Lee finds Dr Mallory –love how he gives her his badge, she looks at it with a ‘hmm!’ and moves on!
It’s 
like she’s thinking- ‘a tour’ huh!.. I should have known you don’t look like a mother for a safe environment 
Dr Mallory informs Lee ‘the c-12 crystals are gone’.. well.. ok no problem- but what about the X-12 crystals, have they been taken?? ummm Baddie already has C-12..
Ahh… seems all the X-12 crystals are gone..Uh oh! Cue intense worried close up!
[I don’t blame this actress- I think this is a script boo boo- the script gets X-12 and C-12 confused a few times!]
Back to Amanda, and she’s following the laundry truck along an evil country road looks suspiciously like the one she and Lee were driving on when his car blew up… 
Back to the labs.. Dr Mallory and Lee narrows down the thief to Fletcher.. 
ahh what a shame Lee didn’t just follow him like he was told to, he would have recognised Castille. LOL though they did already have Fletcher pegged – so why not add some special security to watch him?!
The laundry truck reaches its destination…Hey isn’t this the same street where the boat was parked in the foreground? we haven’t seen that transition shot in a long time!
Jean gets out with her dirty laundry (both literally and figuratively! )..
Amanda drives on a little further and what Luck! there just happens to be a public telephone at the warehouse and.. Amanda just happens to have change 😉
[ whooo progress! Amanda knows Billy’s direct line!] – I guess after Saved by the Bells they gave it to her. Hey did you see? Amanda had to take off her huge ear button there to use the phone haaa!
Amanda: Sir, it’s Amanda.
Billy: Amanda, where are you?
Amanda: Uh, sir, I followed Jean from the protest to- Ohhh drat.. before Amanda can tell Billy where she is, Jean’s other bit of dirty laundry pulls a gun on her and cuts her off.. argh!!
Billy: Amanda? Amanda!?????
Castille: Jean is waiting for you. The two of you can discuss laundry, or whatever it is housewives chat about.
This is an interesting bit of dialogue.. just what are the writers wanting to do with the ‘housewives’ thing here?? I’ll have a go below with this.. Open to hearing your thoughts! Is it housewives or women in general he dislikes?
Back to the lab and the guard has brought Fletcher back to Lee and Dr Mallory.. he literally swaggers in.. over compensating here me thinks… Lee confronts Fletcher with the theft.
Oookay.. Fletcher takes Dr Mallory hostage with HCL-
Fletcher: You know what this is?
[I know I’m not suppose to be laughing here.. but this is so lame.. and his face look so funny! Whoo a beaker!!! so scary!]
Lee: Why, no.
…You know what this is?
[whooo Lee has an Indiana Jones moment! haaa]
Fletcher’s face in response again- cracks me up!!!
Ohh hooo this is too funny!!
Dr Mallory: He has an unstable compound of HCL. [Unstable compound? Isn’t HCL alone enough to be worried about?? why say it’s an unstable compound?!]
Lee : I see. Hydrochloric acid.
Fletcher: Very good. You get an A in chemistry.
Whooo Lee knows it’s Hydrochloric acid.. ROFL!! Sorry.. I know 10 year olds who know that! The look on Dr Mallory’s face here just tips this over the edge for me: hilarious!!!!
I will say.. Lee is lookin mighty fine here.. ahem.. I’d give him ‘an A in chemistry’ too!!!! Oh hey BJo, I think I accidentally captured a ‘cheeky Lee’ here!
Fletcher: … Somewhat of a stand-off, though, isn’t it?
Lee: Mm, somewhat. You’re a little over your head, Leonard…aren’t you? [Over his head?! What do you expect Lee, he is an oompa loompa! ]
Fletcher tries to make a deal.. he’ll let Dr Mallory go if they let him leave.. but Lee isn’t interested.. so instead..Fletcher suddenly releases Dr Mallory and flings the acid at Lee.. Oh nooo!! Not the face!!! Phew, Lee saw this one coming.. after all Fletcher was stuck with no way out – Lee manages to avoid the acid- hooray! the face is safe!! 
What a lovely lovely face.. 
Come on.. we’re wasting time here.. just arrest the guy already.. and send him back to the Wonka factory..
Cut your loses Fletcher and put down the axe.. so stupid!
Lee points his gun at Fletcher..
Lee: Now, you put it down.. Put it down, Leonard! Don’t make me do it!
Leonard drops the axe.
Fletcher: Nothing personal.
[Ah.. so Fletcher had no ‘axe to grind’ then?! sorry couldn’t resist!!]
