Leverage

Previously on Leverage:  After making the ultimate heist, Nathan Ford and the gang help those who can't go to the police or represent themselves.  With a vast array of skills, they hack, act, kick ass, and ninja their clients to justice.  Also into the hearts of hooked viewers.

We open up with the words “Scott’s Residence, Holgan County, MS“.   A young family of three’s starter home is being foreclosed.  The wife and son do some packing outside while the father, Wayne Scott, argues with a local law official.  The lawman tells Wayne he should have paid the contractors.  Wayne explains that they did, but none of the repairs held up.

The cop refuses to hear Wayne out, and explains that there’s nothing to be done.  The bank sold the house off to the very contractors who did the shoddy work.  With perfect timing, three men step out of a black Hummer that‘s pulled up.  We’ve got a very white bread daddy, a douchey looking frat boy, and heeeey, it’s Jonathan from Buffy!  The guy hasn’t aged a day.  Or grown an inch for that matter.  It’s good to see him.  I like playing “Who Has A History With Joss Whedon?”, on different shows.  This guy and Leverage regular Christian Kane makes two (that I’ve caught so far).
The cop tosses the keys to Daddy who insincerely apologizes to Wayne.  Wayne identifies Daddy as Mr. Retzing, as he approaches him, asking that they just talk for a moment.  However, he’s really just moving in to sucker punch him!  I have to say, having taken two semesters of Self Defense, I’m a big fan of the sucker punch.

The cops get hold of Wayne as he yells at Mr. Retzing for stealing their home out from under them.  Retzing slaps at his attacker with weak wrists, wearing a smug look on his face.  The mother comforts the little boy as the cops wrestle his father to the ground.

Snap to the Holgan County Jail, where Wayne is being held.  Sucker punching is too awesome to be legal.  Wayne explains the situation to our very own Nathan Ford.  I don’t know how Nathan heard about this job, but I’m sure he and the team have their ways.  We learn that Wayne is a military man.  He couldn’t really afford Retzing and Sons to fix up his house after Katrina hit, but he had to leave for Fallujah, and couldn’t take care of it himself.  Retzing gave him the option to take out an equity loan to cover the costs.  When Wayne got back from his tour, they couldn’t make the loan payments and the house lost value because of the shoddy work done on it.

He really gets to Nate by explaining that this is their first house.  His little boy’s first home.  He asks if Nate has kids, and Nate explains that he did once.  Wayne gives his condolences, and expresses the facts of life that, “You work hard, play by the rules, but when you really need help they let you hang. And it’s your kid that pays the price.“  The flat tone of a heart monitor takes us into a desaturated flashback where Nathan watches doctors try to save his dying son.  We come back to the present where Nate agrees with Wayne.  “We all pay the price“.

Leverage HQ:
The gang's all here, minus Nate.  Eliot grumbles about what’s keeping him, and Hardison suggests that maybe he overslept.  Elliot reminds them all that Nate doesn’t do that, he sets an alarm to set an alarm.  Parker chimes in with some proverb;  “A man with one watch knows the time.  A man with two is never sure.”  She explains that she had fortune cookies for breakfast.  I dig Parker’s brand of crazy, I just wonder if I can pull off those cute bangs.  However, Eliot looks very distraught by her confession of her dietary habits. Aw, Eliot, you might be a master with kitchen utensils in more ways than killing, but don’t judge.  Parker and Hardison argue in their cute little way on whether it was leftover Chinese food, or just the fortune cookies, when Nathan comes in donning dark glasses and an even more disheveled hairdo than usual.  He breaks up the banter (it was indeed just the cookies) and they get to Hardison’s rundown of the job on the big screens.

“Henry Retzing.  Contractor, self made millionaire, all around dirt bag.”  Hardison begins.  Henry has both residential and commercial contracts all over Florida.  He also seems to favor wearing large Hawaiian shirts.  Sophie whisper asks if Nate is alright, and, of course, he answers yes, even though he seems to have had an interesting breakfast as well.  The others don’t seem to notice the conversation.  Either that or they’re like me, and pretend they don’t, thus avoiding a healthy dose of awkward.

