History Recap / LeverageS02E06TheTopHatJob

Hardison and Parker attend a magic show by Chronos the Magnificent, a basic magician with a CrissAngel aesthetic and a long list of sexual harassment charges. Even the assistant dislikes Chronos the Jackass.

* NoSell: When Casten's thugs catch Hardison in the junction room, he tells them that he's there only because he got lost while looking for the men's room. They're not convinced.

'''Sophie''': Well, um, she's a [[HotScientist scientist]]. And, well, um... You're, you're a bit nerdy. Aren't you?\\

* HotScientist: Dr. Jameson is an attractive blonde.

Dr. Leigh Jameson is in the Lillian Foods Company downloading some files when her boss Erik Casten and security chief Markland come in accusing her of illegal downloading. Knowing the jig is up, she makes her escape and manages to exit the company but receives a call from her home security system that her house has been broken into.

The next day, she meets with Nate and Sophie in a bar explaining that her house has been ransacked but the only theft was of her hard drive. She tells them that one of the quality-control inspectors found salmonella bacteria on a shipment of frozen dinners and ended up discovering that the entire frozen food division was contaminated. She even finds out that her boss is avoiding lawsuits by not reporting it. She asks for the team’s help, worrying of the safety of the food due to Erik’s actions. Nate asks for more information about the CEO and she tells him that Mr. Price doesn’t know about this matter and would have stopped it if Jameson had succeeded in her plan to report to him. During the interview, Sophie watches as the doctor's hand lingers on Nate's. If that wasn't enough to convince the grifter that love is in the air, she sees how hard Dr. [[MeaningfulName Jameson]] is pounding back the drinks. It's been a rough week.

After everyone escapes or reboots, Hardison complains that this was supposed to be an easy target. Nate tells him that he used to work with food companies at IYS. Anyone who gets their hands on the food patent will cost them billions, which explains why the company is heavily guarded. Hardison briefs the team on the company and that Erik is trying to cover up the problem so he doesn’t need to pay out from the recall. He manages to send in a "Trojan horse" but security is so impressively tight that he only manages to collect employee emails. Hardison mentions the "state of the company" speech taking place the next day; Nate tells them that’s their way in. Too bad no one knows what the hell he's talking about since none of them has ever had a real job. The mastermind tells them that that companies usually host a mandatory event that consists of some long boring speech, entertainment, and food. It’s the only time that every employee is away from their office. Since catering is being done in-house, they have to replace the entertainment.

-->'''Parker:''' You dont!
--> ''(after cover gets blown)

* ProperlyParanoid: Lillian Foods' headquarters is practically a fortress because their patents are so valuable. Team Leverage manages to steal them anyway, and it's not even their main goal. All the insane security the team faces during their initial recon attempt shocks them due to the field of business they're in... except for Nate, who warned them that he knew about how food companies have such a high level of security in place to protect their security, primarily based on his time working in insurance.

-->'''Parker:''' Yeah, well so did I when I said you didn't! No wait... Dammit!

* ProperlyParanoid: Lillian Foods' headquarters is practically a fortress because their patents are so valuable. Team Leverage manages to steal them anyway, and it's not even their main goal.

Dr. Leigh Jameson is in the Lilian Foods Company downloading some files when her boss Erik Casten and security chief Markland come in accusing her of illegal downloading. Knowing the jig is up, she makes her escape and manages to exit the company but receives a call from her home security system that her house has been broken into.

->'''[[TheMatchmaker Sophie]]''':You definitely have things in common with her.\\

Nate tells his team to pull out but Hardison [[TemptingFate insists it’s going smoothly]]. Suddenly, Eliot realizes the guards are ex-CIA from their "[[MadLibsCatchPhrase very distinctive stance]]" and are MRI-ing the pizza. Hardison is bombarded by alerts that lead to a black out. Parker realizes that even creepy homeless guy next to her is a guard.

* TheMatchmaker: Sophies tries to hook up Nate with Dr. Jameson, but it doesn't work.

* InsistentTerminology: As noted, "Harry Turner: is an illusionist, ''not'' a magician.

* NoSell: When Casten's thugs catch Hardison in the junction room, he tells them that heLs there only because he got lost while looking for the men's room. They're not convinced.

* StageMagician: Nae's persona in this caper, but don't call "Harry Turner" a magician to his face.

->''"The secret of magic is misdirection"''
-->--'''Nathan Ford'''

-----

-->'''[[TheMatchmaker Sophie]]''':You definitely have things in common with her.\\

'''Sophie''': What happens when he loses? The first time he lost, it broke him. He breaks again, I don't think even we could pick up the pieces.

