#The Last Dam Job

[somestorythoughts]

Allies in The Last Dam Job

There's this fun bit of attention to detail In The Last Dam Job when they're discussing how to get Dubenich:

This isn't quite the full gif but what it is is that Sophie says that Dubenich is going to know every friend, every person that they would be expected to go to for help. And Nate looks at Eliot and goes "we find someone who is not a friend" to Sophie and Parker "someone who is not in the game" to Hardison "someone we do not trust." And that's exactly what happens.

Eliot recruits Quinn who we last saw trying to kick the shit out of Eliot:

Parker recruits Archie who is retired:

Sophie recruits Maggie who is the token honest friend in this heist show:

And Hardison recruits Chaos who they all hate for trying to kill Sophie:

It's just a good bit of attention to detail.

[amazzyblaze]

Thinking about an alternate version of "The Last Dam Job" where Archie kinda sorta murders Chaos with his stiletto blade cane and blows the whole job

[leverage-ot3]

thinking about how certain characters on the leverage team have been in mortal peril and why it was one person vs another and what that means

nate has been shot, like, multiple times. he’s the leader, the planner, the mastermind. he may not be the hitter but he takes risks that might not always pay off or be in best fortune for him, and he knowingly does that anyway. not much regard for his life sometimes to be completely honest. he’s also easily the most volatile (lesser as the seasons go on but still) and most likely to make a rash decision (season four season finale I’m looking directly at you)

I’m not going to talk about eliot too much because he experiences a lot of pain, but, also, it’s almost always pain that he can endure. he is the hitter- he’s the one that is supposed to take the brunt of the pain, the one prepared to get injured for the sake of the con and the safety of the team. he knows exactly what he is getting into when he throws himself into the situation. knows the risks, the damage he’s putting himself in for

hardison is frankly the biggest example of someone who is put into grave danger (ha). I’m thinking about possibly being murdered in the experimental job, buried alive in the grave danger job, drowning in the pool in the big bang job, etc. he’s not a hitter, doesn’t have the maneuverability or stealth of a thief. he can talk himself out of situations (within reason) but that can only go so far. and he’s not nate, making plans before they act. there’s lowkey a reason why he’s in the van besides the fact that his job necessitates it. barring sophie, he’s probably the least equipped/experienced to deal with real danger, real violence

on the other hand, sophie almost never gets hurt. sure, a gun may get pointed at her, but she can surely talk her way out (‘it’s not loaded’ ‘it was’ ‘not to a grifter’). I honestly can’t remember a time that sophie was ever seriously injured??? she is so meticulous about setting herself up in situations that will specifically not get her hurt, or where she has some sort of safety net or backup plan. I’m thinking about the quote where she says she gets people to unlock doors for her vs having to pick the lock herself

parker is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum but leans more towards sophie. she’s been in some scrapes and close calls (the inside job, the hot potato job with the burn room, the long way down job). but in nearly every situation like this she finds herself in, she can also work herself out of. she can run fast enough and climb and crawl far enough, dodge lasers well enough that she can manuver herself out of the problem. the few times she was ever in real danger was when she put herself there (I’m specifically thinking about the stork job when she puts herself between children and people with guns) (albeit fake guns)

some underdeveloped thought in the back of my mind is turning around the idea of importance to the show/team’s core and the likelihood of getting hurt

(talking eliot out of the equation so as not to skew the data, hardison is hurt the most because he is the heart of the group. nate is hurt so much because he is the leader. sophie and parker are undoubtedly still important, but have the skills to maneuver out of those situations before they spiral out of control)

(although the act of taking eliot out of the equation says something in of itself. something about the only person capable of taking that amount of pain for those he loves, etc, etc)

[asphyxiatedredherring]

Mr Quinn + his grumpy hitter boyfriend

[geekynightowl1997]

Hardison, Parker, and Eliot discussing wanting to keep the cave is such sibling energy.

Nate and Sophie ignoring them is such parent energy.

Nate telling the kids that "No, we are not keeping the cave." is such dad energy.

Can this show get any better? Oh my gosh. I know I've said this before but- I LOVE this SHOW.

[tracing-lines-in-the-infinite]

Watching the Last Dam Job and when Dubenich called himself Nate's very first victim I impulsively (& unthinkingly) said that his son was his first victim and made myself cry

[be-gay-do-heists]

also there’s never a pain free time to be thinking about eliot holding the gun hand shaking in the last dam job but damn if it ain’t happening

[leveragedlibrarians]

I gotta say 'The Last Dam Job' is golden in many ways but by far the best part has got to be the line delivery on "And a Chinese Artifact"

[shae-la-hyene]

The ending of The Last Dam Job is so telling about Nate. In this moment, with a gun in his hand and the two people he hates most in front of him, he realizes something about himself. Not that he isn't ruthless and thorough. Because he is. But that he isn't a murderer and doesn't need to be. The people he pursues are rotten to the core. They don't need him staining his hands to get doomed. He just needs to give them just enough rope to hang themselves and they will because that's something universal about them. He does not kill. ''God killed you I just made sure it stuck.'' THAT is who he is. He is a bloody, ruthless justice.

