Amanda has offered to finish her spring cleaning without Lee, .. so next thing we find Amanda has moved on to the next organisation ‘Trans Galactic Fraternal Society of Cosmic Love’
That wasn’t what the folder label said at IFF, You’ll need to update that Amanda! 
I guess there is room for a joke with this one.. whereas ‘citizens for celestial celibacy’ isn’t going to have a sign up saying clothes are optional!
Well, Amanda enters and finds the guy who is all for Fraternal cosmic love on the phone, telling someone he doesn’t want to see his ugly face ever again teee heeee..he motions to Amanda with his hand to come into the room as he finishes up his call.
Love the look on her face when she first sees him!
Guru on phone: fine.. go ahead!!! save us all some grief.. but send me my blender first!
He hangs up- slamming the phone down and then ripping out the telephone cord- LOL!! 
We see Amanda in the background smiling rather nervously! He turns to Amanda. and gives her a good trans galactic look up and down. ick!
Guru: Now… daughter…
he rubs his hands together and gives Amanda a very non daughter look up and down again.
…how may the guru of cosmic love help you? ( LOL!)
He seems to be constantly checking out Amanda’s body as he says this.. oh dear- can you imagine if Lee had seen this?? LOL I guess with Lee there he wouldn’t have tried this on..
Poor Amanda, she’s having a tough day! Men!!! This guy simply oozes sleaze! Amanda squirms under his gaze.. um stay close to the door Amanda! A cute little joke here.. and great we don’t see anymore o
f this guy.. too much and he wouldn’t be funny!
Amanda smiles nicely and we see her get her folder out to get her job done. Good for her! Next thing we see her exiting the building. phew!
We cut to a baby in a baby carriage.. lol..the baby is not a flippin newborn.. Hmm maybe strollers/prams etc. were different back then. Amanda is at the ‘Save our Bay’ office – did anyone notice the acronym for Save our Bay is S.O.B?? rofl.. now that’s unfortunate! Or a description of O’Keefe! Amanda cuddles Mrs Elizabeth Sullivan’s baby..as Elizabeth rushes around in a hurry. [lol is that Jill walking past in the red outfit with arms full of boxes? I’ll leave it to you BJo.. I don’t want to steal your thunder 
Amanda looks very comfortable as she holds the baby and talks to Elizabeth. In walks a guy carrying boxes..
Elizabeth: Kurt are we ready to go?
Kurt: yeah that’s it Elizabeth!
He turns and uh oh – it’s the bomb maker!!! eek!!
Kurt: are we going to take the baby carriage?
Elizabeth: I think I’d better. let’s roll.
She puts the baby back in the carriage and Kurt shakes the toy and puts it in the baby carriage.
[lol and look who’s in the background?!! she snuck in honest!]
wait.. that’s the bomb! Kurt just put the bomb in the baby carriage? I hope he dies a sloooow and painful death that horrible excuse for a man!!! grrrrr…
Elizabeth doesn’t have time to answer Amanda’s questions though, so she asks Amanda to come along to the rally, and she can answer the questions on the way. Lol and Amanda, carry some boxes while you’re at it tee hee…
On to the rally, at a park down by the water.. we see Kurt is setting up the mic on the podium.
Probably very shallow of me, but Elizabeth’s dress is too ugly for words.. so glad they didn’t dress Amanda in that!!! [Yes give me Amanda’s tie any day!!]
Elizabeth explains to Amanda: It’s funny how you get into these things (Amanda would agree with that! ) four years ago Eric and I never thought beyond our fishing business you know, small family. then the big guys like transoceanic fish company brought in huge trawlers. We could barely compete. Then they stopped playing by the rules. Suddenly there was no such thing as a limit. they didn’t leave any fish in the bay for us. so… (Elizabeth takes the baby out of the carriage and gives him a smile.. Amanda smiles at him too.. he is very cute!)
… that’s why I’m here.
Amanda: well, good for you!
Yes, mothers for the safe environment would send out a big collective cheer!
Elizabeth: we have a good life. I want Transoceanic to give it back.
At this, we see a Mercedes pull up..
Elizabeth continues: and I think today, Hamilton Rawlings will make them. Here comes the big fish! haa..
rofl! good one!! love a good pun!
Elizabeth starts walking over to Rawlings.
