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letmetellyouaboutmyfeels · 5 years

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I have my own small pile of headcanons but I kinda wanna hear your past!Eliot/Moreau meta if you have any :D Like, I wanna just bundle Eliot up away from the angst but at the same time, how the show approaches NOT TALKING about that part of his life always made me more curious. :D

Okay you literally caught me at the BEST/WORST moment for this because I was JUST screaming about a new Eliot and Parker headcanon to a friend so OH BOY OH BOY AM I IN THE MOOD TO TALK ABOUT HEADCANONS.

I JUST FINISHED REWATCHING THE ENTIRE SERIES BY THE WAY SO IMAGINE ME HOPPED UP ON SUGAR THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON HERE

*ahem*

Because you’re absolutely right–to know Eliot, you have to look at what he’s not saying. Nate is known for keeping secrets re: his plans and holding stuff back with that, but his actual backstory and personality are an open book. Multiple people read him like an illustrated children’s novel. Hardison’s backstory is remarkable in its simplicity and lack of trauma compared to the others, which is refreshing in a person of color. Not that Hardison hasn’t struggled or doesn’t have issues, as we all do, but as the backstories of the group unfold it becomes clear that Hardison’s backstory is one of triumph in spite of odds.

Sophie’s backstory, on the other hand, is about what she lies about, not about what she doesn’t say. Sophie’s backstory is like Hardison’s only more amusing, because Sophie’s backstory is her stories on the cons she’s run. And Parker, well, Parker’s backstory is about what she doesn’t want to tell you that you end up finding out anyway. Her brother, her father, her Christmases, her foster home experience, her apprenticeship to Archie. Parker’s backstory unfolds just as her development unfolds and it’s all dragged out into the light.

Eliot’s backstory is never dragged out into the light. You have to look at the dark patches to understand. Because what Eliot doesn’t say, that’s what speaks, that’s what’s important.

For example, we don’t learn about Eliot’s falling out with his father until season five. But throughout all five seasons we see him unusually protective of children, especially when it comes to their relationships with their fathers. And he never mentions his mother. All that he doesn’t say about his parents speaks volumes and tells us, long before we learn about the falling out in The Low Low Price Job, that Eliot had a hard childhood, probably without a mother, and that his relationship with his father could be frustrating and strained.

We see this in The French Connection job as well. We don’t know until season five why Eliot is so into cooking and so intense about it: it literally gave him back himself. Eliot tells Parker, “Y'know, I didn’t feel anything for a long time. And Toby taught me to cook, and after he did, I started to feel stuff again.”

But even before we hear this, we already know it, because we see Eliot taking care of Hardison and Parker through food. He loves cooking so much that Hardison buys Eliot a brewpub as a sign of romantic affection. Eliot never says how he learned to cook or why or when, but we the audience are supposed to read into the fact that he never talks about it because for something so important to him, it’s pretty damn significant that he never talks about how he came to learn how to cook. Ergo, learning how to cook was a pretty damn important and emotional thing for him.

With Eliot, read the silence.

And with Moreau? Eliot is silent. He never mentions Moreau, not all season, although if you watch the season again after you watch the finale, you start to see pretty obvious emotional signs that Eliot knows Moreau, which, kudos to the crew and Christian Kane on that (this is a great example of why you tell your actors plot twists instead of springing it on them at the last minute). Every time Moreau is mentioned, Eliot warns the team, or specifically Nate, against him. He cautions Nate. And he gets very stiff and angry. Watching season three knowing what’s coming, it’s clear that Eliot spends the whole Moreau chase on tenterhooks.

By the time we hear Eliot say, “I did things for Moreau,” the audience should already know that whoever this guy is, he’s a big deal to Eliot, and specifically to Eliot emotionally.

Then let’s look at the timeline. When Moreau meets Eliot again in the pool he mentions what fun they had in Belgrade.

…which is the same city where Eliot met Toby Heath, the chef who turned him onto cooking and gave Eliot back his sense of self. This is also incidentally the same location as the flashback in the pilot that shows Eliot’s skill set–which takes place in a restaurant/café.

The implication, therefore, is that Moreau was the reason Eliot so lost his sense of self and why Eliot was in such a bad place. Which then brings me to what Eliot says when he confesses he knows Moreau:

“You think you know what I’ve done? The worst thing I ever did in my entire life, I did for Damien Moreau. And I… I’ll never be clean of that.”

Eliot has only twice demonstrated his ability/willingness to kill in the series–with Parker and with Hardison. When the fake psychic exposes Parker’s brother’s death, Parker says she wants him dead, and Eliot straight-up offers to kill him. This is after Eliot tells Hardison early on in the series not to ask him to kill, because if he asks, Eliot will do it. Eliot’s relationship with Parker and Hardison is coded by the writers as romantic and sexual. So if Eliot is willing to break his moral code for them, two people with whom he has a romantic relationship, the implication is that the one other person for whom he broke his moral code (Moreau)… he also was in a romantic relationship with.

This is further implied in the Parker/Eliot interaction that accompanies this. Parker asks him, “What did you do?” and Eliot, tears in his eyes, begs her not to ask him, “because if you ask me, I’m gonna tell you.” Eliot cannot deny the people that he loves, and that’s part of what makes him so wonderful but it’s also part of why he is such a danger to himself because he will give until it hurts and then keep giving past that point, to the point where he can be exploited by those he trusts.

…y’know what I was going to talk about this later but since I mentioned that let’s just dive into it here real quick.

Another thing to keep in mind about Eliot that the audience should have figured out by the end of season three is that Eliot has very submissive behavior. Despite his repeated refrains of, “Dammit, Hardison!” he actually prefers to follow orders instead of give them. I joke about him being a bratty sub with my friends but in all seriousness, it becomes clear pretty quickly that Eliot’s love language is acts of service.

This is a wonderful thing, but it also opens Eliot up to being abused and manipulated, because all the person he loves has to do is hint that they would really really love it if, say, they could have that one delicious risotto for dinner… or if y’know that pesky rival arms dealer would just… vanish… and bam. Eliot takes care of it.

Eliot might not be big on the whole “saying I love you” thing, but he will cook dinner, he will go after the bad guys, literally anything Parker or Hardison say they want, Eliot finds a way to do it for them. A good comparison to this is Hardison, whose love language is gift giving.

(Note: This is all the love language they give, not necessarily the one they receive. Hardison likes to receive words of affirmation i.e. “Good job, Hardison,” which is why he butts heads with Nate because Nate SUCKS at words of affirmation. But Hardison gives in presents.)

Hardison gifts Parker the little Parker II robot. He buys a building in Portland with high ceilings and brick walls and all the structural stuff Parker likes but with a brew pub for Eliot. He gives high-tech earbuds. He gifts Parker the parachute to go with her weighted boots so she can sail to safety. He gifts everyone with state-of-the-art tech to keep them safe.

Parker, on the other hand, gives in physical touch. She scoots right up next to Eliot on the couch and pokes Eliot constantly. She climbs all over Hardison like a jungle gym. She snuggles them.

Eliot doesn’t go out of his way to touch anyone, and he doesn’t buy anyone anything, but he finds ways to serve them. Which is why, when Eliot says “the worst thing I ever did in my life” was for Moreau, that should be pinging alarm bells to any alert viewer. It should tell you two facts. One, I served this man, and he took advantage of it, and two, I served him the way I serve Parker and Hardison now, and that means we had the same relationship.

And this is all ignoring actual Eliot-Moreau interactions!

