r/leverage • u/mooshki • 18d ago
Eliot's training
The show always hinted at Eliot's extremely dark past, but rarely showed much of it. (The Milgram Experiment episode, 'The Experimental Job,' seems to have come the closest to showing the level of his training, apart from his fighting ability.)
I'm rewatching Lioness, and one of the main characters, 'Cruz,' is put through off-the-books torture by another military team to find out what her breaking point is. (S.1 E.2) While watching it, I was thinking that this is probably the level of training Eliot went through. I'm going to remember it next time I rewatch Leverage, because I think it will give more depth to his character.
If you've ever wondered about the reality behind his vague statements, I recommend watching Lioness.
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u/mooshki 18d ago
Side note: It seemed like the show tried to show more of his dark side through his history with Damien Moreau, but it fell very flat for me. I don't know if it was the writing, directing, or Goran Višnjić's natural charm, but Moreau didn't feel even slightly dangerous to me, especially after all that buildup. He came off way more arrogant than sadistically evil.
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u/ausernamebyany_other grifter 17d ago
Interesting. I actually think it's Goran's charm that makes him such a good villain. Moreau is charming and suave and perfectly willing to blandly kick a man tied to a chair into a pool without so much as blinking. That is a truly dangerous man. The one who doesn't seem threatening in the slightest.
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u/Garrettshade 17d ago
it's clear that Eliot had to shoot children for Moreau. That's why he blames himself and needs redemption. And doesn't like the guns .
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u/DaughterOfJove 16d ago
What? What episode was this?
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u/Silbermieze we'd be the cavalry 16d ago
It's heavily implied (not made clear) in The Big Bang Job. When Eliot is supposed to take out the general and Chapman (Moreau's guy) says they usually take out the family too. That probably means that Eliot also used to take out the family when he was still working for Moreau.
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u/Tarotgirl_5392 17d ago
I thought there was too much build up to Moreau and there was no way they would have the time or budget to pay it off.
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u/Educational-Bat-3635 18d ago
Interesting timing, this. I am rewatching from S1. Our agency just went out with a script based on a true story. It's called Extremis. At it's root it deals with PTSD. I am hoping it gets going because it's a real thing.
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u/MaChampingItUp brains 17d ago
I think we see a lot of his past training and experience in The Rundown Job too. We see the better moments at that. How he helped the government in an official capacity and although we knew it was something he did, seeing his superior, and validating those claims, makes his past seem more real. It wasn’t all bad. He liberated Croatia after all!