Well finally we are waiting for Godot.. oh wait, we are waiting for Godorsky! The final episode of Season One has arrived.. boy season one went fast! I will be sad to move on from season one!
Can I just saysky – I am looking forward to the end of Lee’s sidepartsky!!..not long now.. 
Baddies love to meet in parks in smk don’t they! The episode opens with some baddies meeting up. Seems 
these baddies have an inside man. Mikhail. whoa.. 4 baddies already! the two jogging baddies, newspaper baddie and Mikhail.. Though 
newspaper baddies’ dialogue is a hoot: You were also trained to do as instructed. Your American impudence is a believable affectation. Don’t carry it too far. Remember why you are here and where you came from.
Whooo isn’t that male assassin with the supposedly paunchy tummy the guy who Madonna wanted to marry in ‘Papa don’t preach’??? don’t ask me how I remember that.. but.. I think that is where I have seen him..
Yep! that’s Antov the Assassin!!! (was Madonna his next target???!!! but her father got in the way???!!!!) 😉
Soo.. someone is going to get assassinated..
Dotty and Amanda are off to an Estate sale.. As 
usual, Amanda manages to charm her way into the estate sale ladies’ heart with her caring and non-exploitative ways.. 
Love how Dotty has a little snoop in the next room as Amanda talks to the lady! Love the mix up over the hall table for 35.. 
Love how when both Amanda and Dotty hear 
that the table was 3500 they nod knowingly saying oh yes! 3500 will be ok! like they knew it 
was that the whole time!! heheee.. a $10- cameo though? whoo hooo lucky Amanda.. I wonder if she wears it later in the episode, will have to watch and see.
Uh oh! We see the two assassins watching nearby from their home as Amanda and Dotty leave the estate.. don’t tell me Amanda’s going to get caught up in this assassination business? Nooo!! 
The female baddie has a point. the estate is open to the public, why not just go in there and do the job now? err not that I want them to! Ok.. so Mikhail is the butler.. got it.. the butler really did do it..
Later that night and Amanda and Dotty are doing the dishes. Ahh Amanda has on that lovely pink and white stripe top- she looks very pretty in that! Dotty it seems has already concocted a story for what happened to the estate lady.. she can tell so much from a portrait on a wall! LOL! Dotty has such an imagination! She’s pretty judgemental here of this guy whoever he is..
Amanda: I wonder what happened.
Dotty: Well, I have a pretty good guess. I mean, 
did you see that portrait on the wall? Those eyes and that arrogant expression. A man like that would not stick around if there was any kind of difficulty.
Amanda: Mother, I don’t know why you think her husband left her. He’s probably dead or something.
Dotty: Well, if that’s the case, he should have spent less money on portraits of himself and more money on life insurance premiums. I mean, there is no reason for 
a lovely lady like that to be left destitute.
Ouch!! Amanda wonders if the lady is eating ok.. and Dotty suggests probably not.
Hmm Amanda has an idea..
On to IFF and once again, Amanda is struggling with the password and Mrs 
Marsden is looking at Amanda knowingly.. I can’t help but think of the Mad magazine spoof Macgypsy posted way back on yuku when Amanda struggles with the passwords now! 
[It makes it bearable!]
Francine suggests to Lee that Amanda could be delayed because she forgot the password again- Lee immediately sees this is the obvious reason ( Why didn’t I think of that? he asks without annoyance!) 
and calls Mrs Marsden and asks if Mrs King is there – love how Amanda doesn’t have to ask Lee what is the password. she just says hello and listens.. and.. gives the 
password to Mrs Marsden.. What is Straplash? what kind of a password is that.. not bad I guess.. it would be hard to guess! (I don’t suppose that is a reference to Godot? we need a Waiting for Godot expert!!! anyone??)
Lee accompanies Amanda into the bullpen while Amanda apologises..
Amanda: I’m sorry, Lee, I just couldn’t remember. I think it’s Mrs Marsden. She’s a very nice lady, but I think she must intimidate me.
Lee: She intimidates everybody, it’s her job.
Good point! 
