So..back to Lee’s apartment, where Lee and Amanda meet up to talk…
Whoa.. Lee and Amanda are speaking like they are ummmm friends!!!! it is all rather domestic isn’t it!!
Swamp humanoids!!!!!!
Amanda: Very good. You know, it looks like you’re sort of, uh, you’re spoiling the kid rotten, maybe you’re trying to, um, to buy his affections. You know, you could definitely buy mine with this guy, this guy is gorgeous. I —
This little moment with the panda is so great.. Amanda is rapt in this panda.. telling Lee how to win you eh Amanda??!!! and he watches her- closely!!!.. then whips it off her and she looks so bereft!! and again.. he is teasing her.. He is in a good mood and enjoying himself isn’t he!
But.. once again.. the teasing/power play here is balanced.. when Lee realises Amanda has taken away his apartment as he knew it!! the panic at first is palpable! hehehee..
Did she put flowers in his Tibetan ram’s horn??!!!! too funny!!
I think it is no coincidence that in the middle of his panic over his rejuvenated apartment he finds one of Amanda’s spy manuals- and it happens to be called ‘ Understanding Sabotage:a beginners guide’ … Lee may say Amanda has Sabotaged his Tibetan Ram’s horn 
(Happy to hear Billy is supporting ‘the king woman’ a little.. ahem..)
Lee is trying to be mad at Amanda about her fixing up his apartment.. but he doesn’t seem to be able to muster it up!
Lee:You’ve taken over the place. It’s not that it’s, uh, it just looks nice and neat and tidy. It looks like you live here and not me! (Amanda rolls her eyes upward.) Not that I’m not grateful, of course.
-awh.. Lee is being well mannered considering I think!
Amanda: You know, I think Alexi was right when he said that we were incompatible.
Lee: Oh? Alexi said that?
What an interesting thing to choose to say at that moment.. again- questioning if they get along.. when.. well.. they seem to get along fine.. they are just different. and different can be good – complementary!
Lee also begins to defend Alexi..(or is that himself and his.. spoiling?)
Lee: You know, he’s not all that bad. I mean, 
some kids deserve a little spoiling. Life’s not easy. And it’s a lot harder for a scared kid. You know, maybe he pretends to be tough so no one will know how scared he is.
Amanda: You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were speaking from personal experience.
Lee: You’re not kidding. Did I ever tell you about my childhood?
Amanda: No.
Lee: Yeah, I didn’t think so.
ahh Lee you’re such a tease…. Lee notices Amanda has moved his albums around and changes the subject again!
Lee is a rolling stones fan? Lee gets annoyed that she has moved his albums but- interestingly.. he bites his tongue- he wouldn’t have done that up till now I think!!! progress!!
Amanda heads over to Panda for another cuddle..
Lee even says sorry that Alexi ran away.. wow.. Lee says sorry more than I thought he would!
Lee: But he’s scared to death and he’s not telling us a thing.
Amanda: Hmm.
Lee: What?
Amanda: Oh, nothing, I was just think that maybe you tough guys aren’t as tough as I thought you were.
Lee doesn’t deny it!! whooooo!!!! He is quite the softie in this ep!If only it lasted…
Is it just me or is that Panda really the cutest thing ever?? I want one… ( and.. I want Lee to give it to me.. )
Back to the Lug Wrench.. the place of the 120 minute happy hour! The baddies tell Lee to get them the satellite codes, but Lee isn’t going to go along easy and make them suspicious- so he puts up some resistance. Ouch!! Time for the bad guys to rough up Lee..
Back to IFF or whatever it is at the moment.. and we see the red car/green car exterior shot.. man.. we see that a lot.. those two drivers are so lucky! they hog the spots right out front!
oh my… I dn’t knw wht to sy.. my mnd hs goen blnk.
I dn’ot tink I cna fineesh ths pots!!!!
I think I will be ok.. I just have to make sure I don’t look back at those pictures!!!!
Francine: You know, I love my work, too, but, uh, you wouldn’t catch me letting thugs tumble my body.
Lee: Fine. You wouldn’t catch me in a hotel room with a Turkish gunrunner.
Francine: I did not go to a hotel room. It was a suite.
Yeah.. Francine.. you floozie! I am glad there isn’t too much oogling of Lee going on here.. except for me that is… I don’t think I could stomach Francine checking out Lee… (just why is Lee bandaging up his sore ribs in Billy’s office??!!! Such a showpony.. haaaa)
Next thing we see Amanda at home talking to Lee – well we assume it’s Lee as she is asking him why he keeps saying it is HIS case when she is the one looking after Alexi.. you go Amanda! Dotty comes in to hear Amanda tell Lee she is proud to be serving her country with an ‘I’m starting to feel manipulated’ kind of tone… thank goodness that’s all Dotty heard!
