#agent mcsweeten

No wonder Hardison can work with so many legit charities.

(Side note: doesn’t Peggy come back later as a client? I thought so but I can’t be sure I haven’t rewatched in forever… I guess I’ll find out I’m just impatient but don’t want to google it myself because that feels more like cheating that just asking lol)

Also I love Elliot & Hardison are just meant to steal a police car & end up stealing the job of catching bad guys & breaking up a dispute

That could have been a whole episode lol in between saving the other 3 from whatever scrape they’ve got into the bits have to actually stop random crimes

& I might be the only one but I like Parker as Agent Hagen & Agent McSweeten there’s a universe where they’d be happy together & live a nice little life where he thinks the Leverage crew are her family with Nate & Elliot as her brothers & Sophie her sister in law & Hardison still her BFF/partner (I forget his agent name) & just she’s moved to a private sector or just with a different taskforce to do her leverage jobs

mcsweeten being in leverage redemption and still having not a clue that parker and hardison are, in fact, not federal agents and are actually world-class criminals

or at some point between the finale and now he did find out, and then some government official gets wind of one of their heists and is jabbing their finger at a blurry image of parker and hardison mid-thievery and with a completely straight face, mcsweeten explains that guys, those are agents hagen and thomas and they are working on an undercover op and were in no way at all involved of what is inconveniencing the government now

Nate isn't thrilled about having FBI in their bar, but Parker pulls a "for me" after saying McSweeten is about to lose his father.

McSweeten is... scruffy.

Sophie really gets into the DB Cooper lore.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your swooning. Go on, swoon."

I love that the show uses this episode - and the far more emotionally articulate McSweeten family - to give us a preview of the changes coming for the Leverage team.

Nate casts himself as McSweeten Sr - the father figure - and in that role, he talks with Sophie (as Mrs. McSweeten) about how it's always hard to say goodbye to the people you care about.

Later, Nate gets to experience (through McSweeten Sr's memories) saying goodbye to the people he's served with, including his partner (played by Hardison) who wishes him well, but who points out that McSweeten/Nate had been pinning his wings and it was time to move on. McSweeten actually says what Nate should say to Hardison: "you were a great partner, and you have a bright future". He gives a nice speech about the people he worked with and talks about compassion and mercy, for the perpetrators too.

Parker is rocking the 70s look. Sophie is too 👀

So... McSweeten Sr (as portrayed by Nate) is related to Ted Lasso, yes? I mean Ted and Todd are definitely cousins.

McSweeten Sr. gives Steve (the real DB Cooper), as played by Eliot, a job and a sense of purpose after the army. A nice parallel to relationship between Eliot and Nate which got some extra attention just a few episodes earlier in The French Connection Job.

It's not a weakness to see the good in people. This is something Nate hasn't fully internalized ("Peter McSweeten wasn't Jimmy Ford's son") but he understands that by not turning him in, McSweeten Sr gave Steve a purpose, and a chance at a much happier, more fulfilling life.

"So what do you want to do?" "I want to build something." This is a sweet scene for Nate and Sophie; a rare moment of actually addressing their future instead of falling sideways into whatever's next in their relationship.