We left Amanda in the Q bureau, having just locked the door.. she heads back to Lee’s jacket to search some more.. Miss ‘I don’t want to rifle through someone’s personal things’ seems to be long gone 
The phone on Lee’s desk rings,…
and an unmarked line lights up.
as it does a recorder next to the telephone begins recording onto tape, but we don’t hear anything here.. very strange!
I guess Amanda thinks so too because she takes note of this happening on a piece of paper and puts it in her pocket.
Interesting, in the script, we actually get to hear the conversation that is going on here and being taped:
voice 1: Kolinsky?
voice 2: yeah.
voice 1: tomorrow at two, let’s meet.
That’s it… Hmm I guess they wanted to increase our curiosity about what’s up with the phone.. I’ll have to see what happens with the phone in future to work this out again. It’s been a long time since I figured this out lol..
So, as Amanda notes this phone happening, someone unlocks the door and enters.. uh oh.. it’s Crawford, surprised to see Amanda! [Did Billy say something about changing the locks soon in the last post?]
Amanda is friendly enough.. and responds pleasantly.
Amanda: Hello. Ah excuse me. You must have the wrong room you see this is the film library.
Crawford: I know where I am Miss I have clearance. Captain Harry V. Thornton.
We cut back to Amanda.. Uh oh.. she knows that’s a lie!!
(good thing she found out who Harry V. Thornton was that very morning! phew!!! what a coincidence! )
We can see now Amanda is being pleasant but is worried and trying to hide it (kudos to KJ, I bet that is not easy to portray as an actor!)
Amanda: I don’t think anyone’s suppose to be in here.
Crawford gives her a smile: I know there isn’t, but I have Zulu blue authorisation. You can confirm it with security.
We see here, Amanda reach for that silent alarm we were introduced to in the last post.. good thing Amanda saw where Billy indicated it was 
to Lee.. ahem..
I was thinking the alarm was under the table when Billy showed it, but I guess that was the camera angle.. looks like it could get accidentally bumped very easily! [Love Amanda’s again- suddenly long fingernails! rofl!! they really are magical this episode!]
I digress.. Amanda pushes the alarm, trying to act casual: Ah well.. I’m only part time but ah I’ll check.
This being Crawford’s office he knows it’s there.. uh oh.. he rushes towards her to stop her, but too late. sucker!!!!
He grabs Amanda by the arms threateningly.. at that moment the silent alarms starts ringing.. he looks at her a second, and then runs away..
So did you catch that lovely smk folks? Yep, that silent alarm is really really loud!!!!! 
I think they’ll need to get that fixed tee hee.. In the script, he runs because he knew about the alarm and that she had triggered it.. not because of the racket that we hear.. I think they’ve added the really loud alarm here for added drama.. okay fine.. but umm maybe change the part about it being a silent alarm guys! lol!!
Anyway, he runs out of the Q bureau office, lol down the hallway in the wrong direction? (we saw Billy, Lee and Amanda arrive from the left, he turns right? oh whatev!)
Out into the foyer.. he (or at least his stunt double)
does a spectacular jump down into the foyer..
cool!!!
I bet that was in the commercial!
Love how they slowed the speed down.. Hmm I can even get clear pics with all this movement.. ugh.. stupid season 3 dvds..
Lee heads to the Q bureau confused at what’s going on and runs fair into Amanda.. we get a split second embrace here haaaa Sorry guys this blurry mess is the best I can do 
why didn’t they slow that down?!!
Back to the foyer..
Mrs Marsden, on orders to detain Crawford
gets out her machine gun and yells: Halt!!
Crawford freaks out at the scary might that is Mrs Marsden with a Machine gun!! rofl.. I love the look on his face!!
(Yes love the magical random bust there.. suddenly on Mrs Marsden’s desk-and disappears- I think it was on a side table when we first saw the foyer- KC I remember your meme on this moment – v good!!– check it out guys over at Neds! I think a few strange things happen with the decor here.. but I might leave that for someone else to explore if they are keen )
Crawford takes off, running out of the foyer and out the front door with a spray of bullets just missing him.
No wonder she misses- eyes closed!!! I wonder if Mrs Marsden got a score of –410 on the gun machine! (Amanda got –411)
lol looks like some of those bullets went through the front door!!! I hope Ms Walker wasn’t out front on the footpath at that moment or splat!
Lee rushes out into the foyer with his gun drawn and asks Mrs Marsden: Well, did you get him?
I love how he asks expecting she should have so equal opportunity of you there Lee!
Mrs Marsden just silently shakes her head. 
Man.. Amanda must be thinking to herself that Mrs Marsden does like her after all – when she tried to get past with no password, and apple pie and being nice and polite? Mrs Marsden could have killed her! lol!! (what was that Savior?)
The scene ends with Lee and Amanda sharing a look.. love that!
Now all the drama is over.. everyone congregates in Billy’s office to talk about it.
Francine advises that the intruder came in through the car park and the computer verified his ID.. Billy says that’s impossible they took it off Crawford that very morning..
Francine seems to be miss snippy this morning.. guess she’s upset no one stopped her from leaving the house in that outfit this morning..
Francine replies with even less patience than usual: Not as Crawford!!! As Harry V. Thornton.