Love how Dotty wants to hide the silver when she hears young Dillinger is staying another 
night! What do you all think about Dotty’s advice to Amanda: to gain Alexi’s trust you have to trust him??? I 
think it was doomed to failure..
Dotty: Children are like chihuahuas, Amanda. They smell mistrust. I mean, you’ve got to give him the benefit of the doubt. You believe the best, you’ll get the best, I always say.
Amanda: Thank you, Mother.
Dotty: I’ll just go attend to the silver. 
After all of Dotty’s encouragement to trust Alexi she still finishes the conversation by saying she is off to hide the silver! I guess Dotty doesn’t care if Alexi trusts her!
The whole ‘I like you conversation’ Amanda has with Alexi for me is sweet but a bit strange.. that Alexi would show he cares that Amanda likes him? just doesn’t ring true for me.. but hey.. maybe it’s just me.. I guess it is suppose to show Amanda making a connection with Alexi.. but for me – I’m not really interested! oops…
Do you think Alexi left the door open because he wanted Amanda to follow him??? I think so…( Freud would say ) Amanda chases Alexi and finds him about to get into a car with the baddies.. Doh! now the baddies know Amanda isn’t Mrs Ricky Joe.. and Ricky Joe isn’t Ricky Joe.. grrrrr…
Lee meets the baddies to hand over the fake code book and tracker which is hidden inside..but uh oh…. he falls right into their trap. Whoo Lee is really good at that jaw clenching thing.. when he sees Mrs Ricky Joe and the boy in the back..
Love the high tech tracking device Francine is holding.. it looks like something out of lost in space! ha haaaaa
Next thing we see Lee has joined Amanda and Alexi in the back of the car and his hands are tied.. just like last week in Magic Bus- Lee and Amanda are tied up and in a lot of trouble.. but they are still bickering !
Lee: I thought the idea was to keep him at your house.
Amanda: Well, what was I supposed to do, tie him up?
Lee: Better him than us. ( I thought you didn’t believe in looking back Lee!)
The Baddies find the lame tracking device..
LOL!!
Ahh Lee and Amanda tied up in the cupboard. you know.. I think Amanda is getting the hang of this whole being kidnapped caper… she isn’t half as scared as she was last week!
Amanda: Oh, I only wish they hadn’t found that homing device.
Lee: Amanda, I learned a long time ago in this business you can’t look back.
Awhhhhh… good on you Lee..
Alexi pops into the room to say hi and sorry he can’t help them.. he’s too scared to help them untie their ropes..
Amanda: ….. Look, Alexi. This is Lee Stetson. He is one of the top agents in the country. Now, if you’ll just untie us, he will rescue your parents and he’ll stop these people, trust me!
Lee: Yeah. (love how Lee says Yeah when Amanda says he is one of the top agents!)
Alexi: If he’s so hot, what’s he doing tied up in a closet?
Amanda: Perfectly good question.
Alexi leaves Lee and Amanda alone to struggle without his help..
Lee: One of the top agents in this country?
Amanda: too much? ( Lee nods) I sensed it right away. 
Lee: Okay, grab the other loose end with your teeth. Yeah. Hold tight while I work on the knot.
Amanda: Don’t bite me. Don’t bite me.
Lee growls: Just hold still.
Amanda: All right.
LOL! I must say it was a lot of fun slowing down this moment with Lee and Amanda .. in fact it looks to me like Lee squashes Amanda’s nose and then she starts to laugh a little bit right when they cut to a computer screen that says ‘access denied’ Rofl! you think the access denied is to play off Lee and Amanda’s forced intimacy here?? could be..
The baddies work out that the code book is a total fake.. time to kill ‘Stetson and the woman’ – how do they know his name is Stetson? they knew him as Ricky Joe..
Alexi gets away to release Amanda and Lee only to find Lee already free and in the process of freeing Amanda.. Alexi is almost disappointed that he got untied all by himself!
Alexi: Okay. You win. We’ve got to get out of here. They’ve got my parents tied up in a vacant store in the mall. You’re untied!
Lee: Yeah. One of the top agents in the c– (assuming he was about to say country here..)
Man, those flashing lights in the arcade make it difficult to watch don’t you think?
Uh oh.. Amanda gets taken hostage again! Oh man… she can’t catch a break!
