10/11 Season Two, Episode 23: Vigilante Mothers- Scarecrow and Mrs King

Sooo.. Lee’s already gone!
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Here he is!! Anyone know what building in DC this is? One good thing about the vette- in a wideshot the audience knows who’s driving that car! Smile [I’m sure for many of  you there are more good things about it than that! Winking smile ]
Back to the laundry and Jean takes the X-12 crystals out of the lab coat – whoo they’re blue!
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Poor Jean.. her big triumphant bubble here is about to hit the ground with a huge thud!
Behind her in bursts Castille being rough with Amanda.
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Jean: Amanda? Robert?2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002275508

Jean sees the gun pointed at Amanda.. uh oh..
Jean: Robert! What’re you doing?!
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002277010Castille
: I thought you might like some company.
Castille shoves Amanda into a chair..
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Jean: What is going on?
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002284517Love how Amanda is so ‘meh.. hostage again?!!’ here!!!
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Castille to Amanda: Try not to move or say anything.
Amanda: Mm-hm.
[Ah! Amanda has put her ear button back on again! drat.. I thought she may have lost one and not been able to wear these ones anymore!]
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002287721Jean is angry with Castille:  Robert, what are you doing!!
Castille flatly:
She knows too much.
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002290523Jean: About what?
Castille: The crystals.
Jean: What about the crystals? Look, we’ve proven our point, they’re
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002301034not secure. Now we call the press and-and we return them to-
Robert, we’ve won!
[See my comments on Jean below about this]
At this point, I don’t understand why Castille hasn’t just shot Amanda.. or Jean given how he quickly shot Ms Waterston in the first scene..
Castille: Want to hear a funny story? [hmm not sure I do.. and not sure this will be funny! ]
Jean: You’re scaring me. [me too Jean! this guy is freaky!]
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002311544Castille: I used to work in a laundry…to get through college.. It was my last honest job. Ha.. Didn’t pay too much.
Jean: Tell me about the crystals!
Castille: There’s a fine art to pressing…
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…Material’s got to be tight, corners down. Shove in the steam…
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002329562
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_0023325652.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002331064…The steam 2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002337070is hot…very hot…

… I like the heat.
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Interesting, I think he is talking about the crystals here – but he’s also talking about this game he’s been playing.. manipulating (pressing) women.. so they turn out the way he wants them to. It’s very hot and steamy as he uses sex to do it.. me thinks this is a metaphor- plus I think he plain gets off on the steam, the evil manipulation, the power play here.. Sicko! Winking smile
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002340073He revels in the steam a bit more.. Amanda is getting uncomfortable with the direction this is heading.. and seems Jean is too..
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_0023430762.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002344577Jean: I’ve never seen you like this.
Castille: You saw what you wanted to see. And I gave you what you wanted.
[Rubbish!]
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002350583Jean [hurt]:
What I wanted?
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002352085Castille : A little romance, a little excitement,  a little tenderness. [Ugh.. as he says ‘tenderness’ he roughly grabs her by the arms.. evil man!]
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… Women need love…and I need money. It’s been a marvellous marriage.
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Jean [crying]: How could I have loved you?
[It’s okay Jean- you didn’t know him!! awh!!]
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002371604Castille: Good question. [Jean angrily breaks out of his hold.] Where’re you going?
Jean: To call the police!
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Castille: Then Mrs King will die.
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2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_0023806132.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002382115Why doesn’t Castille just shoot Jean to stop her from leaving?  What do you make of all this?

