Lee and Amanda are off to the casino because a casino chip was found on a dead guy.. did the mongoose plant it there?
Who cares! One look at Lee in that tux and .. whegougoashdgag..
I am the mongoose! who is the mongoose? 😆
Ok. well, maybe a few thoughts will come to mind as we go through this scene (if I don’t stare directly at the tux I should be ok! 
)
The scene at the casino opens with a wide shot.. check it out.. a variety of people are there.. all wearing black and white with only a hint of red.. We see Amanda is having a go at Blackjack (even the game is black!) with the help of a man sitting next to her while Lee has his back to her scoping out the room.
Love how Amanda has a little giggle at her winning again – Lee chooses this moment to turns back to her, and he is stunned when he sees how many chips Amanda has now!!
LOL!! He kind of does a double take at her winnings! I wish we’d had a close up of it! 
LOL! I love it.. the guy next to her has been telling her what to do- Is it just me or is the random helpful old man always the bad guy? (at least in Europe!!) LOL!
Amanda is giddy.. until she turns to see Lee all stern faced! I love that 
she slumps and pulls a face as if to say – ugh! he’s not happy with me- 
he’s such a downer! I love that she actually acknowledges (even if it is only in a gesture to herself) that Lee is being a downer and she knows it 
Lee: Are you keeping your eyes open?
Amanda: I’ve been watching all night, just like you told me to.
Lee: Good. I don’t want him slipping by because you’re scooping up your winnings. 
Amanda: Listen. It was your idea that we should act naturally and play while we’re on the stakeout.
Lee: Yes, and try to 
remember that.
Amanda: I can’t help it if I’m winning. [Lee won’t admit it, but Amanda is on the money- get it?!! haaaa.. Amanda sees through him here, and knows why he is so grumpy!]
Whooo hooo Go Amanda!! Lee is such a grump here!! Ugh!!! But.. in his tux, he can get away with it haaa.. Love how Amanda puts him in his 
place here when he chides her that she is suppose to be looking for Conrad- and she says she has been – and she is acting naturally, just like he told her to.. she deals with him so well
With a stony silence between Lee and Amanda, the dealer starts the next game..
Helpful Old guy ( uh oh ): Look, Amanda, two fives. Now remember what I told you. [he knows her name? uh oh!!] Amanda: Right. Doubledecker.[what’s that double the bet?]*Edited to add: Amanda says Doubledown not Doubledecker- Thanks Melissa for explaining!! check out wikipedia’s explanation if you’re interested 🙂http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackjack
Ahh I hadn’t noticed this before.. Amanda puts her chips in for the game, and so does Lee- Lee is playing too! I always thought he just sat there.. and LOL!! from the looks of it, he looses! 😆 Ahhh that feels good doesn’t it Amanda
Gambler: Queen.
Amanda wins!! and let’s out a screech of sorts! haaaaa.. she is too cute 
as she tries to suppress it.. Who would have guessed Amanda the housewife from Arlington is getting into it and having a great time, and it is Lee, the player who is all grumpy?
Lee: It’s no use. He’s not going to show.
Amanda: Here, look, just take some of my chips, I’ve got too many anyway. Go ahead. (ROFL!!!)
Lee: Just keep on playing, huh? [now you want her to play? I thought you were cranky with her for playing? ah yes.. you were cranky with her winning Amanda tries to give Lee some chips, but he picks them up and gives them back ruining her stacks of chips! ]
Amanda: Oh, please don’t knock them out of their sta–
Lee: Shhh! I’m going to call Billy, tell him our trail’s gone cold.
What a glare!!!
Ouch!! [and yet smokin!!] Grumpy pants leaves her to go call Billy ( because hey why not just leave Amanda alone right??!!! huh?? Calling Billy can’t wait till you are back at the hotel?)
Dealer: Place your bets, please.
[whoooo who let that lady wearing purple in?!! weird!] Of course, the mongoose ( come on we all know he is the mongoose! ) sees Lee go and so he also leaves Amanda..
Helpful old guy: Amanda, this has been delightful. I think you can carry on without me.
Amanda: Oh, you’re not leaving?
Helpful old guy: Oh, I think I’d better. I’m a few pounds to the good and I never like to press my luck. [No he would much prefer just to press Lee’s neck ]Good night. I’m fortunate to have had such a lovely fellow player. Until we meet again. [uh oh.. he knows they’ll meet again!]
Amanda: Night.
Dealer: Madame?
Amanda: Yes.
Conrad: Amanda
don’t turn around.
Amanda: Conrad.
Commercial break time huh! tooo funny!
Conrad tells Amanda to move over to the slot machine.. stern faced he reminds her not to turn around and look at him..
Amanda: Sorry. Should I play?
Conrad: Yes. (Don’t look at me I don’t want people to know we are talking but here take this money and use it?? LOL!!! ) How did you know it was me?
Amanda: Oh, you have a distinctive voice. You always have.
Conrad: We have to talk, Amanda.
Amanda: Conrad, are you doing something that’s really wrong?