Thank goodness that motorbike happened to be on display in the arcade- with a tank full of petrol (gas).. otherwise how could Lee do his masterly run up and down and around doing those groovy skids?? He kind of reminded me of a Bull before it is about the charge.. stamping his foot and snorting.. only Lee was doing donuts.. – I can’t see any other point to all that driving up and down…
This is sooo not Lee Stetson…
Just how did Mr Wilson miss shooting Lee from so close?? wow.. he really is one of the top agents.. he’s Bulletproof!!
Oh ohhhh the good old “Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” don’t worry Amanda.. he will be alright.. he is a top agent.. and he can fall off a motorbike at great speed without a scratch (and with perfect hair still intact I might add..)
Whoo Lee beats the old guy in a fist fight..Ahem…. and Alexi runs over with a big smile.. he doesn’t look as annoying when he smiles.. guess he didn’t have much to smile about this episode..
Ahhh I just love this part where Amanda gets cut off by Lee, and then he changes his mind- go ahead! shower me with praise.. and she just looks at him.. and refuses.. suffer Lee!! heheheee
Amanda:Like I said. One of the top agents –
Lee: No, no, no, no. No, 
Don’t say it.
(Amanda looks at Alexi and shrugs. Alexi smiles harder. Lee looks away for a second, then looks back, also smiling.)
Lee: Okay. Say it.
Lee: Say it.
(Amanda shakes her head, trying not to laugh. Lee glares at her darkly.)
Ahhh tag time..After being kidnapped twice she has to come home and give Dean a massage.. hmm I think being involved with someone who knows your business makes much more sense!
Dean: Um . . . . speaking of the kids, uh . . . Jamie will be coming to the movies with us tonight.
Amanda: Since when?
Dean: Since he rolled a seven and I “crapped out.”
ha!!!! the boys learned a thing or two from Alexi!!!
Hey, Amanda doesn’t look too disappointed that Dean and her won’t be going to the movies alone… telling…
Awhhhh!!! Lee leaves the Panda for Amanda on her doorstep?? oh that is too sweet!!!!!! I would love to think it is a grand romantic gesture here..but I suspect Lee left he Panda to say thanks for what Amanda had done in helping Alexi and helping Lee with ‘his’ case.. still it is interesting!!!
Interesting! Lee chose to leave it to her- after she told him someone could win her heart with that panda!
Interesting! Lee didn’t just give it to Amanda in person… (if it wasn’t a big deal to him, or her he would have don’t you think??)
Interesting! Lee waited long enough before starting his car and leaving- to see her face when she got it! 
ROFL! the subtitles people think Lee spent the whole afternoon revving up that dirt bike before setting off to Amanda’s with a great big panda ( who could hang on to a motorbike-no problem) to give to her! When you hear the porsche start up, the subtitles tell us it’s a dirt bike starting! LOL!
I wonder how she explains that a toy panda managed to ring her door bell??!!!! 
What is with the name of this ep? why is Alexi the ACM kid? he didn’t even get into their satellite project.. I just thought there were better names.. like magic cowboy! hehehee… Maybe it is a play off the old Movie The Cisco Kid – which was apparently a lot like the lone ranger. Cowboy saves the day kind of thing.. Could the title refer to Lee and his cover Ricky Joe?Hmm.. maybe..
That’s it for this episode! I would love to hear your thoughts if you would like to share them Thanks sooo much for reading!!!!
"Just walk with me.." 
#rewatch 2025
I would just like to note that the dark pink top Amanda wears for the last part of this episode looks terrific on her. The color, wide scoop neck and loose fit are so flattering, and dare I say it — a very sexy look for her! I really do sense a stronger sexual chemistry between her and Lee in this episode. Maybe the wardrobe has something to do with it.
This dark pink shirt is probably my favorite “casual” outfit that Amanda wears in the entire series. It looks so, so much better on her than the Georgetown hoodies, especially the pink one with the red-collared shirt underneath (pink and red do not go together!), and don’t get me started on the Amandabands.
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Walk 1-3/3: The ACM Kid 1.05
#rewatch 2025
Lee’s apartment, where Amanda is in the final phase of straightening up the place. Lee walks in, carrying a gigantic stuffed panda bear wrapped in a red bag and another red bag in front of him. He collapses onto the couch with his groceries, while Amanda confesses to him that she’s starting to like Alexi and understand why he is the way he is.
I like how the two interact. It seems very familiar, friendly.
