Hiya! for a fab episode.. It’s a bit of a weird opening!!! You may be forgiven for thinking you have started to watch JAG or something!
We watch a bunch of planes flying and one crashes.. err couldn’t they have just told us about it??!!! Oh well!!! then we wouldn’t get lovely shots like this one:
Lurve the scratchy stock footage! 
Cl. Clayton gave the go ahead.. the planes went splat.. nuff said..
On to IFF.. and we find Ms Walker and her red handbag patrolling the perimeter!
Keep an eye on these IFF shots in this episode: something very strange happens!!! 
We find Francine reading the paper aloud in the bullpen, she has an audience of Billy and other random men and women we don’t know..
Francine: Col. Clayton had no comment as to his impending court martial, but an inside source stated that a review of evidence left no doubt as to the colonel’s culpability, [well.. there is the first clue this is an inside job!] in the deaths of the five air force pilots. In his words “ The flight manoeuvre developed by Col Robert Clayton was improperly designed for an entire flight squadron.”
Five died?? we saw four planes flying in formation.. and we saw one plane crash.. Hmm.. 
me confused already! LOL.. I guess it’s all ‘relative’ huh! (yes pun intended!) At this, Francine looks up …
Lee is entering the bullpen!! So Francine quickly changes the reading!
Is it just me or is this a little lousy? I mean they know Lee will be upset..he could walk in at any moment.. and they know it.. this sort of thing in later seasons would have been dealt with more carefully – not gossiped about in the bullpen- is this an indication of how Lee, Billy and Francine’s relationships develop into a deeper trust and respect throughout the show?? thoughts?? This next dialogue is hilarious!!!
Francine (suddenly chirpy!): Dear Mrs Construction worker! Your husband’s insistence on wearing his tool belt and hard hat to bed is not, as he claims, just a healthy involvement with his work. We suggest professional help. 
that’s funny.. and a bit racy for SMK no? 🙂
The anonymous listeners dissolve away.. and Lee joins Francine and Billy.. busted Francine..
Lee responds: ha ha, nice try Francine,
Francine: What?
Lee: I’ve already read it.
Billy: It doesn’t sound good Lee.
Lee: It isn’t.
Francine: Any word from him? [Francine has the good grace to actually look like she feels bad for Lee here! phew!!]
Lee: No, but that’s no surprise.. after all I’m only his nephew. 
His Nephew? Mr Construction worker is Lee’s uncle? Is his uncle’s name Bob (the builder)? It was Robert wasn’t it? same thing! ROFL!!
That explains a lot..
I see a connection between Lee and over involvement in his work.. rofl!!! ( I guess Lee’s equivalent would be wearing his tux to bed? .. lucky Mrs Top spy!!)
Oh my.. I am getting all hot and bothered.. ok ok! 
Colonel Clayton is his uncle.. ok ok.. the man who is the subject of Francine’s first story! 
He is accused of stuffing up and killing a fighter pilot..(or five)
An Uncle construction worker would have been much more interesting.. that’s all I’m saying.. 
Lee smiles as if it doesn’t matter that his uncle didn’t call him.. It’s so sad! 
Lee brushes it off saying: you just don’t know the colonel.
Oh! and here comes lovely Amanda.. Yep Francine’s just got to make a quip about that outfit.. I love that Amanda just laughs it off! Oh and nice to see another Bombers reference!
Amanda’s looking quite tanned no??
On the way to the boy’s baseball practice, Amanda has stopped by to drop off some receipts. [this follows on nicely from LaRue no?] Amanda shows Billy one particular receipt which might seem strange.. I love how Amanda says this: It’s for some…. perfume Lee used.
Billy’s look is funny!!! It’s like: Huh?
We can immediately hear Lee explaining what that was about.. eek.. more awkward conversations this morning hey Lee? Haa love how Lee gets a bit bashful…
Lee: Ah wait! hold up! ..I told you I would pay for it. (shucks Amanda! my ego is fragile this morning!)
We get our first close up on Francine as she says to Lee: That’s what’s different about you lately, you’ve changed perfume!
[he’s different lately is he Francine? hmm.. me thinks it’s thanks to the events of ship of spies!! ]
I do think this ep and Spiderweb share the same wardrobe people or whatever because again Francine is in a chunky woollen dress and huge uuuuugly earrings which look like a flesh eating bacteria or something..