Lee: I’ll keep that in mind. [Remember when Dirty Harry said that to Lee at the end of OMITegernsee?! whoooo.. but here?? Lee couldn’t give two hoots about Fletcher! all he cares about is the crystals right now. ]
Love how Dr Mallory says to Fletcher she doesn’t understand.. and Fletcher responds – ‘who cares! who really cares!’ you know.. I have to agree with Fletcher here.. I really don’t care either! haaa!
After Fletcher has gone, Lee approaches Dr Mallory and asks if she is alright. Hmm a lot like how he does with Amanda.. LOL.. I guess it is good Lee is attentive to all women, so it is demonstrating he is a good man. Not just a good man with Amanda – you know? though I do prefer to see his attention toward Amanda as special
Hmmm.. well he doesn’t touch Dr Mallory.. so that’ s good!
Lee checks in with Billy.. ha we see this old exterior shot of IFF!
Lee: Billy, we got Fletcher…but we lost the crystals.
Billy: And I just got a strange phone call from Amanda, it was aborted. All she got out was something about Jean.
Lee: Did you cross reference Jean Kearsley through the computer?
[whooo that lunge from the HCL has rumpled Lee’s hair.. I prefer it like this! hehehee.. Lee’s hair looks really really good here! must be unstable compounds or something ]
Billy: Yes. It took a deep probe to do it. The only thing we came up with was that she owned Tri-County Laundry. [Deep probe? oh come on!!]
Lee: Laundry? Wait a minute, they service this lab. That’s Castille’s connection, Billy, Jean Kearsley. Wait a second, Fletcher must’ve been the inside man, slipped the crystals out in the laundry pick-up right under our nose.
Billy: Get right over there, we’re right behind you.
Lee: I’m already gone!
LOL! Just had to show Lee is already gone
Iwsod’s comments:
–Castille: Jean is waiting for you. The two of you can discuss laundry, or whatever it is housewives chat about.
Is Jean a housewife?? I’m thinking she’s a single woman with no kids.. but heck I guess she could be divorced with kids like Amanda.. I get confused over what this show classes as a ‘housewife’! I thought a wife had to have a husband.. but not according to this show.
I guess it’s best to hold off discussing this dialogue till the next post, where Castille continues his weird rants about women and housewives..and we tie up all the episode’s loose ends.. I still haven’t figured out exactly what the episode’s message is about women..(or society maybe?) but.. I’d say at the end of this post, where Lee has finally pieced together Jean’s involvement- we could say the agency overlooked Jean’s connection, and that Lee underestimated this woman, that she owned the laundry company… maybe this is about how women are overlooked, manipulated and underestimated? Hmm.. my ideas are not at all fully formed (as you can tell) maybe by the end of the episode this will have come together- Please feel free to take this chain of thought and run with it!
Okay well I’m going to stop here for the moment.. and I’ll be back to finish up this episode with the final post soon.. Any thoughts you’d like to share? anyone else laughing their head off when Fletcher decided to really go rogue? tee hee..byee for now!!
"Just walk with me.." 
Lee just sizzles in that “Do you know what this is?” moment and also the way he says “I’m already gone.” I love those moments.
I saw an interview on Youtube where BB referenced a bad incident that he didn’t want to get into regarding a high school teacher he’d had who interfered with his graduation credits. This lab scene made me wonder if this scene was meant as a slight dig in to that incident. (If so, good for him getting it in!)
I know we used hydrochloric acid in science when I was in junior high — at least we were supposed to. When I heard all the safety concerns I was too terrified and thankfully I had enough boys acting like idiots in my class to get us banned from labs and having to only do classwork so I never actually had to use any of the really scary chemicals. Why they let 12-14 year olds use something like that is beyond me.
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At the very end of this scene, look carefully and you will see water droplets on the side and back of Lee’s jacket. Methinks if they were truly HCl they would have done some damage like burning holes through the jacket…LOL.
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It’s half term here so kids at home which means I am juggling dog walking, chores, demands from kids and various other stresses. Pass me vodka, chocolate and SMK so I can de-stress.
I have to say in the arena of “housewife” my mum was a SAHM when I was growing up which was during the late 70’s/80’s and she always felt that housewives were looked down upon, like it wasn’t a “proper” job. Fair to say that theme is repeated here in this episode with references to baking a cake and talking about laundry (really?! Housewives haven’t had a lobotomy!!!!). I’d like to say things have improved some but I am not so sure. I have come across attitudes which suggest to be a stay at home parent is akin to checking in your IQ at the door 😦 anyway I go off tangent.
