theawkwardterrier:

The episode is pretty clearly meant to show how well the team has meshed and how skillful they are not only in contrast to their marks, but also as compared to other cons. And they do a good job at setting up foils for the crew – compelling and expert, people who could realistically give our heroes a run for their money – and also an excellent job at showing why the Leverage team is just that good. But I think my favorite part of all of that is the contrast between Hardison and Chaos.

In the way that Eliot is who you expect of a hitter and Michal (I refuse to use the terrible spelling assigned to her) is not, Chaos is basically who you would expect when you hear that someone’s the hacker of the team: a shlubby white nerd with an ego problem, someone who thinks they’re too smart, who doesn’t connect well with other people, and is cold and self-interested as a result. The trappings that they attach to him – a similar soda addiction, a van from which to keep track of the goings on – only serve to emphasize how different Hardison’s personality is from all of that.

Chaos is who you would expect Hardison to be, and it only helps bring home how delightful

Hardison is

(and how unexpected!): a personable, funny, loyal, smart black guy is the hacker for this team. Two seasons in, it serves as a wonderful reminder of how awesome a character he is.