Leverage: Redemption
Jul. 23rd, 2021 01:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
llywelaLately I have been watching Leverage: Redemption - with many thanks to galathea_snb for enabling me in this! It is the shiny new version of the original Leverage show that ran from 2008-2012, which I adore more with every re-watch – and it is a VERY re-watchable show, absolutely perfect bubblegum viewing with entertaining storylines and engaging characters, easy to dip in and out of, so I watch it a lot.
Leverage: Redemption picks up the story eight years later, and I approached it with some trepidation, because there is always such a high degree of risk when a beloved old TV show gets a new incarnation. What if it all goes horribly wrong? What if they can't recapture the magic? What if it tarnishes my memories of the original show?
So what do I think of Leverage: Redemption?
I like it. It's fun, in pretty much exactly the same way the original Leverage was fun. Is it perfect? No, it isn't. Of course it isn't. Nothing is, including the original show. But I watch TV looking for entertainment rather than perfection, so that's okay. Like the original, it pushes enough of the right buttons that the imperfections don't matter to me in the slightest. Did it need to be made? Again, no, not really, the original show was satisfyingly complete as it was, but since it has been made anyway, with most of the original players returning and so clearly getting an enormous kick out of the reunion, I am more than happy to enjoy what they are offering. Is it the same as it was? Both yes and no, which really speaking is how it should be. It shouldn't be exactly the same as it was, because the world has changed and so have the characters, but the magic is there and the charm is there, and that's what really matters.
I haven't really browsed online reaction yet to know if Nate's off-screen death is considered controversial or not, but for my money, it was the right narrative choice to make. Actor Tim Hutton had been disgraced and was never going to be part of this reboot, so a reason had to be found for Sophie to return to the game without him, because why should Gina Bellman miss out? And quite frankly, the character Nate Ford was a chronic alcoholic who spent years of his life marinating in bitterness and grief, and then still more years intensely driven by anger and the need for revenge. It really isn't hard to believe that he might not have quite made it out of his 50s – a far more plausible reason for his absence from the new show than just about any other excuse that might have been contrived, imo, especially bearing in mind that an explanation was also needed for Hardison being absent for much of the season. People die. It happens. The original series gave Nate a happy ending, and by killing him off-screen, the reboot allowed him to keep that happy ending. He walked off into the sunset with the woman he loved, and lived a blissfully contented life with her until the day he died. What more of a happy ending could anyone ask for?
Nate's death is sad for Sophie and the rest of the gang, of course, but someone always has to go first, that's just a natural fact of life. Sophie had eight happy years with Nate, and now his death sees her move forward into a new phase of her life – and honestly, female characters get killed off to facilitate development for male characters all the time, so I always find it refreshing to see the reverse. All in all, I'm good with Nate's death. It is believable for the character and makes narrative sense for the show, which never forgets that time has passed for the characters, as well as for us. Instead of implausibly picking up where they left off, everyone is allowed to have moved forward and changed in the intervening years. The loss of Nate is just the most obvious of those changes.
And, you know, Nate's death isn't just a one line contrivance to explain why he isn't around. It is the central plot point of the season, driving the action forward. It is the reason the remaining four team members initially come together, to commemorate – and thus the trio realise how very much Sophie is not coping, and decide to do something about it. It is the reason Sophie comes out of retirement, persuaded by the others that she needs a distraction and then almost immediately stumbling onto an intriguing new project. It is the reason Parker, Hardison and Eliot return to the active field, having moved beyond the primary Leverage gig over the intervening years – but Sophie needs them, so here they are, ready and willing. (At least until Hardison is summoned away by higher priorities still, leaving the others to hold the fort.) Nate might be dead, but his presence is very much felt throughout the entire eight episode run, remembered and referenced frequently, his legacy spoken of with tremendous pride, every time. Killing him off drew a line under Hutton's involvement with the franchise, for better or for worse, while also freeing the writers to eulogise his character extensively. And as such, it works.
I really enjoy all the subtle little developments Leverage: Redemption uses to demonstrate that time has passed for the characters as well as the rest of us. Twelve Leverage crews worldwide, operating under the leadership of the core trio Parker, Hardison and Eliot, which is just part of the reason why they aren't spending as much time in the active field themselves as they once did. An entire fleet of Lucilles dotted around the globe, cunningly disguised as food trucks, which both helps them blend in and gives Eliot a stake in their survival – yeah, we see what you did there, Hardison! Eliot has set up a food franchise employing struggling veterans, because of course he has. Such a natural development for the character. Hardison has branched out way, way beyond what Leverage-style heists can achieve, using his genius skills to support the disenfranchised and oppressed on a truly global scale. And Parker is running the whole show, has been for the past eight years.
