Ep 12. The First David Job

The show, Leverage, is about a team of criminals who turn into modern-day Robin Hoods, using their expertise to right the wrongs done to the little people against the rich and powerful. In season 1 episode 12, The First David Job, the team steal a prized painting from a wealthy gallery owner who obtained it through nefarious means.

The episode starts with Sophie presenting the team with a new client, David. David's father, who was an artist, painted a masterpiece before he died, and David's mother left it to a gallery owner named Jack, who promised to showcase it but ultimately hoarded it in his private collection. David wants the painting to be taken back to his family's home in Italy, where he feels it belongs.

The team is initially hesitant to take on the job, as stealing a painting from a gallery is risky business and requires some of the team to pose as art enthusiasts. However, they ultimately decide to take the job after realizing that Jack is involved in other shady deals, and taking him down would be a significant win for them.

The team rallies together for the heist, with Eliot posing as a buyer interested in the painting and Parker and Hardison taking care of the security system. Nate poses as an art journalist profiling Jack and uses it to gather information on the security system in place, while Sophie poses as a curator interested in building the gallery's reputation by acquiring the painting.

As expected, the heist doesn't go as planned. The team is ambushed by another group of thieves who are also after the painting, and Eliot is shot in the process. However, they manage to recover the painting and escape, only to discover that the painting is a fake. David admits to the team that he knew all along that the painting was a fake and that the real painting is still hidden in the gallery.

The team is understandably upset with David, who tries to defend himself by saying that he needed them to take down Jack and that he never had any intention of stealing the fake painting they took. However, the team still feels betrayed, with Nate declaring that they won't take the job unless David comes clean about everything.

David finally admits that he needs to steal back the real painting to pay off a debt he owes to someone, and that he never intended to pay the team for the job. However, he resolves to come clean about everything to the team and tries to make amends by helping them with the second heist.

The team decides to try and take down Jack for good, this time by using the real painting to expose him. They create a plan to swap the fake painting they had initially stolen with the real one and then stage a fake break-in. The operation goes smoothly, with Parker and Hardison managing to get the real painting while Eliot and Nate stage the break-in.

The plan works, and the authorities catch Jack in the act, together with evidence of other illegal activities in his possession. David is grateful to the team for their help, and he finally gets his father's painting back. However, he is also left indebted to the team, and they extract their payment by having him promise to look after the painting and to never sell it, which he agrees to.

Overall, the episode is a well-done, tense heist story with great performances from the core cast. The team grows even closer in this episode, with their bond getting stronger as they navigate through the unexpected twists and turns of the heist.