So, looks like Billy has called Amanda in so she can go over her transcripts of phone conversations with a schlurper..(is that the typing she was suppose to do in weekend ?) meanwhile at the same time, someone is on stakeout trying to figure out who is going to be assassinated… Gee here is Billy asking Amanda what a schlurper is- and they are trying to track 
down assassins? Aha smk.. could the two be connected????!!! Man.. we are in stripe city here! that password should have been stripe-lash! Love Amanda’s face 
when she makes the schlurping noise!! Billy should tell Francine to stop interrupting him with stupid information on assassins! The agent reporting in was named Fielding.. hmmm fielder and fielding.. bet there is an agent fields somewhere too! Seems they don’t know who the assassination target is..
Love how Lee with a little smile says “pretend you didn’t hear that ok?”..
Amanda responds: “I didn’t hear that.“and Lee gives a satisfied smile.. he has come a way lately!! The old Lee would have been in a huff at Amanda knowing!
Billy wants Amanda to go through the whole transcript with Lee ( who clearly is now Amanda’s 
official interpreter, and not the top agent in the agency – wait!! he is the interpreter of the top agent who isn’t an agent!!).. love how Amanda mentions the 
meatloaf and Francine can barely contain her groan.. ( she’s just jealous because she can’t make one!! hehee) I would be groaning at Francine’s outfit!! I can’t believe she left the house in that more than once!! ( we saw this pink fluffy number in fearless dotty) – Billy says Lee can go with her to drop off the meatloaf and then they can get on with the transcribing….
Is the meatloaf a matter of national security? 
Amanda can’t drop off the meatloaf by herself? hmm.. guess not! Billy values a meatloaf as a work of art- clearly!! (or could it simply be a ploy to get both Amanda and Lee at the princess’ door so they both get an invite? hmmmm..) I guess Billy wants them to multitask..
Amanda: Oh, no, sir, no problem, I was just thinking about my meat loaf. It’s in the car.
The car’s in the sun.
But that’s all right, I was going to make a delivery to a friend of mine.
Lee: Well, Amanda, those tapes are very important!
Amanda: Yes, I know, I can make another meat loaf.
Billy: That won’t be necessary. Scarecrow, you go with her, let her make her delivery, and then get right back here and finish up on the transcript.
Amanda: Oh, well, thank you, sir.
Billy: You’re welcome.
Billy to Lee: You’re welcome, too.
Lee: Thanks.
Ha!! Love the little exchange between Lee and Billy.. Who does Billy think he is bossing you around! Your boss or something?! Ohhhh waitsky! Billy is the boss!! [I exaggerate! Actually Lee takes it pretty well considering he has just become a meatloaf delivery boy!]
Time for another (Yawn!) baddie meeting.. newspaper baddie is paying off Mikhail for the job of getting in the assassins, while explaining his motivations! ( LOL! why does he need to know? he’s doing it because he’s getting paid!)
Seems
Newspaper baddie: Sit down and shut up and look at your paper like I do. I’ll do the talking. The money is in the newspaper. It is the amount we agreed on. If you take it, understand the 
conditions. She speaks before the Senate committee within two days. The results of that meeting will have an affect on the standing of one Leonid Godorsky.
LOL! Such a subtle baddie!!! “Schlurrrrp!!!! I will get the assassination team inside with time to spare! ” Gee.. could this be the schlurper that Amanda was transcribing?? what are the odds? !!! Haa.. maybe with all that money he could get some better dental work done! oh ok.. newspaper guy is General Babak! Whatev! Mikhail says: ‘ I will not fail. I am a man of honour’ oh dear.. no you are a man who is seriously deluded!!
LOL.. General Babak seems to agree: you are a greedy coward. It disgusts me to have to work with you. and he just leaves without saying another word.. Hmm gee well you could have just sent the assassins in to go estate sale shopping! but.. too easy.. Is it just me or did anyone else think when the general gets up to leave- that Mikhail’s side of the table would tip over?you know like a see saw? that would have been fun!!
Ok, byeee for now! I would love to hear your thoughts – on my post, and on the episode or anything else smk you’d like to share!
