Ok, back to the agency.. LOL only on Scarecrow and Mrs King would you get this kind of dialogue:
Billy: Okay, we have a tall health freak with a gun and a schlurper. Let’s say . . . the health freak is a member of an East Bloc hit squad. Let’s say. . . .
They don’t have much! but hey, why not hypothesise a bit!
Lee: It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. The East Bloc enemy list only includes most of the D.C. phone book.
Amanda: From what the princess said this afternoon, I guess she’s on that list, isn’t she?
Billy: Well, that’s old news, Amanda. She’s been a voice for every immigrant and dissident that has hit this country. She’s been taking pot shots at her government for years, why would they go after her now?
Amanda: Maybe it has something to do with the 
big announcement she’s going to make at lunch today.
Thank goodness Amanda’s brainsky is working!
Billy: What announcement?
Amanda: I don’t know, she didn’t say, but she said it was important.
Lee: Yeah, she did. And she also mentioned Leonid Godorsky.
Billy: Godorsky?
Lee: Billy, if she could get Godorsky out —
Billy: No, no. Nobody can get him out. When the new regime took power, that curtain slammed shut with a bang!
Lee: Yeah, but what if she’s working on it, huh? She 
has a lot of heavyweight friends. You know that.
Billy: Yes, she has.
Finally Lee’s brainsky kicks in too.. Leonid Godorsky! How do we crash the big announcement lunch? 
Amanda: “We don’t have to crash it! we’re invited!” –I understand why Billy is pleasantly surprised by this little 
fortunate coincidence.. but err Lee.. why are you?! He looks like he had forgotten about it! Poppy seed cake will sink all the baddies in the end one way or another.. just think, if Amanda hadn’t wanted her meatloaf ruined, and Billy hadn’t prized her meatloaf above assassination attempts- they never would have gotten the all important invite.. Oh you’ve got to laugh at the way the world works in smk land.. love it!!
Back to Amanda’s and Dotty is excited about Amanda’s lunch with a princess.
Amanda yells from the other room: she’s(the princess) very nice mother.
Dotty: of course she’s nice! they’re paid to be nice! [ LOL she is grumpy about Princess Valoska and her brooding portrait huh! 
]
Dotty continues with her suspiciousness: Just promise me that you won’t be taken in by any of those unattached men they have floating around at those parties.
Amanda: Mother, I fully intend to meet a prince and marry him.
Dotty: don’t joke with me Amanda! Washington is a mecca of dispossessed men with titles ( Are you imagining that at some point Dotty was taken in by one of those such men??????!!!! Me too!!) Never be too impressed with a title. You can buy them through the mail. I mean look what happened to that princess..?? whatever her name is.. Amanda: Valoskia ( LOL.. that’s how she says it.. I am assuming this is princess Valoska but she prounced it wrong..Ironic given Dotty’s next line!!)
Dotty: you see.. ha! an absolutely unpronounceable last name and she’s dazzled by it. Of Royal bearing and where is she now? ( ohhhh my.. she makes a lot of assumptions about something she really doesn’t know anything about! ) though I love how in the same breath Dotty tells Amanda she wants to hear all about the food she is served! Maybe Dotty is cranky with the princess for not being invited.. trust me Dotty you will be glad you are not there! LOL!
Is anyone else tired of Amanda wearing white sparkly tops and black trousers to special events??!!! She wore this top at the beginning of artful dodger.. ugh..
Love how this scene ends! Dotty listing the possible foods on offer at the Princess’ lunch.. and
Amanda adding: meatloaf !
Dotty repeats it agreeing.. Amanda leaves and then we see Dotty stop ironing and realise – 
meatloaf…???? tee hee.. I love it when Dotty does that! Hey here is yet another scene where larger than life Dotty is talking and doing something else at the same time!
Let’s do lunch!!! …. of course, Lee and Amanda – the unpronounceable princess’ new best friends – are seated up next to the princess.. yes all those friends she has known for years can step back line!
I thought the blue lady with the grey blue hair was going to start singing when she asked how long they have to wait for their announcement!! hehee.. She reminds me of Ursula!!! (except she’s good!)
Amanda fumbling over when to speak or not speak.. a bit 
cliched.. but Lee smiling at her from across the table at her? I don’t mind one bit!! awh…. 
I like the princess’ response to Amanda’s worrying about protocol! I wish we got to see her again in other episodes!
Princess Valoska: I have very little regard for 
protocol. I believe one 
should speak when one has something to say, [Love it!] as I have now.
To all her guests the princess continues: A toast, please. To a man whose leadership will enable us to 
help the oppressed people within our beloved country, Leonid Godorsky.
As they all drink from their glasses. Amanda hears the schlurper is in the room! uh oh!!! The princess continues: Tomorrow I meet with the Senate committee to plead his case.
Lee: oh well, that’s wonderful.
Valoska: it is a plea I believe will be listened to, and acted upon ( ohhhh dear.. I think she’s right!! but acted on in not quite the way the princess had imagined!!! Nice double meaning smk writers!) Then.. we hear the bell toll… LOL… the doorbell rings, and the princess tells Mikhail she does not wish to be disturbed. Ohhh dear… you are about to be very disturbed!!