So even if we IGNORE all of the interactions Eliot has with Moreau, we’re building a pretty damning case here. Eliot’s telling silence, the timeline, and the fact that he admits Moreau had a hold on him, an ability to break Eliot’s self-imposed code, which does not happen easily and is intrinsically tied to Eliot’s love for someone… all of this screams that Moreau was not just a boss but someone personal, and important, to Eliot.

Then Moreau actually saunters into the picture (a moment of silence so we may all drool) and it all dials up to eleven.

Let’s start with the sex angle. Or, rather, the lack of a sex angle.

See, we find Moreau in the middle of a “party” in a hotel pool. There’s plenty of scantily clad women around. But Moreau never once looks at them or touches them. They might as well not even be there. Every other mark who is placed in a similar situation is shown interacting with the women or at least looking at them appreciatively. Moreau straight up ignores them. They might as well not be there. They’re window dressing.

Interesting, non?

This gets even more interesting when you line Moreau up along with all the other marks the team has gone after and realize that Moreau is one of the few marks, possibly the only male mark, that the team doesn’t try any kind of romantic/sexual grift on.

Often when there’s a woman involved you’ll see Eliot slide in and briefly grift her, the biggest example being The Stork Job where Eliot ends up grifting almost the entire episode, aided by Sophie. When it’s a man, though, when have we not seen Sophie charm him? Moreau stands out because he and Sophie don’t even meet until the team gets to San Lorenzo. He’s not grifted… except by Eliot, who lies to him about who Hardison is.

Then consider Moreau’s wedding ring. Now, yes, I know, the costume department was probably just like “yeah okay keep your wedding ring on who cares,” but the writing team is usually good about having the Leverage team bring up any family connections. Especially when the team gets to San Lorenzo, Moreau’s home turf. Moreau has an expensive villa and a wedding ring and, what, the team just conveniently decided not to go after his spouse? When a spouse is probably the easiest way to get to someone?

If the team doesn’t go after Moreau’s spouse, then that means that he’s not close enough to his spouse for there to be any leverage there (ba dum tish). That plus ignoring the women–again the only mark to do so–and the only male mark Sophie doesn’t in some way try to grift…

…I’m just saying.

There’s also the fact that Moreau comments on Eliot’s haircut (“I like the new haircut”), the “delicious five course meal” look he gives Eliot the entire time they’re at the pool together, and the fact that he actually seems pleased to see Eliot, and furthermore, relaxed around him. And we can’t put that relaxation off to just thinking he has the upper hand. Moreau thinks he has the upper hand with Nate in San Lorenzo, but he never relaxes around him the way he does around Eliot.

Speaking of which, rather interesting that Eliot tries to avoid being alone with Moreau in San Lorenzo… but we’ll get to that later.

So. Moreau and Eliot meet in person. And hoo boy is that a doozy.

Immediately Eliot is completely different from how we usually see him. He tucks his shoulders in. He makes himself small. He postures to the new head of security but with Moreau, Eliot’s careful. Measuring his words. Darting his eyes down.

Moreau, on the other hand, is amused and almost delighted. He looks like he’s been waiting cheerfully for this day to arrive, the day Eliot walks back in through the door. We’ve never seen Eliot so out of his element, and Moreau has all the cards. This is the moment where the audience realizes just how dangerous Moreau is, because we see Eliot’s reactions to him. Eliot is walking the razor’s edge.

This is all just in reading body language. This doesn’t include the actual dialogue. The dialogue… well. See for yourself.

“He prefers beer.” (Note that Moreau doesn’t give the girl a once over, he looks her in the eyes dismissively, every single other male mark would give the girl a once over.) Moreau knows Eliot’s personal tastes.

“Whose Snoopy lunchbox did I take?” This isn’t a random object. Snoopy lunch box? That’s pretty specific. “Whose school lunch did I take” or “whose lunch box did I take” would get the same condescending joke across, but Snoopy lunch box. Moreau’s referencing a specific event between himself and Eliot, reminding Eliot of their past.

“I don’t know you [Hardison] but I do know you [Eliot]. We could talk.” This is accompanied by a smile. Moreau then immediately removes Hardison from the equation by kicking him into the pool so that he is, essentially, talking to Eliot in private.

“Let’s keep it short.” “I already have international buyers so it’s not an issue.” Moreau is toying with Eliot and Eliot is letting him. Eliot is speaking quietly. Barely moving. Shut down, almost, like he’s scared of showing Moreau too much.

The casual behavior that Moreau is showing throughout suggests that even if he knows Eliot’s trying to double cross him, he doesn’t care. The words he’s saying remind Eliot of their past. Both of these indicate that they have, or once had, a deep trust between one another.

“What else you got?” After Eliot has given Moreau his information, Moreau waits a full thirty seconds (thirty seconds he knows the drowning man in the pool can’t afford), even though Moreau has clearly already made up his mind. Again, toying with Eliot. Here we’re seeing Moreau’s ability to manipulate people, and especially his ability to manipulate Eliot.

This entire scene, it’s like he’s pushing Eliot towards a particular something, trying to get Eliot to give him something specific that Moreau wants, and already knows that he wants. This scene right here shows us Moreau and Eliot’s entire relationship and it’s a bone-chilling one of manipulation, coercion, and power plays where Eliot is submissive and scared, poker faced, holding his cards close for fear they’ll be ripped from him.

Now, no relationship starts out this blatantly abusive. Moreau’s behavior shows that he’s clearly fond of Eliot, especially compared to the rest of this episode and the next (The Big Bang Job and The San Lorenzo Job) where we see how Moreau manipulates and treats people of whom he isn’t fond.

“I like this one. Just like old times. Reminds me of Belgrade.” All said while Moreau is laughing, speaking in a low, amused, intimate voice, staring Eliot right in the eyes as Eliot struggles not to flinch away. Making his like of Hardison more disturbing and threatening than his dislike would be, implying that Moreau liking Hardison is bad news for Hardison, activating Eliot’s protective instincts.

Also please tell me I’m not the only one who heard “we have a deal” and was like that sounds like he wants Eliot to do sex stuff.

If Eliot was a woman, or if Moreau was a woman, I don’t think anyone viewing would be in any doubt that there was a sexual undercurrent to this entire exchange, especially in those last few sentences. And Eliot just stares back, not defiant the way he usually does, but like he’s silently begging for this whole thing to be over.

In fact, the only time Eliot starts to become himself again is when Hardison says he sucked the air out of the chair and complains about Eliot not diving into the pool after him. Now, Hardison couldn’t hear what was being exchanged up there, but Hardison is the most emotionally aware of the OT3, and arguably the most emotionally aware of the entire group (it’s a toss-up between him and Sophie). Hardison, even before he was kicked into the pool, knows something is horribly wrong here not just with the situation but with Eliot. Which leads me to believe that Hardison is berating Eliot for not going in after him not because Hardison genuinely cares (by season three he trusts Eliot in these matters) but because it gives Eliot something to snap him out of it.

And Eliot does snap out of it. He banters back at Hardison, comes back to himself and becomes the Eliot we know and love, which highlights his previous behavior with Moreau even more sharply. Eliot always snarks back. Always. And yet not once did he do that with Moreau. They’ve gone up against guys were were just as “bad” as Moreau is, so why is Eliot scared of this one, why is Eliot not snarking back, why does Moreau hold all the cards, relaxed in a bathrobe, while Eliot stands with his arms folded like a shield?

Because there is something personal, and painful, at play here for Eliot.

Which leads us all to my final belief, which is that Eliot fled Moreau and never actually properly ‘quit’. That is, he gave his resignation over a phone call or letter, and never actually did it face to face.