Conrad: We can talk tomorrow morning. Meet me at Trafalgar Square at ten o’clock.
Lose your boyfriend with the perfect hair first. 
Amanda: He’s not my boyfriend.
Conrad: Oh. [Oh dear.. then why are you with him?? Kind of gives a clue he is an agent no?]
Amanda: Conrad, you know, [Amanda’s back 
turned.. Connie walks away here and leaves her- unaware he has departed!!] it’s really awfully difficult for me to believe that you’re some kind of an international 
criminal. I mean, I remember what a nice person you were, and smart, too, 
and I remember the time you won the science fair with your solar-powered ant farm. You were always just a little bit ahead of your time.
Amanda turns to find she is talking to no one.. 
and everyone is watching her like she is crazy haaaa!! I love how she realises he hasn’t said anything for a 
bit.. goes still.. then slumps and resigned, has to ask: Connie??? when she knows now no one is there.. Finally she turns to see yes! Just as Amanda suspected.. Connie is gone – Awkward!!Amanda has on some serious shoulder pads there huh!!!
Oh and Solar powered Ant Farm?? ROFLMAO!!! 😀
Why does Conrad tell Amanda not to turn around? Amanda knows what he looks like and knows its him- (and if he didn’t want her to know- why call her Amanda?? I’m baffled!!!)hmm maybe he hadn’t been expecting that ( and therefore that’s why he asks how did you know it was me) though, why keep up the pretence?- it is obvious they are talking to one another when he hands her money to put in the slot machine..
Maybe after all these years of not seeing Amanda, this is the only way he can be so gruff and mean to her as he impersonates the mongoose perhaps? (we later learn he was forced to by the mongoose) From Connie’s point of view- having to impersonate the mongoose to his high school crush has got to be a huge blow!!! Not only is he trapped and powerless with the mongoose pulling his strings but I doubt he would want Amanda to know it- for her own safety, but also for his pride too! Of course, at this point, at the casino we don’t know this.. and are being lead to believe Conrad is the goose.. err I mean mongoose..
It’s a great joke when everyone is watching Amanda talking to herself!! 😆 I love that they revisit this gag from season one!!! Amanda now is no longer offended.. she seems – resigned!
Oh and ‘the boyfriend with the perfect hair’ line?? great stuff!!! SMK writers? We Salute you!!! Great to see smk not taking itself too seriously!!
Anyway, Lee is pretty loud and easy with talking about the mongoose- and leaving Amanda alone.. what was he thinking? seems Lee is a bit of a bad 
traveller- so far he is suffering from very bad jet lag which is impairing his decision making!! (And making him a sore loser! haaaaa) I love how he tells Billy Amanda is fine- she’s playing blackjack ‘ and winning too!’ –he has such a bee in his bonnet about that!! ha haaa!!
Whoo this has got to be a pun.. Lee hangs up on Billy telling him he will call him ‘if anything breaks’ ( on the case) – ouch!!! then cue the scary music it’s time to try and break Lee’s neck!!
This is quite brutal don’t you think? 
very violent.. trying to kill Lee like that.. and the reaching for the door and not being able to reach the handle.. Lee was a goner! eek!! I think he had actually reached that moment where he thought this was it – don’t you? you kind of see him give in.. So 
awful!! Then at just that moment.. along comes his guardian angel ( Wearing all white) Amanda calling out: Lee????
Awh.. Amanda comes just in time to save Lee from being strangled..wow.. he was even unconscious there for a moment from the looks of it- a very close call!
What a way to go.. Lee in a tux.. I am so glad she came along though, Lee being saved in a tux is much better! 
Err.. Love how he thanks her for coming along at just the right time and vows to repay her in some way and be forever in her debt…. errr.. is that right? hmmm.. let’s see:
Amanda: Leeee!!! Oh my gosh!!! Leeee??? Lee are you alright?
Lee whispers: Amanda.
Amanda: are you alright?
Lee: I will be once you get off my arm. 
Leeeeeeee!!!!! He is incredible!!! LOL!! Jet lag and a lack of oxygen clearly don’t bring out his charming side!
Amanda: Sorry.
My goodness Lee.. when are you gonna learn to say thank you!!!! ugh!!
Lee: Help me up.
Lee: Our man was here. [Our? I like the sounds of that!]
Amanda: I know. I talked to Conrad.
Lee: Yeah. He just tried to show me his necktie trick. When did he leave you?
Amanda: I don’t know. He was behind me. But he told me to meet him tomorrow at Trafalgar Square at ten o’clock and to be alone.
Lee: Not very sociable of him, was it?
Amanda: I turned around and he was gone. [what a shame she didn’t catch a glimpse of the mongoose strangling Lee.. but then.. the fun would be over huh! ]
Lee: Yeah, he had a pressing engagement with my throat. [Yes and Lee was pressing his luck!]
Amanda: I really don’t think that Conrad is capable of strangling anyone.
[we might think wow!! she still has great belief in Connie- knowing he was there she still doesn’t suspect him! but.. when we really meet him- we find out why – the guy really is a goose haaa]
Lee: With a silk scarf.
