a foriegn adoption scam, keeps orphans to camoflague illeagal weapons trade, beats up parents who just want adopted son back.
Still doing the dangerous balancing act between zany like “Middleman” and serious. Doesn’t quite work but it shows enough promise to make me hope they will find their stride eventually. And, hey, it’s got Jane from ‘Coupling’.
They need to get better villains, though: they started facing military outfits but at this pace they will end up facing corrupt grocery store owners.
Well, yes and no. Most of these “bad guys” were written that way with no rational reason for it (Hey, let’s beat up a priest!). Even so, get the man for doing that, not stealing a statue.
We’ve just watched the first 13 episodes within a few days. I’m surprised the show seems so wdely disliked on these boards. Great acting, some suspense, funny lines, interesting characters who develop realistically, excellent editing - what’s not to like?
The bad guys’ reason is usually ‘get lots of money and I don’t care who I fuck over.’ Most of the bad guys really have been pretty bloody awful - killing people, abusing kids, killing kids, killing animals, booting people out of their homes - not exactly ‘matters of taste.’ Sure, they’re not Dr Evil trying to take over the world, but I don’t find that kind of baddie as interesting.
Stirling is evil in a very human way, and Blackpool was happy to let people die.
Their the kind of baddies we might come across in real life, if we’re unlucky. Nice to see them get theirs, even if only in fiction.
I liked the show, but I’m a big fan of caper/heist movies/TV shows/books. Some of the plots in Leverage did require some severe suspension of disbelief - it’s amazing how they manage to snatch victory from the jaws of disaster with last-minute changes in their plans - but that doesn’t bother me in the least.
I can’t wait for Season 2! I’m a little bit in love with Timothy Hutton (as in, if I had a list, he’d be at or near the top and my husband would understand, IYKWIM) – heck, I dream about the man sometimes! The rest of the team are new to me, but I’m falling for them too. I don’t mind suspending disbelief for such a fun show!
I wanted to rewatch the first season during my spring break this week, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’ll do it soon I hope!
I was the OP of the original Leverage thread here. I believe I called the show “a bucket of suck.” I disliked it so much I did not bother to watch any further episodes. I was surprised at how many people enjoyed the pilot, which I thought was one of the worst things I’d seen in a while.
I did end up catching the season finale, and felt it was significantly better than than the pilot, but I was still not enjoying it much. The addition of Kari Matchett as Timothy Hutton’s ex was a good thing. Aldis Hodge was still the best part of the show. The blonde woman and Billy Ray Cyrus lookalike were still terrible. And Timothy Hutton was still overacting. But the biggest problem has already been mentioned:
The tone of the show varies from campy to serious at various points in a single episode, which are simply not compatible. And the campy sections are cliched and poorly written. I’m glad that it got better over the course of the season, as I am a big Hutton fan, and I’ll probably check out the first ep of the new season just to see if it continues to improve, but I’m doubtful.