Dr. Leigh Jameson is in the Lilian Foods Company downloading some files when her boss Erik Casten and security chief Markland come in suspecting her of illegal downloading. Knowing the jig is up, she makes her escape and manages to exit the company but she receives a call from her home security system that her house has been broken into. The next day, she meets with Nate and Sophie in a bar explaining that her house has been ransacked but the only theft was of her hard drive. She tells them that one of the quality-control inspectors found salmonella bacteria on a shipment of frozen dinners and ended up discovering that the entire frozen food division was contaminated. She even finds out that her boss is avoiding lawsuits by not reporting it. She asks for the team’s help, worrying of the safety of the food due to Erik’s actions. Nate asks further about the CEO and she tells him that Mr. Price doesn’t know about this matter and was trying to report this matter to him. During the interview, Sophie watches as the doctor's hand lingers on Nate's. If that wasn't enough to convince the grifter that love is in the air, she sees how hard Dr. [[MeaningfulName Jameson]] is pounding back the drinks. It's been a rough week.

What Nate doesn’t know is that the team is already in the midst of pulling recon on the company; Eliot dresses as a pizza delivery guy, Parker stands guard outside, and Hardison [[MissionControl stays in the office]] checking the progress. Sophie was meant to stop Nate from finding out but the best laid plans... Nate tells his team to pull out but Hardison [[TemptingFate insists it’s going smoothly]]. Suddenly, Eliot realizes the guards are ex-CIA from their "[[MadLibsCatchPhrase very distinctive stance]]" and are MRI-ing the pizza. Hardison is bombarded by alerts that lead to a black out. Parker realizes the creepy homeless guy next to her is even a guard.

After everyone escapes or reboots, Hardison complains that this was supposed to be an easy target. Nate tells him that he used to work with food companies at IYS. Anyone who gets their hands on the food patent will cost them billions, which explains why the company is heavily guarded. Hardison briefs the team on the company and that Erik is trying to cover up the problem so he doesn’t need to pay out from the recall. He manages to send in a "Trojan horse" but security is so impressively tight that he only manages to collect employee emails. Just as Hardison mention about the "state of the company" thing tomorrow, Nate tells them that’s their way in. Too bad no one knows what the hell he's talking about. None of them has had a real job. The mastermind tells them that that companies usually host a mandatory event that consists of some long boring speech, entertainment, and food. It’s the only time that every employee is away from their office. Since catering is being done in-house, they have to replace the entertainment.

Hardison and Parker attend a magic show by Chronos the Magnificent, a basic magician with a CrissAngel aesthetic and a bored assistant. Chronos the Jackass. Parker volunteers, but the trick goes wrong! The sword pierces the box and screams pierce the air. Hardison, [[ShipTease posing as the protective boyfriend]], rushes onstage to reveal it was a trick-within-a-trick. Parker's fine. The two goad Chronos into punching Hardison. The next day, Markland receives a call from the manager for the magic show (aka Sophie) that Chronos has been detained for 24 hours, but a replacement has been found. Meet Nate--er--Harry Turner, Illusionist ("Magicians do kids parties"). Backstage, Hardison briefs the team that the show opens with Casten delivering the company’s speech, which will last for an hour, giving him, Eliot, and Parker enough time to go down to the server room, hack and download the report, and return upstairs. To prolong Nate’s act, Sophie asks Mr. Price for some employee names and habits that can be added to the patter. Rather, that's the cover for Sophie and Hardison to replicate Price's ID badge.

At the event, everyone hunkers down for a long speech, but when Casten wraps up in record time, the team's plan changes as Nate is forced to go onstage sans assistant, since Parker, Eliot, and Hardison are still making their way to the server room. Eliot and Hardison pick up the pace while Parker manages to make a DynamicEntry. It turns out that Casten has the same idea as the Leverage team; he finished the speech early in order to erase files in an empty server room. With the help of Mr. Price('s retina, stuck in a magic box...with the rest of him) and Leigh Jameson (on a com in the bar, ordering another drink), Hardison and Eliot gain access to the server room, but too late. As Casten watches the files disappear, he sees some funny business. He tells Markland that there’s been a breach in the junction room. Where Hardison is. Nate and Parker make a magical escape and Hardison gets detained.

'''Sophie''': What happens when he loses? The first time he lost, it broke him. He breaks again, I don't think even we could pick up the pieces.