Amanda: No, that definitely doesn’t sound like my Conrad.
Lee: Well, it may not sound like your Conrad, but it definitely sounds like my Mongoose.
Whoa.. intense! I love the lighting in this scene here with Lee and Amanda.. there are no actual intimate words spoken between them- considering the very close call Lee had, and how Amanda saved him – but the vibe is still very intimate – with the lighting, and the close ups on them in profile – it just has a lovely feel to it – and the two of them have such lovely profiles!!
Beautiful!! like an old movie.. ( like To Catch a Thief perhaps?)
Well.. I shall leave it there for now!!
As always if you have any feedback on my post, or this part of the episode.. or any smk thoughts you’d like to share – go for it!!
Any questions? gripes about the episode? share! we’d all love to hear it byeeeeee
"Just walk with me.." 
#2019rewatch
So usually I watch the episode, then go through each of Iwsod’s posts, then try to read through all comments, both old and new, and lastly make my comments. I know some posts have more comments than others, but I do encourage those of you on this rewalk to explore the original comments if you haven’t done so and have the time. There can be some very interesting and thought-provoking conversations!!
Anyway, this scene in the casino is a goody. Amanda’s reactions to winning are so great! I love her giggle! A previous commenter suggested that the “Don’t turn around” line of Conrad’s could be an ongoing gag from season 1 – I like that idea! I’m thinking especially of Gift Horse at the party – Conrad leaves Amanda talking to herself at the slot machine like Lee dashes away on the stairs and in both cases, she continues talking for awhile before realizing she’s alone. It makes me giggle. She handles it with shaking it off instead of intense embarrassment, so I never get too bothered by it.
And I do love how Conrad refers to Lee as her boyfriend with perfect hair. 😂
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#2019 rewatch
Is it just me or is Connie really cute? I mean, he;s no Lee but he’s pretty cute!
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#2019rewatch
Do you mean cute physically, cute quirky personality or the total package cute?
IMO he’s cute physically, but for cute quirky personality I prefer S3’s James Pott (aka Mr. Brand).
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#2019 He does have amazing eyes.
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2019 rewatch
I have a hard time thinking anyone else is cute when Lee (BB) is there. I don’t know why. It’s not like I haven’t thought other actors are good-looking. It really sounds a little crazy, I guess. Haha
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#2019rewatch I love the whole scene where Lee gets increasingly annoyed that Amanda is winning at Blackjack and he…is not. I especially love that Amanda does not let his attitude get her down. I think in season 1 she was more apologetic when he was annoyed, and now she knows it is not her fault so she is not going to take any blame. Go Amanda!
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#2019 Suffer Lee, LOL
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I’ve read through most of the other comments for this part of the episode, & does anyone else wonder about the money she won? She just walks away from those chips & I’m like “Hey! Those chips! Someone could take them!” Does she go back for them & cash them out? Buy something nice for herself? Not a deep question or anything, but it still makes me curious.
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The romance: I have thought a lot about that…since that is the big reason I fell in love with this show…back in the 80’s I was at the end of a 16 year horrible marriage and the romance and sexual tension from SMK was my escape…and the reason I became addicted to the show.
I believe they fell in love in season one, but didn’t realize it. Firstly, Lee was too stubborn to ever admit that he could even remotely feel anything other than annnoyance for Amanda. He was way to arrogant and full of himself in S1…after all, he was a seasoned agent, a playboy by night and falling for a housewife with kids from suburbia would never never be something he would consider, it wasn’t in his vocabulary. He really was kind of a jerk….(a gorgeous jerk), but he fought those feelings with a vengance and never would have admitted to them…..of course we all know it turns out differently once he got down off his high horse….in “Service Above and Beyond”, Lee’ s anger at finding Amanda passed out on that bed and the protective way he picked her up and carried her down the stairs was the first time I felt their relationship change. Then in” Remembrance of Things Past,” Amanda’s grief over losing Lee was so pivotal in relation to her feelings for Lee.
Just my take on the whole relationship thing…..Love this site
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I read somewhere that when BB was asked when he thought Lee fell in love with Amanda he mentioned ” Service Above and Beyond”.
They do have such a beautiful journey together, don’t they?
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Yes, Cindy they do have a beautiful journey together. I just wish it had lasted longer than 4 years. Oh well, we have our DVD’ s…
We can relive the journey whenever we want can ‘t we? Thanks for the feedback .
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I think Lee’s grumpiness here is because he is a strongly competitive person who hates to lose. Indeed, his whole life is structured around this “game” of espionage. Here, he’s getting beaten at the games table by Amanda, and even more frustratingly, fears he’s being out-maneuvered by the Mongoose. I’m afraid he has a habit of taking out his frustrations on Amanda, the nearest available target, and is usually sorry afterward.
He also doesn’t like to “lose” in front of Amanda, who he subsconsciously – and even consciously, sometimes – wants to impress. He wasn’t gracious when she saved him from being strangled, perhaps because he was embarrassed that Mongoose got the jump on him, and that Amanda witnessed Lee’s failure.
