Leverage, Season One

Reviewer: Alyice Edrich

Movie

Leverage

Plot

A one-hour drama about righting the wrongs performed on those who cannot fight for themselves.

Starring

Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and more.

The Review

Leverage is a refreshing take on the old “Robin Hood” storyline. In modern-day America, four thieves (the merry men) team up with an ex-insurance investigator (Robin Hood) to correct the wrongs that were done to men, women, and families the law failed to protect.

It all begins when an aerospace CEO (Sheriff of Nottingham) finds the best in their field to recover (steal back) a set of designs that were stolen from his company. The CEO tricks the insurance investigator, Nate, into joining the team by telling him he can take revenge on the insurance company that denied his son’s claims and allowed him to die. As for the thieves, they were in it for the money. Once the designs are stolen, however, the CEO refuses to pay—claiming the designs were never received. The CEO asks the thieves to meet in an abandoned warehouse to discuss the matter, all the while planning to destroy all evidence that links him to the theft. Luckily, the thieves catch on and run out of the building just as it explodes.

Realizing they’d been taken for a ride, the thieves set out to make things right. In the end, they return the designs to their rightful owner, send the CEO to jail, and make a killing on the stock market.

With no need to ever steal again, the thieves agree to use their skills for good. They’ll rob from the rich—what was never theirs to begin with—and give to the poor—what was rightfully theirs. They’ll provide leverage for the helpless. They’ll fight for those the law can’t help. They’ll defeat corruption and save families, businesses, and lives. And they’ll do it all under the guise of a legal entity known as “Leverage Consulting & Services”.

While they’re use to working alone, they quickly learn to work together with each member playing a specific role on the team. Sophie is the scam artist (and aspiring actress) who can only act when she’s scamming someone, Parker is a skilled acrobatic thief with very little personality, Hardison is a computer genius with a great sense of humor, Spencer is a retrieval specialist who uses some pretty impressive martial art skills, and Nate Ford is the mastermind or ring leader.

At first glance, it appears the writers stereo-cast each member of the team and it is unclear how they will ever be able to work together when they’re so set in their ways. But as the show progresses the stereo-types begin to fade, the characters show more layers of themselves, and they discover a family they never knew they could have—with each other. In fact, jobs that were once able to do alone now require the assistance of the other team members as each member of the team realizes that no one man is a fortress and there’s no shame in seeking the help of a trusted ally.

My favorite character has to be Hardison. Aside from his good looks, he is brilliant, witty, comical, and down-to-earth. Seriously, what’s not to like? I love it that he’s a geek with attitude versus the wimpy nerd we usually see cast as computer geniuses.

What I love most about the show, however, is the fact that the show doesn’t just concentrate on the jobs at hand—little by little we learn more about each member of the team: what makes them tick, what their weaknesses are, what their strengths are, and how they received the skills they have. And as the show progresses, we see them grow and mature. And the best part, their jobs don’t always go as planned which causes them to think on the feet and creates a bit of drama.

Your Task

Watch Robin Hood, then watch Leverage. Ask your children to compare the two shows by asking how they are alike, how are they different, and how technology has played a part in the distinction between the two shows. Next, talk to them how becoming a modern-day Robin Hood in real life may seem fun, but can be very dangerous; and therefore, they should do whatever they can to fight wrong within the legal system. Finally, talk to them about what building specialized skills can do for them in real life, using Hardison as an example.

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