Lee is not finding it funny: awh now come on! It was for a job!
Amanda: Yes Francine.
I swear Francine eggs them on a little here!! ‘Ohhh!!’ They are ripe for it!!
Lee: A couple of weeks ago Amanda was there she had this little spray thing in her.. [Such a guy thing to say! a spray thing!!]
Amanda interjects: Atomiser! An Atomiser!!
Lee continues : .. atomiser..
Amanda again: …In my purse.
Lee: in her purse.. and I.. I had to use it so I dumped out the perfume okay?
Francine if you want more detail – I bet there is a fan fic on this little scenario! Anyone recommend one? – just make sure it’s okay with the author to post a link 
Amanda: and I wouldn’t say anything about it, except 
that it was French perfume 
and it was sort of expensive. [Love the look Lee gives Amanda here: Like- ugh!When will this nightmare of a day end!! I wish you hadn’t said anything and just let me pay for it! Ohhh Amanda!! ]
Amanda lowers her voice and leans in to Billy: Mon Amour.
Whoo the perfume was called Mon Amour.. and Lee took Amanda’s bottle.. whooo is there a hidden meaning in that? 😉 Lee took Amanda’s Mon Amour awhhh…he should totally reimburse her for that!
Billy agrees it sounds legit and no problem they will reimburse Amanda for it. Billy is very patient with Amanda coming to him about such small things!
Of course, Francine ( Love to hate cha baby!) can’t let it go without a dig: I certainly am glad we’ve got that solved. [phew.. it was a stretch for you wasn’t it Francine! ] I think I’ll get these printouts upstairs [ a highly trained agent doing that?? piff piff!! oh wait. Francine leaving? Brilliant! 
great idea!! ] Amanda those reports your transcribing we’ll need them next Tuesday.
Amanda: Oh right.
Deadpan Francine: unless of course that interferes with one of your PTA meetings? [ she ends this with 
such a sweet smile.. Raffie your Kewpie doll remark springs to mind!!! you nailed it.. she’s very catty!! I’m thinking this could be Francine’s new emoticon! No offense to cats though! ]
At this Amanda lets out a half chuckle.. err I think now she aint’ feelin it! 
[you can just imagine Amanda thinking to herself: the nose job doesn’t make any difference- because Francine doesn’t understand how ugly nastiness is!!!]
Amanda replies nicely: PTA’s on Monday. [Yeah go on Francine, waste more time solving this one too..]
Francine now super nicely: Ohh what luck!
[I take it back Francine was being super lousy to Lee in 
the opening!] .. by the way dear, Mon Amour is so passé I would er.. stick Lee for a bottle of Les Trois 
Nuits this time.
Amanda: Les Trois Nuits
Francine walks off quietly confirming: Oui! [she should have said Reow! ]
Billy leaves them also.. Lee is looking a tad annoyed at Francine and her ribbing.. she’s not exactly an easy person to be with is she! (Oui!!!!)
Deep breaths.. they are relieved to be left alone!
Lee: ahhh hey!!!
….couldn’t the perfume story have waited till a little later?!
The way Lee expresses his disappointment here with Amanda’s bringing it up is very sweet..
..he is vulnerable with Amanda here- and not hiding that he’s a bit embarrassed by what happened- he isn’t brushing it off like it didn’t matter. I love this! Also, I like that he waited until the others left to say it.. that is new Lee – in the past he would have told her off in front of everyone (IMHO)! 
Amanda starts in the moment Lee has said ‘Hey!’ – she knows she’s stuffed up! Amanda: Look I’m sorry. I’m really sorry! I just wanted to go ahead and turn it in.
Lee brushes it off pretty quickly.. he expresses it, and very quickly accepts her apology- fantastic!
Lee: Okay okay. [Is Lee looking quite tanned also?? Hmm.. maybe this immediately follows their err ‘cover’ wedding in ship of spies?! ] 
One of the anonymous people in the bullpen get a line! whooooo!!
Woman: Scarecrow! A call for you on three.
Aaaaand I shall finish up there before Lee picks up his call!!! This is loooong enough already!
