The Office Job - Recap

Hal, a writer at the Good Cheer Greeting Card Company in Montvalle, MA, is called into HR. The HR representative, Felicia, tells him that he’s being fired, and admits that the company CEO Fred Bartley is responsible. Hal goes on a rampage and tries to get to Bartley, but the security guards haul the writer away while Bartley plays fantasy football on his computer.

Later, Hal meets Nate at the bar and explains that he found evidence showing that someone was embezzling from the country. When he took it to Bartley, he was fired a week later. Nate figures that Hal wants to be part of the payoff when another greeting card company, Heartfelt, buys out Good Cheer later that week. Hal wonders if Nate is the man for the job, and insists that it’s about the company, not him. If Good Cheer goes down, then Montvalle will go with it. Taken aback at the accusation that he’s heartless, Nate tells Hal that the Leverage team will take the job.

At the team briefing, Alec confirms that Good Cheer has been in financial trouble for a while. While he briefs the others, Eliot steals his orange pop and Alec asks if that makes them even. Nate tries to get them back on track and informs the others that Montvalle is a company town. If Heartfelt doesn’t buy Good Cheer, then the town will be destroyed. The CEO is the grandson of the founder and a washed-up college football player. When Sophie offers some advice, Nate ignores it and then notices that she’s making a mark in her notebook. They confirm that Bartley is buying expensive supplies but they either cost less or never show up. Eliot figures that Bartley is pocketing the extra. To make sure the buyout goes as planned, the team has to expose Bartley before the sale. Otherwise it’ll fall through when Heartfelt tries to preserve its wholesome image. As the team heads out, Alec steals his orange soda back from Eliot.



Nate takes the Leverage team in posing as efficiency consultants who got the job through a very low bid. While Sophie and Parker distract the employees, Alec and Eliot look for evidence against Bartley. Bartley greets them and Nate rattles off a lot of synergy jargon, none of which Bartley understands. He shows them around but Felicia interrupts and warns him that he should have checked with her. When Bartley says that isn’t a problem, Felicia reminds him that a film crew is making a documentary at the office.

The documentary director, Gunter Hanzig, is preparing to film a water cooler as a metaphor for the despair of small businesses. Nate chats with him and realizes that they might have a problem. When Sophie suggests that they have to delay, Nate points out that they don’t have time with the buyout coming in three days. Sophie makes another mark in her notebook while Nate says that they have no choice but to work in the office and get around Gunter and his film crew.



Bartley calls in his people to meet with Sophie while Gunter films everything. While Sophie has the workers go through “trust exercises” that look suspiciously like acting classes, Parker meets with the card writers. She complains that all of their cards have “happy” on them and that they have to diversify. Meanwhile, Nate gets Bartley to participate in the blindfold trust exercises. As Sophie leads the class around the office, blindfolded and hopping like monkeys, Eliot and Alec go to Bartley’s office while trying to explain to the ever-present camera crew why they’re in there. Meanwhile, Sophie finishes her exercises and Gunter films her in interview mode, talking about how Nate keeps disrespecting her contributions.

As Alec and Eliot search Bartley’s office, the two of them keep fighting. Alec takes a candy bar out of Bartley’s refrigerator and Eliot tells him to put it back. They argue some more and Alec finally tells Eliot that he didn’t steal his teammate’s sandwich a week ago.

Parker tells the head writers that she wants a graduation card with a dinosaur ripping apart a lion. Gunter, watching the exchange, decides that Parker is magnificent. He starts filming her but she hates the cameras and runs into the copier room. When she discovers that the copier doesn’t work, she attacks the cameraman and then tries to get away.



When the team compares notes, they speak in vague terms because Gunter and his crew are still filming. Alec admits that has hasn’t found anything on Bartley’s computers and all of his purchases appear legitimate. When Nate realizes that Bartley has been buying color-shifting ink and 100% cotton paper, he concludes that Bartley is actually making counterfeit money. He tries to explain it to the others using euphemisms, and they finally all figure it out... even Parker.

With a day remaining, the team has no choice but to try and meet privately and come up with a plan. Nate sends Parker to find the paper in the office while Alec and Eliot search the warehouse for the printer and the ink. Parker tries to go into the women’s restroom to find an air vent to use, but discovers that Gunter is in a stall waiting for her.

While Nate tries to keep the office workers distracted, Felicia approaches him and expresses concern that the romantic relationship he has with Sophie is a healthy one. She explains that Sophie asked her to talk to Nate and figures that he’s using reverse favoritism by putting down all of her suggestions.

Still arguing about the sandwich, Eliot and Alec search the warehouse. The workers aren’t happy to see them and order them off, and Eliot figures that they’re Bartley’s muscle. As they leave, Alec suggests that Eliot just ate his own sandwich and forgot it, but Eliot insists that his sandwich was unforgettable.



Gunter reviews all of the footage he’s taken, eager to use every foot of film that he has of Parker, who he insists has a “nuclear winter” inside of her.