Leigh Jameson is in the Lilian Foods Company downloading some files until her boss, Erik Casten and security chief, Markland comes in suspecting her in illegal downloading. Knowing she gets caught she makes her escape and manage to exit the company but she receives a call from the Forrent Alarm Systems that her home alarm has been activated indicating a break in. The next day, she meets up with Nate and Sophie telling her situation about her house been ransacked but only her hard drive’s been stolen. She tells them that one of our quality-control inspectors found salmonella bacteria on a shipment of frozen dinners but discovered that the entire frozen food division was contaminated. She even finds out that her boss is avoiding lawsuits by not reporting it. She asks for their team’s help, worrying of the safety of the food due to Erik’s actions. Nate asks further about the CEO and she tells him that Mr. Price doesn’t know about this matter and was trying to report this matter to him.

What Nate didn’t know is that the team was already pulling a recon on the company. Eliot dresses as a pizza delivery guy, Parker stands guard outside while Hardison’s in the office checking the progress. Sophie was suppose to stop Nate from finding out but fails. Nate finds out about this and tells them to pull out but Hardison refuse since it’s going smoothly. Suddenly Eliot tells Hardison they have a problem as ‘ex-CIA’ guards are MRI-ing the pizza. It gets worse as Hardison gets lots of alerts and eventually lead to a black out. Parker is shocked about it and even realizes the homeless guy that she’s standing beside is a guard. Luckily they both manage to escape and Hardison manages to restart his com.

After everyone regroups, Hardison complains that he had this since it was an easy target. Nate tells him that he used to work with food companies at IYS. Anyone who gets their hands on the food patent will cost them billions, which explains why the company is heavily guarded. Hardison then briefs the team about the company and explain that Erik is trying to cover up the problem so he doesn’t need to pay from the recall. He manages to send in a ‘Trojan horse’ using a Smartphone inside the package but he manages to collect the employee messages instead due to the tight security. Just as Hardison mention about the ‘state of the company’ thing tomorrow, Nate tells them that’s their way in. Confused since Nate is the only one of them who's had a real job, Nate tells them that that companies usually host some boring speech, entertainment and food but that’s the only time that all the employees leave their office since it’s mandatory. Since catering has already been done itself by the food company, they have to replace the one who’s doing the entertainment. Hardison checks it to reveal that Chronos the Magnificent is hosting it.

To replace him, Hardison and Parker go up as guest and expose his magic tricks; making him rage at Hardison. The next day, Markland was reported by Sophie (pretends to be the manager for the magic show) that Chronos was detained for 24 hours and found a replacement that is coming his way. Just then Nate shows up as Harry Turner, the Illusionist (that he mentions magicians do kids party). His team was about to enter but Markland wants to check his equipment. Luckily Mr.Price was there and lets them in without checking it. Backstage, what they didn’t check is that Eliot’s inside the magician box. Hardison briefs the team that the show opens Erik Casten delivering the company’s speech, which may last for an hour, giving him, Eliot, and Parker enough time to go down to the server room, hack and download the report, and return upstairs. Nate explains he might not need an assistant as all he has to do is have a magic rabbit but unfortunately he seems to lose the rabbit in the process. To make Nate’s speech longer, Sophie ask Mr. Price help with some of the employee names and their habits, unaware that Sophie used one of the employee’s ID card for them to enter the office.

As the speech starts, their plan changes as Erik gives a brief speech, asking Nate to bring in Parker as his assistant (confusing Sophie on why he didn’t pick her). Eliot and Hardison hasten to enter the server room while Parker manages to enter the stage (in her own way by accident). It turns out that Erik has the same idea on going up the server room only to ‘take of some business’ upstairs. Using the help of Dr.Price (in false pretense that he’s use for the magic show and place him inside the magic box) Hardison and Eliot gain access to the room (with the help of Jameson). But they were a bit late due to the fact that Erik got to the room first, deleting all the files during the process. As Erik is watching the files been deleted, he calls in Markland that there’s a breach in the junction room as it’s one of the areas to access. While Eliot is in the elevator with Dr. Price inside, Hardison is in the junction room, gets locked. Eliot ditch Dr. Price after dealing with the guards and tells them that their cover is blown. Nate and Parker makes their escape by their ‘disappearing’ act as the guards heads to detain them only to find the rabbit that Nate lost. Hardison gets detain but only to find his hard drive fill with magic tricks instructions.

As Hardison was pulled outside with Markland assuming there’s a van that Hardison says outside, Markland receives a call from Erik which he’s surprise that his phone is missing. At the end of the call happens to be Nate. Nate tells him the secret of magic is misdirection. Sure that Erik deletes the files but what he didn’t know is that Nate tells Hardison to download all the food patents into his phone and all they need to do is Parker to steal his phone when he went outside. Erik is stunned as he as Nate what he wants, Nate tells him that he wants his friend to be release and pull the entire frozen-foods line from the market with the help of a specialist for the recall. Just then Jameson and Price exits out the building, telling him to give a formal apology and his resignation letter telling Markland to escort Erik to clean his office.
While Hardison and Parker are learning some magic tricks and Nate is busy checking out his clients, Sophie discuss with Eliot that she’s worried that Nate keeps winning despite him not drinking and the team begs him to take them back. Eliot assure it’s alright but couldn’t answer Sophie’s question when she ask what happen if he loses.

