Karen the court jester helps herself to Amanda’s house… we see Gordon is anxious to know what’s happening and he calls her on the baddie phone – this week: it’s black! whooo!
Karen has made herself comfy on Amanda’s sofa with a nice stiff drink- She’s reading Amanda’s mail?
Ugh.. She is so horrible!! there’s an interesting extra in the script here.. I’ll come back to it..
Gordon’s stressing.. what if Lee knows Amanda is away and so he doesn’t call? Ugh.. he is so annoying!!
Gordon: what are you doing now?
Karen: I’m having a chat with you Gordon and if Stetson tries to call the line will be busy. Karen hangs up on him! haaa
Too funny Gordon does that Lee thing of looking down the phone line!
Karen goes back to reading Amanda’s mail… and she’s bored with it 😉
At least in TV land, she doesn’t have to wait long for Lee to call! 🙂
Before I get onto Lee’s call, I can’t pass up this little exchange which is in the first draft of the script, but somehow got the cut (boo!) :
Before Karen hangs up on Gordon..
Gordon: what if she told Stetson she’s be out of town?!
Karen (LOL or Gerta according to the script 😉 ): Then I’ve been living on canned soup for nothing. They cleaned out the refrigerator before they left.
Gordon: what are you doing?
Karen: Catching up on her correspondence. Some of it’s not too bad. A lot of tentative passion from somebody named Dean. I can see why she got rid of him. [How fabulous is that??!!!]
Gordon: you’re reading old love letters somebody wrote her? That’s disgusting.
Karen: Bugging her house isn’t? Secretly filming her isn’t?
Gordon: I had my reasons for doing that.
Karen: So have I. I’m bored. Let’s not start talking morality shall we?!
At this, the script has Karen hang up on Gordon.. the phone quickly rings again and she assumes it’s Gordon.. It’s not!! It’s Lee!! and she accidentally answers the phone with: Look Gordon, I don’t-
Lee cuts her off wanting to know who Gordon is- sorta busted!!!
This slip of the tongue plays later into a scene. I wish they had kept it in! So I’ll return to this part of the story then.. oh and I loved loved loved the line about Dan errr Dean! . So.. leaving what was originally in the script behind.. we go back to the actual episode!
So, we had Karen hang up on Gordon.. then the phone quickly rings again and it’s Lee! but in the episode Amanda answers with a friendly hello 🙂 and pulls it off nicely..
[Oh my.. is it just me or is Lee’s voice sounding really deep?!]
Lee is calling to see if Amanda can work- things are busy at the agency.. and he was confused over whether Amanda’s weekend away was this weekend or next weekend.. [on ‘that camping thing’ 
] 
Karen explains it was this weekend but she was feeling unwell so didn’t go.. Lovely Lee says if she’s unwell don’t worry – awh!! but 
Karen reassures him it’s just an allergy..
Karen says she can’t get there as she doesn’t have a car so Lee offers to come get her. Isn’t he lovely going out of his way to give Amanda work (and ahem.. probably see her and spend some time with her! I like to think so!!)
Karen: I tell you what, in case I’m upstairs and I don’t hear you why don’t I just leave the front door unlocked.
[ awh!!! at this Lee looks almost proud- like wow.. I get to use the front door?!]
Lee: okay great. Bye.
So sweet how Lee smiles as he hangs up the phone.. happy to have done a good deed and err help Amanda get some work! err no it’s not that he’ll see Amanda or anything 
Ha!
So… the scene is set.. Lee is on his way…
Lee arrives and we see Karen is parked in her car on the opposite side watching.. [stalking?!]
LOL! Karen didn’t just leave the front door unlocked – she left it slightly ajar! How flippin ridiculous!!!
You don’t need to be a superspy to approach this with caution!
Lee calls out but gets no answer.. he hesitates..calls out to Amanda again.. still no answer.. he pulls out his gun.. and carefully approaches the door..[whooo Lee holding the gun in his right hand? you don’t see that very often!]
Lee stands to the side and shoves the door open.. LOL The front door is booby trapped with a shotgun ready to go..
Only a superspy would notice that weird string connected to the door handle! rofl!!! Very subtle!!
and even more shockingly- Amanda’s carpets are looking rather frayed! 😉
Lee survives [are you surprised?!} Guess that bullet went right through the front door.. and then where?? did it hit Lee’s car? Kill the neighbour opposite?! Karen sees Lee has survived and takes off in her car – she’s not hanging around to be seen.. 
Lee on high alert enters Amanda’s home..
Okay.. time for Lee to officially really freak out- there’s alcohol and cigarettes on the table!!!!
and *gulp* extra extra scary- there are dirty dishes in the sink!!!!