Lee didn’t know about the princess speaking before the senate committee? why wouldn’t he have known.. she was on the list of potentials wasn’t she..
Uh oh… the shooter has brought flowers.. this can’t be good! Lee sees 
the shooter at the door (how cute does Lee look here! ) and suddenly he yells for everyone to 
get down.. and does his hero dive across the dining room table- at what appears to be the people who had been sitting next to Amanda.. errr why didn’t he make sure the princess was taking cover? after all she is obviously the target? I guess the object of the dive was to get the door closed… 
I love how the assassin very politely shoots at the wine in the middle of the table
– and once Lee has closed the door- he aims much much higher- at the walls! whwhaahah!! I mean, if he hadn’t been careful, he might have hurt someone!!! ouchsky!!! [Also, it looks like everyone moved all their meals and wine glasses closer to the red wine so there would be a more impressive looking boom! ] Err the goal was to kill the princess wasn’t it?? or was it just to scare her a bit? LOL.. with that guy’s shooting I’m not sure!
I shall leave it there for now.. Feedback? thoughts? questions? Comment away!!! I’d love to hear from you!! Byeee for now…
"Just walk with me.." 
The episode title, Waiting for Godorsky, is probably S&MK’s nod to a French play written by Samuel Beckett titled, “Waiting for Godot” (1949). It was considered the best of a short-lived theatrical movement called “theatre of the absurd” or “theater out of harmony.” It was centered in Paris during the 1950’s and based on the philosophy of existentialism. They were plays with illogical plots … in which nothing happens … inhabited by characters, who appeared out of harmony with their own existence. [Research nod to The Drama Teacher website.]
Have you already noticed any absurdities? Be on the lookout throughout this episode!
How about people out of harmony with their own existence? Mikhail comes to mind.
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#2019rewatch
Ok, in the original comments below for this post there is an interesting discussion about KJ’s wardrobe and the whole white top/black pants she wore A LOT. I also mentioned in a previous post that I actually read my FIRST SCRIPT (woot woot), and interestingly, the item Amanda sees in the opening at the Princess’s house was not a cameo, but a stunning blue gown that she then wears later in the episode. I wondered why, when I read that, why it was changed, in particular because I get a little tired of Amanda in the white/black ensemble? So was KJ not fond of gowns? Do you all think the script change could be a deliberate change for that reason?
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#2019 rewatch
I think someone probably looked at the characters and the logic of the script and thought Amanda might wear a small piece of jewellery that she accepted as a gift from someone but wouldn’t do something as tacky as wearing that person’s clothes to a luncheon she was hosting. I know I wouldn’t! LOL
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#2019rewatch
Oh, man, clagjanet – I am tacky all the way! 😂 I would totally take a gorgeous gown from a princess if she were giving it to me. I think I’d feel like Cinderella, especially I was attending the ball with Lee Steston!! 👗❤😂
I meant to also mention that the baddie park meetings were scripted as grocery store meetings (sorry if anyone else has already commented on this and I missed it). This helps explain Francine’s line about them not talking about the price of tomatoes (I was always puzzled by that line). But also, I wonder what made them change from grocery store to park? I’m glad they did, just curious as to how they go about what changes to make to scripts. I supppose maybe they wanted to save the Russian baddie grocery store hangout for a time when Lee has to break through a butcher’s window to escape (Stemwinder). Maybe they wanted to be Waiting for Alexi. 😂😂😂
I’m not sure I’m a fan of reading scripts with the episode – I may try a few more as we go along just for research sake. But I will say it makes me appreciate what the actors give to their characters to give them a magnetism that leaves us hooked.
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Amandarambler, I meant I wouldn’t wear the dress to an event at the giver’s house the very next day where her friends would all be going “Oh, isn’t that the princess’ dress?” – but I would totally accept a nice dress! LOL
I think changes in location etc always come down to logistics – probably easier to get permission/permits to use a bit of park all day over closing down a grocery store (and in those days, they really did use real ones – I’ve been to the one they used in “You Only Die Twice”). Also, it may have seemed more believable that someone could hang out in a park all day and strike up a random conversation over wandering grocery store aisles for hours, waiting for a meet (see Stemwinder, LOL!)
Sometimes the best part about reading a script is the part when you go “Thank goodness they didn’t do THAT!”
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#2019 rewatch
I have mixed feelings about reading the scripts. There are bits that I’m happy that they changed and bits that I wish they kept. I’m a shipper so I’m all for anything that gives more insight to their relationship.
Sorry I’m off on a tangent.
Loving the rewalk!
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#2019rewatch
I think if I do read other scripts, I’ll probably have the mindset of treating the script like a buffet- take what I like and leave the rest. 😂
(And clagjanet, come over to the tacky side with me and wear the dress anyway!!! We already learned we should always look a gift horse in the mouth, right?)
Haha, just kidding. I totally understand what you’re saying. 😁
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#2019rewatch I haven’t read all of the scripts that are floating around, but the best insight I got out of reading one was in “A Relative Situation” because the script explained the “Skip” nickname. It always bothered me that they left that thread hanging.
