Leverage: The Runway Job
April 26, 2020 6:13 PM - Season 2, Episode 10 - Subscribe
To bring down an oppressive sweatshop owner, Nate and the team crash a fashion show.
Kung Fu Monkey - LEVERAGE #210 "The Runway Job" Post-Game: "My one regret is that we didn't get to use the original ending, based on my Lovely Wife's patient explanation of how fashion shows work. Turns out, immediately after a show, all those one-of-a-kind dresses are then driven -- driven in an anonymous white truck -- to a showcase room, so the buyers can then walk among different kinds of models (apparently called "fit" models? memory's a bit hazy), deciding what to order. So, in the original version, what Nate and Hardison were off to do in Act Four was steal that truck -- then, when the cops arrived, our friend Russel Pan would have a full truckload of stolen dresses in his factory as part of the frame-up. I generally don't like "on-screen only" con payoffs. Scheduling, etc being what they were, though, we wound up with a very satisfying trick of multiple thumb drives with layered files, and I am personally amused at the idea of a factory in Shanghai churning out Pilgrim Chic."
posted by oh yeah! at 7:16 PM on April 26, 2020
posted by oh yeah! at 7:16 PM on April 26, 2020
That the dudes in the crew were fawning over Jeri Ryan/ Tara Cole's conventional physical attractiveness rubbed me the wrong way. But the show did a reasonable job handling that.
Tara Cole works hard to show and project attractiveness, on top her winning a genetic/ phenotypic jackpot.
Parker won the genetic/ phenotypic jackpot, too, but she doesn't put any effort in projecting or taking up the effort of being attractive so her jealousy feels petty. Her doing the "fierce" thing at the end of her runway walk took a lot of courage and working outside of her comfort zone. She's not clumsy - as a master thief - so her taking a tumble played for laughs feels hollow; I didn't read that as that she did it on purpose to create a diversion, which would have been more in character and something that she'd be aware of (prestidigitation/ pick-pocketting).
Sophie is pretty, but her attractiveness gets a large force multiplier from her projecting that she likes someone, to generate an emotion in that someone to find her more attractive. She also hams up vulnerability (hideously bad "actress') also to make herself more attractive. But she also doesn't rely on those as a crutch - she honestly cares about some people and that earns loyalty from them.
I kind of like the writing here, but I might be ascribing more to the writers than is deemed, but playing on the physical attractiveness of the women in the crew hasn't been terrible (?). Parker is the only one with any kind of "stable" romantic relationship, and Tara has this huge character flaw of being greedy and mercenary - on top of not being shy to use her physical attributes to influence people.
posted by porpoise at 7:48 PM on April 26, 2020
Tara Cole works hard to show and project attractiveness, on top her winning a genetic/ phenotypic jackpot.
Parker won the genetic/ phenotypic jackpot, too, but she doesn't put any effort in projecting or taking up the effort of being attractive so her jealousy feels petty. Her doing the "fierce" thing at the end of her runway walk took a lot of courage and working outside of her comfort zone. She's not clumsy - as a master thief - so her taking a tumble played for laughs feels hollow; I didn't read that as that she did it on purpose to create a diversion, which would have been more in character and something that she'd be aware of (prestidigitation/ pick-pocketting).
Sophie is pretty, but her attractiveness gets a large force multiplier from her projecting that she likes someone, to generate an emotion in that someone to find her more attractive. She also hams up vulnerability (hideously bad "actress') also to make herself more attractive. But she also doesn't rely on those as a crutch - she honestly cares about some people and that earns loyalty from them.
I kind of like the writing here, but I might be ascribing more to the writers than is deemed, but playing on the physical attractiveness of the women in the crew hasn't been terrible (?). Parker is the only one with any kind of "stable" romantic relationship, and Tara has this huge character flaw of being greedy and mercenary - on top of not being shy to use her physical attributes to influence people.
posted by porpoise at 7:48 PM on April 26, 2020
Hey, porpoise, you posted the thread using the episode 9 title, can you flag it for correction?
posted by oh yeah! at 4:36 PM on April 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by oh yeah! at 4:36 PM on April 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by porpoise at 6:58 PM on April 26, 2020