Mini Reviews- September 12th

Leverage 3x13- The Morning After Job

Leverage ended it's summer season with another great episode which is really the only 'arc' episode there has been since the premiere. However as a finale episode it lacked a little and whilst I understand why TNT might want to keep a few episodes back till the Winter, the 13/3 episode split is frustrating and a more even split would've been better. However, there may be some creative reasoning behind the split so I'll reserve judgment until the winter. (exact return date tba)
This episode is a little different to many of the episodes Leverage usually do. Though there was the usual victim, this one was really about going after Moreau, the mastermind criminal, the Italian wants the gang to go after in exchange for releasing Nate from prison.BI agent rather well. Eliot and Hardison did their usual and very funny double act which works so well because of their ability to vibe of each other. Sophie disappointingly had very little to do, I hope her role in season 4 increases because we haven't seen her do a whole lot since Gina Bellman went on maternity leave in season 2.

Chuck 3x15 Chuck versus the Role Models

A fairly good Chuck episode. With the state of their role models marriage as it was, I was curious to see where the show was going in terms of lesson for Sarah and Chuck. They didn't really come to any conclusion and honestly I found the vague 'we're different' platitudes followed by a swift moving in to be a little irritating. I did quite enjoy the Casey/Morgan stuff and whilst I enjoyed the Ellie/Awesome in Doctors Without Borders I was a little sad to see their journey end so quickly; it would've been nice to see them there a little bit longer.

Mad Men 1x10/1x11- Shoot & The Long Weekend

Very good episodes. The first definitely saw conflict rising, with Peggy gaining new found confidence to stand up to Joan and Don squashing Betty's dreams of being a model. I'm not a huge Betty fan, but it was easy to feel her pain at having her dream snatched away. I'm not sure I totally blame Don for not taking the job; it is his career after all and he has to do his best not just for himself but his family.
In the second episode we saw a few souls laid bare; Sterling's after his heart attack, Joan's roommate as she confessed her feelings for Joan and Don as he revealed a small part of his childhood to Rachel. It's almost a relief that the latter have slept together now as it's been brewing for weeks. I also found both the company's and Joan's reactions to Sterling's heart attack to be very interesting (telegraph's in the middle of the night?! A different world perhaps). Also the Nixon and Kennedy storyline is brewing nicely.


I'm quite annoyed to realise that after playing the last 3 episodes of season 1 tonight (Sunday 12th) the BBC don't seem to be continuing with their reruns, perhaps due to the clash with ongoing season 4. I hope we won't have to wait very long for season 2

Mini Reviews- August

It has been a little quieter on the TV front this month, but I've had a few TV shows to keep me going as you can see on my profile to the right of this post. I'll do a quick summary of them:

Chuck (season 3 part 1)
Chuck hit it's 13th episode mark last week- the original finale episode before the show was given a reprieve.
It had been a good and fast moving 13 episodes. Awesome became involved in the spy world, Morgan found out Chuck's secret, Casey got fired, both Chuck and Sarah got involved with other people and then (finally) each other and Chuck became a real spy. The plot and character development really was a whirlwind and has done creative wonders for a show that was becoming very formulaic. I know that the next few episodes may not be as good, seeing that they are an addendum to the season, but I'm looking forward to them nonetheless.

Entourage (season 7)
HBO's short seasons means that Entourage will be over in just a few episodes even though it feels like the season has just started. The season is a lot darker than previous seasons and generally there is a very different tone about it. There have been very few scenes with all the guys together as all the boys are pursuing their own lives/dreams. This isn't a bad thing, though after watching previous seasons on DVD, it does make me miss the boys' camaraderie.
The darker tone comes from Vince, who after a lucky escape from a dangerous stunt goes of the rails a little, popping Vicodins, snorting coke and jumping out of planes. I'm quite enjoying his descent into the Hollywood maddness and it feels that this could be a great setup for the final season next year.

Leverage (season 3)
I have caught up fully with Leverage now, and I am feeling the effects of catching up too fast as waiting a whole week for a new episode is proving difficult! However the show is continuing to be fun and the most recent episode I watched 'The Roshomon Job' in which each character told their side of a particular job, was one of the best episodes they've done. Some of the recent plot devices have become a little bit wacky and unrealistic, but amongst all the capers, the show has real heart which is keeping it grounded. According to twitter the show recently wrapped up filming and the mid season finale will air next week in the States. After that expect a blog reviewing season 2 and 3 (since I never got around to doing the season 2 blog)


Mad Men (season 1)
Everyone raves about this show, so when the BBC decided to rerun episodes from the beginning on Sunday nights in anticipation for the newest season, I decided to tune in. It's not hard to see why everybody loves this show and why it won the Emmy for best drama show this week. The characters are all perfectly drawn and its fun to see a little bit more of their characters every episode. The show doesn't pander to idiots so a lot is left unexplained and though some of it may be going over my head, I enjoy that I have to work a little to understand it. Plus the excellent cast make it very easy to watch.

Ugly Betty (season 4)
This show has only just kicked off here in the UK but it has been enjoyable so far.
Betty trying (and failing) in her new job feels a lot like season 1 (in a good way) and it's nice to see the other characters getting meatier storylines, especially Amanda and Justin, who have largely been comedy relief in the past. Amanda's quest for a better job/ more stable life will be interesting to watch and shows she is more than just a caricature. Justin's trouble in his high school was painful but endearing to watch. I look forward to seeing more of both storylines in future episodes.

Leverage Season 1 Review

Leverage Season 1

As a big Whedon fan (the last few shows I have watched/been obsessed by have all contained a Whedon alum in a major role) and after listening to some of Christian Kane's music on You Tube (and developing a huge crush!), I decided to give Christian Kane's latest show, Leverage, a try.

The show is set around a group of criminals and thieves who are united by good guy Nate Ford- still reeling from his former employers (an insurance company) refusal to pay for his son's treatment which ultimately led to his death. Along for the ride are grifter Sophie, hacker Hardison, hitter, Eliot and thief Parker. The team help steal from big businesses and other monied individuals to give back to the people who have been stung by these businesses.
The whole show feels very much Oceans 11, except funnier, smarter, with more likable characters and a better cast. The pilot perfectly sets up for the rest of the show, in which the team are brought together for the first time. It's one of the few jobs in which the crew are self serving and whilst later episodes find them taking on jobs to help other people, there are some personal agendas along the way.

The show isn't terribly grounded in logic; it's incredible how they pull off some of the cons and get away with some of the things they do. Also I don't always understand what's going on, especially the hacker stuff but it's not completely necessary to enjoy the show and the cons they perform. However this makes the show hugely fun to watch and the 'Robin Hood' nature of their jobs leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Favourite episodes:

The Nigerian Job- where it all began. Great start and gives the first hint of the type of misdirection stunts the team can pull off

The Bank Shot Job- Nate usually leads the team, but when he's stuck inside a bank robbery with Sophie, the whole team must use their skills to get them out safely.

The Juror 6 Job- this job pits the crew directly against a company trying to rig a court case. It's a fun cat and mouse game

The First David Job- this job sees the team seek revenge on Nate's old employer wth interesting results which truly show how far the team has come.