Why?

Because Eliot’s behavior all suggests a huge lack of closure.

Eliot avoids Moreau at all costs, especially in San Lorenzo, Moreau’s home turf. He never confronts Moreau alone. Never speaks to him alone. In fact he seems loathe to speak to or about Moreau at all. Eliot casually mentions a lot of the other shit he’s done, but he never mentions Moreau or the shit he did with Moreau, which suggests that he can’t talk about it–because he hasn’t faced it and therefore can’t accept it.

Given how Moreau handles his business associates (“you’re either an asset or a liability”), I think we can assume that anyone who wanted to a) quit his employ or b) break up with him had to do it by running for their lives and leaving a Dear John letter. And if we think back to the timeline, Eliot learning how to cook, then we can assume he was hiding out with this chef instead of doing actual work.

And remember–Moreau is happy to see Eliot. He’s amused and cheerful. He establishes his authority by kicking Hardison into the pool but he’s not angry. If Eliot and Moreau had a big falling-out fight, I doubt he would’ve been so jovial.

Which means that instead of confronting Moreau and saying “hey you’re an asshole and I’m leaving you,” Eliot fled. Which means that Moreau thinks he still has some kind of hold over Eliot because he knows Eliot operated out of fear and didn’t have the guts to confront him, and which also means that Eliot never got to face down the man of whom he was so scared. Which means a lack of closure.

Which Eliot finally, finally gets by locking Moreau up. He literally gets to put his asshole ex in jail himself, how many people get to do that?

MY CONCLUSION:

Eliot and Moreau started out as hitman and boss, respectively, but developed a romantic and probably also sexual relationship. It was emotionally manipulative at best and outright emotionally abusive at worst. Eliot’s love language, as we discussed, is acts of service and so out of that close emotional bond he ‘served’ and did things that he wouldn’t otherwise have done, things that haunted him and fucked him up emotionally. But you can’t always see the forest for the trees when you’re in an abusive relationship, and when you love someone it’s hard to let them go and walk away, and so it wasn’t until Eliot met Toby that he was able to start to rediscover himself and his independence.

Eliot left Moreau, probably by just leaving a note or voicemail, since if they’d fought, I a) doubt Moreau would’ve been so indulgent at the pool and b) doubt Eliot would’ve made it out alive. If Eliot just straight up says “we’re done, bye,” and flees, this also explains Moreau’s amused and commanding presence at the pool–he’s assuming that somewhere, deep down, Eliot left without a proper goodbye because he would’ve stayed if he tried that, would’ve fallen for Moreau’s manipulation again, and Moreau believes he can therefore still manipulate Eliot.

And he’s partially right. Moreau reads Eliot like a book and it’s thanks to the smarts of the rest of the team that they manage to force Moreau to flee to San Lorenzo. Eliot himself is, well, compromised.

Eliot is now in a much better and healthier place, with himself and with the people around him, but yes, Moreau is the asshole ex-boyfriend who rears his ugly head, and in putting him in prison, Eliot is also able to lay his past bad relationship to rest and get closure.

And that is my Eliot/Moreau meta, someone please wrap this poor sweet boy up in blankets, please and thank.

#mads answers things #leverage #leverage meta #eliot spencer #eliot spencer meta #eliot spencer x damien moreau #the feels #I haz them #brassmama #longpost

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frenchtoastpanda · 5 years

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The Leverage finale

Gonna rant in public because @rainaramsay expressed interest. I have no theme this is just my thoughts as I rewatch this episode. Idk why I’m doing this. (Also I don’t know how to format, so sorry about that)

Oh right I forgot that this is a fucking sad episode why am I doing this to myself

Ooh the return of the Steranko! I am very glad they brought that back

I just love when they bring things back in general, like in the white rabbit job all of the companies looking to buy dogson are previous marks and how they have like three brand names for safes that they reuse a lot. It just makes it feel like a real world that people live in.

The theater! Perfect for Sophie! And the mentioned the tunnels, which I believe we encountered in the gold job

Sophie says “I have just the thing” and my immediate response is always “the play’s the thing” even though I know it’s from a different play than the one they are doing

And can we talk about how they are doing the same play as the pilot? Actually I will probably yell about that closer to the end

Parker being all emotionally cognizant and Nate just reciting physics formulas in response

God I love this bit (and I love that they are still including references to Nate’s alcoholism)

Just, Parker, the new mastermind, who doesn’t “let feelings get in the way” (like Hardison - this is the reason he can’t be the mastermind, much to his chagrin. He’s too much of a cinnamon roll)

Nate says she spins problems like puzzle pieces until they click, but I think it’s more like juggling all the fiddly bits inside a lock until it clicks open

HE TRUSTS HER HE TRUSTS HER HE TRUSTS HER!!!!!!!

Zachary is the lead! Love him!

Sophie saying she doesn’t miss acting at all 😏

She is a good director, though

"I'm exactly where I belong" I'm gonna die I am so happy for all of them

Oh no here we go

Cut right to Nate covered in cuts being interrogated about the mistakes he made

"Mr. Ford, how did your friends die?" CUT TO COMMERCIAL

This must have killed me the first time around

I do love this investigator though. I think I remember from the commentary that it wasn't originally supposed to be her, but it worked out really well

Nate looking around like he's confused (and trapped) while not being able to put together a full sentence (I'm not sure if I ever developed a solid headcannon for how much of this scene was him faking and how much was actual injuries from the actual crash) (I'm open to ideas!)

Ellen giving a vicious predatory little smile when she says that she's here to help him

I wish I could do gifs or screencaps or something. This is one of my absolute favorite callbacks! Parker in that little black bonnet thing jumping off a building having the time of her life and the boys do their "twenty pounds of crazy in a five pound bag" thing (whuch my autocorrect recognized as a phrase for some reason? Do I really yell about that but enough for it to suggest those words in that order? Fantastic)

But this time their faces and voices are full of affection. She may be an insane thief/mastermind, but she's OUR insane thief/mastermind

And coming after the white rabbit job where we had that line about how she's not and never has been crazy, the fact that you can tell they are saying this as a callback without meaning the crazy part is just perfect

It makes me wonder how many other times they have repeated this, because you can't convince me they haven't

Aah Sophie's horrible rendition of Lady Macbeth! Same speech, different ways of doing it just as badly (props to Gina Bellman)

Is this the same outfit? Hold on I need to check.

Y'know, I didn't think they changed that much physically over the years, given that they are adults, but going back to the pilot, I keep going awww look how tiny they were! (Especially Aldis. Like I know they had problems because he was getting too hot and ripped, but Damn)

Anyway, the dress is very very similar, same color and pattern, but it very slightly different. I will maybe post my very very horrible pictures after I finish this

Parker is so good at computers now that she has this adorably bored face when hacking! I love that they taught each other their stuff!

Using chaos as a distraction and co-opting the expected response as a cover! One of my favorite tricks!

Parker changing in the elevator! And the boys turning to give her privacy! And this isn't even the first time they did a callback to this! I love my respectful boys! Remember when Hardison turned the David around? So pure!

Ah, we are setting up for competency porn and then it all goes bad! Aah!

I love Eliot's little "wassup?" Before fighting the guy. Points for intimidation, Spencer

My stronk babies opening an elevator with their fingertips

And Hardison's recurrent fear of heights combined with Parker's love of them

She says "I got you" (twice)

Oh god Beth's acting in the elevator shafts

Oh I'm gonna cry

Oh and a "dammit Hardison"

Oh Gina's face

Even in a situation as tense as this, Eliot still takes the time to empty the gus and toss it away

I don't think I've ever seen him check for an ankle piece, actually. How has that not come up before now?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Age of the geek, brother" I'm sobbing

I mean, so is everybody

Look at this acting!