Amanda: Very good. You know, it looks like you’re sort of, uh, you’re spoiling the kid rotten, maybe you’re trying to, um, to buy his affections. You know, you could definitely buy mine with this guy, this guy is gorgeous. I —
What really touched me is Lee’s facial expression and his smile. She tells him how he could win her affections. When he takes the panda away from her, she looks so sad, but he teases her about it. Oh yes, he really is in a good mood and enjoying himself.
That changes when he notices that his apartment no longer looks the way he left it. In my opinion, he fluctuates between panic and anger, but somehow he also doesn’t really know how to feel about Amanda turning everything upside down and drowning his Tibetan ram’s horn. But at least he has enough sense to calm Amanda down.
Lee: Not that I’m not grateful, of course.
Amanda is disappointed.
She meant well, but tries to hide her disappointment.
Amanda: You know, I think Alexi was right when he said that we were incompatible.
Yes, I agree with you, IWSOD. The big theme of this episode seems to be relationships and compatibility. I think Lee and Amanda are compatible despite their differences and that the two are already starting to form a good relationship. Whatever form this should take in the future. “Understanding sabotage – a beginner’s guide.” ROFL! … Who is sabotaging whom or what here?
After Amanda (indirectly) accuses Lee of totally spoiling Alexi, he tries to justify himself.
Lee: You know, he’s not all that bad. I mean, some kids deserve a little spoiling. Life’s not easy. And it’s a lot harder for a scared kid. You know, maybe he pretends to be tough so no one will know how scared he is.
Amanda: You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were speaking from personal experience.
Lee: You’re not kidding. Did I ever tell you about my childhood?
Amanda: No.
Lee: Yeah, I didn’t think so.
I think Lee is trying to open up to Amanda here, to let her into his (thought-) life a little. Giving her the chance to get to know not just Scarecrow, but Lee, the man behind it. And Amanda certainly notices that. And also his statements in comparison to Alexi.
Lee: But he’s scared to death and he’s not telling us a thing.
Amanda: Hmm.
Lee: What?
Amanda: Oh, nothing, I was just think that maybe you tough guys aren’t as tough as I thought you were.
YEAH. Lee doesn’t deny it and just smiles. Gosh. I’d love to give him a big bear hug for his wonderful, gentle Lee-side. Or at least until he gives me a big panda to cuddle too.
The Lug Wrench Bar.
Lee comes into the bar in a good mood and is immediately introduced by Bad Guy 1 (Becker) to his sleazy buddy Bad Guy 2 (Coughlin). I find Lee’s “Hody, howdy” just too funny.
Lee: You slicks want to join me for a drink? I’m buying.
Becker: Nah, Jack’s got to get a haircut.
Seriously? What else does he want to cut off his ugly bowl cut?
Becker takes Lee to a “meeting” in a dimly lit storage room in the Coughlin tails along close behind. And when Lee tries to leave after some less than nice words and threats, Coughlin grabs him and pins his arms behind his back. Becker punches him in the stomach/ribs and Lee slumps down.
In Billy’s office, we then see that Lee is wrapping bandages around his stomach.🥵 He is obviously in pain. I’m not sure if he didn’t get roughed up on his face too. But I can’t really think about it right now…. *bllllblbllbbblllllkihudtspsp😵💫 *faint😵💫 *thud😵💫
Gosh, a nearly topless Lee🥵 with his shirt open🥵 and the possibility of seeing his bare torso.🥵 I want to reach out and help him get over the baaaannndddd…. *bllllblbllbbblllllkihudtspsp😵💫 *faint😵💫 *thud😵💫
Okay, next try… Francine teases Lee about the beatings he took for his job, which is why Lee reminds her of her “happy hooker” routine in the hotel room… oups, hotel suite. I’d also love to be in a hotel suite with Lee… 🥵
In the evening, Lee calls Amanda again so she can let Alexi stay there a little longer.
Amanda: Well, I don’t know why you keep calling this your case, I mean, I am the one that’s with him… Well, I think it’s a little bit more than babysitting… Yes, of course he can stay here another night. Yes, I am proud to be serving my country in this meaningful way. Mm-hmm… All right, fine, I’ll see you tomorrow. Mother! That was the big sister people. They want to know if it would be all right if Alexi spends another night. Do you mind?
Dotty: Uh, no. No, not at all. I’ll just go hide the silver again…
I understand that Amanda is annoyed. It really isn’t LEE’S CASE; she’s the one hiding and looking after Alexi. Will the agency actually cover the additional costs? Dotty certainly doesn’t trust Alexis, even though she gives Amanda a Dottieramble about Chihuahuas and distrust—and that Amanda should just trust him.
