In Review: Leverage Redemption (S2 – EP5) The Walk in the Woods Job

Synopsis: In The Walk in the Woods Job, The team is investigating the mysterious death of Eliot’s friend and finds themselves infiltrating an infamous enclave of power to take down the corrupt head of a Private Security Company.

The Story

This week’s story is personal as a friend of Elliot’s has died and the team gathers around to figure out who killed him and why. As the investigation gets underway they learn that the person responsible belongs to an infamous enclave of industrial military veterans who secretly run things from the shadows. Armed with this information the teamwork to expose the person responsible to his higher-ups as well as the private security guards that he has working for him.

The Acting

Christian Kane puts in a brilliant shift as Elliot Spencer in an episode where we get to learn a little more about his past, but not so much as to ruin the mystery that surrounds his character. We also get a fun performance from Noah Wyle as Harry Wilson who is paired with Elliot for much of this episode and offers a fair bit of comic relief when the plot requires it. I loved the scene where we saw Harry doing a rather bad impersonation of Elliot and quoting dialogue from Rocky Balboa as a delay tactic as he is about to be shot by private security. This scene is made more comedic by Elliot’s understandable reaction to Harry’s impersonation.

We also get fun performances from Gina Bellman and Beth Riesgraf as Sophie and Parker have a little bet about who can lift their targets smartphone first.

Overall

The Walk in the Woods job brings the series back on form as it presents us with a slick con job that exposes a military hero and shows them up to be a total coward.