Back to the King home.. wow.. I’ve gotta get use to this new exterior shot!
Next thing we see is Mr Brand having tea with Dotty back at the house and they are discussing ancestors they may have in common..yadda yadda.. Henry Stuart Richard blah blah.. if someone else wants to transcribe it feel free 
From the looks of the tea tray – Dotty has gone all out! Welcoming this Englishman and relishing the excuse to get the tea set out Lots of tea sipping – and they’re not baddies! eek!
Amanda rushes into the kitchen, relieved to have found James. Amanda: Oh James! I’ve been so worr- (she realises she’s talking in 
front of her mother.. so cuts herself short.) … Ha.. we got .. a telegram.
James: Yes, I know.
…
I saw you and Lee…
…talking about me.
[whoa!!!!! did you catch it??!!! see comments]
Amanda reacts to what James says quickly looking at Dotty, hoping James gets the hint to not talk in front of Dotty!
James responds carefully: Uh but it’s not what it seems
[funny, there are many many things in this episode that are not what they first appear to be ]
Dotty can see the conversation is being censored because of her presence now.. drat.. no more to find out here Dotty! LOL..
Dotty picks up the fancy tray set and begins to exit saying: I think I’ll take the boys some tea. ha haaa..
Amanda laughs like oh yes! Nothing interesting is going 
on here! As Dotty passes Amanda, she notices Amanda’s pyjamas are dirty..
Dotty: 
Amanda dear, why don’t you invest in a nice pair of overalls for work?!
[she sooo knows Amanda is keeping secrets! ]
Amanda humours Dotty.. as she leaves them.
James states he is sure Dobbs had the telegram sent to discredit him. Anyone with half a brain would have guessed that by now James sees the telegram and the attempt on his life as encouragement ‘It means we’re on the right track.’ – go James! He isn’t going to back down. these setbacks just make him more determined..
James asks Amanda if she believes him or thinks he is crazy… She says she believes him and he’s not crazy..
With that all cleared up, James is in a hurry to get back on the case!
James: ah good. Smashing. Smashing! Come on. No time to lose. [Gosh, suddenly James reminds me of Lee hurrying Amanda..]
They rush out of the kitchen but Amanda stops him.
Amanda: uh you know James, I really can’t go anywhere like this. I’ve gotta change. [Oh I agree! You never should have left the house in that outfit 😉 glad you have seen the error of your ways! 😉 ]
James: Oh… (he pauses a moment).
…Don’t ever do that Amanda.
Amanda: Hmm.. uhhh excuse..
she touches him on the shoulder and rushes upstairs to get out of her 
pyjamas finally! 
James smiles.. he’s had a threat on his life, his reputation is in tatters, but he is on the case, he has a lead and Amanda believes him
On they go to stake out Dobbs. Parked on the roadside 
in James’ car, James explains when he left the agency he picked up Clayton-Dobbs outside the British Embassy and tailed him to a Hungarian restaurant where he met with Krulnikov again.. in daylight?? ugh.. so stupid..
James taped their conversation with a czech made tape recorder but.. drat.. it’s not working haaaa.. or did he just wipe it? LOL! Love how he just brushes it off ‘bloody foreigners!’ when he was just saying it was the 
latest technology.. he’s shameless
oh well anyway.. at least he heard what they were talking about, even if he can’t play it to someone else. I’ll pick up transcribing this scene from here.
James: long story short. Clayton-Dobbs went on and on about uh intercepting tankers and press runs and shipments of worthless money.
Amanda recaps: Intercepting tankers, press runs and worthless money. What does it all mean?
James: ha ha! well, that’s the $18 billion question isn’t it eh? ha ha!
And the coal miner’s son is sitting on all the answers.
Amanda: James you know 
the whole agency is looking for you. I’m probably risking my job. You’ve gotta let me make a phone call.
James: Amanda. you trust me. Uh perhaps Lee does as well. But Mr Melrose- (he shakes his head)
Amanda: Probably thinks you’re nuttier than a fruitcake.
James: yes exactly. Well, 
you see, …I need time to prove him wrong, until tonight.
