Leverage: Redemption Review: Modern Authenticity Leads to Heisty Fun (Episodes 9-16)

Now that the introductions are out of the way, Leverage: Redemption Season 1 dives back in with a second half of jobs that are both thoughtful and entertaining.

Without the constraints of reacquainting ourselves with the characters and concepts of Leverage, these episodes are without question stronger than the first batch. It’s less a reminder of a series we used to like, and more of a fun heist show with modern, inclusive sensibilities, and hilarious Easter eggs.

Right from the start, there’s a spectacular outing guest-starring the legendary LeVar Burton.

For everyone waiting for that LeVar Burton spy movie, Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episode 9, “The Bucket Job,” has you covered. As usual, Burton awesomely steals every scene he’s in. His character takes an unexpected turn that has us wishing for a spinoff.

Leverage: Redemption also dives a little deeper into Eliot’s past. It’s not much, but we get another piece of the puzzle to why someone with so much pride and honor would end up on the dark path he was on when we met him.

With very few words Christian Kane lets us in on Eliot’s personal pain, something we don’t normally get. From his lingering guilt and trauma to falling in love, Kane deftly walks us through the ups and downs of a character he clearly knows every aspect of.

This time around the crew goes up against a bitcoin billionaire stealing data, a wellness influencer promoting unsafe treatments, a thief committing elder abuse, and a tech CEO who’s secretly a nazi. So yeah, “ripped from the headlines.”

Having bad guys that are so clearly based on real people and events makes the season great to watch, but also a little uncomfortable at times.

It’s nice to watch the same kinds of bad guys we see on the news every night finally suffer consequences for their actions, but at the same time, it’s bittersweet because we know in the real world it doesn’t work that way.

During the first half, Breanna was still green to everything but hacking; however, she really comes into her own in these episodes.

Aleyse Shannon showcases her ability to make us care about everything Breanna does and says with outstanding performances on Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episode 11, “The Jackyl Job,” and Leverage: Redemption Season 1 Episode 14, “The Great Train Job.”

We previously learned that Breanna never felt like she fit in. With the team, she’s finally found a family who she can trust, and who gives her the confidence to believe in herself.

Shannon beautifully builds Breanna’s self-assuredness through eight episodes. It doesn’t come easy, because self-confidence isn’t easy.

As for Noah Wyle’s Harry, he gets a piece of the redemption he’s looking for, but more importantly, he likes who he is. There are hints of how bad his work truly was, however, those seeds are cleverly planted for a possible Season 2.

As much as we enjoyed the nostalgia of the first half of Leverage: Redemption Season 1, the second half delivers a very entertaining picture of what a full-time return could be, and we love every second of every job.

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 Video.

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