Come back for more soon!!! who is the the phone call?? who am I kidding! we all know! looking forward to the next bit! Thanks for reading: as always I would love love love to hear from ya! byeeeee
"Just walk with me.." 
Beth commented: “Why does Lee Stetson have a different last name than the uncle he was raised by, who is “Clayton”…but it’s Lee’s father’s brother? Doesn’t make sense”
Edited by Iwsod: I’ve copied over Beth’s comment from the ‘About’ page on Beth’s behalf- Anyone like to respond to Beth?
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A wild guess, but maybe they had 2 different dads? It’s been a while since I’ve watched that episode. There’s public service that may run in the family. Maybe Lee’s grandfather was also killed in the line of duty and his grandmother remarried. I have two uncles that have two different dads, but my grandmother divorced and remarried.
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Did we actually hear he’s Lee’s father’s brother? My assumption was that Clayton could have been actually a brother-in-law who married Matthew’s sister and then she passed prior to Matthew & Jennie being killed.
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In “Unfinished Business”, we see the unredected report on Matt’s death and it clearly states that his father is deceased, his mother is retired and his brother is in the USAF in Berlin. The possibility of the grandmother being alive and lee going to her first is used in a lot of fanfics to explain how Lee’s parents died when he was five, but his uncle talks about learning to deal with a 7 year old.
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Oh darn. There goes my big theory. Thanks!
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I should also have noted that at this point in the series, we know Lee was raised by an uncle in the USAF, but they hadn’t done the reversioning of his history that his mother was British until Season 3. These writers probably assumed it was understood to be a maternal uncle, and then future scripts screwed that up.
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#2019 rewatch. Iwsod, that screen grab of Lee after the perfume conversation is GOLD! Or maybe the GOLD group should be campaigning against it?
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#2019rewatch
So I love Lee Stetson, so it kinda hurts me to raise this question….buuuuut…
When Lee enters the bullpen and they ask him if he’s heard from the Colonel and Lee replies, “No, but that’s no surprise.. after all I’m only his nephew,” it automatically at first makes us feel sympathy for Lee and the distance between his uncle and him because of his uncle’s lack of reaching out. BUT! Wouldn’t you think it should be Lee reaching out to the Colonel? I mean, if we hear via the newspaper that our loved ones may be in jeopardy, wouldn’t most of us do everything we could to reach out to them first? And not sit around waiting for them to reach out to us first?
In other words, there are obvious issues that have been instigated by the Colonel throughout Lee’s life to propel that distance between them (as we learn more about throughout the episode), but I think this moment also could indicate that Lee hasn’t quite put his best efforts into their relationship, either.
…Or, I could be way off, and wonderful Lee has been ringing the Colonel’s phone off the hook since the news broke, but the Colonel hasn’t been returning his calls. 😁
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#2019 rewatch
I think it goes both ways with Lee and his uncle – they both think the other one wouldn’t want to hear from them so neither reaches out, even in a case like this. A world of hurt and lack of communication that’s gone on for thirty years is hard to overcome.
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LOL. Good point!
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#2019rewatch
Lee’s off to a rough start this morning! His uncle is on the front page news facing a court martial. Amanda sets him even more on edge with her ill-timed French perfume reimbursement request. Then there’s Francine, who never hesitates to stick the knife in and give it a good twist.
Nevertheless, this episode enhances Lee’s background and advances the relationship between Lee and Amanda. There’s so much to love about that!
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Catching up on this ep way late. Did anyone notice that the anonymous person in the bullpen who takes the call for Lee and gets a line is the woman standing in the payroll line in The Triumvirate in front of Amanda when she tries to take care of her $100,000 check? Sorry if I shouldn’t mention this yet but I was so proud of myself for noticing it.
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Hello Ruth! wonderful to hear from you!! Oh good! glad you are catching up on earlier episodes!
Ahh yes.. I did start off in earlier episodes noting if we saw an actor again – but I eventually got totally on board with this whole idea of staying with the story, putting future episodes out of my mind and not jumping ahead – so I stopped doing it. [can understand if this has been confusing in light of this]
There’s been quite a few actors we’ve seen so far where we haven’t mentioned their future performance on the show – there’s lots to come! And we’ve just noted a repeat performance in Sour grapes.