Lee: This is so weird. (rofl.. that’s a great sound bite for a vid) …does Harry still have an active clearance?
Francine: yes! He’s still active for the NSE and for Zulu blue.
Amanda brings back attention to the photo she is holding. Amanda: Well, this is the man I saw upstairs…
(Francine lets out an audible, annoyed sigh at Amanda here..) Hey Mrs Marsden saw him too.. she got a good look at him!
As Lee would say.. this is so weird!
…this is errr Larry Crawford, only he was in a naval uniform and he had the ah phony ID.
Billy: how could you tell it was a phony ID?
Francine very aggressively: Nooo Way!!!
Amanda assertively: Francine, I know what Harry V. Thornton looks like, I’ve seen his portrait upstairs in the Georgetown foyer.
Hello! Amanda saw the guy with her own eyes.. you have an eye-witness.. (aie.. this is just like in over the limit- Amanda saw what happened? so what!)
Francine: well that’s just fine and dandy but that man’s ID is every bit as real the one that I’m wearing and the one that you’re wearing. (Noooo Amanda is wearing a Guest Pass.. rub it in why don’t you!! )
(Mooooooo France.. you are even dressed like a cow today.. so I would just shut it and keep chewing the grass there missy! Oh and LOL Amanda isn’t wearing an ID she’s wearing a 
guest pass )
Amanda (same time as Lee): that’s crazy (I agree! fake ID or not, they know it’s not Harry and they know it’s Crawford.. so what’s the big stupid deal about the ID anyway??!! )
Lee: It’s absurd!!! It was Crawford not Thornton.
Go LEE!! Did you notice here what Lee is doing? He’s accepting Amanda’s word for it!! Without question and he’s backing her up!!! contrast this to last week in over the limit when Amanda the eye-witness was brushed off as knowing anything about the bombing! I think this is awesome of Lee here! goooo Lee!!!!!
I wonder if Francine notices this here- and this adds to why she is so ridiculously cranky here? thoughts anyone??
Not only does Francine not make any sense here, I don’t have a clue why they wrote this scene this way.. anyone?
Francine in a huff: Excuse me..
and the cow heads to the door and calls in Beaman..
[Ohhh to think, only last week Amanda saved Francine’s life.. Moooooooo.. hmm does this mean Weasel should come before OTL? I’m still going to ponder this one as we progress.. yes just comparing these two.. not Wizard or ALLAffair yet!]
Look!!!! the whole outfit of Francine’s is that ugly!!! argh!!!!
Francine: I’m certain you’re all familiar with Ephraim Beaman from the fabrication shop!
Billy: Alright Beaman, what have you got to do with this?!
Beaman: Mr Crawford sent me a TTO requisition for a full legend as this man Thornton….
…ID, driver’s, credit, voters the whole works.
[We see a close up on Amanda here.. we know she knows this is rubbish I love having Amanda in the know a nice change! lol!]
…. he gave me the particulars. It’s a perfectly good ID. Standard.
Lee: How long have you been with us?
Beaman: 2 years.
Lee: 2 years and you don’t know the name of Harry V. Thornton. You didn’t check the security web for actives?
Beaman: In fabrication we don’t question our agent requests, we’re here to help you. If you send me a TTO for a legend as Santa Claus I’d make it. And it would fool Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer.
At this.. there’s silence.. this reminds me of a gag in Yes Minister, where a hospital is being toured by the minister, and it is on budget, efficient and a great success – but it has no patients!!! I found it on youtube.. here!
[this section is so lame it needs a yes minister clip]
whahahahaaa!!! I think Francine and Ephraim would say the hospital is successful and patients only make things more difficult!
In real world terms, this all makes no sense.. Rudolph would know it is not Santa Claus because he knows Santa Claus! (Santa?? real world?? Aie!! I think I just fell down the rabbit hole!!!) Aie.. I really hope Beaman doesn’t *ahem* get promoted (don’t say it!)
What exactly does Beaman prove? Ok so it’s a real ID card.. but that doesn’t mean it was a real identity and that it was really Thornton.. This ID proves that it wasn’t -check out the photo! Not Thornton!! (we know because there is no cat in it ) What’s the big flippin deal?! Anyone else find this utterly lame?
Anyone else find it funny/ironic that the fabrication shop does not check to see if an agent is fabricating? (ie. Lying?!)
So why did they write this scene?! Is this all just to introduce the character of Beaman? because.. they make him look like a dill! And Francine is just narky and non-sensical to me.. but love Lee backing up Amanda! 🙂
That’s it for now!!! Looking forward to hearing what you guys think of this section.. heck.. anyone recommend a fan fic to make sense of Francine in this scene?? Feel free to recommend- but do please head over to Neds to discuss 🙂 byeee!
Edited to add: I’ve created a thread over at Neds about Yes Minister if you’d like to discuss this fabulous show.. JWWM probably isn’t the place for extended discussion of it! Here is the link.
Byeee!
"Just walk with me.." 