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Argh Amanda in white again. Are they trying to channel a pure, virgin like vibe with all this white?!
Anyway it’s great that Amanda is winning loads of dosh and Lee doesn’t like it tee hee. I didn’t notice the mongoose signalling the dealer to let Amanda win I shall have to rematch it now.
Ha that slot machine cracks me up, it’s the sort you would find in any pub rather than a high end casino. I know from what I’ve seen in Vegas you have the one arm bandits but do you have slot machines like this?!
Lee sure does look good for being half strangled to death 😉 love his line to Amanda to get off his arm. Yes he’s grumpy but least it shows no permanent brain damage due to lack of oxygen, he still has his cognitive ability 😉
I love those pics you took IWSOD of their profiles, it’s a lovely scene, nice lighting and an air of intimacy despite what happened.
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Lots of great scenes in this section…Connie telling Amanda to get rid of the boyfriend with the perfect hair!….Amanda continueing to talk when no one is there and everyone is looking at her…and then Lee’s line to Amanda asking if he is okay, “I will be once you get off my arm!” LOL!!!! ~ That reminded us of a line out of ‘Get Smart’ 🙂
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Well, all right. You talked me into it. I put “To Catch A Thief” (Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Paramount, 1955) at the top of my netflix queue. I’ll let you know if there are any similarities in the lighting and cinematography. I haven’t seen it in years. But any excuse to watch a Cary Grant movie is okay in my book. 🙂
Oh, by the way, I think Amanda says “doubledown”, not “doubledecker”. I’m not sure, but when you get 2 cards that are the same, you can split the hand and play both separately.
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Hi Everyone!!
Let me know how selecting to receive email notifications of follow up comments is going for you- I’d like confirmation its going ok 🙂
Melissa– thanks so much for watching to Catch a thief! Do you have the whole Cary Grant collection? I was hoping someone could enlighten us about the parallels if any – so thanks a bunch!! I look forward to hearing about it – if there is a lot.. you could even author a post if you like..
Doubledown?? Thanks so much for educating me! I will go and edit the post so future readers don’t giggle at me too much 😉 haaaa..
Redgold, I had another look at the blackjack scene- and tried extra hard not to look directly at the tux! I see what you mean about the mongoose signalling the dealer – Allofakind sees it too. I think it works- in terms of the plot and everything – but I think it leaves it open.. I can’t see the dealer look at the mongoose at all ( to see the signal) and we don’t see him signal with the other hand that’s played ( but then maybe it was right before we cut to the scene) .. I hesitate -they didn’t quite sell me on the idea the mongoose was setting them up- but.. he could be – and it makes things really interesting here! I really love that idea – I’m really glad you thought of it Redgold.. if the mongoose was signalling the dealer – it means he was setting up Amanda to win, Lee to lose, and manipulating Lee to get upset and split them up physically – so he could do a necktie trick on Lee ( ahem) and Conrad could do his impersonation on Amanda!
It really does scream amateur hour, Lee’s focus on Connie, and being so blatant at the casino where he knows the mongoose goes.. he didn’t leave open the possibility that the mongoose was there and Amanda couldn’t identify him – and it almost cost him his life! 😮
Hi Paula! Yeah that attack on Lee was brutal huh! That’s true! it does actually take him time to physically bounce back from it!
Agreed! Lee’s fall back emotion is anger! It is wonderful to watch him grow.. it just seems at times like the growth is so slow I can’t see it- HA!! but.. it is there!! 🙂 Deep? Oh I agree! I got quite sentimental watching that moment – I know what you mean Paula – and the way Lee gave up- just awful!!! so sad!!
This director, Rob Holcomb, rocks this episode.. looking at his IMDB it seems he is very much in demand to this day and working hard on heaps of different tv series..
Very true about the close ups Red Gold.. he does like them – I like them!! Especially on intense Lee.[great for creating gifs! 😉 ].. I wonder if they are used alot in To Catch a Thief?? Hmm.. hopefully Melissa can let us know 🙂
Oh yeah, I agree that is the way Lee is right now, with not saying thankyou! ( I tend to understand but still find it frustrating!) but this time- I actually found it funny that was his response – to get off his arm! I agree it is not common for him to say those words, and in time as the show progresses, he learns to say it with words as well as with actions- for now.. he tends to (eventually) says it in actions – we haven’t gotten to it yet, but I think this is another episode where Lee finishes the episode doing something nice for Amanda to say thanks 🙂
Amanda does deal well with grumpy (but gorgeous 😉 ) Lee doesn’t she.. he gets so edgy, impatient etc when he is focused on his job.. and when things aren’t going well – we’ve seen it a number of times now – it’s great characterisation isn’t it!! Well done BB and writers! 🙂
In those times, Amanda likes to help Lee, almost fix things for him in a way.. and then Lee is happy! His mood changes dramatically! 🙂 The lovely thing is, although on the surface we could think Lee is less giving – he actually also has demonstrated he likes to fix things for Amanda – especially when it comes to her family- that which is most important to her – and then Amanda is happy!! 🙂 Awh!!