Unfortunately, it turns out that she can’t trust Alexi, because he sneaks out of the house again and runs away. And unfortunately, she runs straight into the clutches of the two bad guys. They, of course, recognize her as Ricky Joe’s wife and realize that something fishy is going on.
Becker: Well, well. If it isn’t Mrs. Ricky Joe.
The two not only catch Alexi, but also take Amanda with them.
When Lee shows up at the drop-off point for the required documents, the two blind him so he can’t look directly into the car and notice that his cover has been blown.
Becker: Ricky Joe. You can cut the cornpone.
He realizes this too late and is also caught and tied up and put in the car. And after the two goons realize it’s a fake situation, they immediately search for (and find) the tracking device – and destroy it.
We finally find Lee and Amanda in a tiny, crab-back room, kind of a closet. They are tied with their hands together and attached to a bar. They should be used to that by now. It’s not as if this is the first time this has happened to them.
Alexi finds them, but isn’t willing to help them because otherwise the bad guys will shoot his parents. So why is he looking for them? That doesn’t make any sense. But Amanda can at least praise Lee to the skies and call him one of the top agents in the country.
Alexi: If he’s so hot, what’s he doing tied up in a closet?
Amanda: Perfectly good question.
She realizes she exaggerated slightly, and she knows Lee knows it.
Lee: Alexi, just untie — One of the top agents in this country?
Amanda: Too much? (Lee nods.) I sensed it right away.
Lee: Mm-hmm.
Amanda: Too much.
While Alexi tries to buy them some time, Lee and Amanda try to untie all the knots.
Lee: Okay, grab the other loose end with your teeth.
Amanda: Don’t bite me. Don’t bite me.
Lee: Just hold still.
Oh, I wouldn’t mind being tied up in a closet with Lee and letting him bite me…. 🥵… and and I would certainly hold still.
Yes, IWSOD, I also find the nose-squeezing really funny and the perfect cut to the ‘access denied‘ computer screen. And yes, I also see that as a subtle hint at their relationship.
Unfortunately, the bad guys eventually realize that all the provided material is obviously counterfeit and decide to get rid of Stetson and the woman.
When did Becker actually find out that Ricky Joe Jackson is actually Lee Stetson? Did I miss something? Did Alexi tell them?
Anyway, our heroes, as well as Alexis’s parents, manage to free themselves, and while Lee is fighting with the two bad guys (and even falls to the ground in the process), Wilson grabs Amanda and tries to escape with her in the car. But Lee miraculously finds a working motorcycle in the arcade and decides to chase Wilson with it.
I’ll skip all the unrealistic motorcycle riding from Not-Lee and get straight to the moment where Not-Lee falls off the motorcycle and crashes into the same pile of boxes. And while Wilson is busy with Amanda, Lee gets out of the debris and races over to him. He jumps on the hood of the car and springs onto Wilson, slamming him onto a barrel.
Wohooo… he’s caught the bad guys again and saved the world.
Amanda: Like I said. One of the top agents…
Lee: No, no, no, no. No, Don’t say it. …. Okay. Say it
And when Amanda does exactly what he told her to, he’s not satisfied. He would have really liked to have his ego stroked by her. But Amanda just raises her eyebrows at him and Lee’s smile fades.
Lee: Say it
Nope, Amanda just shakes her head and tries not to laugh. Lee glares at her darkly. He’s not amused by it. I, on the other hand, am.
Tag scene.
Amanda massages a moaning Dean.🤢
Dean: Oh, Amanda, that feels wonderful.🤢
That sounds so gross. Although I think that’s worse than Francine kissing Lee. That would be gross too, but THAT from DEAN???🤮
Anyway, Amanda is saved by the bell and finds the giant panda that Lee secretly brought her. Did he notice the situation between Amanda and Dean?
I see it similarly to @clagjanet and @BJO:
Lee can’t admit he enjoyed working with her on this one or that he respected her help, so once again he does the man of action thing and thanks her with a gift but doesn’t stick around for any kind of acknowledgment. I also see it as a gift, as a souvenir of this case. Yes, I think too, he figured Dean was there (car in the driveway?) and therefore couldn’t tap on her kitchen window.