Confession. I had no idea what HCL was until Lee said it. I was rubbish at chemistry. And physics. Not my forte at all. Health and safety executive here would have a field day with the idea of unstable compounds in open beakers?! Think of the potential accidents 😉
I LOVE Lee’s Indiana Jones moment. Fletcher…..an axe? Really? What are you going to do swing it at the speeding bullet?
Ah I do love how convenient these random pay phones are 😉
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Love how Amanda is using her smarts here. She couldn’t get a message to Lee at the Bethesda Labs, so she calls Billy as soon as she gets to her destination. Good job!
Unstable compound of HCl??? Hardee har har. Not in that beaker buddy. Maybe I’m all wet, but I thought HCl was pretty stable. And it is very dangerous on it’s own. I think to make it unstable, you have to have it at abnormal temperature and pressure – which it clearly is not here.
Yes!!! That is Cheeky Lee, iwsod! He means business! Guess he’s not too scared of a little HCl!
ROFL!!!
LOL – I see Lee as not being attentive with Dr. Mallory here! So much so that it sticks out with me! He almost always touches any woman who he’s asking if they are alright. Is it because she is a super smart scientist? Is he afraid of lab coat contamination? I don’t know what to make of it, but he just asks and then as soon as she says yes he takes off! I don’t mind at all that he does this, it just seems so contrary to me. Maybe it’s her choice in lunchmeat.
LOL – a housewife is wife to a house, not just a man. So if you live in an apartment, can you be a housewife???
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I agree with what has been said. I think previously women had been grouped into one of two categories. They were either housewives/stay at home moms or career women. There is a contrast of the career women (Francine and Dr. Mallory) vs. the housewives (the women of MSE). Up to this point, generally, women were either one or the other. In the 80’s divorce became more prevalent and many housewives were now single and had to joint the work force. Many were like Amanda who were college educated, but gave up a career to stay home for her family. Now these women had to balance family and work. So now we have the third category of the working mothers. This is why there is a contrast between Amanda and the other women of MSE. I think the writers left out what Jean’s role was (was she a mom or just single) on purpose. The women of MSE voted Amanda the spokesperson of their group as she is the most level headed. I agree that Castille sees all women the same. And I also agree that the way Lee sees Amanda is evolving and that he is appreciating more and more the balancing act she has to perform.
There is also a tie-in to the first episode “The First Time” where Amanda met Lee at the costume party, only she didn’t know it was a costume party. One of the other women there said that her costume was great, that she came as “housewife.” I’m loving this walk, as I am seeing things come full circle and it appears that the writers were connecting some of these things between episodes.
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“It took a deep probe to do it. The only thing we came up with was that she owned Tri-County Laundry.”
By “deep probe” what Billy probably means is that Fred Fielder got out the phone book and looked up Jean and her laundry business and then bragged about what hard work it was. That’s my guess anyway. 🙂
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I love it Jestress!!! this spy lingo is hilarious isn’t it.. ownership of the laundry is a deep probe?!
I wonder if it was done on ‘whisper mode’ 😉
haaa.. love your definition of what a deep probe involves 🙂
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Sorry but I missed the deep probe comment when I watched the episode but seeing it transcribed made me snigger. A few thoughts crossed my mind about deep probes but none of them are rated PG so I will leave it there 😉
But are they really suggesting that Jean managed to hide her ownership of the laundry business? Did she set up the business in order to facilitate the theft of the crystals or just a happy accident?! Or maybe no one could be bothered to do any actual intelligence gathering? I know which one my money is on 😉
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My initial thoughts were that a “deep probe” sounded like an excruciatingly painful procedure, but thought the better of posting that comment so that I didn’t lower the tone of the dialog here. Thanks Jenbo for being my enabler! 😉 PS. Normally I rely on KC to fulfil my “enabler” role. :-O
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So, I am thinking more about the housewife/woman slant in this episode. I do think there is some comparison here between Amanda and some of the other women highlighted; Jean, Mrs. Courtney, Dr. Mallory even. I looked up the definition of “housewife” in Wikipedia and this is what it said
“A housewife is a woman whose main occupation is running or managing the family’s home—caring for and educating her children, cooking and storing food, buying goods the family needs in day to day life, cleaning and maintaining the home, making clothes for the family, etc.—and who is generally not employed outside the home.[1] Merriam Webster describes a housewife as a married woman who is in charge of her household.
The term may sometimes be used in contrast to a career woman.”
I think that last sentence may be important for this episode. I will be interested to see when the last time Amanda is referred to as a “housewife” in the show. Is it this episode? In this episode Lee gives her a new title as well as the responsibility that goes with it.
I also think there is a comparison being made between Castille and Lee, but I think we may cover that more in up coming posts.