I love that they didn't go for the clichéd established couple dying in each other's arms, but instead put Eliot in the middle, giving us our yummy hurt ot3 goodness

And Parker sitting up so she sees the other two go

Ugh. Where's that poetic cinéma image when you need it?

Anyone remember the perfectly timed bridge from the pilot?

What number Lucille are they on?

I love that they actually stop in from of the barrier at the bridge, then take a moment to decide before just going for the crazy impossible stunt because why the hell not at this point

Ah Nate and Sophie are holding hands on the way to death too!!

And cut the scene before they reach the top of the bridge. Time to see Tim show us why he's an academy award winner

Ooh and here's where we find out she was lying! (Should this be the part where I started wondering if Nate knew? Probably. Did I? Not even a little)

There was a big twist where the person Nate was facing off against was playing him in the pilot too

But John fucking Rogers didn't play ME in the pilot. I take that personally.

Ooh hints at the true story are being dropped

Ellen is almost adequately suspicious

JUST WALK TWO FEET FORWARD ELLEN! LOOK AT THE STAGE! COME ON!

"You loved them very much" Yeah he did. They all did! Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

She knows he's lying, I love that (just like Dubenich knew Sophie was manipulating him)

"The only thing I ever had"? That's intense, Nate

God Tim is a good actor

(Like I low-key don't like Nate at all, but Damn he is well acted)

And he just turns it off, just like that

Wow

I am really into her little impressed face when he goes all Sherlock and explains how he knows they are at interpol

The glass! Of course Sterling brings him the glass! Not a pilot callback, but a good callback nontheless. The commentary says it's literally the same exact glass every time. I will have to go back and verify that at some point. I swear it didn't have those ridges around the bottom in at least one episode, but I also trust John Rogers, so idk

I love how sterling knows everything from the moment he appears, and Ellen doesn't even know what the black book is

"That's why you joined Interpol? Screw justice. You're the order guy?" What a good line for Nate and Sterling's relationship

Nate's not even interested in hearing Sterling's evil speech of evil about the bailouts

I actually really love the little exposition flashbacks

Her look of horror and dawning comphrension when he explains why he is there is fantastic. If we bring this show back, can we have more of this lady?

Yeah, Ellen, why IS he still lying to you??

Sterling remembered to be cautious about the coroner's van, but not cautious enough!

That's some timing. How did Nate arrange that ? Oh right, this was triggered by the arrival of the van, which he probably set the timing of

Nate's face after "Parker's still in the server room." Yes, sell that fear to Sterling! Make him believe he's right! I wouldn't have thought to fake a reaction to that. But that's why I'm not a griffer

And he trusted sterling to have a snark remark so that he could have an attention-stealing reaction to distract him

I try every time to see the kids going in, and I never manage to catch all of them

Why does Nate turn away here?

God, that really is a terrifyingly lifelike Hardison face

I gotta say, the first time I saw sterling shoot the Hardison corpse, I was really convinced that he was right and he was really killing Hardison for the first time

"Second question... No, Nate, why don't you tell her what my second question is?"

Honestly, the first time around, I had forgotten about that secret meeting between Nate and Hardison

"The plan's the thing" A callback to earlier in this episode. I'm dying. I love this show so much

And they can do that without being annoying because every leverage episode is like three or four episodes rolled into one. Sometimes more!

That's one of my favorite parts, but also one of the very few downsides

I get so excited watching the flashbacks that show how it all happened

Omg I love the thing where they stack! Parker crouching, Eliot just above her head, Hardison looming tall! It reminds me of the princess bride for some reason

Sterling is the Trojan horse, the way out is the way in...wait, didn't they do that with at least one other episode, where the floor was a horrible way in, but last minute they used it as a way out?

Are these callbacks or parallels at this point?

Sophie taught Nate how to act! "She found her calling." Yeah she did! So proud of her!

"Your ride to a life sentence in a secret prison has arrived" So dramatic for someone who knows Sophie is behind the wheel

Ooooooohhh he called him James!

"You and I are not the same" okay sterling

"Justice is always easy" YES GO STERLING wait that's a callback to the justice vs order thing earlier in this episode. I just got that

I have seen this so many times and I still notice something new every time I watch it

Does John Rogers have a tumblr? I want to tag him but I don't think he does

What is Parker wearing? Why is one sleeve randomly yellow?

I can't believe Nate is proposing in a hoodie

I love how the kids pop in with insults and Nate just agrees. He knows it's true

That's a huge fucking rock

"Did you steal it?" "No." "Oh, cause that would have been more romantic"

"I'll steal the first anniversary ring" lol I love these guys

Parker insists he follow the proper procedure

Oh wait, the ot3 are gonna branch out with other crews?

Y'know, in an alternate universe I could have shipped Eliot and Sophie

GOD

I'M CRYING AGAIN

"You're the smartest man I know" where have we heard that before?

Parker recognizing her feelings! (And they've been preparing her for this the longest)

Aah, the circle shot from above and the breakaway, but this time not everyone breaks away!!!!!!!!!!

"You do know that Laura is not my real name, don't you?" Sophie I'm gonna kill you

And then the big obvious callback to the pilot, where Beth meticulously studied Tim's acting to recreate it

Loving the look of this scene. The costumes, the blocking, all of it

And they made sure to switch which parent was crying

Very excited for leverage international. Gimme!

#leverage #the long goodbye job #meta #leverage meta #it's less a meta and more me screaming #but whatever #hopefully my autocorrect didn't renter this unreadable

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afraschatz · 6 years

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Leverage - The Nigerian Job

It’s been a while since I watched “The Nigerian Job” and wow, what a joy to do that again. Because there are so many things I love about it. Here are just a few: I love...

... the introduction of Nate - so much exposition is needed and that’s always difficult to deliver without it seeming clunky and, well, like exposition, but Rubinek and Hutton just DELIVER.

... Dubenic. One of my favourite villains of them all. So fucking ruthless, he makes NATE seem like a choir boy in comparison, and that’s saying something.

... Nate’s reaction to “Steal them back”. Yes, he’s interested because of the money and because of wanting to stick it to his old boss, but that look? Yeah, Nate, keep kidding yourself. You WANT to be a thief ;)

... ‘No, but Parker is in-sane.’ And Nate’s look to accompany that, hahaha. Where is the lie.

... the music of this show. The intro music but also the signature “the game is on” music. I have it as my ringtone and my alarm and really, it’s just so awesome. Because right here at the start, a very dark and gritty start, the music sets the tone and tells us: This is gonna be a clever show and a fun show and KEEP WATCHING <3

... Hardison’s first words on the show being “No. No, no, no, no, hell no.”

... Hardison calling Nate ‘Brah’ and talking back at him right from the start

... “This is not the room you’re looking for.” - Also, I know that Hardison can’t possibly actually TELL this story to Nate and the others at this point, but we all know that he will eventually. And I LOVE that this is his mind’s go to story for being the ultimate hustler. Oh, Hardison, how I love you and your geeky priorities.

... “You can hear everything.” - “Not as useless as you look.” - Instant love. Also: HI ELIOT. And hi Eliot’s glasses. What happens to you later on? And seriously, Eliot, why did you decide to wear them for this job? I mean you clearly don’t need them, so is this a fashion choice? Where you reading while you were waiting for the others to set up?

