As we're reminded in both "The Inside Job" and "The Scheherazade Job," we don't really know much about these characters, their pasts, and what they've done, other than Nate. Parker, in particular, has a past shrouded in mystery. There is the classic image of Parker as a girl, clutching the stuffed animal as her house explodes, showing her... troubled past, but her entrance into thieving is unknown.
"The Inside Job" shed light on her situation and showed us fresh, unique spin on the normal jobs. The episode starts with Parker trapped inside skyscraper, evading a Steranko security system, the biggest, baddest thing out there--ever! The gravity of exactly how great the system was never came through since it sounded like every other tight security system: heat sensors, motion detectors, different modes, lockdowns, etc. But that wasn't the point anyway.
Parker is inside the building, because her adoptive father Archie (Richard Chamberlain) asked her to help after being pressured into taking the job. Unfortunately, she jumped the gun and went in alone, leaving her stranded in the building. In terms of complexity, the job was below average, but the team dynamic--and Parker's hilarious interactions with the company employees--was enough to make it a winning episode. Parker eventually escapes, in the process, uncovering a scheme to destroy the world's wheat supply, forcing the world to buy wheat from the company.
Archie is a fascinating character and I'd love to see him return. Even though Parker is not his real daughter, he treats her as one, albeit in his own thief-like ways. He's overly protective of her, trying to countermand Nate at several times. Parker reciprocates in her own dysfunctional way, saving Archie's real family by doing the job herself. But like a daughter, she too must grow up. Nate's Robin Hood ideas have apparently rubbed off on her, and she sticks through to the end despite Archie's protests.
One of the funniest things we learned about Parker was how she lives. Essentially, she lives in a large storage facility which is completely empty except for a bed, a very organized table, a information board, and some clothes. The rest is just space!
The second episode of the night, "The Scheherazade Job," was a mix of everything with a slant towards Hardison. To be honest, the African story wasn't interesting or important, but to recap, it was about an African guy who hoards diamonds and wants more power.
Apparently, Hardison can play the violin and the job succeeding is contingent on him selling the ability to play. However, he hasn't played since he was 14 and has to play Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. For plot convenience (and Aldis Hodge being able to mime playing), the concert starts on the fourth movement and is choreographed in sync with the crew pulling off the job, ending with the big gong crash before Hardison goes into the solo. He pulls it off without mistakes, leaving his team mesmerizes as Scheherazade did the king.
The biggest development was Hardison declaring that he'll make his own crew own day and wants to learn from Nate. The problem is, Nate doesn't think he should have his own crew and is very condescending the entire episode. Are they headed for a conflict?
The Italian woman has Nate recover an envelope for her. Supposedly, it is a link to Moreau, but Nate finds out that the envelope is really about her. The plot is fairly bland right now and Elisabetta Canalis is boring, so I'm eagerly waiting for something to happen on that end.
Next week, we're back to normal scheduling with one episode a week and with extra episodes this season, there's plenty of weeks before the season ends.
Score: 9.4/10
Score: 8.7/10
Monday, June 28, 2010
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