#The Big Bang Job

[werewolfsmile]

Just watched The Big Bang Job again today and I rambled about this in an earlier post reblog but it deserves its own post..

The way Eliot dresses makes so much more sense after meeting Moreau and his goons. He rejects all notions of being anything like those well dressed men in their suits again. So blank and uniform, just another soldier in Moreau's private army.

That's why his shirt is always untucked, sleeves rolled up, collar unbuttoned. Not to mention the hair - the biggest rebellion is his hair. A constant reminder of who he is now that stays the same, no matter what he wears.

And it just makes me think how this is such a good representation of the identity crisis he went through (and let's be real, is still going through).

Eliot used to be one of those men. He had his hair short, wore the tailored suits and carried the guns. He didn't accessorise. He suppressed every aspect of an individual personality in order to fit the role that Moreau had for him.

Sure, we're not blatantly told all of those things in the show, but we can infer, simply from looking at Moreau's goons and how they're presented.

Seeing Eliot surrounded by those goons in the pool scene is more than just showing us the threat to Eliot and Hardison - and also the threat that Eliot and his reputation present. It's about showing us the demons of his past, the nightmare that he doesn't want to go back to. Eliot had alluded to his past before but it's been nebulous. Now, we finally see that past take shape and it's hideous.

But Eliot didn't stay like that. He got out - he got free - and he has been reclaiming pieces of himself ever since. Until, finally, he's the evolving Eliot that we know and love. He prefers to dress casual and relaxed, with strong reminders of his roots throughout. He keeps his hair long and loose - not military regulation, not 'professional' as far as male standards go, not even convenient for fighting. It's all a way of stealing himself back, and making sure the differences between who he was then and now are stark and vivid.

I could keep rambling but this is already twice as long as I intended. Just ... Eliot Spencer. He still doesn't view himself as a better man, never mind a redeemable man, but he is. When compared to those goons, his transformation is clear as day.

#eliot spencer #leverage #the big bang job #christian kane #my posts #this got away from me a bit #i have so many feelings about eliot and this episode #lmao just like everyone else i'm sure #for the record i adore the way eliot dresses #i'm a country girl through and through so his style is the epitome of fashion to me #don't even get me started on the necklaces #one day i'll make a post about that guitar pick necklace and its significance to him

[littled0lls]

Leverage 3x15: The Big Bang Job.

#just rewatched this episode... many thoughts and feelings #leverage #the big bang job

[evarelis]

#leverageedit #leveraga #christian kane #eliot spencer #leverage 3x15 #the big bang job #singinprincess #fourteenofaugust #quicklings #wistfulwatcher #ღღღ #mineedit #he is such a bad boy

[246bce]

poll winner for favourite season: Season 3

with such hits as: The King George Job, The Rashomon Job, The Inside Job, The Scheherazad Job, The San Lorenzo Job

Bonus for fun:

#leverageedit #leverage #sophie devereaux #alec hardison #parker #archie #eliot spencer #the italian #damien moreau #we steal it back for you #the san lorenzo job #the king george job #the scheherazad job #the inside job #the rashomon job #the big bang job #the studio job

[leverage-ot3]

#disclaimer: I do not think eliot is a monster but he thinks that of himself so this edit is fine #this scene is seared into my brain sorry #edits #my edits #leverage ot3 #parker x eliot #parker x hardison x eliot #parker #eliot spencer #quotes #leverage edit #mine #stills #screencaps #watch leverage #leverage #the big bang job #leverage season 3 #sorry if this is grainy I took screenshots from a YouTube video and cropped them to get the tnt logo off lol #leverage: let’s go steal a queue

[faorism]

interesting thing about the pool scene. from waist up, moreaus goons are in all black suits, eliots in a button up with the collar open, and only hardison breaks the flow: back suit jacket, but a pale shirt. he is one of them, he is amongst people who he flows with, his disguise is aligned.

but pulled back and from behind, everyone (including hardison)'s black suits fade together. eliots bright blue jeans mark who he is, his difference, held apart from the rest, no longer uniform

#the big bang job #leverage #eliot spencer #faorism meta

[passiveagressivepoet]

live laugh love eliot’s harness

#leverage #leverage the big bang job #the big bang job #leverage 3x15 #eliot spencer #leverage ot3 #nate ford #alec hardison #sophie devereaux #parker leverage #why is it impossible to find clear photos of this scene #but literally lives in my head rent free

[dearopheliaimsorry]

My favorite line in Leverage

"And if you do it wrong?"

"Uh, the bomb triggers a giant EMP pulse, Washington D.C. is fried, and thousands will die, and we go down as the biggest terrorists in American history, but we'll be dead too, so it's not really our problem."

- Hardison (in response to Parker)

I need to see some more love for Hardison y'all, he's just too good of a character to not be beloved.

