I suppose some would say that once a show hits its fourth season without ever really managing to get rid of some key weaknesses, it probably isn't ever going to do so – and so it is with Leverage, a show that continues to give some great moments and episodes but yet consistently hurts itself with the same weaknesses episode after episode. I shouldn't really be surprised but I think it narks me a little bit because I actually do enjoy the show and want it to be better in the glaringly obvious ways in which it is weak.; after all this is a show I started watching with very low expectations, many of which were proved right, even though things have gotten better over the seasons.
The fourth season is probably one of the better seasons so far. It has a loose season long narrative arch, but mostly it is case-per-week stuff and mostly the episodes produce fun banter, silly interactions, decent little plots and generally a safe formulaic structure that gives the viewer a feeling of being on home ground for each episode. There are lots of funny moments throughout but for me the real high point this time is The Office Job episode; I was bemused by it at first, then it became an entire episode spoofing The Office (complete with interviews in the side office) delivered by a spoof of Werner Herzog. It is hilarious from start to finish with its arguments over a stolen sandwich and the back and forwards between Sophie and Nate ("shrew" is the quote of the episode). I mention it because this one episode is a great example of what the show does when it is working well – it delivers a plot but it does it in a knowingly silly way that is easily fun and funny. It is an approach that I wish it would do all the time because when it isn't doing this the results vary.
What I mean by this is that the show really struggles when it does anything other than this. This is more consistently evident in the horrible "set-ups" to most jobs where we have an innocent person explain their situation while Nate looks on with compassionate sad eyes and some terrible "sad but worthy" music is layered over the top with a trowel. I have yet to see an episode where it doesn't clunk across the screen in this way and most of the time you can "feel" the episode relax once it is out of the way – as if it knows it is a necessary part of the plot but really doesn't enjoy it either. It is not quite as bad but it also doesn't do "dramatic" that well either; the darker plots or the wider conflicts are never as good as when the show is just being fun. This season adds another bit of "unwanted melodrama that isn't that good" to the mix by having the relationships between several of the characters be romantic – most of the time I liked this, but too often this aspect isn't that well done either. With all of these it feels like the show steps out of where it wants to be just to do these bits and the viewer feels the lack of comfort of this step.
This shows in the cast as well; they are at their best with a great episode that provides snappy dialogue, silly action and some nice zings along the way. Hutton is still lumbered with this alcoholism and "troubled past" stuff that he can't drop but isn't given much to do with, so too often his performance is him lumbering around like a bear with a sore head. He is good in the cons though, which I guess is where it counts. Bellman is better this season and she got quite a few laughs out of me. Hodge remains my favourite and he is good while his material also helps him lift others around him. Specifically he does this with Kane and Riesgraf, both of whom are individually better this time but also have good fun with banter/relationship with Hodge. The various guests come and go – no massive names but some nice referential castings.
Overall this fourth season seems to have strengthened the core strengths to be funnier and slicker than previous, but it has retained the same old weaknesses with the cloying sentiment and the inability to deliver emotion, character or drama without becoming overly simplistic and trite. Fun enough to continue watching, but I do hope the fifth season will see more of the slick fun and fewer attempts to be more than this.
The fourth season is probably one of the better seasons so far. It has a loose season long narrative arch, but mostly it is case-per-week stuff and mostly the episodes produce fun banter, silly interactions, decent little plots and generally a safe formulaic structure that gives the viewer a feeling of being on home ground for each episode. There are lots of funny moments throughout but for me the real high point this time is The Office Job episode; I was bemused by it at first, then it became an entire episode spoofing The Office (complete with interviews in the side office) delivered by a spoof of Werner Herzog. It is hilarious from start to finish with its arguments over a stolen sandwich and the back and forwards between Sophie and Nate ("shrew" is the quote of the episode). I mention it because this one episode is a great example of what the show does when it is working well – it delivers a plot but it does it in a knowingly silly way that is easily fun and funny. It is an approach that I wish it would do all the time because when it isn't doing this the results vary.
What I mean by this is that the show really struggles when it does anything other than this. This is more consistently evident in the horrible "set-ups" to most jobs where we have an innocent person explain their situation while Nate looks on with compassionate sad eyes and some terrible "sad but worthy" music is layered over the top with a trowel. I have yet to see an episode where it doesn't clunk across the screen in this way and most of the time you can "feel" the episode relax once it is out of the way – as if it knows it is a necessary part of the plot but really doesn't enjoy it either. It is not quite as bad but it also doesn't do "dramatic" that well either; the darker plots or the wider conflicts are never as good as when the show is just being fun. This season adds another bit of "unwanted melodrama that isn't that good" to the mix by having the relationships between several of the characters be romantic – most of the time I liked this, but too often this aspect isn't that well done either. With all of these it feels like the show steps out of where it wants to be just to do these bits and the viewer feels the lack of comfort of this step.
This shows in the cast as well; they are at their best with a great episode that provides snappy dialogue, silly action and some nice zings along the way. Hutton is still lumbered with this alcoholism and "troubled past" stuff that he can't drop but isn't given much to do with, so too often his performance is him lumbering around like a bear with a sore head. He is good in the cons though, which I guess is where it counts. Bellman is better this season and she got quite a few laughs out of me. Hodge remains my favourite and he is good while his material also helps him lift others around him. Specifically he does this with Kane and Riesgraf, both of whom are individually better this time but also have good fun with banter/relationship with Hodge. The various guests come and go – no massive names but some nice referential castings.
Overall this fourth season seems to have strengthened the core strengths to be funnier and slicker than previous, but it has retained the same old weaknesses with the cloying sentiment and the inability to deliver emotion, character or drama without becoming overly simplistic and trite. Fun enough to continue watching, but I do hope the fifth season will see more of the slick fun and fewer attempts to be more than this.
