Nate, when on a con, does an excellent job of playing an asshole you want to punch.
He does this by simple fact of being an asshole you want to punch.
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The old, blue BMW
“Where did it come from?” They all asked, as Dai drove it to their house, a week after Nate’s 16th birthday. He had agreed to keep it in their garage, knowing Nate’s Pa wouldn’t want the car just sitting there until Nate got his licence. ‘A friend’ apparently, someone Luis knew who owned a garage, who sold used cars. They’d taken Nate to buy a car, knowing how much he wanted one, and the look in his eyes as he sat in the passenger seat of his new car proved how much he loved it.
Then, he was always running round to look at it, to learn how to drive with Dai, or Luis- as long as they stayed within their little property. Or Dai would take him out to a car park, and Nate would learn how to start the car, drive it out a little, with Livia watching proud in the backseat. Livia joked he came more to see the car than he did her, his girlfriend, but she was pleased. The practice paid off, and Nate got his driver’s licence still aged 17.
Nate’s car was a treasure trove. In the passenger side door there was the Faber Medical Dictionary, half as thick as a hand, and so old and faded it looked like an archaic heirloom. The passenger glove box was full of CDs from different times and genres- it was a collection, a shrine, to everyone’s different personalities. Both dashboard glove boxes were full of different people’s medication- mainly just half used blisters of Paracetamol, and little bits of paper. The one over the steering wheel had Nate’s favourite photo of them all, and a stunning drawing of the car done by Will. Hanging from the rear view mirror was a tree charm (see photo), where rainbow stones had gone where the leaves would be. He’d picked that up the first Pride they went to.
Livia and he talked about the wedding they might have one day, jokingly but both secretly hoping it might happen. “Shall we have the car there?” She said, as they sat in the old car. “I know the something old, new borrowed and blue is supposed to be on the wedding dress, but, the car could be our something old and the something blue.” “What, drive away in it?” He asked, leaning back, drinking in the sunset. She shrugged, and he laughed. “We could put it at the back, where we’d have another row.” They laughed for a moment over the image. “Genuinely though, we could have it there, drive away in it, or whatever.”
Who would imagine he’d only had it a little over 2 years. When Natasha got the call that a body had been found in Will’s rubbish, how else were they going to get there than the little BMW? Where else was Cristina going to curl, crying, when first Rhea, and then Saanvi left her? Where else was Natasha going to fall asleep on the way back from a dance show, everyone else strung up on the beauty of her movements? Or Will, violin and little sister in hand, laughing with Nate discussing the latest Taylor Swift song, or movie they’d seen. Where else would Livia be but that passenger seat, so they could set the world to rights, and he could look over and fall in love all over again? And where would Nate be but behind that wheel, when the car was better than home, and he’d take his sister out, Clara pointing at the turns she wanted to take until they were well and truly far away?
“Little car,” Nate whispered, pulling up to Richard’s lodgings, capturing his tree charm briefly between his fingers. “My lovely car.”
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The thing about Nathan Ford is that he is just so very mediocre.
Yeah he's smart or whatever, but despite Leverage really trying to push him as a leading man, he is just Some Guy. He is so startlingly average in every single way, partially due to Timothy Huttons 'Guy who just woke up' looks and partially because his top character traits are: alcoholic, kind of an asshole, divorced, and Plays Chess
He's the most Guy I've ever seen in my life. Truly just unremarkable. His name is Nathan for gods' sakes
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My favourite Parker episode has always been The Inside Job, y'know why? It's not just what Parker does, but rather what the others do FOR Parker.
Parker has 4 safe houses in the city, but Nate and Sophie know her well enough to know where she actually stays when she's away from the team
Parker's security code. Do you understand the level of trust someone like Parker will have to have to use their name as her security code? To the place that's her own personal sanctuary? Sophie EARNED that level of trust.
'The Sterenko can't be cracked-' 'Can you do it?' 'Nate, it can't be-' 'For Parker. Can you do it for Parker?'
This. Just this.
'I made her. I trained her, and I released her into the world.' 'She was broken! She needed you!'
This stood out so loud to me, because it's not Hardison or Sophie (the more emotionally intelligent ones of the team) saying it. Because it's NATE. It's Nate, the man who couldn't say I Love You to Sophie for so long. The man who got so caught up in his son's death that every job involving kids or medical malpractice he nearly went out of line. NATE, who pushes and pushes and is ruthless and so cold at times.
It's Nate protesting for Parker, standing up FOR Parker, and y'know why? Because Parker doesn't know what she got deprived of. Parker doesn't feel that loss because you can't grieve something you aren't even aware you could've had. But Nate does. Nate saw her injustice and loss of childhood and spoke up, KNOWING she'll never know about him defending her.
'Hardison I screwed up.' 'We're already here mama.'
Do you understand the level of trust and vulnerability it requires for her to say those words? She's never gotten anyone's help after a screwup, she's had to take care of herself on her own. And there's Hardison, right there, not upset, not angry, not disappointed. A right straight - I'm here and we'll get you out.
'Let's get our girl home.'
Do I even need to say anything.
'It's not what we do, we don't get involved!' 'No, that's what YOU do!'
Parker is not Archie Leach's protege anymore. She's Parker. She's the greatest thief in the world. She's the one person to get the entire Leverage Inc breathing down your neck to save her. She has a family who got her back. She has a life and friends and people who may not understand her always but will always support her and be there for her, no matter what, without changing any aspect of her or forcing her to change either. And she saves people, because that's what they do.
'It's your play Parker.'
The explicit trust Nate displays in her. For someone like Nate with control issues and need to be the guy calling the shots, this is practically an all out notice saying 'she's my people, she's my family, I trust her with my life, more than that I trust her with my family and our jobs.'
'No.' 'What do you mean no? This isn't time for crazy, Parker! Come on!' 'No! I need to go back. I need to put the vial back.'
Do you understand what it feels to have someone like Parker, who is practically a ghost and the prospect of getting stuck somewhere is unthinkable, to refuse an escape route? And that too because she wants to help people and not be used to hurt them? In the face of someone who brought her up to only steal? Now that's growth.
Now this is a callback, but when Sophie and Nate first enter her safehouse, Sophie says something that foreshadows the ending. She says 'Look at this. It's methodical. This could be one of your plans, Nate.'
This is a personal choice, but god it's so good when authors and writers and creators give you hints and foreshadow and reward your intuition at the end, rather than changing endings for shock value. Because Hardison isn't ruthless, Eliot isn't striving for control, and Sophie is dramatic, not clinical. None of it would have been worth it unless it went to Parker, which it did.
Man, this fucking show I swear.
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