S01.07: The Double-Edged Sword Job

[tessaray]

Drops July 9, 2021 on IMBd TV's free streaming service. 

The team takes on a brilliant software developer who is selling a groundbreaking facial recognition system that threatens everyone’s privacy except his own.
 

[Prevailing Wind]

That was creepy.  But it's nice to see clients we don't know show up needing help again. It's comforting to know Pardison & Spencer have been doing good all these years and are so trusted by the folks they've helped. Yay, Libby!

[wanderingstar]

Just started watching this episode, and I'm so delighted to see Andrea Navedo as the Marshal Maria Ship. I've always liked her.

[Chaos Theory]

I really thought it was funny that “Petty Theft” was insulting when building Elliots fake criminal profile. 

I know there is only one episode left before the hiatus but I would love if Marshall Maria  actually came back as Elliot’s love interest.   I always thought it was unfair that Elliot never got a permanent love interest and I really like her.

Plus another big Breanna episode.  The first time she nearly gets killed and we learn the real reason she came looking for the gang.  

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Chaos Theory

[MissLucas]

He! Leverage is going up against Northern Lights!

Yeah, Eliot and the Marshal were fun. Reminds me of his counterpart from 'The Two Live Crew' still one of my favorite episodes. Hopefully we see her again later on - although their love might be doomed.

Parker being scared by her own finger puppet had me in stitches. Also great: her amusement that some people need  coaching for social interactions - and of course Sophie and Wilson's reaction to that.

Sophie's leather suit was tight!

[Gigi43]

I really liked this one. Parker and the finger puppets were a riot. We learned Harry was a gamer, Brianna doesn't have to be Hardison and her past involves maple syrup. I liked Eliot and the Marshal and if that continued I'd be on board. I loved the ending. 

 

I've been spacing the episodes out. One more to go and so far this has been a solid reboot.

[Maelstrom]

I like when we get to meet/hear about previous clients that the team has helped in the years since the original show ended, and it makes for a good way to raise the stakes right from the start. They helped Libby and her daughter once already, and they're damn well not going to let anyone else hurt her.

Good solid episode for Breanna. I love that even though Hardison's not present it still feels like he's there with them. It helps me miss AH just a teeny bit less, and gives a little more weight to Breanna's journey as she finds her own place on the team. Though I am curious about the maple syrup...

Parker scoffing in disbelief that someone would need help interacting with other human beings was pure gold.

Eliot and the Marshal reminded me of the other hitter in "Two Live Crew", except more likable. I'd be curious to see more of them should she return in the future. And it was a nice touch to acknowledge that other people besides our crew noticed something was fishy in Small Town, Arkansas. And boy was the mark's software super creepy and disturbing.

So, question of the episode: does Eliot still have all those fatwas on his head that he mentioned in "The Studio Job"?

[Lugal]

I love that they used the tried and true method of messing with and gaslighting the mark, (particular favorite was Breanna cutting the chair leg).  Although I am curious about the maple syrup.  I'm guessing Breanna and Hardison both are going to be looking very closely at the Seachlight root code.

Also liked the Marshall, and would love to see her as a recurring character.  And Eliot did tell her his real name.

And let this episode be a lesson to everyone: Never put your picture online!

[Emma9]

On 7/13/2021 at 9:06 PM, MissLucas said:

He! Leverage is going up against Northern Lights!

That was my first thought.

A while back, I came across a mention on Leverage's tvtropes page that John Rogers considered Person of Interest to be Leverage's serious younger brother. That's always made me smile. So there was some mild disassociation from the implication that our crew would have been at odds with Finch and Reese if those universes had ever collided. But I suppose some initial friction would make sense.

 

5 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

So, question of the episode: does Eliot still have all those fatwas on his head that he mentioned in "The Studio Job"?

And how confused are the die-hard fangirls of his country music alias (you know there are a handful that wouldn't have been discouraged just because he dropped off the radar) who keep trying to re-upload their collections of pictures only for them to disappear?