@karenrudolph:”Don’t you think the writers wanted to present us something as close as possible to a near miss kiss?” Oh heck, yes they do. One of many to come. And yes, I DID realize the sign on the door says “High voltage”? Just like Alexis’s “If he’s so hot” remark. How dare you, Alexi? Lee Stetson IS H.O.T.🥵
My personal favorite moment in this episode:
I’d like to use a quote here: “if you have to ask the question“…
🥵32:26 to 🥵32:38 min
Funniest moment:
Amanda’s reply: “I can only assume this is you. Possibly because you’re the only man I know who doesn’t say hello, doesn’t ask how I am.” Lee: “How are you?“
Grossest moment:
The way Deans moans at 45:15 min.🤢
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Well, wordpress dated my post on October 3, 2025; 01:37 am … while it’s still Oct.02, 2025; 5:37pm here. but
Oct.03, 1983
We’ll all remember …. don’t we?
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I don’t remember experiencing the smk premiere but I love to hear about it from others.
being overseas it’s a different hotch potch introduction..
I’ve just set the blog time to be UTC time. It was set to my time for when I used to schedule publishing of posts.. but that ain’t currently happening anyway 😉
we’re an international group of fans soooo I gotta pick one time zone and go with it 🙂
Peace!
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I remember watching the first episode with my mother and sister! She loved Kate Jackson. How can it possibly have been 42 years ago?! How is it possible that I just turned 50!
My maiden name was King, so having “Mrs. King” in the title of a major TV show was very exciting to us. 🙂
I only watched two other random episodes at the time they originally aired. Of course, now I am kicking myself for not watching the others, and I have no memory of why (I was one of those 80s kids who was allowed to watch pretty much whatever TV shows I wanted). Finally got to watch the whole series from beginning to end in the early 90s when it ran on cable, and I have been captivated with the show ever since!
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#2019 Rewatch
I feel so guilty that summer got away from me and I didn’t give this episode its proper due with a rewatch. Let me just say, this is my favourite episode for “I-am-so-done-with-your-bs” Amanda, from the moment she refers to Lee’s dates as children to the wrinkled nose at the state of his apartment and then the fantastic passive aggressive alphabetizing of his albums, she is a feisty delight. I mean, come on… “Stones, Rolling under S” ?? – she is absolutely trolling him here and they both know it.
Nice and typical too that Lee can’t admit he enjoyed working with her on this one or that he respected her help, so once again he does the man of action thing and thanks her with a gift but doesn’t stick around for any kind of acknowledgement.
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Lee knows Dan-Doug-Dean, whatever, is not a keeper; however, he is worried about competition from the Giant Panda. Lee probably selected it for Alexi because in 1972, China’s Mao Zedong (chairman/founder of the People’s Republic of China) donated a pair of young Giant Pandas to live out their lives at the zoo in Washington, D.C.. They were the first ever in the U.S.A. and a must-see for tourists, like me. (The female Ling-Ling “darling little girl” died in 1992 and the male Hsing-Hsing “shining star” died in 1999.)
My guess for why The ACM Kid was filmed third, but then aired fifth (inconsistencies be d#mned): Seeing Lee’s chest two episodes in a row would set a precedent of expectation for female viewers and cause lasting damage to the morale of male viewers!
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“Panda” is also a very nice nickname. 😉
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Hi Sandra! Yeah!! Panda is adorable!!
Love that scene with the Panda!!
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I think this is one of the funnier episodes of SMK. It’s not one of my favorites, but we certainly get a lot of mileage out of it. We learn alot about Lee and get to hear Amanda deliver some great lines! And while I would love to believe that Lee was trying to buy Amanda’s affection by dropping the Panda at her house, I think it was just a souvenir of the case. After all, what the heck else is he going to do with a giant stuffed, Panda? I guess he could have given it to one of his many lady friends, but it makes for a great tag. Plus, I think he figured Dean was there (car in the driveway?) and therefore couldn’t tap on her kitchen window. Although woudln’t it have been funny if he had walked around to the back of the house and saw Amanda and Dean together? Wonder what his reaction would have been!
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The pamphlet Lee picks up in his apartment. “Understanding Sabatoge: A Beginner’s Guide”. I love that Amanda sabatoged Lee’s apartment by cleaning it up. LOL
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You think she got that idea from reading the pamphlet?
“Lesson #6: Disorient your adversary by alphabetizing his albums. Add the feminine touch to his knickknacks…”
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Ha ha ha! Stones, Rolling
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Yes very ironic.. ‘understanding sabotage: a Beginner’s guide’..
Amanda has not only sabotaged Lee’s apartment and record collection smkfan – she seems to have sabotaged his life as he once knew it 😉 she’s sabotaged all his images of the American housewife 😉 of being a loner who works alone.. and uh oh.. she’s sabotaging his ideas on what Lee finds attractive in a woman! Suffer Lee! I say!!! 🙂
I like to think these little details in early SMK were deliberate touches which add another layer to the storytelling – Thanks for sharing- good catch smkfan!!
