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Here are the things that didn't work for me. For most of them, taking the time to write them out is making a bigger deal of them than they are. But still, to get them out of my head and all in one place ...
* Eliot is not *that* bad at technology. Or he wasn't in the original show. It's possible with how fast tech moves he stopped keeping up with all the various UIs and stuff. But they didn't establish that.
I'd find it very relatable if he fell behind. Ages ago, I stopped keeping up with all the new tech and software stuff because it changed so fast. Keeping up was eating up so much of my time that it just wasn't worth it anymore.
* I don't mind them hand waving Parker robbing 8 museums in a day or Sophie getting so much from just a picture once in a while. On the OG show it worked because they showed how it was done enough times that they could buy just being 'yeah, we know they can do this'. But, they never showed the math on the new show. I am assuming that due to limited or no access to the crime and grifting experts from the OG show they just couldn't write those scenes up to par. I missed it. The show felt a bit weak at times without it, but oh well.
* The Gang solves a puzzle in hours that others couldn't solve in decades is always a dumb plot and doesn't track. On an emotional level, the episode was great but it suffers from so much fridge logic.
Usually when people say Leverage plots don't track I am all "actually *pushes glasses up nose*, while them being consistent is unrealistic this is all based on strats that do work in the real world. This specific part is based on real world events. Them always hitting homers is fantastical, but on an individual basis it's always very possible. There are real people who can do this reliably and that is how it plays out."
But no this plot was just no. It's a stock genre plot that never works.
If the vault had been found via tech by the baddie, they did the same to find it, and then already having the final answer were able to reverse engineer the riddle ... that would have tracked. It could have had the same emotional beats and used Breanna's knowledge. And doing that, taking a stock plot, being meta about it and doing a realistic version would have been an extremely Leverage approach.
But it's cute and Breanna's crown at the end was amazing. So, I ain't mad at it. I mean, it had Eliot in leather armor sword fighting and doing that final sword flourish. I am psychologically incapable of not loving the episode.
* For The Mastermind Job: I can 100% see Nate being nice to the forensic accountants. If you have a gruff boss, you are less likely to come to the with something that maybe off but you aren't sure. The underlings will do better work for you and maybe also vent about that one spreadsheet out of thousands driving them nuts.
I could also see him genuinely liking the guy and being friends. They could nerd out over the small details that crack big cases.
I can 100% see his relationship with Sophie being on a while 'nother level from his relationship to everyone else.
I cannot see him giving info that could compromise his team or clients to anyone outside of very strange circumstance. He's need to be drunk, drunk by his standards. Or having a bit of a break down because he's at odds with his team and just needs to talk to someone, anyone.
This was the one episode where I was like 'ehh.... don't like this one'. I am being a bit extra critical of it because it was the last of the 8 and I was expecting that episode to be one of the most solid. I actually put it off for a while and got some work done because I was saving that one.
* I like Federal Marshal Maria Shipp. Her actress was the first to post actual Leverage footage anywhere. She also posted pictures of her character outfits and it was obvious she was going to vibe with Eliot.
I mean:
I like her. I enjoy her and Eliot spending time together. I am not a fan of Sophie thinking that she could be life-changing for him. However you read the trio's relationship, there is a deep commitment and life changing stuff there canonically. For her to be life changing she'd need to be part of his redemption quest. Eliot brushes off what Sophie says.
AFAIK, Maria was a one-off character. I'd like to see her back. Andrea Navedo hyped her appearance so much and posted so much I assumed she was going to be ongoing, maybe someone from Eliot's past. She referred to CK as her co-star in one post so initially I was like 'recurring character detected'. But as far as we know she was only cast for one episode. Before the show came out, I may have gotten attached to the idea that his stolen Marshal badge from OG Leverage was hers. Or maybe she'd even been chasing him for a while, kinda like how Nate had been chasing Sophie. I am very much into Maria, but the Eliot and Sophie interaction was the one thing on the show that felt off. That was the only moment in all 8 episodes were I was just like 'nope'.
* I really like Harry, but I'd have preferred a little more tension about him being on the team. His arc was a little odd, but I don't know how far into pre-production they had to cut Nate. And, since he's based on Chris Downey maybe having him vibe so well without them poking at him more first made sense to TPTB.
But, I mean, I really like Harry and his introduction episode ranks as one of my favorite Leverage eps of all time. So, not a big deal.
* Eliot is not *that* bad at technology. Or he wasn't in the original show. It's possible with how fast tech moves he stopped keeping up with all the various UIs and stuff. But they didn't establish that.