We cut to Lee driving the vette..faster Lee!
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002389622Then back to Castille tying Amanda to a laundry rack.
Yep, time for the baddie to set up the death trap for Amanda and leave her to die- Why shoot Amanda? when you can randomly tie her up to that dry cleaning rack thingy there??!! Smile Of course! that will give Lee time to save them.. good thinking baddie! 🙂
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002395628Castille moves to untie Jean and take her somewhere else.. He grabs her for a kiss..
Castille: I’m going to miss 2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002397130you. [He pulls Jean forward and kisses her roughly. Jean struggles against him and pulls away.]
Great mouth.
What’s going on here everyone???!!!!
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002403136Castille looks back to Amanda, who has been watching them, she turns away with a look on her face.. disgusted at Castille? or feeling terribly sorry for Jean? worried for them both?  thoughts?
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Hmm maybe a combo! Or Amanda could be thinking- I’ll never look at dry-cleaning the same way again! Winking smile

Castille pushes the button on the conveyor rack and it 2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002413646slowly starts pulling Amanda forward towards the steam.
Jean desperately: You can’t leave her, you can’t leave her!
Castille: You should be more concerned where I’m going to leave you!
Castille drags Jean away to another part of the laundry
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002419652leaving Amanda to her death.. We see Amanda continues to slide forward on 2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_0024211542.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002425658the conveyor rack struggling with her ropes. Ahead of her, Amanda can see eventually the conveyor will lift her off the ground.. uh oh! Keep working on those ropes Amanda- use your teeth!
Outside Lee finally arrives, man.. was the car on a go slow or what?! He checks his gun is loaded and heads to the laundry door..
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002446680Oh LOL.. the noises Amanda makes here are funny! oh dear.. umm I don’t like to see Amanda suffer! but.. I just don’t buy it that anything bad will happen to her! 😉
Amanda: Ohhh nooo!
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[Too funny! Amanda sounds resigned. Ohh I’m going to die like this??!! It’s too funny!!! is it just me or is KJ trying not to laugh??!!! this is a bit like her trying to be scared with Travis and not laugh!]
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Outside, Lee enters the building- finally…
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whooo steamy Lee Winking smile
Lee [shouting]: Amanda?!
I love that this is all he yells- and Amanda knows it’s him from this alone!!! 🙂 awh!!
Amanda: Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Arghhhh!!!
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Lee hurries to Amanda pushing washing out of the way. He reaches Amanda.. Oh LOL sorry but to me this looks so fake it’s ridiculous. Her ropes are suddenly not tied around her wrists, she’s just wrapped them around her hands there lol! If she twists her wrists she’s free! (Maybe the ropes weren’t suppose to be in the frame)
Amanda: Aaaah!
Lee: Amanda!
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Amanda: Yeaah?!

lots of funny weird noises from Amanda here..
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_0024752082.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002478211Love Lee’s panic to get Amanda untied.. But.. she is gripping the ropes with her fingers, if she opened her fists he could get her out easily 😉 And why is she not standing up on the ground? they have her crouched down with her arms bent ROFL!!! oh whatever!
whooooo ohh now we have an orange glowing light too huh.. Hmm where did that come from?! Don’t look at the light Amanda! [Day of the triffids?!]
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Lee: Now!
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002482716Amanda: Ah, ooh, ah!
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Lots of touching..
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me like lots of touching.. (Almost a hug no?)
Watch this scene again..[while trying to blot out the distracting touching 😉 ] remember all those lab coats that were hanging up behind Amanda on this conveyor? Suddenly, once Lee has untied her- they are no longer behind Amanda! Lee and Amanda are still standing under the conveyor here.. and no more washing is heading into the steamy whatever it was that was ahead! haa! There should have been lab coats knocking Amanda up the back of the head Winking smile
Amanda:  He took Jean.  [and the crystals!]
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002488722Lee: Where?
Amanda: I don’t know.
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002491458Lee: All right. You just stay with me… Come on.
Lee takes Amanda’s hand and leads the way Smile 
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Lee and Amanda carefully search their way around the laundry, not sure where Castille is.
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Lee has his gun drawn.. what a mighty fine picture they make here! Smile
Lee: Come on.
Amanda [softly]: Lee?
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Lee: Hmm?
Amanda: Jean didn’t know what he was doing.
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Good on you Amanda.. she’s concerned for Jean, that Lee doesn’t treat her like a baddie Smile
they continue to inch forward carefully..
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the ypause a moment.. giving us the perfect photo opportunity me thinks..
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nah.. probably listening out as they just heard a tiny noise.. hoo haaa.. Amanda is staying close. Very close!
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Lee whispers: Come on.
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002515749They reach the end of the row and turn the corner.
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002520253To their right they see Robert and Jean. Amanda puts her other hand on Lee’s shoulder to get him to duck.
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2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002522088 Interesting that left handed Lee has the gun in his right hand here – so he can hold Amanda’s hand with his left.
Lee gestures to creep forward. Lee peeks down the aisle where Castille and Jean are and looks back at Amanda.
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002528261
Lee: All right, now, Amanda, you circle around…
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002529662 …to the  right and distract them. Okay?
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002532932[Wha???!!!]
Amanda [incredulously]:
You’re kidding!
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002533400Lee: No! Just go on. And keep down.
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002536202Amanda puts her hand on his knee to launch herself off in another direction.. Lucky gal.. Lee doesn’t seem to mind Winking smile
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002537137
2.23 VIGILANTE MOTHERS.avi_002537604whoo hoo!
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Lee watches her leave for a moment
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I think he is watching to allow Amanda enough time to get over to the other side and be of help.
Before they confront Castille.. I’ll stop here for the moment!! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts everyone!!! byeee!!