...No but seriously, I LOVE the outfit choice for Eliot here and in the flashback. He looks like he just got up from a coffee with Sartre and Camus and I cannot stress enough how I LOVE how that (aside of course from being funny) already sets up how he is NOT just the muscle <3

...Eliot not even putting down his mug. Yes, he is that badass

...the baseball card

... “You can have the whole box” (Flirty!Hardison - and yes, of course he is fascinated and turned on by Parker instantly, but I think what I love most is how this is different to how he sees her later; he is overall more aggressive, edgy, pushy pre-team)

... “Age of the Geek, baby. We run the world.” - “Hm. You keep telling yourself that.”

... Thief.

... Parker’s flashback being so fucking DARK, even in comparison to Eliot’s who just put down 10 thugs

... the tell-tale ages of their flashback selves - Hardison the teenager, Eliot the adult, Parker the kid. Talk about what shaped you / who you are

...Eliot and Nate being professionals vs. Parker and Hardison being the brats <3

... Parker taking such obvious pleasure in her work

... Nate’s background images being the cold blue schematics

... Hardison being SO TURNED ON by Eliot’s speed / his efficiency / his dislike of guns (love the emptying of the magazine) / his smile

... that shared smile when the door opens. STOP IT, YOU GUYS

... Nate’s I-am-in-command-here voice. Later on he uses that to play generals and higher ups - his favoured role aside from ‘the annoying one’ - but here it’s no game, no play acting. This IS Nate right now

... technically that would be Plan G

...the OT3 working so perfectly together during the burn-scam sequence

...the almost-morning-at-the-end-of-an-obviously-fucking-cold-night atmosphere when they split. Talk about symbolism here. And lovely light

... Dubenic. Seriously. He dupes us, the viewers, fair enough. But he also does this with Nate, Parker, Eliot, AND Hardison. And can we just take a moment and appreciate that because we know how insanely smart they are. - And there is just that HINT of Dubenic playing them in the way he picks up his cup and sips, like he has no care in the world

... the way Hardison holds his gun

... the fact that Eliot hasn’t taken it away from hm yet. Because sure, he could. But he actually WANTS Hardison to BELIEVE him, doesn’t he

...Hardison and Parker having brought guns. Which makes sense. Eliot not bothering. Which also makes sense. But Nate? He just doesn’t give a fuck at this point, does he? Dangerous man, he who has nothing left to lose. And that maniac’s laughter when he figures it out? Holy shit, there is something very, very wrong with him

... Eliot helping Hardison up (already the protector <3)

... the reason why Hardison fell in the first place - looking back to check where Eliot is <3<3

...the reflection of the fireblast on Nate’s face. The whole explosion. Damn, that is some fine pyro work there.

...Parker switching so effortlessly between razor-sharp logic and crazy aloofness

...the ever changing dynamic during that conversation in Hardison’s flat. Like, Hardison keeping Eliot from finally losing it and taking it on with Nate and all the other little shifts and changes. Like, Nate already knowing Eliot’s and Parker’s different priorities (Payback and Money / Money and Payback); Parker and Hardison being hooked straight away, Eliot being the cautious one

...Eliot’s FACE during Sophie’s acting

...Nate being so FASCINATED by Sophie

... that flashback - Nate, like the OT, has a very... interesting way of remembering things

...Parker’s super aggressive popcorn reading

... Eliot’s continued ‘Parker is crazy. CRAZY. Am I the only one seeing that?!’ Possibly, yes, Eliot

...Nigerians. I mean, not only is that THE con. But it’s also the con that works because it targets people too stupid to not know better. The fact that Nate uses that on Dubenic. Because they were double-crossed and now HE gets double-crossed with a con that he SHOULD have seen coming because no one in their right mind would buy Nate Ford trying to pull of the ACTUAL Nigerian Scam

...Sophie just walking out on Dubenic

...Eliot’s outfit as an IT expert. That is so offensive, Eliot, even BEFORE the Klingon. I love you. Also? I love the reaction of the secretary as he walks in. Like, damn, he’s fine. She’s not wrong

... the bridge in the background of Sophie’s and Dubenic’s scene outside. God, that is SUCH a perfect metaphor and so pretty

... “I take it to Pierson.” - Sophie is not just a great actress, this little decision here already shows how she will have no problem taking over from Nate when he is in prison

... the Eliot/Nate conversation at the pool table. Easily my favourite scene of the whole episode. I wrote about how I love all the characters’ relationships in an earlier entry (http://afraschatz.tumblr.com/post/175521619189/afraschatz-i-think-the-reason-why-i-love), but Eliot’s and Nate’s is one of my favourites. And this scene breaks my fucking heart EVERY time. I want to be angry at Nate for being so harsh to Eliot reaching out and I want to weep for him at the same time. And Eliot. Oh, Eliot. All of the others so wrapped up in the current con (and Nate in his pain) that they can’t see what he can already sense and what he already sees and understands. Why else would the hitter, the “I work alone” man, Moreau’s former right hand man reach out like that? This isn’t the hitter checking whether the insurance man might turn on him /them; this isn’t even the man set out for revenge trying to make sure that the mastermind behind the plan can focus properly. This already is Eliot caring. And Nate being unable to accept that at this point. Ah, I love them so much

... the hospital flashback. Oh Tim Hutton <3...

... Sophie and the earpiece. Sure, Sophie, you need help. Sure.

... locked up comedy frame. Hardison hahahaha. Love that chair-roll

... Dubenic’s smug expression in the elevator

... “I can take your underpants”

... “This particular project has a different revenue stream” - Ah, eloquent!smug!Nate

...Sophie’s reaction to the HUGE cheque. Like, WHAT?!

...Hardison starting to explain what he did - I kinda wanted him to continue explaining that to me because a. maybe he could actually shed some light on some stock stuff that I really don’t get and b. competence porn

...Eliot wanting to kiss Hardison :)

...the slow round-and-round of the camera during the team’s talk outside. I need to write a separate LONG post about how great the camera work on this show is

... Eliot looking at Hardison while Hardison waits for Nate to suggest that they should do that again, then, when Nate doesn’t, immediately trying to get his defences back up and his hopes down. Oh, Eliot <3

... Black king, white knight. Aside from me being very much in love with Sophie’s SHAMELESS flirting (and Nate’s reaction to that), this is such a pretty description and fits him so well

... that last scene and the way they stand / sit. I mean, man, thank you, Sophie, for being kind to the victims while the rest of your team plays a very weird mashup of Reservoir Dogs and Godfather in the background

... NATE, YOU ARE SO CREEPY, I LOVE YOU.

#leverage #leverage marathon #alec hardison #eliot spencer #nate ford #sophie devereaux #parker #things i love about #the nigerian job

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distinctivelibrarians · 6 years

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benjaminrussell replied to your post “I wanna write fluff today. But I am drawing a massive blank.”

Ot3 birthday fluff!

@benjaminrussell I’m sorry this took so long! But, hope you like it! ^^

Three birthday firsts.

(Or, Eliot, Hardison, and Parker never really celebrated their birthdays with the team. Time to change that.)

(ao3)

No place around here sold salted dark chocolate cupcakes. Eliot would know. Not even necessarily because he was looking for himself - but Parker and Hardison had dragged him to every bakery in the area within the last couple of months for one reason or another. And while he’d been trying to keep them from buying everything, he might’ve kept an eye out.

(Eliot didn’t like straight sweets - anything that could be compared to straight sugar just didn’t taste good. Just looking at some of the sweets Parker and Hardison could inhale made his teeth hurt sometimes. )

Which means he knew no place sold them. Which doesn’t explain why there’s one sitting on the counter when he shuffles out to the kitchen that morning.