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Oh that’s helpful thanks Morley! clears things up nicely.
Yeah I think comparing Amanda to the other mothers, and particularly to Jean is interesting. I think Jean is similar to Amanda in some ways.. but she falls for the wrong guy and winds up in all kinds of trouble.
Dr Mallory would be classified as Career woman I guess. though I wonder if part of all this is to say – why the need to classify women at all? housewife, career woman, she’s a woman.. who lives her life – why classify and put in a box and limit them by all that label denotes?? this ties into the underestimating thingy..
which is huge in Mr Brand coming up next!!! 🙂 I am guessing this episode will improve when taken as a lead in to Mr Brand – hopefully!
yeah comparing Lee and Castille will be interesting! lol.. sounds like we want to skip to the next post!
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Yes, something seems to be floating through this episode about women. I’m wondering if the reactions to this episode were as strong back when it first aired. I’m not sure how I felt about it. I’m quite sure I didn’t like the “go bake a cake” comment. That was just uncalled for. And Castille obviously has issues about his past life.
Lee’s checking to see if Dr. Mallory is all right is true to form of him being a gentleman. I think back to how he helped Francine in DOA. But he does react to Amanda differently. There is more gentleness and caring, and of course, the touching.
I like how Lee reacts to Billy saying Amanda called. He immediately wants to know if anyone checked on the brief bit of information she was able to give. He knows that Amanda’s got a good head on her shoulders and gives credence to the call. Lee knows that Amanda knows what’s up. He doesn’t downplay the call. Lee has more of a sense of urgency about it than Billy does. I mean Billy says the call was aborted and she didn’t call back. Why wouldn’t they just check out the laundry anyway? But then again, they didn’t have anyone at the lab either. Everyone must be out for another round of Goofy Golf.
Iwsod, that probably goes along with what you were saying about women being overlooked and underestimated, as Amanda certainly has been. Also, in the past Lee seems to have not had a problem with manipulating Amanda at times to get her to go along with some things or do some things. Maybe that’s another reason to see this as the finale in that all of that is about to change in the future. We are being reminded of how things used to be, but no longer will be. Just a thought.
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All great ideas! things are starting to become clearer!
I like what you say about Lee here Valerie – you’re right he is straight onto it just because Amanda said 🙂 whoo hoo!
I think Billy must have at least taken what Amanda said into consideration as (well I guessed) Billy heard Jean’s name, so then did this ‘deep probe’ rofl.. and so he was able to tell Lee about the laundry.
LOL yes that’s why there were no agents at the Lab- they were all at goofy golf 😉 haaaaa!
So true.. agents should have met Lee at the laundry and already been on their way as soon as Billy heard about Jean being the laundry owner – but! If they did that then Lee wouldn’t have his little moment where he gets to put the puzzle together.. he doesn’t look so heroic if he calls Billy and Billy says get over to Jean’s I think she’s involved – oh and some other agents are on their way there now and will probably get there before .. have already rescued Amanda and the crystals before you arrive. LOL!
Everything is starting to look like a plot contrivance- which doesn’t have to really make sense.. Oh smk!
This part of the ep doesn’t improve on closer inspection.. Hmm maybe I should just post the next part tomorrow and not wait another day?? guessing everyone’s patience with this ep and plot craters is wearing thin?
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I have noticed that in this episode there are a lot of scenes where Lee and Amanda are apart. Maybe that is why we aren’t filling up the comment section as much? But it is interesting that for an episode where they are apart a lot they are working together and relying on each other more as partners. That is a change isn’t it? We see more of this in WTAMB, don’ we. Probably why that one isn’t as much a favorite as well.
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That’s a good observation Morley.. I hadn’t thought of it that way but yeah – they are apart a lot!
I really like Mr Brand – even though Lee and Amanda are not together much in that episode (I had noticed the time apart in that ep).
I found 3 Faces of Emily to be okay- but more of a scarecrow and Mrs Farnsworth episode.. As I felt Amanda was on the outer for much of the episode.. meh..
So why do I enjoy Mr Brand so much?? I guess it’s because while Lee and Amanda are apart, we learn so much about Amanda that I love it anyway – and lol anymore discussion of that episode and how it is different to this one should hold off till we get to Mr Brand 🙂
I can understand seeing the plot craters in a show we love isn’t to many, a great way to enjoy the show 😉 I write the post and cover it, but I don’t necessarily want to spend 2 days focused on it either lol!!
Still people can go back to earlier posts and catch up – looks like lots of people have been – they just haven’t been commenting as they do it.
