Leverage Season Premiere Review: An Emotional Mountain to Climb

After spending most of last season chasing Moreau what bigger challenges could the Leverage team could face this year? In "The Long Way Down Job," we got an answer: the feelings they've developed for each other.
Remember, the team memebers all used to work solo. Spending the last three years together, they've grown to trust, depend and even love each other; this is new ground for each of them. It's just as dangerous as the mountain on which they were working.

I watched this episode with two other people and all three of us had tears in our eyes multiple times. It started when Parker showed frustration with Eliot when she wanted to do the right thing and bring Alan's body back.

She ached over how bad she wants to think of herself as a good guy. Then, you could see a glimpse of how scared she was that to think this might not be the case, as Parker explained that they can do things the others cannot. That remorse alone tells me that you're not bad Parker, never fear!

Of course, another big emotional scene arrived when Nate and Karen Scott were in the tent. It's one of the few times that Nate has talked about what has motivated him and how he has been running on anger for years. Maybe this was the first time he admitted to himself that you will eventually get to a point where anger is not enough.

The icing on the emotional cake, though, was Parker grabbing and hugging Hardison when she got back. I'm hopeful that their banter about how this won't be normal is foreshadowing some fun things to come this season.  It would be nice to see some additional romantic humor with these two.

Emotional growth is hard in real life and even harder to portray in a TV show. Props to Beth Riesgraf, who has done such an amazing job of portraying Parker's growth. We have seen some glimpses from Hardison, Eliot and even Nate. I'm crossing my fingers that the writers continue to include as much heart and soul into future episodes as they did in this one.

If this episode is any indication of how good this season is gonna be, we're all in for a real treat! Although, I'm still shaking my fist at the TV for again teasing us with Sophie's real name and not telling us. Damn you, Dean Devlin, and your great recurring hook!