Oh dear.. I have gone off on a rant.. as if you hadn’t read enough from me already! sorry!!
Paula I always find pinpointing when they were in love to be really tough!
A part of me thinks they fell in love at the train platform.. there was something there- but I find it hard to define… want to have a go?
I think they were set on a course towards love the moment they met – and nothing was going to stop it ( after all this is a tv show!)- they were mean’t to be and all that.. so maybe it comes down to different milestones for each of the characters… anyone? help?? 🙂 haaa byeee!
Anyway, must run.. iwsod
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Works fine for me, IWSOD. If I click to receive, I get notifications. If I don’t, then I just follow up later on my own.
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Great! thanks Paula! Good to know things are working the way they are suppose to 🙂 [Because I run the blog things are set up differently for me- so it is great to hear a confirmation that things are the way I was thinking they are for you! 🙂 ]
Wow!!.. Heeeeaaaaps of new visitors today – has someone mentioned my blog on twitter? How did you find us? Glad you stopped in for a read!! 🙂 BB or KJ if you are reading say hi! (although I doubt I would believe it is you ROFLMAO!!! )
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iwsod – Sadly, I don’t have every Cary Grant film. (That would be a lot of movies!) I have a 5-movie set someone gave me as a present, but it doesn’t include my favs, and it doesn’t include To Catch a Thief. 😦 To Catch a Thief is supposed to show up in my mailbox tomorrow. I’ll send an update after I’ve had a chance to watch it.
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Melissa – thanks so much for sharing the fruits of your labors with us all 🙂 I look forward to hearing what you find !!!
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Excellent catch RedGold!!! I didn’t notice that the Mongoose is telling the blackjack dealer to let Amanda win. I just went back and watched that part again. You are quite right.
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Too bad Lee never finds out about this–it might make him feel better about losing at the blackjack table! I think that it annoys him that Amanda is so successful on “his turf”–more beginner’s luck, he probably thinks.
About the Mongoose’s attack with the silk scarf–it is quite visceral for SMK. That “hunh!” sound that Lee makes when the Mongoose first pulls the scarf around his neck is horrible. Poor Amanda sounds so scared when she asks repeatedly, “Lee, are you all right?” She keeps touching him for a while after helping him up and then finally decides that she’d better drop her hands, I think, although she’d probably like to reassure herself that he’s okay a little longer. (And who could blame her?)
Lee is snappish with that “I will be when you get off my arm comment,” but I’ve noticed that while on occasion Lee makes a reference to her saving him (in “Charity Begins at Home” and “Life of the Party”), he usually doesn’t, and I can’t think of a single time when Amanda thanks him for saving her.* Maybe that’s what partners do–watch each other’s back–and verbal thanks for doing that isn’t expected or even considered appropriate. I don’t think that either one takes the other’s efforts for granted, though, or is actually ungrateful. Think about that glorious tag to “Service Above and Beyond”–there are no thanks there, but there certainly is a lot of emotion on both sides!
*I’m up to episode 10 of S3, and what happens after that, I don’t know–yet!
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That near-strangulation is one of the more convincing peril scenes in SMK. I appreciate the time he took to bounce back from that. I forgot until I rewatched this recently that this is probably one of my favorite episodes, overall. The interrogation coming up is totally hilarious.
I think it’s pretty sweet of Amanda to be so patient with snarky Lee, whose knee-jerk reaction to every strong feeling–frustration, jealously, fear, love, etc.–is putting on his mad face. She knows that’s just the surface. She never gives up without digging into him a little deeper to find the substance there. At first, I think she probably was just intrigued by the glimpses of a vulnerable Lee she could see under Mister 007. By now, I’m thinking she truely loves him on some level, and she wants something better for him than he thinks he wants for himself.
That’s pretty deep. Funny what you can get out of watching a guy recover from nearly being strangled to death.
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Paula, I agree with you that Amanda loves Lee by this time, and in fact, I think that she’s loved him for quite a while in a generous, unselfish, accepting way. And I also think that Lee loves her, although he isn’t able to recognize the intense concern, attraction, and protectiveness he feels for her as facets of love. (He’s been pushing his emotions down for so long that they’re all mashed together now, and tend to come out as anger or frustration, as you said.) They’re not in love yet, IMO, but they are definitely on a journey together. I think that on the train platform, they recognize each other immediately–experience a deep-down “I know you” sensation–and that despite all their differences, this intense “click” keeps them together. The conscious recognition Amanda has of Lee’s inner qualities and his potential gives her patience with his often brusque behavior, and the subconscious recognition Lee has of Amanda’s pulls him back to her despite his frustration and confusion. Whatever Amanda and Lee go through in their relationship and their individual lives, there’s never a doubt that they care about each other very, very much. Sweet, those two.
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That’s beautifully put, RedGold. I do feel Amanda had a conscious recognition of love for Lee long before he did, which makes that line of hers later about “When you’re talking about love, you have to be patient” all the more poignant.
