Tonight’s all new Leverage starts with a guy in an office typing (e-marris) his password keeps failing and eventually triggers and alarm. A drawer pops open and the guy takes a briefcase from an adjoining desk. I’m not sure he ever gets a name so let’s call him The Exec with a Heart. We then see The Exec talking to Nate and telling him about the years of R+D that went into the research for the project he stole. The project received a level three danger report and despite being a cute dog toy, if a child were to swallow its nose, it would swell to the size of a pomegranate.
Hardison briefs the team about the head of the company who used to be essentially and arms dealer. Cute outfit on Parker, Eliot cute his hair again. Parker has a plan to break into the safe to steal the report. Cut to her doing it while Nate says they went overboard on Christmas presents last year so no gifts. Sophie suggests a limit of a thousand, strike that a hundred, nope fifty dollars per person. Parker successes in breaking in and attached her phone to the server. The file transfers, she seals up and they take it to the initial guy who insists that report has been doctored. Eliot is understandably bothered by this. The Exec starts to leave but Nate calls him back. Love that they advertise Ford during this show.
“We’re going to steal Christmas.”
The new plan is to sell him a new toy to bankrupt the company. Hardison goes through the lists of failed toys and Nate picks one that was supposed to make a figure eight but failed. Parker goes in later that night to steal it. Parker chooses a two headed toy and Hardison hates it. Nate notes it doesn’t matter which toy they use s long as it works. Sophie goes in pretending to be a new toy rep.
Hardison has a theory to start a grass roots movement which Nate likes but says that they should give the toy away to cause a stir and get the attention of a tastemaker. Hardison suggests giving it to a baby Miley Cyrus so Sophie is sent to it sneak it into her oversized bag and kiss her ass. Hardison takes a bunch of photos of her smiling with the toy sticking out of her bag.
“If there’s a kid who doesn’t know about this toy next week, they’re probably being homeschooled under a rock.”
Sophie coaches more bad actors into calling stores to get a doll that’s not even available. The bad guy, Haslet is flipping out that the brat is advertising a toy they don’t make. He has them run the numbers and Hardison tells them the saturation is 68%. Sophie says it should be 86. Parker says the toy reminds her something her therapist had her do to identify emotions. This triggers an idea in Nate to con the parents into conning the kids.
Nate asks what parents are most afraid of and then says that it’s the child being a misfit. And Sophie agrees and renames the toy. Asked of my dad he said that it isn’t what he’s most afraid of.
Hardison goes into a lecture with the toy looking very sexy in a black turtle neck and wire glasses. He’s filming the lecture for a website.
“Dude, how do you come up with this crap?”
Eliot is not happy that Hardison wants to introduce it to the blogger moms (Du-ude? Blogger moms?) Eliot says that if he goes into the field to flirt with the blogger moms, he wants to be a rough and tumble type of dad where he’s not afraid of making a pb+j sandwich but still wants to get dirty. He goes in and tells his fake story to a group of moms and the one tells him he has the support of every blogger mom in the state.
Haslet compliments Sophie on her techniques from 2004. Sophie asks him if his toys save lives and then steals his meeting.
Eliot gets a little too upset over what Hardison has posted for him and Hardison returns the over emote. The blogger moms love it by the way and the saturation index is up. Haslet tells Sophie a story of how in 1999 he was up to his neck in machetes. He says while he was there he learned the expression for silver or lead meaning take the bribe or get the bullet; the bullet in this case being a set of photos that would destroy the director’s home life.
“The guy is a menace.”
Nate retorts that they need to be more of a menace. Since most toy shopping is now done online, they decide to up the internet profile. Hardison interjects that he and Parker think Christmas is ruined. Nate replies it was pre-ruined because in original pagan tradition, they used to celebrate by sacrificing children. Haslet demands a meeting with Sophie. She asks what’s in it for her. Sophie asks for not very much at all considering. He asks her back to his place and she replies she’s married.
Parker calls the real toy company and tells them to evacuate everyone. Nate goes in posing to be the creator of the toy. He claims he designed the toy for his son whose now in prison and when he was growing up needed a toy to express his emotions. Haslet says Nate hasn’t heard his offer but Sophie recommends making a very large very fast offer.
Haslet guy tells Sophie that he only wanted to do a safety test to get the specs on the doll. He then tries one last time to pick Sophie up and she’s as disgusted as ever.
Haslet stands off to the side murmuring to him that the toy dog is the future of the company. The press asks about the recall and we flashback to Haslet’s office where he gave Hardison the stuff to get a failed toy. Eliot gives the study to one of the blogger moms and she posted it on her website. Haslet refuses to comment on the survey and the bigwig walks off saying he’s going to sue Haslet’s ass. Personally, I’d sue more than just that but alright. He asks who did that and sees Sophie
They give The Exec with a Heart the news a competing company wants to hire him. Parker tells the team she has all the spare toys lined up in her warehouse. Sophie tells the group that the trust they have id genuine and that’s what they should give each other trust for Christmas. Sophie explains that it should be something really personal that they tell. She asks who wants to go first and Parker elects Eliot. Nate goes instead telling the story of how he wanted a trumpet for Christmas and ended up getting it the day after Christmas and he says he played it every day for ten years then gave it to his son one his eighth birthday. The first lesson was scheduled for the day his son went into the hospital and Nate explains that he kept the trumpet this whole time and asks for someone else to go.
Next week: is this the end? And of course, Sterling is back.
Pros:
Loved Nate’s story at the end. It was perfect Leverage and considering next week has something to do with his son, perfect ending.
Cons:
All three toys were ugly. The real one, the one Parker was supposed to steal and the real one. Besides, those names!
Misc:
According to writer Joe Hortua, Baby Joy Rage was the brainchild of co-creator John Rogers. "He pitched the idea of this doll that would stand in severe contrast to the sweet, well-intentioned world of toy making," says Hortua.
Wow. Haslet sounds like a great guy, huh? No wonder executive producer John Rogers said he is, "The sleaziest villain we've had on Leverage."
We asked Aldis Hodge what his favorite toy growing up was. His response: "I'd have to say Legos. Probably the reason that I have an obsession for architecture."
~via the Leverage app
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