Enigmatic

average parker-centric episode: another incredibly traumatic piece of her backstory is revealed

average sophie-centric episode: oops she lied/manipulated/kept secrets too much & backed herself into a corner

average hardison-centric episode: hardison gets into a Situation TM

And Hardison is like you are MISUSING my TALENTS. You are DISREGARDING the fact that I am an INTERNET MAN and my skills lay in HACKING. You DARE to ask ME to do something as MUNDANE as perfectly construct an 18th century diary, complete with all of the writing inside of it, in TWO DAYS. That is BENEATH ME and also I dont think I can DO IT and you people are RIDICULOUS and why am I even WORKING with people who dont APRECIATE me and ABUSE me so. This house is a FUCKING NIGHTMARE.

Leverage: Redemption S03E10 The Side Job.

Bonus meme:

Because a lot of times, revenge gets framed as this inherently immoral act, like it doesn't matter how evil the person you want revenge on is, it doesn't matter that stopping them is a net positive for the world, revenge is just bad and wanting it makes you bad.

But I think that a lot of the problems with most revenge narratives come from the fact that the person/people seeking revenge put too much importance on getting revenge, but there's not enough catharsis in the actual act of taking revenge. They end up left with a whole lot of left-over righteous anger, and no acceptable targets left to vent it on. That way lies the bloodline ending feuds of greek tragedy and the like.

But Leverage says "No, actually you're right, that guy is absolutely terrible, he does need to be stopped and his victims should be awarded the catharsis of revenge." But then, instead of taking the easy way out of having Hardison siphon all the money out of their accounts, or sending Elliot over to their house with a baseball bat, they complicate the revenge plot. Instead of walking the easier path of the quick and unsatisfying revenge, they insist on poetic justice and dramatic irony and the complete and utter, very public destruction of the worst people in the world.

in it's honour please witness the best fmv ever made for leverage and for the ot3 and for maybe any ot3 ever which i just learned can also be found on ao3

Here's the cat burglar. She wears comfy clothes and has zero social skills. She has sex appeal but only if you're into a very specific type of woman, and crucially she has zero idea she has it. She probably doesn't know what an innuendo is.

Here's the hacker. He's a Black nerd, and also the most moral character of the bunch. He's a nerd but also not socially awkward; in fact, he's the second best at grifting, right after the person who's been doing it for decades.

Here's the muscle. In his heart of hearts, he is a chef. He is tough and manly but he uses that to look out for the working class and children and everyone else the system leaves behind. He's feared by politicians and he reminds his friend to tip the delivery person.

Here's the femme fatale. She's over forty years old, and she's the one seducing the mark. She's the heart of the team. Her calling is to be a director. She loves attending her own funeral.

Here's the mastermind. He's the only one who doesn't start out as a career criminal. He manipulates his own crew, kills two people after promising them he won't, and takes deals behind their back. He was in seminary school.