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.." 
#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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