That’s outrageous!!! (I guess Karen was so cocky she didn’t care about the evidence that would be left behind.. hmm) That’s a whole lot of mess for one woman.. how long was she there?? she was wearing the same clothes! Hmm..
Love the pensive intense look from Lee here the panic is very swoony! Almost like you can sense is terrified he’ll come around the corner and find Amanda’s dead body!
Okay call me crazy but I see plot holes all over this!
Yes- other than the’ have plastic surgery and look just like Amanda’ deal!
Karen leaving makes more sense with the way this scene was originally done in the script.. she hid in the bushes and shot at him and was at risk of being discovered as the shooter.. but here?? I really don’t get it!!
Why didn’t Karen just greet Lee and get in the car with him? then pull a gun on him?? She knew he was picking her up to take her TO THE AGENCY!!!!! Why didn’t she get a lift with him to the agency – and see where he works?? Why set up the booby trap to kill him that wasn’t guaranteed to work?? She blew her one chance! Okay.. she is super keen on getting away clean- but that wasn’t a problem with killing Treloggen and Credle?!! And once she saw Lee didn’t get hit – why not run over there?? and scream Lee are you alright?? Hold me!!![Heck, you’d give it a go wouldn’t you??!! I know I sure would!! ] Why not pretend to be Amanda?? Why would you see Lee survive the booby trap and then just drive off????!!!!!
The only thing I can come up with is she isn’t as cocky about convincing Lee of her ‘Amanda identity’ as she acts.. so she tried to avoid seeing him..?? thoughts anyone??
On the upside? I’m loving the zoom in on Lee here at the end of scene!! Here, enjoy!!!
swoony!
[BTW- love the chimed smk theme we hear as Lee is all intense.. almost like he’s in another dimension or something!]
Okay I better finish up here for the moment.. Well this has got to be a record.. 18 minutes into the episode and Lee hasn’t even spoken to Amanda, much less seen her!!!!! Thoughts anyone????
"Just walk with me.." 
Project runway did a duct tape challenge for prom dresses http://www.seattlepi.com/news/slideshow/quot-Project-Runway-quot-duct-tape-prom-dresses-58086/photo-4297719.php
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And then some very talented HS students made their own outfits out of duct tape for their prom: http://www.babble.com/mom/20-creative-amazing-and-crazy-duct-tape-prom-dresses-and-suits/image-3464/ I am always impressed with kids amazing creativity and fresh perspective on “traditions”. Sounds like something your kids would do beautifully Morley!
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Duct tape? Here it’s silver and branded Duck tape. Or do you mean Sellotape? Confusing! Still I’d like to see Karen on a tv show called Blue Peter who are well known here for concocting all manner of stuff out of junk! All held together with Sellotape 😉
I shan’t go on about the plot holes or obvious lame attempt at assaination. I am not convinced Karen is half as professional as she likes to think she is. Drinking during the day?! If she was just going to trap Lee by talking on the phone why the need for plastic surgery……stupid. I am not sure why Lee went to front door anyway considering its broad daylight and he’s always been so circumspect. He did seem rather chipper in his walk mind 😉 perhaps he forgot temporarily in his desire to see Amanda 😉
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LOL yes I wasn’t going to get into an international discussion of different kinds of tapes and their different names 😉 but now you’ve brought it up – yes I don’t think it looks like duct tape either. Duct tape is thicker..
To me Sellotape is Cellotape – and it’s white and clear and what we use to wrap presents!
What Karen used to me looked like Packing tape – but not masking tape.. rofl I don’t remember what Americans call those.. packing tape might be the same.. but I’m pretty sure Duct Tape in the US is the same as what I’m thinking of – because I’ve seen it lots of burn notice! 😉
Hope you are well and life’s settling down well in your new home!
LOL.. know what you mean about those pot holes errr I mean plot holes! 🙂
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Morley, you’re a woman after my own heart! Your son makes Renaissance costumes out of duct tape? Really clever! Pictures please? I used to sew costumes with my best bud at the time, he made the most awesome outfits. Even got my soon-to-be husband in the act, with tights no less! (He didn’t know he was a soon-to-be hubby yet. A bit slow on the uptake. Hmmmm kinda like Lee;) ) Also, duct tape was a staple in my classroom for equipment problems ie computers, wheelchairs, maps, etc (never tried it on the students though, LOL). Valerie, I don’t know how you can teach after reading JWWM. I could have never gotten through the day without being carted away as that demented teacher who’s laughing manically! The kids would have turned me in and they were pretty used to my humor.
Oh Jestress, toooo funny- a fanfiction with stories everyone told about Lee at his “funeral” would be hysterical!
You live in the woods Bjo? Is that the first step to the rabbit hole?? I live in a treehouse (okay, we call it that coz it has a feel of a treehouse, on steroids). And yes, we have lots of chocolate, marshmallows and wine. Oh where is that white rabbit??? There he goes! he’s leading me to y’all!