Iwsod’s comments:

Jean: What about the crystals? Look, we’ve proven our point, they’re not secure. Now we call the press and-and we return them to- Robert, we’ve won!
Anyone else feel incredibly sorry for Jean here? I sure do. I use to think silly silly girl! but now, I feel sorry for Jean, she took a chance on love, and trusted the wrong guy- how was she to know? Her motives were good.. and she managed to pull it off- she just chose the wrong partner Winking smile [even if I did think stealing the crystals to prove they are dangerous was silly!]

I think it’s sad because Jean seems to be a clever woman who wanted to make a difference [I guess this is the adventure part of what she is looking for]– but as this episode has been pointing out (IMHO) as a woman she is undervalued and not listened to. They don’t have the opportunity for adventure.. I think this drove her to take a chance.. and left her wide open to the manipulation of Castille.

I don’t think it’s only about love and tenderness for women. I think Jean would make a good potential agent! She didn’t make any mistake that Lee hadn’t made- falling for the wrong person (lost and found).. Or that Amanda hadn’t made- being manipulated by a guy your dating (artless dodger). Or being fooled by a baddie (Francine in The First Time!).. I actually find myself quite liking Jean this time around.. and I think Amanda does too.

Castille: I’m going to miss you.  Great mouth.
I’m thinking Castille is a sadist plain and simple. Here, this is about humiliating Jean in front of her friend..He gets off on it, and he is truly disgusting. I don’t think he has a soft spot for anyone!!!

I think this might be related to the whole housewives thing in this episode, I think Castille particularly enjoys corrupting innocent women- as he would see it.. turning them to the dark side- where he loves to reside.. and then discarding them when they are no longer useful. The guy seems to loathe wholesome women..

-whoooo I wrote the above, and then I checked the script [not thoroughly though so feel free to go for it too]..  there are a couple of lines in the script which expand on Castille and his treatment of women..
when he roughly grabs Jean and mentions ‘tenderness’ the script says:
“Amanda (in the background ) can see Jean is in trouble.
Amanda: you’ve been preying on innocent women for years.
This breaks the spell – Castille releases his grip on Jean – and slowly walks to Amanda.
Castille: Yes, and enjoying it thoroughly.”
I’ll stop quoting there..
This seems to fit with how I saw it. He especially enjoys corrupting good women through manipulation..
He probably just plain loathes goodness.
Seems they filmed the episode to be less direct about this. What do you all make of this??

I have previously not stopped and thought much about Castille, as he is disgusting, but he has some interesting dialogue, and I’m interested in what he is saying about women.