I'd find it very relatable if he fell behind. Ages ago, I stopped keeping up with all the new tech and software stuff because it changed so fast. Keeping up was eating up so much of my time that it just wasn't worth it anymore.
* I don't mind them hand waving Parker robbing 8 museums in a day or Sophie getting so much from just a picture once in a while. On the OG show it worked because they showed how it was done enough times that they could buy just being 'yeah, we know they can do this'. But, they never showed the math on the new show. I am assuming that due to limited or no access to the crime and grifting experts from the OG show they just couldn't write those scenes up to par. I missed it. The show felt a bit weak at times without it, but oh well.
* The Gang solves a puzzle in hours that others couldn't solve in decades is always a dumb plot and doesn't track. On an emotional level, the episode was great but it suffers from so much fridge logic.
Usually when people say Leverage plots don't track I am all "actually *pushes glasses up nose*, while them being consistent is unrealistic this is all based on strats that do work in the real world. This specific part is based on real world events. Them always hitting homers is fantastical, but on an individual basis it's always very possible. There are real people who can do this reliably and that is how it plays out."
But no this plot was just no. It's a stock genre plot that never works.
If the vault had been found via tech by the baddie, they did the same to find it, and then already having the final answer were able to reverse engineer the riddle ... that would have tracked. It could have had the same emotional beats and used Breanna's knowledge. And doing that, taking a stock plot, being meta about it and doing a realistic version would have been an extremely Leverage approach.
But it's cute and Breanna's crown at the end was amazing. So, I ain't mad at it. I mean, it had Eliot in leather armor sword fighting and doing that final sword flourish. I am psychologically incapable of not loving the episode.
* For The Mastermind Job: I can 100% see Nate being nice to the forensic accountants. If you have a gruff boss, you are less likely to come to the with something that maybe off but you aren't sure. The underlings will do better work for you and maybe also vent about that one spreadsheet out of thousands driving them nuts.
I could also see him genuinely liking the guy and being friends. They could nerd out over the small details that crack big cases.
I can 100% see his relationship with Sophie being on a while 'nother level from his relationship to everyone else.
I cannot see him giving info that could compromise his team or clients to anyone outside of very strange circumstance. He's need to be drunk, drunk by his standards. Or having a bit of a break down because he's at odds with his team and just needs to talk to someone, anyone.
This was the one episode where I was like 'ehh.... don't like this one'. I am being a bit extra critical of it because it was the last of the 8 and I was expecting that episode to be one of the most solid. I actually put it off for a while and got some work done because I was saving that one.
* I like Federal Marshal Maria Shipp. Her actress was the first to post actual Leverage footage anywhere. She also posted pictures of her character outfits and it was obvious she was going to vibe with Eliot.
I mean:
I like her. I enjoy her and Eliot spending time together. I am not a fan of Sophie thinking that she could be life-changing for him. However you read the trio's relationship, there is a deep commitment and life changing stuff there canonically. For her to be life changing she'd need to be part of his redemption quest. Eliot brushes off what Sophie says.
AFAIK, Maria was a one-off character. I'd like to see her back. Andrea Navedo hyped her appearance so much and posted so much I assumed she was going to be ongoing, maybe someone from Eliot's past. She referred to CK as her co-star in one post so initially I was like 'recurring character detected'. But as far as we know she was only cast for one episode. Before the show came out, I may have gotten attached to the idea that his stolen Marshal badge from OG Leverage was hers. Or maybe she'd even been chasing him for a while, kinda like how Nate had been chasing Sophie. I am very much into Maria, but the Eliot and Sophie interaction was the one thing on the show that felt off. That was the only moment in all 8 episodes were I was just like 'nope'.
* I really like Harry, but I'd have preferred a little more tension about him being on the team. His arc was a little odd, but I don't know how far into pre-production they had to cut Nate. And, since he's based on Chris Downey maybe having him vibe so well without them poking at him more first made sense to TPTB.
But, I mean, I really like Harry and his introduction episode ranks as one of my favorite Leverage eps of all time. So, not a big deal.
no subject
Date: 2021-07-09 07:03 pm (UTC)From:i'm ready and willing to accept eliot having an occasional happy fling with tall warrior women, with his family's blessing - remember mikel? - but yeah, this bit from sophie was just weird. but ah well.
no subject
Date: 2021-07-09 07:48 pm (UTC)From:The communities that form around solving puzzles is intense! Or even just finding out what song was the source of some sound snippet. Even without that, doing in a day what others couldn't do in 20 years? Without some insight like 'oh, this was possibly a transcription error'?