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LOL, Jule!! Sometimes I think living in the woods IS the first step to the rabbit hole! If I ever see a white rabbit in my yard I’m not sure if I should follow it or not…what do you think? Maybe I’ll check first to see if he has chocolate or wine on him…hehehehe…
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Jule, I have to find some photos. I know I have some. Then I’ll go post the on Ned’s.
Your soon to be husband must have been “pretty firmly hooked” to wear the tights… although what am I saying, my 5 sons all wear tights for hours each week. I have video of them all performing to “Men in Tights”
Duct tape is wonderful stuff though, my 12 year old use it this week to keep himself in the chair during math (I had nothing to do with it, really)
I live in the woods too…I sense a pattern here.
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Maybe the rabbit holes of all the people who live in the woods are connected? Oooh, that would be too much to hope for!!
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😦 I don’t live in the woods… so I guess my rabbit hole is my own. 😦
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Oh no KC, allllll rabbit holes meet up in SMKLAND! Don’t worry, there’s plenty of chocolate and wine to go around too. Chocolate chip cookies are wonderful, so I think we are all good to go! (Nope, haven’t forgotten the duct tape either LOL!)
Just a by the way, wouldn’t y’all just lose it if your mother talked about your fires being fanned?!?!
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Noooo, KC!!! Not at all!!!! Like Jule says allll rabbit holes in SMKLand are connected!! I think there is just one big SMKLand rabbit hole – but many, many ways to fall down there!
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Your sons run around in tights? Need an explanation here….. ( you do sound like an awesome mom!)
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Morley, I was just catching up on episodes, when it hit me what you said about one of your darlin’ children, “Duct tape is wonderful stuff though, my 12 year old use it this week to keep himself in the chair during math (I had nothing to do with it, really).” Okay, there must be a story behind that. I so terribly wanted to duct tape my youngest stepdaughter to anything, repeatedly! Yep, she was and is super ADD. I was desperate! (Still has the attention span of a gnat.) Hmmmm, maybe if I offer the duct tape to her to design something……. (Luckily for me, she is a complete doll so I decided to keep her, LOL!)
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I homeschool. My 12 year old says he is terrible at math, really he is terrible at focusing on math, just math. He is always leaving a problem to get a glass of juice or… so to prove his point (or mine) he used duck tape to secure his legs to the chair. He finished his math in record time and got almost all of the right. Oh, the joys of homeschooling (that couldn’t happen in a public school)
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ROFL! Don’t I just wish I could have done that in my classroom! It would be difficult to explain though :). Your home sounds like a treasure trove of creativity; Rivendell indeed! How marvelous!
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Those phones! Apparently baddies all shop in the same place for their household decor and miscellaneous supplies. Bed, Bath & Bazooka?
Poor, pitiful Dean. Though we never saw his face, I have a vague recollection that the times we’ve seen his body, he seemed kind of short and stocky. Hm … dumpy weatherman vs. superspy hottie? Tough choice!
Lee must have arrived at Amanda’s house when all the neighbor ladies were engrossed in their favorite soap opera. You’d think *somebody* would notice the good looking guy wielding a gun at her front door, not to mention the shotgun blast.
Amanda’s house is really kitschy, isn’t it? All those knick-knacks! I wonder if she decorated it all herself, or if Dottie moved in some of her treasured keepsakes when she came to help Amanda with the boys.
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Bed, Bath & Bazooka??? ROFL! They all use the same white rope too!
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Don’t forget that’s where they get the shoulder pads too!
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I think the next-door neighbour on the one side had gone out ‘cos the blue car that was parked in their driveway when Amanda left/Karen walked in was gone when Lee arrived… 😀
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I just have to say, this blog and you guys are so awesome!! Cannot start or end my day without checking for all the comments. Occasionally in a quiet moment in the classroom (like now) I will check in, become engrossed and then one of my students will ask why I am smiling. You guys slay me!!
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I recall the first time I watched this episode. My first thought was “what???” and what is Amanada thinking…hello, Lee and not this guy. I caught on quickly obviously but the first scene through me for a loup. I was doing a “mine meld” with Lee…like hello…this is not Amanada…come on wake up..lol!
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Gordon is very annoying in this scene. It’s a good thing he’s not in the room with Karen or she might just shoot him. Ugh – not sure about leaving that first script part in – yeah, I like bashing Dean, but hearing that Amanda’s house has been bugged and that Gordon’s been secretly filming Amanda? Eeew. Makes this guy really creepy, not just spineless and whiny.