Interestingly, once Castille grabs and kisses Jean and delivers his disgusting line about a great mouth, the script says basically to put action sequence here haaaaa.. and that’s it! Smile

– Remember the first time?? when Lee was happy to dance with and charm Amanda to get the package? Hmm.. agents are not below offering a little love and tenderness to get what they want from women either. A little disconcerting.. and maybe not what the writers were aiming at here- do you think? But I think Castille takes it to a whole new level of disgusting.. He doesn’t just kiss a girl and lie to her, he manipulates her into betraying everything she is and believes in- and he gets off on it! He is truly evil. I guess for an agent it’s for ‘national security’ – but I would hope there are limits to what they would do…

-On to more pleasant thoughts.. how good was it watching Lee rescue Amanda and keep her close? very close!!!!!!

–  Lee actually asks Amanda to go around and distract the baddie!!! This is a huge moment!!! He actually lets her out of his sight and gets her to help him. Awesome!!! this is a first!!
Amanda’s ‘You’re kidding?!’ is so funny!!! and acknowledges perfectly what a change this is in Lee! Smile Great writing smk!!

Oh and then to top it all off, Amanda’s hand on Lee’s knee? these two are so comfortable in each other’s space aren’t they.. 1heart_eyes

Okay well that’s it for me.. can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!
byeee for now!!

43 thoughts on “10/11 Season Two, Episode 23: Vigilante Mothers- Scarecrow and Mrs King

  1. Did anyone notice that when Lee arrives at the laundry there is only one button undone on his shirt…but inside, rescuing Amanda, we are now treated to TWO undone buttons. What a difference a button makes in Lee’s hotness!

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  2. The steam soliloquy……IWSOD I like your suggestion that’s it’s an analogy for his manipulation of women.
    I do feel sorry for Jean. Castille saw her passion for saving the environment and used it against her. The great mouth comment I took to suggest out of the women he’s manipulated in this operation she’s the one he found the biggest turn on (if that’s not too crude a way of putting it). I does beg the question why he just doesn’t shoot Jean or Amanda, why the elaborate scheme (aside from plot device to ensure a rescue of a damsel in distress).
    Lovely to see Lee and Amanda being so close, not a case of being too close is it now. However swapping his gun to his right hand just means their backs aren’t to the camera, couldn’t have that or we would miss all the lovely goodness 😉
    I am rather proud of Lee for instructing Amanda to create a diversion, he’s seen that she can really do this and has confidence in her. Such a big moment for the two of them 🙂

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    1. Thanks Jenbo I wondered if talking about ‘steam’ meant it could get past those 80s censors!

      I’ve been thinking about why
      castille didn’t just shoot jean and Amanda like he did ms eaterston- here’s my idea:
      With ms waterston he took the crystals from her in the same location from where they were stolen- guards outside etc. he couldn’t leave ms waters ton to live or she would have been questioned when the crystals were found to be missing- and she could have talked- and Castile had no intention if meeting up with her later not even to kill her- as it could have been a trap. He killed her quick, got away clean with the crystals and could silence ms waterston easily.

      Now, with jean and Amanda, they r not at Bethesda lab- they r at a third location- so Castile has the freedom to ‘enjoy’ himself here and linger without (he thinks) imminent discovery.

      I questioned whether Castile had a soft spot for jean- with the great mouth comment- but I came to the conclusion Castile had a soft spot only for himself- it was all about humiliating wholesome jean- and heightening his own enjoyment- psychopaths have no soft spots. ( this is the psych in me drawing this conclusion) but you guys can draw your own conclusions!
      Sorry for any typos typing on my phone!

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      1. I thought he may have taken Jean with him as he realised he might need a hostage / bargaining chip if he got cornered. Having interrupted Amanda on the phone he might be thinking his get-away plan may need to be augmented with a bargaining chip.
        Still doesn’t explain for me why he chose to go stupid elaborate with his means of getting rid of Amanda, but as you say, we need our hero to come to her rescue. On this occasion I would like to have seen Amanda get herself out of the situation or, better yet, not allow Castille to tie her to the conveyer. After all, he must have had to untie her and tie her up again as initially her hands were tied behind her back when she was sitting in the chair. He can’t have got her hands above her head to tie her to the conveyer without untying her first. Castille would be at his most vulnerable once he had untied her hands from behind her back – Hello! Some agency training might have come in handy here for Amanda.

