Leverage Season 2 DVD Review And Giveaway

Back when TNT first put Leverage on the air, I had a lot of doubts, and that's despite being a Timothy Hutton fan. It's also despite being a Coupling fan, but that's a little further afield. I was instantly hooked though, and the show hasn't disappointed me yet. Ok, there have been a couple of episodes which weren't spectacular, but overall this is a big win.

For those completely unfamiliar -

LEVERAGE stars Oscar®-winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) as the leader of an elite team of thieves, hackers and con artists who act as modern day Robin Hoods by standing up for those who have been victimized by the rich and powerful. In the timely second season, the team takes on corrupt bankers, high fashion, the tabloid media and an old nemesis from their past.

The first season ended with a bang, and left the continuation of the show rather up in the air. The second season would have to start fresh in a lot of ways, and it certainly did. Coming back to things a year later, the team reassembles, most of it anyway, and before long it's back to business.

With Gina Bellman's Sophie going on hiatus mid-season, Jeri Ryan fills in for a few episodes, adding new twists to the dynamics, and playing havoc with the Nate-Sophie chemistry that has driven much of the show.

The season includes some especially memorable episodes, including-

"The Three Days of the Hunter Job", which is a fun episode just in the fact that it targets a tabloid newscaster.

"The Two Live Crew Job", notable for Wil Wheaton's guest appearance, and the fact that it throws our gang out of sorts when they find themselves up against another crew.

"The Bottle Job", which runs a nice con on a local loan shark, and is fun because the title is also a reference to TV production slang.

A solid season overall, with a nice mix of character development and attention to individual plotlines that keeps things moving, but layers the interest. It also gives a good mix of rather serious episodes and lighter efforts (especially "The Top Hat Job", which has Nate playing a magician).

Special Features

Quite simply, this is one of the best efforts at putting out a television season I've seen, and the release is packed with bonuses.

The main sell is the very rare treat of having a commentary track on every episode. Who you get on each episode is a mix, but you'll be hearing from the creators, writers, producers, and directors of the episodes. None of the actors participate, which would have been great, but these are good commentaries in any case. Most episodes begin with a discussion of how they came up with the idea for the episode, and it makes for an interesting chat. Not just how we got the target, but how the con fit in and/or how it made sense to take the person down.

You also get a Q&A with the creators which took place (I believe) just prior to the second season premiere. It's a pretty interesting talk, and covers some similar ground if you listen to all the commentary tracks first, but it also gets into more depth in several areas.

John Rogers Set Tour takes you on a quick tour of the main locations we have for season two. With Nate now in a cozy spot above a bar, and a lot of scenes taking place in that bar, we get to check out what become the show's familiar spaces.

Behind the Boom is a shortish featurette that takes you behind-the-scenes for the creation of a particular scene featuring a pretty large explosion. It's a decent enough bonus, though pretty standard fare.

"The Hand Job" Spoof Video is a somewhat comical, but still fun, trip with Aldis Hodge as he attempts to put the con moves on a variety of people with less than brilliant results.

You also get a Wrap Party Gag Reel, which is better than most, and a featurette showcasing the music of Andy Lange, which is pretty quick, but worth a look.

If you're going to get any season release of a television show, this has to be up there on the list. A great show, and a loaded release. It would be hard not to recommend this one.

Own it on DVD today!

Win it!

Leave a comment, Tweet this post, or "Like" Are You Screening? on Facebook (or all three), and you are entered to win your very own copy of the DVD release. Winner will be randomly chosen from all forms of entry on June 7th. U.S. only.

Don't forget that the new season premieres on 6/20!

Check some clips below.

The show also stars Gina Bellman (“Coupling”), Christian Kane (“Into The West”), Beth Riesgraf (Alvin and the Chipmunks) and Aldis Hodge (“Friday Night Lights”).  In addition, Jeri Ryan (“Star Trek: Voyager”) joins the cast as a special guest star in a continuing story arc as a temporary member of the team.

Disc One:

• The Beantown Bailout Job
• The Tap-Out Job
• The Order 23 Job
• The Fairy Godparents Job
  

Disc Two:

• The Three Days of the Hunter Job
• The Top Hat Job
• The Two Live Crew Job
• The Ice Man Job
  

Disc Three:

• The Lost Heir Job
• The Runway Job
• The Bottle Job
• The Zanzibar Marketplace Job
  

Disc Four:

• The Future Job
• The Three Strikes Job
• The Maltese Falcon Job
  

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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