With two hours left until the deadline, Nate has Sophie follow Bartley to get him to say something incriminating. Eliot and Alec keep talking about the sandwich, and Nate finally asks them what it’s a euphemism for. They explain that they’re talking about a real sandwich, while Parker comments that the copier never works. They realize that the broken copier is the one that Bartley is using for his counterfeiting and confirm that the color-shifting ink is inside. Sophie comes back and tells them that she’s tried everything and she’s now convinced that Bartley isn’t running the counterfeiting ring. To find out who tampered with the copier, they have to check the security footage, but Alec warns that the company erases the recordings every 12 hours. Nate realizes that there’s one more source of footage: Gunter.

Gunter agrees to help in return for an explanation. As Sophie and Nate go over the footage, Sophie complains that it’s Alec’s job. Nate tells her to do it instead and that now he’s showing reverse favoritism. Gunter then interviews the two of them separately, asking each one questions provided by the others. Sophie thinks Nate has a god complex and is an alcoholic, while Nate thinks Sophie abandoned the team and is a lousy actress.



Once Gunter gets done with the interviews, Nate and Sophie finally spot two warehouse workers tampering with the copier. Nate has Alec put a miniature camera on Eliot’s tie, and Gunter admits the workmanship. He then borrows a camera from Alec, puts it in his belt buckle, and goes to talk to Parker. She starts to relax and shows off her new line of greeting cards, but soon spots the hidden camera and goes for Gunter’s groin.

At the warehouse, Eliot goes after the two workers, Doug and Bob, and they run off. He finally captures Doug, who admits that he stole sticky notes... and that Bartley sent the order for Bob to tamper with the copiers. When Eliot reports back to the team, Nate figures that the real culprit is setting up an evidence trail that will implicate Bartley when the fake facts come out. Alec checks the printer and determines that it’s set for remote printing, and that Felicia is the one controlling the queue. He checks the queue and learns that there’s another document sent to print in two hours when the Heartfelt people arrive: a fake suicide note supposedly written by Bartley. When Gunter wonders what it means, Nate tells him that it means they’re now dealing with a possible murder.



The two Heartfelt people arrive while Eliot confirms that Bartley has gone missing. Everyone in the office panics and Nate tells them to give the presentation. While Nate and Sophie go to stall the Heartfelt people, Eliot and Hardison go look for Bartley and Parker stays to keep an eye on the workers. Gunter wants to stay with Parker but Eliot drags him off.

While Nate and Sophie give the newcomers the grand tour, Eliot and Alec go over Bartley’s office. It’s Gunter who spots a pack of cigarettes and tells them that Bartley said he quit smoking two months ago. The Leverage partners figure that Bartley fell off the wagon, started smoking, and has gone to the roof for privacy. They get up there and discover three of the warehouse workers beating up Bartley. The fight is on and Eliot takes on two of the men. The third one throws Alec off the side of the building, and Eliot finally pulls him up.



The Heartfelt people finally demand to see the presentation. The workers soon run out of ideas and Nate sends Parker up to stall for time. Parker is ready with her new “Eskimo Kisses” card line, which lets people tell each other exactly what they think.

Once they’ve rescued Bartley, Eliot tells him that he has to get to the meeting and save the company. Bartley runs in and tries to give an inspirational speech. When she realizes that Bartley is alive, Felicia sends an order to the print queue to print more counterfeit money. A worker brings it in and shows it to everyone, and Felicia yells that Bartley is responsible. She cites all of the fake evidence that she’s planted against him. The Heartfelt people prepare to withdraw their order, but Nate tells them that Felicia is the one running the counterfeiting operation. When she denies it, Nate runs footage they took of her sending the print queue command that they recorded on one of Alec’s miniature cameras. Felicia tries to escape but Eliot knocks over a water cooler in her way and trips her. The HR representative screams that Bartley is an idiot and everyone else is an idiot for following her, and that she’s good for more than baking brownies for the office staff. The office workers have enough and lock her in an office. Sophie tries to explain to Bartley what happened, but it’s up to Nate to interrupt her yet again and explain in football terms what Felicia has been doing. The male Heartfelt rep is a big football fan as well and bonds with Bartley. To seal the deal, Nate provides Bartley with a football-themed line of greeting cards that Hal has written, letting Hal get his job back.



Later, Gunter visits the team at the bar and shows them his completed documentary. However, when they compliment it and say it would make a great movie, a disgusted Gunter insists that he wanted to show the futility of life. He tells Parker that she has the soul of a German and asks for her opinion, and she tells the director that she has no idea what it means. Gunter destroys the only copy, thanks the team, and leaves. They turn to Alec, who assures him that he used a virus to wipe all of Gunter’s footage except for the one shot he just showed them. Eliot still thinks Alec stole his sandwich and Alec offers to buy him dinner because he’s sorry for him. Consoled, Eliot agrees and they leave with Parker. Sophie tries to talk to Nate about their relationship, but he simply gives her a greeting card with the perfect message. Smiling, Sophie reads it and they share a toast.



Later, Alec admits to Gunter on tape that he ate Eliot’s sandwich.

Share this article with your friends