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I agree with you, Paula, about both Amanda and the line; she certainly has been patient. I think that Amanda spends most of S2 trying to keep Lee from seeing the nature of her feelings for him, but she doesn’t pine for him or wait around, which I really appreciate. As for Lee, his actions and expressions in S1 often illustrate how much he cares for her; I’m thinking of “Service Above and Beyond,” “Saved by the Bells,” and “I Am Not Now…” IMO, by S2, she’s so important to him that he gets angry about it.
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Well put!
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I know I’m getting ahead of myself here, but have you ever considered that the “cover kiss” in Ship of Spies shocked Lee so much less because of how he was responding to Amanda than how intensely she was responding to him. I think he felt a whole lot of lovin’ in that kiss! All that pent-up devotion/desire building over a seaon-and-a-half.
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Paula – HMMMMM, that is interesting to consider. The kiss certainly knocked Lee off his equilibrium. I love the tag when she was basically laughing at him.
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Paula, that is a fascinating theory–I never thought of this possibility at all! I’ll just have to re-watch the pivotal scene with your theory in mind. (Twist my arm, twist my arm…) She certainly leans forward for one more kiss as he’s drawing back. (Okay, I may have re-watched this scene a time or two already!) Thanks for sharing this intriguing idea.
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Oh, I just saw your comment, Cindy, after I posted my previous one. I love the tag, too. I can practically hear her thinking, “You can just keep telling yourself that, buddy…but I know better.”
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Oi! you lot!!! this is suppose to be a discussion of To Catch a Mongoose! 🙂 Is it so boring an episode you are off discussing ship of spies? LOL! 🙂
I can completely understand you wanting to discuss Lee and Amanda and the context of the entire show, not just a single episode:)
Hmm how can we make this better?
Would it be good if there was a post about this you could comment on?? These lovely thoughts of yours are going to get lost in the void if they are on a the to catch a mongoose thread – anyone like to write a general post with their ideas on the progression of Lee and Amanda’s relationship to get the ball rolling??
[and people can comment on that post and ideas won’t get lost, I could file it in the ‘General SMK’ category and that way you could always find it!] or major milestones? Or debating when they fell in love??
Let’s do this!! this could be fun:) I don’t have time for it right now to write a post though:( but if someone wants to have a go.. that would be great!! Or I can even do a post of what two or three people think! anything is possible 🙂 Let me know!!
Oh yes.. I have lots of thoughts on ship of spies in particular, -Huge!!-which I will be sharing with more specifics when I get to the ep! 🙂
Welcome back Cindy!! I missed you!!!
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I think Amanda loves Lee at this point, but not “in love” with Lee. She loves him as a person. I don’t remember which of you said it (or where), but someone said that at some point in late season 1, Amanda finally got a handle on her crush on Lee and decided that they were only going to be co-workers. That comment spoke volumes to me. She knows she isn’t what he is looking for in a girlfriend and has accepted that.
I don’t see that same loving attitude from Lee, here, though. He certainly cares for Amanda’s well being. I’m not sure I’d call it love. He’s always felt protective of her because he’s the reason she’s in the spy biz to begin with. He also cares for her as a friend. Love? Not yet…
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Hi, Melissa. I’m enjoying your posts, and I agree with you about Amanda probably deciding she and Lee will be friends and work partners by early S2, although I think she might harbor a little stray hope that he will come around to wanting a fuller life than he has now–she’s a hopeful person who tends to see the potential in people, especially Lee. I also think that she is in love with him by mid-S2, but tries not to show it and probably tries not to feel it. As for Lee, I think he does love Amanda but it’s a basic sort of love with only a few elements at this point, mainly intense protectiveness and attraction (emotional as well as physical). He will do almost anything, including committing treason, to rescue her or keep her safe–more than he would do for anyone else, IMO. His jealousy is one of the clearest markers of his attraction; people aren’t jealous when a person they think of only as a friend or co-worker dances with another man or fixes his tie. His actions and some of his words suggest that how much she means to him, and these come from the scripts, of course, but it’s BB’s acting that really makes me believe that Lee loves Amanda even in S1. His expressions when he sees Amanda dancing with Delano, when he’s confronting Delano about the poison used on Amanda, when he’s holding her in his arms after trading her for the Soviet agent, and when she hugs him after he “returns from the dead” all communicate (to me anyway), that he loves her. He does not recognize the significance of what he feels and says and does yet, but then, he’s really surprised by Amanda and by his intense reaction to her. He’s also out of practice in loving anyone and not looking for a genuine romantic relationship at all. Amanda really comes out of the blue for him. IMHO!
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Hi guys.. since no one seems to want to take on the task of writing a blog post on what they think of Lee and Amanda’s relationship – and when they fell in love.- [and this is perfectly cool by the way! :D] I have had a thought.. Please let me know if this is ok!
What if.. I copy your comments on this subject into a blog post to start the thread [crediting people for their comments of course] and then we can continue the general discussion from there.. I just know when it comes time for me to discuss this in an episode post I will want to refer to this fabulous conversation and all your really insightful thoughts!