I think KJ had them change the script. Remember in ALAGHITMouth when Lee and Amanda are talking while eating the chili and Lee asks what she’s doing immediately after their back-to-back chat? Then he asks what she’s doing and she says eating. That always seemed sort of dumb to me and I wonder if Karen’s answer to Gordon here (although he can’t see her) isn’t KJ trying to sound less dumb and more smart/vile?
Wha? Lee’s voice sounding really deep? Excuse me while I go watch….oh yes, very deep, ahem. 🙂 Is it just me or does Lee seem like he’s being very sweet with Amanda on this phone call? Ah, iwsod, you see it the same? Love the screen caps…I predict that dimple shot of Lee looking down after he’s hung up the phone will appear in a future stats post! Sweet! And love the Lee shot with the gun in his right hand and left hand on the door. Too bad he’s not sporting a tux, dimple, flexing masseter, or wearing plaid…what’s a stats girl to do? Maybe KC can find a reason to put it in a Tie Patrol post??? Nice profile and with those TGTN and ACMK chestal Lee shots burned into my memory I can imagine his bare pecs. Oh my, appears I’m lost for the day already. Sweet Lee has that effect on me I guess! Anyone care to join me down this rabbit hole?
ROFL at the tape job holding up the gun on the spindles (is that what they’re called?)!! Wonder how many prop/set guys (yes, guys…if SMK can do it then so can I!) it took to figure that one out – hahaha!
I take it the handwritten letter on the table is supposed to be from Dean? How funny would it be if Lee had gone over and read it!! Guess he’s waaay too freaked out by the ciggie butts and dirty dishes to worry about snooping in her mail. “Lee are you alright?? Hold me!!!” ROFL!!! I wish! You are so right about all these flippin’ plot holes, iwsod!!! I have nothing to offer here on explanation though…am feeling slightly lightheaded between sweet Lee, gun totin’ Lee and your lovely gif on confused Lee. If you want thoughtful, sensical answers to your questions, iwsod, you need to keep the swoony Lee pics to a minimum!!! 😉
Awww, how cute! I just watched some more of this scene and noticed that when Lee gets out of his car to go up to Amanda’s front door he does a little skip and a jump to get up on the sidewalk…he’s not happy to be seeing her at all is he??? I guess when it takes this long into an episode for him to see Amanda he’s a tad bit excited! Lovely thought, huh??
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LOL BJo–I’ll see what I can do about putting that cap in… but it’ll be a while before I get to late season 2. 😦
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Take yer time, KC….this show has kept for 30 years….bet it’ll keep for another 30!
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True. But will I? 😀
Besides, I’m only 😦 ‘cos there’s so much good stuff and I want to be all over it NOW but I keep getting sidetracked down the rabbit hole… at this rate I’ll be lucky to pull off my first installment of Tie Patrol–let alone Vehicle Patrol (which might just have to be a guest spot on Tie Patrol. LOL!)… and the pressure of making it enjoyable to others who won’t have my fascination with the tie quirks… 😀 Bah! Must get sleep.
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Yes, the plot holes are so big you could drive a fire truck through them. “Why set up the booby trap to kill him that wasn’t guaranteed to work?? ” Well, why such a dumb booby trap, anyway? I had a chilling feeling when they hung up the phone, thinking “she just got Lee to show her where he works!” But then comes this weird shotgun thing, and I instantly lost all feeling of suspense, because Karen is just another stupid baddie after all. And don’t worry about where the bullet went, because if it is really a shotgun it would be loaded with pellets that scatter. If Karen had succeeded in killing Lee here, there would have been no point in the plastic surgery, would there? Oh, wait, I’d forgotten she used her Amanda-looks to kill the other two agents, but all they do is make the plot weaker still. If she’s not using the same M.O. (And she can’t, because it wouldn’t work with Lee) why bother to establish it?
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Keeping that part of script would have been great. I always wished that Amanda would have met Dean when she was out with Lee sometime, either on a case or on a date 🙂
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I’m gonna’ add something about the duct tape. Here they actually have contests to see who can make prom attire out of duct tape. There are so many designs and colors now it’s amazing. We had an 8th grade girl create a dress out of duct tape for an art project a couple of years ago. It was awesome. Silly me and I’ve only been using it to tape stuff together. Who knew it would become its own little industry?
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I have a son who made a Renaissance costume that he made entirely out of duct tape to our local Renn Faire. Shoes included. Everyone in our dance school uses bags that he has made for them out of duct tape as well. It is great stuff.
