We find Amanda has made her way to a park to watch some gratuitous British Dancing with weird hanky waving.. whoooo and bells! 
These are special hanky wavers.. Morris Dancers – SMK teaches me things! I didn’t know anything about them Does anyone know which park this is?
A couple of bystanders walk by Amanda pushing her twice into the man behind her.. who suggests she try standing on a bench behind the crowd to get a good view..
Amanda makes a new friend.. who wonders where his wife is- and what she could possibly be up to – we cut to a woman and man kissing..[I’m pretty sure you don’t want to see a picture of that! ] Hmm that the wife? ‘Do you love me Geoffrey?’ ugh!!! if you have to ask that after 5 years..then there’s your answer: Noo!! Too much Gwyn and Geoffrey! ugh..
Back to Amanda and her new friend..who is sadly, Gwyn’s husband! 
I can’t help but look around for Indiana Jones… Asps! very dangerous.. You go first Amanda!!
Amanda reveals a man at her hotel told her the Morris Dancers would be dancing there today.. and that they would be good for her to see.. Hmm ( does this remind anyone else of spiderweb? what was the name of that restaurant? Tajir or something? )
We see a photographer hovering.. waiting for an opportunity..
The performance comes to an end and this kind and friendly gentleman (with the cheating wife) helps Amanda down off the bench she was teetering on, and a paparazzo takes what looks like a compromising picture..
or two.. next thing- we see it is on the front page of the newspaper..
Just how did the paper know Amanda is an American housewife? I thought she was there professionally?!
Uh oh.. we cut to Lee.. and he is back to being a grump.. your window dressing has turned out to be important after all huh.. suffer Lee! I don’t like it when he doesn’t appreciate Amanda! 
[Actually you could say I am also getting to the point where I think Amanda is – the point where enough is enough! Start acknowledging Amanda as making an important contribution!!]Lee is angry about this article in the paper.. and.. is taking it out on Amanda.. grrrr all his plans are in jeopardy thanks to Amanda’s sex scandal! as Lee puts it..
Turns out, the man she was photographed with was Lord Bromfield, who is an under-secretary at the foreign office.. Err it screams set up!!!!! hmmm what a coincidence 😉 I think because Lee wants to see Amanda as window dressing, at this early stage this doesn’t occur to him – that Amanda could be used to interfere with his investigations..
Do you think this is later the same day? and the photo made the afternoon edition? Because Amanda is wearing the same outfit.. but Lee? Lee has changed his outfit??!!!
Any London Locals?? Anyone interested in putting together some London location information?? Please!!!! Pretty Please!!! Is this the same park where Amanda was watching the Morris Dancers?
Why is Lee so cranky? In 4 days a top level meeting is being held 
at which the new defense strategies for the north sea oil fields are being laid out.. is it just me or is the plot a little obscure in this one? hmm maybe it will all 
become clearer.. I’ll hang in there and try not to look directly at gorgeous Lee too much! Lee has 4 days to find the leak in the Anglo-American intelligence community.
Lee: And you? What do you do? You end up in the middle of a sex scandal!
[ Lee doesn’t know whether to laugh, scream or throttle Amanda here! Well! I say whoo hoo! He’s not treating her like window dressing now!! tee heee – whoa.. that description really bugged me huh! I thought it was really low!! did it particularly bug anyone else?? !!! ]
Amanda: I’m not in the middle of a sex scandal! I don’t even know that man!
Lee is struggling with his temper here: That man happens to be Lord Ralph Bromfield… (rah rah.. yadda yadda.. )
Amanda: I’m sorry! I didn’t know that! I don’t know him!
Look, how can that newspaper call me ah…
(whispering) his mistress!
Lee: what are you whispering for, it’s made every rag in town [oh great Lee is that suppose to make her feel better! Ohh he’s such a block head! ]
Amanda: it didn’t make The Times!
Lee: oh is that something to be grateful for?