But for now.. we resist mentioning future appearances (other than vague reference to Joe King’s appearance in future-this has been the exception as it’s beyond belief!!),
So for this wonderful sighting of yours ( which you should rightly be proud of! 🙂 ) – sorry but yeah.. it is better to refer to second sightings when we actually get to the second sighting – rather than only at the first sighting.
So please be sure to mention this sighting when we reach the triumvirate! I am sure I would never have noticed it.
If I did ever notice something you already knew in a post – you can feel free to say – yep! I noticed that too..
It would be a tad frustrating to have found something, only to find when I publish a post covering that scene that I’ve mentioned it too! stealing your chance to reveal your find!! So sorry about that!! eek! Not sure what I can do to prevent that – when I am the first person to post about a scene..
Hmm.. well don’t be shy to say you already had noticed that and that you really enjoyed making that discovery for yourself maybe? lol..
Sorry guys! lol.. but then again, there are plenty of things I don’t notice – so keep your eyes peeled as they say!
Oopsie.. sorry for the ramble.. you got me thinking Ruth, about what it’s like for you guys – Well, I hope inspite of the possible frustrations, that you (and everyone) are enjoying our walk together – hope you can catch up to where we are up to by the end of August and join us on where we are up to on our walk.. interesting times ahead!!!
byeee for now!!
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Oh, I will never be disappointed in reading all the things you point out as you are posting, Iwsod, I love it all. And if it’s something that I noticed, I just chuckle to myself and feel happy to have found you and this group. I will endeavor to stick to the beaten path in our walk to enjoy our favorite program!
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I find a theme in these episodes after SOS (not counting Car Wars). In SOS the proverbial veil was lifted even as the not so proverbial one was, and I find that the next few episodes (Spiderweb, A Relative Situation and A Little Sex, A little Scandal) seem to have the building theme of pointing out more of Amanda’s wonderful attributes. In Spiderweb Lee learns that Amanda is a true blue loyal person, loyal to her job, country and to who he thinks she is (unlike other people in his life ie Eva). In this one I think Lee learns that he can trust her with his family background, which I don’t think he has even tried to consider with any other person in his life. In ALSALS, he learns what a lady really is, but that is coming.
And one other observation of this first part of the episode. When Amanda walks in Lee is ready with that lopsided smile for her and he looks her up and down, but he doesn’t even seem to notice her baseball outfit until Francine mentions it. I thought that was cute and telling…
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Hi Cindy! so wonderful to hear from you!!! I hope you are well! I’ve missed ya!
Yes I was thinking you would be as distracted by Lee taking his commitment to work too far as much as I was! 😉
Hi Molly! Oh my!! That’s an interesting idea! I bet the male fans would have loved that.. for me though- Hmm… I’m happy with what we got- Amanda is just too classy to stoop to that level- and there are a few times where she gets Francine good while maintaining dignity! – they just come up later in the show so hang in there!
Hi Morley! I like where your headed! yeah Amanda’s real value seems to have really started to shine through huh!!!
I agree Lee, Amanda and Trust are huge themes in this episode and Spiderweb!
The only part I would see a little differently Morley is your take on Spiderweb- for me, Spiderweb was not about Lee learning Amanda is a true blue Loyal person (but man I love that description!) I think Spiderweb is where Amanda and the Audience learn that Lee is just as loyal to Amanda now as Amanda is to him. I’m so glad you mentioned this because I hadn’t stopped and thought about how they are slightly different.. but feel free to disagree this is only my thinking!
For me, from the outset Lee trusted Amanda in that episode.. so maybe I could say Lee learns how much he already trusts Amanda – how about that? 🙂
Hey YMMV, depending on how you saw Spiderweb..
Morley- again, you have raised great reasons for why ARS could be really great right before Spiderweb.. because as you say- in ARS, Lee puts his trust in Amanda and she doesn’t let him down.. this fits well with him completely trusting her in Spiderweb, and then demonstrating that unshakeable trust to Amanda and us the audience.. SOS, ARS and Spiderweb go together brilliantly!! I haven’t thought about ALSALS yet though – sorry! I’ll hold that thought and get back to you – but from the vague Randi baby recollections I have I’d say what you said sounds great! 🙂
Morley thanks for sharing your observation about how Lee doesn’t notice Amanda’s outfit here in the bullpen!!!.. till Francine points it out!!! – a great catch!!!
