S02.E06: The Fractured Job

[tessaray]

Air Date: December 7, 2022

Quote

 After following Eliot home to Oklahoma to confront his father they discover that the town is experiencing negative effects from fracking. The town needs help to remove the fracking rigs and prevent more from being set up across the state.

 

[AnimeMania]

I really didn't like that The Leverage team had to fake almost all of the problems that happened at the house and forced the Fracking Rig to explode. They really didn't use any of the real data they collected to show that fracking was bad, only faked scenarios to give the fracking group bad optics. I think showing that the Attorney General was burying the fracking lawsuits and was the owner of the fracking company would have been enough to bring him down.

[kimaken]

19 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I really didn't like that The Leverage team had to fake almost all of the problems that happened at the house and forced the Fracking Rig to explode. They really didn't use any of the real data they collected to show that fracking was bad, only faked scenarios to give the fracking group bad optics. I think showing that the Attorney General was burying the fracking lawsuits and was the owner of the fracking company would have been enough to bring him down.

They faked the problems because they needed quick results to get the Attorney General guy to run complain to the fracking head guy. That's when they discovered that the AG was in on the whole thing and his connection to the fracking company. The AG was  powerful and had too many government and legal eagles in his pocket to counteract most "proof", plus the time it would take to go through such channels would not save the town. Also, the team made sure no one was injured in the explosion--but that action plus Elliott's dad doing the lighting-water-on-fire trick in front of the press made sure this wasn't get swept away under mountains of legal rabbit holes. Lastly, team also made sure the whole audience there heard that because of all the evidence they gathered, the AG and company were going to have to pay 60 million dollars to the town! The bad guys weren't going to get out of that so easily.

I was surprised to learn that Elliott was adopted by a black couple in the very conservative (Republican/red) state of Oklahoma!

[marceline]

This was a good one. I really like where we are with Sophie. Bumping into her old colleague clearly has her rattled but she's still in good form. The way she described Eliot's dad as one of his few vulnerabilities and how Eliot would be the collateral damage reminded me of something Nate would say but with empathy added. I also like that we didn't get a lot of wacky Parker. Pop's conversation with Breanna made me smile. It made me wonder what the future holds for her.

3 hours ago, kimaken said:

I was surprised to learn that Elliott was adopted by a black couple in the very conservative (Republican/red) state of Oklahoma!

Yeah, I'm just going to file that away as something that could only happen in the Leverageverse. Just like Hardison in space or Parker being able to hang on to a car's undercarriage without getting burned. Hardison welcoming Eliot to the cookout is going to be one of those scenes I rewatch over and over.

Edited December 7, 2022 by marceline

[DearEvette]

Breanna: “Wait you haven’t talked to your dad in 60 years?"
Eliot: “I’m not that old Breanna”
Breanna: “Aren’t you though?”

Between that and Breanna being amazed that Elliot had a father, it isn't surprising she thinks Eliot is some mythical creature from Gotham. 

Holy cow!  Keith David is Eliot's dad.  I loved the reveal of that surprising fact.  Also Hardison welcoming Eliot to the cookout!  LOL.

There was some good continuity here as well.  Besides the fact that there has been several mentions in the  OG series that Elliot was estranged from his father and we had a couple of near misses in a few eps that also showed Eliot planning to see his dad but was derailed somehow.  There was also the episode where the big box store comes into towns and squeezes out the local mom and pops we learned then that Eliot' had worked in his dad's hardware store.  And in these one we see the store and he mentions working there.

Parker and Breanna popping up in the truck to be Eliot's emotional support was funny.

Overall decent episode but it felt a little on the sentimental/serious side even with some of the funny bits.  And I didn't get that really satisfying 'Hell's Yeah! moment' feel at the reveal.

[Llywela]

17 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

There was some good continuity here as well.  Besides the fact that there has been several mentions in the  OG series that Elliot was estranged from his father and we had a couple of near misses in a few eps that also showed Eliot planning to see his dad but was derailed somehow.  There was also the episode where the big box store comes into towns and squeezes out the local mom and pops we learned then that Eliot' had worked in his dad's hardware store.  And in these one we see the store and he mentions working there.