Paula what a fabulous idea!! We could come up with a whole post on the hints that are in that pamphlet! I love it!!! Feminize his knicknacks – Roflmao! that tickles my funny bone!!! the image of Lee’s tibetan ram’s horn flooded with water and pretty flowers.. ahhh priceless!! 😆
What other hints can we come up with ? 😉
bye!
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One of my favorite lines, “If he so hot then why is he tied up in the closet?” ROFL!!!! Very good question indeed 🙂 Finally Amanda gets to tease Lee when he wants to say that he is the top agent in the country. How did Amanda explain the Panda to Dean?!!
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Yeah, Lee was none too subtle there was he? Especially the ‘ring-a-door-ditch routine’ late at night.
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Hello Melissa R!!! how are you ! Great to hear from you!! yes it is a brilliant line that!!! a little bit snarky no? and very deserved for the cocky spy whose begging the kid to untie him so he can save him.. too funny waaahhahahaa!!
Knowing the amazing minds of smk fans – I bet there is a fan fic out there explaing just that very thing Melissa!! if anyone knows of one.. maybe they could recommend it to Melissa (I’m not a reader of fan fic- yet!! I’m saving it for when I have finished my walk through the episodes!! )
Great to see you here again Melissa! byeee
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Hello! 😀
We jump back to Lee’s apartment just a second after Amanda put the flowers in the Tibetan ram’s horn, LOL. She took over the apartment… But Lee is packed with presents for Alexi and does not realize until later.
I love the talk the two of them have here. They seem to be quite comfortable with each other. Awwwh, look at Lee’s face when Amanda says it looks like he was trying to spoil the kid rotten. His face is so soft when he looks at all the presents spread out on the table. And it is still soft when he watches Amanda cuddling the big panda… It is only a split second, but you can see how attentively he watches her? And how a little spark comes into his eyes before he takes the Panda away from her? Oh please excuse me, I think I am melting awaaaaaaaaay…
But no… Uh oh… Lee takes a look around and realizes his apartment is gone. He discoveres the flowers in the Tibetan ram’s horn… And Amanda’s book on the table. „Understanding sabotage – a beginner’s guide“. ROFL!
After Amanda’s unsuccesful attempt to get to know Lee a little better in „Magic Bus“, I think Lee opens up quite a bit here when he defends Alexi. And from his gruff reaction when Amanda says he seems to speak from personal experience you can tell she came pretty close this time. Two tough guys, awwwwh… But not as tough as you might think they are!
Ricky Joe meets up with the baddies again. I really think he plays his role brilliantly, don’t you? A cowboy who is in trouble but not yet despreate enough to commit treason… The baddies beat him up as a reward… Well, thank you guys! That way we get to see Lee with his shirt unbuttoned… Ahem… Oh well… Why does this happen in Billy’s office? It doesn’t really make any sense, but… Who cares!!!!!!!!!
Oh great, another phonecall between Lee and Amanda! And Dotty sneaks up from behind…! „Yes, I am proud to be serving my country in this meaningful way.“ ROFL! This really is the episode of the funny phonecalls, right? Love them!
We meet Ricky Joe a last time.. before the baddie tells him to „cut the cornpone“ (yet another word I had to look up in the dictionary). Lee really clenches his jaw when he discoveres Alexi and Amanda on the back seats! Of course the baddies discover the transmitter. Yawn…
Haha, don’t you think the writers wanted to present us something as close as possible to a near miss kiss? Lee and Amanda tied up like this, trying to loose the knots with their teeth… Did you realize the sign on the door says „High voltage“? You can see it when Alexi closes the door. Wohooooooo!
As for me I think I enjoy the dialogue and the exchange of looks even more. Alexi: „If he’s so hot, what’s he doing tied up in this closet?“ And Amanda replies: „Perfectly good question.“ LOL! And then: „One of the top… agents in this country???“ The way Lee repeats her words… the look he gives her… This is too funny!
The way Lee and Amanda pull on their end of the string I wonder if they wouldn’t pull the knot even tighter! What do you think? Ahhhhhh Iwsod: The irony of the „Access denied“ note on the computer screen totally went past me! I truly believe the producers did this on purpose. You really pointed out a funny detail there. Thank you!
The showdown is a bit of a yawn to me… Except the great running gag about one of the top agents… Shall I say it? Really??? No, I won’t.
Iwsod, your dancing Panda’s are so sweet. What a perfect ending for your wonderful recap!