Eliot asks what scam the Retzings ran on the Scott family.  Hardison explains how Retzing took the contract, did poor work stretched out over a long period of time, and eventually the Scotts said they weren’t going to pay for it anymore.  Retzing then proceeded to put a contractor lean on the property, and was able to take ownership after the bank foreclosed.  “Slimy.” Parker says, disgusted; but Hardison admits that it’s absolutely legal.  “Slimy but Legal.”  Now there’s a business slogan.  I’d like to pitch that to a freshman class of Graphic Design majors, and see what logos they come up with.

Sophie again asks if Nate is drunk and we get the smartaleck, “No, now I‘m just hung over”, bit.  She's really not happy with him.  Eliot and Parker are good listeners however, and agree that the plan is to get the Scotts their house back, and the way in is through the sons of Retzing and Sons.  Sophie hisses at Nate that they had a deal about him getting himself back in line, and Nate claims he doesn’t remember anything about it.  That makes two of us.  Me and many other viewers think this episode might have been meant to air earlier, since we really haven’t seen that much of Nathan’s drinking issues in the show so far.  It’s not just ridiculously out of place at this point, but I was a little confused by the sudden reappearance from back in the Pilot.

We learn that Good Son Dennis (aka Jonathan), is the worker bee of the family, while Randy is the party boy.
Nate sums up that the family is smart and untouchable, or so they think.  He decides to start with the weakest link of the Retzings,  Randy,  the sloppy brother who mostly snowboards and judges wet t-shirt contests.  “Sophie, how’s your Luge?”, he asks the actress of the group.  She just gives him A Look.  “Your Luuuuuge.” he hilariously hung overly drawls out as she walks out of the meeting room, having had quite enough of him.

That sends us into the next scene of the picturesque Powder Bear Ski Resort.  Aspen, CO.  Ah, Aspen.  Where the beer flows like wine. There’s skiers and snowboarders and snow and mountains galore.  Inside, Sophie swings up to a fireplace that young Randy Retzing happens to be lounging by.  She yammers on the phone with some very Heidi Klum “Yah, yah’s.”, and “Vwhat dus he no abot exschtreeme?”  to whatever imaginary cover they need.  Gina Bellman does a good job with all of these accent changes.  I was worried about getting bored with a hot chick/possible love interest character starting in, but she’s as strong and stellar as the rest of the cast. There’s not much wasted space on this show.  Sophie sets a day planner down on the coffee table to warm her hands, further gets Randy’s attention by mentioning a party and swimsuit models, and walks off to the bar.

Randy can‘t resist scooping up her book, and finds a "passport"; you know, fake, Leverage Consulting Style.  He quickly pulls out his phone for Googling research.  Only for copyright issues, it’s Not Google on his Not iPhone, of course.
Eliot is on the watch, loitering behind Randy.  “Hansel’s after Gretel.” he informs Nate, and stirs what I’m deeming is hot cocoa with a little vanilla and cinnamon in it.

We see Hacker Extraordinaire Hardison on his trusty laptop Photoshopping Sophie’s head onto a blond champion luger for Randy to find.  He apologizes aloud to Uta Ausartner.  Far away, Uta happens to be Not Googling herself and finds the picture on a website.  Now, my German is a little rusty in that I know “Good Day”, “Thank you”, and what my watered-down last name means, but from Uta’s inflection I think she’s a bit miffed.  Sorry Uta, but it does the trick, and Randy believes the lovely Sophie is a champion of the winter sports.

