Back to IFF… whooo no exterior shot?!
Lee: You know, if someone is helping themselves to classified information from peoples’ homes, it could explain a lot of the leaks that have hurt us in the past.[Aha! so the party was at Judge Moreland’s home!]
Billy: That is very true. Do you realize that Amanda’s running into that maid last night is the biggest lead we have?
[Billy still sounds snuffly! I love the look on his face when he says this!! haa!!]
Francine: ha! lucky for us Amanda is the type who could mistake the library for the bathroom!
[I do like this exchange! Because I do get annoyed when the coincidences and lucky Amanda plot device is over used.. hearing this? makes me not mind as much! 
Yes Billy it is nuts that Amanda’s luck is all you’ve got! Ha! and yes Francine it is nuts that Amanda could mistake the library for the bathroom! 
haaaa! ]
In response to her joke at Amanda’s expense, Billy gives Francine a look!
I love it.. almost as if he is unimpressed with her making fun of Amanda!!! We’ve seen a bit of this lately-only the last episode (ALSALS) Billy was not happy with Francine’s belittling Amanda- I love it!!
Billy: well Francine, I hope you’re as amused with your next assignment! I want you to join Private Party.
[Pay back time!! ]
Francine: ????
Lee: ha! what? Francine as a maid?…
…ha haaaaa.. ohhhh I love it!
Billy: he hee..
Lee and Billy: Raaaaaahhhh haaaaa haaaaa!!!!
Francine: err Leeeee! I am a trained, a highly trained agent.
…I can adapt any cover and make it work.
Lee: is that so.
Francine: Yes
Lee: well how about a little test…
Suppose you had to…. clean Billy’s office. What would you do?
Francine: Well, I’d…. I’d clean! I’d just …clean it up!
Lee: Ohh she’s got a handle on this.
Billy: What would you use for the job?
Francine: hmm.. I would use….. cleaning…. things…
[Martha does a fantastic job here! 
squirming, uncomfortable, proud, and funny!]
Lee: hee heeee…
Billy: oh boy! she’s going to need a lot of help with this. 
This scene had me laughing out loud- I love Billy’s laugh!!!
It’s a shame we don’t get to hear it more often.. (especially when he is laughing at Francine!! 😆 )
…..but I’m conflicted!
I am not even sure if I can properly explain this.. but I’ll try! While I laugh away at Billy and Lee’s reactions here.. I actually feel for Francine! I do think when it comes to traditional male/ female roles – SMK is a product of it’s era.. and I watch this as a woman of the new millennia!
To me, the time of SMK saw women trying to gain equality in the workforce (the baby boom movie was 1987) – it was a time when there was lots of change for women in the workforce.. but things were not as ‘resolved’ then as they are nowadays.. I think this is a theme often revisited by SMK – and is a huge part of Amanda’s journey…but.. I digress! … While I understand the context, a part of me feels uncomfortable with these two men devaluing Francine because she ‘can’t clean’ – well she can learn can’t she?! I know.. it’s really just meant to be taken as a light hearted – let’s tease Francine because she can be a bit snooty (and heck, after her line about Amanda? she deserves it! ) but.. I see this whole issue of women in the workplace, what are people’s expectations of women, what they contribute, to be an ongoing theme of this episode.. and I wonder if this is where we start to see this play out..
I’ll expand on this as we go through but Francine’s response ‘ I am a trained – a highly trained – agent. I can adopt any cover and make it work.’ I think it’s significant..[and Ironic, that while Francine wants to be seen as equal, she doesn’t treat Amanda as equal!] Francine is a highly trained professional, as competent an agent as Billy or Lee- but here she is ridiculed because she doesn’t know what all women know- how to clean. Women have unique challenges in the workforce..
As women, Francine and Amanda share some common experiences, whether Francine tries to remove that commonality or not! This reminds me that as a female agent- I can understand Francine’s always feeling like she has something to prove.. Yep.. this scene actually makes me understand Francine and why she is the way she is a little better! If you are not seeing any of this – I hope you will kindly keep it in mind as we progress..and yes I realise women in the workplace, respect and equality are for me a hot topic!