You know what.. this (and a few things coming up) again reminds me of Spiderweb! Lee did something similar- when Francine said Bryce Topping must be kinky – because he’s with a suburban housewife, Lee had noooo idea what Francine was talking about -because that way of viewing Amanda is now looooong gone – and isn’t it wonderful???!!!
I have no transcript for this episode guys so I won’t be getting the posts out quickly.. getting down the dialogue takes time..[I’ll try and skip whatever dialogue is not absolutely vital..but well.. most Lee/Amanda dialogue is vital! and.. all the dialogue about Lee and his uncle is too! tee hee] there are lots of fabulous exchanges in this ep I don’t want to skim over!! so hang in there!! I’ll get them up as soon as I can 😉 As always – feel free to chat amongst yourselves 🙂
byeeee!
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I can go with that interpretation of Spiderweb, but I guess I saw some of Lee’s incredulity and joy when Amanda was proved innocent by the map and the projects as relief. I guess I think that insecurities and fears play a big part in what slows their progress towards each other and I think that Lee’s past experiences with loss of loved ones, through death or betrayal, would cause a knee jerk reaction whenever something unpredictable might come up. I am sure that Lee never seriously doubted and never once gave in to the circumspection that Francine or even Billy gave in to. But he still seemed very relieved when things were made crystal clear.
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I think you hit the nail on the head. The thought of Amanda betraying him would be too awful for him to even contemplate.
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And actually, one more thought, that is why I like ARS after Spiderweb. Because that confirmation of who Amanda is would allow Lee to be open about his family background. I don’t think he is going to let this happen easily, I think this is a really risky area for him and the fact that he does bring her in on this is amazing to me. I don’t think he even knows how much he is willing to trust her, I think he may be taking himself by surprise here. But we are getting ahead of ourselves aren’t we?
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Good morning!
Morley you’ve expanded on that beautifully! You put it way better than I could!! 🙂
From the gist of your comment (the second last one you wrote on this post) I’m thinking you meant to say ‘I am sure Lee didn’t seriously doubt and never once gave in to the circumspection….’
If I’m wrong please let me know 🙂
btw – I can fix that typo for you if you like 🙂 just let me know.. [I am so sorry you guys can’t edit your comments- bad wordpress would charge me $$ for that! I think if you become an ‘Author’ you can though! LOL.. I think it has all kinds of perks! 😉 tee heee..]
I see Lee’s reaction in Spiderweb to the map as a kind of: ‘you’ve got to be kidding me!! it all looked really bad and that’s what it was? I knew that it had to be some crazy coincidence.. After all, this is SMK!’ 😉 yeah, and relief to finally know what it was all about.. and have some explanations for the agency! tee hee!
Morley I loved your thoughts on Lee’s background and his family – I agree trust is a big thing for him.. and yes that’s major in ARS-I’m frustrated!! It’s a special episode ARS isn’t it!! but Man! I wish I could get to it more quickly! 🙂
Very true Cindy! It is too awful for Lee to even contemplate- well said! How’s life?? 🙂
Ahh Morley, more fascinating thoughts! I love it!! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I’ll keep that in mind as we watch ARS. I am open to it being after Spiderweb.. You really bring up some great things to ponder!
I lean towards Amanda gaining Lee’s trust throughout the show, slowly.. with a few breakthrough moments here and there.. (Savior comes to mind). I agree Lee’s trust is earned with great difficulty- I see Amanda as earning it up to this point, throughout the course of the show.. and SOS really did bring them together in a much closer way- – Is that how you see things Morley? [or others?? always love to hear everyone’s take!]
I’m thinking this through here as I type.. so maybe my path of logic is a bit wonky!..
but Morley I think you are on the money! You give a very good reason for putting ARS after Spiderweb… and it still fits with how I see Amanda earning Lee’s trust gradually (well at least IMHO! 🙂 ) – because while it could be that Amanda was earning Lee’s trust throughout the show, Lee really didn’t realise this was the case until Spiderweb – BAM!! and it was a big Bam wasn’t it? [Ohhh I’m so articulate! 😉 ]
LOL so now I’m thinking ARS goes after Spiderweb! 🙂 – thanks Morley!!