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  3. So many wonderful comments and insights about this scene! I find myself saying “yes, yes, YES!” as I read everyone’s thoughts about Lee and Amanda’s comfort with each other, their bond that lets them communicate without so many words, and the significance of the moment where Lee lets go enough to allow Amanda to take on the danger that rightly belongs with her job. (Of course, since I’m in a public place I don’t holler “yes” out loud, or people might think I was crazy or something). You can put me down for being squarely in the camp that this episode does belong as the season finale.

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    1. Tihi 🙂 your not grazy. I have this silly grin on my face when I’m reading. Have to tell my people I’m still working….

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  4. I remembered another episode where Lee told Amanda to stay close, but then he doesn’t want her that close. In TLDG, Amanda has to put up a fight not to be left alone in the car outside of the Ghost Castle. On their way up the path to the castle he tells Amanda to stay close. She puts her hands on him and he shoots her a look. Then she says, “close, but not that close.” And it is hands-off the rest of the way. Compare to this scene where they are on top of each other close, and as someone else pointed out, he even switched his gun to his right hand, so that he could hold her hand with his left. He even had her helping, instead of just waiting where she was. I went back and watched the scene from TLDG and this scene back to back for comparison. Oh how far they have come this season.

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    1. Yes, and it builds on his “stay close to me, very close” from MBF. But in that one he needed her help with the buttons, but he was also being protective. In this one he has her close and then releases her to be a partner. The ability to have someone close and yet be able to release them to operate individually is a very mature and loving thing, I think. 😉

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      1. I also think there is some symbolism here. Before it was stay close, but not that close and now it is stay close, very close. I think that not only refers to physical proximity, but also to his heart. And I think it is especially true after BO and the slap and Lee realized that he just wouldn’t be able to stand to lose Amanda. Now he is letting close to his heart and also close as a partner. Remember, from the first episode (I don’t work with partners). Now they are becoming partners in every sense!

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  5. As we near the end of fleshing this episode out, and reading all the discussion, I can’t help but believe much of the ambiguity in this episode was highly intentional, a writer’s ploy to reach different audiences on different levels and to allow them to interpret the characters in a way that is personal to them. (Sort of like the famous S4 “did they or didn’t they” ambiguity, which was artfully handled in my opinion.) If this is the case, I think they succeeded, because I believe housewives, working women, and men would all see the MSE and Jean differently, and no interpretation is incorrect … it’s just personal.

    I’m glad Castille’s quote about manipulating women was removed. We could all figure out he was a scum and a psychopath without that icky little tidbit. It’s nice (and perhaps a bit whimsical of me) to think that those responsible for producing SMK protected the show’s character through small but important changes like this. Whether it was out of love for the show or because of the censors who held high standards for shows in the 8pm family time slot…. well, I am an insuppressible optimist so I will choose to believe it was a loving touch from someone who cared very much about the show and its image and its characters.

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  6. Yes, I think Castille is supposed to come across as psychopathic. As well as being a criminal he enjoys using and abusing people (women in particular) and has no remorse or regret or sense of wrong. Creepy scene with the steam press (the “steam soliloquy”) but lends a sense of authenticity to his character. Thank goodness he didn’t just dispatch Amanda with a bullet but chose, like so many SMK baddies, to go the stupid elaborate route and tie Amanda to the conveyer into the steamer. I would have liked to see Amanda do a bit more to free herself instead of wasting energy on weird screaming.

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  7. Yay! This post covers the other minute of this episode that is worth watching…Lee and Amanda working together like real partners do!!! 😎 🙂

    Okay, Castille is just downright psycho. He is one of the creepiest SMK baddies of all time IMHO. “Great mouth.” ROFL – okay, that one is funny. Anyone reminded of Hannibal Lecter here? Just without the cannibalism?

