r/leverage • u/screen_stack • 7d ago
Leverage | S03E06 "The Studio Job"
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This is a monster episode and not just because it's one of the coolest Eliot-centric episodes we get before The French Connection Job in season 5 (which, by the way, is one of the best episodes of the entire show, ain't that right ... YES CHEF!).
First, we get Evil Bo Duke (and if that's too old for you, Evil Jonathan Kent) as a thoroughly disreputable scumbag failed musician/murderer/exploiter of genuine talent. Now I COULD have plenty to say about the sort of person John Schneider's become in the last decade or so, but I won't. For a few reasons.
One, his time on Smallville was pretty damn good and in this episode, he plays a pretty damn convincing evil bastard. It's sometimes hard for me to separate the art from the artist, but I'm willing to do it here. The important thing (sometimes, based on how vocal older actor/artists are) is to remember that when we were all younger and the sun was brighter was that these people really had a foundational effect on our lives in one way or another. I'm not over here telling you to forget your personal vendettas. If you have 'em, you have your reasons.
The other enormous big deal actor in this episode is Alona Tal as Kaye Lynn Gold. If you try and tell me to my face that you did NOT develop an immediate crush on her as Jo in Supernatural not only are you a liar, you are a lying liar and will have Lucifer, Gabriel, Castiel, Sam, Dean, their dad, their mom, Bobby and quite possibly even Rufus Turner on your ass. Pronto.
Alona is extremely beautiful, but she's more than that. She has an ineffable sweetness about her in any role she plays, and as Kaye, we see some for-real-deal acting chops and a beautiful singing voice on top of that. Beyond the singing, her role is surprisingly complex, and we get to see every bit of it; her brother's seriously hurt and in the hospital, these strangers have come to help her, Sexy Eliot is also Sexy Singing Eliot So Complications Ensue, Naturally, the con goes sideways as they always do, and then the payoff is golden.
That's a lot to carry in what's probably 10 minutes or so of screen time, and Alona sells it, especially at the end, when her world has been righted.
Outside that? Kudos to Beth Reisgraf for playing probably the silliest Parker that Parker has ever been. Every time she's up there on the screen pretending to be Not-Bjork, I genuinely wonder how it felt for her on those takes. I HAVE to imagine she was thinking 'what in the actual hell am I doing' and 'I am KILLING this shit' in equal measure.
And of course, what Eliot-centric episode would miss discussing Eliot himself. He has the Luck of the Irish when it comes to his undercover work ... and it always goes super well until it doesn't. Doesn't matter if it's baseball or country singin', he's gonna knock it out of the park and as you saw from the clip or from your own memories of the show, Eliot's not the kind of guy who can afford his face being all over the Internet.
Fatwas and all that, right? Anyways, The Studio Job brings a lot to the table and weirdly, now that I actually think about it, it had nothing to do at all with Damien Moreau.
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u/anolagal hacker 7d ago
This is one of my faves! When John Schneider was on Masked Singer, I instantly knew his voice because I've watched this episode too many times. I love the scene when Parker is pick-pocketing the people in the bar and her doing her crazy Bjork. I also liked the throwback to Dukes of Hazard with his ringtone being the General Lee horn sound.
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u/Oreadno1 brains 6d ago
I remember when he had a pretty good country music career going in the 80s. (Yes, I'm old)
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u/anolagal hacker 6d ago
OMG! I'm a xennial so I was a baby watching him in dukes and barely remember the show and didn't know he had a music career. I will look up his music on youtube because he has an awesome, soothing voice.
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u/Oreadno1 brains 6d ago
He did really well after they made him record Elvis' "It's Now Or Never" trying to turn him into a teen idol.
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u/jewelsandpens 7d ago
Omg SUPERNATURAL is where I've seen that girl
Listen don't be mad at me Internet tv friend but i didn't finish season 13 of it. It started dumb with their fake deep voices and i tried to like it more but can we still be friends
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u/screen_stack 7d ago
i quit after season 7, every. single. time. i want to watch, but it gets to be too much.
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u/jewelsandpens 7d ago
I prefer the memes, they make it look better than it is
Like if there was more Dean pie
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u/screen_stack 7d ago
Agreed. Latter season episodes really lend themselves to clips and memes, but the episodes themselves are pretty dreadful as far as I'm concerned
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u/jewelsandpens 7d ago
How many times can you escalate the big bad past actual God?? Like, not many
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u/Oreadno1 brains 6d ago
She was also in an episode of Cold Case, but unfortunately it wasn't one of the best.
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u/knight_shade_realms 7d ago
This episode is hilarious. Love that they touch on Elliot sounding like "that guy"
Evil Jonathan Kent/Bo Duke/Sheriff from Dr Quinn is amazing
Parker swirling through picking pockets and being an eccentric Bjork is as funny as Hardison calling Elliot pitchy
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u/WhAt1sLfE 7d ago
I downloaded Christian Kane's song as soon as I heard it in this episode. Beautiful 😍
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u/Rajivdoraiswamy con man 7d ago
too pitchy... 🤣😂