Soooo while I have a giggle at Lee and Billy’s laughs (their laughs are fabulous!) I am sorry but I am also… rankled!
Yes, as Morley first pointed out in the comments of post 2, Francine being dressed in all white only highlights how incompatible she usually is with getting her hands dirty!
On to Amanda’s and the boys are fighting (but in an adorable way!) Don’t make me do the dialogue.. Phillip is too annoying to me here! [sorry Phillip!]
I see Jamie is growing and becoming more assertive – like his mother!!
He now stands up to Phillip and is much more assertive (could this be a parallel between Lee and Amanda?!) and he doesn’t take Phillip’s bait and let it bother him. Hooray for Jamie!
I love that it seems even Amanda is a bit fed up with Phillip’s antics here.. and she sends them off to the park..
Seems Dotty and Amanda are spring cleaning..
Exhausted Dotty: This is the last of the rugs from upstairs.
Amanda: Ah, well just drop it, Mother. Just drop it. 
[Dotty dumps the rugs on the floor] Now, I’ll take it outside and give it a good shaking out.
I love love love Dotty’s jumper, sweatshirt, pullover – whatever!
I couldn’t read what it said till we got the official dvds! Check it out!! 🙂
Yep!!! Dotty is a ‘Foxy Grandma!’!! baahahahaa!! I just bet the boys gave it to her for Mother’s day.. maybe the same year they gave Amanda the ‘Hot Mama’ t-shirt!!!!
Dotty: I am so sore. I wonder who invented spring cleaning.
Amanda: Oh, I don’t know. Probably 
somebody who liked to feel that their house was just shipshape from top to bottom. [ugh!!! Amanda is too perky here! LOL!! Okay.. who really does do spring cleaning?? anyone?? Oh and wait a minute.. does this mean that winter is over in smk land???!!!!! and we are heading into spring?? Hmm.. maybe this ep does come after DOA Morley?? – see the post on season 2 episode order for a history on this- we are trying to work it out together! Join in if you find it fun!]
Dotty: You sound just like your grandmother. I can remember when she first 
explained to me the rituals of spring cleaning. I mean, I really rather enjoyed it. She made it sound so intriguing. After all these years, I now realize what it really is. [It sounds like Amanda’s grandmother had a personality similar to Amanda’s!]
Amanda and Dotty together: A lot of hard work.
[One thing we can say when describing Amanda- she has fantastic energy levels and enthusiasm!]
Dotty heads off to clear out the linen closet while Amanda heads out to the backyard to shake out the rugs- hey what’s with the weird 
xylophone music they are playing as she heads outside? Kooky! It sounds like something out of sesame street?
As Amanda starts banging the rugs, who turns up behind them and gets dusted?
Lee!!
haaa!!!
That will teach you to sneak up on her like that! It’s almost like a payback for all those times he snuck up on her!! 🙂 
I love how Amanda gets in lots of touching while 
‘helping’ Lee away from 
the dust and around the corner tee hee!
Lee can’t believe Amanda just cleaned her whole house..
[I agree with Lee- she’s weird! ]
He thinks there is no way she is going to want to do the job he was going to ask her to.. but – this is after all the full of energy, eternally upbeat Amanda! she can do it..
Amanda: Oh, no, I’m not tired. Listen, it was just a little cleaning, a little mopping, a little dusting,
a little going through things, but I’m not tired. [ I think Lee is impressed by the stamina of 
this American housewife LOL!] Really. I can do it. What is it?
Lee: I want you to become a maid.
It’s a good thing Amanda is sooo full of energy! Or she would miss out on the chance to boss around Francine with doing cleaning! rofl!! I would drag myself off to the job if I got to do that- no matter how tired I was!! Haa!!!
Actually the script has a little difference here in the story, it has Amanda happily volunteering so she can get out of her housework.. I liked the script version as Amanda seemed more realistic! Not that SMK is big on realism right? aaaahhh we probably kinda love that!
Well I’ll finish up there for now.. as always I’m thrilled to see comments from anyone who stops by and reads about this fabulous show.. Jump on in and say hi- everyone and all ideas are welcome! byeee for now!