#the big bang job #alec hardison #fandom #leverage #parker #quotes #3x15 #i love him #this episode #leverage rewatch #im having a moment

[foxyandfamous]

#Penny #kaley cuoco #the big bang job

[geekynightowl1997]

Out of the whole crew I think Eliot and Parker's friendship- is the most interesting (and the cutest.)

There's a comradery that they have- that none of the others do. Many people have pointed out the scene where Eliot and Parker change in front of each other without blinking. Where Eliot throws an item of clothing at a camera to give them privacy. (The Cross My Heart Job)

Nobody actually really questions it. They just have assumptions. Which is totally fair. They set the scene that way. I think it's their way of saying neither of them are concerned about seeing each other bare. It's a weird metaphor and I don't really know how to explain it.

There's the part where Parker asks Eliot; "What did you do?" And he begs her; "Not to ask me that Parker, because if you do- I'm going to tell you, so please don't ask." And that is a scene that the whole Fandom holds so close to their hearts. (The Big Bang Job)

Every moment where Parker and Eliot defend Hardison from a high chance of a plague. Where she naps with a government official in their space. Where she takes the case and Eliot punches the bad guy. Even when an area is swarming with law officals- she still trusts him. (The Rundown Job.)

And the scenes where they fell into the hole. Parker wants to bring the dead guy with back to the base and Eliot (despite wanting to leave him,) helps her. But the ropes snaps and it becomes more about them getting out- then getting the dead guy out. (The Long Way Down Job)

Not to mention all those scenes were Parker is near Eliot in some case. Whether it's sitting on the arm chair. Or poking him to see if his injuries actually hurt. Or the times in Redemption- where he nudges Parker to convince Sophie to steal something. Or about robot bodies. The Santa hat. Even in a middle of a hurricane- their together and Parker is by his side. (The Hurricane Job)

Some seem them as romantic (this post isn't meant to start arguments.) However- I don't see it that way. They seem more like siblings too me. The way Eliot gets annoyed and huffs and puffs- but still is willing to make sure she gets out. The way Parker snaps back- is more sisterly. Sure for a while Eliot doesn't know how to handle her. He doesn't know how to accept the "crazy," but eventually- somewhere- he sees that she really isn't.

Parker isn't crazy. She just never had anybody to trust before. And not having some one you can turn to- makes people throw caution to the wind sometimes. But when she does starting trust Hardison and Eliot- she becomes a bit more careful. She's still care free. But careful at the same time.

Eliot learns to trust her instinct. And I think that's why- even if he says "No," to her- and she eventually says "Yes," he'll follow her without question.

I think it also helps that Parker doesn't see him as some mercenary. She sees him as someone who deserves Redemption.

#leverage #leverage redemption #parker leverage #eliot spencer #essay #just my thoughts on their relationship/friendship #they have the cutest relationship #but I'm definitely a big believer in hardison and parker #and I only see the OT3 as friends really #this isn't suppose to be an argument post #the hurrican job #the long way down job #the big bang job #the cross my heart job #the rundown job

[lemissingmask]

[ID: Dark red sketch of Hardison and Eliot sitting at a table together. Hardison is leaning forward on the table with his arms crossed, looking over at Eliot. Eliot, who had a beer and a whisky in front of him, is sitting back in his chair and looking uneasily back at Hardison. end ID]

-

Not happy with how this turned out, but I wanted some art to accompany a prompt fill ficlet, and had little time to refine either. There, enough making excuses for myself 😂 Ficlet below the cut and on ao3. It's set just after The Big Bang Job before the crew heads back to Boston, but after all their bomb disarming etc. shenanigans are done for the day.

-

Eliot had his back to the wall.

Not right up against it.  Just close enough to make it impossible for anyone to sneak around or behind him, and positioned to give himself an unobstructed view of most of the hotel bar.  And, most importantly, clear sight lines to the elevator and door - the only two ways into the room, and to his crew.  Parker and Hardison were sitting close beside each other at the bar, Nate and Sophie were sitting opposite each other at a smaller table, all four people and the areas around them visible to him.  Damien Moreau might have fled to San Lorenzo, but that didn't mean they were out of danger.  He had reach far beyond what anyone, including Nate, appreciated, and he was far, far more dangerous than the others seemed to comprehend.

Right now, they were all unharmed, and seemed outwardly unaffected by the events of the past few days.

That could very easily not have been the case.

Eliot knew he should have taken his shot at Moreau before Nate got this close. Taken their target out before anyone was in danger.

He could have done it, too.

Today had proved to Eliot that he was still the man he had once been.  Still capable of killing swiftly and efficiently, and without a fraction of a second's hesitation.