I love this food for thought! -hmm could be a good smk episode title that! 😉 byeeee!
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Yes that is what I meant Iwsod! Please fix my typos whenever you want. I try to fix them before I post and then I always find more afterwards. Also my “t” key doesn’t always work and I realize I have missed a “t” often.
I also think Lee learns to trust Amanda gradually through out the course of the show. I think a lot happens in SMK gradually for both of them which is what I find so special about this show, and none of it is very clearly defined for the audience in a formulaic way so we get to have so much fun on blogs like this 🙂 It seems like everything for Lee and Amanda is brushed on in fine layers, like a master artist does on a canvas, and you can’t know what it is and how much detail is in there until it is done and you stand back and are amazed. That sounds poetic, huh?
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Beautiful!!!!!!! 🙂
[I’ll fix your typos no probs! byeee!!]
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Oh Morley. Love the art analogy! Beautifully expressed and a true reason why we can all find so much to explore in the show 30 years later.
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Funny you should mention “Savior” because here she is wearing her bombers uniform and in Savior it was a “Go Bombers” pin that saved the day…Hmm?
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I do love that Amanda tries to hold her own with Francine-has anyone ever wondered why they didn’t just have a knock-down, drag out fight,at say, Augie Nash’s mud wrestling place?! That would have been an awsome fight-especially if Amanda won!
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What do you mean, IF Amanda won. Of course she would. 🙂 While Francine does fight dirty (pun intended), Amanda is crafty. Besides, Lee would be pulling for Amanda, and that would give her incentive. teehee
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Lee. In a Tux. In bed. Hard to. form. coherent. thinks I mean thoughts.
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One of my favorite episodes. The interaction between Lee and Amanda is just so much fun in this one. Their friendship shows in full force throughout.
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I am really curious as to why Lee squirms with embarrassment about the perfume? I mean it was discarded for a work related incident so not as if they are making fraudulent expense claims. Is it because he sees perfume as an intimate item? It’s funny to see Lee so discomfited, especially by Francine who normally he can answer back to. And Francine suggesting Amanda taps Lee for another type of perfume…..hitting a bit of a nerve there maybe? Might explain why he finds the whole situation embarrassing. Or maybe I am reading too much into it 😉
Can you imagine Lee’s embarrassment if he’d ever needed Amanda’s underwire from her bra thereby causing her to need to claim for new lingerie?! Tee hee that would have been a good scene to watch 😉
Can’t wait til the next part 🙂
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JenBo, I think there is a fanfic about the underwire idea. I remember reading one.
And on first impulse I think Lee might have been discomfited because he told Amanda that he would take care of it and here she is bringing it to Billy. I got the impression that he wanted it to be between them, not necessarily for ant other reason than he had offered it that way, and here she was making it a business expense. I “need” to rewatch the episode to be clear on that, but that is how I remember it.
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Hiya!! Great to hear from you Bjo, Jenbo and Morley! 🙂
I know what you mean Jenbo, the perfume story and Lee’s discomfort seem a little bit random don’t they?
I think Morley’s got the answer.. and I think this little part of the episode will make more sense soon – I think it speaks to some themes coming up in the episode which we will be looking at.. vulnerability, making mistakes.. you get my drift? 😉 if not.. stay tuned! 🙂
I didn’t mention in the post, but the final moment where Amanda apologises and Lee says: okay okay.. and brushes it off- (again) reminded me of the scene down by the Thames – Lee gets upset with Amanda, when he realises she thinks he mean’t his comment about ‘window dressing’ – he’s hurt by her.. she sees this and reassures him 🙂 .. and it is very similar to what happens here – Amanda can see this tough guy is able to be hurt by Amanda: and that she actually needs to treat him with care 🙂 He’s actually a big softie! – one of the things I love about Lee 😉 Gee I wonder if anyone agrees with me on that????!!! I think yes! 🙂
I rarely read fanfic (for now) for that reason-I’m worried things will get blurry- facts wise- but once I’ve walked through all the eps whooo hoooo!!! Fan fic here I come!!! That story sounds good Morley! 😉 I want to know what Francine would have done with ‘the belt the belt! take off your belt!’ 😉 tee heee – do you think Lee put in a receipt for reimbursement of the cost of his belt? 😆
Bjo glad you like this episode – me too! Oh thanks for sharing how you found Francine – yes Billy was listening in very willingly!!! I thought it was a bit insensitive, but I hadn’t thought of Billy and his routine teee heee.. Love your comment about the donut! 🙂
yeah! I couldn’t believe his uncle was actually called ‘Bob’! too easy! 😉
Haaa gigantic rock candy huh?! I suspect Morley could have fun putting together an explanation for Francine’s earrings (if you decide to post about it Morley 🙂 )
Brace yourselves everyone Amanda’s big ugly earrings are on their way!! 😉 Ahh 80s!