"Just walk with me.." 
#2019 Rewatch
Finally got a chance to rewatch the episode and as Janet mentioned above the little domestic scenes are fun although I do feel sorry for Dotty for having to do so much ironing. I really hate that job. And the boys during S1 were the cutest.
Lee’s indulgent looks at Amanda def showed that he has come a long way and as the episode progressed, his compliments and touchiness is really interesting, esp in light of S2 which starts out in Europe and it’s almost as if he’s backpedaled. Found himself getting too close and couldn’t stand the heat, perhaps?
I wonder if Dotty ever found out about the assassination attempt…
For a ‘housewife’ Amanda sure how a lot of fancy clothes.
So Francine followed Mikhail to the park? How did she get around them w/o them seeing her?
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#2019 rewatch
It’s the little domestic details that always stop me cold in an SMK plot. When Amanda asks why they’re the only ones there and Dotty says it’s because the paper just came out and the professional shoppers aren’t there yet… the writers obviously never ran a garage sale in their life, because we all know that the real pros would have been there at 5am, and Dotty and Amanda would have been looking at the wasteland left behind by this time of the morning.
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#2019 Rewatch! Totally. My dad would not open the garage a minute sooner than what was posted in the paper and would absolutely not haggle prices with anyone who was so rude to ring the door bell before the official start time.
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#2019 rewatch
I feel sorry for the poor actor who is playing the Russian in charge. I can just picture the conversation with his agent:
“You’re going to play a master Russian spy boss on a top rated show!”
“Great!”
“You’re going to wear nice suits and deliver evil lines like a super villain!”
“Great!”
“You won’t be in a single scene with any of the regular cast and all your scenes will be filmed in a single day at the same picnic table in Palisades Park!”
“Oh…. great.”
“Oh and bring your own newspaper. It’s going to be a long day.
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#2019rewatch
Most days, Mrs. Marston could empathize!
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#2019rewatch
Finally getting to sit down and watch this episode! I typically try to get into the flow by watching the previous episode as listed in revised order, and poor me, I had to watch Weekend first. 😁
Anyway, I actually read a script for the first time for Godorsky!! Did you all know (of course you all did) that Mrs. Marston has a first name? And it’s Mavis!?!? Who knew??
(Now I have the old Oscar Meyer commercial jingle in my head, but am instead singing, “Mrs. Marston has a first name, it’s M-a-v-i-s…”)
Sorry folks…Nancy gives these amazing historical insights. I give you Oscar Meyer hot dogs.
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#2019 rewatch. And now everytime I see Mrs. Marston, I will be humming that song too.
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#2019rewatch
😂 Glad I could enrich your life like that, Cindy. 😂
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#2019rewatch
HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! It’s already 2019 in our dear iwsod’s Land Down Under (2019 in Africa, Asia and Europe, too). We are ringing in the month of January re-visiting the very complex, delightful and absurd episode, “Waiting for Godorsky.” What fun that Dotty just happens to be the catalyst for solving Billy Melrose’s latest frustrating case!
When Dotty snooped around and saw a large portrait at the Estate Sale, she promptly assumed it was of the egotistical husband, who should have spent that money on life insurance for his wife, but she was wrong! Exactly five and a half years ago, Jenbo was spot-on identifying that the regal portrait was of Tsar Nicholas II, who was actually a relative of hers. He was the last imperial monarch of the Russian Empire’s 304-year long House of Romanov dynasty (1613-1917).
Did you know Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918) and Great Britain’s King George V (1865-1936) were cousins, who greatly resembled each other in physical appearance? Great Britain and the Russian Empire were on the same side in WWI (1914-1918). Tsar Nicholas II, his wife and 5 children were all executed during the Bolshevik Revolution led by Vladimir Lenin. [You actually know a bit of this story because their youngest daughter, the 17-year old Grand Duchess Anastasia, was rumored to have survived. Hollywood made a 1956 film about her, but you’re most likely to recall the 1997 animated version!]