Amanda calls to her: good luck!
Amanda walks away also.. leaving the baby carriage to be used by Kurt as he wishes.
While Elizabeth talks to Rawlings, Kurt takes the baby carriage and pushes it up the hill behind the podium.
LOL check out the crowds.. not much of a turn out!
Secretary of Management Resources, Hamilton Rawlings is introduced by Elizabeth, holding her baby. phew.. quite some suspense here as you worry that Elizabeth and the baby are going to get hurt!
It strikes me as Elizabeth is standing up there in front of everyone introducing herself, and preparing to introduce Rawlings how similar she is to Amanda. we see Amanda in the crowd clapping Elizabeth’s arrival – she’s ‘enthused’
only a few episodes ago – it was Amanda up in front of everyone championing for the environment- Amanda couldn’t help but feel a connection/kinship with Elizabeth I think.
Rawlings steps up to make his speech…
Rawlings: Thank you Mrs Sullivan. Ladies and Gentleman, I won’t lie to you. As fisherman I know that you understand the food cycle. The law of nature as it were.
It’s too funny how Kurt takes the baby carriage to the top of the hill to let it go.. [see those two people sitting there in their fold out chairs? Lol! what they didn’t notice a guy pushing a baby carriage up the hill and then letting it go?!]
Rawlings: …The big fish consume the smaller ones…. (at this everyone boos.. they think they know where he is going with this.. but they misjudge him.. He holds up his hands requesting they let him continue) …since we are a nation of laws and not the jungle, because we are a civilisation that cares what happens to our members, we must now and again pause and take stock of how we treat each other.
Gee how can we keep this suspenseful? Hmmm… Let’s make the thing zoom towards Rawlings.. it’s kinda ridiculous, why didn’t he just park it behind the stage? I mean what if it had hit a bump or something on the way? and kaboom too soon??
Rawlings continues with his final words: … in our personal relationships, in our businesses and in our government-
Anyway.. Kaboom!!!
Rawlings now isn’t! Ouchie!
We see Amanda in the crowd ducking in terror.. and others in the crowd running away..
That is a very cool looking explosion.. pretty brutal and big for smk no? and suddenly lots of very tall trees behind the podium there 😉
The sirens of fire engines sound.. the fire engines are on their way…
I think this speech of Rawlings’ is very interesting.. I think these words will play out throughout the rest of this episode in a variety of ways. They seem too well chosen.. I will look forward to discovering just what this all means as we progress. ‘taking stock of how we treat each other in personal relationships’ is definitely timely given the exchange Lee and Amanda just had.. definitely time to take stock! And.. before we see someone else taking stock.. I’ll pause here and pick up right where we left off in the next post
Any thoughts on this part of the episode you’d like to share?? Okay, bye for now!
"Just walk with me.." 
The cosmic love guru is beyond ick….and sleazy is probably a perfect term for him….I mean really, that greasy twig of hair combed forward in a curl turns my stomach….he looks lecherous…I think that the writers wanted him to look somewhat strange since he is cosmic and all…lol…but when he rubs his hands together says to her “My Daughter”, I cringe…..I think if I was Amanda I would have turned and bolted for the door immediately!
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Not just that, but did you notice the sign on the door? “Clothing optional”. I’m glad the guy opted FOR!
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GAh! stuff of nightmares ScarecrowsAngel!
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Good catch, iwsod!! Although I do wonder what “celestial celibacy” really means. Maybe you’re only allowed to have one favorite constellation or one that you “follow” or something – LOL – and clothing is optional when stargazing at your particular group of stars! And this guru is grossing me out – he is looking her up and down. The only thing missing is him rubbing his hands together and licking his chops – eew! Well, I’m glad Amanda gets to experience a real crack-pot herself! Next year for Spring Cleaning I bet she won’t offer to go back to check this guy out.
Crack, boom! I hear thunder!! Too funny – but by the time I get to doing the stats on this episode, it’ll be a surprise again that we see Jill among other things and people…. 😉 I tell ya they just keep popping up!
Ah yes, that Little House on the Prairie Dress. I’m with you, not that attractive, but seems to fit her image for the times. I do prefer Amanda’s updated 80’s look, despite that huge parachute of a skirt she’s wearing.
