12/13 Season Two, Episode 13: Spiderweb-Scarecrow and Mrs King

It’s time for the big action finale!!
The lame plan is in motion..  I’ll try not to get too narky! but.. well.. I’m pretty sure I won’t succeed!
On to the fake ‘Kuragin defection’  – is this the same building Amanda does the security check on in Photo Finish?? I think so..

I’ll have to come back to this when I cover that ep!
I’m surprised they used a yellow taxi again, given how that worked out last time We see a yellow taxi pull up in front of the building.. before we’ve heard  a word we can see a blue van parked to the side.. uh oh.. we all know what the blue van means!! Why don’t the highly trained agents?!

Francine is perched up high with binoculars watching over the set-up.. she talks into the walkie talkie: Mr Larner? He just arrived. Billy’s starting the meet.

We see Billy is sitting in the silver parked car..
Francine continues: Larner? It’s very calm. I have only one person, a gardener. The only vehicle on the roadway is the gardener’s van. [Blueee Vaaaan!!!]

We see someone get out of the taxi- are we suppose to think this is Kuragin??  and have the big reveal that it is Lee??

The script reads like this is what they were aiming at – but the logic is all wrong– we’ve already been told Amanda is meeting Kuragin alone and that they are going to set up the baddies!
This  makes more sense if you left out that scene in the hallway – where BB is wearing sneakers and it felt like a rush job – if they had Billy tell Larner he was meeting Kuragin alone, and then they left it there? that might have worked better!- what do you all think?
Anyway, Lee is dressed as Kuragin and gets out of the taxi, his handsome face is disguised by the hat..so at least he fools the baddies I guess!  Yep.. suddenly I am reeeeaally liking this plan!! How could I complain about this moment eh???!!!! It makes this sequence worth watching for this moment alone!!! hoooooo haaaaaaaaaa!!!

mughgswhaohgabubaobawahhhhwahhhhh!!

Did I say this sequence is lame? No no no.. this is theeee best sequence ever!! agahgoabuaobahb..

  Snap out of it Iwsod.. focus on Billy and you can do this.. LOL.. nah.. I can’t be completely distracted from the lameness that is this sequence not even by swoony Lee the Russian defector! whoooo!! Billy walks out to meet him, and lead him to his silver car.

– At this, we see the young lady baddie, Rina, sit up in the front seat of the van, and the ‘gardener’ , Nick, ceases raking and watches the meeting..

Francine continues speaking into the walkie-talkie: They’re moving to Billy’s car.
Nick throws down the rake and runs to the van..
Francine sees this: Ah ha!!  the gardener’s our busboy from the restaurant! It’s the van Billy, get ready to hit it.
Ohhhh I must pause here.. I find this utterly ridiculous! There is no one else around for miles.. except for a lone gardener with a blue van.. ahem.. ohhh looky!! it’s the gardener!! So cunning!!  Who else could it be?!

Best of all, Francine is talking into a $10- walkie talkie from radio shack – short range.. and she’s telling Larner back at IFF everything that is taking place? step by step? Oh dear.. .. the script calls this a ‘sophisticated communication device’ – I think smoke signals would have been more complex!

The script does not mention Larner here at all, I think in the script she is talking to Billy – they’ve changed it and it really doesn’t make any sense! Very lame!! I guess they needed some premise so Francine could explain to the audience this super complicated sequence! ‘ It’s the gardener!!’ yes.. we never would have understood otherwise! What a dog’s breakfast!!

At first I wondered if the radio was part of the set up.. if they thought the baddies could be listening.. but the moment Francine says ‘it’s the gardener’ that blows that explanation out of the water! ugh..

I’ll continue (gah!! such a ridiculous finale for such a brilliant episode!!).. the silver car begins to move.. the blue van follows. the blue van’s side door opens and Julian the baddie shoots at the silver car with a machine gun!!! Is the car armour plated???!! Lee and Billy dive down for cover.Errr this tactic is a tad risky no?? I mean.. I wouldn’t volunteer to hide in a car while a machine gun shoots at me! (Even if I did get to dive on the backseat with Lee ) What if Julian had used a rocket launcher like last time??? Would Lee and Billy have ducked like Weaver and Durak did??!!!
Francine shoots out the van’s tire stopping them from escaping. Julian, (or.. a stuntman who looks nothing like Julian- but is dressed like Julian), jumps out of the van and

continues to shoot his machine gun.. yeah.. those  are real bullets.. good plan guys.. (oh wait this is smk.. he probably isn’t aiming at them).. We see Rina turn around in the front seat, and it’s not her.. it’s stunt Rina I don’t even need to slow it down to see them! oh boy..

Francine  has her action moment abseiling down the side of the building to join the action below..without breaking a nail.. [though the script has Lee help her in her fight here – ouch!! I can see why they changed that!]

Stunt Julian has stopped shooting, his gun is jammed! (what luck!) so Billy leaps out of the car and chases him.. sort of..
Stunt Lee stunt chases Stunt Nick and Stunt Francine stunt chases stunt Rina- stunt whoa!! It’s kind of ironic that all the secondary stunt people are fighting in front of a sign that reads ‘ secondary road!!’

That agency training that teaches women how to morph into beefy men has really come in handy here!! Aie! Spare me!!! Francine fights.. and wins..

I like Billy’s tactic – he shoots his gun into the air warning Julian to stop running or he’ll get shot in the back –works like a charm [only it looks like that part was filmed somewhere else! LOL! where Amanda pointed out Francine doesn’t have a dog maybe!! ]

Why doesn’t Lee shoot?? Noooo he has to fight Nick and then stunt chase him into the water for a super dramatic wet Lee moment..I laughed and laughed at this grab.. and it looks like this is not stunt guys either!

Oh my.. why am I complaining?! yes !! Wet Lee!!!

Here’s a shock..(not) Lee wins!!
Love the hair Lee

Is it my imagination or is BB wearing a wetsuit under his suit in this watery finale?! Anyone?? anyone??

I do love how when Francine comes over to Lee at the end of his fight and says: Billy’s got the other two!
Lee’s thoughts are with Amanda!!! Awhhhh he says: Yeah, I hope Amanda was successful!!

Lee’s got to be worried she is in danger.. but he leaves her to it..well done! BB looks really cold!!!! eek!!!

Next thing, we see a bus driving along a street.. LOL I think it’s that street again.. there is the fire hydrant.. and there is the curvy entrance to what was Calvin elementary school!

Kuragin, with great trepidation, steps off the bus.. Amanda meets him there – and reassures him he is safe.

He is  a lucky man to have been met by Amanda- what a lovely first impression of America!!! [Good thing he chose to arrive last!]

I’m not sure why.. (lighting?) but Amanda looks very pretty here in this scene (sooo sad her hair gets the chop! )

Well, I shall finish there for now.. As always if you have any thoughts you’d like to share it would be wonderful to hear from you.. I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who remembers watching this action sequence for the first time – did you think Lee was Kuragin?? Thank goodness the rest of this episode is utterly fabulous! I’d rather the writers put more into the characters than the actions sequence anyway! byeeeee!!!