Falling For Those Anti-Heroes

by Beth

One of the best things I've ever done is get a subscription to Netflix. Not only does it have loads of movies and TV shows available, but it also has the feature where you can watch certain movies/TV shows instantly on your computer or, if you have a Netflix ready device, you can stream them directly to your TV (we use our Xbox live account).

It's because of this wonderful device that I now have a new addiction:

Leverage. (It's a TV show on TNT *g*)

Now, believe me, I could go on and on about how much I love this show. The acting. The character arcs. The story lines. But I won't. For today, I'm going to concentrate on one of the main reasons I am so crazy about this show:

The men!

The three male characters are all sexy, smart, funny and have that certain edge about them that makes them dangerous - and appealing (in a purely fantasy sort of way *g*)

Nate Ford, played by Timothy Hutton, is an ex-insurance investigator who is now the leader of a band of thieves who help their clients go up against everyone from dirty politicians to corrupt businessmen to mobsters. Nate is clever and devious and can usually outsmart just about any adversary. He's also cynical, battling alcoholism (a battle he usually loses) and filled with bitterness over the death of his young son.

Alec Hardison, played by Aldis Hodge, is an expert computer hacker. Well, calling Hardison simply a computer hacker doesn't exactly do his skills justice, not when he can break any code, create new identities or even alter surveillance video. He's proud of his geekiness, freaks out at violence and at times, has let his team down (like when he missed a mission because he was up all night playing video games).

Eliot Spencer, played by Christian Kane, is what the show calls a Retrieval Specialist, but really, he's the firm's muscle. He can take out an entire gang of bad guys all with just his fists. He hates guns, is soft spoken and is an excellent cook. Oh, and did I mention that he totally kicks ass?

Now, on paper, these guys don't exactly come across as 'hero' material but that's only if you haven't watched the show. Because if you have seen even just one episode, you'd know that Nate may be lost and angry at the world but his sense of justice, his desire to help those in need is stronger than his desire to self-destruct.

Hardison may make mistakes, but he always makes it up to his team and he takes his job of gathering the Intel the team will need to work their cons seriously. He may complain and get cold feet sometimes, but he always pulls through in the end.

Eliot keeps his emotions bottled up but he has a soft spot for his ex-girlfriend and horses (not necessarily in that order *g*). He may get knocked down, but he always gets back up.

So, we have three men who are less than perfect and yet, they're growing and changing, turning into better men right before our eyes. And isn't that what some of the best heroes do? :-)

Who are some of your favorite anti-heroes in film, TV or books? What TV shows are you currently loving? Are there any other Leverage fans out there?