Kablooey! I remember watching this for the first time and thinking that I couldn’t believe what had just happened. They blew someone up on SMK right in front of our faces? They showed a large burning chunk of flesh with an obvious head on fire and falling from the sky? Err, um, excuse me while I wretch! This is incredibly gory I think for SMK. Maybe even realistic? Although I have no idea what this would look like in real life. I don’t want to know. This to me is not 8m 80’s tv.
I’m interested to see what you have to say about Rawlings’ speech, iwsod.
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Hahaha. I am glad to see I am not the only one who watched this explosion, mouth-agape, thinking that I was seeing a gruesome corpse-on-fire flying through the air. I recently transcribed this episode for Project Sandstorm, and my action description for this part of the scene originally read as follows: “Amanda and the rest of the audience duck as the podium violently explodes in an enormous, horrific ball of flame that completely consumes the entire stage, including Secretary Rawlings, and probably the Secret Service agent. Smoke, fiery debris, and a flaming dead body (seriously!) are blown high into the sky.” It seemed so un-SMK to me, but I rewatched it over and over, and I was sure that was what it was. A flaming dead body!
However, when it came time to do our family episode watch/transcript proofread, my husband and kids unanimously agreed that I was mistaken. They told me gently, “No. You are wrong. That is not a body. It is part of the blue cloth that was encircling the stage.” And upon rewatching the explosion a dozen more times, I reluctantly concluded that they were correct. It really looks like a body, but as it approaches the ground, you can see that it is some blue cloth on fire.
So ever since, I’ve been thinking there was something wrong with me for seeing a dead body where there was not one. At least I am not alone!
Or perhaps I was right the first time…
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I checked after reading these comments using slow motion and I didn’t see a body either. Thank goodness for the family hour and Kate’s strong stance on holding SMK to that!
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I didn’t say so before, but I love the names of the groups Amanda has to visit for Spring Cleaning. They remind me of the names of terrorist groups in the card game Fishing for Terrorists that a friend introduced me to (Version 2.0, by Slugfest Games). It’s like Go Fish, only you’re a government agent trying to collect sets of terrorists from different organizations like the Gun Toting Maniacs, Certified Members of the Lunatic Fringe, and Outspoken Champions of the Hidden Agenda. Both Amanda’s groups and the groups in the game sound like someone threw a bunch of random words associated with various groups into a hat and started pulling them out until they got something they liked. And the results are so funny that I completely approve! 🙂
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Oh wow! I need to find this game!
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Iwsod, what happened to our emoticons? They’re not as funky as they used to be.
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Oops I forgot to respond to this.. kiwismh I got an email a few weeks ago from wordpress saying hey everyone we’ve upgraded the emoticons so they look even better!!!
These new ones are suppose to be more expressive.. I find them weird!
Long story short? It’s a wordpress thing I don’t have any control over 🙂 and.. I agree with you sad face tee hee!
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Liking all the comments and discussions. I’m guessing the baby carriage had to be used in some way in order to discredit Elizabeth Sullivan and Save Our Bay. I wonder about the fish hung in Rawlings office and him telling his secretary to tell Mrs. Sullivan he got her message. It had to all be part of making sure as to where the blame would be placed when things blew up, literally and figuratively.
I’m also thinking that Amanda has to be somewhat relieved that Lee did let her go off by herself. I’m sure if he were still around it would have been pretty awkward and tense after that little dress discussion. She had already given in to some of her curiosity about what was going on with Lee by making the cranky statement and asking the pretty pointed question of whether or not he had a date. Working alone would give her some time to regroup and readjust and basically pull herself back together.
The guest star choices for this episode are pretty interesting. Kim Darby as was mentioned, acted with the Duke, John Wayne, one of BB’s favorites.
Just to throw little curve ball for those trying to figure a timeline as to where this episode is, season-wise. I happened to be checking the episode again and if you look on the Rebecca’s Fantasies catalog that Dotty is checking out it says ‘Our Summer Sale’. Just a little tidbit.
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Oooh, good point about the baby carriage Valerie. I guess my idea of a high powered rifle might point to a big business sponsored assassination rather than something organized by a small group of impoverished activists. The baby carriage angle makes more sense to me now.
Summer? Well spotted. But isn’t it supposed to be Spring? Or Autumn? Maybe it’s an old catalog. In my SMK world its early Spring but I think it’s supposed to be Autumn.