Agreed, although watching this episode immediately after re-watching the Two Horse Job raises a few interesting questions. In that one, his childhood sweetheart and her father are in Kentucky, rather than Oklahoma, and I can't quite figure out if that's where Eliot was supposed to have grown up before the backstory later got switched to Oklahoma, or if Aimee and her father moved there later. I can headcanon that they moved after Aimee's divorce, maybe, since there's no mention of Eliot's family at all in that episode. Aimee mentions that she hasn't seen Eliot in 8 years at that point, and talks about how he left a whole bunch of times over a period of years before the last time when he never came back (because she was marrying someone else, having finally given up on him) - if he was in and out of town whenever he got the chance for a few years after joining the army (visiting both Aimee and his mother, I'd guess), but wasn't on speaking terms with his father at all after signing up, that paints an unhappy picture.

By the end of the original series, Sophie and Eliot were the two who remained the most mysterious, so I like that this season is gently peeling away a few layers for them both. This episode makes me chuckle, though, to think of how John Rogers used to insist that it was better to keep Eliot vague than to lumber him with a bunch of backstory - and now this episode produces a significant chunk of backstory for him.

The dad was just perfection as Eliot's role model growing up. The mannerisms, the attitude, the stubbornness, the grouchiness, such a pitch perfect demonstration of exactly where Eliot gets it all from! Talk about nature versus nurture - nurture had a lot to answer for there!

[Prevailing Wind]

I was surprised that, at the press conference, the AG didn't notice the significant change in Sophie's voice/accent.  Also, Dad's house in The Low Low Price Job was more modest then the one in this episode. After those two semi-complaints, I can safely say I heartily enjoyed the rest of the show.

[Mabinogia]

3 hours ago, Llywela said:

The dad was just perfection as Eliot's role model growing up. The mannerisms, the attitude, the stubbornness, the grouchiness, such a pitch perfect demonstration of exactly where Eliot gets it all from! Talk about nature versus nurture - nurture had a lot to answer for there!

Indeed. I 100% believe that this is the man who raised Eliot. And Eliot, well, them both really, tearing up as they said goodbye made me cry it was so beautifully done. I am really impressed at Christian Kane's ability to do the "holding back tears but they leak out anyway" look. His whole face was crying without crying. 

3 hours ago, DearEvette said:

And I didn't get that really satisfying 'Hell's Yeah! moment' feel at the reveal.

I, OTOH, Got a bigger "hell's yeah!" moment than I usually get. When the rig blew, that was my YES moment, and then when they told Melrose Place Guy that he'd have to pay the town butt loads and they all cheered was another. We usually only get the reaction of one person or a small family that they help. It was fun hearing a large number of people who just got Leveraged cheering them on.

[Sarah 103]

I didn't like Sophie's accent. I have no idea what it was supposed to be in terms of region, class or anything else that an accent is usually used to indicate/suggest. 

I enjoyed the rest of the episode. 

[SoMuchTV]

14 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I didn't like Sophie's accent. I have no idea what it was supposed to be in terms of region, class or anything else that an accent is usually used to indicate/suggest. 

I enjoyed the rest of the episode. 

I’m pretty sure that at least at some point, the cc’s indicted “[American accent]”. Whatever that is. 

It did kind of put me in mind of the stereotypical hard-drinking, hard-smoking “career woman” from the 60s or so. 

[Maelstrom]

After so many years of Eliot and Sophie's backstories being kept so deliberately vague, it's really exciting to finally get to see behind the veil of mystery. We finally get to see behind Eliot's mask, and glimpse the hurt teenager underneath. I gotta say, finding out that Eliot was adopted definitely caught me by surprise - it's interesting that, even with Hardison and Parker both being open about being foster kids, Eliot never mentioned being adopted. Totally keeping with Eliot's closed off personality, of course, but still interesting.

I think the most poignant detail for me was Parker and Sophie's reactions - they've known him the longest of the current crew, and been through the most with him, so they recognized the gravity of Eliot finally opening up and letting the team in past his armor. I also appreciated that Sophie's redemption arc was brought into play through her conversations with Harry in the midst of Eliot's crisis, too. Her comment about Eliot being the collateral damage was very insightful, and felt more like classic Sophie (getting inside everyone's heads) rather than uncertain Sophie (trying to lead through organized plans like Nate).

On 12/7/2022 at 5:08 PM, Mabinogia said:

I am really impressed at Christian Kane's ability to do the "holding back tears but they leak out anyway" look. His whole face was crying without crying.