Sophie meets Nate at the resort’s bar, leading Randy who isn’t far behind.  She gives Nate more disapproving looks for drinking again.  He explains that it’s a bar, he’s blending in.  Randy sidles up, and Nate takes off to join Hardison.  Randy gives Sophie her book back, and she expresses her gratitude.  He also BS’s what a big fan he is of her, and the luge in particular.  All of the excitement and ice and the latex and sexy helmets and whatnot.  Helmet Fetish.
He tells her about his big ideas of the X-Games meets Burning Man.  Considering I had to look up Burning Man and still have no idea what it is, it must be mock-worthy. The Sophie we know is obviously unimpressed with the pitch, but she pulls off the act and Randy’s too amused with his own voice to catch on anyway.  She explains how her partners and she have just bought out the resort, and have all of these state-of-the-art renovations planned.  Randy’s ideas would fit right in.

Nate comms instructions for Sophie to ease him into a deal, not push too hard.  Randy offers up a check for five hundred thousand.  Nice.  He’ll have to see the plans, and talk to management, of course, so Sophie suggests they go right then.  Nate tells Hardison, “Okay, lets go steal us a mountain.”  The handsome Hardison cutes a smirk which is a perfect close for any commercial break in my opinion.

We're back in the lodge, and Sophie is throwing around renovation plans while Randy follows her around like a puppy.  Meanwhile Eliot geeks his way into some main office of the resort.  He introduces himself as Vince Fedke, Innovative Resort Solutions.  Just don’t call him the IRS.  Ahahaha.  Hardison hacks into the controls, and stops a moving ski lift our Parker happens to be on.  She looks bored out of her mind, and needs a barking reminder from Nate of her role.   She latches a hand onto a rail, swings herself off, and dangles from the lift.  The dude she was sharing the seat with stares.  She calls for help disinterestedly.  Since the girl could probably either haul herself back up or let go to expertly snowboard her way down the hill, she’s not so good with the damsel in distress thing.

Back to Eliot who is pitching ideas to the resort manager.  Manager Man gets a call about Parker’s predicament on lift 4, and rushes off asking if she’s alright, and if the ski patrol is there yet, etc.  Eliot quickly sets up the place to look like his own, complete with Photoshopped fake wife picture, a nameplate that reads “Hans Von Schwesterkrank”, and an expertly placed Toblerone.  You know he’s saving that to eat with another cup of hot cocoa later.

Sophie leads Randy into the office, and greets “Hans“ with kisses on the cheeks and excited German.  Randy refuses a handshake, and takes little Eliot into his arms, lifting him off the ground in a bear hug.  Eliot has a hard time not snapping the guy’s neck.  They talk business, and Sophie encourages Randy to write that little check up.

Hardison happily muses with Nate at the bar, “Why can’t they all be this easy?"  Randy laughs and says, “Of course not!  We have to go to Miami.  My dad’s the one who has to write the check.”   Back to Hardison, who laments, “Aw, hell, why they all gotta be this hard?”.  Aldis Hodge is the cutest thing.  Ever. “Miami?”, Sophie asks.  Randy suggests maybe after a couple of tandem luge runs.  He likes it with the helmet on.   Sophie is skeeved.  Eliot is amused.

Miami, Florida.  A couple of panning shots of the city, the outside of a nice house, and finally inside where Sophie and Randy are sharing drinks.  Henry Retzing comes down the stairs with a warm “Randeee!”.  He asks where his son has been this time, giving Sophie a thorough check-out and asking for the “dirty details“.  Randy says he’s been skiing, and introduces “Leena”.  Sophie gives him a sexy “Guttentag”.  Henry responds, “French….Nice!”.  Hee.

Outside in a parked car, Nate sits with Hardison and asks Parker to get him some video.  She and Eliot ninja their way around the yard in cat burglar get-ups with a small camera.  For some reason, Parker’s pants are held up by suspenders.  Seems like those would constantly get snagged on something, but what do I know.  Back inside Randy is now pitching his “Winter Edge Games” to Henry.  Daddy looks hesitant for a moment, but he was really just reveling in the brilliance.  “Dream big, build big.  That’s what made this company what it is today.  Isn’t that right, Dennis?”, he asks Jonathan now coming down the stairs.  The smart brother who does all of the work is less enthusiastic about the whole idea.

