1/13 Season Two, Episode 12: Ship of Spies-Scarecrow and Mrs King

I’m so excited!! We are finally up to this episode!! I think this is a consistent fan favourite- for obvious reasons! 🙂

Kudos to the writers! The scenario of Lee and Amanda undercover on an ‘everyone gets married at the end cruise’ is pure gold! A brilliant plot device and sooooo rich in anticipation, romance, suspense, drama- and comedy! Love it!!

A huge thank you to ereshai!!! who has kindly transcribed this episode and contributed to operation sandstorm – Soooo grateful ereshai!!!

The episode opens with a view of a cruise ship..out at sea..Looks like this is the Carnival cruise line – and the ship is called the ‘Mardi Gras’ – I love cruising!!! Never been on one though. Anyone been on one? do tell! Dig the South American music theme.. SMK didn’t skimp on the music did they! Can anyone identify the tune?
I think it’s an old classic..but can’t put my finger on it!

We see a man in uniform smile at two guests he passes, and he immediately looses the smile when they’ve passed. Yep. Don’t like this guy!   This guy meets up with another guy down the hall, infront of someone’s cabin – they’re spying on someone! This is indeed  a ship of spies! they can hear a man inside sending a coded  radio message:
Blue Dolphin: Repeat. Blue Dolphin to Scarecrow… Code five. Blue Dolphin calling. Sierra, two, four, Charlie….

Man. The walls are really thin on this ship!! Uh oh.. the baddies break in.. grab the Blue Dolphin, Orlando, and tell him that someone is waiting to see him!! duh duh duhhhh! Love the crazy eyes on the guy in the white shirt! 

Orlando gives them a shove and speeds off down the hallway.. We get a nice look at the ship here as they chase him.. Orlando is out of luck though: a gun with a mysterious hand attached to it brings him to a halt..

Whooo who is holding the gun? whooooo!!! .. Let’s hope scarecrow gets his message..[and figures out who the third baddie is!]

Well we are not kept in suspense for long! Next thing we see Lee holding the telegram! He’s showing Billy and Francine the message..

9 times out of 10 SMK close ups on documents yield some goodies! and this one doesn’t fail to delight! See the name of the Ship Orlando sent the message from? ‘Princess Martha’ – ROFL!! A lovely tribute to Martha Smith??!!! Ah! and we have a date for this episode: message sent -27th of october.. What happened to the  ‘S for Sierra’ Orlando mentioned twice before 24C?? Winter conditions huh.. I’m guessing that means Orlando wants to come in from the cold
Francine reads from the message: Ship of Lies. 24C.
[and reads it the wrong way around??] Lee wants agency support to help answer Orlando’s cry for help.. but Billy’s in weary cost cutting boss mode.. uh oh.. he can’t justify spending money saving Orlando – even if he is ‘the best information broker in the carribean’  Love Lee‘s positioning here as he says that- trying to save Orlando:  he looks to have a halo behind him! HA! [I swapped this pic now for a better one on 3 feb!] .. A subliminal message? Lee will be Orlando’s guardian angel in this episode? !! heee..

Seems Orlando’s information has not always been accurate – but Grenada! boy.. he came through for the agency there! LOL! Whatever that was all about! So Orlando saved Lee’s life once huh…[Hey, who hasn’t?!]   well I hope Lee thanked him for it – unlike what he usually does when Amanda saves his life!

Love how Lee has already booked himself onto the ship before Billy has given him permission for time off or permission to go! Now that is typical Lee!! After all, he is the boss 😉 BTW- Is it my imagination or has Billy redecorated? We didn’t see his office last week.. but whooo billy now has his own coffee machine? – I guess after that attempted assassination in If thoughts could kill- at the coffee machine- Billy started saving his pennies for one 😉

Billy: Then what are you waiting for?

Lee: Well, I have one problem. The next ship is a honeymoon cruise and, uh….

…I’m gonna need a partner.

Is Lee winding up Francine when he explains the cruise is a honeymoon cruise, and he looks at her and says he is going to need a partner? I think he is!!! She looks hopeful doesn’t she! haaaaa..  Hey I will ignore her outfit.. and Lee’s eyeliner.. I will just pretend it is not there.. Nooooo!!!!! I suspect Lee had Amanda in mind the whole time.. and love how he says he needs a ‘partner’ not.. a woman or a fiance! to me that’s significant! Actually, you can’t book a cruise without a name! Lee had to know who he was taking before he left!! 😉 LOL.. I guess he could have booked under an alias.. we’ll see!

The script plays out differently here – with the whole who will Lee take thing: I prefer this final version!
– I’m time poor so I won’t transcribe it.  
If there’s anyone who’d like to have a go at comparing script/ episodes as a one off or on a regular basis- let me know! You could do your own post!! It could be fun! I’m open to other contributors! but.. no pressure.. 

The moment Lee finishes his statement that he is going to need a partner? We cut immediately to Amanda She’s doing the grocery shopping with all her family. Love Dotty’s rant about how they don’t put the individual price on packets anymore now they have the electronic pricing!!

She’s going to write a letter!!! She’s such a doer- I love it! and.. for me, it explains where Amanda gets her desire to do something to make the world a better place – by helping/joining the agency [of course: Amanda takes it to a whole new level! haa!]
Uh oh! here comes double trouble! 🙂

Phillip and Jamie are laden with goodies! Jamie has so many chewy  chippers cookie boxes he can barely see over them! haaa!
Jamie: Mom, guess what? If I buy six packages of these Chewy Chippers, I get free football cards.

