WithLeverage: Redemptionseason 3 reaching its end, there is no word (yet) on a season 4 of the series, but the end of the season leaves fans in a nice spot to rewatch the very show that kicked everything off.Leveragebegan in 2008 on TNT and ran for five seasons before the network canceled the show. The original premise sees a group of criminals who operate in different fields (hitter, hacker, grifter, thief) brought together for a single job under a former insurance investigator, the mastermind and honest man of the group, who knows his way around a con.
The revival series picks up one year after the death of that mastermind, and years after he had retired from the con. It does, however, help to flesh out the backstories of the other four original characters immensely. A rewatch of the original series (or even someone watching for the first time) will allow a fan to pick up on a lot more now that we have all seenseason 3 ofLeverage: Redemption.
Sophie’s History Makes “The Lonely Hearts Job” Hit Harder
“The Lonely Hearts Job” Is Season 4, Episode 15
Season 4 has the most episodes of anyLeverageseason, so it certainly makes sense that there are the most episodes that hint at the backstory of the characters in that season. One of them is “The Lonely Hearts Club,” in which Sophie (Gina Bellman) uses the alias of Lady Charlotte Prentiss. The Duchess persona is used a handful of times in the original season, but this is the episode that hits closest to home for who Lady Charlotte turns out to be.
Sophie’s history as the Duchess is explored in seasons 2 and 3 ofLeverage: Redemptionin a way that it was not in the original series. While the original show hints at Sophie’s past, it does not bring everything to light. The revival series reveals that Sophie used the persona to con wealthy men out of their fortunes, but one of those men, she actually married and became stepmother to his daughter.
“The Lonely Hearts Job” sees Sophie and the rest of team Leverage take on a woman who uses young and attractive women to con wealthy men into giving up their fortunes before those women disappear. In particular, the episode sees one man come to Nate (Timothy Hutton) and his team for help in tracking down his missing wife, who was part of the scheme. Sophie recognizes the scam for what it is, and it becomes personal for her, doubly so since Nate has to pretend to con Lady Charlotte to impress those leading the con.
While the extent of Sophie’s backstory might not have been known when the original episode was written,seeing it through the lens of Sophie’s vulnerabilities being exposed inLeverage: Redemptionmakes it all the more poignant.
Breanna’s Presence In The Revival Helps Flesh Out Hardison’s Backstory
Hardison’s Story Is The Least Fleshed Out In The Revival
Because actor Aldis Hodge became committed to so many other projects when theLeverage: Redemptionseries was greenlit (firstCity On A Hill,Black Adam, and later,Cross, among others), Hardison’s time in the revival series is limited. The writers found a way to keep Hardison involved and introduced a new character with their own compelling story to boot. In adding Breanna (Aleyse Shannon), Hardison’s younger foster sister, she is not simply replacing his role in the team because her methods are so different.
In addition to allowing the series another young criminal to train just as they had in the original series, Breanna’s inclusion also helps to flesh out Hardison’s backstory a bit. While Breanna might not talk about their home life or their Nana much, her being brought into the Leverage team is billed as a way to help protect trouble from coming to the rest of the family. Hardison mentions that, like him when he was her age and about to become a member of Leverage, the FBI has come looking for Breanna.
While the original series largely paints Hardison as overconfident, secure in his abilities, and sure he can out-con the rest of the team,Breanna’s inclusion inLeverage: Redemptionis a great way to show what might have been going on under the surface. Breanna is a lot more open with her insecurities, while Hardison did not let them surface until he was found out. It makes for an interesting comparison between the two.
We Finally Meet Eliot’s Father And Understand Their Estrangement
Eliot’s Backstory Has Always Been Rooted In His Work
Eliot (Christian Kane) is introduced as the team’s hitter, a retrieval specialist who has worked for the government as well as freelanced in the past. He proves himself much more than a hitter, however, as he is easily able to slip into any of the cons that Sophie and Nate plan, even in the first season ofLeverage. Despite his anger, Eliot is usually able to keep a cool head under pressure and avoid rising to the bait of those they con.
There are hints to his potential backstory as he is one of the people who understands Nate’s reliance on alcohol during his worst times in the show. Those hints, however, do not seem to apply to his relationship with his father. Instead, the reason for their split is revealed in the second season ofLeverage: Redemption. Eliot idolized his father, who was a military man, and decided to join up against his father’s wishes. That led him down the path of darkness, violence, and crime that he would be embroiled in when the series begins.
Eliot repeatedly tells the team members that he does not see himself as redeemable inLeverage: Redemption. He has done so many things in his life that he considers just as bad as the very people they take down. That feeds into his reason for feeling like he cannot go home in the first series. He does not feel like someone his father can be proud of. The fact that he missed his mother’s funeral also adds to that.
In theseason 3Leverage: Redemptionfinale, Eliot gets to touch on this idea of being irredeemable again when he believes Parker (Beth Riesgraf) is going to kill her mark. He makes it clear to Parker, that even if she crosses that line, he will be there for her because he understands her.Eliot does not judge her for that darkness, as he has learned to embrace it and use it to help people, despite it meaning he walked away from a relationship with his father for decades.
Parker’s Potential And Growth Is The Most Realized
Parker Becomes The True Mastermind Of Both Series
Leverage: Redemptiondoes not have to flesh her out; instead, it shows why Nate chooses her as his successor.
When watching the originalLeverageseries all the way through tothe end of season three ofLeverage: Redemption, it is clear that one character has grown more than anyone else in both shows: Parker. Parker’s backstory is given to the audience in small installments in the original series, from her being in the foster system, to joining a car theft ring, to being trained by one of the best thieves in the world. Parker’s backstory is less mysterious than most of the other characters.
Leverage: Redemptiondoes not have to flesh her out; instead, it shows why Nate chooses her as his successor.Leverageends with Sophie and Nate’s retirement, but whenLeverage: Redemptionpicks up, Parker hands the reins of Leverage International over to Sophie as a way to help the other woman grieve and move on with her life. The audience does not get to see Parker in action as the team leader as often as a result, but they do get to see how much her empathy for others has grown since the original show.
This version of Parker is not just responsible for her own team, and able to put aside her differences with Sophie’s stepdaughter Astrid (Alexandra Park) to welcome her to the family, but she is also responsible for the lives of so many of her teammates around the world. She does not just have to stay one step ahead with her friends, but multiple steps ahead for multiple teams in different countries. She keeps up with all the other jobs and is able to plan a con that allows Hurley (Drew Powell) to help people so he can heal from his own loss.
Parker has also grown when it comes to the darkness inside of her. While she still loves setting things on fire, using tasers on her enemies, and stealing priceless artifacts,she knows when to use the darkness inside of her to her advantage instead of allowing it to take control. She proves that in theLeverage: Redemptionseason 3 finale when she makes a mark believe she will kill him, then allows him to go on the run so she can force him to experience what he has put his own victims through.
Parker’s trajectory from theLeveragepilot toLeverage: Redemptionseason 3 shows an astonishing amount of character growth that a rewatch allows the audience to appreciate even more.
Leverage: Redemption
Cast
Leverage: Redemption reunites The Hitter, The Hacker, The Grifter, and The Thief, joined by a new tech expert and corporate fixer. The group targets contemporary villains, from an opioid crisis architect to a secretive security firm, continuing their mission to provide leverage to those in need.