Is that ok with you guys? Looking at comments I can see I could quote the conversation between:
Redgold,
Melissa,
Cindy
& Paula – guys can I quote your conversation you have started and then we can add to it from there? please let me know if this is ok because I don’t want to do it unless you are ok with it.. but it is a solution to keep the fab conversation going- but in a way that is retrievable to everyone – Ok?
I will share some thoughts on it once we have a thread on it [and reply to your posts 🙂 ] but I am loving hearing your ideas and do really want it to continue 🙂 So let me know if ok and I can do the post asap! 🙂
BTW- Melissa it was me who said Amanda had to get over her crush of Lee – my interpretation is that the episode ‘weekend’ is very much about this!! 🙂
byeee.. gotta run.. I’m crazy busy with my studies now – hope you are all well!
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IWSOD — that sounds good. I don’t want to start a blog (yet) and I don’t think I can start a new thread that is not in response to one of your posts (or at least I can’t figure out how). Maybe a random SMK thoughts button on the same level as your ‘about’ and ‘home’ buttons near the top of your page? I am not sure what you can see being the admin for the blog vs. what I can see. I have a little post about my favourite villians of season one pretty much ready to go if you are interested.
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Hi Cindy, you want to start a blog? what you thinking of doing? sorry if you said that before I’ve gotten confused!
Re adding a button -Unfortunately this blog doesn’t work that way – though I love that you are coming up with a suggestion 🙂 and the ‘about’ tab needs to stay as it is, as it is what vistors and first timers read to find out just what this blog is about 🙂
Blogs have their benefits and their limitations, and I need to figure out a way to make the blog format work as best as it can.. The main focus of the blog is to walk through individual episodes- discussing together as we go.. – but I would also like to make room for guest contributors to post about smk in general..
Also, because this is not a forum, but a blog, the conversation is a little more focused – or it is likely to get lost- I have over 120 posts now..[and we are only up to season two!] that’s alot of comments to sift through for people.. so when a fab topic like – ‘when did Lee and Amanda fall in love?’ comes up -people are interested in discussing- I don’t want to loose it- and we want to be able to revisit this question as we ‘walk’ through the episodes together.
How we go about publishing one of your posts depends.. do I need to add images? or will you? email me about it if you like but I certainly don’t want to make things overly complicated here.. it’s all about FUN 😀 You are welcome to just email me your post and I can upload it and format it.. or if you want to take it a step further, add images and format it yourself (which is fun too!) – there is a way to do that too.. just email me about it 🙂 iwsod@optusnet.com.au
Looking forward to your villians post!!! but no pressure.. when you are ready 🙂 byeeee
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Hey, IWSOD, re: reposting comments, that’s fine as far as I’m concerned. Gotta give you a little freedom to reign in errant, wildly off-topic threads. Is there a way to tag comment content so it produces sort of an index? That’s what my blog does for me.
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Hi Paula! It is for everyone’s benefit in the long run if things can be organised.
Do you have a wordpress.com blog? I can’t see that there is anyway to tag comments in wordpress sadly.. but if you can suggest something I am all ears 🙂
ETA: Paula I’m too darn busy! I hadn’t clicked on your weblink! Are you posting smk fan fic regularly? Forgive me for not checking it out!! I will look forward to reading your fan fic – once I have gone through the episodes.. unless you have done some tagalogues? Did you want to link each other? 🙂
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Nah, mine is dreamwidth. I’m unfortunately not very familiar with the workings of WordPress.
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Ahhh drat.. see I edited my last comment to you..
I can’t see any way to add features, without it costing me more money.. sooooo I’m going to make do with what I’ve got.. we actually do pretty ok don’t we? 🙂
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RedGold – you give me some thoughts to ponder. I’ll have to think about it. Lee certainly is jealous and probably hasn’t put enough thought into it to understand why. We see his attraction to Amanda, but he doesn’t see it. Your comment: “He does not recognize the significance of what he feels and says and does yet, but then, he’s really surprised by Amanda and by his intense reaction to her. He’s also out of practice in loving anyone and not looking for a genuine romantic relationship at all. Amanda really comes out of the blue for him.” is right on the money. 🙂
Iwsod – you can certainly move any of my comments to a post. Anything to make it easier to navigate is good in my book.
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I have never found jealousy appealing in real life, but I like Lee’s jealousy because it shows his attraction toward Amanda so clearly. His denials and rationalizations are all for naught; he just can’t seem to help “acting like a jealous person.” And Amanda sees that emotion and also what’s behind it, I think. There are some delightful jealous moments in this episode, even though Lee must realize that Amanda is not interested in Connie romantically. He doesn’t wasn’t other unattached men around her, period!
In addition to “jealous Lee,” I’ve also been thinking about “solicitous Lee.”