"Just walk with me.." 
Lee and Billy laughing at Francine being out of touch with cleaning didn’t bother me because they know her so well that she would never want to get her hands dirty or something like that. She’s a bit prima donna in that respect and has made enough comments in the past that it doesn’t feel too bad.
Plus unless she grew up wealthy (which I highly doubt given how determined she seems to snag a wealthy guy) it is very weird she wouldn’t know some basics because most teens have had to do cleaning chores of some sort. (Including boys when it came to their rooms!) Just my take on it
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#2019 rewatch
Dotty being so exhausted and Amanda just happily putting together a flower arrangement is giving me flashbacks to There Goes the Neighborhood….
*“Why do I look so messy and you look so good?… Have you done _anything_?”
Also, in keeping with the comments about Dotty’s Foxy Grandma sweatshirt, it’s just occurred to me what a really good mom Amanda is because she must know what people think about that Hot Mama t-shirt, but she wears it anyway as evidenced by it being in her laundry.
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#2019 rewatch or the Agency is keeping her so busy she hasn’t been able to keep up on her laundry and was wearing whatever had been stuffed at the back of her closet. Extrapolated from the fact that I may or may not be wearing neon yellow socks today.
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#2019rewatch
Amanda wouldn’t part with that Hot Mama shirt because it was a gift from Phillip and Jamie. At least that’s my recollection.
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#2019rewatch
I was thinking…maybe Amanda is so “feisty and assertive” with Lee in the opening scene at the party because she’s so giddy to be out of the house from spring cleaning! Or she is giddy that she has just left Dotty home to finish cleaning and she’s out with Lee! (This theory could also make sense as to why Dotty the Foxy Grandma seems more tired than Amanda.) Or she inhaled a little too much cleaning solution? 🤣
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Interesting to read the comments from everyone at the scene with Billy, Lee, and Francine. I agree with those who take it at face value, the light-heartedness of SMK. It just cracks me up EVERY TIME to see BB & Mel Stewart laughing so hard here!!! And with Martha Smith’s delivery of “I’d use cleaning things”…I’m still snickering!
Interesting to hear about those of you who did actual spring cleaning. I think the only cleaning I could compare to Amanda’s spring cleaning is nesting before a baby comes. I was completely over the top last year before my 4th was born! Anyway, I have always found it interesting that Amanda and Dotty talk about how much hard work it is (though Amanda seems way less worn out from it than Dotty), and then Amanda goes immediately outside and tells Lee all enthusiastically she can do whatever job he wants her to…to me, I see this as her eagerness and desire not to miss out on an opportunity working with Lee and the Agency. And Lee. 😉
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All these Francine centered discussions are great. I think it is interesting that there is an episode at this point that seems to focus on Francine. Right about now we see a shift in Amanda, in how Lee views and relates to Amanda, and how Billy even relates to Amanda. So it would make sense to focus on Francine and how that shakes things up for her, and to highlight the difference between these two women and their reactions to each other both positive and negative.
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Most rooms in my house get what’s known in my family as a “cat lick” (apart from bathrooms and kitchens which I of course scrub, not a total slattern ;)) Cleaning whole house in one day? Never gonna happen! I prefer the flylady method, even if its a bit OTT on twee 😉
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My MIL calls it a lick and a promise. Yup 15 min at a time, baby steps for me.
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Spring cleaning – my mom would waste my whole spring break from school with that stuff. lol. Seriously, spring break was me having to clean my room thoroughly – sorting through clothes and stuff – and having to wash all the drapes/curtains around the house. In addition, we actually moved the furniture around in each room. It was never much fun.
I actually enjoy the scene with Lee and Billy teasing Francine a bit. I always saw this episode as a bit of turning point for Francine and Amanda’s relationship. I always saw this as the L&B version of “Quit comparing yourself and Amanda – she is helpful and worthy of being here, just as much as you are. You each have different skills we value.” I see this episode as very much stressing Amanda’s skills as both housewife and trainee agent, with Francine catching on that maybe she’s an asset after all. Francine’s snootiness is really just cover for her frustration with Amanda as the “new pet” around the office. L&B get back at her a little here, and she actually takes it well. Their teasing is much like family here, and I’ve always taken it as such. I had a friend who was a bit of a prissy girl and hated to get her hands dirty, so her family always teased her about housecleaning. I guess this is why I’ve always seen this as similar.
