OT: Two Things

[Christopher]

I haven't seen Leverage, so I can't attest to the accuracy of this, but someone once suggested it to me as a modern equivalent to Mission: Impossible. And M:I was basically a variant on the heist-movie format anyway (particularly Topkapi), just with the cons and heists being pulled off in the name of national security to make it more ethically palatable.

 

[Dayton Ward]

Leverage isn't so much steal from rich/give to the poor "just because they're rich and can afford it" as it is the team acting as an instrument of retribution for "little people" who've been wronged by the rich and powerful.

The leader of the team is a guy who used to work as a fraud investigator for a big insurance company, until they screwed him and his family when they wouldn't pay for a surgical procedure which might've saved his son. Now he uses that knowledge, along with the expertise of the team he's assembled, to hit back at companies or individuals who pull those sorts of stunts in order to secure "justice" for those who wouldn't normally have any other recourse.

Do they break laws? Yeah...stuff like breaking and entering, wire-tapping, etc., but the only victims are generally the marks they've targeted, who are dicks, anyway. A lot of the effort is actually geared toward scheming/manipulating the mark into tripping themselves up. Sometimes, their scams actually end up aiding law enforcement, as they trick the mark into revealing themselves and their antics to cops/feds/etc.

 

[Christopher]

A lot of the effort is actually geared toward scheming/manipulating the mark into tripping themselves up.

Which definitely reminds me of Mission: Impossible.

 

[Dayton Ward]

It's a bit Mission: Impossible, with portions of Robin Hood, The Sting, and the Ocean's ____ movies mixed in for flavor. It definitely has some of the same kind of humor you'd find in the Ocean movies.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Col. So, arc-heavy or standalone eps that one can jump in on when it shows up? Apparently Bravo showed it in the spring, so I'll keep an eye out for reruns

 

[David Mack]

^ It's generally episodic, jump-in-anywhere, but there are some larger arcs or themes to each season that play out incrementally.

 

[James Swallow]

Hm, a bit like Hustle, but not so much con-job-based, then? Sounds interesting- I'll have to see if it's on here...

Dave; Leverage is what Hustle would love to be. Plus, it has more Doctor Who jokes.

 

[Technobuilder]

Emily Peel & Johnathan Steed...

I cackled for almost a minute.

(Taking a cue from Supernatural's Playbook there eh?)

 

[David Mack]

Emily Peel & Johnathan Steed...

I cackled for almost a minute.

(Taking a cue from Supernatural's Playbook there eh?)

The script is full of in-jokes. For instance, did you catch the name of the security system they were trying to thwart? The Steranko?

The climactic shot of the window-washer's rig had me and my wife cheering, laughing, and clapping at the same time. A great episode, perfectly structured, brilliantly executed.

 

[JD]

Ah, I was wondering if that name had any significance.

 

[David Mack]

^ and the security VP named Voorhees? The episode was packed with juicy tidbits....

 

[Davros]

hey, folks. Sorry i've been absent so long. head underwater but here's why.

For the Americans (and anyone who has- er- connections) this Sunday night an episode of TV series LEVERAGE will air at 9pm.

Why is this significant? Because I wrote it.

here's a link to the preview:

LEVERAGE: THE INSIDE JOB

the other thing that i wanted to say is that, while I've slacked off it for the last few months, I WILL get back to drawing the "animated" TITAN characters, picking up with the supporting characters and those from SYNTHESIS.

Keep up the great work.

 

[JD]

^ and the security VP named Voorhees? The episode was packed with juicy tidbits....

Oh yeah, that one I caught right away. The original Friday the 13 was the third horror movie I ever watched.

 

[Geoff Thorne]

THANKS, guys. I'm glad you dug it.

Personally I was freaking out the whole time. I haven't been this nervous since SoD hit stores.

So we're wrapping up the season over the next four weeks I think and then I can get back to drawing TITAN's crew.

Did I mention my worship of James Swallow? SYNTHESIS RULES!

 

[Turtletrekker]

Geoff, the thread "The Avengers Ride Again" over in TV and Media is about your episode.

 

[ares93]

just watched the ep. now i just hope some swedish channel picks it up. running 20kb/sec isn't my idea of fast. and staying up til 04-05am isn't exactly something i usually do. anyway i liked it. good story, and plenty of action. its ares93-approved

 

[James Swallow]

Did I mention my worship of James Swallow? SYNTHESIS RULES!

Aw, thanks, mate.

Of course, I'd love to watch your ep, but here across the pond we've only just had the end of season one, so I guess I'll have to wait. I'm skipping lightly over what folks are saying here for the same reason I can't read all of John Rogers's bloggage over at Kung Fu Monkey - spoilers, damn it!

 

[Lonemagpie]

Ah, Bravo is starting a rerun from the first episode of Leverage, right now. (and ran a trail for season 2 a moment ago)

Off I go to see what it's like...

 

[RookieBatman]

I've been thinking about Netflixing this show. It sounds promising...

 

[JD]

^They have the first season on Instant Watch.