    Love the steamy screen caps, iwsod, of Lee and Amanda together. I’m sensing an avatar when I get to this episode for stats or a future side bar picture perhaps? Love how Lee just accepts that she is there touching him and standing so close. Not like TLODG that you refer to.

    Lee: All right, now, Amanda, you circle around…
    …to the right and distract them. Okay?
    Amanda [incredulously]: You’re kidding!
    Lee: No! Just go on. And keep down.

    If this blog could play sound we’d all be hearing the Die Hard version of Ode to Joy or the Allelujah chorus. At least that’s what I’d choose to play.

    This is a Lee and Amanda first! I almost wish it wasn’t so subtle and easy to overlook if you weren’t a loyal fan of the show. I think this is such a big deal for Lee. This shows just as much growth in his character, if not more, than anything else. Or maybe it’s just a culmination of everything and why I think it is the season finale of S2 and should be after MBF. She’s done some pretty incredible things with Lee this season, and after LOTP, BO and MBF he is finally starting to show a little faith and trust in Amanda like he would a real partner. She’s demonstrated time and time again that she is very brave and willing to do anything she can to help Lee get the bad guy. I do think if Lee had had another option, he may not have told Amanda to go be a distraction for him, but he has no other option. So instead of like in SBTB where he sends her to call Billy despite the fact that he’s way outnumbered, he chooses to use her here. He knows she can do this. Heck, she did it with Frankie Columbus no problem.

    I also love that he doesn’t tell her what he’s going to do next or how to distract Castille specifically, he just tells her to go do it. Bravo, Lee!! (cue music again) I want to crawl inside Lee’s head after he got into the Cooperman house after the sprinkler scene, but after this scene is where I want to crawl inside Amanda’s.

    I’ll stop here, because I’ve got a post to put together showing Amanda’s professional growth over S1 and 2. It all leads up to this moment! I love it!

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      1. This may sound awful, but am gonna post it anyway…the first thing I did after I dropped my youngest off at his first day of pre-school was to send a text of him in his backpack with the Die Hard Ode to Joy music playing when you opened the message. I love my children dearly, but that was a good day!

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        1. That’s okay. At the end of the school year I always have some students who ask if I am going to miss them and I always tell them no. But then I clean it up, by saying that they are supposed to move on and can’t stay in my classroom forever. Occasionally, when they are really taxing me I say this is why I don’t have children and that it’s quiet at my house. They always say, “you know you love us”. I just smile and move on.

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        2. Ha ha BJo, love it! When our youngest moved out at 20 we celebrated with a big dinner and champagne. About 9:30 we heard the door close then footsteps. She walks into the den, says there’s a problem with her shower at the apartment and she just wants to use ours. And then you could see the light bulb go off, it was hysterical! She looked around at the remains of the obviously celebratory feast and was incredulous, and highly insulted, that we were celebrating! laughs hysterically at the memory with a guilty grin

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          1. Oh Jule that is too funny!!! I can just picture your daughter’s face!!!
            I think it’s really healthy you were celebrating – but oh I can just imagine your faces when you heard the footsteps coming up the path! whahaahaaa!!!

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  8. I love it that she pushes him down and he goes down with no comment. I love the exchange about the distraction. It is so noteworthy and Amanda makes note of it, but Lee acts like it is par for the course. But it really is significant. I love the way you captured his looks as he watches her leave.

