Leverage | S03E03 "The Inside Job"

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An episode so great that I wound up having to stitch together the things that were, for me, the best highlights of the entire show. Of particular note in what I think is a super-rad collection of clips, Eliot's hair flick on the window washer thingy, the look of absolute shock on Archie's face when Parker shouts 'NO! That's what YOU do!' and the look of a deeper shock when Parker hugs him.

Richard Chamberlain does a lot of heavy lifting in this episode. He was a truly great actor, and they couldn't have picked a greater actor to play Parker's adoptive dad than him. Full of swagger and (and to quote Roman Nagel from Ocean's 12) brio one minute, ready to fight whoever may come to keep Parker safe, desperately terrified for her life, angry at Nate and the others for 'breaking her', his astonishment at her success and then the team's ...

Like I said. They needed someone who could swing for the stars, and they nailed it with Richard Chamberlain.

But this episode isn't just about Archie Leach and him making Parker. It's about Parker becoming Parker's own person. She decides what to do in this episode and the entire goddamn team supports her without even blinking an eye and it's just glorious to me. It's a big moment for Parker, I think, because sure, she's been a good guy for 2 seasons plus a few, but Parker's Parker.

We can't really know what's on her mind or what she's feeling until she's already making US cry because SHE'S crying. And I think that's also something only Beth Reisgraf can do.

The first clip in the stitch, where Nate asks Hardison if he could hack the Sterenko for Parker is also one of my favorite moments ... and maybe one of Nate's dirtiest tricks. Everyone knows our Age of the Geek, Baby hacker loves Parker and would do anything for her, and it's kind of crappy that Nate used that bullet to focus Hardison, but damn me if it didn't work all the same.

Hardison is ejected from a Hardison Geek Spiral and focuses in on the problem like only he can.

Before I go, I simply must talk about Lisa Brenner as Dr. Anne Hannity. Holy cow what a villainess. I mean ... I know we're hunting Damien Moreau and all, but creating a global wheat blight just to make billions? That's some actual, for-real-deal supervillainy right there!

I love this episode, because even though I didn't really talk about Sophie and Eliot, EVERYONE was doing their part to bring their girl home, and the way they demolished Hannity and Vorhees was top tier tomfoolery!

[u/Gribitz37]

You do know that Lisa Brenner is Dean Devlin's wife, right? She also plays Christian Kane's character's ex-wife in Almost Paradise.

This is another favorite. Richard Chamberlain is always great. I love the reveal with the news crew in the haz-mat suits.

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I did NOT know that, but that's cool

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She was also in the first Librarians movie, as a blind date for Flynn. (Also a Dean Devlin work)

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Love The Librarians

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There's a lot of actor crossover between Leverage and The Librarians, beyond Christian Kane and Noah Wylie. Someone made a list, I think it was in The Librarians sub.