There’s literally two people in the world that can wrap their arms around him from behind without him panicking. And a good part of that is because there’s no pulling involved - big hands rest on his shoulders, long enough for him to tense for a breath before melting back into the other man, arms wrapping around his shoulders.

It’s taken so long for them to get to this point - this comfortable, easy touching. Hardison had spent so long not wanting to invade Eliot’s space too often - not knowing whether he’d be allowed or whether any touching was welcome and not having Parker’s sense of ‘fuck it’ - and Eliot had taken just as long to get comfortable with having multiple people in his space consistently. They were still working on it, still pushing and pulling and figuring out where they fit together; Eliot still had a hard time asking for touch, Hardison still had trouble figuring out when it was welcome. But, they were working on it, and when it clicked, like now, with Eliot leaning most of his weight back into Hardison’s chest, and Hardison more than willing to hold him up, both of them just took and enjoyed it for what it was

“Take it this was your idea?” he grumbles, if only to hide a small, goofy smile as a couple things start connecting.

“Depends, it going over well?” Hardison shot back, voice rough. He must’ve just rolled out of bed then - probably woken up by Eliot getting up.

“It’s getting there.” Eliot mutters, before tilting his head. “...Is this at all related to why Parker exploded chili flakes and onions in the brewpub’s ovens last week?” There was a slight flinch behind him, and he’s pretty sure Hardison would’ve pulled away if he hadn’t reached up to catch his wrist, swiping his thumb over the bone until Hardison relaxed again.

“...it might’ve had something to do with it. We kinda… burnt the first batch. And burnt chocolate stinks. So she might’ve found something that smells worse to hide it.” And that would, logically work. He hadn’t been able to smell anything except chili and burnt onions in there for three days. “Amy helped us with the last one.” Which would explain why there hadn’t been another onion incident then.

Eliot hummed, hand tightening slightly on Hardison’s wrist, trying to figure out what to say.

“We didn’t have a big party or nothing planned. You never said anything so we figured… something small, if at all, right? Cupcake can be it, if you want - and we’ve got a full batch if they end up being not terrible. But Parker was talking about-”

“Just hanging out here for the day. We loaded up on popcorn, delivery from that Italian place you like is already set. Amy’s got the brewpub covered if you want to stay.” Speak of the devil, and there she was, easily slipping into his space as well, arms looping around his waist and leaning against his chest as much as Hardison’s arms would allow. He blinked at her for a moment, then offered a small, easy grin.

“You know, think I can live with that.” He pressed a light kiss to her cheek, just to get a giggle from her before twisting back enough to brush another over Hardison’s jaw ‘cause that’s about all he could really reach with how they were sandwiching him in.

“Happy birthday, E.” Hardison murmured. Eliot would be the last person to admit to something warm and squishy and entirely ridiculous lighting up in his chest, but what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them - even though, judging by the big grins they shared over his shoulder, he’s pretty sure they knew exactly what was going on.

(The cupcake ended up being a little burnt, but he couldn’t even care.)

There was a box on the bar counter in the kitchen. It had been there since this morning - though when it popped up, Parker couldn’t be sure. She’d gone for a morning run - Eliot could take his “they’re not runs if you don’t touch the ground Parker!” and toss it, honestly - and by the time she’d come back, both her boys were out and about with their day, both at the brewpub, she’s pretty sure. And the box had been there.

It was a regular box, as far as these things went. Cardboard, small enough to fit in her hand. There wasn’t any ticking, squeaking, rustling, or beeping. Hardison’s security system on the apartment meant that, mostly likely, one of the boys put it there - the system was just updated last week after all. But for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what it would be. As far as she knew, they hadn’t ordered anything recently, that hadn’t already been delivered anyway.

It could’ve been nothing. Probably was nothing.

But it was also nothing in her space with absolutely no warning and she wanted to know what it was. Eliot hadn’t said anything about a box, which meant he probably wouldn’t care if she opened it, right? And Hardison was good about putting things away that he didn’t want the two of them touching - Oh.

There was also a paper under the box that she hadn’t noticed. Whoops.

It was a simple little note - if it could be called that. All that was on it was a sketchy picture of a cake with candles and a smiley face. It kind of cleared things up. A little.

But presents were supposed to be wrapped in shiny things, right? And even if they didn’t do presents - they didn’t for Eliot, figuring (correctly, he’d told them later) that he wouldn’t really know what to do with them - you still had family around.

When she’d mentioned, a couple weeks ago, when her birthday was going to be, she’d been lowkey looking forward to what the boys would do - if they would do anything. She knew they weren’t obligated to - but she’d been. Kind of hoping?

The little box and drawing was all there was though. They hadn’t even been awake when she’d left that morning, both of them staying wrapped up in the blankets and protesting, still asleep, the cold chill that leaked through the window when she opened it. She’d been half tempted to forget the run that morning and crawl back between them - and she knew they would’ve let her, rolling back over to sandwich her between them the way she liked best. (How long had that taken? For them to be that comfortable in the same bed - for Eliot not to flinch and shoot awake at the slightest movement, for Hardison not to tense and curl up when one of them pulled away. She didn’t know. But she liked their general evolution towards lazy dog piling so much better.)

Maybe what was in the box was good though? But still, she’d rather they be here…

Her phone chirped, from where she’d left it on the couch. She eyed the box for a long moment more, nose scrunching up, before going to check it. One message from Eliot.

Stop glaring at the box and just open it Parker. Then get over here.

Well, that was weird. But, she did what he said, warily flipping the lid off the box. What was inside just confused her more though, until she took a closer look. Then, then she was shoving the slips of paper from the box in her pocket, grabbing the jacket Eliot insisted she wear when there was snow out on the ground, and bolting out the door.

She made it to the brewpub in five minutes flat - throwing open the doors in a flurry of snow and wind and light. There was half a second delay before the shout of “Surprise!” happened, but she was already beaming and diving for Sophie at the front of the small crowd with a shout.

Nate and Sophie were home , the ticket stubs from their flight tucked in her pocket. It was them, everyone from the brewpub (including a few of their regulars) Peggy, Quinn, Mikel, Archie, Josie… everyone smiling and telling her “Happy Birthday” and the only people missing were Hardison and Eliot - nevermind.

Eliot was pushing his way out of the kitchen, cake in hand with five candles, Hardison right behind him holding a big box, wrapped in bright, shiny paper.

The soft smiles they gave her while watching her flit between people she hadn’t seen in months though, and the big, full body bear hugs she got when she finally made her way over them? Almost better than the cake and the shiny present.

(Almost.)

Hardison wondered if he should tell the two of them, at some point, that they hadn’t been able to lie to him in at least two years now. But, that would be giving away literally his only advantage, so, he kept his mouth shut when Eliot and Parker started acting weird exactly a week before his birthday. It wasn’t too hard to act like he didn’t notice anything, and maybe it was cheating. But, he was curious, so sue him. (Or, try anyway. Good luck.)

If he was being honest, it didn’t really matter to him what they ended up doing for his birthday. This would be the first time in years that it wasn’t just his Nana and the occasional friend sending him well wishes and maybe a small care package, and honestly, the fact that two people (his two people) were trying to be sneaky about something for him? He could wake up that day and get a kiss and a “happy birthday” and he’d be genuinely ecstatic and probably on cloud 9 for the rest of the day.

He was easy to please, sometimes, honestly.