 

2 hours ago, Lugal said:

I am curious about the maple syrup.

Parker springing to attention when that was brought up was funny. I also feel like Parker would be in the habit of using 'pancake syrup' and thus have been the target of many Chef Eliot rants over the years that 'That's not really maple syrup, Parker! They're not even legally allowed to call it that! The real stuff has a very distinctive taste!'

Edited July 15, 2021 by Emma9

[Johannah]

I didn't really think there was any more to the maple syrup story.  She said it was for some kind of hacking contest and I guess I don't see it being much more involved than that to be interesting.  Somebody has to order huge quantities of something or reroute it....  Eh, not much of a story.  But they'll probably prove me wrong.  Also, I like Breanna, but I'm not really that interested in her back story.  I'd rather they stick with what she is doing now.  I do like how they told her she wasn't Hardison, but she has her own assets to aide the team.

The reactions of Sophie and Harry to Parker scoffing at people having to learn how to interact was funny, but Harry didn't know her when she was awkward.  I think it would have been better if it was Sophie and Eliot, especially since Eliot was always telling her that she was weird anyway.  Would have been a great facial reaction from him.

Oh no.  Only one more new episode for me.  Anyone know when they are going to release more or how successful this has been?

 

 

 

[DearEvette]

There are sixteen episodes total.  This first eight, then the second eight are scheduled to drop  later in the Fall.  I don't believe an actual date for when the last eight episodes will stream has been announced.  No mention of a second season so far.

[leighdear]

12 hours ago, DearEvette said:

There are sixteen episodes total.  This first eight, then the second eight are scheduled to drop  later in the Fall.  I don't believe an actual date for when the last eight episodes will stream has been announced.  No mention of a second season so far.

I did NOT realize we were getting more episodes!  I thought this run was IT!  (I obviously didn't read enough about this new season!)

I am unbelievably happy now.....

[Mirabelle]

Canada has a maple syrup reserve and 3000 tons disappeared back in 2011 and 2012.  That's what I thought of when Breanna mentioned maple syrup. Maybe she helped steal another few thousand tons and the FBI came knocking on Nana's door.

[chaifan]

Hate to be the wet blanket, but I thought this was the weakest episode of the season.  I don't know what it was about the actual production, but it looked cheap to me.  And the tech guy's acting was horrible!  I mean so very very bad it was hard to watch.  And everything about Breanna's backstory seemed very forced.  OK, I'll admit the finger puppets were really funny.  But that's about it for me.  I've been enjoying the series so far, so this just stuck out like a sore thumb to me. 

[andromeda331]

On 7/17/2021 at 11:54 AM, Mirabelle said:

Canada has a maple syrup reserve and 3000 tons disappeared back in 2011 and 2012.  That's what I thought of when Breanna mentioned maple syrup. Maybe she helped steal another few thousand tons and the FBI came knocking on Nana's door.

That's hilarious. Maybe it was Breanna.

I loved Parker's finger puppets. She's so funny.

I wonder if we'll see the Marshal again.

[DearEvette]

I love it when they gaslight a mark especially when they are as unlikable as this guy.

This is the reason why I will never do all that smart house stuff.  Creeepy. Also Sophie's leather dress and boots were fire! And Parker's black and white polka dot outfit was super cute.

Henry and Sophie's backstory to bribe the coffee shop was funny and they played it well.  I liked Noah Wyle looking like a lecherous professor talking about 'keeping it fresh.' LOL.

The only thing I don't get is, Breanna knew her face had been made by the security why would she risk going into the house?

And yeah, I want to see the US Marshall and Elliot meet up again.  I liked her.

 

 

[Mabinogia]

On 7/20/2021 at 10:10 PM, chaifan said:

Hate to be the wet blanket, but I thought this was the weakest episode of the season.  I don't know what it was about the actual production, but it looked cheap to me.  And the tech guy's acting was horrible!