…oi, my head hurts trying to make sense of this… 😯
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I’m still thinking Spring as the catalog would probably come ahead of the season (Summer) so that the orders would arrive in time for the Summer.
Also, as I was pondering this a little line ran through my head as I’ve heard it quite a few times and just looked it up. It comes from a Tennyson poem entitled “Locksley Hall”. The line is this..’In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.’ There is another line in the poem…’I have hid my feelings fearing they should do me wrong.’ And one more…’Dost thou love me, weeping I have loved thee long.’ I think these kinds of thoughts would definitely give someone some insomnia. And these words definitely make me think of Lee and all his inner turmoil. So much more to come.
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So that’s what that line about “a young man’s fancy” comes from! I was thinking of that the other day, but I didn’t know what it was from! I’m not even quite sure where I heard someone talking about it, but it was caught in my head. I’ve been meaning to look it up, but you’ve saved me the trouble. Thanks! 😀
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The first thing I noticed was that big eye, especially after watching Amanda’s eyes shift around when Lee made his ridiculous comment about the dress, and watching Lee’s eyes become confused and stressed after Amanda’s reaction to the comment. So the guru of Cosmic love is watching them. And I don’t think this guru has much more of a clue about love than Lee does, actually he makes Lee look pretty normal.
What is with the “trans”s in this episode, Transoceanic, Transgalactic? So I looked up “trans” – look what I found…
trans-
Chemistry . a prefix denoting a geometric isomer having a pair of identical atoms or groups on the opposite sides of two atoms linked by a double bond. Compare cis- ( def 2 ) .
changing thoroughly? 2 atoms linked by a double bond? hmm.
I had a dress like Elizabeth’s. Laura Ashley had dresses like that in the 80’s, very popular and feminine. But next to Elizabeth Amanda is looking very professional and chic.
I bet it was very clarifying for Amanda to be with Elizabeth and her baby after the confusion she is felling with Lee. It probably helps her to reaffirm who she is as a mother and a woman who wants to be involved in meaningful work.
I do think the explosion was rather gritty for SMK, but they are beginning to transition to more realistic themes aren’t they in the next to seasons.
And Rawlings once again uses words that are very important to the relationship arc in this episode. In the first scene he mentions priorities and allies changing. Here his line about taking stock of how we treat each other in our personal relationships really does set up the tone for what is coming.
I love looking at this episode in these little pieces. There is so much good stuff in here. You know I bet the writers would love to know that there is this crazy bunch of people who are finding all the little gems they put into the show 30 years ago.
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Like your ‘trans’ info, Morley. Also agree with you regarding Rawlings speech and its connection to what’s going on in this episode. There really is some good stuff and walking through these eps the way Iwsod does allows us to find those little treasures.
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I think you hit on something here, morley: “I had a dress like Elizabeth’s. Laura Ashley had dresses like that in the 80′s, very popular and feminine. But next to Elizabeth Amanda is looking very professional and chic.” Once again I’m thinking this is at least partly a generational thing. We are seeing a contrast between two 80’s looks, one being the professional look, and the other being the “stay at home mom gets dressed up” look. While I identify more with the Amanda look, I lived them both and I like them both. My 28-year old daughter, on the other hand, would find Elizabeth’s outfit ridiculous and even demeaning in its degree of femininity.
I do agree the writers would love to know how much we appreciate all their gems. They’d probably also get a good laugh and how many “gems” we find that were not deliberately placed there!
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Ahhh, Chemistry, geometric isomers, atoms, double bonds, cis-…now you’re talkin’ my language! This I understand and can picture. Id, ego, superego, defense mechanisms, wha??? I have no idea what that all means or how to picture it or how it works. LOL! Thanks, Morley! Maybe I can think deeper into all this relationship stuff if I start applying principles from chemistry! (LOL, that should be obvious by the fact that I just wrote the word chemistry, huh? duh!) Yes, it is amazing how moving one group of atoms from the left side of the chemical backbone to the other, especially when there is a double bond involved, can really change a molecule’s properties and how it reacts with other things!
