Leverage
The show is far from perfect. You have to stretch your imagination sometimes to believe a hacker can open that one door or if there really is a government conspiracy behind every CEO. The series does take liberties to advertise - Tesla corvette, Genesis car, World of Warcraft, Toblerone. They also purposely make SciFi references - Agent Tennant & Agent Smith from Dr. Who (The Frame-Up Job), Mr. Kirk Picard from Star Trek (The Cross My Heart Job), the quote "I've always been, and forever shall be, your friend. I'll never forget you." from Star Trek II (The Three Strikes Job). It seems like some episodes were entirely made as parodies or references to subgenres - The Ten Li'l Grifters or The Office Job. I also must add the fact that it seems like every season finale, and sometimes mid-season finale, something blows up and some sexy girl takes their clothes off. It is weird and completely out-of-place when it happens.
Season 1: "One More Case" Completely stand-alone. Their office: "Leverage Company". You must watch the first two episodes for their origin story. You get introduced to quite a few reoccurring characters including Sterling as the main character's rival and replacement (episode 3) and Special Agent Todd McSweeten (episode 5). This season is referred as "Drunk Honest Man" Nate as you visit his motives in becoming a mastermind.
Season 2: "Subtle Restart" Their office: "McRory's Bar" (above it too). Just before production, the actor playing Sophie became pregnant. There was this story they were going to have with a boyfriend starting in episode 4 that disappears completely. They teased the audience in episode 7 with her office blowing up and her leaving the team to travel the world in the second-half of the season. Tara Cole subtly takes her place. This season is referred as "Sobered Thief" Nate until episode 11. The episodes are hit-and-miss with story arcs going all over the place and the constantly changing cast members.
Season 3: "Mafia Mashup" Their office: "McRory's Bar". The season tends to struggle between adding background to the current characters and a mystery woman wanting Nate to take down Damien Moreau. You have Parker's father showing up in episode 3 and Nate's father showing up in episode 11. This season is referred as "Drunk Thief" Nate. The story holds together pretty well and the episodes are filled with surprises.
Season 4: "Emotional Jobs" Their office: "McRory's Bar". This is the season where you start seeing clients and children getting involved with the story. Sometimes it feels less of a con against a higher-up and more like a job to help someone. There are a few experimental episodes. The Van Gogh Job is mostly a retelling of an old man's crush on his sweetheart. There are two episodes tied together - Episode 13 Girl's Night Out and Episode 14 is Boy's Night Out. This season could be described as a proper ending to the series but that shouldn't stop you from watching the next one.
Season 5: "Extra Credits" Their office: "Portland". It never really felt like there was an overarching theme or surprise guest appearances. In fact, every episode felt like a stand-alone episode. Even when they split the cast 3-man and 2-man with "Rundown Job" and "Frame-Up Job" there weren't any ties between them. You can feel the cancellation of the show as the final episode pretty much destroys whatever group dynamic they had in the series, tying up loose ends, while making everyone hope for a brighter future.
Summary: The endless banter between the crew and the continuing continuity made the show a blast to watch. Things get pretty rough around Season 2 when the writers scrambled together to change the story but pulled it well by season 3. The show balances well on a razor's edge between keeping each episode stand-alone and making it enjoyable to binge-watch. It most definitely not the type of show for everyone. Burn Notice might be something more interesting if you want "the cool factor". This is merely a fun show to kill time.
6-29-2019