Outside, Nate and Hardison’s earpieces squeal and the reception gets choppy.  Parker and Eliot have the same problem.  Nate asks if the signal is getting jammed, but Hardison says the frequency is clean.  Eliot thinks the interference is coming from inside the house.  Nate asks the ninjas to plant a booster on the second floor.
I’m pretty sure these shows rely on people like me who have no idea what anybody is talking about.  With a running jump Eliot boosts Parker up onto the balcony.

Meanwhile, Henry instructs Dennis to give Randy whatever he needs.  Dennis protests, but Henry loves the idea.  He encourages more creative thinking, and Dennis reminds him that he’s the president and, as such,  has to sign off on checks too.  Henry tells him to do his job, sending Sophie up to the office with Dennis.  As they ascend the stairs, she flatters him on how he manages such a large business.  Dennis asks what Sophie sees in brother Randy, but she assures him that it’s strictly business whether Randy knows it or not.  She makes her own choices.  Dennis makes the choice to ogle Sophie’s ass at the top of the stairs.

Parker is in the office, where she plants a bug after hooking a jump drive into a conveniently placed laptop.  *shrugs*  Guess it does the trick.  She’s outta there by the time Sophie and Dennis get in, by way of flinging herself out the window into Eliot’s unsuspecting arms.  They hit the dirt, and Eliot grumbles about giving him some warning next time.

The ninjas meet up with the nerds in the car, and ask how it’s going.  Everyone listens in on the now-clear signal as Dennis hands over the check.  Almost.  He snaps it back asking what she’s doing, she’s way too smart for this.  She patiently listens as he shows her some other dim ideas of Randy’s and asks if this is who she really wants to get into bed with.

Business wise, she’s always open to new opportunities.  But when it comes to a personal level she prefers a man who knows what it means to be in control.  The way she Germanizes “contwhool”, has this straight girl recapper a little turned on, not to mention little Dennis.  However, he is too petulant to flirt, and goes into how he made the business what it is.  He’s the one who turned disaster area relief into a growth industry, giving her a rundown on exactly what they did to the Scotts.  She asks how many times they’ve done this.  There’s four hundred or more homes under their thumb.

With this new information, Nate instructs Sophie not to take the check.  The rest of the team protests.  Sophie rips the check in half.  Nate says, “Now you tell him this.”, and Sophie finishes for us his plan.  “If what you’re saying is you want to do real business then I might have an opportunity for you.”  The show does these little communication changes quite smoothly.  Sophie flatters Dennis by saying she’d never present this kind of thing to his brother.

Nate says they’re going to get every person Retzing has ever done this to their home back.  The team is unhappy, but Hardison shuts them up by explaining that the bad reception earlier was due to the house being bugged with standard issue law enforcement equipment.  The cops have been listening to the Retzing family.

Miami Grand Hotel.  The team is arguing with each other, and clucking away about what Nathan has done.  They’ve given up the money, given up the Scott’s house for the slim chance that they can help the hundreds the Retzings have wronged.  Nathan is adamant though.  He’s got a bigger scam in mind.  One of the classics.

“The London Spank?”, Parker chimes in.

“The Geneva Paso Doble?”, asks Hardison.

“The Apple Pie.”, Eliot settles.

Nobody knows what he’s talking about.  He says it’s like the “Cherry Pie”, but with lifeguards.  For some reason this highly amuses the women of the group.  It amuses me as well.  We don’t get any explanation, but I’m loving the use of less is more here.

“Glengarry Glen Death.” Nathan says.

Heh, cute twist on the boring movie’s title.  “It’s like a mutual fund, but instead of stocks, you invest in death.”

Nate wanders out to the balcony with a drink in his hand.  Parker asks if its just her, or is Nate getting creepier.

Back at the Retzing’s, Nathan repeats the cute twist on the boring movie’s title to Dennis.  Nate’s wearing a bright blue shirt, bright orange tie, and a cream jacket.  I like Nathan, but the tacky attire makes him really hard to look at or listen to right now.  At least he’s gotten rid of the fedora he was wearing earlier, and totally did not pull off.