It was my least favorite by a long way. I am not keen on the "female Elliot" instantly having to become a love interest for Elliot. They did it in Two live Crew and they did it here. Just because a woman can fight against him doesn't mean they should make heart eyes at each other show. Actually, the opposite. If their big connection is beating the shit out of each other maybe they aren't exactly a great pairing. Maybe someone who fights for a living could benefit from a relationship without fighting. I'm fine with a woman as an adversary for him, women can hit too, but I just don't like the idea of the heavy romantic overtones. 

There were some fun moments, but overall this ep was a miss for me. Still love seeing my crew though, even if the episode is kind of lame. 

[Gigi43]

On 7/15/2021 at 7:52 PM, Emma9 said:

That was my first thought.

A while back, I came across a mention on Leverage's tvtropes page that John Rogers considered Person of Interest to be Leverage's serious younger brother. That's always made me smile. So there was some mild disassociation from the implication that our crew would have been at odds with Finch and Reese if those universes had ever collided. But I suppose some initial friction would make sense.

 

 

I love the Leverage team. but they don't have a dog, if Bear's in the game it's over.

Edited July 24, 2021 by Gigi43

[DoctorAtomic]

I did like when Eliot gave the team ten seconds to rip on him about the Marshal and they just totally unloaded. 

[aradia22]

I was a little thrown at first because I thought they were referencing an episode of the old show (which would be cool if they could get the actors back from a fan favorite). 

I was curious what role she would play when I saw they got Andrea Navedo for the US marshal. Elliot has had romantic storylines in the past but this is the first one I can remember being really into. I feel like they really wrote his character an equal. All the flirty aggressive banter was fun. I was a little disappointed she disappeared. Maybe they can bring her back.

I appreciated that Marie overheard Elliot talking to Harry. Also, it was fun seeing Harry struggle but ultimately succeed with the guard. He wasn't super skilled but he wasn't incompetent either. They found a good balance for him in that scene. 

I'm still confused why Breanna knew the guy who bumped into Elliot was the one they were looking for. If she had narrowed down the homeowners that much, I think she could have just checked which ones worked in tech?

"Well, he's a tech guy, he doesn't have taste." 😂

I wasn't quite sure if they were going for tightly-wound neurotic with anxiety or anti-social with poor social skills for Joseph. They still made it clear he was a bad guy but similar to the building collapse episode, it gets tricky if someone has mental health stuff going on. Especially since this guy doesn't have anxiety because he caused people's deaths like the last one. Like in that episode, I think they pushed him being a jerk enough that he wasn't sympathetic but they were skirting the line about something being inherently bad about having anxiety. Like, people have anxiety and don't mistreat waitstaff.

Parker's outfit as Tanner had so many dots... and I can totally see someone actually wearing it.

I love that the voice Sophie went with this time was not just an accent but someone's particular quirk... almost like a speech impediment or lisp. I feel like that doesn't get included in accents much unless they're mimicking a real person in a biopic. 

This reminded me of The Reunion Job where they hack the IT guy instead of the system.

It was risky for Breanna to go in. I was kind of pleased when the software recognized her. Like with the marshal, it felt like there was finally an episode where sloppy tactics wouldn't cut it.

I was expecting a twist where Alayna was a real woman. Like an ex or an unrequited crush and that's why the system was called Alay-na. I feel like Joseph surrendered his house kind of quickly but maybe he just wasn't the same kind of evil mastermind villain who felt like he had the power and privilege to go down fighting.

[Maelstrom]

7 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I'm still confused why Breanna knew the guy who bumped into Elliot was the one they were looking for. If she had narrowed down the homeowners that much, I think she could have just checked which ones worked in tech?

It's been a little while since I watched this, but I'm pretty sure it was because that guy was the only person who had his face/identity blurred out. She correctly figured that the only person who could scrub their identity from the software would be the person who created and ran it.