I for one am quite disappointed that Mrs. Marsden turned out to be such a lousy shot. Lady YOU HAVE ONE JOB. Let authorized people in. Detain the unauthorized. It would have been so awesome if she had calmly and coolly disabled him with one shot to the leg or something. But no, let’s laugh at the gray-haired lady who can’t even keep her eyes open while she sprays bullets around the lobby at random. She should have been fired!
Oh well. That’s just me taking the show too seriously again. My boys and I did have a great laugh at this scene — it was so unexpected!
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Same. I would rather see her pick up the gun, not even look at the target as she fires, and be spot-on. Same idea as someone firing the gun over their shoulder and hitting the target (bullseye). You still wouldn’t expect that from her, so there’s comic relief.
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I love your version!!
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Omg I love Mrs Marsden packing some heat! Too bad her aim stinks!!! I think you’re right that she must have gotten a -410 at shooting practice. ROFL!!! Iwsod – you are hysterical!!!
Oh, and Francine, WHAT were you thinking??? There are no words…
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awh. thanks!!
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Hay! Let’s cut Francine some slack! She spent hours dressing up as a bovine fashionista to get herself a free meal at the Chick-fil-A on their annual Cow Appreciation Day. Bless her pea picking little heart! Ain’t she JUST the epitome of head to hoof fashion 🐄 !
[Learned about this annual bovine fashion day while visiting my sister in Florida. Her kids love creating their own bovine attire to get a free meal. Since Chick-fil-A has been in business since 1964, it fits with S&MK time frame.]
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I’m glad you explained the annual bovine fashion day – I never would have guessed it was real! rofl!!
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Maybe I need new glasses, but that screen shot of Lee and Amanda running into each other DOES NOT look like BB….it looks like a double. The eyes and mouth don’t look right….can someone confirm????
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Oh yes Gruvy Granny.. it deserves close scrutiny!!! 🙂
I think it is Lee.. (or should I say BB) – he has a surprised expression and it’s a very fleeting moment which is a bit blurry.. you might be better off watching the actual second in the episode.. because it was a very tricky moment to capture it was so fleeting..
KC managed to capture it quite clearly and posted it on Neds.
Here is a link to the pic: http://nedlindgers.proboards.com/post/2250
Hope that helps!
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This Crawford guy is one messy dude….
Zulu blue authorization? I thought Zulu blue meant respond without question? Or am I getting it wrong?
Hooo haaaa!! Love that Marsden screen cap! I think next time I’m going to tell my kids to halt instead of stop and see what they do! Love all these caps!! I think it is so awesome that Mrs. Marsden has her own uzi…wonder which drawer she keeps it in! LOL!
Bwahahahaha! No one stopped Francind from wearing that outfit!!! It is quite fugly! Where’s Cruella De Ville when you need her!
Yep, completely awesome that Lee is accepting what Amanda says as true! He has learned finally to trust her and act on it!! Good boy, Lee!
I’m thinking Weasel came after OTL and their dinner. Lee and Amanda seem very comfortable with one another and I’m thinking it had to do with them finally spending some time together and it not being about work. That and the trust thing that you pointed out.
It is good having Amanda in the know. It always frustrates me just how much the Agency and Lee always expected Amanda to do her job without knowing anything about her job! Finally she knows about the job and is making a real contribution! Duh!
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Just had a chance to check on the script for this scene :
Crawford runs out of the Q Bureau door, turns right, and runs into Lee, knocking him back. Crawford reverses direction, Lee in pursuit, but Lee collides with Amanda who is just stepping out of the Q-Bureau.
and then, instead of the ridiculous very noisy “silent” alarm :
A discreet red light blinks on Mrs Marston’s desk. She
has her hand in a drawer. Crawford bangs out the second
floor security door and flies over the bannister. Mrs
Marston pulls up a machine pistol from the drawer….
and we all know what happens next. 😉
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Given that Mrs Marsden is seated and shooting upwards those bullet holes in the door are too low 😉 I love how she seems this mature receptionist with a hidden Uzi, ready to rain bullets every where. I wonder what the neighbours thought of the noise!
The ID conversation is so annoying. The ID is still fake in that it’s made by fabrication department…..isn’t the clue in the name…..facepalm
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I love that Crawford exits the Q Bureau in the wrong direction. I guess it must be a circular (square/whatever) corridor, though, ‘cos he still ends up at the stairs. Rabbit hole, maybe? (Pass the chocolate!)
Hey–you managed a nice screen cap of Crawford’s stunt double. (Stupid Season 3 DVDs. Grrr…)
Oh, I love Mrs Marsden/Marsten/Marston/whoever. 🙂 Forget Ms Walker–what if Amanda, or someone, was entering the building? Welcome to IFF… oh.
Iwsod–I’m surprised you didn’t use your moo emoticon for Francine! She certainly is wearing the outfit for it, as well as acting like it!
Dang! Billy has booze in his office! (At least, I assume the brown liquid in the left-hand decanter is booze.) Forget the coffee!!!
“Hello! Amanda saw the guy with her own eyes.. “ Yes, but I think that she doesn’t want Lee to know that she met with Harry, so she has to just mention the portrait, not actually meeting him… If she had said she’d met with him, he or Billy or Francine would be bound to ask where/when/how/… and she (a) wouldn’t want to lie, and (b) knew she was in a room full of spies so she likely wouldn’t get away with it anyway –> she’s smart enough to keep quiet and just mention the portrait.