Following the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) took power. This history stuff matters because S&MK focuses predominantly on thwarting the USSR and so does the gracious lady hosting the Estate Sale! She had to be quite young when some of her relatives fled, escaping that revolution 65 years before this episode aired.
My hope is that knowing this background enriches this episode.
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#2019 rewatch – Great insights, Nancy. I only wish I had something as wise and educational to add.
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#2019rewatch
It was Jenbo’s comment that inspired me to search for “the rest of the story.”
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Ah Dotty I fear you were looking at a picture of Tsar Nicolas II, least that’s who it makes me think of. I wonder if she is secretly Anastasia?!!
Lee is too cute when he says to Amanda pretend you didn’t hear that. What no strop? No rolling of the eyes? No irritation? Where is Lee and what have you done with him tee hee.
Billy I would have loved you as a boss, you’re so accommodating. I have no idea what meatloaf actually is. I hear it a lot on TV shows but for some reason the name puts me off LOL I really ought to find out now I know what succotash is 😉
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My family loves meatloaf! I mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, an egg, onions, tomato sauce, green peppers and some herbs and put it in a bread loaf pan and bake it. Serve it with some mashed potatoes. Comfort food on a cold day. Some like to slice I the next day and make a sandwich with it.
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Sounds like a giant hamburger 🙂
Will give it a go sometime thanks for explaining Morley.
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Doesn’t Dotty seem to just”know-it-all ” here? Sometimes it frustrated me that they didn’t show her interacting with a neighbor-giving them advice instead of poor Amanda! They were close, even though you could tell sometimes Amanda just wanted to tell her to leave things alone,hmm?!
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Billy’s sending Lee to help deliver a meatloaf. And expects Lee to thank him for it. Hmm, if I didn’t know better, I’d say Billy’s playing matchmaker with Scarecrow. Kind of makes you wonder how others at the Agency perceive Lee. He comes across as a real-life James Bond sort of guy, fast car, fast women, exotic tastes and travels. Yet, even his superior knows better than to think this is the sum-whole of Lee Stetson. I think Billy might be more intuitive than he’s typically given credit for.
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Oh definitely, Paula. I don’t know if he was trying to set them up day one — I think Billy thought partnering Lee with Amanda would help make him more careful, but I believe he quickly decided to give them plenty of opportunity to be together and see what develops. Lee may be pretty clueless, but Billy wasn’t made section chief for nothing.
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I really love Billy. He’s such a humane man. I’ve always thought that the considerate way he generally treats Amanda reassures her that there’s a place for her in the Agency. If everyone there were like early Lee and Francine, I’m not sure that she would’ve stayed.
Billy recognizes from “The First Time” on that Amanda has a lot of talents and personality traits that could make her a good spy, and that getting her involved in the spy biz would be good for her as well as for the Agency. She needs to develop confidence and experience and Lee needs to rein in his recklessness, so the partnership of of Lee and Amanda would be good for both of them professionally. It’s interesting that Billy seems to think that if Lee cares about a partner and considers her well-being, he will take better care in general. I’ve wondered how much longer Lee would’ve lasted if he had not been partnered with Amanda; IMO, he seems at risk for burn out or death.
As for Billy’s role in Amanda’s personal relationship with Lee, I think that from the beginning, he recognizes that Amanda is good for Lee. He certainly communicates disappointment with his eyes and facial expression if not with his words when he witnesses Lee being brusque with her. I agree with you both, Cindy and Paula, that he sees something sparky between them from the beginning, and he tries to give them room to see what develops from that.
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“Well, I have a pretty good guess. I mean, did you see that portrait on the wall? Those eyes and that arrogant expression. A man like that would not stick around if there was any kind of difficulty.
Amanda: Mother, I don’t know why you think her husband left her. He’s probably dead or something.
Dotty: Well, if that’s the case, he should have spent less money on portraits of himself and more money on life insurance premiums.”
OMG — Dotty’s diatribe gets me howling everytime! I just know there has to be a back story of Dotty being wronged in love by a count or duke in her youth.
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Hi Cindy, I agree! I thought that too.. she seemed very passionate about it! 😉 Is there a fanfic about that? 🙂
Hope you are well!
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