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Bjo! Rofl! All I know is you are going to be teaching my son chemistry next year! Yup, we will set up a correspondence course! I would love to hear your explanation of how you picture things in terms of chemistry, we all know Lee and Amanda have chemistry. Actually I think that switcheroo thingy you described in your last sentence kind of sounds like Rawlings speech and his line from the opening scene. Maybe that is what is happening here with Lee in this episode. See SMK is brilliant and educational!
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Of course the only explanation for the rolling baby carriage is so we could all feel that mounting feeling of drama and suspense! You mean no one else was riveted to their seat as that rolled ever-so-menacingly down the hill? 😉
I agree Amanda is lovely in these scenes. It’s nice to see her on her own ..but only in very limited doses!
I don’t know if banks still do this, but back in the 70s and 80s, if you opened a new account, you often got a free blender (or something similar) so the blender reference is implying that the Guru of Cosmic Love is going nut-zo over something as inconsequential as not receiving his free gift A little added SMK ironic humor tucked in there….
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So many great insights! so little time!
Raffie – thanks for the context on this one! I thought it was funny enough that he was so worked up over a blender – now I know it was probably a blender he got as a free gift? even funnier!!!
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Clearly the baby carriage is where The Untouchables got their inspiration from lol
I loved seeing Amanda holding the baby, because Jamie and Philip are older it was nice to see what she would have been like when the boys were really little 🙂
Going to go out on a limb here……I don’t find Elizabeth’s dress quite so ugly (although I admit the colour does nothing for her) but it’s her hair don’t that doesn’t work for me.
If Elizabeth and her husband are so strapped for cash how on earth can they afford to rent an office to run their campaign from?
The bomb in the rattle. Why did he have to sneak it in the pram so early?! These things might blown up early by accident, couldn’t he have sneaked it in later 😦
The whole bomb plot seems a bit far fetched for me. These folk are just fishermen (and women) and suddenly they are experts Semtex? Stretching my disbelief there……
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Love what we see of Amanda in these scenes.
I like that she has the stoicism and professionalism to carry on with her job despite her inner turmoil over what is happening with Lee. She’s had some clues today that he’s dating or maybe has started a steady relationship and this is clearly not sitting well with her, especially when we see her reaction to the dress conversation. But she carries on, probably still inwardly unsettled but determined to carry out her assigned tasks.
After the creepy (but hilarious) guru of cosmic love the Save Our Bay crowd must’ve seemed quite normal.
We already know Amanda has great mothering skills but again in this episode we see her blooming as she holds and helps with the baby. Amanda is clearly a natural when it comes to babies and children and she seems to relish the opportunity here to enjoy some baby time. She even makes sure the baby’s shirt is tucked in under his overalls when Elizabeth gets him out of the pram at the park.
Maybe this is good therapy for Amanda right at this time – a reminder of the important things in life and an opportunity to settle her churned up feelings and reset her perspective after the unsettling start to the day. I imagine her at this point resolving to enjoy her job today and to perhaps contemplate and lay to rest her churned up feelings around events with Lee when she gets some quiet time later in the evening.
Amanda exudes both inner and outward beauty in these scenes. Too bad lover-boy isn’t here to witness this.
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I like what you say, kiwismh, about Amanda being reminded of the important things with the baby and all. I agree, I think she has moved on after the dress conversation with Lee or at least has it firmly tucked away for now in the back of her mind.
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For some reason I was reminded of another thought I had about Amanda and her reaction to the dress conversation. I think she knows that she has know claim on Lee. She may have been hurt and upset by his insensitivity there, but she really has to let it slide. She can’t have a claim on him, she is just his friend and although maybe they have spent some time together outside of work assignments together, they really are only work friends at this point. Some time it is so hard to let go of expectations for or of a person, especially when you don’t even realize you had them in the first place. You begin to realize that you actually do have them when you recognize that they have disappointed you and then you need to let it go (I am hearing music and feeling cold wind blowing, the cold has always bothered me anyway) even though you are all of a sudden feeling a hurting sensation. I think Amanda actually felt a bit of a claim on Lee in WTAMB, even if it was only work related, but here she is being shown a limit to that claim. Maybe the word “claim” doesn’t really translate well, but I hope it makes some sense.
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Yep, like this Morley. That is kind’ve what I’ve been thinking – that despite her best efforts she had begun to feel a claim or expectation, although she has probably not spent any time at all actually consciously thinking about it. Lee has matured so much, especially since Burn Out, it is not so easy now for Amanda to see him as a man who will never fit into her life as more than just a friend.