Yes, having Amanda in the know is awesome…!!!… and it’s a great weapon for the Agency. Hint, hint, Lee and Billy!
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Like, like, KC!! ROFL! Just how do you spell that woman with the uzi’s name???
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Heck.. don’t get it wrong.. she has an Uzi!!!!!
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Ahh, what’s to worry about? Her aim stinks!!!
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Oh, Leatherneck? Where for art thou, Leatherneck?
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BJo, is Leatherneck your Romeo?
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Yes. But only because Lee is taken, Travis is never home, Harry V is to old, and August Riley Swan is one taco short of a combo plate.
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lol! I hear ya! 🙂
Plus Beaman is a creep and Fred Fielder is just kind of a jerk. Leatherneck is definitely the best of the bunch. 😀
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And neither of the Jacks has any personality. And Conrad wears his underwear inside out…eeew.
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Wah hah hah! Love ya, BJo!
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Well, at least Connie has the courage to admit it . . . at least to Amanda, who has the courage to tell Lee about. lol! 😀
Although Connie is still out of the running because he takes a job working for arch villain, it takes him an embarrassingly long time to realize it, and once he does realize it, he tells the guy what he knows before going to the police about it. Anyone who has ever seen a mystery movie knows that’s the worst thing you can possibly do. Conrad is sweet, but clueless. 😛
Is there a thread for discussing the guys of SMK besides Lee? If I remember right, a bunch of us decided earlier that Joe is a King Snake, Billy is a faithful husband (rightly so, Jestress nods), and Dean is a practically non-existent taker (the most useful thing he does is make it possible for Amanda to meet Lee). I don’t go in for bad boys, so the baddies aren’t even worth considering.
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Oh, gosh, I forgot about Dean. Well, to quote Amanda, “Dean who?”
That’s very true about Conrad. In fact I’m not sure what’s more disturbing about him…the fact that he wears his undies inside out or that he’d tell Amanda about it. I don’t recall there being a thread like you describe, Jestress, but that certainly does not mean there isn’t one. I only found the blog when iwsod was mid-Spiderweb.
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Hiya!!! there is no such post with comments I’m afraid.. if anyone would like to write it – so long as it doesn’t go beyond where we are up to – I would happily post it!
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blush My hubby does that too…But if it’s always inside out (from when it was brand-new), how does that make any difference?
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He looks good in plaid too 😉
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WHahahahaahahaaaa!!! But Crawford looked pretty freaked no? 🙂 I wouldn’t want to risk that she’s as lucky as Amanda! I really don’t know why a lighting fixture didn’t fall on Crawford’s head and incapacitate him.. hmm.. no wait.. that’s what would have happened if Amanda had been the one shooting!
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It’s funny…I just noticed something and maybe this helps a little with the episode order. In watching in this order have you noticed that in each of these episodes a new recurring character was introduced? In WTAMB we get to meet TP who shows up again. In OTL we get to meet Leatherneck, and now we get to meet Beaman. Of the three characters only Leatherneck seems to be the one that remains somewhat consistent. TP’s was a little too off-kilter at first, but I think they tweaked his character a bit, or at least the wardrobe. Beaman comes across as a jerk and I think evolves into a buffoonish jerk eventually. Right now he’s kind of acting like a male version of Francine.
Maybe the ID discussion has something to do with the overall theme of the episode with mistaken identities, etc. It does seem to be a pretty unnecessary discussion based on what happened. It’s like they were talking in circles. Did like Lee’s siding with Amanda though.
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I was trying to figure out what the point of this conversation in Billy’s offoce is all about. I may be grasping at straws, but since I seem to have so much fun doing it that, why not? Iwsod said, “In real world terms, this all makes no sense.. Rudolph would know it is not Santa Claus because he knows Santa Claus! ” And I think that may be the point. It may be that everything in this case comes down to knowing people, really knowing each other so that you can recognize the truth or a scheme when there is one. The question that Lee has for Beaman has to do with Beaman’s personal knowledge of the agency, people, faces, history. Amanda appreciates such things, (other than the fact that she has met Harry now and has received some clandestine assignment from him) She asked about the picture in the foyer and that is how she explained her knowledge of Harry to the group assembled. Lee would understand that Amanda appreciates the Agency’s history and personnel. We already have learned that there is some personal knowledge and a close personal relationship between Lee and Harry.
I wonder about Francine? She probably knows Harry, but does she know Harry??
And there is this theme of knowing another person as the plot for an episode in which Lee and Amanda are starting to take steps towards knowing each other even better.
This also makes me think of the Q bureau. Here is a place where Lee can have a place of his own, not just another desk in the bull pen. And a door to close where Lee and Amanda will have some private moments. I was thinking over their work areas in the first 3 seasons. Does Amanda even have a desk in season 1, she appears to in season 2. Now Lee has this place removed from everyone else and although Amanda does not have a desk there yet, she is often up there working with him. It is kind of like all the personal friends of Lee’s that we have met so far, TP and Harry, people who are closer to Lee. Through these introductions and Lee having the Q it is as if we get more personal with his character even as Amanda is.