Amanda: Well listen, at least it said that I was a secretary to the president of
Anacord electronics so it.. makes.. your cover.. legitimate???..
[screams set up!!! how did they know who she works for?? but.. why it said she is a housewife I have no idea! I guess it’s the old smk joke of there being more than meets the eye to this housewife or something.. ]
Lee: what’s that? A bright side?
Amanda: no. there isn’t a bright side. Millions of people I don’t know think I’m a…-
Lee: Bimbette! haaaa
Amanda: That’s not funny. that really isn’t funny. It’s really not funny at all Lee.
Lee: no.. haa..
Amanda: suppose mother should read this, the story could get picked up in the states and mother could read it or-
Lee: Amanda.
Amanda: or Phillip and Jamie could read it. I’m not even there 
to explain.[phew! good thing Amanda wasn’t being a spy in the Internet age!! It would be news in the US or twittered or something in minutes! 😉 ]
Lee: it’s not going to make the papers back in the states.
Amanda: You don’t know that [sure he does.. he’s just been torturing you by not telling you all this time.. grrr]
Lee: I do know that.
(Amanda realises what he’s saying.. and is suddenly looking much relieved!) I called in a few favours. [he looks very pleased with himself here..]
Hmm for the sake of the job?? or for Amanda’s sake?? I’m really not feelin the care and concern for Amanda’s reputation! It must be in there somewhere I guess.. but Amanda is much more optimistic about Lee than I.
Amanda responds: Awhhh. ha. You did that for me?
Lee: yeah.
Amanda: thank you.
Lee: forget about it. okay?
Amanda: Okay.
[he does seem more relaxed now.. and pleased that Amanda is pleased.. he puts his arm behind Amanda to lead her away]
Lee: come on we’ll grab a cup of tea, settle your nerves a little bit. Then we can-
Amanda sees a couple coming towards them, and freaks that they recognise her! Poor Amanda! She turns away..
Amanda: Ohhh noooooo.
Lee: will you stop skulking! [yep.. there goes Mr Patience!]
Amanda: I’m not skulking! They recognised me.
Lee: so what difference does it make you don’t know them.
Amanda: I don’t know Lord Bromfield either and you know what he had to say about all this?
Lee: no
Amanda: no comment.
Lee: well that’s a good thing to do in a situation like this. Look, I’ve got you booked out [rofl!! Lee booked his secretary a flight?] for tomorrow morning on TWA [Ohhh yes.. I hear they are good! –far faaarrrr too often I hear they are good!! ]
Amanda: you expect me to leave?
Lee: it’s known as cutting your losses. With you out of the way this whole thing will blow over [out of the way?? nice!!] in a couple of days.
Amanda: I cannot leave until Lord Bromfield makes a public denial.
And.. this scene ends there… I suspect I am being a bit harsh on Lee here in this scene.. he has a lot of pressure on him.. but.. I can’t help but side with Amanda
I was thinking if you saw this scene the first time you saw SMK, you really wouldn’t realise that Lee does actually care about Amanda! (I think we get more of a glimpse of this in the next scene.. thank goodnesss!!) I think this episode works well before Brunettes are in!! [Actually I think there should be a few more episodes- then Brunettes are in.. but I’ll explain my reasons when I get to it! ] I do think it makes a difference to how you interpret things though- if you put this episode before or after the Brunettes turning point.. So feel free to disagree, but just keep in mind: I’m going with this being before Brunettes and so I base my interpretations around that.
I really felt bad for Amanda when Lee was scolding her for getting herself into this situation ( which she didn’t.. )
…and then he makes a joke at her expense when it is obvious she is suffering
… and then, only after making her suffer a bit does he reveal to her that he has blocked it from the American papers.. and she is so grateful! LOL! I didn’t like that either! Lee winds her up, and then swoops in to rescue her from the papers hitting the US and wants to pass himself off as the gentleman? and he did it for her?
I think the first priority was the job.. IMHO he is no gentleman here!!!