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A lot of how I view Amanda’s reaction and whether she has a ‘claim’ on Lee is whether I place this episode before or after ‘A Lovely Little Affair’. Not jumping ahead (or behind if you go by original airdate order), if ALLA came first, then her reaction would be perfectly understandable. But a fry pan to the head should come into play (Just joking! Sort of!) because that would be really awful for Amanda. But then I think to myself — could Lee honestly be so dense to have this episode come after ALLA? And then I say to myself “Self, think of the times you thought you were on a date with a guy but weren’t and the times you made it very clear you were hanging out as friends but he was already planning your wedding.” Yes, it is possible Lee is that dense. He’s a man. I don’t know, I am still trying to make sense where exactly OTL comes into play. I think my willingness this time not be so over the top angry with Lee and excuse certain, (but not all) behaviours on cluelessness is having this episode come before ALLA. When I first saw this it was after and I was mightily ticked at our super handsome super spy and it took me much longer than Amanda to forgive him, LOL!
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Cindy, I love it! “Yes, it is possible Lee is that dense. He’s a man”…Lol..I said something similar one post back….MEN ARE SOMETIMES CLUELESS where women’s emotions are concerned.
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I like the word claim for this, Morley. And I don’t know that I think Amanda has any claim on Lee professionally or personally. Lee has a professional claim on Amanda and at times acts like he has a personal one when appears to be jealous. And I think he is aware of it. I also think he is aware that he has no ‘real’ personal claim on Amanda because I don’t think he has any reason to believe that she would want a romantic relationship with him. This shapes my view of Lee in the dress scene. But back to Amanda and her claim on Lee. I think she’s seen the same growth in Lee that we’ve seen. Personal growth and maturity, not necessarily growth in feelings for Amanda. I think she knows she’s had a hand in that. I think she may lay claim to that aspect of Lee and this apparent backsliding into tomcatting ways is causing her to be upset because it’s as if her good influence on him is not enough or faltering or something. She’s not his mother, but she is a close friend, and to watch a close friend go back to self-destructive ways after so much progress is hard. Especially when you thought they might be over. So I guess I do see Amanda as having a personal claim in that respect, but not in a romantic sense. Does any of this make sense?
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Now that I am thinking about it again, I think there is a rub for both of them here. It is that they really do have an emotional intimacy with each other, they are just both trying so hard to deny it, and yet they feel it. It is going to continue to be very confusing for both of them until they get it all out there so it can become what it needs to become. There really is a claim, it exists between them both. but it will continue to tug at them and they will continue to fight it until then. Spring cleaning indeed, they need a bit of that in their emotional lives don’t they?
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Yes, they do. But who doesn’t? !?! 😉
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😉 my house sure does. I bet I could find a lot of allegorical examples for Lee and Amanda all over the place here.
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Like this Morley. They definitely have an emotional intimacy with each other at this stage which has come about naturally with their friendship. Amanda’s suppressing, Lee’s denying – it’s come to the point where they can no longer avoid acknowledging their emotional connection, at least to themselves even if not directly to each other.
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The bomb in the baby carriage (to borrow a line from Paul Simon’s Boy in the Bubble) isn’t activated by motion, thank goodness, otherwise it would’ve gone off when Baddie Kurt shook the rattle when they were putting the baby in the pram. Just as the pram gets to the podium we have a quick shot of Baddie Kurt pressing a button on a remote control.
This is a huge explosion.
Very out there and messy way to kill someone.
I can only assume the baddies were not only wanting to kill Rawlings but also trying to frighten the Save our Bay people into abandoning their cause.
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Yeah I always wondered why he had to take it up the hill when he pushed a button to set it off. Would have been funny if the pram had hit the walk at the bottom of the hill and tipped over and then he had to figure out something else…this part is definitely lame in every aspect, but I guess they were trying to go with suspense 😉
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Yes if it had been about to kill Lee or Amanda, it never would have made it to the bottom of the hill without hitting a bump and accidentally going off prematurely! 😉
They don’t show us how he detonates the thing.. not that I really care..