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Excellent analysis Morley, especially in regard to the theme of personal knowledge of people making a difference. Lee would probably never have had this type of insight a couple of years ago.
Thanks for your very thought provoking post. 🙂
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Ohhh Kudos to you Morley for giving it a good go with the question of why do we even have this stupid ID is fake/not fake scene!!
There are a few things we see or learn in it that are worthwhile.. you may be right, it may be playing into a theme of knowing someone’s identity.. I’ll keep this in mind as we progress. I”m not sure how much of that is ahead – but I love a good theory!
It seemed to me by the end of the scene they hadn’t really drawn any conclusion about how they know who Harry is as opposed to who he wasn’t… all very strange to me! but.. I am gonna keep this idea in mind as we continue on with this episode.
I hadn’t noticed this is a theme in this episode.. but then again I am not very far ahead in writing this episode at all – life is too busy 😦 – so I hadn’t really stopped to ponder the episode’s themes.. you may be on to something!
I do think there are quite a few references to ‘the game’ or a game.. and to Amanda’s instincts.. but this is just my first impression and I haven’t thought deeper about things like I prefer to at least attempt to do lol! [I don’t always succeed 😉 ]
so forgive me guys if I am a little slow in getting the posts published. darn real life sometimes gets in the way! But.. I’ll keep on bloggin and I’ll do the best I can 🙂
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In thinking about the game/ Amanda’s instincts… I am thinking about Beaman here. He just did his job. He made the pass that he was ordered to. I think that is part of the issue in this conversation. The pass wasn’t a counterfeit, it was Agency issue and I think that is what has got Francine and Beaman defensive here. But that aside. I wonder what would have happened if Amanda had been in fabrication and she had been the one asked to make the pass by Crawford. Would her instincts have gone into overdrive, would she have remembered the painting in the foyer, would she have done a little research? Does Beaman just play the game? Does Amanda bring something to the game with her instincts and her everyday knowledge of normal people?
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Hi Morley – Very interesting ideas! The game idea still isn’t clear for me.. I’ll just keep this in mind as we continue.. do keep your ideas coming (Morley and Everyone!)
It’s definitely clear this episode is about underlining how Amanda has great instincts.. and I agree if she had been in fabrication she would not have been so unquestioning!!! good call!!!
Yeah maybe Amanda’s perspective shows that when you are in the game – you can loose your perspective. (though Billy and Lee seem to get the significance too)
Francine and Beaman cared more that the ID was a real agency fake ID.. but hello.. it’s FAKE!!! that’s the whole point.. maybe the scene wouldn’t have been so annoying if it hadn’t gone on so long and Francine hadn’t gotten so narky with Amanda..
Poor Beaman, I think it’s a lousy introduction! 🙂
Oh I meant to add that I found Lee’s question to Beaman about how long he’d worked there? and he didn’t know who Harry V. Thornton was???!!! was interesting
– I don’t know if they were intending to add this to the story.. we’ll see as we progress through this episode – but I think it was shocking to Lee that Beaman didn’t know who Harry V. Thornton was – in his mind: the guy is a legend! He committed his life to starting up the agency and was the best agent!!! and people no longer remember who he was?!
A reminder to Lee that the agency doesn’t remember ‘the greats’ – eventually even the founder of the agency has been forgotten: note Lee – it’s the people who care about you and know you (the real you – regardless of what your ID says 😉 ) who will remember you.. not this ‘infernal place’ the agency! 🙂
I thought it was a nice hint to Lee to not look to the agency for all your meaning in life – go find yourself a real, honest relationship 🙂 [with Amanda!!]
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I agree that Beaman was just doing his job and it was a lousy introduction. And I really don’t think anyone is upset with Beaman for making the ID. Even Lee is just asking why he made one with a real name of a real agent but accepts Beaman’s answer that he is there to help the agents because that’s a reasonable answer. Beaman would have no way to know Crawford was doing something illegal. But I still don’t understand the argument. Before Beaman comes in they are arguing like they are trying to decide if the intruder was Crawford or Thornton which is patently ridiculous because people saw Crawford. Then they start arguing about the validity of the ID. All this time Beaman is standing outside of the door – something Francine knows. Why make him stand outside all that time when he had the answer???? And wouldn’t there be some record of all the IDs an agent requested over the years so they could be deactivated or at least tracked if an agent leaves or gets fired?
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I agree with this thought, Morley. Our US government is nothing if not compartimentalized. Beaman’s job was to fabricate, not to research the validity of the fabrication he was asked to do. “Respond without question!” Yessir! Validation is the responsibility of the requesting agent, who know doubt is more highly paid because of this position of responsibility.
As far as why the scene exists, well, perhaps it’s to forestall a discussion on how this mix-up of IDs could have happened in the first place! Without that scene, I am sure that question would be ringing through our posts — how could the Agency have possibly let that happen?!? And embedded within the scene is a little satire about the bureaucracy that is our federal government!
Being a teen of the 70s and a young adult of the 80’s, I had a few friends who dressed like Francine so I generally don’t take much issue with her outfits except to raise an occasional eyebrow. However, this cow outfit is over the top even for me!
