‘Leverage: Redemption’ Recap – ‘The Rollin’ on the River Job’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Leverage: Redemption’.
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It is always a wonderful thing, when a beloved and established television series opts to do something dynamic and different and deep. Simply because that means that the people involved with said series, understand the story’s long-term potential and know that with a little care, great insight can be offered to the audience on a particular topic, and they can walk away from a particular episode with plenty to chew upon and it just so happens that Leverage: Redemption is beginning to evolve into a show that does just that. Because the next episode in this dynamic and satisfying series takes its revenge themed storytelling to a whole new level by exploring a particular aspect of the rich and powerful and morally corrupt that we honestly don’t think about all often. 
 
Specifically, what the heck motivates these individuals to break the rules and impose their wealth and influence upon others, and ‘The Rollin’ on the River Job’ accomplished this examination by introducing us to quite the slimy individual, a former senator turned riverboat casino operator named Austin Chaudry. And what made Austin so incredibly gross, is the sheer fact that he was stealthily buying up land near his casino in the hopes of creating his own little Vegas-style trip in the bayou. Which is pretty standard stuff for the team to encounter, but their investigation into his dealings and their plans to bring him down is what took the time to expose his motivations and outright lust for power and as it turns out, guys like Chaudry aren’t just driven to the top by way of bags of cash and a chance to be in charge. Granted it helps, but what really pushes dudes like him… are their tiny and bruised egos. The kind that cannot stand being marginalized in the slightest.
 
Because the big reason that Austin was a former senator, was because he was a disgraced one as well, and being embarrassed in that manner and rejected from the seat of American power chewed at his soul and left him unable to cope with everyday life. And that in turn is what gave life to his casino related machinations, so he could be viewed as a brilliant entrepreneur, one that reinvented himself and grabbed hold of the American Dream and also just so happened to make the little guy pay for exposing his darker side and well, spending time with him was simply fascinating for certain. Since it really did show us how a bruised ego can genuinely twist an already morally questionable person into the monsters, we see on the six o’clock news. But while it was wonderful to see this series buckle down and explore the origins of a rich scumbag and how fragile their egos truly are, we are in fact… here to enjoy the con and the Leverage team’s defense of the everyday folks that these guys harm and that… was just as satisfying as the lesson.
 
For the team did a wonderful job of pulling out all the stops to lull Chaudry into a false sense of security, and they made sure to make him feel like the big special boy he believed he was and in doing so… they brought him crashing back down to earth in the most painful manner possible. Because not only were they able to rob his vault of every last dollar, effectively revoking his gambling license and leaving him destitute, but they also exposed his ties to the criminal underworld and probably put him on the run since they also stole the money he was laundering money for the Russian mob and uh… oh well. Because this guy really was just the worst villain to date in this new season of storytelling, and the only benefit to having him pop up, was that the quest to bring him down, helped the new members of the team grow into their roles. Since this gave Harry a chance to show the team how thorough he is at spotting disingenuous people’s lies, and Breanna finally had the opportunity to integrate herself into the team and it was wonderful to see everyone jelling as one.

Mainly because, the villains just seem to be getting worse as this season rolls on and if that is going to be the case, they’re going to need one another and their respective strengths in order to defeat these sneaky rich jerks and well, while we wait to see what kinds of rotten human beings await them next, we can bask in one satisfying and cerebral tale. Because this one really did do a phenomenal job of adding a new layer to the show’s storytelling by way of its detailed analysis of what gives rise to a rich degenerate, all while giving the audience what it wants. Since it also featured wonderful humor and amazing action sequences, especially when Eliot and Parker made their push to empty the vault and well, it is definitely safe to say we’re more eager than ever to continue or restart the journey. Because clearly, the cases are getting bigger, the villains are getting worse and we simply need to see this dynamic reboot/sequel… reach its potential and blow us away. Until next time.  

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