Next thing we see Lee and Francine doing surveillance on Amanda’s house.. Following Amanda? in Lee’s car?!! come on! How many silver corvette’s are there? Amanda would notice it in an instant!
Ohhh my.. seems this is Francine’s episode of ugly earrings that look like medical emergencies 
They are earrings she’s wearing right? Or have her ear lobes swollen dramatically at the thought of Amanda being a double agent?
Lee thinks this is all a total waste of time.. but Francine is being much more open to the idea!
Francine: oh come on Lee you’ve got to admit it, it’s a great cover right? Suburban housewife, divorced mother, who just happens to bump into you one day [ oh dear Francine – you don’t really know what happened back then do you?!! ] .. and then ahhh hooks up with the agency.
Lee: Don’t tell me you’re actually buying this?
Francine: I didn’t say I was, it’s just that weirder things have happened and you know it.
This is telling.. Lee says to Francine: nothing is as weird as suspecting Amanda of being a double agent.
Francine: Oh?? well how about Mark Griffin remember him? A good field man who got killed by a double agent. Who just happened to be his fiancee..
Lee: … ok ok the book is full of bizarre cases but I do not believe this one and I never will believe it.
Lee’s tone is adamant. I think this is hugely significant! but.. I’ll get to that a bit later! 
They inconspicuously pull up out the front of Amanda’s-in Lee’s silver corvette.. roflmao!
Francine is right. Lee knows it too- he was almost killed by a woman whom in the past he had wanted to make his fiancee!!! and.. it was Amanda who saved his life!! Lee doesn’t need the example of Mark Griffin- he’s lived it baby!
Lee’s expression as he stares at Amanda’s house is very intense! I think the house itself also has a special significance to Lee – not just who lives there.. but what it represents.. Family.. what is good in the world.. and a safe place..
Lee: ok then you tell me straight!
(Lee pauses a moment, and asks quietly)
…Do you really believe that Amanda is a spy?
His voice cracking a little with emotion.. he looks so sad right at this moment.. very lost 
It really, really matters to Lee that Amanda be who he thinks she is.. It is like Amanda is his ‘true north’ now.. Knowing Amanda is the one reliable constant in Lee’s crazy world.. and he needs her – only I don’t think he quite realises this is what’s happening to him yet..
ohhh poor Lee!!! He’s suffering greatly
Francine sighs and responds to Lee’s question: It’s unlikely.
[I think her perspective is- Anything in this crazy business is possible – Anything!!- so I’m not going to rule even that out!!!. In her book- Anyone could be a double agent IMHO- even your fiancee…. She doubts it’s true..but has lots of unanswered questions about it-I’ll get back to this idea later too!]
They share a look.. Lee gives a sardonic chuckle almost..
Francine: but I’m still dying to hear the explanation of why she visited the Czechoslovakian embassy?
We don’t need to wait long to find that one out.. Inside Amanda’s home.. we learn Phillip’s school project is about Czechoslovakia (wow.. does geography change quickly or what!! Any Czech or Slovakian readers?? I’d LOVE to hear from you about any of these names Dotty mentions!)
Seems Amanda visited the embassy to get information about it.. and the man was very enthusiastically helpful [this makes me wonder: was he in on it? Was he alerted to keep Amanda there for a longer length of time so it would look more suspicious? and.. to give her a plain manilla envelope to carry all the maps and information in? It’s possible the baddies were following Amanda, and seized this opportunity – just like they do in another way coming up.. just an idea.. but being communist the czech guy could have been on the baddies side at that point in history.. ]
This is where I scratch my head a bit and wonder how Amanda could have stayed out of trouble and worked at the agency She should have been told not to do things like that.. she was IMHO left vulnerable to making unwise decisions because she was in the agency, but without any training – season 3 or 4 Amanda would not have gone there if you ask me..
Love this!!! Dotty: I wish that little man would come over here and tell us how to pronounce some of these names!
Dotty suspects Phillip’s teacher of playing favourites.. Amanda doesn’t think this is helpful 
to say in front of Phillip – and I agree! though, I suspect the teacher was happy for Phillip to do Czechoslovakia because he has a mother who will pretty much do his homework for him!!! and is ultra involved.. [I’ll resist getting on my soap box about this.. it’s just my opinion!]
Jamie is funny with the walkman! LOL.. What a time capsule this show is huh!
Jamie: Hey Mum!!! [yes I am not spelling it American!] He yells in Phillip and Amanda’s faces- LOL
How many takes did they do of that moment? LOL.. hopefully only the one I love the nice touch of Amanda taking off his earphones to hear the funky music for a second as she turns it down – whoo hoo Jamie! get down and boogie!!
Jamie: When are you going to get done with Phillip’s yucky map.. (Phillips let’s out a cry of protest.. ugh these two!) … I’ve got my project to do and you said you’d help!
Amanda: Sweetheart, you know Phillip’s map is due Monday and you’ve got two weeks before your project is due.. (Amanda looks at her watch and ups the speed here)… and besides that, Guess what is on my agenda for this afternoon?
Jamie: the electronics shop?!!!
Amanda: yes
Jamie and Phillip: ahhh yeah!!!!! [LOL why is Phillip cheering?!] Amanda gives the boys a big hug and heads off leaving Dotty to help with the map.