And the people behind him, who love him, his crew, they'll follow him as long as he is this blind justice. But not if he becomes unjust by doing the wrong thing and killing the people he hates.

It's not about choosing who he wants to be, it's about realizing who he is and what he isn't.

[feuer-bluete]

Eliot in the The Last Dam Job. During the scene he aims his gun at Dubenich, his arm and the gun shake like hell. I never noticed that.

Think of all the things he has done in his life, and you will know its not the killing part that makes his arm shake so much. Is it anger? I have no idea and I would love to hear your takes on it.

[wolves-in-the-world]

…do we think eliot hired someone actively willing to kill people for the last dam job because he had the feeling that job specifically could go very badly or just because he is always willing - when push comes to shove - to kill for his team, and anyone working alongside him and sort of in his role has to be too, even if it's only for a paycheck?

[amazzyblaze]

"The Last Dam Job" doodles

[richardsphere]

Leverage Log: The Last Dam Job

"all a man has in this world is three things: His business, his posessions and his name". Well thanks for telling Nate exactly what to take away from you. I'll admit the name might be most difficult but should be doable. "They're my team..." "I certainly know them better then you"... Ok so that explains why we had the cocoa futures con. Because they were trying to seed the idea of a con-by-proxy. But that con relied in it being a mere distraction, which is why they could afford amateurs. Having the professional con-artist see through the con was part of the con. It wont be here.

Which means Nate's gonna outsource this con. Now im putting in the exact time in the episode where im analysing this. Its currently 1:49 in the episode. And im gonna make some guesses as to whom we're getting this episode.

Mastermind, Grifter, Hitter, Hacker, Thief.

I think Nate might still be the mastermind, because he doesnt have to be up front in the con for that. I mean there is

Grifter is gonna be Tara.

Hitter... I dont think we have much for that, there arent a lot of Back-up Elliots around in this show. There's his friend from the Boys Night Out, and there's his distaff counterpart from the Van Gogh Job. (by which i mean the first Van Gogh job, where everyone was up against their equivalents. The woman who was former Mossad or something?) Im betting on her,

Hacker: We literally only have Chaos, if there is a second hacker im forgetting then im blanking entirely. So i think we're going for "tell everyone Chaos will betray them. But we do with what we must" situation.

Thief: Its strange how Parker has three counterparts and everyone else has only 1 or 2 up for grabs. But Thief could be Archie, Himbo-lupin or Apollo. Now i've already bet on at least 2 members of that crew so its not gonna be Apollo, and i dont think Himbo is as likely as Archie is. (especially with last episodes plot being thematically linked to his debut episode, and this being a two-parter that is verry much about family and parental relationships) So my prediction: Nate is still mastermind, but he probably has a decoy. Tara Chaos and Archie are locked in. And I dont think that Distaff Elliot whose name isnt coming to mind RN would willingly work with Chaos again, so probably pull his friend back?

Those are my predictions. Time to let time resume ---" "welcome to the next time". Congrats on the directors and actor for selling a line that stupid. Its not a good line but they somehow made it work. (8/10)

"Dubenich is already in jail what's left to do to him" Sophie, you know Nate. There is so much left to do to him. --- Ok yeah, its a proxy-job like the Futures Con. Also shout out to last episodes creative use for duct-tape as an improv weapon, it was awesome but i didnt feel like stopping to write it. But combined with this seasons use of the Wurlitzer pipe and now the fire extinguishers for a blinding chemical excellerant gun that serves as a bludgeon i want to compliment the fight choreographer or whatever position is in charge of that decision. You did good work this season.

---

So to see if my predictions are right: Quinn. I have to admit i dont know who you are. I think you might've been a hired goon from an earlier episode but I did not remember you. Archie! I almost feel like I shouldn't score you. But also, Parker has the most non-imprisoned foils in the show so you actually had the most competetion for the thief slot. I wonder what is going through Bio-daughter's mind. "Dad has a second family?" Chaos. Because every episode needs a designated moment where the plan seems to get fucked, and a designated traitor was the simplest call.