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I like your take on this scene, debilyn. Great point about L&B’s possible “You each have different skills we value.” I think I would agree more with the turning point for F&A’s relationship if Francine didn’t continue to be so witchy toward her (think RFTSky). I would describe it more as an eye-opener for Francine, possibly? Maybe Francine forgets about Amanda’s usefulness just like she probably wants to forget about cleaning that toilet.
Ugh – that stinks that you had to spend your spring breaks doing spring cleaning! We never did anything fun on spring breaks when I was a kid either, but I don’t remember having to do spring cleaning.
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I see Francine’s eyes being opened about Amanda, but not necessarily changing her attitude yet. Several of us have mentioned that Billy is the dad and that Lee & Francine are the kids in this family. Francine’s a bit like the child who used to be the youngest until the next child is born. She may eventually come to like her, but she’s still not getting the attention she used to have (and assumes she deserves). Which is why she’s super snarky one episode and not quite so bad the next.
Okay, so I was actually the baby of my family – but I’ve seen this so often with friends and family, that I can’t help but notice it here.
BJo, at least I can’t say I was bored during Spring Break …. :-p
I see your point about women in the work place, IWSOD, and that’s definitely a part of what makes SMK work. Another reason that I don’t see this show translating into the modern era so well. Amanda’s struggle between work and home wouldn’t be the same. Francine’s line “doesn’t she know how hard some of us have worked …” wouldn’t have the same impact, either. (Can’t remember which episode that was, but she definitely was referring to gaining respect as a woman in the field, IMHO.)
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I get what you’re saying about Francine being a bit jealous that Amanda is the new “kid” in the family and getting some of the attention that she used to get. I was the baby in my family until I was 8, then my brother came along….it did not sit well with me either!
I think Francine’s line that you mention is in ALAGHITMouth. I think she says it right before the “Shouldn’t I know how to hit?” scene. I think that rankled Francine all the more because it involved royalty and I’m sure that Francine would have happily “frumped it up” a bit to do that assignment.
Gosh, whoever said that Francine is the one who needs a journey was right. Was it you, debilyn? She really is an interesting character. One we could all have fun with especially given the changes in our culture since the 1980’s.
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It wasn’t me, BJo, but I agree that Francine’s journey is a fun one to explore.
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I think I was the one who mentioned that Francine needed a journey.
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Hi Debilyn – I enjoyed the scene too regardless of my being rankled- I couldn’t help but laugh! 🙂 but.. I do really like the spin you’ve put on it!! I can get on board with that! 🙂 Though I still see the episode as having something to say about women.. sometimes these things are easier when you leave it till the end to discuss – Maybe I should have done that.. Oh well.
Thanks Debilyn! Hope you are well!
Hope you are all well!!
Byeee
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Love this scene when Francine finds out she has to sign on with Private Party! Hahahaha! Billy does look annoyed with her for picking on Amanda and Lee is positively giddy thinking of Francine as a maid. I am too! Love that she has to enter Amanda’s world and that it involves cleaning! I bet Lee could do a much better job than her, especially since he knows how to spit shine his shoes and pass room inspection by Uncle Bob the Builder. He may not keep his apartment clean, but I think he knows how to do it. He just has a high tolerance for dust, clutter, etc. I know I do.
Ah, iwsod, this is a hot button issue for you? Me, I am not bothered by it so much. Again I look it like it is lighthearted SMK that never really tried to make a stand on too many real life things. I took it as the irony of Francine entering a world where she has no idea of how/what to do. I think this is how Francine views Amanda in her “highly-trained agent” world. Amanda is highly trained in the housekeeping/cleaning world. Neither thinks that either belongs in their own worlds. So we finally get to see the flip side – that is why I find it so funny as do Lee and Billy especially after Francine’s remark. I guess I just take it at face value and laugh at the humor. I didn’t see Lee or Billy devaluaing Francine because she wouldn’t know how to clean, just that it is funny to think of a highly trained agent doing a job where none of her skills would come in handy. And Francine could learn, but I’m sure she does not want to.