Dotty seems to find this not so much fun – and you know what? I can’t blame her..
Dotty flatly: Oh Yippeeeeee.. I’m left with all the fun – LOL! Two weeks and Jamie can’t start reading up on his project or something? he’s got to wait for his mum to finish with his brother’s project. grrrr. don’t get me started!!!
So off Amanda goes to the electronics shop- with Lee, Francine and his ‘special edition can blend into anything which defeats the purpose of owning one’ corvette!
I shall finish up for now – and will be back with more when I can – I hope you are all enjoying the episode.. and I’d love to hear anything about it you ‘d like to share Byeee and thanks for reading!!!!
"Just walk with me.." 
I bet so-called helicopter parents would drive you nuts Iwsod. I had some extreme ones when I taught. One of my students would do a little bit of his homework and then his mother would finish the rest of the assignment and you could tell coz it was her writing! I gave them both Fs ( fail). *huge grin*
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Hi everyone!
I just came across something interesting that related to a line of Lee’s in this part of the episode..
I didn’t quote this part of the dialogue… but as Lee and Francine drive to Amanda’s to commence their surveillance, they argue over whether it is possible Amanda is a double agent.
Lee tells Francine: “This is the biggest waste of time and money I’ve ever seen. I mean come on: Amanda working for the Russians is like My Aunt Sally working for the Russians!”
In my studies I am basically making the case that someone is using a ‘Straw Man argument’ – have you heard of it? It’s where someone refutes an argument which is not even addressing what the original proposition was- it creates a new proposition and then knocks it down. Proving nothing! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man (if you are interested!)
Anyway.. what does this have to do with SMK and this quote?? well!!!….
I wondered about the origin of the phrase and looked it up on wikipedia (as I do love to procrastinate and get distracted!) .. turns out.. a ‘Straw man’ is known in the UK as an ‘Aunt Sally’ !!!! Which gives new meaning to what Lee says here! So funny!!! I think Lee is infact saying that Amanda working for the Russians is a straw man argument – only Lee can’t call it a ‘straw man’ because he is code named SCARECROW!!!!! whahahahahahaaaa!!!
I just had to share.. it gave me a giggle to be writing about a straw man.. I’d much rather be writing about this lovely straw man: Lee Stetson! 🙂
byee everyone!
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I’ve never heard of it being referred to as Aunt Sally here! I’d seen it made reference to (on online forms, lots of argumentative people there ;)) but it was always called straw man argument. Still I love your investigations, thanks for sharing. I confess I’d never thought about it til now.
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Hi Jenbo.. yeah living in the UK I wondered if you had come across it! I hadn’t ever heard of it either.. but I do feel sorry for Lee being code named scarecrow.. he has no brain, and he is a false argument! tee heee!
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Maybe since the ‘vette is always around, it kind of just blends right in. LMAO! Sublte
Superspies indeed!
I don’t think the Czech embassy was in on this plan, I always imagined a very lonely, bored worker who never gets any visitors or phone calls and wastes the day by making paperclip chains and playing solitaire. He must have been THRILLED when Amanda walked in to talk about his country. Probably made his week if not his month. (If we think the embassy is complicit, then we should also blame Philip and Philip’s teacher as well. 🙂 )
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Hi guys!!
Tee hee Melissa R – yeah as if you’d ask a little kid to make a transitor radio [or is this a dig at the spy bizz who thinks only super clever spies can construct their own radios?! err except Amanda.. but then she hasn’t had training!] Oh and let’s not forget Melissa R – Phillip gets extra credit on HIS school project if they have an authentic czechoslovakian dinner – yes.. if Dotty and Amanda make all the hilarious dishes – Phillip gets extra credit?
Cindy.. wait a minute- now I do think Mrs Ewett is a baddie!! rofl!!!
Yeah Pattybones! nothing is inconspicuous in a vette! that’s why you buy one!!! teee heee.. doesn’t phillip make some comment about it in season 4? I don’t remember exactly – something about it being great for picking up the ladies! whahahaa!!
Hiya Cindy! thanks for sharing your view – I will respond in an upcoming post about the behind the scenes macchinations of the baddies – and why I wondered about the czech guy – Phillip and Mrs Ewett don’t need to be complicit (though I do have my doubts about that teacher! 😉 ) I’ll return to this idea soon – glad you raised that!
You are absolutely right: the plot doesn’t confirm it for us.. he could just be desperate for a bit of love for his country! It’s just a theory of mine.. I was looking at the conspiracy and thinking – where did they manipulate and where didn’t they? and how?? [I’ll get back to this in upcoming posts] and not just relying on Amanda be gosh darn unlucky! Plus.. I give these baddies credit- for once we get clever baddies! muahahahhaaaa!
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I Love this comment: They inconspicuously pull up out the front of Amanda’s-in Lee’s silver corvette.. roflmao! You are right. Like she would not notice that car!! Ok had to comment on that one right away!
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School projects…LOL!!! I can’t imagine a 4th grader(Jamie) making a transistor radio(I think that is what he had to make). It seems like Amanda does help a lot and is very involved which makes Season 4 almost seem weird that she is not, but then they are in 8th & 6th grade by then.
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