Amanda: okay. But just until tonight. And I’m 
gonna keep my eye on you every second all right? Because somebody’s gotta be responsible for you haa James Brand!
James looks at Amanda warmly.
James: I have a confession or two.
Amanda turns to look at him. uh oh what??!!
James: My name’s not really Brand….It’s Pott…
…James Clarence Pott. I changed it to Brand.
Amanda: you changed it to Brand.
James: Yes. I saw those movies too. and read the 
books. suddenly James 
Clarence Pott from Claxton commons seemed so ordinary…
The camera cuts to Amanda here and we see her response to James’ honesty (IMHO): Acceptance and affirmation!
James continues: And I always wanted to be soooo extraordinary. 
Amanda: ahh you must have broken your poor father’s heart.
James: no no I I.. I haven’t ever told him.
James looks over and sees Dobbs getting into a taxi..
It’s time for them to move on…They follow the taxi.. but I’ll finish up here for the moment
Iwsod’s comments:
-Ancestry.
So what do you all make of Dotty’s constructing the family tree and this discussion with James about common ancestors? What were the writers trying to get at?
Hmm.. I’ll have a guess, though really I don’t know!
It could it be about James knowing who he is. Interesting to hear him discuss his lineage when he has been determined to be like James Bond, another person, as much as he can. This could also be related to James’ confession that he hasn’t been using his real family name. Amanda even says he must have broken his father’s heart. In a sense, he has been forsaking all his ancestors and who he is, in hopes of becoming like James Bond. Which he comes to realise is no healthy way to live.
-‘Lee’
Huge!!!!! James mentions the name ‘Lee’ in front of Dotty!!!Dotty can see this is a private conversation so she offers to leave them to it.. but.. she must have heard Lee’s name mentioned – and she has chosen to store that one away for future reference.. Amanda reacts so touchy to this name being mentioned – Dotty couldn’t help but notice. funny, I’d forgotten about this!haaaa! Dotty decides to take the boys some tea – only.. I don’t think the boys drink tea!!! haaa!
– James is so happy after talking to Amanda in her kitchen. She has given him the support he needed, the confidence to continue to pursue Dobbs. what do you make of James’ remark to Amanda to never change? It’s quite awkward.. but sweet and sincere – which I think is perfect for James. I believe he means it. He appreciates Amanda the way she is – from the start he has seen Amanda is someone he can trust and count on – he chose his friend well. I love that it’s not too smooth how he expresses it
-How could James go find Clayton-Dobbs “when he left the agency”? After the agency Amanda gave him a lift back to his hotel where the attempt was made on his life. or if it was the day before, they went from the agency to Munson’s.. nope.. this doesn’t make sense to me.. anyone? Honestly.. I think the script editor (who shall remain nameless, collects his pay check and then heads off for goofy golf!)
-James and Amanda seem to have a pretty clear view of where everyone stands huh.. Billy thinks James is nuttier than a fruitcake.. tee hee.. I love how Amanda says this
-Somebody’s gotta be responsible for James Brand.
Isn’t Amanda wonderful to be looking out for James like this. I love the look James gives Amanda here when she says this. It’s like his mask has come off. he is no longer the stuffy James Bond wannabee. He’s himself and very grateful for Amanda’s support and trust.
-So here finally we see that James has made huge progress with letting go of his James Bond fantasy and accepting himself for who he is. He is enough. He doesn’t have to be James Bond.
What do you all think of this? I think it’s a huge moment for him in the car, confessing the name change, and why he changed it to Amanda. I think he confessed because he wanted to be real, and he knew he was safe with Amanda. She accepted him, and liked him – even if he was a bit strange.. because everyone is a bit strange. He’d heard her defend him to Lee.. she’s been exactly the encouragement he needed to go for it, see this case through, let go of James Bond in preference for the true reality of who he really is.
Between sneaking off from the hotel and waiting for Amanda at her home, James must have considered running. Giving up and putting it all behind him. He had a lot against him. But he didn’t. He chose to stay and fight. He chose to fight while letting go of the James Bond mask he tried to hide behind or used as a crutch maybe– I think this is very courageous of him. A defining moment for the character.. so I have a soft spot for James..