I remember thinking when I was in high school (mid to late 80’s) that I was going to go to college and get a degree for a highly paying job so I wouldn’t have to clean bathrooms, etc. I saw my mother toil away week after week raising my 4 siblings and I and all the cleaning involved in that. My parents always told me I could be anything I wanted to be and doing what my mother did was not what I wanted. It’s pretty ironic though because I did get that college degree and highly paid job but was too cheap to pay someone to come clean my little one-bedroom apartment! And now I’m a housewife with two kids and no job other than to do what my mom did. Oh the irony! I keep saying now though that if I ever do go back to work the first thing I’m going to do is hire a house cleaning service. And this time I will follow through and not be too tight with my wallet to do it!
I do agree with what you say though about SMK being a product of it’s era. I was a young teen in the early 80’s so I have no idea what is was like for a woman in the workplace at the time and I was raised in a house with parents who were very conservative and clung to the traditional male/female roles. When I did work in the 90’s before my kids were born, I was fortunate enough to work for a big company who was very aware of gender/race/equality issues. I don’t ever remember feeling slighted or devalued at the office because I was a woman. What did hurt was the out of office stuff – a lot of the men liked to golf together and they made connections that helped pay off in their careers. I could have joined in the golf, in fact I was welcome, but golf is just way too boring for me.
I love this scene with Dotty. I think I love almost all the scenes with Dotty. BG really was a great actress. She seems to have a more modern view of herself than Amanda does. I like that about her. Her personality plays well with Amanda’s – a foil in some way, yes?
Oh, the kooky xylophone music – love it! It would be fun to keep track of just how many different ways the music/sound people redo the theme song. At least this sounds like a part of the theme song to me. My favorite is the Christmas redo, I think. I never knew they did that until this past year because I never saw that episode until now – one of the two I missed and didn’t record.
Hahaha – I think that if Amanda knew the job up front was cleaning she’d be less enthusiastic about it! I think she’s just excited to see Lee and have another opportunity to work with him that she doesn’t care. Sort of like a little puppy wagging its tail it’s so happy to see its owner!
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I too love Dotty, love her Foxy Grandma jumper, it’s fabulous. I do like the continuity in the sense that its something the boys would have bought her like the Hot Mama nightie for Amanda and kudos to Dotty she wears it loud and proud 😀
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The foxy grandma sweatshirt/jumper is fantastic. I wonder if that was custom made for the show or if it were really available in the stores.
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The fact that Amanda has a hot mama shirt and Dottie has the foxie grandma one is a reminder to me that they do not see themselves in just the suburban housewife role. They know there is more to themselves even if others are discounting that part. Or maybe they (probably just Amanda) need to remind themselves of this (I don’t think Dottie has a problem with that actually. And that is a whole other area of discussion, the contrast between daughter and mother. Did someone here mention Dottie as a foil for Amanda. They seem very close and very different. I know mothers and daughters can be like that, but often there is not such mutual, love and comfort, there is usually more tension. It is an interesting one to ponder…
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Hi Morley – It was me who made that comment about Dottie being a foil to Amanda. I really believe there is a lot to the saying that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” so I find Amanda’s character sometimes a head-scratcher. Maybe now that Dottie is older she’s let her hair down a little bit and that’s all it is though. I wonder what she was like when she was younger. I wonder what Amanda’s father was like. Wish we could have had some flashbacks or more mentions of him.
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It is strange that there isn’t more about Mr. West. What do we know about him? I know he and Dottie went to Hawaii, and was there something Dottie said about dancing…?
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I don’t know what we know about him up to this point. There is so little said about him that I don’t remember the episodes. I can think of one scene in Amanda’s kitchen, but I’m pretty sure it took place in S3, just not sure of the ep.
