Leverage 201-203

[katikat]

I like that S2 - at least so far - seems to focus more on the "kids", that Eliot, Hardison and Parker get more room to shine. And that the writers are trying to shuffle the "pairings" a bit. For example, in the first 3 episodes, we got some great scenes with Eliot and Sophie - during S1, we didn't see these two even talk properly. And then there are other tidbits, like Eliot's teaching Parker how to fight. Things like that make the show feel... broader, deeper, richer. And I love it. Basically, there have always been only 2 things I didn't like about this show: Nate's drinking and the Nate/Sophie shipping drama. When the show steers clear of that, it's excellent.

One thing I noticed - and it was also mentioned in the audio commentaries - was Eliot's attitude towards violence and abuse. The writers insisted that the fans got it wrong, that Eliot hadn't been abused as a kid, that he just hated senseless violence and violent people. Well, their intentions aside, no one who has had a happy childhood and became a well-adjusted person has an attitude as hard set as Eliot. He sees it as normal to take one for the team, he considers it a part of his job to let the bad guys beat him bloody for the sake of the team. If that's not the point of view of a deeply troubled person with issues, then I don't know what is. I guess it's once more the case of showing A while saying B...