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Evil clowns?! Duct tape?!? AA really a teenage boy??!?! Love letters from (yawn) Dean?!?!?! Forget the rabbit hole, we have all fallen through some wormhole into another dimension that physicists never mention, SMKLAND! OMG, well, you don’t have to worry Jestress, you must have standards coz you are here with the rest of us! 😉
And I am soooooo with you iswod when you said, “And once she (AA) saw Lee didn’t get hit – why not run over there?? and scream Lee are you alright?? Hold me!!![Heck, you’d give it a go wouldn’t you??!! I know I sure would!! ] ” I would!!! Pleazzze let meeeeee!!! Oh dear, I think I am a bit delirious, must get some sleep and forget Lee was wearing makeup.
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Rofl! Yes Jule I’m with you.. It’s hilarious how many directions discussing smk can go in 🙂 I’m loving being in smkland with you all
Good call Jule.. yeah Jestress you have good taste- you are hangin with us! Gosh Jule, hope you didn’t have nightmares about Lee’s false lashes 😉
You liked the script Morley? Me too! they should have cut the trailblazer’s meeting in half.. it’s like they ran out of time and had to cut.. but I’ll bring this up again when this omission plays out again soon.. Oh no I still think we can see how well Lee really does know Amanda – the slip up doesn’t give up the whole gig at all. you’ll see what I mean in the next post- so feel free to disagree!
Yes Jestress! Karen was trying really hard to be perky and happy! Almost too compliant! Which.. I think will get her into trouble!:) Stay tuned!!!!.. Lol sorry I can’t cover these eps faster! haa! KJ does a fantastic job!
Argh KC! did I say that in my comments last night?? or did I delete them?? the old – ‘she had to do it this way or we wouldn’t have an episode argument’ – nooooo!!! 😉 tee hee!
well yes KC there is that.. but there is also some plot explanation and logic that can be done.. LOL! the script seemed to be much more logically put together than the final product.. I’d say last minute changes were made and the consequences weren’t thought through.. but whatever! rofl.. yes the tape job is pretty funny isn’t it! you can just imagine how it would have coped with the kickback from the shottie! very true KC! haaa.. Amanda should probably have a big gunshot hole in her ceiling!
Parrot noise?? there’s a parrot noise? noooo!! I’ll go look!! haaaa
Yes a lot of dishes! though I found it ironic that she did actually pile them up in the sink..
You think Lee is worried Amanda has gone Loopy? I don’t see that at all.. hang in there for the next scene and then maybe we can come back to this thought! If you have an idea for putting DOA before this ep I’m all ears.. but I think we find out stuff in the next scene that says Lee didn’t think that.. soooo we’ll see.. and I’ll hold that thought!
Haa that’s very true Valerie.. Karen couldn’t eat so much and stay tiny ( but then again she was originally a teenage boy wasn’t she?? Morley’s comments suggested it haaaaa!) yes I wondered where the hard liquor came from but I guess they must have had some for guests.. Maybe Dr Bain liked a stiff drink..
Yes exactly Valerie! the front door suggestion was a big red flag.. and Lee sees it- as we find out in the next scene.. I think..
Glad it wasn’t just me swooning Valerie!
So funny! I can never guess what we will end up talking about! I thought there’d be lots of comments on swoony Lee but nooo we are talking about teenage boys, freaky clowns.. transvestite Lee.. too funny! 😆
Ahh yep..KC, I’ll hold off on commenting on this idea that DOA is before this ep till we are further into the episode – if I forget to come back to it please remind me!!
Awh!!! the Neverending use of Duct tape by smart people was a running gag on Burn Notice!!! I’ll miss Burn Notice!!! the Line was ‘ Duct Tape makes people smart’
I had a look at the letter.. yeah can’t get a clear pic of it..
BJO!!!!!! are you out there??
I don’t suppose you could have a little go with your magically clear caps ?? taking a pic of it on the table??
Orrrr anyone know someone who works at NASA?? Maybe they can make it clearer for us! 😉 tee heee
Nice try KC!! very weird cartoony version!
I’m with Jestress it does look like ‘All my love, Dean’! you can make out the outline but not the actual words.. Dean seems to have a very flowing, fine hand.. not very masculine looking! ahem..
Jestress, Iwsod likes people who speak of themselves in the third person.. LOL!
ROFL! Maybe that should have been the name of the blog.. the smk rabbit hole!!! Smile
Hey! as an Aussie.. I would pronounce it ‘ Nuke-Lee- ah’ !!! [ Yep!! there’s a Lee in there!!! whahahaaaaaa!]
byeeee! Iwsod
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Iwsod–yes, there’s a parrot noise (or crow/raven–something squawky) as Lee is walking up the path to the door… Seriously–am I the only one who hears it?!? (BJo did you ever hear it when I gave you the time tags?) 😦 I hear it in most episodes… Burn Out is especially bad in the lake/pond scene… you know… where Lee has to prove himself… it’s all throughout that scene!