That changes slightly when Sophie returns to the fold, and the dynamic between the two women is one of my favourite aspects of the new show. Because Sophie, having been persuaded to come out of retirement, steps into the leadership role instinctively, because that's what she needs, at this transitional moment in her life. She needs to be in control. She needs, in a sense, to step into Nate's shoes, running the crew and planning the jobs just like he did. And Parker? Well, she's a little thrown at first, because she's been in charge for eight years, but we are clearly shown that taking a step back and allowing Sophie to lead is a deliberate choice that Parker makes. Because that is what Sophie needs, and Parker loves Sophie and is willing to give her that. But at the same time…Parker is ultimately still in charge. We see that both Eliot and Hardison look to her for confirmation of Sophie's planning, while Sophie too, when it comes to the crunch, also looks to Parker for the final say on big decisions. And it all feels so right, for the characters and the relationship they once had and the relationship they now have, eight years later, and all the ways in which they have changed in between.
I think my favourite scene might the one early on when Sophie automatically starts trying to coach Parker in preparation for a grift, the way she always used to, only to realise that Parker no longer needs such coaching, because she has developed a style of her own that works for her. And having taken a closer look at Parker's method, Sophie is full of praise and validation, acknowledging that while it isn't anything like her own style, that's okay, it works for Parker, it gets the job done, and that's what matters.
And then there are the two newbies, each carefully designed to fill vacant roles on the crew without actually replacing the missing characters.
First up is Breanna, who I like a lot. The team takes her on for Hardison's sake, because she's his kid (foster) sister and she idolises him and wants to be like him, only she's getting herself into trouble because she's not quite there yet and needs guidance, which is what she gets when he leaves her in Parker's hands after he is called away. I love the insight Breanna gives us into Hardison's ongoing relationship with the foster mother he calls Nana, and the relationship he has with the other troubled young people she takes into her home and heart – as well as the implication that Parker has been having regular contact with Nana and her brood pretty much since the original show ended, she knows Breanna well and has been showing her how to do crime since she was 11.
So in Hardison's absence, Breanna fills the role he usually occupies, while offering a completely fresh take on that role, because Breanna is not Hardison, she has different strengths, different weaknesses – although just like Hardison when we first met him, way back in 2008, she has a lot to learn.
And then there's Harry, the contrite lawyer who has spent most of his career propping up evildoers and now wants to make amends but hasn’t the first clue how to go about it. In many ways, he fills much the same role on the cons that Nate often did, and he has in common with Nate that his professional background is useful to the crew, but at the same time, he is nothing like Nate whatsoever. Where Nate's upbringing and career allowed him to step seamlessly into a life of crime, Harry just kind of blunders into it. Nate was a shark, the perfect ruthless mastermind, whereas Harry is more like an overgrown puppy, very well-intentioned and anxious to please, but doesn't really know what he's doing. The crew see potential in him, and since his cause pretty much aligns with theirs – not to mention that he comes complete with a prospective client list – they effectively adopt him as a project, so that Harry, even more than Breanna, represents the rank amateur on a steep learning curve, the outsider's POV. Watching his bewildered reactions to the inside jokes and shorthand of the crew is delightful. His presence underscores just how close the OG crew are, rather than undermining them in any way.
While I'm on the subject, the character of Harry Wilson was first announced as Harry Sullivan – the name of a Doctor Who companion – so either that initial press release was wrong, or the character's name was changed before they started shooting. So off the back of that little factoid, I would like to mention how amused I am by the person on Tumblr who watched all eight episodes of the show, in which Harry is introduced as Harry Wilson and referred to on-screen as Mr Wilson in every single episode, then went to A03 and saw a small handful of stories tagging him as Harry Sullivan instead, and promptly went to Tumblr to ask why on earth the character is being called Wilson on-screen when his name is actually Sullivan, it says so right there on A03! Because A03 tags are obviously a more reliable source of canon than the actual show itself! See, this is just one of the reasons it is so dangerous to start writing fic about a character you've never seen based solely on an early press release.
Anyway, the combination of Breanna and Harry brings a really fresh new energy to the Leverage formula, which I enjoy very much. Their addition to the team is just another strand of the seasonal theme, which is change, another reminder that time has passed and the lives of the characters are continuing to move forward, whether on-screen or off.
