‘LEVERAGE,’ SEASON FOUR (2011)

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The associates of Leverage have worked in many different situations and conned a number of difficult marks but none quite like this. This job takes them to the frigid air of the Alaskan mountain tops. The wife of an experienced climber who disappeared during a horrendous storm is Leverage and Co’s latest case. Coming to Nate (Timothy Hutton) for help, she believes something isn’t quite right considering her husband’s body has never been found. She believes that her husband’s business partner was misappropriating funds and that her husband had proof of this. With that, Nate sends the two physically adapt members, Parker (Beth Riesgraf) and Eliot (Christian Kane) on ahead for research.

Once they get all the details from their client, Nate, Sophie (Gina Bellman), the best grifter there is, and their tech genius, Hardison (Aldis Hodge) travel to the freezing Alaskan mountains. Things start out rough when their client joins them against their advice and their mark catches on before they want him to.

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TNT’s fun-filled summer ritual in Leverage has sure come a long way since its debut. No longer is it the silliest thing on television. Instead, it’s morphed into a slick game of cons that still effortlessly works its trademark humor into each script. Where the show gets its most interesting dynamic is the characters, who were once common thieves (the law close on their heels), but are now using their trade for the good of others. With Nate’s guidance, they become a crew who despise the injustices in the world; most often by the “upper hand” the wealthy hold against their employees or anyone whose weakness they can take advantage of. And as a result, the show has more to it than just laughs.

In “The Grave Danger Job,” the show proves to be more than pointless entertainment when the gang faces losing Hardison; “The Girls’ Night Out Job” is a lighter hour that is good old-fashion fun. (We also get to see Tara again, and later Maggie, played by Covert Affairs Kari Matchett.) Similarly, “The Lonely Heart’s Job” is a fantastic episode shows Nate’s deep feelings, and has a terribly cute end. Fans of The Office will delight in “The Office Job” which pays homage to NBC’s staple of a comedy. Then there is the one episode, “The Van Gogh Job” that changes Hardison and Parker’s relationship while also re-visiting the past in a fun twist. Similarly re-visiting nemesis characters, and their biggest competition, in the finale is way more fun than it has a right to be. In fact, “The Last Dam Job” was Leverage at its very best.

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Every single one of these characters has grown in ways you might not expect from this setting. Eliot, Parker and Hardison are like little kids who bicker; sometimes you can tell the actor’s are having trouble keeping their expressions neutral. I love Eliot’s fierce protective nature; Parker’s vulnerability and Nate’s leadership. Guest stars include the return of Jeri Ryan, Mark Sheppard, Tom Skerritt, and Drew Powell in addition to fabulous newcomer guest star, Sean Faris. There’s threats to the gang this time around by a wealthy man who, in effect blackmails them, but still the show retains its breezy likability. And with time, it adds some polish. The cons are more complicated and though the characters aren’t the same, they’re way better.

CONTENT: there’s winking innuendoes and a flashback finds a couple in bed; plus later we see clothes strewn on a floor implying again they spent the night together. There are some swear words now and again such as sh*t and da*n. One man dies from an explosion [off-camera], two others go off a cliff. Guns are use to threaten people and sometimes characters are shot. Several scenes involve hand-to-hand combat. Leverage, season four is TV14.