I think Lee doesn’t understand how important Amanda’s reputation is to her- he brushes it off like she is worried over nothing- but he shouldn’t tell her how to feel! Whether he agrees with it or not- she cares! It is important to her- and Lee can’t grasp this- interesting, it was only last episode that Amanda was refusing to return to the US with Lee in disgrace – and he was touched by her concern for his reputation.. He cares about his work reputation- but not really about his personal reputation ( remember his landlords and nosey neighbours? he didn’t care about what they thought of him) – Amanda feels differently to Lee, and that does not make her wrong!!- this is another (among many!!) area where our Lee needs to grow up a little!
This is why I love this next scene with Lord Bromfield that follows! Thanks sooooo much for walking with me through this episode!!! I look forward to hearing from you!!! Back with more soon!!
"Just walk with me.." 
How can Amanda not know him? It’s Gimli from LOTR, isn’t it? Hahahaha
She can’t change clothes like Lee can because TWA still hasn’t found her suitcase from TCAM?
As much as Lee’s behavior bugs you, Amanda’s kinda bugs me. The whole puppy-cringing-after-being -caught-piddling-on-the-floor routine wears thin on me. Lee needs to pick a better way to make his point if he’s going to help her grow professionally, but she does need to grow a thicker skin if shes going to succeed in this sphere. Yeah, I can see where all the European episodes should have come before BAI.
Last point… I see a pattern here… When he gets angry, Lee just gets on a roll. Eventually, though, his anger just kind of spends itself and he winds down. Once that happens, his kinder nature takes over and he really becomes quite sweet. I know y’all don’t like to see Amanda as the target of his anger, but maybe this need to blow off steam which gets directed at Amanda is healthier than thoughtlessly letting it get the best of him on the job when he worked alone? It was suggested he was taking needless risks with his life back in s1…
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Aw, I loved the Morris dancers (I was a medieval lit major in college). It never occurred to me that the photo was a set up – I just figured it was one of those astonishing coincidences that crop up on SMK with some regularity: Amanda just happens to get tangled up with Lord Bromfeld, whose wife just happens to be having an affair with a guy who just happens to be working with a traitorous MI5 agent who just happens to recognize Lee and figures he’s on to their little scheme … yada yada yada.
I seem to forever be Lee’s apologist, but I can see why he’s a little peevish here. He knows it’s not her fault, but it does seem that every.single.time she gets involved in one of his cases, a complication arises. I also think he feels like he did a nice thing, arranging for her to be his “window dressing” on this assignment so she’d get a free trip to London, and look how she repays him – by getting in trouble yet again! I don’t think he thinks about it that way consciously, but that may be his emotional response.
He *is* pretty insensitive to her obvious mortification, and the “bimbette” line was a low blow – I can’t help wondering if it’s because having Amanda implicated in a sex scandal challenges the ideal he’s created of her (nice, wholesome American housewife), and that makes him uncomfortable. More on that when the “ridiculous” scene comes up …
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Forgot to say they managed a good job of making Gwyn look extraordinarily frumpy!!! Makes you wonder what LB saw in her……
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Ah squeeze in another UK stereotype, Morris dancers. Personally I prefer it when they use sticks rather than waving hankies about but each to their own. It’s a bit of history so shouldn’t complain 🙂 Lord Bromfield would probably see much more of this in the village next to his big country estate than in London.
I have to say its all a bit convoluted way of trying to snap a compromising pic of Amanda and LB. I mean what if she’d never stood next to him? Or spoke to him…seems a bit implausible but hey this is SMK land so I will suspend my disbelief 😉
It didn’t make The Times LMAO I love that line. The Times after all is a broadsheet newspaper as opposed to a tabloid one 😉
I wonder is Lee is extra cranky because he still can’t see Amanda as the sort to be involved in a sex scandal, even a fake one at that 😉
Oh dear Amanda and her reputation, she wants a denial from LB…..she really doesn’t know how tabloid papers work……
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