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Maybe we could put together character threads and add information on each one as we encounter it. Just an idea. But I guess I am toying with trying to put together an image of Mr. West or at least what Dottie and maybe Amanda remember of him to help me understand both of them. Here I go diving deep again…
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whoo hoooo Lovin this idea!!! Could we add to it as we progress? I think it would be great to have Francine post, a Billy post and a Dotty post.. you could even do one on the boys! Who’s going to do it? I’m happy to do one but it’s going to be long time before I get to it.. LOL!!??
I think we learn something about Mr West (If he first name is John that is too funny..) when Dotty has that boyfriend she really loves – Any number can play.. s4? I think..then again.. maybe not .. but I’ll have fun keeping an ear out for anything till we get to it!!!
but you’re right.. it’s not much.. and yeah up to this point we know very little I agree.
I would guess at this stage that he was a good man. Why? Only because of how Dotty and Amanda are..it was a long happy marriage, and Amanda doesn’t seem to me to have ‘father issues’ – so I surmise he was a good guy.. 🙂
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That’s a great idea, Morley! We need a list of all the great ideas that are on this blog – I bet there are at least a dozen ideas in previous posts or comments that have been forgotten about. When we are done walking on this journey with iwsod, we’ll need new things to post on!
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Ha haaaaa! BJo I am pretty sure we won’t have any trouble!! 🙂 we could do the walk through again.. only next time- looking at the show as a whole – and maybe fully looking ahead! 😉
Although, I’m thinking Melissa or Cindy will maybe start a Remington Steele blog 😉 teee heee..
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Don’t forget about Magnum!!
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We can multi task.
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I watched this scene last night and I had the same thought as BJo. I think that Lee and Billy know more about cleaning than Francine does and that was part of their laughter. Not so much that it was in a professional context but more based out of their knowledge of one another as friends. And for Lee I think the humor he found in it had a bit to do with his knowledge of Amanda as well. Makes me think of his little remark with Francine in thoughts Could Kill about what it was about Amanda that gets to them. Here his perspective of Francine is tinged by his knowledge of Francine. I think Lee probably does know how to clean due to his upbringing, but he may have increased his knowledge by his exposure to Amanda as well. He would be able to discern and value the difference in the two women. I do think Francine’s lack of know how about cleaning is because of her upbringing, she must have had maids growing up and have maintained that in her adult years. As snooty as she is though, she really is a remarkable woman to have accomplished what she has during the 80’s in such a professional field.
BJo your experience outside of work hours makes me wonder what it must have been like for Francine. All of her co workers were men, except for the silly women in he steno pool and Mrs. Marsden. What would her social hours like, of course she was prickly. And maybe her prickliness carried over into her relationship with Amanda even though she might be warming to her a bit. Maybe that is how Francine relates to women?
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I can just imagine Francine’s social hours. She probably didn’t have many. She strikes me as a career-minded woman who doesn’t want the marriage and children (esp. after Jonathan). She’s driven to succeed and is good at what she does. I think she’s probably very proud of herself for her success and therefore tends to look down upon women who chose the route of wife and mother – that may be seen as failure or lack of ambition in her eyes.
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Hey everyone 🙂 back off hols, struggling to keep up with posts as we move house in 3 weeks time and I’ve got packing to start!!!! I could do with a maid to come clean my house why I pack, can I have Lee come clean in a manly maids outfit?! 😉
Anyway I haven’t got much time to do in depth comments and I haven’t had chance to rewatch the episode but I just wanted to comment in the scene with Francine,
I didn’t see it so much that Francine should know how to clean because she’s a woman but she should know how to clean because she’s a single, I dependant individual, irrespective of gender. I think the teasing was done more to show Francine and her class aspirations, that as a “wealthy” woman she doesn’t get her hands dirty in that way because its beneath her. Which is why she looks down on Amanda as “just” as housewife.
Just my thoughts on the subject 😉
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I’ve missed you Jenbo! ugh.. yes packing a house is awful!!! Good luck!!
yeah good point – Francine is absolutely a snob! and yeah.. Lee and Billy are teasing her about her snobbery.. that is a part of it for sure! [and the white outfit underlines that point too huh!]