The morning of - he’s not sure what he expected. But, it frankly, didn’t matter, because he woke up in his favorite spot - wrapped around Eliot as the big spoon, with Parker draped half over him, both still soundly asleep. It might’ve been his favorite because it happened so rarely - more often than not, at least one of them would be long gone by the time the other two woke up, and if he was being honest, he woke up to an empty bed more often than he cared to admit (though, even though he’d never said anything about it, he had noticed the two of them coming back to bed more and more often. It was enough to make him feel light and floaty, just thinking about it). It wasn’t his fault that the two loves of his life were morning people, and that he was decidedly not. And it wasn't their fault that both of them had issues with space that sometimes popped up, and that he was a tactile guy. They were all working on it - actively, consciously working on it, and in just the year since they'd officially gotten together, he was so proud of all of them in how far they'd come.

More importantly though, right now? He was warm, had an armful of grumpy hitter and had the grounding weight of Parker draped over his side and as far as he was concerned, this was the best way to start the day.

He even got his kiss and “Happy Birthday,” from both of them, when they woke up - Eliot’s a warm, honey-sweet kiss that took his breath away, hands framing his jaw and holding him close like he was special and safe and he’d never get tired of that, Parker’s a lightning quick spark of a peck that was fierce and sharp, hauling him in with hands in his shirt, and woke him up just fine, thank you.

The day honestly just got better from there. The entire morning stayed muzzy, mellow, and soft in the best way. The kitchen filled up quick with soft chattering and light-hearted bickering while Eliot made thick, chocolate and strawberry filled pancakes (Hardison’s favorite, despite Eliot’s Strong Opinions about anything but fruit in pancakes), and Hardison and Parker nursed coffee sweet enough to be caramel colored.

The morning melted into the afternoon, bright and lazy, while Eliot and Parker did their best to learn how to at least have a chance against him with his collection of video games. He had to give it to them - they played fair for far longer than he thought they would. But, eventually, he had to fend off not only Parker with her controller - she may not quite get the mechanics of everything, but she was quick and learned faster than people gave her credit for - while Eliot did his best to insinuate himself in his space and get his attention.

He threw up his hands in defeat about the same time Eliot straight up dropped in his lap with a smirk. Considering Parker was pressed up against his side about two seconds later, he couldn’t even feel too bad about losing spectacularly.

The doorbell ringing, just as the light outside started to burn dark and warm, threw him off, he’d admit. And the fact that both Eliot and Parker just seemed way too pleased with themselves probably should’ve been a warning. But, they shooed him off to answer it, so he figured it couldn’t be too bad.

He threw open the door, half expecting - ...well, no, he had nothing and it didn’t matter anyway, because what he got was an older woman with steel-colored curls, thin gold glasses highlighting deep laugh lines, and a bright yellow dress that reminded him of home and summer and - “Nana!” He was swept up in deceptively strong arms for a bear hug, and he couldn’t even be embarrassed about the squeak.

He’d been planning on introducing everyone this Thanksgiving - having finally gotten a call from Nana that it was both about time he brought his guy and girl home so she could meet them and that he couldn’t miss another Thanksgiving and expect her not to fly to wherever he was and haul him back anyway.

Before he could even ask what was going on because he knew they’d been up to something, but this hadn’t even crossed his mind, Eliot was on one side, pressing a kiss to his jaw, “You get her settled, I’ll get started on dinner alright?” He turned a charming grin Nana’s way, “And nice to finally meet you, ma’am.” And off he went before Hardison could get a word in edgewise.

“Hardison’s talked a lot about you!” Parker chirped, popping up at his other side. Nana blinked between the two of them - Parker’s grin and Eliot’s retreating back - before turning a sly smile on Hardison, eyes sparking with warm, bright humor that Hardison hadn’t seen in far too long.

“And I’ve heard all about you, dear.” She leaned in to give Hardison another hug that made him feel small and warm, a whispered, “Happy Birthday, Alec,” in his ear before she released him.“Now, show me around! I want to see what my boy’s been up to in the years since he came to see his dear old Nana,” she couldn’t say it with a straight face, didn’t even try.

Showing Nana around the apartment, and the layout and pictures of the brewpub - with a promise to take her there tomorrow - was a surreal experience. She’d apparently taken to Parker like a house on fire, chattering and laughing over who knows what when Hardison wasn’t looking. But, them laughing in his home, with the sounds of Eliot cooking in the background? It was honestly the best thing he’d ever heard.

And no, he didn’t sniffle after dinner when gifts came out. Nor was there a tear when the three of them piled on the couch to watch his favorite movies, Nana in the arm chair watching them with a soft smile. There wasn’t alright. Just something in his eye.

(There might have been a happy tear shed the next morning, when Hardison woke up, alone, but warm, and wandered out to the kitchen to see Nana perched at the bar, chattering with Parker while Eliot made breakfast. Maybe.)

#benjaminrussell #leverage #alec hardison #eliot spencer #parker #my writing #ff #long post

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leverage-ot3 · 4 years

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notable moments from The Three Days of The Hunter Job

leverage 2.05

hunt for the truth = fox news

you can’t change my mind, sorry

- - - - -

Nate: Here's what we can do. We can probably get you enough money to save the house and pay for medical bills--

Sarah: We aren't interested in money, Mr. Ford. This woman took my father's self-esteem. She took his reputation. She took his good name. That's what he needs back.

someone needs to make a compilation of their clients being noble as hell

- - - - -

Sophie: I wanna take the lead on this one. I wanna do what you do.

Nate: Yeah, listen, I know breakups can be very difficult, Sophie.

Sophie: Whoa. No, that's not what this is about.

Nate: I know that you have this need to be in control right now, you know.

Sophie: I don't have any such need.

Nate: But you can't project that onto the con.

Sophie: Excuse me? This, coming from the man who spent an entire year drunk, working out his obsessive vengeance on every dimwit in a suit who happened to cross our line of vision.

Nate: Hey, you put some thought into that one, didn't you?

Sophie: You know, I'm not tryin' to control the universe just because some guy dumped me. I-I appreciate the concern. I just, I need a new challenge.

Nate: Okay. (hands Sophie the files) This is your job.

Sophie: Thanks. Now, let's go get this bitch. (walks away)

Nate: Oh, boy

fucking get rekt nate you’re the literal last one to talk

- - - - -

huh nate is wearing flannel in this one

- - - - -

Sophie: Exactly. And then to protect themselves, they issue an apology to Mr. Pennington and then they throw Monica Hunter into the jaws of the very media machine that she bent to her own malicious will.

Parker: Wow. I gotta say, Sophie's briefings are much more dramatic.

Eliot: And poetic.

parker and eliot are cute

- - - - -

Sophie: But we can sell a story that commands respect. A story that she's gonna chase to get the respect she craves. Hm? Pack your bags, everyone. We're going to D.C. to make news.

(everyone continues sitting, looking uncomfortable)

Nate: That's when you wanna...

Sophie: I wanna do that bit again. Pack your bags, everyone. We're going to D.C. to make news. (leaves room)

Nate: She's walking into the closet

SOPHIE ITS OKAY YOU DONT NEED TO GO IN THE CLOSET

- - - - -

Parker: I got the pass. Easy.

Sophie: Parker, we went over this.

[Exterior Studio]

Sophie: You're not supposed to take it. Get caught with it.

Parker: I don't know how to get caught.

Sophie: Yeah, I know it's difficult to steal badly. Just, just try

- - - - -

Monica (grabs Parker): Hey. Hey. I will have you arrested for trespassing if you do not tell me what you are doing here.

Parker: Technically, you can't have me arrested for trespassing because you don't own the station.

