Leverage

I really like this show FireDragon. When I first started watching it I was a little sceptical but it soon won me over. It's rare to find a show with an ensemble cast where everyone has such good onscreen chemistry. (Friends is another example.)

Another strength is that all five are allowed to grow and change throughout the series, just as people do in real life. Remember how Parker was in the beginning? She's so different now, yet she still retains her essential "Parker-ness".

This is an entertaining, fast-paced show with a very warm heart.
 
Gotta love Parker. :) Even though I gotta say, my favorite character is Elliot...

I even got my mom hooked on the show and she was kind of on the fence about it mainly because she hadn't really watched it before. I bought the 1st season and we watched it, and now she loves it.
 
I didn't like Elliot for much of season 1 but then he started to grow on me. Now I like him very much and his interactions with the others, especially Hardison, are very funny.
 
Daisy-Boo said:
I didn't like Elliot for much of season 1 but then he started to grow on me. Now I like him very much and his interactions with the others, especially Hardison, are very funny.
Click to expand...

Really? You didn't like him at first? I loved him from the start...but I might be a little prejudiced, I love martial arts and things like that so yeah. I absolutely love how he interacts with Hardison, it's so great! :)
 
FireDragon-16 said:
Really? You didn't like him at first? I loved him from the start...but I might be a little prejudiced, I love martial arts and things like that so yeah. I absolutely love how he interacts with Hardison, it's so great! :)
Click to expand...

There were two things that bothered me about him in the beginning.
1) He seemed like the stereotypical gravelly-voiced tough guy, with little personality.
2) His long hair! I kept thinking that during a fight it would be so easy to grab hold of that hair.

Anyway, once Elliot's character developed past that one-dimensional stereotype I grew quite fond of him.
 
I watched the episode with Danny Glover and I really liked it (I know it's a couple weeks old, but my mom finally watched it so I've been discussing it with her). Anyway, I really liked how they had the actors playing out the story as Danny was telling it, and how he decided to talk when he saw how Parker and Hardison were interacting (about time for that by the way).
 
I've been doing some research, and based on what I'm seeing, episodes are coming back towards the end of November (just in case anyone's interested)
 
steve12553 said:
The show has a kind of Mission Impossible feel to it. ( The series not the Tom Cruise over the top crap) I like Tim Hutton as an actor and enjoy his tribute to his dad were he dressed as Ellery Queen. (One of my favorite old shows).
Click to expand...

I've never watched the original Mission Impossible...maybe I should check it out and see.

I didn't know that he did that to tribute his dad, that's pretty cool.
 
FireDragon-16 said:
I've never watched the original Mission Impossible...maybe I should check it out and see.

I didn't know that he did that to tribute his dad, that's pretty cool.
Click to expand...

It was just a quick bit. Someone asked him who he was at a costume party and he said Ellery Queen. (He had the sweater-vest and the hat that his dad wore in his show.)
 
Last edited:
So this is what American TV execs do when they can't be bothered to buy the format for Hustle from the Beeb :D

I'm enjoying watching it (I think I'm in love with Parker :eek:) with the only caveat being that the directing has been quite weak so far. Fortunately the scripts and casting are, all-in-all, pretty good. (Did I mention I was in love with Parker?)

And it's great to see Christian Kane (thought he was brilliant in Angel - Evil Hand :D :D) and some real ensemble playing that I look forward to seeing develop as the series progresses. Great cast (I'm gonna marry Parker one day, btw).
 
Interference said:
So this is what American TV execs do when they can't be bothered to buy the format for Hustle from the Beeb :D

I'm enjoying watching it (I think I'm in love with Parker :eek:) with the only caveat being that the directing has been quite weak so far. Fortunately the scripts and casting are, all-in-all, pretty good. (Did I mention I was in love with Parker?)

And it's great to see Christian Kane (thought he was brilliant in Angel - Evil Hand :D :D) and some real ensemble playing that I look forward to seeing develop as the series progresses. Great cast (I'm gonna marry Parker one day, btw).
Click to expand...

I take it you've got a thing for Parker? Better not tell Hardison ;). It's alright, I've definitely got a thing for Christian Kane...

It's so exciting to find more people who know about the show, let alone like it! I've actually been working on getting other people hooked on it...most recently that's one of my best friends from high school
 
This is weird! I've been hearing "Artisan", which I thought was a brilliant name. Hardison works just as well, though....

Ok, just so I can put you right about this "thing" thing: It isn't a "thing". It's Love! :p

She is one of the best-drawn of the characters, in my view, though she often seems almost marginalised (it's time for your schtick, now, Parker). Nevertheless, she impresses herself on every scene she's in, without saying a word, without crawling through an air duct. And when her back-story insinuates itself into the plot, it does so with convincing ease.

Christian Kane smoulders :) When he lets his talent loose, he's a show-stealer, too. Without wishing to sound like my mother, I wish he'd cut his hair, though.....

Tim Hutton is starting to become interesting again - his introduction had one of the most perfect first lines of any introduction: "You know that conversation that ends with me smashing you in the face? Well, we're about to reach that part...." (or something - sorry I've an imperfect memory and too lazy to re-run the scene). That aspect of his character was allowed to sublimate itself in the "Boo-hoo, my kid didn't have to die" which, to be honest, I find much less (dramatically) interesting. But he's characterising his alcoholism brilliantly, at the mo (I'm still only into the middle of Season 1) and only hope it doesn't become mawkish.

The others: Hardison/Artisan got into his stride quite quickly and became a favourite by around the third or fourth episode. I love that he overslept because he was playing World Of Warfare (non-copyright equivalent) and didn't even realise the others had started the "caper" without him.... And I LOVE the fact that the Geek gets to choose the names on the passports: Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, Sarah-Jane and Tom Baker - Perfect! The more-so because the others clearly don't realise :D

The almost-matriarchal Sophie - well, let's put it this way: she's the only one I had to google to get either her character or real name :eek: Dramatically necessary for Nathan, essential to the team and versatile enough (at one point, while the baddy is being arrested, the villain says, "Are you even British?" I half-expected her to reply, "I was going for Australian!"), hopefully her character will be allowed to live up to the expectation set by her introductory flash-back. Well-cast though as her features could be turned to almost any ethnicity you care to think of.

So far, I'm still in Season 1 and looking forward to more. As I insinuated earlier, the direction has been the series' weakest aspect so far (in the Bank Job episode, no one seemed to mind speaking at conversational levels, even though the gun man had definitely suggested they all hush up) and while the plots are, by necessity, nothing spectacularly new (this is a criticism I had about the early seasons of Hustle, as well, because it's true of all con-based caper stories, really), it is the characters we have to become involved in if we're going to keep watching. I have to say, NCIS plays precisely the same odds to greater success (imho) but I'm still watching, so they must be doing something right.....

And no, I'm not only watching Parker :p
 
Last edited:
Just starting Season Two and Wow! Now we're getting into gear :) The pacing is faster, the relationships have really settled in and they haven't tried to fix what wasn't broken.

Looking forward to the rest :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top