Through his own courage, I think James ends up encouraging Amanda to be herself and step up in her job more.. their relationship has benefits for Amanda too! they are both kindred spirits persisting to make a place in the world. It’s all really interesting.. and I remember my favourite line from James to Amanda is yet to come I’m loving the opportunity to explore these characters more through this episode’s events.
-BTW James’ delivery of how he hasn’t told his father? I think this is the funniest line of the episode! Well, he was very deluded for a while there.. of course he hasn’t told his father.. you don’t discuss your delusions!! it’s just not done! whahwhaahaa.. I have no idea if this would have tickled anyone else.. but it’s done in such a blasé way that it’s delivery is just brilliant. I do believe James becomes less annoying and much more likeable as this episode progresses. I hope you are enjoying his transformation too
-Finally.. Lee thinks James is strange because he wears the mask of ‘James Bond’ – when Lee himself tends to wear a mask to cope with his work and protect himself too.. both men know they can let their mask down with Amanda- and they are accepted and safe awh!!!
Okay well this is a big one so much stop now! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Lots of big themes this week! byeee !!
"Just walk with me.." 
I also love the “never change” line. Give me awkward and sincere over polished and flattering any day.
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Hi iwsod! Finally, some time to get back to WTAMB. I’m looking forward to your OTL posts, so I’ve got to get Mr. Brand out of the way! Even though he is a very lovely chap.
“Don’t ever do that, Amanda.” Aww, very sweet, but a little too much in my book. Even Amanda is not sure what to make of it. Awkward! But still very sweet. And the whole finest technology/Czech made thing is too much too.
Love how Amanda handles James here. She is so good at making him feel okay to share a secret. He must know that she won’t ridicule him like the others would. I love that about her. It is a trait worth emulating.
I have no idea why they did what they did about the ancestry, other than to show that Dotty was excited about her English roots. This was 1984 or 85? I think at that point the world was still in love with the idea of Charles and Diana and their seemingly fairytale life. Wasn’t Dotty watching a recording of the wedding at the beginning of the show?
The boys should drink tea! Tea is my favorite. I’ll pick it over coffee 99/100 times. Milk and sugar please. In fact, I’m having my morning cuppa right now 😉 🙂
I think Dotty is so over the moon excited about having a true Englishman in her house that she forgets hearing Lee’s name. Really, I do.
Iwsod – love how you talk about having a soft spot for James. I think I do too and can overlook the annoying bits. He is kind-hearted, smart and persistent. I like those qualities in a person. Everyone stumbles now and again, so the fact that James has such good character despite trying to be something or someone he’s not, is appealing and makes me have a soft spot for him too. Without his ‘reveal’ to Amanda of his secret, I’d like him much less, I think.
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I realize that I never commented on that line, that “never change” line. I love that one. I am just starting to work on Car Wars for my stories and I was thinking as I watched it how naïve Amanda was at that stage and yet she had already lobbied with Lee for the position of partner (I watched Car Wars right after BAI), she was in the Agency now and there she was being completely naïve about moving vehicle accidents and drugs etc. And I was thinking that right around there would have begun the time when Amanda might have thought about reinventing herself leading up to the hair don’t and wardrobe make under. But here James tells her to never change and I think that is a bit of affirmation that she needed to hear. And I think it is wonderful that it comes from James who is on the same journey (al beit exaggerated). And I think she needs to know that Amanda King should never change and be sure of that herself in order to get through what is coming up and hold her ground and stay that great, brave woman that Lee ultimately needs in every part of his life.