Bye! Karen
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love the dancing pandas very adorable.love how you use you’re icons.you’re smileys are awsome.hope you keep them coming.
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hey Michelle! thanks I am glad you liked them! feel free to right click, save and use as much as you like 🙂 but you must think of Amanda Panda when you use it! haaaaaa…
Awh cool! thanks very much for the encouragement!
Hope we hear more of your thoughts in the future too Michell! thanks for commenting!
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I reeeeaaaaallly dislike Meeno Peluce, and this wonderful episode was nearly ruined by my distaste. I have no idea why – there’s just something about his hair and whiny voice that makes me want to slap him. Hard. Repeatedly.
I always thought it was strange that the dirt bike was real – I mean, it’s an arcade…wouldn’t there be motorbike games that have you sit in a “real” motorbike to kend to the authenticity of the .25 cent (p) 8-bit graphic ride? Why on earth would there be a real motorbike there? Lol.
And yeah, that stunt double…soooooo not Lee – and wearing a bad rug, too. There was another episode when the double lands heavily in a pond and his toupee flies back from his head. lolz.
Nice recap, Iwsod! (and I keep wanting to call you Dezza. lol)
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Why Dezza Stacy? you have me curious now!! 🙂
Glad it’s not just me who found the kid really annoying!
I figured the motorbike was a prize of some kind for if you collected a certain amount of tokens or tickets or something.. you know – where you play a game and depending on how well you do you get a certain number of tokens or tickets or whatever? so you collect them all and at the end of your time at the arcade you go and swap your tokens for a prize of some kind – of course you could need to go 1000000 times to get the bike.. but it is an incentive no? at least.. that is how I fan- rationalised it! 😉
Thanks for the encouragement!
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That apartment scene is priceless, isn’t it!? You’re right, that there’s a real back and forth going on between Lee and Amanda here. Him being vulnerable with all the toys, her sorta calling him on it, him teasing her with the panda, then him panicking at the Tibetian rams horn. (I LOVE that part, by the way. I think he yells, “You went and drowned my Tibetian ram’s horn” which is funny enough, but the whole idea that Amanda would turn a macho thing like a ram’s horn into a flower vase is priceless! I love off-balance Lee!!) Then he embarrasses her about the Spy Book. (At one point he holds up a magazine that must be hers but I can’t tell what the title is, can anyone read it??) Then Amanda exposes his vulnerabilities again, and he has that **great** comeback, “Did I ever tell you about my childhood?” “No,” she says, thinking this is the moment she’s been waiting for. “I didn’t think so,” he jabs back, knowing full well he had her hooked. And the look Amanda gives says that she knows she was being toyed with! And finally there’s the alphabetized albums … too funny! This is classic S1 SMK!
You know, you made an interesting point in an earlier post about us seeing Lee’s legs 3 shows running. And then of course we get Lee bandaging his ribs. And then there were those lovely views in Neighborhood as you so artistically screen-capped. Meanwhile, Amanda is always prim and properly dressed. Think the producers were trying to appeal to a certain demographic 😉
Cheers,
Patty
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“(just why is Lee bandaging up his sore ribs in Billy’s office??!!! Such a showpony.. haaaa). ” I know I had a point here, something about not questioning why but everytime I look at that scene I get distra—
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whahahaahaahhhaaaaa Cindy! you too???!!! I am amazed Martha Smith could remember her lines.. I know if it had been me I would have crumbled.. she is a true pro 😉
Yeah I heard the fabulous major disappointment line was an ad lib – but I have no idea where from.. wouldn’t it be great to have a place where we could ask KJ these kinds of questions?… Yeah! very true.. BB not cracking up?? well done!! Maybe he knew something was coming.. he just didn’t know what.. so he was a little prepared.. they may have done 10 different versions of the last thing she says to him and then leaves ( 10 drinks in the face!).. Wouldn’t it be fabulous to see the outtakes of a moment like that?!
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I suppose that Lee just doesn’t want to see a doctor about his sore ribs.
Nowadays, doctors would tell patients like Lee that sore ribs should NEVER be tightly bandaged like what we have seen in this episode. Putting a tight bandage wrap around someone’s rib cage would put that person at risk for contracting pneumonia.
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Yeah it’s so weird seeing some of the medical and first aid treatments from back then with what we know today! There was another show from the same era that references putting butter on a burn and then there’s the hypothermia treatment on Charity Begins At Home.
That said, I’m VERY glad binding ribs was still thought to be good treatment at the time this ep aired! LOL
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