Indeed – sweet Lee does warm the heart 🙂 he’s becoming more and more loveable isn’t he! do you think this episode could be before spiderweb?? just?? I haven’t come to a definite conclusion.. but I’m thinking maybe it’s SOS,ARS, Spiderweb, and then the short haired eps.. but we’ll see how this goes – always open to ideas! 🙂
I think Francine’s behaviour highlights how she and Amanda are so different.. where Francine sees a vulnerability she jumps on it for maximum mileage.. Amanda? she tries to support Lee and shut Francine down.. and well.. we’ll see what else Amanda gets up to when Lee is vulnerable throughout the rest of this episode! 😉
Adding to Morley’s idea of why Lee is upset.. I wondered if in addition to that, he was already feeling a bit vulnerable, given the news about his uncle, finding everyone reading about it, and then having to admit that he has not heard from his uncle- he is only his nephew.. ouch for Lee.. Poor Lee! Thank goodness he has Amanda! [Gee can you tell I love this ep?!]
bye!
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Iwsod, I completely agree with you about softee Lee. And yes, Amanda is definitely on to his vulnerabilities even if Francine hasn’t caught on. I think Billy has caught on …. probably caught on years before Amanda came on the scene.
I like the interpretation of “embarrassing suggestion of intimacy” for Lee’s perfume discomfort. I had always interpreted it as a macho thing myself. Back in the early 80’s, real men still didn’t eat quiche and you had to be careful which ear you got pierced because one signaled “cool” and the other signaled “gay”. I figured that using a lady’s perfume crossed that macho line and therefore was something that Lee would just as soon have avoided explaining to Billy.
No doubt this was not the best morning for poor Lee. Luckily, as you point out, he has Amanda there to notice, to care, and to help get him feeling better.
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So Lee didn’t mean his comment about window dressing? I’ll have to go back and watch. I always thought he meant it, just maybe not in the way Amanda initially took it? The more time I spend on this blog, the more I realize I’m kind of a dunce when it comes to this feelings/emotion stuff! I’m getting educated myself! And I do agree – Lee is a big softy underneath the mighty Scarecrow straw!
Lee is definitely becoming more loveable… I think that is why I like this ep so much. It isn’t about the agency so much as it is about Lee sharing with Amanda and her responding in the best possible way she could toward Lee. That plus it really feels like he is treating her like a real friend in this episode vs. someone he has to work with. Just makes me feel warm and fuzzy all over!
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BJo if is its any consolation I am learning too. Last time I did any sort of analysis about imagery etc was doing metaphysical poetry at 6th form. Having read various episode discussions here and on the forum I realise just how out of practice I have become. I know it’s just a TV show but it’s teaching me (albeit with the help of a rewind button ;)) to take more notice, look at the details. I am certainly no expert and I suspect I probably get the wrong end of the stick sometimes but I am enjoying the “walk” 🙂
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Metaphysical poetry? Uh, ummm.. what is that? I have an engineering background, so anything with the word poetry in it scares me. I am very much enjoying the “walk” as well and am glad I’m not the only one learning!
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Hiya Raffie! whooo thanks for explaining the 80s context.. real men don’t eat Quiche huh! LOL!! I like your explanation, it makes sense of why Lee would be wanting to keep it just between himself and Amanda! I guess your’s and Morley’s theories go together well!