Yes! Just looking at him made me want to cry. For all that CK is usually limited to irritation, snark and fighting as Eliot, he can really bring the pathos when he gets the chance.

Random:

• Hardison! It's a shame that we couldn't have him in person for Eliot's Very Special Episode, but a cameo is better than nothing (and I will happily take cheesy green screen effects for a little more Hardison)
• I do believe that was one of CK's songs playing on the truck radio before Parker and Breanna popped up - and speaking of, count me in as loving the entire exchange of Parker being there for emotional support, Breanna being there so Parker knows what that is, and Breanna's jibe about Eliot being so old, lol ("I'm not that old, Breanna!" "Aren't you though?")
• Breanna's DIY pepper spray was very creative and a little terrifying
• Sophie's reporter accent was really odd
• The lake testing site was totally the lake form the Spirit's Ruse castle job
• So many throwbacks! The hardware store Eliot worked at (his shirt at the end said Carson Hardware, too); Harry's ever-growing redemption list ("turns out it's really hard to prove something caused cancer in court"); Parker's still set on them getting robot bodies after death ("I'll finish telling you about the robot bodies next time"); Harry mentioning Sophie's superpower and kryptonite, ala the Mastermind Job
• And of course, "What smells like a fracking rig and screams like a girl?" 🤣 The Bank Shot Job remains one of my very favorite classic eps, so I'm happy for it to get a shout out

[marceline]

Apologies if I'm doing this wrong but I was wondering about starting a general thread for discussion about season 2.

I feel like this season is shaping up to have some interesting character arcs and I'm wondering where/how to discuss it.

Just a thought.

And yeah...Sophie's accent was a hot mess but something I found interesting is how Sophie did that weird voice all through the episode but at the press conference she used her real accent.

Edited December 13, 2022 by marceline

[MissLucas]

Maybe Sophie's accent was supposed to be another indicator that she's a bit off her game and also under some additional stress here worrying about Eliot. 

And that's why this show works despite a lot over the top/ridiculous cons and stunts (like Parker hanging under that car): emotional beats and character arcs are extremely well executed, both in writing and in acting. 

[tessaray]

2 hours ago, marceline said:

Apologies if I'm doing this wrong but I was wondering about starting a general thread for discussion about season 2.

You can discuss your thoughts and speculation on the general arc of S2 in individual topics as they unfold. Just don't include details from future episodes. (Spoilers!)

Most shows use the last episode of the season to also comment on the Season as a whole. 

[Llywela]

5 hours ago, marceline said:

And yeah...Sophie's accent was a hot mess but something I found interesting is how Sophie did that weird voice all through the episode but at the press conference she used her real accent.

Sophie often drops her 'con' accent toward the end, when the game is up. It's part of 'the gloat', part of the moment when the mark realises how badly they've been played and how catastrophic the result will be. At the press conference, she no longer needed to maintain the persona she'd used for the con, she no longer needed to convince the mark she was that person, it was all over for him already.

[Prevailing Wind]

10 hours ago, Llywela said:

Sophie often drops her 'con' accent toward the end, when the game is up. It's part of 'the gloat', part of the moment when the mark realises how badly they've been played and how catastrophic the result will be. At the press conference, she no longer needed to maintain the persona she'd used for the con, she no longer needed to convince the mark she was that person, it was all over for him already.

But I'm not sure this mark even noticed.

[marceline]

14 hours ago, MissLucas said:

And that's why this show works despite a lot over the top/ridiculous cons and stunts (like Parker hanging under that car): emotional beats and character arcs are extremely well executed, both in writing and in acting. 

Agreed. It's like a workplace comedy but with all this extra heart.

[Llywela]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

But I'm not sure this mark even noticed.

But the principle still applies - it's the reason she dropped it, she no longer needed to play that part. Her role in the press conference was quite different, aimed at turning the screw rather than convincing the mark.

[DoctorAtomic]

I actually use the increase in earthquakes in Oklahoma from fracking as a case study in class! Did they not know the state capital is Oklahoma City though?

I was confused when they said Eliot hasn't spoken to his father because he already did. But then I realized that was when he was Jake Stone and a Librarian.  

Nice callback to the robot bodies too. 