Im counting three not five. Thats suspicious. Now Tara famously got introduced by being in disguise for an entire episode so she might be a man on the inside when our heists get called. But so far im gonna call it as 2/3, with a possible "nate is still mastermind" for 3/4 ---

Cant really read the glass-board. But also, every bone in my body says this episode could've ended right this moment as Dubenich looks at the glass board. I think it was the Season 1 finale where Hardison blew up HQ? Using Dubenich own signature move against him, in a way that directly parallels the S1 finale? That would've been the move. --- Hardison and Chaos in total agreement for the one time in their life. (they are right, this is legally a batcave)

Archie straight for the jugular. (also tasers, good to see where Parker gets it from) --- "How many fingers do you need to type? round down!" Im sorry for not remembering you existed allright. --- Ooh i love the invasive species ploy. Its simple yet genius. --- Double-heist! Stealing the sword and destroying the entire vault! Dubenich realises he fucked up in his conversation with Nate. (always love it when the mark is just smart enough to realise how he fucked up). --- Elliot almost shooting Dubenich... Quinn and him are bros. --- and that is Maggie! I'll admit, i expected Tara. But i guess she meets the "someone who is not in the game" requirement. Shows got one over on me twice. 2/4.

"if temptation counted as cheating no marriage would last for a year", and going straight for the jugular with Jim. --- Chemical Warfare! Drug a guy and smuggle him off to the fucking Cayman Islands. With all the goods you stole from him. (remember, if Nate has a "signature move" its framing them for Insurance Fraud.) --- -"I do care" -"how does that feel" -"getting used to it" --- "my son would be ashamed of me if I was a murderer... My father on the other hand, he's buy me an ice-cream". good line. 9/10. Ah, Now i understand the importance of the experimental job. Seeding Prisoners Dilemma in the audience awareness so Nate can play them against eachother in the finale. Good one. --- BIG KISS! --- I like how they ask nate if they can keep the cave, like little kids asking their parents about a stray dog that has been following them around.

[lemissingmask]

[ID: Sketch of Sophie, Mr Quinn and Eliot. Quinn has a hand gently holding one of Sophie's arms and is standing behind her, forming a barrier between her and Eliot in the background, who is shooting a downwards and to the side. End ID]

-

Whumptober 2022 Day 14: Desperate Measures

AU for The Last Dam Job in which Eliot shoots and kills Dubenich in the street. But he doesn't want Sophie to see it, so he asks Quinn to look after her, and he makes sure she doesn't see and guides her away from the scene, while Eliot deals with clean up like the well-trained hitter he is.

Stream-of-consciousness drabble for this below the cut

They all knew what was going to happen from the moment Eliot spoke. It wasn't so much the words, "Quinn, get Sophie outta here," as the way they sounded. Detached. Distant. Hardison was acutely reminded of hearing Eliot over comms while he was being interrogated while undercover for the psychology experiment. A voice like a sharp, serrated blade. Cold and calm and deliberate. Resolved. They all knew, in theory, what Eliot was capable of, and they knew first hand the lengths he would go to for the team. To protect them. Hardison had seen him throw himself into outnumbered fights against armed former-CIA or paratroopers or special ops or ninja-assassins or whatever, and always he fought harder when a member of the team was at risk. Even outside of his role as their hitter, Eliot looked after them. Cooked for them, offered Parker advice and support in a way Hardison never could, spent time with Hardison doing things he enjoyed (even if he grumbled about it at the time), bought gifts for Parker and Sophie on behalf of Hardison and Nate...he took care of them. That's all this was. Eliot taking care of them. Taking care of Nate. The gunshot was louder than Hardison expected, coming without warning and spiking the volume trace on Eliot's comms beyond Hardison's axes. An echo came through Sophie's signal, slightly more quiet. So Quinn had done as Eliot asked. At least Sophie didn't need to see it. Eliot putting a bullet in Dubenich, ending Nate's revenge spree and saving his heart from the burden of the kill. "You know why I remember these things?" Eliot's voice had stilled Hardison then just as the gunshot did now. "'Cus I can't forget." One more name, face, date, place, eye colour to remember. One more death in Eliot's ledger. Parker's left hand was gripping Hardison's right hard, painful, but the pain barely registered. "We can't let him go to jail," she murmured, voice sounding empty and lost, heart-breakingly afraid. Hardison forced a smile and lightly squeezed her hand back, "We won't." The thief nodded, attempting a smile in return, "We look after him. That's our job." Hardison nodded. It was their job. They may not be committing murder or acts of violence, they may not buy plants or cook or beat people up for just hinting at a threat towards Eliot. That was how Eliot took care of people. Hardison and Parker? They could make sure no cameras picked up Eliot at or near the scene, and no witnesses could be found to testify against him. They could clean up any trace of him from the sight of the assassination, sneaking into the crime scene unnoticed. They could be there when he finally returned and needed someone to remind him of who he was - who he really was - beneath the trained, hardened killer he had been forced once again to become.

[5-minutes-2-midnight]

Help! This is killing me lol... Can anyone explain why Eliot is wearing a shoulder harness when retrieving Quinn from Kiev and in the "Batcave" for debriefing? I'll accept theories, too (god knows I have a few), but if anyone can legitimately explain the cause, I'd really appreciate it.