Oh hey what about Frittata? can a real man eat Frittata? 😉
LOL sorry BJo if I’ve confused you in my referring to ‘The Thames’ scene ;)- from memory, I came to the conclusion that yes Lee meant ‘window dressing’ too. But.. he didn’t mean it to be hurtful to Amanda – so when she repeated it back to him he denied meaning it- sounds a little contradictory eek.. but then Amanda does have Lee tied up in Knots at times!
Oh and btw- it’s only what I think- it’s not necessarily the ‘true’ interpretation- LOL you are no dunce! 🙂 Stop that!! 🙂
You can decide for yourself what you thought of the scene- I’d love to hear what you think about it (on that thread would be better though! so it doesn’t get lost 🙂 )
This ep is Warm and Fuzzy Bjo? Indeed!!!!
Debilyn! so wonderful to hear from you!!! I’ve missed you!! I hope you are well! it’s been a while… I was thinking of you and a line that’s coming up – you’ll see!!! oh how wonderful this ep is a favourite? awhhhhh!!!
Hi Melissa R – LOL.. you’re probably right about the perfume too! You are good at seeing it from Amanda’s point of view!!
Hey Jenbo! we are all learning! I know you guys teach me lots and see things in different ways or see completely different things – this is where it is so great to hear from lots of people and their views 🙂 Glad to hear you are enjoying the walk!
Bjo you crack me up!!! Metaphysical poetry does sound rather creative Jenbo..
You know what I immediately thought of? ‘ Mon Dieu Mon Dieu!’ 😉 you know the ep???!!! Maybe Jenbo can explain all that drama stuff to me.. it all went over my head!
Tee heee.. that fanfic does sound great Morley! I wonder which season that is set in? Let us know if you can post the link to it.. or give us the title and location at least.. or if you find it Jenbo please let us know -I’ll read it when I’m done walking through smk!
Byeeeeee!
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Ever heard the phrase “For whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee”?
Written by John Donne, a 16th century poet, he forms part of a group referred to metaphysical poets. Can’t say I am a huge poetry fan although I do like Wilfred Owens poetry…….who’d have thought a TV show would spark such cultural discussions LOL
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I agree…love this episode and that Lee is a big softy!!! His bark is worse than his bite, but Amanda knows this~”his temper flares up and then it’s over”-Broomfield Hall.
IMHO Amanda brings the perfume thing to Billy because it is work related and she wouldn’t want Lee to spend his own money on it. I think because of her financial situation she also thinks about what others have to spend 🙂
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Oooh I’d quite like to read that fanfic 🙂
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OK digging around the old brain…. really can’t remember the name, but I think they were in some chem lab, locked in a closet and they needed to pick the lock. Also I think they were locked in by someone who they were working with that double crossed them. And I think I read it on Fanfiction.net.
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Ok thanks I will see what I can find 🙂
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If you find it, let me know!!! Would like to read too!
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Hooray! ARS! I really like this episode. Sooo much better than hole-y Car Wars.
I too find it a bit odd that Francine is reading the newspaper article out loud to the office workers. Does no one else read their own paper? And what about Billy? It is well established that Billy is very routine and does things very precisely (If Thoughts Could Kill – makes coffee at 11:15, Reach for the Sky – steeps his tea with a stop watch, Photo Finish – reads his paper with his morning coffee and donut in his office). I guess they donut shop was out of donuts this morning – messed up his whole routine! Now he has to get the news from Francine. Ugh.
Bob the Builder! That’s too funny!
Love the smile on Lee’s face when Amanda joins them. He *almost* seems happy to see her! But it’s only a half-smile, so I guess he’s either not totally happy to see her or he is happy to see her except he’s also wondering what she’s going to say next that will undoubtedly further complicate his life.
Oh gosh, those earrings on Francine! Is it just me or do they almost look large gigantic rock candy? You know that stuff that comes on a stick in a million different flavors? Argh, Francine…who peed in your corn flakes this morning??? (Love that line, Cindy! And I still haven’t eaten corn flakes since!)
Yay, sweet Lee…warms my heart. He does brush it off quickly – I like that about him – he doesn’t stay mad long – especially with Amanda. Although the reason things became embarrassing for him was because of what Francine said – reow! (good one, iwsod!)
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