I understand he didn’t want to be in anyway connected to the bomb – so he was nowhere near it when it went off.. but.. it is awfully suspicious to onlookers to push a baby carriage up a hill and let it go! whhahahaaaa..
As for why the baby carriage – yeah it’s about setting up Elizabeth. The scene earlier between Kurt and Tarzan explained that he had infiltrated the organisation – and his scene at the Save our Bay office showed he was trusted and part of the group.. [beginning of post 3]
I found the idea of putting a bomb in with the baby in the baby carriage – appalling!!!!! Even if it was just to get the bomb there – it could have accidentally gone off or something.. just a terrible thing to do. Kurt’s gonna get his comeuppance! [I love that about smk!]
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I wonder if the baby has a baboon heart? Love that song, kiwismh!
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Eewwwww, let’s hope not, for the baboon’s sake if nothing else! 😉
Yes, a finely crafted song and sadly every bit as relevant today as in 1986.
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Nor the baby’s sake! Miracle and wonder indeed.
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I agree, the baby carriage is a bit ridiculous compared to the size of the baby. Perhaps they had the prop before they cast the baby. After all, this was 1985 and details were not as important in the TV world as they are today. Plus, a stroller would not have been nearly as suspenseful rolling down that hill. LOL!
I love that the actress playing Elizabeth is Kim Darby, who co-starred with John Wayne in the original True Grit in 1969. I do agree her dress is super ugly.I can’t believe they couldn’t get her something a bit more attractive. Maybe Lee should pick her up a new outfit while he’s shopping for not-Amanda! 🙂
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Perhaps she was too busy hunting down Tom Chaney to go shopping 😉
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Hi Racheal!!!! Great to see you stop by and join the fun! 🙂
I haven’t seen true Grit.. but that actress sure does look familiar!
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And I remember her from Murder She Wrote. I bet almost every extra or guest character from SMK has appeared on MSW. Next time I see there’s a rerun on tv I’ll have to start looking for the Jacks and Jill.
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The Guru of Cosmic Love looks like he’s trying out for a role on the original Star Trek. The poker-playing spiritualists were a lot more fun. I certainly wouldn’t want to visit this guy’s apartment . . . unless I were accompanied by a trained, well-armed intelligence operative. Amanda is brave! 🙂
It makes me doubt that Lee really even paid attention to the groups that they were expected to visit. Even as tired and impatient as he is, I’d have trouble believing that he’d let Amanda visit any group with “Cosmic Love” in its title by herself. I’m thinking that, in spite of Billy’s warning, he’s completely oblivious to the kind of crackpots Amanda’s visiting.
I also wonder where Lee went after he left Amanda. Did he go home for a nap or back to the office? I don’t think they ever say, do they?
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I think he went shopping for that little black dress, didn’t he? 😉
[iwsod fixed typo]
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That’s what I figured. Boy, is that man going to feel guilty! (Hey, a little guilt never hurt anyone…..says the guilt-wielding expert, aka a Jewish mama)
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OMG! I never connected the fact that dense-as-a-fruitcake Lee abandoned Amanda and wandered off to buy The Dress. Could this get any worse? I wonder what was going through his head when trying to figure out why Amanda reacted the way she did. “Gee, Amanda seemed a bit out of sorts. I wonder why. It must be because I couldn’t remember those thingies were called pearl buttons. Yeah, that’s it.” Sheesh! I must remind myself these are fictional characters and resist the urge to bang my head against the wall.
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Perhaps Amanda’s response and the feelings he has associated with that have only served to double his efforts to transfer his feelings for her onto this other woman. Hence he hurries off to buy the dress. Could he be in the final throes of denial? He is now having to really actively work at it. The most intense battle usually occurs just before defeat – or in this case, acceptance.
Again, as I have mentioned in the past, Lee’s denial is not him feeling Amanda is not good enough or woman enough for him, it has always been about him thinking he cannot be the man she wants or needs as a life partner.
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And one further thought occurs – a man denying his innermost feelings and at war within himself would no doubt be suffering insomnia as a result.
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Yeah. Like Cindy said, I wonder what was going on in Lee’s head, too. I also wonder where and how he found out about the bombing. Did Billy tell him, and if so, did he give him a good guilt trip for abandoning Amanda when he’d specifically asked him to look after her? In a way, I’m sorry that they didn’t show Lee finding out, but on the other hand, something like that might be difficult to watch.
