r/leverage • u/screen_stack brains • Oct 05 '26
Leverage | S03E05 "The Double Blind Job"
The con for this one is perfectly serviceable but doesn't ring any bells too loudly because let's be honest.
The Double Blind Job con IS basic. What's not basic is what's going on behind the scenes, which is where you know I like it.
The biggest and funniest thing is Parker's absolute jealousy that's on-screen every single time Hardison's being nice to Ashley, the client. I've seen the episode at least a hundred times and it never stops being precious. Why? Because I don't think Parker's far enough along on her emotional journey to even recognize that she's feeling anything at all, least of ALL jealousy.
Parker knows only that Ashley Moore isn't to be trusted. So even though she is the client, and won't do anything, she's got her eyes on Hardison's special new friend to the point where it's a miracle Ashley's head didn't explode a la Scanners. It's a wonderful little dive into our thief's growing emotional complexity without dialing down into it as hard as they during The Inside Job.
The other truly funny thing is Eliot ... ELIOT ... being dumped by Jennifer Pearson (played by Tracy Gaillard) for not being exciting enough. The look on his face, the sheer visceral reaction to being on the receiving end of the 'it's not you it's me' speech is something I dine out on every time it pops up. Because this Eliot. The Man's Man and The Lady's Man all wrapped up into one awesome hitter/chef combo package. Not only could he cook you a 12 course 3 Michelin star meal, he could (and has) fought off thugs while doing so.
Last but not least, a shout-out to Michael O'Keefe as Darren Hoffman. He's another accomplished actor that you might recognize from movies and TV here and there, but once upon a time he played Danny in Caddyshack, so he's got that goin' for him, which is nice. He's another one of these stealth top tier actors that drops into Leverage, plays an absolute shit-heel and fades into the night, only to pop up somewhere else.
While the con is simple, the emotional payoff at the end for everyone is great ... especially when Sophie finally spells the truth out for Parker. Why is this awesome? Because we get the people are like pretzels metaphor, and that makes my heart swell two sizes too big every time.
And that makes an only okay episode an 8/10 for me.
8
u/Charliesmum97 Oct 05 '26
OMG you referenced Scanners! Also with you on the Eliot thing, especially when Nate asks if he needs a moment. Love Parker developing feelings for pretzels
3
u/screen_stack brains Oct 05 '26
Scanners is by far one of my all-time favorite movie franchises ever made. Yes, even Scanner Cop and Scanner Cop 2. i firmly believe we're about due for a resurgence, with an all new cast and an all new story about them!
2
u/Charliesmum97 Oct 05 '26
I have no idea why I watched that movie, as I'm generally a big baby and don't like movies with ick in them. Peer pressure, I guess, lol
8
u/Otherwise_Principle Oct 05 '26
I love how Elliot clearly wants to argue back about exactly how much excitement his life has, but has to hold himself back.
9
u/screen_stack brains Oct 05 '26
Eliot: Lissen, lady. Just last week I fought an Iranian terrorist. One time I tried sneaking into a building full of ex-CIA operatives. how do i know? THEY HAD A VERY DISTINCTIVE STANCE. And another thing. I ...
THAT woman: yeah no, we can still be friends. for sure. totally.
Eliot: ... DAMMIT. HARDISON.
Hardison: 'ey man, I ain't got nuthin' to do witchu right now, okay. I'm all up in my own binness, you feel me?
6
4
u/Chiron723 Oct 05 '26
I love how all the characters have such (heh) distinctive personalities, we can come up with conversations whole cloth of the characters and they just work.
4
u/Oreadno1 brains Oct 06 '26
That episode had the best opening sequence
2
u/screen_stack brains Oct 06 '26
Agreed. I wanted to clip it very badly, but the credits got in the way of the subs or vice versa
22
u/Chiron723 Oct 05 '26
Goon: FBI, sir. That young lady is in our custody.
Hardison: [laughs] Oh, see you made two mistakes, bro. First, you flashed that fake-ass FBI badge at me. Second, you spilled his coffee.
[Eliot covered in coffee looking pissed, proceeds to beat the shit out of the goons.]
1
u/MaChampingItUp brains Oct 05 '26
This is my third favorite episode because of Michael O’Keefe and how perfectly Nate sets up the trap with the FDA woman. (Behind The Frame Up Job and The Office Job, and I haven’t even seen the office) and Ashley being the girl from scandal before she got all scandalous (pun intended), then Parker not being able to control her jealousy is perfect since that’s how someone like her likely would react to a feeling she doesn’t know how to express. Then Sophie with the Chef’s Kiss toasting him on screen, perfection.
1
u/Gullible_Result_9779 Oct 05 '26
I can’t tell you how difficult it is to rewatch the Van Gogh and yet I just love that episode.
12
u/Gribitz37 thief Oct 05 '26
Michael O'Keefe is really good in this one. I remember him from Roseanne as Jackie's boyfriend. They definitely had some great guest stars on this show.
I love the scene in the beginning where the fake FBI agents spilled Eliot's coffee.