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Yes, KC – I do hear it! There are several bird sounds in that episode. I live in the woods and hear birds all the time so sometimes I think I’m just hearing the birds in my backyard and not on SMK. That plus I have stinky hearing – my kids and husband think I need to go to the ear Dr. Actually, I’m usually just intently focused on listening for Lee’s mesmerizing voice… that’s why I don’t go to the ear Dr. I can hear Lee just fine. 🙂
I’m sorry if I never posted a reply comment about the bird sounds before – can’t believe I didn’t 😦 I did go listen to BOut and you are right – that scene where Lee “shoots” Amanda is loaded with bird sounds!
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Yep, I can hear BB’s voice from anywhere in the house, even several rooms away. 🙂
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Hey Jule – just read your comment….seems both you and I have been deeply affected by this scene….wormhole, rabbit hole, heck – it’s a big hole and I am down there with ya! Crap, I forgot to bring the chocolate and my fuzzy slippers. Next time I’m going to have them at my side before I read an iwsod post.
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Don’t worry, I got ’em, along with the marshmallows. Hmmmm, me thinks we need a good bottle of Beaujolais ( okay, honestly don’t know if that’s red or white wine, but Lee knows so he can bring it 🙂 )
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I believe it is a red and I am so glad. Red wine chocolate and SMK!!! Perfect!
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Yep, can’t get more perfecter than that!! 😉
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I’ll bring my own white wine to the party ‘cos red gives me migraines. I’ll even share. 😉
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Do we dare bring any skobunky to try??? We are down the rabbit hole after all!
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Chocolate chip biscuits (cookies) for everyone! Even though my rabbit hole doesn’t seem to meet up with anyone else’s rabbit hole, at least I have a trap door into the psych ward and I know there were a few of us hanging there…
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Is the letter on the coffee table (when Lee looks at the cigarettes and drink) signed “Dean”? I can’t quite see it, but that could be a capital “D”. Wonder how soon the script was changed and whether they did film the extended Gordon/Karen conversation . . .
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It looks to me like it’s signed “All my love, Dean.” It’s kind of fuzzy, though, so I can’t be sure.
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I wonder if we could enlarge the photo… have I been watching spy shows for too long? Um where is that rabbit hole? Ooops, maybe I found it…
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I was being strong… not giving in to temptation… focusing instead on ties… but Morley got me with the rabbit hole comment! Dangnabbit. After playing around with GIMP for waaay too long, I gave up and concluded that:
* even the DVD resolution sucks 😀
* it says “All my love”
* and it’s signed by either:
Dean with a D that drops a lot lower on the line than the rest of his name, or
James (Delano?!?!?) or Jamie
The edge detection filters resulted in some cool “cartoonish” versions that were helpful… http://i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a578/KMW71/SMK/S2E17_Letter_SharpenEdgeDetect_zpsd6855f72.jpg
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Hey KC – loved the cartoonish version – think it helps to see the “D” at the beginning. After my analysis, I do think it could say All my love, Dean. Here is my screen cap, iwsod, but since the original picture isn’t that clear, I can’t make it clearer. Enlarging just makes it fuzzier.
What makes even less sense to me is the address on the envelope underneath the letter from “Dean”. If you look at the shape of the letters, I don’t see how you could make a case for it being addressed to anyone who lives at the house. The name is too long to be West or King and the letter shapes are all wrong. I wonder which crew member brought their mail in that day to be used as props!!!
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I’d dearly love to be able to read the rest of the letter, too. I wonder if they actually wrote something that made sense or if it’s just very neatly written gibberish. It’s just like with that guy who was speaking Chinese at Lee’s fake funeral in Remembrance of Things Past. I keep wondering if he’s actually saying stuff that makes sense or just babbling.
Personally, I like to think that he’s telling some funny/embarrassing story about Lee in the most serious voice he can. That’s probably what I’d do if I were him. (ex. “And so, with a heavy heart, I must say goodbye to Lee Stetson, the man who once rode a motorcycle up the grand staircase of the fanciest hotel in Beijing. How he managed that sharp right turn on the second floor, I’ll never know. Lee Stetson, you still owe me $5 for the drink you had before you did that . . .”) 😀
I may end up making up stuff to put in Dean’s letter, too. Maybe he’s explaining the romance of naming a hurricane after Amanda. 😛
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That’s too funny Jestress! And I think Dean’s letter to Amanda is a great idea for a fanfic – or a short, whatever they’re called! Too bad I’m not a writer. What would it say! Does Dean notice the changes in Amanda? I think he senses he’s on the way out.
I just watched ROTP the other day and I had to laugh because I do think the Chinese agent is speaking total gibberish. And the last few words he says(if you don’t listen toooo closely) I swear sound like, “woman Don Juan”…Bwahahahaha!