The elevator doors opened. Eliot watched intently, ready to move if anything about the occupants seemed threatening.  But it was just a group of tourists, laughing together, pretty drunk already, and without the least hint of danger about them.

But Hardison had stood up almost at the same time. If he was going back up to his room, that would be a problem. Eliot would have to decide where to situate himself, make a calculation regarding the potential dangers. Isolated in a room versus in a public area with witnesses.  One location easier to access but harder to achieve an unseen execution, the other more difficult to reach, but private.

Eliot would wait for privacy or a packed, bustling, environment to carry out a single target hit.  This bar was neither of those things.  Unless you could get poison subtly into a drink, it was a poor choice of location to carry out a hit.  A professional hitter would choose the hotel room or an empty hallway or elevator en route to the room.

Which gave him the decision - if Hardison chose to go up to his room alone, Eliot would follow.  Protect the more likely point of attack.

But Hardison wasn't going back to his room.

He was walking over and taking a seat beside Eliot, and he hadn’t brought his drink with him, so he was coming over to say something specific, not just to sit and talk.

Which was good.

Eliot didn’t feel like talking.

He felt frayed.

The ache in his back, his hands, and his knees that his hasty cold shower on returning had done nothing to soothe.  The much worse pain from all the memories seeing Moreau brought back. Seeing his men, seeing the man who had taken his place as Moreau’s personal lapdog, and feeling an infuriating hostility because some part of his mind still felt that was his position.

Eliot sat back in his chair so he could see Hardison without losing his view of the rest of the room.

He tried to appear unconcerned, indifferent. Hardison didn’t know what he had done, and he wanted it to stay that way.  He didn’t need to know that Eliot could still feel the weight of the guns in his hands, and that he could still smell blood and smoke and fire.

The hacker didn’t say anything for a while. He had come over for a reason, but he was struggling to get to it.

Eliot didn’t push.

He was too tired for that.

“Why’d you take me with you?” Hardison asked at last, “To meet with Moreau. You coulda handled it yourself. Did handle it yourself. And you would’ve been able to keep lying to us about you knowing Moreau.”

That last was said with an anger that was justified and understandable, but that point was one thing Eliot had no apology for.

He didn’t regret not telling them about his connection to Moreau, not one bit. If he had said something to them, Nate would have used it. Would’ve found a way to exploit that connection, go at Moreau more directly, and he would have destroyed them.

But Hardison should be angry. Eliot had put him in danger, done exactly the opposite of his job.  And, worst of all, he had done it for selfish reasons.  For pathetic reasons.  Because he was too afraid to go alone.

“Eliot?”

Hardison’s voice had softened. He sounded concerned, and he was looking intently at Eliot, examining him.

Could he see the smoke still on his skin, gunshot residue on his hands even though he had washed them repeatedly since returning?

“Hey man, look-“

“I shouldn’t have taken you,” Eliot cut him off, “I put you in danger…”

The sentence dissipated, his mind a confusion of what he should say, what he wanted to say, and the truth.

He’d never have let Hardison drown. He’d been counting the seconds, knew how long he had before he would have to save him, but that didn't justify putting him in that situation in the first place.

“So why did you?”

The gentleness of Hardison’s voice was wrong. It would be easier if he was angry.  That was the least Eliot deserved for what he had done.

But even when Eliot failed to answer, his voice was just as trusting, willing to understand, “It would’ve been the same outcome whether or not I was there, so just tell me why.”

“It wouldn’t. Have been the same,” Eliot replied, “If you’d not come.”

Hardison waited, silently asking Eliot to continue.

The hitter looked up, just briefly, met Hardison's gaze, “I'd have killed ‘im.”

“Atherton?”  Hardison shook his head in disbelief or disagreement, but Eliot cut him off before he could conjure some argument that framed Eliot as anything other than the killer he was.

“Moreau.”

The two guards at the elevator first so they couldn't follow and take his back. Eliot had already mapped it out when he approached them that day. How he would snap one’s neck, using him as a shield until he had a chance to get to the other. It would only have taken a couple of seconds.

Then he’d have taken their guns, felt the familiar weight of a weapon he had dismissed so long ago, and gone down to the basement.

The gunfight would have been messy, but he would have the element of surprise and cover from the pillars near the door.

He could do it.  He knew he could.  He’d done it before.

He’d done worse.

But he would have killed Moreau’s men, killed Moreau himself, without any hesitation or conscious thought, acting on training and experience and the instinct to survive.

Maybe he would get shot a couple of times in the process. Maybe he would get killed.  But he would have killed Moreau so he could never get near to, could never hurt, the people he cared about.

“Then I’m glad I did come with you,” Hardison said at last, "Like Sophie said, that's not who you are anymore."

Eliot wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. The blood of fourteen men was still fresh on his hands, the scent of fire and iron still cling to his skin and hair.