More interesting moments coming up in the next post with the awful/hilarious job interview!!!!
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Oh yes the “with heels” bit is hilarious!!! I am gonna have to squeeze in a little bit of SMK viewing, it’s been nearly two weeks I think and I am having withdrawal symptoms!!!!
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Tell me about it! I was only away for a couple of days…and I just realized I had all the comments notes on the upper right side of the blog until you just posted this last one! There has been so much to comment on lately!
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I’ve used “D.O.H”. often since this episode first aired way back…..
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Welcome back, Jenbo! Hope you had a great holiday and are well rested for what sounds like an incredibly busy next 3 weeks! Lee cleaning in a manly maids outfit – love it!
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Lovely holiday thanks, even managed to get on a bodyboard for the first time in 15 years!!!!
When I first pictured Lee as a maid I had this rather gruesome image of him in a French maids outfit! No cross dressing here please? He could clean in a tux couldn’t he?! 😉
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That’s what I was thinking – a sort of tux – maybe like what the guys wear in Downton Abby – even though they’re not cleaning but being footmen or butlers or whatever.
What’s a bodyboard? Is that the same thing as a surfboard? I’m impressed!
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You might know it as a boogie board maybe. It’s like a super short surfboard although the waves in North Devon where we went are in no way as good as other places around the world. Still it was great fun and reminded me just how much I love the ocean 🙂
Sorry for going off on a tanget there IWSOD
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Just one more off tangent – I have heard of a boogie board – and they look like a lot of fun! I’m really happy for you that you had a good time at the ocean.
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How about Lee in his waiters outfit from the First Time? Works for me 😉
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Yup! That’ll do it! Or his bartender outfit from CBAHome! That’s another good one.
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Or my fave Lee in his 3 piece chauffeurs outfit complete with hat from SAAB 😀
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How could I forget that one! That man does look good in a hat 😉 I’m in the middle of doing the stats posts for that episode. Lee in his undercover costumes – that could be a post by itself – Morley are you listening???
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I hear you, loud and clear. The costumes of Lee Stetson. My son is an actor and every time he gets dressed it in in full costume, even if it is what we would call “regular clothes.” There is his beach costume and his student costume, Of course he does period looks to, especially if he is going to a movie. Yesterday he went to the mall in an Assassins’ Creed costume. All this to say that season 1 Lee wears lots of costumes, for work and every day life, I think. But I would still like to see him as a mechanic or something, with grease on his face, you know?
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Your screen caps are wonderful. I love Francine’s faces and Billy’s as he reacts to Francine’s digs about Amanda. and Lee laughing at her as well. Priceless faces.
I don’t think Lee would have laughed at Francine so heartily early in season 1 or before he met Amanda. And isn’t it funny that now we almost feel sorry for Francine. Amanda changes everything doesn’t she.
I also like the way Lee says, “I want you to become a maid” Not Billy or we, but I. And I think Lee is very impressed with Amanda here. Not impressed with Francine and impressed by Amanda? Telling. I like it. I get what you are saying about women and their roles. Do we ever see Lee or Billy taking on roles in traditional, “get your hands dirty” male roles? I wonder how they would do with that.
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Not hungry, not thirsty, not interested in Betsy Jordan, not impressed with Francine, but impressed with Amanda? Lee are you feeling well? Or maybe you are falling in l…..?
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whoooooo hooooooo me like Morley!!!!
[oopsie.. I am so distracted by smk today! I better stop looking here! tee heee.. byeee guys!!! ]
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Nooooo not the L word!!! 😉
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Good one, Morley!! I think you may be right! And we haven’t even reached the end of this episode!
I don’t think we ever see Lee or Billy in a traditional male role like Francine. But then again a working male is the traditional role, huh? We do see Lee as the bug guy in ALSALS, but that’s more blue collar vs.white collar. Then again we see Billy as a telephone company worker in RFTSky, but again, it’s BC vs. WC. Is that what you meant by getting their hands dirty – uniform vs. suit? Oh and I almost forgot, doesn’t lee play a janitor in SBTBells at the very beginning? I think he’s mopping the floor.