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Actually, “woman Don Juan” does sound like it could be about Lee, when you think about it. 😉
I write SMK fanfics on fanfiction.net (also under the name Jestress), although I haven’t posted anything new for a couple of months because I’ve been working on a couple of stories for Halloween. I’m just about done, so I decided to take a stab at Dean’s letter. I was going for “so bad it’s good,” but I think I ended up with something that’s “so bad it’s horrible.” Weather puns! Tell me what you think:
My Dear Amanda,
You brighten my life like sunshine on a cloudy day. The day I met you, you took my heart by storm, which is why I’ve arranged a special surprise for you. I’ve managed to convince the weather bureau to name the next major hurricane after you.
When they asked for my input on possible names, yours was the only one I could think of. No other names sounded as good! Most importantly, I knew that if they agreed to Hurricane Amanda, I would be able to say your name frequently on the air every day for weeks after it hit.
Now, I’m told that there may be a hurricane sometime in mid-February. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful present if it occurred on Valentine’s Day? You and I could cozy up in front of the tv with a nice bottle of wine and watch the weather reports together. I’d give you a kiss every time they said your name. Will you be my Valentine and weather the storm with me?
All my love,
Dean
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Oh that’s so very wonderfully barf-worthy of Dean! Jule loves it. Jule is now going to go in search of your stories. Yes, Jestress, publish it!
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I love this!
Really what would the guy write? she ended it (we suppose) about a year earlier. I wouldn’t be surprised that he would think that if he could just get a hurricane named after her finally it would capture her heart, fan her flames? what did Dotty say? Maybe he saw her with Lee and is telling her how much he thinks that guy isn’t for her…oh, oh… wasn’t he supposed to run into her at one of those parties..? What sort of love triangle were the powers that be thinking of? I assume wise KJ nixed that one.
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Is this what you’re thinking of Morley? In SBTBells, after telling Amanda that she thinks she knows what Amanda finds ‘most resistable’ about Dean (oh, purleeeease!), Dotty says, “Amanda, I have known you since you were teensy (ROFL! Good one Dotty – you are after all only her mother!!). I know when your fires are fanned!” At least that’s what I think she says. I haven’t checked the script over on Petra’s website. Then Dotty launches into the bit about naming the next hurricane after Amanda – just like in Jestress’ letter. Hoo haa!!!
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Yup fanned fires, a good hurricane will do it every time, right?
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Really? You write fanfics? I’ll have to check some out! Actually, your handle does seem a little familiar…perhaps I’ve read some already. Cool! This letter of yours is very cute – shows Dean’s playful side that Dotty says he has in SBTBells. Yeah, right. I find it hard to believe, Mr. Bookends. Just sayin’ I’m so glad this show is called Scarecrow and Mrs. King instead of Weatherman and Mrs. King. So glad the original Amanda/Dean marriage thing went kaput before the show was aired!!!
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Great letter! You know, Dean seems to be such a taker. Amanda has to give him a massage, take him to the train station, wait around for him to call, have a nice supper ready when he visits. Lee learns to be a giver as well as a taker, and Amanda learns to draw the line and not allow herself to be used as a doormat.
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Excellent point happycampero! Women of my generation (yep, KJs) were given mixed messages, i.e. get a job, have a career, but not too much of one, be nice to everyone, be assertive, but not tooooo much. Glad to see Amanda’s character evolve along with Lee’s.
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ROFL 🙂
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Oh my gosh!! I thought I recognized the name. I love your story, “The Candle Flame.” Awesome!
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I second that! Your stories are beautifully written Jestress!
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Thank you! (Jestress bows.)
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Haha…that’s a great explaination about what thst guy said at Lee’s funeral.
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One of us must know someone who knows Chinese. I have a friend in Taiwan who speaks Chinese… I wonder how I could send him a clip? Or couldn’t a computer translate it. It would be fun…
The producers of the LOTR movies put tons of detail into everything they did for those movies, even if the audience never even really could see some of it. I don’t think the producers of SMK went to that level, but it still makes me wonder. An actor has to create some sort of back story, maybe that letter could give us a clue.
I think I missed my calling, I should have worked for the agency in codes and cyphers or something…
Where is the wine? 😉
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Someday, I’ll get up the nerve to ask one of our Chinese friends what that guy is saying. “Hey, Friend, would you come over and watch a clip from a 30-yr-old TV show and tell what this guy at the funeral is saying? Don’t worry, it’s not really a funeral because the really cute hero guy is only pretending to be dead so he can investigate the crazy bad guy who’s trying to kill him.” Of course, then they’ll know that I’m insane, especially when I start talking about JWWM. 🙂 And what if he really is saying something completely absurd??