So don’t forget – posts never close for commenting and the conversation never ends.. eventually someone will read your comment and respond.. I certainly love to hear people’s thoughts on earlier episodes even if I don’t get to respond to them all the time 🙂
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Funny you should mention 3 Faces of Emily. I am working on my stories for AABH and I will put # faces after that so I am looking at them and BAI as a group and I am developing some interesting ideas about them, he he. I think Emily is the glue that cements Amanda and Lee together, maybe she helps them push through to the wonderful conclusion we have in BAI, not by her actual presence at the moment but because they have both gotten to know her and work together. And I think it is interesting that the Agency work gets done in Amanda’s kitchen. But maybe I should put those ideas over in the posts for that episode.
Why did you mention 3 Faces, Iwsod?
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LOL Morley! I can’t wait to hear what you come up with with those vignettes.
I mentioned 3 faces of Emily because it was an episode where I felt Lee and Amanda were not together a lot.. it was more Lee and Emily working together with Amanda accidentally becoming involved 🙂 I remember thinking I felt the episode was ‘Scarecrow and Mrs Farnsworth’ rather than Scarecrow and Mrs King.. not that I don’t love Emily and her contribution.. it was just an episode with a different vibe. Like Mr Brand is too.. but I hadn’t realised VMothers had a different vibe or how much Lee and Amanda are apart..
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Got ya. You did write that about the episode. I was just reading it the other day. I find reading your posts very helpful when thinking about the stories.
Maybe the episodes where they are apart are ones where they are highlighting the growth in each character, the tend to come right before a huge shift in each one…
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You know what.. if I keep posting every second day.. we won’t get to the end of Mr brand , and on to Over the limit until the end of March! eek!! Hmm.. maybe this is a little too slow.. maybe I’ll do a new post every day and a half.. just a little more often.. and if a post covers a part of an episode especially dense in Lee and Amanda goodness to discuss, I’ll hold off posting the next post just a little longer okay?
soo I’ve scheduled the next post to publish in about 8 hours.. bye!
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Maybe the old adage is true: Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Remember Lee’s reactions in 3 Faces…the kiss he blows to Amanda when he’s dressed up like a bum and at the end when she is pushing him to leave and he gives her that wink. Being away from each other causes more appreciation perhaps…
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OMG, Valerie! I have never ever noticed that kiss that bum Lee blows Amanda! I don’t know how I never noticed that! I guess cuz it just doesn’t look like Lee. And Amanda never reacts to it either. I wonder if she didn’t see it, or more likely if KJ didn’t see it. LOL! Great catch! You know, now that I have seen it, it seems weird that Lee would do that! It seems more like a BB thing.
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LOL! you’ve been missing out BJo! 😉
I took the kiss to be Lee teasing Amanda with his grotesque appearance.. I didn’t take it to mean too much.. plus he was on a high that he and his partner Emily had just managed to dupe the soviets!
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Yeah, I don’t take it to mean much either, it just seems out of character for Lee even in a teasing manner with Amanda. I can see him doing it to Francine though.
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“Three Faces…” was not a favourite of mine not because it was a Lee and Emily episode, but because Amanda seemed dumbed down. JMHO.
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Ditto what Morley said, iwsod. It is funny that you mention TTFOE. In my research of S1 and 2 on Amanda’s professional growth, that episode sticks out for me for Amanda and is slightly similar to this one here.
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Maybe this episode highlights how far Lee has come in his opinion of housewives, especially a certain housewife… We have come far from Francine’s comment in TFT, “I hear she knits or something.”
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hi everyone! Where’s everyone gone? it’s so quiet in here! 😉 hope you are all well!
Yeah Morley that’s a good idea.. Lee certainly knows Amanda can do more than Knit now!! 🙂
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Morley, we must be thinking the same way. I just mentioned something similar about Lee’s thoughts about Amanda.
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Interesting how knitting has always been generalised as something “nana-rish” but it has always ben hip and cool even in the 80’s there were many fibre artists creating great garments and avant garde designs and techniques. (Check out http://www.ravelry.com) Amanda’s knitted fashion felonies are the sort of knitting that most people remember and associate with their Nana. I think Aunty Lillian might be responsible for many of the shapeless, baggy sweaters and cardigans Amanda wears in S2. I thought Dotty might be too but then when I look at Dotty she is kind’ve stylely and elegant, so I now don’t think she is knitting the frumpy sweaters. Amanda wore some more stylish and fitting knitwear in S1 so maybe Dotty knitted those.
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You’re right about the confusing definition of housewives. ‘Housewife’ implies someone who stays at home and works around the house (with some community activities thrown in), not someone who runs a business. Castille seems to use the word as a general insult towards women. Boo. Hiss.
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