He pitches the scam to Dennis, with Sophie there to tug him along.  What they propose is as follows:  They take terminal cases who are broke from trying to pay off preliminary treatments,  they buy off their insurance policy just sitting there, so that the sick person gets the money for a last hurrah, and when they die, Nate and “his group” cash in.

Nate gives Dennis a list of people doomed to die in six months, tops, that they’ve invested in.  With Dennis’s money they can buy off even more.  Dennis thinks it’s too risky though, people are too unpredictable.  Nate tells him to take his pick of patients to check out.  Dennis wants to do his research by independent confirmation, where he brings in a doctor of his choosing to verify the prognosis.  Nate says fair enough, but he doesn’t get a peek at the list without buying in.  Dennis picks an inoperable brain tumor, writes a check, and they set up an appointment.

Randy is suddenly on the phone, I guess Dennis just wanted to gloat, and he’s not happy with his brother.  Dennis does indeed gloat, and ignores the warnings about what their father is going to think.  He hangs up and Sophie purrs, “Now that is what I call control.”

It’s dark over Miami, and Nathan is driving back to the hotel, I suppose, alone.  He’s drinking from a flask, and back in the ugly fedora.  Seriously, that thing ain’t got no alibi.  The drinking and driving is once again something I think would have fit in more at the beginning of the show, when we were still getting a feel for characters.  A cruiser flashes his lights and siren behind him.  Nate hides the flask, pulls out a tin of mints that he fumbles everywhere, and is pretty surprised when the officer hops in the backseat instead of rapping on the window with the “Lets see your license and registration”.  Nathan, you drive drunk around downtown Miami with your doors unlocked?  Unsafe, dude.  Not that I know anything about Miami, but I drive around my two-bit town with the doors locked.

The cop is in a suit instead of regular cruiser attire.  Nathan notices this along with the cheap tie and bad aftershave, and asks why the State Police are interested in his business.  The cop knows what he does and where he’s been.  Nate knows they don’t have anything on the Retzings, and that’s why Lieutenant Stone is here talking to him.

The Lieutenant gets out, and approaches the window.  He says he knows two things about Nate, and that is that he is trouble, and that he is a drunk.  Nate is about as impressed with that knowledge as I am.  Stone bonks Nate’s head on the steering wheel, earning a comical horn honk.  He gives him some not very threatening advice and warnings, and Nate digs his flask back out for a sip, and to dab some alcohol on his new owie.

Feola County Hospital.  Parker slides out of an MRI machine, whining about having to be the patient Dennis is coming to see.  Dennis picked a woman’s name, and he already knows Sophie, so that leaves Parker.  Hardison is in the adjoining office at the computers.  He says hacking into the imaging computer isn’t the problem, but he doesn’t think he can fake simulating a tumor on Parker’s brain.  Nate asks if they can give her a fake tumor, and Hardison says sure, if they inject her cranial cavity with some contrast dye.  There could be some death like side effects.  Parker is, for once, not on board.  Suddenly Educated Eliot suggests that they put somebody with an actual brain tumor in another chamber, and cross the imaging wires while they’re "scanning" Parker.  Everyone’s impressed, but turns out he dated a neurologist.  Hardison says there’s a machine right next door he could tap.  You know what I could tap, Aldis?  Moving on.

Thing is, they’re either going to need an actual brain-tumor patient, or a cadaver injected with hot wax to make it look like a brain tumor.  Now Nate’s totally on board, barking orders to set up a meeting, and get the place secure for their work.   Everyone else is half amused and half in shock.  Parker says, “Oh yeah.  He’s definitely getting creepier,” with such hilarious inflection on that last word, I’m going to be trying to pull it off for days.  This is all very far from the original “Get the Scott’s house back” plan, but it’s fun so I’m on board too.