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You know what went through my mind during this scene……does Dotty drink her tea with or without milk!!!!! You have to have milk, it just isn’t tea otherwise. And I prefer a very large mug, china cups are nice an all but you the second cup NEVER tastes as good as the first 😉 not much of a fan of herbal teas, give me caffeine any day 😉
Anyway Dotty is uncharacteristically quiet when Lee is mention, most unlike her but I adore the dig she gives Amanda about her clothes. Just a lovely way of saying “I am not stupid Amanda I SEE things” LOL
James makes a huge step admitting his insecurities. He IS Walter Mitty! I do feel sorry for him in the sense that he doesn’t feel good enough. Good on Amanda for bringing out the best in him 🙂 she does it with most people (except Francine maybe 😉 ). It’s a lovely moment of acceptance and sharing between them. Thanks IWSOD if it wasn’t for your walk through I don’t think I would have appreciated this quite so much without it 😀
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I’m with you, Jenbo! Tea without milk isn’t tea. Herbal tea isn’t in my cupboards either. And a mug IS a must. Why is it that the second cup never tastes as good as the first? In fact, why is the first sip the best sip? I swear, every morning, I just sigh and can feel like I can gear up for my day after that first wonderful sip of tea.
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I like espresso black coffee but with tea I always have soy milk (no cow juice for me). But I do much prefer to drink tea out of a tea cup. At the office we just have mugs and it just feels so….well, “uncouth” is the only word I can think of, to drink tea out of a mug. I think it’s just me, no one else seems to mind having tea in a mug these days. 🙂
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Considering I often drink wine out of a mug, I don’t think it strange if people drink tea out of a mug. (I drink my tea clear, btw — no milk, no sugar. I think my milk mixed with anything else aversion came from visiting my grandma who would mix Pepsi and milk together for us to drink. EWWWWWW! She called it a brown cow.)
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Wine in a mug??!!!!! 😯 I can’t even process that. That image will haunt me all day…
la,la,la,la,la,lah….Gone to my happy place where tea is sipped from a cup and wine from a stemmed glass.
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3 rambunctious kids = a LOT of broken stemware. A gal’s gotta be able to improvise. just call me the female MacGyver!
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I’ve tried the milk and Pepsi concoction because Laverne used to drink it all the time on the Laverne and Shirley show, which I watched quite a bit. I thought there must have been something tasty about it, because it was continued bit on the show, like Laverne’s signature drink. All I can say is YUCKY, YUCKY, YUCKY, BLECH!!
Had a virtual tea party once when a friend got married. One of her showers (yes, she had more than one) was at the Drake Hotel in Chicago where they have this awesome tea room. I’ve been to several teas there. The favors consisted of a tea cup and saucer (that we had scoured all the resale shops to find) with tea and biscotti. A month from the shower we were all to have our tea and toast the bride and groom. It was a pretty cool idea.
The Drake Hotel once hosted Princess Diana and she had tea there. They were all atwitter about the Kate and William wedding and had several celebrations. Yes, I do love a good tea!
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I’ve been known to swig wine straight from the bottle. Now that IS uncouth 😉
Pepsi and milk…….that seems like a crime against beverages!!!
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So much good stuff to read from everyone. James’s comment about Lee and Dotty hearing it along with Dotty’s comment about Amanda’s attire would kind of go along with the appearance theme of this episode. Things do not appear what they seem to be in regards to what Amanda has said about her job. Dotty knows something is fishy but just files it away and comments on things from time to time. Not sure if or when she would ever connect the Lee heard here to the Lee she later knows, especially since there was the purposeful confusion of his last name, Stinson, Simpson, Stetson. She didn’t react to Melrose when she heard it again so who knows?
Just saw The Lost World: Jurassic Park again on cable the other day. Harvey Jason who plays Brand here was a big game (dinosaur) hunter in the movie. It was just so odd to see him so capable and adept after having seen this episode again. Although as this episode has moved on you see him calming down a bit. Perhaps it was Amanda’s care and influence on him. He ends up opening up to her and revealing who he really his, much the same way Lee eventually does. Their brief partnership has been of great benefit to the both of them.
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Oh gosh, gonna have to get that video out to see. Is he the one who gets it while on the john?
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This is the second movie where they are trying to capture some of the dinosaurs to take back to the U.S. He was working with that big game hunter Roland. I think his name was Arjay. He got taken out by some velociraptors.
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So, my son was the Scarecrow this weekend in a youth theater production of The Wizard of Oz. All weekend I kept my ears and eyes open for things that would scream SMK to me, but nothing really did. Well, except for the fact that they kept calling my son Scarecrow and I would take a double take each time, what was I expecting to see?