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Just give them the red pill (from Matrix) and invite your friend to go down the rabbit hole with you…
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My husband is Taiwanese and a good sport. I asked him to listen to it and he said they are real words but definitely not a native speaker and the tone and vocabulary is so bad, he can’t really strong it together to make it make sense.
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String, not strong 🤦🏻♀️
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We thank your husband for his sacrifice. 😛
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I mentioned it over on the 3/- thread, but I wonder about the episode order of this and Delirious on Arrival where Amanda is daft and un-Amanda-like ‘cos she’s drugged… If DOA had been intended to be before this, Lee might be more likely to wonder whether she’s drugged (but why she’d rig a shotgun on her banister…???…)…
(shrugs)
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I agree with you, iwsod, about the plot holes. Some of this seems to be all over the place. And every time I see this I wonder just how long she was there. The sink is a mess and so is the stove. How much can one small woman eat? If she ate like that all the time she wouldn’t look like Amanda for too long. I never noticed if Amanda or Dotty kept hard liquor in the house. I know that Dotty would have some Galiano in her milk and there was probably wine, but the hard stuff? And this anti-Amanda must be a chain smoker. The door left open was also so pretty stupid. Again, if they were watching Lee and Amanda that closely they would know he rarely, if ever uses the front door. Big, gaping holes here.
But I do love Lee’s anxiousness as he realizes something is truly not right in the King household. I’m loving how concerned he looks. Swoon alert!!
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As far as the mess, I can leave the house for an hour and my teenage sons can make my kitchen look like that…
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Hi All!
Hey Morley now that really is scary!! You know what that means don’t you?? It means the plastic surgery was exceptional… because before the op- Karen was a teenage boy!!!! plot twist alert!!! 😉
lol.. I’ll get back here to think through and respond to comments later – but enjoying the discussion! 🙂
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ROFL, I was going to say something like that in my comment, but it was too close to the “Lee as a transvestite” comments earlier and those gave me the heebie geebies.
Actually if Karen was a teenage boy it would explain some of her cockiness, at least in my experience. It would also explain the tape job with the rifle. My sons do everything with duct tape, including fixing holes in their pants… but that is another story.
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My 14 year old daughter is supremely confident in her judgement and abilities and also uses tape on everything. 😉
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I think you are on to something here, Morley – AA used to be a teenage boy!!! It makes perfect sense!
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Ha hah! The bit left out from the script is classic… too bad we didn’t get to see it, but at least we can appreciate it via the script. 🙂
In his defense, Gordon only looks grumpily at the handset… he doesn’t do the full-on intense stare down the earpiece and in theory all the way down the wire that Lee does. 😀
Hmmmm… I’m shocked that the shotgun stayed balanced like that… the tape-job around the banister rails creates quite the pivot point! I guess it was the little bit of tension from the cord to the door, but–wait… when Lee opens the door… Oh. Never mind. We have enough bigger plot holes to worry about. That’s one of the reasons why we love SMK! 🙂
Ooohhh… they even use the d*mn parrot noise to add tension before Lee walks in the door… duh duh dummmm…
Yes, Karen really did go through an astonishing amount of dishes in the short time she was there!!! With that mess and the cigarettes and alcohol, Lee has to be thinking that he walked into an alternate universe (or that Amandas on a really bad allergy medication trip–LOL)… good thing the shotgun was there so he knows something is really wrong. :p
“Why didn’t Karen just greet Lee and get in the car with him? then pull a gun on him??” Silly Iwsod–if she’d done that, the episode would be pretty much done right there, and if she’d been successful at killing Lee, then the series would be over. That’s why she didn’t do it… she had to fail so that she could try again and we’d be left in suspense… hee hee heeeee… (Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)
Yes, I also like the tinkly theme at the end… and it’s reminding me of something but I don’t know what. Evil clowns, or psychopaths, or something. Maybe it’ll come to me…
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I think Anti-Amanda’s phone conversation with Lee kind of shows what we were talking about before, that you can really tell the difference between when KJ is playing Amanda and when she’s playing Karen pretending to be Amanda. The words Karen uses are alright for Amanda, but the way she says them just doesn’t have quite the same tone that Amanda uses. Somehow, it just sounds slightly off, showing that Karen doesn’t have her Amanda impersonation down quite as well as she should.
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Jestress would also like to take this opportunity to state that she is not wearing large diamonds on her clothing, like Anti-Amanda. Jestress has standards (a few, sort of), and that is not what her name comes from.
Jestress likes juggling . . . and referring to herself in the third person. 😀
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Not sure what CindyDee makes of Jestress referring to herself in the third person. CindyDee will have to ponder this and come back later. *smirk*
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This is the first time, I think, that I wish they had done what the script said…
But if they had continued on with the scene as the script played it then we wouldn’t know how well Lee really does know Amanda. Maybe that really is the plot? Wink, wink.
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