Here are a few examples:
“Whatsa matter? You cold?” (“Filming Raul”)
“Whatsa matter? Aren’t you hungry?” (“Weekend”)
“Whatsa matter? Your feet hurt?” (“…Mongoose”)
And those are just the “Whatsa matter?” inquiries. Lee is certainly observant where Amanda’s comfort and welfare are concerned. That’s due to all of his spy training relating to noting details, I suppose. : )
IWSOD, feel free to copy my comments on to another part of your blog. I really appreciate the chance to look at the episodes in detail, but I think it’s also helpful to be able to pull back occasionally and consider the arc of the series as a whole, and it would be nice to have a place to do that. Thanks for creating the blog and putting so much time and effort into it!
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It’s been awhile since I actually watched all these episodes, so my memory may be a bit rusty here, but I’ve always thought that Lee’s reactions to the unattached men of which you speak are based somewhat on disbelief (which maybe is really just denial in disguise) that Amanda could inspire such interest from the opposite sex. Just about every unattached guy who shows up in this series seems to have a thing for Amanda. Anyway, s2 seems to me more about Lee’s accepting and welcoming Amanda into his professional world while still denying she could fit into his private world. “How could all these men be so attracted when she’s just a housewife? I’m certainly not…” heheheh
I guess whether or not I think Lee reacts more with disbelief or jealousy depends on how Amanda responds to all of this interest. When she’s oblivious to it – or obviously not interested – he just treats her with annoyance (yeah, just keep telling herself you don’t see what all these other guys see in her), but when she responds to them, his responses escalate from irritation and annoyance to anger as the jealousy erupts.
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You definitely hit the nail on the head… Lee is a grumpy traveler. As much as I love this scene I find myself wanting to strangle him myself. He spends so much time pouting just because Amanda is winning. Men can be such 4 year olds LOL. I think when he says ‘He’s not going to show’ he really doesn’t know or even care if they should stay longer. He just wants to get out of there. I think he’s a little out of sorts because of the attention from ‘Helpful Old Guy’ too. He doesn’t like anyone paying attention to Amanda. So jetlag + Amanda beating him at cards + Helpful Old Guy paying attention to Amanda = one crabby Lee.
I thought the whole ‘don’t turn around’ thing from Conrad was ridiculous too but I think Conrad says it because he figures that’s how a big time international criminal would act. He’s trying to pretend he’s the Mongoose so he’s trying to act like a suave criminal mastermind.
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A little correction: I meant to write in the comment above on jealously, “He doesn’t want other unattached men around her, period!” (I wish that there were a “revise” option on our own comments; I hate having mistakes in my writing!)
In regard to the grumpy traveler idea that came up: I think that Lee has very different associations with travel than Amanda does. He grew up as the ward of a career military man and therefore moved around a lot, and he has also traveled abroad quite a bit for his current job. (This comes up in several other of the European episodes as well as some from S1). Although there are a few references to him traveling by choice, I think that, generally speaking, he’s grown blase about travel–maybe even resentful of it. IMO, there’s a sense of loneliness and rootlessness about Lee’s travels. For example, in the episode, Lee doesn’t seem happy to be back in England at all; he shows no appreciation for the chance to return. (Most people would love to be sent to England, even if the trip is for work.) Amanda, on the other hand, is coming to Europe for the first time and she’s excited about seeing the famous sights of London, so she refuses to let grumpy Lee spoil her pleasure. (For all she knows, she’ll never get a chance to come back.) I love Amanda’s enthusiasm, and deep down, I think that Lee does, too. She’s such a fresh breeze in his life, and this is another situation where she shows him an alternative to his current attitudes.
I’m convinced that after they’re a couple, Lee and Amanda return to Europe together and have a terrific time traveling together! (And I’ve even written a few stories about these trips…)
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Ooooh – are the stories published?
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Hi, Cindy–I’m very flattered that you’re interested in my stories! They’re posted on the Yuku forum. Here are the titles, in chronological order: “Gifted” (about Amanda’s first birthday gift to Lee), “Locked” (about a trip to Salzburg), and “Skeleton Key” (about a later trip to Hallstatt, Austria). This is the link:
http://scarecrowandmrskingforum.yuku.com/forums/22/Fan-Fiction
If you do end up reading any of them and have a comment or two, please e-mail me or post on the forum, so I don’t distract from the discussion of this episode. Thanks for asking!
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Don’t turn around could just be a running joke that they use from season 1, we see that line in the next episode too.
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IWSOD, I completely agree with you about the lighting and close-ups in this phone booth scene–they are, indeed, beautiful. That dark golden light, the evening clothes, the way that Amanda helps Lee–the two of them are just gorgeous in these shots. The director uses closeups more than most other SMK directors, it seems. You may remember some close-ups later in the episode which are also very dramatic!
It took me quite a while to notice this (probably because I always have trouble tearing my eyes away from L and A), but the Mongoose is signaling the blackjack dealer with his eyes to let Amanda win. You can even see it in your screen cap that appears under Amanda’s line about “doubledecker.”
I have to admit that I never thought about why Connie wants to keep Amanda from turning around, the possible plants of evidence, etc. I seem to reserve my analysis and my eagle eyes mainly for Lee and Amanda. I can’t help it!
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