    This post and the comments about Jean has reminded me of something that I wrote about a while back, about the cries of a woman’s heart: to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the Beauty of the story. I see Jean feeling those cries and falling for Castille. And the right next to her are Lee and Amanda. Maybe Amanda is a woman in the same life situation as Jean, but she is cautious. Here is a very compelling man that she works closely with and is getting to know very well. She could have just given her heart, but she hasn’t. She could have fallen for his charms early on, he did try to wow her a couple of times early on.
    My thoughts on this tie into some comments that Iwosd and BJo made on an earlier post about Amanda and Lee needing to find and recognize equality before they could really fall in love. They and both of them get the real thing and all the cries of Amanda’s heart are addressed.
    But poor Jean, she fell for a holograph. and even as I type that it makes me wonder if that is one of the reasons Amanda holds back for so long. She does not want to fall for a holograph.
    I don’t know if any of that made sense. I am trying to think coherent thoughts while watching Ice Age 3 with my 4 year old. I may be a bit confused 🙂

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    1. Have any of you seen Ica Age 3. He didn’t cut the blue wire first. I am sitting here yelling at the TV, “The blue wire, it is always the blue wire.” I am cracking myself up and no one gets it.

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    2. You mention holograph and now I can’t get Rimmer from Red Dwarf out of my head LOL
      You’ll either know what I am talking about or you won’t 😉

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  9. Obviously Castille has issues with laundry based on his bizarre ramblings about his last honest job. I’m wondering if somewhere down the line his heart was broken by someone wholesome and now he uses innocent women as a way of revenge. The man has no redeeming qualities and his pattern of behavior in getting what he wants has been to use women over and over again. Poor Jean indeed!

    It’s amazing how short these SMK episodes would be if we were editing or writing them. The ending always has to be dragged out to allow for the eventual fight scene or rescue. Maybe Castille knew that Amanda had some sort of connection to Lee based on that little car incident, and he was possibly waiting for Lee to finish him off for good. However, maybe he thought Lee was all blown up, so maybe not. Not sure why he’s prolonging the drama other than we know what needs to happen next. Maybe Castille wants to make this more dramatic than his previous jobs.

    This whole part with Lee and Amanda is my favorite of the whole episode. Lee’s yelling Amanda’s name is becoming so typical. Amazing that he would do that and possibly alert the baddie of his presence, but he just has to find Amanda so forget the consequences and forget a stealthy approach. Also great how Amanda knows it’s Lee. Yes, he does have to keep her close, none of that “go wait in the car” or “wait right here” stuff. Not after the last few episodes. He has come to value her so much.

    As evidenced by telling her to go distract Castille. Now if that is not an indication of feeling a true partnership and trust I don’t know what is. Amanda is in shock. It’s like “this is new”!! Again, another reason why this episode works after MBF, at least for me. Love their closeness. I’m especially fond of what becomes sort of a thing between them. It’s something minor and doesn’t happen all the time, but I seem to find it endearing when it does. It’s when Amanda says Lee’s name softly and he responds with a simple “hmm?” I’m so glad that he lost that brusqueness with her. It’s just something that I find kind of sweet.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Valerie, I love what you have to say here about Lee and Amanda. It’s so clear he’s come to value her and what she contributes. Yep, he is very sweet. Ha ha, no wonder she’s in a little bit of shock, “Lee’s not asking me to stay in the car? What?!”
      Maybe because I think literally but I always assumed that Castille was just your average run-of-the-mill sociopath, with good hair products as Cindy remarked 😉

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      1. Subtleties! It’s the subtleties, I tell you. They bring this relationship to life. Writers can write it, directors can direct it, but the actors have to know how to do it. KJ and BB do a fantastic job of this. Best. Show. Ever.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Yes Valerie, I love the hmm? as well. Does anyone else see the small smile on his face when Amanda tells him the Jean didn’t know? It is as if Lee knows that Amanda would be concerned for Jean and he likes that about her.

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  10. Yep, Castille is just nasty and I am so glad the tables are turned on him in Season 3. Wait — that wasn’t him, but his playwright not-so-evil twin Tony. Oh well!
    I have to admit the “steam soliloquy” gave me chills.
    I want to know what hair products the actors use in this scene because with all that steam, my hair would be flat and limp in 3 seconds flat.

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      1. No shame, Jenbo…er, um, I didn’t realize Frankie Columbus and Rostov were the same guy either until this walk. I just think it’s the mark of a great actor! At least that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it 🙂

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