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LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION Recap: (S03E07) The Shakedown in Clone-Town Job

It's been a while since the Leverage: Redemption team fried up a big fish in a little pond. In Leverage: Redemption Season 3 Episode 7, 'The Shakedown in Clone-Town Job,' they stumble across the hamlet of Gillon, Louisiana, where the mayor has been filling his pockets with money collected from people passing through in the form of traffic tickets and fines for breaking frivolous bylaws. As a lovely sidenote, Sophie (Gina Bellman) has a Hallmark moment with the town's handyman/vet/tow truck driver. RELATED: Catch up with our recap of the previous Leverage: Redemption episode, 'The Swipe Right Job' It's another Hardison/Aldis Hodge-light adventure. In addition, Noah Wyle's Harry Wilson only contributes via text message. Ostensibly, he's in court all week, but Wyle might've been filming The Pitt just as Hodge had other work obligations like Cross and City on a Hill . Still, with a hint of The Magnificent Seven and a whiff of Spartacus , the active Leverage: Redemption team members work their magic on a town that could be better than their municipal leaders. Image Credit: Sam Lothridge/Prime Video Leverage: Redemption, 'The Shakedown in Clone-Town Job' An exhausted Eliot (Christian Kane) drives home in his 2008 Dodge Challenger. Sophie rides in the passenger seat, bemoaning her dating life, and Parker (Beth Riesgraf) is in the back seat searching for food. At headquarters, Breanna (Aleyse Shannon) wanders around in a panda onesie, questioning how Sophie could be doing dating 'wrong.' Sophie says that a lifetime of lying and grifting has made her overly distrustful. Breanna admits that she's created dozens of online bots to build fake interactive histories to use in future cons. However, she also uses them to mess with real people occasionally. RELATED: The Librarians Sequel Coming to the CW When Sophie starts questioning Eliot about what he lies about to romantic partners, he steps on the gas to get home faster. Suddenly, a hidden police car pursues them with its siren screaming. The team reports that they've been pulled over. Breanna reminds them that law enforcement might take exception to some of the items from the previous night's con that are in the car's hidden compartment. The sheriff, Pinkus (Carl Palmer), demands Eliot's license. Eliot hands over one for Luke Newman. Pinkus tells him to pop the trunk. When Eliot questions this, Pinkus warns him he's already getting a $300 ticket for speeding in a construction zone. He threatens to tack another hundred on for the look Eliot's giving him. The situation escalates quickly due to Pinkus's aggressive manner. He impounds the car and arrests Eliot. Breanna looks up the township, Gillon, and discovers it collects $2.5 million each year by ticketing passing motorists. Gillon, LA Parker and Sophie ride into town with the tow truck driver. He and Sophie strike up a conversation about Yeats's poetry. He gets a call about a kitten with a possible broken leg. Turns out he's the town vet who also drives the tow truck. He drops them outside Ethel's Diner to wait for Eliot. Sophie's a bit smitten. RELATED: A Leverage: Redemption Primer: Get Ready to Steal Season 3 Parker's still hungry, so she and Sophie wade through the biker gang outside to get into Ethel's. Inside, a man scolds a younger man about how he handles the loans at the town's bank before shooing him away without any breakfast. As Ethel (Julie Ivey) passes by his table, the older man grabs her and complains about the peppers on his omelette. She takes the omelette away without a word. Sophie and Parker watch from the counter. In the courthouse, Eliot and other defendants are directed to plead guilty or no contest when they face the judge, and they'll get to leave with a slap on the wrist. Eliot wants Harry to help him. Sophie says Harry's in court all week but tells Breanna to try to get a message to him. Pissing Someone Off In the diner, Sophie chats up Ethel and finds out the loud older man is Armin Brewster (Cedric Yarbrough), the town's mayor. He's been mayor for 15 years. Ethel used to run the town paper before it shut down. Brewster walks over to greet Sophie and Parker. Sophie comments that whoever's in charge should deal with the riff-raff outside. He tells Ethel he forgot his wallet and leaves without paying. Ethel tells the women the last thing