But one thing did stick out which had to do with Dorothy and it made me think a bit about this episode and Amanda and James realizing that it was ok to be themselves. It was Dorothy’s comment to the Good Witch about what she had discovered about the fact that she had the power to get back home inside of her all the time. Dorothy says, “Well, I — I think that it — that it
wasn’t enough just to want to see Uncle
Henry and Auntie Em — and it’s that — if
I ever go looking for my heart’s desire
again, I won’t look any further than my own
backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I
never really lost it to begin with! Is
that right?”
Kind of makes me think of the journey that James is on in this episode and Amanda in becoming comfortable with just being Amanda and even Lee in his long search for a home…
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Lovely quote, Morley, and one of my favorite from WOZ. I like what you’re saying here. Yes, sometimes we all can’t see what’s right in front of us because we’re too invested in looking at what’s “out there.”
Lee does that with Amanda, especially early on. He’s too busy worrying about why she can’t be an agent that he totally misses the fact that she’s already starting to be like one. Amanda does that with Lee. She’s so busy worrying about being good enough that she misses the fact that she already is good enough, and Francine doesn’t help matters in this regard.. She begins to recognize this in Brunettes, Lee doesn’t really get it until Murder Between Friends/Burn Out.
James is trying so hard to be an agent that he doesn’t realize that in investigating this issue, he’s already acting like an agent. It takes Amanda (being her lovely self) that helps him see that he’s got some potential without the “flash of JB.”
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Like your comments Iwsod about James’ courage giving Amanda the courage to step up her professionalism and confidence in her Agency work. Like James Pott from Claxton Commons, we’ve seen that Amanda King from Arlington, Virginia, has unique skills and knowledge to offer the Agency. She just needed to have that encouragement and faith in her own abilities shored up, so she has taken I think a good lesson from James’ antics – both to be herself and to have faith in her abilities despite the fact that she comes from a very ordinary background (unlike Lee).
Like your comments on how Lee has masked his true self for many years too, enabling him to do his job so effectively but stunting his emotional maturity.
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Thanks for the kind words Kiwismh! I found I was focused on what Amanda was doing for James.. and then I suddenly realised: but James actually is also helping Amanda 🙂 There’s so much more to this episode than first appears.. walking through it has been a real discovery!
Very true about those ordinary beginnings kiwismh.. James and Amanda also have this in common 🙂
Oh thanks. glad you enjoyed my observation about Lee wearing his own mask… and yet James’ artifice seems to grate on Lee! I wonder if it cuts too close to home for Lee….
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Like! kiwismh
Like! iwsod
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We used to drink tea when we were kids (i.e. under 12) but maybe it was a carry over from our recent British heritage. Not much, probably just one cup a day from memory, usually at breakfast. We weren’t allowed to drink coffee. I remember I used to want to drink it – my father had coffee made with warm milk – I think he drank it to keep him more alert when he was doing late shifts at the factory he worked at. Anyway, it smelled so nice I always wanted to know what it tasted like.
Do kids drink tea these days? Or did they even in the 1980’s in the US?
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My 15 year old drinks tea regularly. We had tea in the afternoon when I was a child in NYC, it was not a caffeinated tea though. There is such a thing as “cambric tea” that children drink which is called so because it is mostly milk and therefore white.
But I think Dotty is just excited because Amanda was spending time with a Brit and she was following her own rabbit trail… hey they have tea parties down the rabbit holes right?
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LOL yes I know a few children who drink tea.. very weak tea or herbal tea. I though she was just saying she would share the tea with the boys- because we have only ever seen the boys drink milk or hot chocolate.. we’ve seen them or hear of them drinking either of these a lot – so while it doesn’t rule out that they drink tea- I think the odds are dotty was just saying it. I just found it funny!
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My brother and I drank tea when we were kids. I think I remember being about six or seven when I had it for the first time (late 1980s), but I had a friend who drank it when she was much younger. In fact, I think I might have had it at her house for the first time. I think we mostly had herbal teas as kids because of concerns about caffeine (which actually has no effect on me whatsoever). My friend liked apple cinnamon, and my mother gave us mint tea. We never used milk or sugar or anything in it. I think a lot people here think of it as a comfort beverage. I always make it when I’m not feeling well, although I drink it other times, too. My younger cousins liked iced tea as kids, but I’m not sure if they really went for the hot tea as much.