Leigh Jameson is in the Lilian Foods Company downloading some files until her boss, Erik Casten and security chief, Markland comes in suspecting her in illegal downloading. Knowing she gets caught she makes her escape and manage to exit the company but she receives a call from the Forrent Alarm Systems that her home alarm has been activated indicating a break in. The next day, she meets up with Nate and Sophie telling her situation about her house been ransacked but only her hard drive’s been stolen. She tells them that one of our quality-control inspectors found salmonella bacteria on a shipment of frozen dinners but discovered that the entire frozen food division was contaminated. She even finds out that her boss is avoiding lawsuit by not reporting it. She asks for their team’s help worrying of the safety of the food due to Erik’s actions. Nate asks further about the CEO and she tells him that Mr. Price doesn’t know about this matter and was trying to report this matter to him.

What Nate didn’t know is that the team was already pulling a recon on the company. Eliot dress as a pizza delivery guy, Parker stands guard outside while Hardison’s in the office checking the progress. Sophie was suppose to stop Nate from finding out but fails. Nate finds out about this and tells them to pull out but Hardison refuse since it’s going smoothly. Suddenly Eliot tells Hardison they have a problem as ‘ex-CIA’ guards are MRI-ing the pizza. It gets worse as Hardison gets lots of alerts and eventually lead to a black out. Parker was shocked about it and even realizes the homeless guy that she’s standing beside is a guard. Luckily they both manage to escape and Hardison manages to restart his com. After everyone regroup, Hardison complains that he had this since it was an easy target but Nate tells him that he once done insurances with some food companies and anyone who gets their hands on the food patent will cost them billions, which explains why the company is heavily guarded. Hardison then briefs the team about the company and explain that Erik is trying to cover up the problem so he doesn’t need to pay from the recall. He manages to send in a ‘Trojan horse’ using a Smartphone inside the package but he manages to collect the employee messages instead due to the tight security. Just as Hardison mention about the ‘state of the company’ thing tomorrow, Nate tells them that’s their way in. Confuse since everyone except Nate has a real job, Nate tells them that that companies usually host some boring speech, entertainment and food but that’s the only time that all the employees leave their office since it’s mandatory. Since catering has already been done itself by the food company, they have to replace the one who’s doing the entertainment. Hardison checks it to reveal that Chronos the Magnificent is hosting it.

To replace him, Hardison and Parker go up as guest and expose his magic tricks; forcing him to rage at Hardison. The next day, Markland was reported by Sophie (pretends to be the manager for the magic show) that Chronos was detain for 24 hours and found a replacement that coming his way. Just then Nate shows up as Harry Turner, the Illusionist (that he mentions magicians do kids party). His team was about to enter but Markland wants to check his equipment. Luckily Mr.Price was there and lets them in without checking it. Backstage, what they didn’t check is that Eliot’s inside the magician box. Hardison briefs the team that the show opens Erik Casten delivering the company’s speech, which may last for an hour, giving him, Eliot, and Parker enough time to go down to the server room, hacks and download the report, and return upstairs. Nate explains he might not need an assistant as all he has to do is have a magic rabbit but unfortunately he seems to lose the rabbit in the process. To make Nate’s speech longer, Sophie ask Mr.Price help of some of the employee names and their habits, unaware that Sophie even uses one of the employee’s ID card for them to enter the office.

As the speech starts, their plan changes as Erik gives a few minutes speech, asking Nate to bring in Parker as his assistant (confusing Sophie on why he didn’t pick her). Eliot and Hardison hasten to enter the server room while Parker manages to enter the stage (in her own way by accident). It turns out that Erik has the same idea on going up the server room only to ‘take of some business’ upstairs. Using the help of Dr.Price (in false pretence that he’s use for the magic show and place him inside the magic box) Hardison and Eliot gain access to the room (with the help of Jameson). But they were a bit late due to the fact that Erik got to the room first, deleting all the files during the process. As Erik is watching the files been deleted, he calls in Markland that there’s a breach in the junction room as it’s one of the areas to access. While Eliot is in the elevator with Dr. Price inside, Hardison is in the junction room, gets locked. Eliot ditch Dr. Price after dealing with the guards and tells them that their cover is blown. Nate and Parker makes their escape by their ‘disappearing’ act as the guards heads to detain them only to find the rabbit that Nate lost. Hardison gets detain but only to find his hard drive fill with magic tricks instructions.