The Leverage team infiltrates an oil rig and a small-town trial to find evidence that a corrupt oil CEO is hiding a dangerous oil leak in the gulf, causing illnesses along the spill zone.
Tropes stolen in this job:
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Ethan starts out looking like a good guy, the CEO pushing clean energy who cleaned up an oil spill. Then we learn he's covering up an ongoing oil spill.
- Crusading Lawyer: This episode finally shows Harry demonstrating his legal chops.
- Did Not Get the Girl: Harry assumes that once he's exposed Ethan as a bad guy, his ex-wife Grace (who is now married to Ethan) will return to him. However, she's not interested because whatever his flaws, Ethan is a good provider.
- Downer Ending: The episode ends with the team watching a news report of the oil rig being blown up, with several workers being killed, which devastates Eliot (who had befriended some of them while working there). We then see Harry at RIZ's offices, offering his skills to Alexandra Bligh and saying that he's apparently "rethought [his] approach to morality". However, this is a Cliffhanger that leads into the next episode.
- It's Personal: Harry's daughter brought him this case. The bad guy turns out to be her step-father.
- The episode ends with the destruction of the rig and the deaths of several workers there, some of whom demonstrated themselves to be really great guys. Eliot gets so upset the glass he's holding shatters.
- Multitasked Conversation: Sophie calls Eliot via the oil rig's satellite phone. This means everyone in the room can hear Sophie. Eliot warns her of this, so she comes up with a quick lie to let him know the time-table's been moved up. This leads in to Rousseau Was Right.
- Rousseau Was Right: Eliot spent a lot of time assuming he'd end up having to fight a bunch of rig workers to give Breanna time to hack the data. Turns out, the rig workers were all good guys. So good, in fact, that they plan and throw a baby shower for the new guy (Eliot) when they learn his wife is giving birth. That several of these men die at the end of the episode infuriates Eliot.
- Saying Too Much + Engineered Public Confession: When Harry shows Ethan the live feed of the on-going leak that has been posted as the front page of GP's own website, Ethan gets so mad he starts shouting things on the stand in court that confirm the feed is legitimate and practically hands the good guys their case.
- Serial Escalation: Their cover-up didn't work and they got exposed in court, so GP hires RIZ to blow up the oil rig, killing a number of the workers there.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Harry absolutely rocks a clean cut suit with a waistcoat.
- Shout-Out: Even without Hardison present, the team continues to use science-fiction references in their aliases; Eliot goes by the name Armus Vagra. One could assume that Breanna's in charge of the aliases now.
- Shown Their Work: The show gets legal terminology right. The plaintiff not presenting evidence would get the court to throw the case out in summary judgment... Except maybe not? Louisiana has its own very weird legal system different from the rest of the country from its history as a former French possession.
- Spoiled Sweet: Harry's daughter shows up in this episode. Rich dad, rich stepdad (who she doesn't like), but she's not a bad kid.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Ethan calls Harry out for getting involved in the case, accusing him of being a jealous ex.
- You're Cute When You're Angry: Maria addressed a letter to Eliot as Teddy Bear because she knew it would make him cranky.