They certainly picked an excellent guest star for Eliot's father. The ending monologue was a little corny, but correct - It doesn't matter who got the medal; the people in the camp know what happened. I don't know if it was deliberate, but it's the same theme for the frog peeing episode where the mark was bloviating about saving everyone on the bridge. 

[blueray]

On 12/7/2022 at 5:27 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

I was surprised that, at the press conference, the AG didn't notice the significant change in Sophie's voice/accent.

Me too. I was surprised when it wasn't mentioned. But I was glad as that accent was annoying.

I like that we are getting some of Elliot's back story. And getting to meet his father (which has been an ongoing plot for a while). I do wonder how much he knows about what Elliot is doing now. As it almost seemed like he was surprised when Brianna was making a fake ID and saying why doesn't she go to school.

[Maelstrom]

On 12/16/2022 at 7:27 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

I was confused when they said Eliot hasn't spoken to his father because he already did. But then I realized that was when he was Jake Stone and a Librarian.

Ha, same here.

On 12/21/2022 at 7:49 PM, blueray said:

I do wonder how much he knows about what Elliot is doing now. As it almost seemed like he was surprised when Brianna was making a fake ID and saying why doesn't she go to school.

I forgot to mention in my original post, but that scene between Papa Spencer and Breanna was an interesting parallel/callback to the scene between Nate and Hardison in The Juror Job - where Nate tells Hardison that he’s smart enough to really make something of himself, meaning a “real” career rather than crime.

[ML89]

Sophie’s accent was Margot Kidder as Lois Lane to me, so a Superman joke to go with Breanna’s Smallville line?  

[andromeda331]

I did wonder if we were going to see Jacob Stone's father show up as Eliot's father. I like the twist about his father and how alike they both were. I'm glad we finally got to see him.

I liked Sophie being off her game. That was interesting.

I kind of wish the AG had been a good person given how surprised the crew was in the beginning thinking he was. But it was still fun watching him getting taken down.

[Prevailing Wind]

andromeda331, You've been binging, haven't you?  LOL.

[andromeda331]

17 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

andromeda331, You've been binging, haven't you?  LOL.

Yes, I have. Almost every night the past week. 

[Mabinogia]

16 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

Yes, I have. Almost every night the past week. 

Well then, at least for an hour a night, you're having a great week!!! 

This has been a great season so far. 

[aradia22]

Keith David! I did NOT see him being Eliot's father. I was thinking old football coach and then Eliot's father would be the B or C plot. They did find someone with an iconic deep, gravelly voice. Honestly, I do not remember enough about Eliot's backstory to know if all the Oklahoma stuff fits. For some reason, I thought the implication on the original show was that he had a bad home life and enlisted to escape it. I'm betting there's some fuzzy continuity though you'd think they'd consult a show bible before writing something big like this.

"Welcome to the cookout. You in the family." 

Quote

I didn't like Sophie's accent. I have no idea what it was supposed to be in terms of region, class or anything else that an accent is usually used to indicate/suggest. 

lol, what was that voice for Aubrey? Sophie sounded like the Theranos woman.

The way Billy walked into to see all the screens and threw his hands up and walked out again was very Eliot.

I hope they bring Keith David back. He really elevated this episode with his acting. The two big emotional scenes (the backyard and the goodbye) were fantastic.

Quote

Pop's conversation with Breanna made me smile. It made me wonder what the future holds for her.

I feel like they're leaving some room for Breanna to be written out or for the actress to at least take a break. Assuming any of the actors had other projects, it would be good to establish sooner rather than later the possibility of other members of the international Leverage crew swapping in. 

[snarktini]

On 1/12/2023 at 1:26 AM, andromeda331 said:

I did wonder if we were going to see Jacob Stone's father show up as Eliot's father. I like the twist about his father and how alike they both were. I'm glad we finally got to see him.

So I just watched this episode last week. Tonight, I am watching the Librarians episode where they meet Stone's dad...and I was SO confused! I was like, wait, we just learned Elliot's dad is Black...what did I miss?

Then of course the penny dropped and I realized I was watching a different show. Christian Kane with *short* hair. But basically the same taciturn, rough and tumble (but also cultured and highly intelligent) character...I love Christian Kane but he doesn't have a ton of range!

I do feel like Elliot's parentage was written more for the shock value than real storytelling. Feels designed for character reaction and it doesn't feel really right. I realize we didn't know much about him, but this feels retconned.

Edited April 27, 2023 by snarktini