Sixteen episodes of Leverage: Redemption have been filmed. The first eight have been released as a little mini-series. I am now looking forward very much to the release of the other eight later in the year!
Leverage: Redemption picks up the story eight years later, and I approached it with some trepidation, because there is always such a high degree of risk when a beloved old TV show gets a new incarnation. What if it all goes horribly wrong? What if they can't recapture the magic? What if it tarnishes my memories of the original show?
So what do I think of Leverage: Redemption?
I like it. It's fun, in pretty much exactly the same way the original Leverage was fun. Is it perfect? No, it isn't. Of course it isn't. Nothing is, including the original show. But I watch TV looking for entertainment rather than perfection, so that's okay. Like the original, it pushes enough of the right buttons that the imperfections don't matter to me in the slightest. Did it need to be made? Again, no, not really, the original show was satisfyingly complete as it was, but since it has been made anyway, with most of the original players returning and so clearly getting an enormous kick out of the reunion, I am more than happy to enjoy what they are offering. Is it the same as it was? Both yes and no, which really speaking is how it should be. It shouldn't be exactly the same as it was, because the world has changed and so have the characters, but the magic is there and the charm is there, and that's what really matters.
I haven't really browsed online reaction yet to know if Nate's off-screen death is considered controversial or not, but for my money, it was the right narrative choice to make. Actor Tim Hutton had been disgraced and was never going to be part of this reboot, so a reason had to be found for Sophie to return to the game without him, because why should Gina Bellman miss out? And quite frankly, the character Nate Ford was a chronic alcoholic who spent years of his life marinating in bitterness and grief, and then still more years intensely driven by anger and the need for revenge. It really isn't hard to believe that he might not have quite made it out of his 50s – a far more plausible reason for his absence from the new show than just about any other excuse that might have been contrived, imo, especially bearing in mind that an explanation was also needed for Hardison being absent for much of the season. People die. It happens. The original series gave Nate a happy ending, and by killing him off-screen, the reboot allowed him to keep that happy ending. He walked off into the sunset with the woman he loved, and lived a blissfully contented life with her until the day he died. What more of a happy ending could anyone ask for?
Nate's death is sad for Sophie and the rest of the gang, of course, but someone always has to go first, that's just a natural fact of life. Sophie had eight happy years with Nate, and now his death sees her move forward into a new phase of her life – and honestly, female characters get killed off to facilitate development for male characters all the time, so I always find it refreshing to see the reverse. All in all, I'm good with Nate's death. It is believable for the character and makes narrative sense for the show, which never forgets that time has passed for the characters, as well as for us. Instead of implausibly picking up where they left off, everyone is allowed to have moved forward and changed in the intervening years. The loss of Nate is just the most obvious of those changes.
And, you know, Nate's death isn't just a one line contrivance to explain why he isn't around. It is the central plot point of the season, driving the action forward. It is the reason the remaining four team members initially come together, to commemorate – and thus the trio realise how very much Sophie is not coping, and decide to do something about it. It is the reason Sophie comes out of retirement, persuaded by the others that she needs a distraction and then almost immediately stumbling onto an intriguing new project. It is the reason Parker, Hardison and Eliot return to the active field, having moved beyond the primary Leverage gig over the intervening years – but Sophie needs them, so here they are, ready and willing. (At least until Hardison is summoned away by higher priorities still, leaving the others to hold the fort.) Nate might be dead, but his presence is very much felt throughout the entire eight episode run, remembered and referenced frequently, his legacy spoken of with tremendous pride, every time. Killing him off drew a line under Hutton's involvement with the franchise, for better or for worse, while also freeing the writers to eulogise his character extensively. And as such, it works.
I really enjoy all the subtle little developments Leverage: Redemption uses to demonstrate that time has passed for the characters as well as the rest of us. Twelve Leverage crews worldwide, operating under the leadership of the core trio Parker, Hardison and Eliot, which is just part of the reason why they aren't spending as much time in the active field themselves as they once did. An entire fleet of Lucilles dotted around the globe, cunningly disguised as food trucks, which both helps them blend in and gives Eliot a stake in their survival – yeah, we see what you did there, Hardison! Eliot has set up a food franchise employing struggling veterans, because of course he has. Such a natural development for the character. Hardison has branched out way, way beyond what Leverage-style heists can achieve, using his genius skills to support the disenfranchised and oppressed on a truly global scale. And Parker is running the whole show, has been for the past eight years.