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In my class we read 4 novels a year and I have to rotate the books every other year as I have two grades in one room. One of the years we read “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”. I always do a tea with my students as it’s mentioned a few times in the book. I try to have a variety of decaf teas and also scones. I cover their desks in tablecloths and play classical music. They love it. Turkish Delight is also mentioned in the book and I even bring some of that in so they can taste it as well. Also, every other year my young ladies host a tea for a few important women in their lives, such as mother, grandmother, etc. I usually do that in the spring and the girls pick a theme. For that it’s a little more elaborate with finger foods, pastries, etc. The last one was the most fun as the theme was “Tea Time in Paris” We had Eiffel Tower decorations, with tea lights and votive candles and of course, tea.
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Ooooh scones! Hope you had them with clotted cream and jam, a proper Devon cream tea as it’s known 🙂
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That sounds lovely, Jenbo. My bucket list (when I get to making one) will have this on there – except it’ll have to be in England, not in the US. I’m sure it will taste better over there. 😉
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When my husband and I were on our honeymoon we went to visit a castle on the north eastern coast of England. We had to walk along the shore and at the end of the walk we had tea and scones with cream and jam, yum!
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Scones? Did someone mention scones? Yum! I just might have to make some today.
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My son, now 22, drinks hot tea occasionally and has since he was in his early teens. My youngest daughter, 13, also drinks hot tea, as do I. We don’t add milk, though, just sugar.
Coming from the Southeastern US, though, we do drink a LOT of sweet iced tea. 🙂
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Hi kiwismh! I don’t remember how old I was when I started drining tea on my own, but I believe I was around Phillip and Jamie’s age or a little younger. My sister who is 8 years older than me got me hooked. She got hooked by our grandmother (her parents were British immigrants to the US). Our Gma died when I was a baby, so my older sister kept her memory alive by drinking and sharing tea with me. My kids are 8 and 11 and neither of them drink tea. They both like that southern US concoction called sweet tea. Like debilyn, we live in the southeast US as well and when you ask for tea, it comes sweet and cold. If you want it otherwise (unsweet or hot) you have to specify.
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Hmmm, this is Amanda’s other, other house – the one with the funny shaped roof and the garage which is not so close to the house. Either that or she’s been doing some serious remodelling again. 😉
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Yay! No more pajamas! So much goodness that you captured in this post, I was so focussed on the poignantly sweet exchange in the car that I missed the significance of James using Lee’s name in front of Dotty. I do wonder, as the series goes on, how much Dotty knew about Amanda’s secret life.
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I always thought that Dotty probably suspected that Amanda didn’t work for a just a normal film company, or even any film company, from about mid to late Season 2. As Season 3 goes on she must suspect that Amanda’s work has a necessarily secret element to it and this is why I think Dotty herself keep uncharacteristically quiet about it, apart from the odd strategic comment such as in this scene. Who knows what she thinks Amanda might be involved in but I think she is satisfied that it is something “above board”, e.g. maybe film or research work for the police, FBI, CIA, or some other Government organisation that needs to keep secrets. I have an AU – from my point of view, more realistic – view of when Lee would have met Dotty and the boys as Amanda’s “film company” supervisor/partner, but that’s probably better for discussion later in S3.
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kiwismh, I look forward to hearing that AU idea of yours (when the time comes of course 😉 )
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Of course, in my mind my version is not AU, it’s RU (Real Universe) 😀
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I’m curious, too. Sounds like a possible fanfic. Do you write?
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No, I don’t write. If I had more time I might but for now the ideas just get stored away.
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Oh, time? What is time?
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I vote to establish the kiwismh time warp day, so she can write some fanfic. I like that idea of yours! And RU sounds much better than AU!
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Hmmm, think if I had access to a time warp I’d forget the fanfic and transport myself immediately to my RU 1983 SMK-Land and become Amanda King. If I suddenly disappear off this blog, you’ll all know where to find me… 😉
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Thanks Cindy! 🙂
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