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OK-I’m very late here, but I think I got it. Crawford gives Beaman a bunch of info to make an ID. It is a real agency ID, but it is fake. He is not Harry V. Thorton. Beaman and Francine are arguing that it is real and Amanda and Lee are on the side of it being a fake. I think this parallels what Lee did in OTL. He found a tall brunette who was down to earth and put her in “the dress.” She was a real person, but it was still not Amanda. Maybe it’s a reach, but you can’t fabricate everything!
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I love your insights here, about Amanda (and the audience) meeting the people closer to Lee as she herself becomes closer to Lee. Also, it’s funny how the scene in Billy’s office highlights the difference between office and field work – you need a bit of common sense to be in the field, which Beaman seems to be lacking!
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Another thing that strikes me about Crawford and the Q-Bureau…. It’s certainly presented like running the Q-Bureau is a promotion for Lee. That implies that Crawford was a higher ranking agent than Lee. Does it seem strange to anyone else that they let Crawford get this out of control? I can see his being able to keep his attempt to go over to the Russians a secret but that office looked like nothing has come from it in forever. I know they fired him but you’d think there would have been some steps in between when his work started slipping or being non-existant. In BurnOut they seemed to have a procedure for agents who are slipping but with Crawford they seem to have let him run amok with no supervision and then ‘bam’ fired.
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Hmmm, may be not a promotion as such but I think it is a position with much more autonomy, so the Agency would want someone running who they could trust to do the job well without supervision. The Agency may also have realised that a more professionally run Q-Bureau could lessen their overall work-load with more efficient identification and investigation of potential threats to national security. At the moment it’s a mess and their must be stuff slipping through that becomes big stuff – better to have an effective gate-keeper at the top of the cliff than a whole bunch of ambulances at the bottom of the cliff.
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Which of course begs the question why was Crawford assigned to the Q-Bureau in the first place if he’s so useless. Well I figure he was probably not a good team player, maybe inclined to isolation from others (insofar as you could get away with this not very ideal character trait in an organisation like the Agency). So, in the way that corporate minds work, some boffin in human resources probably decided he would be a good fit for a relatively lonely existence in the Q-Bureau.
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I kept forgeting to raise this idea – so glad you did kiwismh.. I was wondering how such a ‘goof’ who has been ‘on probation for six months and ‘no one likes him’ – just how did he get assigned the Q bureau and get to keep it?!
I agree.. it did make me wonder how it could be a promotion for Lee.. ahem.. well.. maybe with Lee on board they will err redine the Q bureau?? maybe upgrade it’s importance in some way?? I don’t know.. lol!
But the place sure is a mess.. seems like no one ever stopped by to talk with Crawford – I mean he left (his soon to be revealed) tape recorder there on his table hooked up – right in plain view..
All very strange! It raises lots of Questions – with a captial ‘Q’ – an ‘odd case areal puzzler’ this Q bureau!! 🙂 Or at least. it is for me! lol!
bye
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I think Billy realized that with Amanda’s luck and knack for ‘coincidences’, that she and Lee would solve all these puzzling cases in a jiffy. That would free Lee up for the big cases to come. 😉
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Ah sorry Allofakind – I thought Kiwismh was the first to raise this – I’ll direct a thanks to you also for raising this idea! 🙂
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A couple of things while I have a quick moment. I have never noticed the length of Amanda’s nails. Does that mean they used a stunt hand for Kate’s close up hand shots? I would have thought that Kate’s hands were fine but maybe not. I agree about the coincidences in this scene too – Amanda having just met Harry and then also having found out where that button was to press for the alarm were perhaps a bit too convenient. And Mrs Marsden – the scene with her and the machine gun and closing her eyes as she presses the trigger and just aims it anywhere always makes me laugh lol. It would have been a miracle if she had actually hit her target. She definitely needs to be put forward for lessons with Leatherneck. She would benefit from them no end lol. I have just suddenly thought too how Crawford managed to get up to the Q Bureau in the first place if he had to get past Mrs Marsden in the lobby? Is there another way upstairs to the Q Bureau? I have only just skimmed through your post IWSOD so you or someone else may have mentioned this. I will have to read through everything later properly, but just wanted to put down a few words while I had a little time. Apologies if I am repeating what has been mentioned.
Sarah
PS Gosh, I remember “Yes Minister”!
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Yep!! there is a scene coming up where Amanda holds up a picture, and you can see it is KJ’s hands as she is still inthe frame – and she does not have long fingernails!
I figured it’s not because there is anything wrong with KJ’s hands – I thought the close ups on objects like this requires a different set up with the camera, and would probably be done by second unit – KJ would not need to be present for filming that shot.. sooo they delegate it to second unit to get it down with anyone’s hands and reduce the workload on the stars..
Great to hear from ya! Lovin the banners!!!
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Yes–stunt hands. 🙂
I don’t have any proof for the following supposition, but it seems like KJ and BB were always really busy with the filming–there was a lot to get through for a weekly show–so I think that anywhere someone else could be used to free up KJ and BB the studio/producers/whoever went with it. For example, other people driving cars for them (in instances that don’t require stunt doubles… just doubles)… I think Iwsod refers to these instances as the “second unit” filming. 🙂
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D’oh! Just pipped at the post by Iwsod!