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Yes, I think working and White-Knight rescuing are definitely seen as the male roles. But I do dislike Kevin Costner’s “Robin Hood” because I get frustrated at Maid Marion. Honestly, like she couldn’t have grabbed something and hit that dude over the head to either free herself or help Robin out. Sometimes a woman can definitely do the rescuing. Which is one reason I definitely like Amanda.
Lee did get his hands dirty in TFOEmily as a bum. 🙂 But, we actually didn’t see him doing a lot of blue collar work. It’s a shame we didn’t see him do more of that sort of undercover work.
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This makes me think of Auggie as a mechanic in a tux…
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I love Auggie – such a good unsavory guy. He’s just too cute. Makes me wonder how he stays alive long enough to be a snitch for Lee.
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Auggie is one of my favorites, too. He is sometimes so over-the-top that it’s hilarious. My favorite Auggie is the mud-wrestling “guru” we first meet, but his other “costumes” are just hilarious!
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I also like his Hoss Cartwright original that Lee wants to feed him!
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Ahhh! Spring cleaning! I remember having to do that as a child. My mother would have us clean the house from top to bottom. We would take all the curtains down and wash them and even hang them on the line to dry. Windows were cleaned, floors were scrubbed, lots of dusting, washing, and all around cleaning and yes we even cleaned out closets. My dad would even do things like spruce up outside by painting the fence or some part of the house or clean out the garage. I still do some form of that today, but I try to spread it out over time. I definitely throw open the windows and let in some fresh air.
i do agree up to a certain point about Francine and how women are and should be treated in the workplace. I also agree that Francine should have treated Amanda with a bit more respect. Yes, Francine is a trained professional and probably had and has to work harder to show that she deserves to be respected and is a capable agent. However, she is also an adult who has to be able to take care of herself. She should be able to cook for herself, do laundry, and be able to clean. That would be true even if she hires someone to handle some things that she doesn’t want to do. Some things are basic survival skills.
Always love to hear Billy laugh. I think that Billy and Lee do respect Francine and do know just how capable she is. Lee and Francine have worked several cases together and he sees her as competition sometimes . They argued about their interrogation skills in Brunettes and Lee called her a showoff when she accomplished something he couldn’t in Playing For Keeps. Billy seems to have Francine as his right hand/ go to person. While she gets sidelined sometimes as Amanda is chosen to handle a case, I don’t think she gets marginalized. I just know they don’t like when she belittles Amanda.
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Hiya Valerie.. ahh there is some benefits to the ritual of spring cleaning huh..
Yeah I hear what you are saying about Francine and this scene.. for me – I think Francine can take care of keeping her house clean as well as Lee can.. LOL.. the reason she is in this situation is because she is a woman. This is where I’m headed with this ep.. but it is early days yet! 🙂
I agree, Francine does herself Nooooo favours! 🙂 We see this very soon! 🙂
I agree, I don’t like how Francine treats Amanda!! 🙂
and.. I agree that Billy and Lee do see Francine as their equal (there is plenty of evidence of this later in the ep! )-in terms of being a good agent.. interestingly though, it seems she is not their equal when cleaning is required 😉 she is expected to be better me thinks..
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Ahhh, spring cleaning. Not something I do – at least not all at once in the spring – to my husband’s great disappointment. I remember my mother doing spring cleaning and hating it. I never even had to do too much because I have two sisters who are 7 and 8 years older than me so they had to help a lot more. I don’t know about anyone else, but it seems like the house only stays clean for about 5 minutes after I’ve cleaned it. It just makes me feel like trying to get everthing clean all at once is like trying to hold back the tide…not gonna happen.
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“Holding back the tide.” I use those words all the time about housecleaning, laundry, dishes, etc. It is impossible!
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I can only imagine what holding back the tide would mean in your household if I feel like it’s impossible in my 4 person househould! I think I would want to just give up!
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“Holding back the tide” is a great way of expressing it. Sometimes it’s definitely a tidal wave at my house. 🙂
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