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Thank goodness Amanda’s brainsky is working!
Well, it might be working but not at full capacity! She says “From what the princess said this afternoon” and then goes on to mention the lunch she invited them to to that day at 1pm!
But yes, at least she’s more on the ball than Mr “Oh right, I forgot we were invited to dine with royalty” Stetson!
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Darn! forgot the #2019 rewatch part..
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#2019rewatch
Yeah, Amanda’s sense of time is overwhelmed by the royal invite, but it’s nothing of import for Lee! After all, he’s already “been there, done that” in his tuxedo, providing Agency security for Heads of State at Embassy Balls. Billy keeps them together as much for entertainment value as generating leads!
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I totally think Dotty is a bit miffed not to be going to the lunch and definitely bitten twice shy 😉 Dotty sure seems to have been around the block LOL
I am sure much of what Amanda wears is KJ orientated. On the one hand I can see the value in being more than just a clothes horse like Charlie’s Angels and that a more modest wardrobe is in keeping with Amanda’s circumstances. But please no more white!!!!
I have to say the Countess with the blue rinse reminded me of a British actress called Molly Sugden who played the part of a Mrs Slocomb on a comedy called Are you Being Served back in late 70’s early 80’s.
I guess all that running really doesn’t help make you a sharp shooter 😉
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Oh, Jenbo–totally Molly Sugden! (But my favourite from that show was John Inman’s character–Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humpries.)
What bugs me about the lady in blue is her schizophrenic accent… one minute Scottish, the next minute some sort of European (Hungarian? Czech? ???)…
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Maybe Topeka was the “salesman capital of the world.” lol
Dotty is so funny – she often contradicts herself. The thing I really enjoy about Dotty is that she reminds me so much of women I knew as a pre-teen and teenager. They wanted the best for their family, and the best was whatever they thought at the time. 😉
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No one commented on my favorite bit in the kitchen scene (so I will 🙂 ). Amanda pours some milk in the glass, drinks most of it, and then places the glass in the fridge, instead of on the counter/sink. Who does that?!?! Well, my son does sometimes and it drives me crazy. That, and the empty ice cube trays in the freezer.
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Hey! good catch! yeah that is weird! Although it looked like she still had a bit of milk in the glass so maybe she put it back to finish it later 😉
Empty ice cube trays in the freezer bug me too!!!
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Regarding the white sparkly tops and black trousers, I believe we are seeing a bit of KJ coming through. As in Charlie’s Angels, you can lead the girl to the sleek gown but you can’t necessarily make her put it on. I think she was being a little cantankerous and wearing only as fancy as she absolutely had to. Think you’re disappointed? Think how bummed the wardrobe department was with this. “Here, Ms. Jackson, we have these 16 never-before-seen-on-TV haute couture gowns by celebrated designers, each of which would look stunning on that body of yours, for you to peruse…or…er…yeah, I suppose the sparkly white thing you wore 2 weeks ago will work…(sigh).
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Yes, she must have driven them nuts. I know it was relaly tough for me to place the episodes used in some of the fanvids because her outfit is exactly the same.
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I think your projected scenario with KJ is delightful, Paula! She looks very comfortable and happy in her jeans, plaid shirt, tennies, and scarlet jacket, doesn’t she? 🙂
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True.. I still miss it though 😦
I can think of someone else who would have been happy with the lack of fabulous gowns.. the person who had to balance the budget! 🙂
Oh well.. she wears a nice new gown soon in to catch a mongoose and in the three faces of emily – oh but wait.. they are both white!!! oh well.. at least they are dresses..
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The rarity of fabulous gowns is also realistic since Amanda wouldn’t have the time or the money to make or buy lots of gowns. I’ve always appreciated the way that SMK shows people wearing the same clothes more than once, like real people do. (I’m hoping that the scarlet jacket isn’t gone forever after “Utopia Now”; I’m sure that Lee loves seeing Amanda in it. 🙂 )
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fabulous gowns are unrealistic it’s true! though in earlier episodes Amanda managed to find a few dresses.. i would have even been happy with her just wearing her black one all the time! I also really loved the blue dress we saw at the end of dead ringer – when she was sick, it had a lovely back on it, and I don’t recall ever seeing it again! and as we all know Amanda looks very fetching in blue 😉 (eeeewww that honeycutt typewriters guy makes my skin crawl!)
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Oh yes, I think Dotty has been lead astray by a dispossessed Count or Duke. Normally, she is so anxious to marry Amanda off to any man and is so impressed by titles, wealth or station in life, the only reason I can think of her diatribe is ‘one burned, twice shy.’ I would love to read a fanfic on that. I bet he never knew what hit him. 🙂
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That might also explain how Dotty could be tempted by a vacuum salesman from topeka.. that was it wasn’t it? I can’t remember what episode that was.. but never mind we’ll get to it eventually! 🙂
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The one with the long eyelashes? Isn’t that from “The Magic Bus”? (Too tired to check right now.)
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That’s it!! thanks RedGold! that was bugging me. I was confused because there is a reference to a uncle iggy the brush salesman in topeka too.. so many salesman in topeka.. tee hee..
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