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Oh rofl!! that’s too funny!!!!
Yeah I worked for a director once.. he was a second unit director on one of the matrix movies.. that’s what they call it here in the oz film industry 🙂 any filming that doesn’t involve the main cast basically..
Sorry for pipping your post KC 😉 tee hee
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I wasn’t even suppose to get online this afternoon but I had a cancellation! so hooray.. I got to reply to some comments!!!!
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You pipped my post at the post. 😀
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er, umm, what does pipping a post mean?
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see here: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/be+pipped+to+the+post
Seems this is a British/Australian idiom (and if so I’d add it’s a NZ one too right KC?!) so no wonder you didn’t recognise it! 🙂
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Yep – NZ too. Though I’ve always known it as pipped AT the post, not TO the post. Whatevs. 🙂
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Yes, I’ve always heard it and said it as “Pipped at the post”. I think it probably arose from the horse racing industry – “the post” being the finish line, and “pipped” I have always understood to mean just barely beaten by the smallest margin.
Or maybe it’s related to the fox hunts – the post horn gallop – pip, pip, tally ho, etc.
Just did 2 minute’s exhaustive research on Google – the consensus seems to be it is a phrase originating in British horse racing.
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Yep – horse racing, definitely.
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lol yep I agree with you guys I think pipped at the post is correct too and I agree I always thought it was about horse racing!
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Ahh, I get it now. Thanks!
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Agree with you on the ID deal…I mean really….Lee, Billy and no doubt Francine have met Harry V Thornton …so move on about the fake ID…dang! that blurrrrrrry shot, dang! I wonder if Mrs. Marsden did not pass her lessons at the shooting range with an automatic weapon and she missed him…lol! I guess the idea was to keep her eyes open….think Amanda must has asked Mrs. Marsden first because she had her eyes closed…lol! Popping in to say hello to every one and heading back to bed…have this nasty cold so I will get my dvd’s and portable dvd to watch SMK…PBS used to have Yes, Minister at one time….I enjoy British comedy. ciao for now, Conny
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Hi Conny! Hope you are feeling better soon! Great to see you are still stopping by!
Ohhh I know!!! maybe someone else can get a clear shot of Lee and Amanda running into each other- anyone able to take a photo of it on amazon prime or something?
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How’s this?
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Hoooooo Haaaaaaaa! Thanks KC 🙂
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Thanks for that picture. Actually I think it is a great illustration of where those two are right now. They are so close and Lee is holding onto Amanda firmly. There normal frantic movement to avoid each other is arrested, but Amanda is still trying to look away and Lee has that nervous, uncomfortable look on his face, but his gaze is also firmly on Amanda. Ha I could find significance in a rock!!!
Oh and they are both wearing pink
The color pink
The color pink is the color of universal love of oneself and of others. Pink represents friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, and approachability. Pink is the official color for little girls and represents sugar and spice and everything nice. Pink is the sweet side of the color red.
He he
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Morley — I love it!! 🙂 And yeah, Lee looks like he’s hit a solid wall while trying to avoid frontal contact with Amanda. LOL. (And squee…)
Feel free to find significance in a rock. I think that’s what many of us do… the water (to dip your toes in) is especially inviting down the rabbit-hole!
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ROFLMBO!!! You COULD find significance in a rock!!!!
My first thought was, damn! Too bad her face is turned to the side. Now that would have been a little uncomfortable!!!
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I love that about Morley!!! 🙂 don’t change Morley!!! 🙂
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You’re not kidding! I sometimes have a hard time seeing significance in things I even know are supposed to be significant.
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Ah, but, BJo, then we get to write eloquent comments pointing out all the little significant nuances and in doing so we even find more. Never change BJo!!!
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Haha – like you, Morley, I don’t think I could change even if I wanted to! Just like that rock!
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I couldn’t change it even if I wanted to… like a rock, that is just the way I am. And now I have found a place where I can be me ad nauseum… Thank you for JWWM and all the little fun things to find significance in… tee hee
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And I know you know BJo loves your ad nauseum! Yes, three cheers to JWWM!
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sweet!!! three cheers for you guys and smk!!!
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Mrs. Marsden and the UZI cracks me up every time. Great first line of defense guys! If I worked there, I think I would go out of my way not to use the front door.
As to the fake id fiasco — you would think after the whole Sylvia Sampson/Amanda King mix-up, the agency would have put protocols in place to make sure it never happened again (Oh, wait — Amanda is not an agent, my bad!)
The ‘silent’ alarm (maybe it was silent and we have hearing like bats, LOL!) could have caused a lock down- like in Saved By The Bells and that is why the very spry Harry V. Thorton had to do the bannister jump thing.
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I think you’re right about the lock down, so Crawford couldn’t leave by whatever back way he came in.
The ‘silent alarm’ makes me wonder, too. I noticed that Mrs. Marsden was sitting there awfully calmly at the time that Crawford jumped over the bannister. If there were blaring alarms, I think that she would have already been on alert, securing the door to the street, etc. Yet, Lee came running over like he’d heard something where he was. Maybe the alarm sounds are heard in other places besides the Q-Bureau and are only silent in the Q-Bureau? I suppose they mostly had to have us hear something so that we know for sure that Amanda was able to hit the alarm. Jestress hastily tries to cover the plot hole. 😉
I love Mrs. Marsten here, too. Makes me think of Weird Al’s Trigger Happy song (parody on a Beach Boys song).