Sophie: Parker, tell her the story

parker: TRY ME BITCH

- - - - -

hardison doing crazy tinfoil hat guy is iconic

+ parker and hardison’s high five and “that’s what I’m talkin about!” ADORABLE

- - - - -

Parker: Eliot, these conspiracies aren't real, right?

Eliot: What do you mean?

Parker: Like that one over there that says all the major wars of the past 50 years were ordered by members of The Council.

Eliot: Parker, I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you. (walks away)

Parker: You're not a member of The Council, are you? Eliot? Is he?

Nate: Oh, I don't know. (walks away)

Parker: Huh? Uh, Nate, is he?

parker looked so vulnerable asking it and eliot’s just like,,, imma fuck with her LMFAO

also this is another chaotic ot3 scene that I’d die for

- - - - -

eliot taking the general’s id with his pencil and handing it off to hardison? SMOOTH AS FUCK

- - - - -

Parker: But what if he won't talk to us?

Monica: Then we celebrate.

Parker: Celebrate?

Monica: Denial means guilt. Refusal means more guilt. Punch out my cameraman, and I'll kiss you on the mouth.

Camera Man: Mm-hm.

parker: 👀👀👀

- - - - -

parker gets hit with a car ,,, how many times in this series does she get hit with a car ??

- - - - -

monica’s face when she sees parker get hit by a car is LITERALLY the exact same as the surprised pikachu face

bruh imagine you see this happening ,,, like a girl get hit by a car, a suit running out, grabbing stuff of her body, then running away ???

her playing dead on the ground for a hot minute before “waking up”, dusting herself off and walking away ???

- - - - -

Hardison: Move. Don't stop. Come on.

Monica: They ran her over.

Hardison: I know, but we gotta go. Security cameras, the ATM cameras, the traffic cameras. We're always being watched. Just put your head down. Act natural.

Monica: Why are you dressed like a mailman?

Hardison: Invisible man, mailman, nobody notices the mailman. He blends right in. Just like a circus clown.

- - - - -

Parker: We totally went to the moon.

Eliot: Movie sets. I've seen 'em. They're outside of Albuquerque.

Parker: Why would there still be sets there?

Eliot: Because they're gonna reuse 'em for the Mars mission. Repaint it all red.

her bumping shoulders with eliot and leaning on him? the casual intimacy that nourishes my S O U L

- - - - -

Sophie: She has to have corroboration from her own sources. She has to craft the narrative. Monica Hunter has to be the author of her own personal nightmare.

Nate: Do I sound that creepy when I...?

Eliot: Hell yes.

Parker: Mm-hm.

Nate: Really?

Eliot: You do

- - - - -

Sophie: The only question is whether Hardison guessed her sources right.

Hardison: G-guess? Guess?

Sophie: Well, you know.

Hardison: Woman, my name Alec Hardison. I do not guess, OK? Look, journalists, they're lazy. They always go back to the same sources. I compared Monica Hunter's stories for the last ten years and created a heuristic model based on her sources. I-I filtered by story type, priority and evidentiary chain. Look, (pulls up info on laptop) sex scandal: 87 percent chance she goes to these sources. Serial killer scare: 90 percent she contacts these sources for confirmation. Government secrets and health scare intersects: Ninety-five percent chance she goes to these sources. Look, look. Right there. She's emailing them right now. Look.

- - - - -

Hardison: Get me out of here.

Sophie: Yeah, I'm working on it.

Parker (comes out of back room pulling on jacket): I'm on it.

Sophie: No, no, no, no, no, you cannot go. You're dead. Monica Hunter sees you and the whole con is blown.

Parker: Right

PARKER WAS R E A D Y TO GO IN AFTER HIM WE LOVE A PROTECTIVE OT3

- - - - -

Hardison: Damn the con. I'm a black man caught on an Army base with a video camera. I am going to jail forever.

the realest part of the show

- - - - -

Hardison: Eliot, get me everything you can on a Lieutenant Abbot.

[Apartment]

Hardison: Just-just do what I taught you.

Eliot (typing on laptop): Now, the "http" thing comes before—

[Interrogation Room 2]

Eliot: --the "www-dot," right?

Hardison: Eliot!

[Apartment]

Eliot: Which one's the forward slash?

Sophie: Oh, come on.

[Interrogation Room 2]

Hardison: It ain't the time, Eliot. It ain't the time.

[Apartment]

Eliot: It's not fun when you're hanging out there in the wind and there's a dude behind a laptop cracking jokes, is there?

Parker: (holding a gas mask over her face before looking over it) I like it when we switch jobs. It's exciting

someone PLEASE make an eliot-being-bad-at-technology compilation I’m begging

also it’s officially canon that hardison tries teaching eliot about technology

- - - - -

Eliot: No, that's everything on this guy.

Lieutenant: Sir, I need to know why you're on this base.

Hardison: Yes. Why am I on this base?

Lieutenant: I'm asking you.

Hardison: No, I'm asking you. Why am I on this base? Why am I in this room?

Lieutenant: So I can ask you questions.

Hardison: Or maybe it's so I can ask you questions, Lieutenant Kyle Abbot, Social Security 823-24-6270?

Lieutenant: I don't know what you're up to.

Hardison: Maybe you’re not cleared to know. Two disciplinary actions? That one in Germany? Maybe you're just too much of a security risk.

(lieutenant goes to leave and Hardison slams his fist on the table)

Hardison: Did I say you could leave?

(lieutenant swallows nervously)

T H I S

S C E N E

T H O

- - - - -

[Army Base Gate]

Nate: Not gonna work.

Eliot: It's all in the salute, man.

[Apartment]

Sophie: Just work the stars and bars. Nobody wants to--

[Army Base Gate]

(a soldier moves to the side of the car and leans in, saluting Nate)

Sophie: --look a general in the eye.

Nate: Uh, good form soldier. As you were.

Soldier: Clear.

(the gate goes up and Nate pulls into the base, parking near a building. He gets out of the car and walks toward the door)

- - - - -

Nate: We hunt for the truth through many dark places. (approaches Monica menacingly) I am a patriot, Ms. Hunter. I'm sorry. (to Eliot) Earl.

(Monica takes a can of pepper spray from her purse and sprays it in Nate’s face, driving him back. She runs out the door as he groans in pain. Eliot goes to pat his back)

Eliot: Good thing Parker switched that with water.

Nate: Didn't! Didn't switch. (they both start coughing)

LMFAO

- - - - -

Monica: My friends, this is the enemy. Our water has been poisoned.

(an aide spits out a mouthful of water)

JFNSKDKEJWJNFJ

- - - - -

(Eliot is cutting vegetables while Nate opens a bottle of wine and Hardison swirls orange soda in a wine glass)

hardison is literally swirling his neon orange soda in a wine glass as eliot cooks actual food for the fam I CANNOT

- - - - -

Parker (holds up photo): Loch Ness Monster.

Hardison: Loch Ness submarine.

Parker: No!

Eliot: Scottish waters are cold and deep. It's a perfect place to test.

Parker (holds up photo): Area 51.

Eliot: True.

Hardison: False.

Eliot: That's true.

Hardison: False. She said Area 51, 51.

Eliot: I'm sorry. False. Area 52.

Hardison: Been there.

Eliot: Yep

I’m crying the ot3 was top tier chaotic this entire episode and parker was having A Time™ with all these conspiracies

someone make a compilation of these scenes overlayed with the wii music. pls.

#leverage #leverage 2.05 #leverage 2x05 #the three days of hunter job #leverage season 2 #season 2 #notable moments #mine

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