Episode Review: LEVERAGE, "The 10 Li'l Grifters Job"

I can see how some viewers might have watched "The 10 Li'l Grifters Job" and hated it, while someone else watched it and loved it. In some respects it was an example of what makes Leverage great, but there were some definite missteps along the way.

Some random woman hired the Leverage Crew to take down some random businessman for some random reason. As you can tell, the Job of the Week really didn't rely on a strong baddie this time around which was both good and bad. Good because it allowed the show to tell a different kind of story with an emphasis on relationships rather than your standard "take down the mark" plot. Bad because it didn't feel like an episode of Leverage because part of its appeal is showing some despicable person getting his or her comeuppance.

While "10 Li'l Grifters" wasn't your ordinary episode of Leverage, it did start out the same. Nate and the Crew had to expose a man named Morris Beck who was cutting corners while erecting buildings which have started to fall down. They were supposed to steal the blueprints for said unknown woman, and were planning on doing so at a murder mystery gala that the mark was having on a remote island...until he was murdered and Nate was the prime suspect.

From there the episode became something new altogether. While Hardison and Parker had to complete their original mission, Nate had to figure out who really killed Beck with the help of Eliot's more upfront grifting style, and Sophie had to keep a real cop from arresting Ford for the murder. Of course Nate had the brains to piece things together, and it turned out that Beck's daughter and the cop were in cahoots and did the deed.

I for one really liked the murder mystery subplot because it was something new. The Crew as has a curveball thrown at them during jobs, but this time it had more urgency and allowed some of them to use their skill sets for a different reason. Plus, this particular twist brought up some unresolved issues between Nate and his team as they all thought that he'd be capable of murder and weren't sure about whether or not he was responsible for Beck's death. The scenes between Nate and Eliot were especially great due to all of the tension that's been building since Season 3. Out of the four, I've always felt that Eliot's probably the one most ready to lead the Crew, and this may have been the first step towards some major changes.

One aspect of this episode that I wasn't too thrilled with was the fractured feeling of it all. It's not unusual for the team to split into smaller groups while on a job, but for some reason them being in different places was very apparent, and I missed having them altogether as one well-oiled machine. This is a little gripe since it always happens, but it was just jarring this time around.

Other Odds and Ends:

• I'm a fan of Johanna Braddy from her Greek days, so I'm always happy when she pops up on my TV screen.
• Example of Win = Hardison at the Oscars.
• Murder Mystery + Detectives from literature = genius.
• Costumes of the Night: Tie between Parker as Nancy Drew and Hardison as a Hardy Boy.
• Apparently, Nate dressed up as a character that his father played. I would have never known that if it weren't for Twitter.
• Mystery Inc. HA!
• So Parker ripped off Imelda Marcos?
• "Feel like stealing, feel like conning..."
• "Hey, get out! Or join in."
• "Oh, look!"
• "Yes, Parker. I would tell you if I murdered the mark."
• "The way you put your hands on her. That dudn't happen if I'm in here."
• "Messy and loud Nate. I toldya. Adapt."
• "People, I lost Parker."
• "What are you doing man? There's chicks here."

While "The 10 Li'l Grifters Job" didn't have the same flow as your typical episode of Leverage, it wasn't a bad thing since it's good to shake thing up every once in a while. Plus, I'm loving the fact that they're shining a light on Nate's relationship with the rest of the team because it's more interesting than focusing too much time on your run-of-the-mill corporate slimeball. I get that this episode may not have been what Grifters wanted in the short term, but it planted the seeds for what will hopefully be a gripping season arc, and should be commended for that.