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Yeah Mrs Marsden working calmly while the alarm is ringing? weird!! I think they filmed it like that before they decided to add in the ringing alarm –
If Mrs Marsden had been on alert and ready to shoot when Crawford flew down (LOL) then she might not have missed- and they needed, plot wise, for Crawford to get away! eek!
ohhh is that trigger happy song at the start of Top Secret?
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Actually, no, those are two different songs, but they do remind me of each other because they’re both gun-related parodies on Beach Boys songs. (Who knew there was more than one of those, right?)
Have a listen:
Trigger Happy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbYol6Gkdr0
Skeet Surfing (from Top Secret): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f_19nxNfjs
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Oh boy!!! I love Weird Al.. but this Trigger happy was a bit repetitive.. Hmm.. maybe we should start a weird Al Thread at Ned’s!!! Thanks for clearing that up for me Jestress 🙂
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So I shouldn’t make you jealous by telling you about the time Weird Al sat in my lap and sang to me…… Maybe I should take that to Ned’s if someone starts a thread. 😉
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WHAT???!!! http://nedlindgers.proboards.com/thread/80/weird-al-yankovich
Please do head on over sometime.. and explain how you and Weird Al got so cosy!! 😉
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I know what you mean about repetitive, and I could have done without the verse about the cat (save the kitty! 😦 ). I do like the part about being ready in case the Commies attack. I’m sure Travis the Truck Driver would approve. 🙂
Now, I’ve got to go see how Cindy met Weird Al and what he sang to her. 🙂
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I’m wondering how it is that Amanda has never met Crawford in the 2 years she has been with the Agency, or at least passed him occasionally in the hallways. He can’t have stayed upstairs in the Q-Bureau the whole time.
I’m also wondering why Crawford didn’t just go out the way he came in, instead of risking running into Mrs shoot’em up Marsten. I can find a logical answer for that though – maybe when the silent ( wa-ha-ha 🙂 ) alarm is activated it automatically locks the more secure entries and exits. Certainly it would alert the guards not to let anyone in or out. So when he came out of the Q-Bureau he initially ran back the way he had come in, then must have changed his mind when he realised he might run into trouble going that way, and decided to take his chances with Mrs Marsten
He must have bionic legs too, to be able to leap down from that far up and not at least twist an ankle. Maybe that’s why he was in slow-motion, like the Bionic Man! 😉
I see Mrs Marsten has the same shooting technique as Amanda – close your eyes and aim for the broadside of the building. Why do they let her have such a lethal gun?! You could shoot 30 Crawfords a second with that mini machine gun! And yet, she still managed to miss him. But I’m thinking she must’ve shot that classical bust right off her desk. Love this scene though for its comedic value.
Moooo? I’m thinking “Meow” – Francine is in her snow leopard camouflage outfit today. Mooo or Meow, this is a fashion felony that cannot go unpunished. Iwsod, you may make an immediate arrest.
Beaman was never really a likeable character. I like him even less because he just blindly follows instructions and doesn’t use his initiative or common-sense. Seems to me they should always double check agent requests, especially given the ever present risk of moles and double agents operating from within, e.g. David Benson.
Re episode order, everything is making so much more sense with Weasel following OTL. Lee and Amanda are really operating as true partners now – Lee is trusting without question Amanda’s recall of events and her ID of the perpetrator as Crawford.
Francine’s narky attitude is just Francine being Francine – and maybe she’s just realised what she’s wearing! 😀 Seriously though, I think Francine doesn’t like to think the Agency’s systems are fallible and takes it personally when something does go wrong.
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Regarding episode order kiwismh, I keep throwing ideas out there.. for the heck of it. to keep episode order in mind – but I agree with you – Lee siding with Amanda here in this scene is progress!!!! 🙂 pretty wonderful huh! 🙂
Meow or Moo.. it works for me! 🙂
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I love your comments!
I kind of think (if you believe this episode came after OTL) that Francine is a bit defensive after having a civilian housewife save her tail recently, that she’s insistent that there’s no way Amanda could spot a fake ID when even Francine thought it was real.
Thoughts?
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I couldn’t agree with you more. This scene always seems really stupid to me. There is nothing to argue about. They all know it was Crawford and not Thornton. Aside from the obvious fact that several people saw Crawford and that Harry and Crawford don’t look anything alike, do any of them really think a man in at least his late 60s (the actor was 71 at the time) made that jump from the 2nd story? Good grief. So what’s to argue about? They know it was Crawford using an ID that says ‘Harry V Thornton’ so it’s a “fake” Id even if it was created by the agency. Why not just say ‘ok let’s figure out where he got the id’ …. Enter Beaman. It’s like they wanted an argument so Amanda could stand up for something but couldn’t come up with a legitimate one.
I laugh at the silent alarm every time too. This is a bundle of scenes that were just not well thought through. I do get a kick out of Mrs. Marsden waving the uzi around with her eyes closed but other than that… not the writers’ best effort.
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