Eliot yoinks a body from the morgue.  Sophie preps Parker for her role as the dying girl.  Hardison makes an “if I only had a brain” joke, as he messes with the computers, and Nate stays in touch from the waiting room.  By seemingly talking to himself he totally creeps out some guy in a neck brace trying to read his newspaper.  Hee.  Comms Talk Rocks!

Hardison is now helping Eliot inject the cadaver with a huge syringe filled with melted wax.  Each thinks the other was going to do the deed, and they rock paper scissors over it.  Hardison loses (Eliot knows his tell), and apologizes before ramming the syringe through the body bag and, I guess, somewhere in the head.  Ick.

Dennis brings a Dr. Kwan to the hospital, and they meet up with Nathan and Sophie to confirm that Parker will soon shuffle off this mortal coil.  Dennis claims he can tell she’s not far gone by the deadness in her eyes, as if she has no soul.  I love Parker, but little has proven him wrong about that.  I mean, come on, she doesn’t care about shoe shopping.

Parker, who I’m sure has a little bit of soul, slides into the machine, and Hardison does his imaging switch elsewhere.  The Doctor confirms that the tumor is massive, and almost too big for her to even still be alive.  Nate and Sophie end the meeting before anything further is found out.

Dennis is convinced that she’s terminal, but still doesn’t like the waiting game of this operation.  Sophie asks for a moment alone with Dennis, where she explains how much experience Nathan has with this.  Nate suddenly gets “a call” about something going on in Chicago.  He seems pleased, and tells the other two that a mother of three won’t be finishing her bucket list.

Hardison, Parker, and Eliot wait in the MRI room, and listen in on the conversation.  I’m jealous of Parker who is perched between the two stud muffins, still in a hospital gown, and not the least bit self conscious.  Dennis asks Nate for his cut, and after some half-hearted banter, Nathan easily bends and writes up one hundred thousand dollars.  Parker freaks, and jumps up from her choice seating arrangement to storm out of the room.  Eliot hops up to retrieve her, and left all alone with the corpse Hardison says "Sup." to it.  It?  Formerly him or her?  Them?  Anyway.

Nathan hands over the check, and Dennis is pleased and a little overwhelmed.  Parker storms up behind them but Eliot hauls her out of sight again.  Dennis says he just needs to move some accounts around, and Nate freaks.  He says he doesn’t do business this way, and asks Sophie who she’s brought to him.  Dennis tells him to keep the money, and that they really don’t need him, they only want serious investors.  He storms off, and Sophie follows, keeping up the accent but meaning everything she says about “wanting a word”.

Back at the motel, and I really want to rip that fedora off of Nate’s head.  The team is even more unhappy with him now.  Parker gives herself and us a rundown; they had half a mil for the Scotts and didn’t take it, and now they’ve given their mark one hundred grand of their own money.  Nathan says it’s a stall, but nobody is with him on this one.  He asks for their trust, and Eliot says not while he’s drunk.  He doesn’t care if Nathan drinks himself to death, but he’s not taking them down with him.  Nate annoyingly tells him he talks to much, Sophie breaks up a near fight, and sends the others on their way.

Nate says “Don’t you dare give me the we’re a family speech.”

She says, no speeches, she just asks if giving the Scotts back what they lost is helping him.  He tells her that she knows him, and that he can do this.  She says she knew him two years ago, and they finally agree that he’s really not the same person anymore.  We’re still not sure of just whatever these two had, but no matter how he’s changed, he’s still somebody she and the rest of the team can work with.  With a long look, she seems to settle on that, and leaves him alone.

Seems like morning now, when Nathan gets a call from Dennis saying that he wants in.  Nate tells him it’s too late, he missed the deadline.  Dennis wonders if five million will open any doors.  Nathan tells him to meet him at the First Sunshine Bank.  That’s a nice bank name, mine’s is so long and boring.

Cut to an irate Daddy Retzing showing Randy what Dennis is trying to do with their funds via laptop.  He can’t believe his son’s betrayal, and proposes they move the money somewhere Dennis can’t get it.  He starts making a call.  Lieutenant Stone is outside in a car listening in from their standard issue equipment.  He orders that everyone get in position.