Amanda: And you will have false teeth by the time you are 15.  [Good answer! Hey.. Are chewy chippers cookies real? Did Amanda get sued for saying that  HA! ]

Jamie: Moooooommmmm!
Phillip: Told you, bozo.
Amanda: Phillip, do not call your brother “bozo.” Now you put all this junk right back where you got it.

The irony is… Cracklin Critters probably has just as much sugar in it!… Ok I won’t get on my soap box!!  [and don’t sue me! 😉 ]

Love how Amanda takes the bag of popcorn off Phillip for them to buy- and Phillip gives a huge smile to Jamie- hilarious!!  I think the boys have learned if they come and ask for one thing she’ll say no… if they come with 10 things? she is more likely to say yes to one thing! haaa!!

Whoa.. they have two trolleys? Okay! Dotty is off to the meat counter, [she takes the popcorn from Amanda – soooo they’re not getting it? ] Amanda is off to the milk fridge..Alone! What would Lee have done if she had not been alone? or .. if Dotty had gone for the milk?
Or what if Amanda had gone for the red lidded milk? and not the green lid?! oh well.. they have their ways!  Those milk jugs are huge.. hurt your back huge! You’d never see milk sold in that size in Australia!

Could Lee have a bigger smile on his face when he says Hi and surprises her behind the milk?

I can just imagine him in there laughing to himself in anticipation of scaring Amanda! He seems to really get a kick out of it and does it, even though it is not completely necessary (he might say it is a perk of the job!) .
Amanda: Argh!

…Ohhhhhh!!! ugh!!  [so funny to see an advertisement behind Amanda plugging the ‘thrills’ of going to the circus! When Amanda just had a little thrill of her own ]

Lee: I..I know you don’t like it when I do that.

That is a great line! It demonstrates- Lee knows Amanda.. and  Amanda knows him!!!
Amanda doesn’t hold back! : It’s weird!!

Love it!!!!   Go Amanda!
Lee: I’m sorry, but this is urgent. What are your plans in the next few days?

Amanda: You mean this weekend?
Lee: This weekend. Maybe a little longer. [I think Lee is totally pleading with his eyes here at Amanda!!!]

Amanda: Ah, Mother and I have some shopping to do.
Lee: You can do that anytime.
Amanda: No, no, we really can’t, because Mother needs to get a new coat.

Amanda noticed she has caught the attention of the shopper next to her and she lowers her voice then continues: …There’s a sale. We have to buy a coat.  [I love this reference to the fact that it’s necessary they buy the coat on sale: She needs a pay rise!! Nice foreshadowing of what’s coming in future episodes!]
Lee: Right.

Love this moment where the fellow shopper notices Amanda talking to Milk- Such an SMK type moment! And nothing is overly made of it either-  it’s just there in the background.. top shelf smk!

Amanda: Mm-hm. And then my friend, Kitty Holcomb, from college – I haven’t seen her for ten years –she’s gonna be in town, we’re gonna have lunch on Saturday.

Amanda had plans with BB’s then real life wife Kitty Holcomb?!    – Only six minutes in and there’s two call outs already?! [the college friend in the script is unnamed!]
Lee: 10 years..
Amanda: Yeah, yeah. Ten years. But we write every Christmas, and she’s gonna bring pictures of her
little girl this time.
Lee: Mm. I could see where you wouldn’t want to miss that. A cruise ship isn’t in the same league.

Amanda: Cruise ship???!!

Lee: Yeah. [Haaaa well.. Lee why didn’t you say? haa.. he’s been stringing her along the whole time! ]
Amanda without missing a beat! : She’s gonna be here a couple of weeks.

Turns  out she can rearrange things if she is really really needed-nothing to do with the cruise! 😉 .. the flash of excitement on her face when he says cruise ship is funny. I’d drop everything for that too Amanda.
Lee: Yeah. Luxury liner. I need somebody as part of my cover on a trip to the Caribbean. [It’s not owned by TWA so they’re not going to name it! 😉 ]
Amanda: Boy, you know, she actually said next weekend would be better for her than this weekend.
[WHAHAHA! Love it!!!]
Lee: Calypso bands. Warm, tropical breezes. Phew. Hm.  [for Amanda it’s all pleasure huh Lee? this all sounds very familiar!]
Amanda: Lee…
Lee silently motions: Yes?
Amanda: Do you really need me?
Lee: I need you.

[whoa.. another ‘I need you’ from Lee.. two weeks in a row ]
Amanda: Well, then, that’s it, I’m there.
Lee: Then you’ll do it?

Amanda: Yes, I’ll do… well, if I can say I’m going on business for IFF?
Lee: It is.  [Technically- it’s not!]
Amanda: It is. Good. No problem.
Lee: Great!
Amanda: Yeah.
Lee: Now go home and pack your bags. We leave in the morning.

Amanda: Right.
They both have huge smiles huh!!!  

Lee needs Amanda again .. at least he didn’t make it sound like a date this time..  I bet that line featured prominently in the ad for this episode! That and the line about calypso bands.. and the wedding scene.. I wonder if we could find a clip of this ad?!

I digress.. Lee completely left out the bits he knew Amanda wouldn’t like. The man has no shame!! hehe. [but then, it is to save a man’s life] Funny.. to most women: hearing they have to go on a cruise and pretend to be Lee’s fiance would be the cherry on top! that would hook them in no problem! But Lee knows..from their experiences in weekend- that for Amanda this could be a deal breaker!! It’s very interesting to compare Lee and Amanda’s relationship in this episode with their previous cover relationship in Weekend: it shows how far they’ve come!!

I think this is a cool shot we see of the plane! Okay we’ll finish up there for now.. with Lee and Amanda on a plane to Miami! whoohoo! Thanks for reading!!I look forward to hearing your thoughts as we go through this fabulous episode! byeee