He is that man. He always would be. There was no escaping that devil, and it terrified him more than any bad guy, any army, and torture or brutal execution ever could.

“Yeah, I am” Eliot said quietly, speaking into his beer as he raised it to his lips seconds after Hardison had left him, returned to Parker, and said something that had the thief looking briefly, but intently, over towards him.

Of all the crew, she probably already knew, even if she didn't know she knew. She probably saw what Eliot had done in some part of his expression, and she somehow understood that, no matter what the others said, Eliot was still a killer. He was always going to be a killer, and he needed to be that for them.

He had given into his fear of that part of himself, and Hardison had suffered for it.

It was a mistake he would never make again.

#leverage #the big bang job #alec hardison #eliot spencer

[amazzyblaze]

"The Big Bang Job" doodles

#leverage #alec hardison #parker leverage #eliot spencer #drawings #the big bang job

[telltaleclerk]

The Parker and Eliot moments in this show are so few and far between but they are fucking perfect every time.

“Don’t ask me that Parker… ‘cause if you ask me, I’m gonna tell ya. So please… don’t ask me.”

#leverage #the big bang job #eliot spencer #parker leverage

[therodentqueen]

Nate: Let's go steal the Department of Defense! Parker: ..isn't that treason? Nate: ... Nate: We'll give it back.

#leverage #leverage quotes #The Big Bang Job

[leverage-ot3]

thinking about how certain characters on the leverage team have been in mortal peril and why it was one person vs another and what that means

nate has been shot, like, multiple times. he’s the leader, the planner, the mastermind. he may not be the hitter but he takes risks that might not always pay off or be in best fortune for him, and he knowingly does that anyway. not much regard for his life sometimes to be completely honest. he’s also easily the most volatile (lesser as the seasons go on but still) and most likely to make a rash decision (season four season finale I’m looking directly at you)

I’m not going to talk about eliot too much because he experiences a lot of pain, but, also, it’s almost always pain that he can endure. he is the hitter- he’s the one that is supposed to take the brunt of the pain, the one prepared to get injured for the sake of the con and the safety of the team. he knows exactly what he is getting into when he throws himself into the situation. knows the risks, the damage he’s putting himself in for

hardison is frankly the biggest example of someone who is put into grave danger (ha). I’m thinking about possibly being murdered in the experimental job, buried alive in the grave danger job, drowning in the pool in the big bang job, etc. he’s not a hitter, doesn’t have the maneuverability or stealth of a thief. he can talk himself out of situations (within reason) but that can only go so far. and he’s not nate, making plans before they act. there’s lowkey a reason why he’s in the van besides the fact that his job necessitates it. barring sophie, he’s probably the least equipped/experienced to deal with real danger, real violence

on the other hand, sophie almost never gets hurt. sure, a gun may get pointed at her, but she can surely talk her way out (‘it’s not loaded’ ‘it was’ ‘not to a grifter’). I honestly can’t remember a time that sophie was ever seriously injured??? she is so meticulous about setting herself up in situations that will specifically not get her hurt, or where she has some sort of safety net or backup plan. I’m thinking about the quote where she says she gets people to unlock doors for her vs having to pick the lock herself

parker is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum but leans more towards sophie. she’s been in some scrapes and close calls (the inside job, the hot potato job with the burn room, the long way down job). but in nearly every situation like this she finds herself in, she can also work herself out of. she can run fast enough and climb and crawl far enough, dodge lasers well enough that she can manuver herself out of the problem. the few times she was ever in real danger was when she put herself there (I’m specifically thinking about the stork job when she puts herself between children and people with guns) (albeit fake guns)

some underdeveloped thought in the back of my mind is turning around the idea of importance to the show/team’s core and the likelihood of getting hurt

(talking eliot out of the equation so as not to skew the data, hardison is hurt the most because he is the heart of the group. nate is hurt so much because he is the leader. sophie and parker are undoubtedly still important, but have the skills to maneuver out of those situations before they spiral out of control)

(although the act of taking eliot out of the equation says something in of itself. something about the only person capable of taking that amount of pain for those he loves, etc, etc)

#this doesn’t count the long goodbye job because it never really happened #maybe I’ll make another post about breanna and harry who knows #also I’m not touching the rundown job in this post LMAO #eliot spencer #parker #alec hardison #sophie devereaux #nate ford #parker meta #eliot spencer meta #alec hardison meta #sophie devereaux meta #nate ford meta #meta #leverage #the big bang job #the grave danger job #the experimental job #the bank shot job #the last dam job #etc etc #mine

[werewolfsmile]

Watching The Big Bang Job for the millionth time and aahhh it's still as good as ever.

Eliot with those smoky eyes when saving Yasmin, mmm.

#the big bang job #leverage #eliot spencer