By the way, Douchey Randy is wearing not only one, but both of his shirt collars popped up.  Sometimes I think I’m pretty cool, but I’ll never be two popped collars cool.

Hello!  Nice close up of Hardison’s hands messing with a touch screen, and a nicer close up of his bicep working to hold it up.  He’s waiting in line at the Retzing’s bank, and gives Eliot a nod as he walks by, all pimped out in gold chains and huge sunglasses.  He’s on the phone, informing Nate that they have an issue.  Henry and Randy are already there, moving their money to an offshore account far away from Dennis.  A banker and young blond assistant are working with the father and son.  They leave to get more papers to be signed.

A car alarm starts blaring, but nobody pays attention as the blond girl brings in papers for Randy‘s John Hancock.  Henry points to his son, and isn’t happy to hear that the car alarm belongs to that of his Hummer.  He tells Randy to deal with the rest of the business, and just so happens to meet Nathan and Dennis coming through the bank doors.
Henry accuses Dennis of always thinking he was smarter and better than the other two.  Dennis is just confused as to why the two are even there.  Nathan introduces himself and starts explaining his investment opportunity.  Henry cuts him off, telling Dennis that he’s given all power to Randy, and that Dennis can’t even touch any of their money.  Dennis starts telling his father, and his brother, who has now come to join them, how stupid that was.  Randy and Dennis get into a pushing bitchfest in the middle of the bank.  Nate orders his team outta there.

Cut to the Retzings' home where everyone’s nursing their wounds and egos.  Henry and Dennis both get phone calls.  Neither one of them are good news for their money issues.  Checks bouncing, accountants are confused; Dennis immediately blames Randy for signing something.  Randy says sure, the Winter Edge Games deal.  Dennis says it wasn’t the games he signed for, it was signing away controlling interest in the company.  Randy isn’t worried, it was just the deal with Leena.

Desaturated flashback to back in the bank.  Hardison was actually cutting off the printer’s orders so that the papers Randy was supposed to sign never got printed.  Parker took the blond assistant’s place, and handed over Sophie’s contract about the ski resort.  Which Randy signed, and which was not about the ski resort at all.  Fifty percent of the company’s corporate power went to the team.  The Retzings are distraught.  Dennis isn’t dumb, after all, and quickly knows they’ve been set up.

Henry says that they can get it back, but that’s when Lieutenant Stone lets himself in to arrest Henry for suspiciously transferring a large amount of money.  Combined with his earlier fraudulent actions, he’s basically screwed.  Dennis asks how they knew he was going to make such a transfer, and we flashback again to the conversation in the car with Nathan and Stone.  Nathan had asked the Lieutenant for two days to get them to commit one minor transgression, and then Stone could have the Retzings.  Henry is led out of the house, and Dennis gets a call from Nate.  He asks if Dennis even looked at the names on the list he’d provided him.  It was actually the names of the families that the Retzings had stolen from.  Dennis says that nothing will hold up in court against him, but Nathan reminds him of the tax break that happens to be their home.  Nathan and the team practically run the corporation, and now they’re reclaiming the property.  Burn.

Fade to Nathan coming out of the Retzings' old house, now all emptied out and ready for the Scotts to move in.  I guess they didn’t mind relocating to Florida.

Hardison is blubbering by the car at the sweetness of the scene, and Parker asks if he seriously is.  Hardison accuses the Florida air to be messing with him.

Sophie likes the symbolic touch of giving the Scotts the house, but reminds Nate he never used to go in for theatrics.  Nathan agrees again that he’s changed.  She says that they might not always be there to back him up. "They?"  he wonders.  Yes Nate, they, The Team, your family now.  Sophie includes herself in that group.  He asks if she’s threatening to bail, and she tells him to give her a reason to stay.  The camera fades out on him not looking too worried.

This particular episode didn’t represent everything that Leverage is capable of bringing, but between the cast, the plot, and the fun, this show has definitely given its viewers a reason to stick around.