That changes slightly when Sophie returns to the fold, and the dynamic between the two women is one of my favourite aspects of the new show. Because Sophie, having been persuaded to come out of retirement, steps into the leadership role instinctively, because that's what she needs, at this transitional moment in her life. She needs to be in control. She needs, in a sense, to step into Nate's shoes, running the crew and planning the jobs just like he did. And Parker? Well, she's a little thrown at first, because she's been in charge for eight years, but we are clearly shown that taking a step back and allowing Sophie to lead is a deliberate choice that Parker makes. Because that is what Sophie needs, and Parker loves Sophie and is willing to give her that. But at the same time…Parker is ultimately still in charge. We see that both Eliot and Hardison look to her for confirmation of Sophie's planning, while Sophie too, when it comes to the crunch, also looks to Parker for the final say on big decisions. And it all feels so right, for the characters and the relationship they once had and the relationship they now have, eight years later, and all the ways in which they have changed in between.
I think my favourite scene might the one early on when Sophie automatically starts trying to coach Parker in preparation for a grift, the way she always used to, only to realise that Parker no longer needs such coaching, because she has developed a style of her own that works for her. And having taken a closer look at Parker's method, Sophie is full of praise and validation, acknowledging that while it isn't anything like her own style, that's okay, it works for Parker, it gets the job done, and that's what matters.
And then there are the two newbies, each carefully designed to fill vacant roles on the crew without actually replacing the missing characters.
First up is Breanna, who I like a lot. The team takes her on for Hardison's sake, because she's his kid (foster) sister and she idolises him and wants to be like him, only she's getting herself into trouble because she's not quite there yet and needs guidance, which is what she gets when he leaves her in Parker's hands after he is called away. I love the insight Breanna gives us into Hardison's ongoing relationship with the foster mother he calls Nana, and the relationship he has with the other troubled young people she takes into her home and heart – as well as the implication that Parker has been having regular contact with Nana and her brood pretty much since the original show ended, she knows Breanna well and has been showing her how to do crime since she was 11.
So in Hardison's absence, Breanna fills the role he usually occupies, while offering a completely fresh take on that role, because Breanna is not Hardison, she has different strengths, different weaknesses – although just like Hardison when we first met him, way back in 2008, she has a lot to learn.
And then there's Harry, the contrite lawyer who has spent most of his career propping up evildoers and now wants to make amends but hasn’t the first clue how to go about it. In many ways, he fills much the same role on the cons that Nate often did, and he has in common with Nate that his professional background is useful to the crew, but at the same time, he is nothing like Nate whatsoever. Where Nate's upbringing and career allowed him to step seamlessly into a life of crime, Harry just kind of blunders into it. Nate was a shark, the perfect ruthless mastermind, whereas Harry is more like an overgrown puppy, very well-intentioned and anxious to please, but doesn't really know what he's doing. The crew see potential in him, and since his cause pretty much aligns with theirs – not to mention that he comes complete with a prospective client list – they effectively adopt him as a project, so that Harry, even more than Breanna, represents the rank amateur on a steep learning curve, the outsider's POV. Watching his bewildered reactions to the inside jokes and shorthand of the crew is delightful. His presence underscores just how close the OG crew are, rather than undermining them in any way.
While I'm on the subject, the character of Harry Wilson was first announced as Harry Sullivan – the name of a Doctor Who companion – so either that initial press release was wrong, or the character's name was changed before they started shooting. So off the back of that little factoid, I would like to mention how amused I am by the person on Tumblr who watched all eight episodes of the show, in which Harry is introduced as Harry Wilson and referred to on-screen as Mr Wilson in every single episode, then went to A03 and saw a small handful of stories tagging him as Harry Sullivan instead, and promptly went to Tumblr to ask why on earth the character is being called Wilson on-screen when his name is actually Sullivan, it says so right there on A03! Because A03 tags are obviously a more reliable source of canon than the actual show itself! See, this is just one of the reasons it is so dangerous to start writing fic about a character you've never seen based solely on an early press release.
Anyway, the combination of Breanna and Harry brings a really fresh new energy to the Leverage formula, which I enjoy very much. Their addition to the team is just another strand of the seasonal theme, which is change, another reminder that time has passed and the lives of the characters are continuing to move forward, whether on-screen or off.
Sixteen episodes of Leverage: Redemption have been filmed. The first eight have been released as a little mini-series. I am now looking forward very much to the release of the other eight later in the year!
