Leverage: Redemption Review: Fun Nostalgia with a Dash of Predictability (Episodes 5-8)
On Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episodes 5-8, the team tackles “ripped from the headlines” bad guys with humorous familiarity.
The second half of the season features all the usual beats of the gang’s jobs, but it lacks some of the fun, as the episodes take a more serious turn.
This time around the team goes after mobsters, price gouging pharmaceutical CEOs, a privacy invading tech mogul, and a dictator trying to regain his throne.
These outings feel a bit more predictable, harkening back to previous episodes. On Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episode 5, “The Paranormal Hacktivity Job,” Parker even mentions the team helping her on Leverage Season 2 Episode 13, “The Future Job.”
Though the call backs are a cool trip down memory lane, they shouldn’t overshadow the new jobs or team.
While they still have the Team Leverage charm, there’s an intangible something missing from the episodes.
As much as the series explores Sophie’s grief, we don’t spend enough time catching up with Eliot and Parker. We know they’ve been helping people, but what else is going on in their lives? The first half is about Harry and the next four episodes feature more of Breanna’s background.
Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episode 6 “The Card Game Job,” offers Aleyse Shannon a chance to showcase Breanna’s expertise and importance to the team.
Shannon is brilliantly moving as she provides a glimpse into Breanna’s lonely childhood, and what the mythological card game means to her. She gives a speech that also has a hint about Breanna’s sexual identity, something that isn’t touched on again.
However, if that conversation is going to happen, it would carry much more weight in a face to face with Hardison.
As great as Breanna’s character progression is, Hardison is missed even more in Episodes 5-8, than he is in Episodes 1-4.
When they go up against a dangerous new facial recognition software on Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episode 7, “The Double-Edged Sword Job,” the team relies on Breanna to realize she’s better than the man who created the software.
We understand busy filming schedules, but it’s clear in these episodes that the thing missing is that classic Leverage chemistry and banter. Without Hardison it doesn’t have the same rhythm or zing.
One of the show’s biggest missed opportunities comes in its setting. New Orleans is such a vibrant city with so much character, it’s surprising that the series doesn’t take advantage of it more.
Even in the Halloween themed episode, the series doesn’t use New Orleans’ famous supernatural history as much as it should.
Leverage: Redemption was filmed with the new 2020 restrictions in place, so we’re sure that had something to do with it, but Eliot’s a chef and we didn’t even get into the city’s spectacular food culture. Perhaps we’ll get more in the eight episodes still to come.
While we still enjoyed Episodes 5-8, there’s definitely a slight fall off in quality between these and Episodes 1-4.
Of course, if the point was to get us excited and ready for more Leverage: Redemption, then the team once again hit all the right marks and did the job perfectly.
What did you think of Leverage: Redemption? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Leverage: Redemption is streaming on IMDB TV on Amazon Prime.
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Stephanie Holland
Stephanie Holland is a nerdy lover of Star Wars, Disney, Doctor Who, Arrowverse, Star Trek and WWE. Is living the dream of turning a lifelong obsession with TV into an actual job. Still waiting for a reboot of the '80s classic Small Wonder.