you want to do is piss off the mayor. RELATED: Read our Cross recaps Breanna lets Eliot know that Harry says to plead no contest, pay the fine, and get home. Eliot asks the courthouse sheriff, Pinkus, what happens if he pleads not guilty. Pinkus says he'll get stuck in a very small cell for a very long time while they send a call out for the magistrate. He warns Eliot that the last thing he wants to do is piss off the judge. A Mayor's Court Sophie and Parker arrive in the courtroom just as Pinkus announces the judge, who turns out to be Armin Brewster, the mayor. Parker theorizes that the mayor and the judge are twins, or possibly clones. Harry informs Breanna by text that it's legal in several states for the mayor to sit as judge. Once Brewster gets started, he racks up the fines until Eliot's on the hook for a thousand dollars. In addition, he recognizes Parker and Sophie from the diner and charges them another thousand to get the car out of impound. Sophie decides it's time to add Mayor Brewster to their collection of toppled mayors. RELATED: Falling Skies Season 4 Premiere Thoughts and Recap Heading back to the diner, Sophie asks Ethel about the history of Gillon and Brewster. After the mill shut down, Brewster made himself mayor and turned the town into a speed trap. He squeezes the townsfolk when he can't make enough off fining people driving through. If anyone tries to challenge him for the mayorship, he sics the biker gangs on them. The only oversight committee, the town council, has only three people on it. Two of them are Sheriff Pinkus and Clyde Brewster (Craig Frank), Armin's younger brother. The third is Ethel's brother — the town vet and tow truck driver — Jack (John Charles Meyer). Let's Go Steal a Town Eliot's keen to come back in a week to run a con after he's gotten some sleep. Sophie insists they can quickly and easily Field of Dreams Brewster, separating him from his campaign war chest, and setting the town up for a fair election. The plan is to portray Eliot as a racecar driver-turner-track designer representing Apex 300, a race track development company looking to turn Gillon into a racing mecca. Parker's a daredevil driver, Helena von Strom, the future face of Apex 300. Sophie's the rainmaker, Tia Salabianchi, the influencer with the ear of the Apex 300 board. Sophie approaches Clyde Brewster at the First Bank of Gillon as Tia. She proposes the purchase of the old mill grounds and the property between it and the highway for a mysterious consortium, offering $50 million. As she takes a fake call from the Apex 300 board, Clyde looks her up and gives Armin a call. Armin has Pinkus with him and sends the sheriff to the mill. Good With My Hands Sophie spots Jack fixing a truck and comes over to talk. They quote some Yeats at each other, and he offers her a bed. At his bed and breakfast. Obviously. Sophie regretfully declines, saying that she's leaving town that night. RELATED: TV Review: Leverage: Redemption Season 3 When Sophie returns to the bank to meet with Clyde, he brings her to a room to meet with Armin. She furthers the grift, but he leaves without biting. Over the coms, Eliot comments that something's not right. He's headed to the mill on a bicycle. When he arrives, he finds the biker gang set up. He beats them up, sending them off on their bikes to lick their wounds. He discovers a kilo of cut cocaine on the ground. Parker drives up and takes the cocaine with her since the police are on their way to arrest Eliot. Again. Sophie knocks on Jack's door. He wonders if she's actually willing to trust him. She states she's interested in peeking behind the facade of the house. She spends the night and enjoys a proper cup of tea the next morning. Jack tells her that he and Ethel believe in the town and want to give it a chance to thrive. He says the only time they made any progress was when Armin went on holiday and the council elected a temporary mayor. The Missing Pieces Regrouping with Parker and Eliot, Sophie shares her Jack-made pastries while Eliot informs them that the bikers push drugs at the local truck stop. They realize Armin's been turning a blind eye in exchange for their muscle. If a racetrack were to draw attention to Gillon, the bikers' gig would be over. RELATED: Read our Fallout recaps Parker decides they need to turn the bikers against Armin. Sophie says that's a part of it. She goes and waits for Armin in Ethel's. He sits down and gloats that they read him wrong. Money's