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Oh boy.. Lee is off buying the dress? Oh there’s a happy thought (not!)
We could guess he is off buying the dress now.. but.. maybe we should hold off a little and work out the time line.. I think it’s possible he could have bought it later – but don’t want to explain and jump ahead.
Maybe that is a little like jumping to the assumption that Lee’s ‘insomnia’ was really his new girlfriend.. maybe we need to wait a bit longer to test both of these assumptions..
Also, I think there is enough already for Lee to feel guilty about without him, right at this point, being off buying a dress for his ‘friend’ pha! [Though it would be fabulous karma wouldn’t it?! Lee- you get serious about a woman other than Amanda – bad things happen!!!! don’t do it again!!! 😉 ]
Someone -speak up whoever you are – made what I thought was a fabulous point – that this cosmic guru was a sleeze and may not have been quite so harmless..(I wrote Amanda should make sure she has unobstructed access to the door – incase she needed a quick getaway- I agree he was ick! funny! but.. ick!)
As it turns out – save our bay wasn’t harmless that’s for sure. Billy specifically asked Lee to stay with Amanda while she visited crack pots and look after her- and what has Lee done? Well, we know he left her alone!!! I’m all for Amanda growing in her work, but this comes off to me as neglectful.. these crackpots are not harmless all the time.. and she doesn’t even know how to hit! 😉 very unlike Lee.. and another example of how off-kilter he is..
Regardless of where Lee was when the bomb went off- he should have been with Amanda and been doing his job and looking after her. So sorry I can’t remember who posted it! You’re all fabulous and insightful so I can’t guess who it was! 🙂 Forgive me??!! I’m too darn busy to find the comment..
Hmm! I’ll look forward to discussing this further in the next post – where Lee and Amanda are reunited!
Bye for now!
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I didn’t actually call the guy a sleeze, but I did say that Lee probably wasn’t paying any attention to the groups they were supposed to investigate because if he had, I doubt that he would have left her alone with a guy like this. I was just thinking of how in Dead Ringer Lee told Amanda that he wouldn’t leave her if he thought she was in danger, but here he’s abandoned her to various kinds of dangers because he’s being completely oblivious.
The one thing I do like about the guru guy is his outfit. I still say that he looks like something from the original Star Trek with all that shiny cloth and wild jewelry.
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yes maybe sleeze is for some a stronger word.. We can give the same word different levels of emphasis.. so I got the thought sleeze from Lee wouldn’t be happy if he knew.. don’t mind me! The guy is a bit dodgy – and who knows if he is harmless.. that’s what struck me. Especially compared to the nice poker playing ladies who enjoyed bopping that Lee saw – Amanda was in zero danger..probably lulled him into a false belief that they would all be that harmless – because he isn’t himself.. at least this is what struck me 🙂
I like the guru guy outfit too.. looks to me like something a kid could put together for dress ups! 🙂
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Oh, I don’t think “sleeze” is too bad. I just mean I can’t take credit for the term. I definitely think that Amanda (or really anyone else) should be on her guard around the guy. Regardless of his choice of home decor, he doesn’t really strike me as a peaceful Buddha and rainbows kind of person.
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LOL indeed!
Well I give you credit for the concept Jestress- if not the term itself 🙂
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You also reminded me of the term from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Mostly harmless.”
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Yep — the baby carriage gambit is very lame. I thought maybe they got the idea of using the pram from the Untouchables, but that didn’t come out until 1987. This maybe a contender for Laser Shark Award, but like kiwismh points out, it actually works this time — but the reasoning behind using the carriage is super stupid so I think it is still in the running.
KJ is so comfortable and natural around babies and toddlers I had wrongly assumed she was a mother or young children herself.
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Oh yeah, in true SMK baddie fashion, they just had to go stupid elaborate – only this time it actually worked. Agree Iwsod, why not just leave the carriage by the podium. Why not, when he was adjusting the mike, did the baddie just put the bomb under the podium.
Good grief, why not just employ a sharp shooter with a high powered rifle?!
Ah well, I suppose it’s a good thing that the baddies in SMK-land are so bad at being bad. 🙂
Lots of good stuff happening with Amanda in this scene. I’m on a quick lunch break so will get back to that later.
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