not as important to him as power. He believes she'll be running out of town by nightfall. She disagrees. She won't be the one running. Eliot finds the biker gang and plants the idea that Armin is running a cartel deal under their noses. They break open a trailer at the truck stop and find barrels full of bags of flour that Sophie and Parker seeded with the kilo they left with Eliot. The bikers head out to find Armin. Phase Two Eliot enters the bank wearing a clown mask, triggering panic in the tellers and clients. While everyone is distracted, Parker steals the keys to the vault. She empties several safety deposit boxes, taking all the bikers' money. Clyde realizes what's happened after Pinkus takes Eliot away. He runs outside and tries to get away in his car. It doesn't start. Sophie sits down in the passenger seat. She promises to fix everything for him in exchange for his vote on the council. RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Leverage: Redemption 's Parker In the courtroom, Jack addresses Armin, having called an emergency council meeting to elect a temporary mayor to replace Armin. He nominates Eliot/Luke Newman. Clyde votes with Jack against Pinkus and runs from the room. Jack takes the gavel from Armin before he can run after Clyde. Armin runs out of the courtroom and straight into the bikers. Pinkus pulls the bikers off Armin, giving him a chance to escape. Sophie, Parker, and Ethel watch Armin peel out of town. Ethel points out that the biker gang is still set up in town. She asks how they can clean the town up with them around. 'Where's the cavalry?' she asks. Sophie states they'll turn up. With a deep sigh, she states, 'I trust.' Building Trust Breanna uses her bots to create buzz and excitement about Eliot as Mayor Newman. At the diner, Sophie waitresses while Ethel revives her paper online, writing about the town and what it has to offer. Breanna sets Ethel's article up to go viral and heads up to Gillon to join the team. RELATED: Prime Video Renews Fallout for Season 3 Montage of Eliot doing mayor stuff while the bikers terrorize the town. In the bank, the bikers discover their money is gone. Breanna's there to 'push them over the edge,' on Sophie's advice. She tells them there was a break-in and recommends that next time, they put their money in a chequing account. They storm out and head to the courtroom, where they try to shake down Eliot. Eliot refuses, and they walk out. He warns Sophie that the bikers are going to do something extreme. The bikers head to Ethel's and pour gasoline all over the walls and windows. They light a torch, and the head biker holds it up, threatening to burn the building and possibly the whole town down unless they get rid of their new mayor. Ethel can't see how the town will survive. Sophie explains that the plan was always to have the people of Gillon rise up and take their town back. Jack and the town firefighters arrive in the firetruck. The rest of the town arrives on bicycles, en masse. They face off with the bikers who drop the torch and leave. Outside Gillon, Parker pulls Armin and Pinkus over for speeding in the construction zone. She finds the stolen bank money in the trunk and arrests them. RELATED: Read our Leverage: Redemption recaps In Gillon, Ethel launches her campaign for mayor with a peach-themed festival and a proposal to turn the old mill into a multi-purpose recreation and live concert venue. Clyde thanks Sophie for bringing him and his horticulture degree onto the project. Guilty or No Contest In the courtroom, a magistrate informs Armin and Pinkus that Mayor Newman has split mayoral and judicial duties forever. She accuses Armin and Pinkus of working with the bikers to sell drugs over the last ten years. Their choice is to plead guilty or no contest. Outside, Ethel bids Breanna, Parker, and Eliot goodbye, thanking them for their help. She tells them they're welcome in Gillon anytime. Sophie decides to stay in Gillon with Jack for a few days. For his popovers. Leverage: Redemption Season 3 streams on Prime Video with new episodes every Thursday. The New BALLERINA Trailer Is Pure Fire Diana lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada, where she invests her time and energy in teaching, writing, parenting, and indulging her love of all Trek and a myriad of other fandoms. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. You can also find her writing at The Televixen, Women at Warp, TV Fanatic, and TV Goodness.