Next thing.. Lee and Billy are walking down the hallway.. Lee carrying a box of his things – I guess so he can move up to Q bureau (this suggests he actually did have a desk in the bullpen…hmm)
Billy explains that Crawford has packed up his place and disappeared..He wants Lee to find him.
Billy asks if Lee is worried about Harry. But Lee isn’t, he just thinks Crawford took Thornton’s identity is all….[I guess Lee doesn’t yet know the fire in the state dept was in the drawer marked ‘Harry V.Thornton private papers’..]
Amanda exits the bullpen..Billy takes notice and pulls Lee aside..
Billy warns that if this gets too close to Harry..he’ll pull Lee off this..
Amanda walks towards the two men hoping not to be noticed.. but Billy noticed her the moment she left the bullpen!
Amanda hides behind one of those convenient corners.. haha.. you would think in a spy agency they wouldn’t have any of thos
e.. haaaa.(and what happened to the plants in the hallway we saw in Mr Brand?)
(I guess Amanda couldn’t legitimately join the conversation because of the way Billy pulled Lee aside like that? do you think? .. well who cares .. this way is more fun! 🙂 )
Billy explains that Crawford went to state, then an hour later checked into the agency as himself, and then.. he got scooched.. I’m shocked! This timeline fits!! 
Lee: Hey maybe he hid something that he took at state, now he wants it back?
Billy: that’s exactly my thinking!
Oh dear.. oh dear.. these two are actually making sense!! after all that ‘the ID was real!!!’ stuff this is refreshing! 
As Billy talks we see a close up on Amanda- once again peeking around a corner!
Billy notices.. LOL! And gives her a good look.. 
so it must be obvious to Lee that something is going on behind him, and not to turn around yet..
Amanda if you are going to peer around corners like that, you gotta make sure you’re hair isn’t soooo big! The 80s made spying really tricky
Billy: you want to change your mind about the Q bureau?
[oh lol.. so what Lee had a choice?? gosh.. I thought for once Billy was being Boss!]
Lee gives Billy a questioning look – guessing 
there are two simultaneous conversations going on here – nonverbally, something’s happening behind you but don’t look yet.. and the verbal conversation about Question Mark!
Lee: yeah, it’s suddenly becoming a very interesting place (Yeah like what’s it done to Amanda??!!)
Lee and Billy part ways sharing a quiet grin.. 
neither is cranky with Amanda which is good.. but Amanda.. you are soooo busted!!!!
Lee turns towards Amanda ‘hiding’
Lee: Amanda, what are you doing?
Amanda: ohhhh just minding my own business…
…excuse me..
(and off she walks to avoid him!) Love how Lee doesn’t step back when Amanda walks past him so closely
Teee heeee! I love how Lee isn’t threatened by it at all.. he just thinks it’s kinda funny!! responds with an: ‘ahhhh!!!‘ so that’s what you are doing. haaaa..
Okay, I think from now on we can see Lee is beginning to question what Amanda is up to.. her suddenly asking about Harry’s portrait, then Amanda’s recognising Crawford isn’t Harry? it’s all a little too much of a coincidence.. even for smk.. tee hee (though if the plot requires it- yeah, it’s just a coincidence )
Lee and Amanda exit the elevator and move into the foyer..
Lee: how about minding a little of my business huh
[Oh how ironic, she is Lee! she is!!]
(Lee passes Amanda his box of belongings)
…could you take this to the Q bureau it’s just desk clutter from the bullpen.
[Lol he really does trust her huh! ]
Amanda’s not wanting to part ways with Lee here.. what to do.. what to do..
Amanda: sure, where are you going?
Lee: state department. That fire that Crawford set is the key to this thing. The sooner I figure that out, the sooner I find him.
Amanda: right. (Amanda and Lee turn to walk away in separate directions)
Amanda adds: boy I bet it’s a doozie. It’s probably a lot better than mine.
Lee: what’s better?
Amanda: Oh your idea about how to get in.. you know.. Billy said they’d thrown a blanket over it..
Lee: Hold it! (Amanda stops climbing the stairs)
…that’s right he did… ( well derr who’s the spy here?!)
…what’s your idea?
whoooo hooooooo!!!! Lee is asking for Amanda’s suggestions and ideas now?? Awesome!!!
Amanda turns and heads back towards Lee:
I tell you what, why don’t I tell you on the way…
Amanda tosses her Guest pass at Mrs Marsden..[how satisfying! she should have done that a long time ago haaa] )
…Goodbye Mrs Marsden.
Lee: alright.
Lee hands Mrs Marsden his ID badge and takes the box Amanda hands back to him. haaa..They rush out the door in a whirl of activity! tee hee.. I think Amanda rushes because she doesn’t want to give Lee a chance to think!
Amanda manages to get herself along for the ride.. go Amanda! lol.. I think Lee will notice though.. I think he’s taking note.. what do you think?
Ahhh yes.. there are baddies in this episode 
aren’t there.. I forgot! Here is the Baddie Gregory… a refined foreign baddie!! Eating his caviar and drinking his wine in the great outdoors..
(Drat I had him pegged as a tea drinking baddie!)
Uh oh.. here comes.. Billy??? huh?? Meeting with the baddie?
Gregory asks what Billy hears..
Billy: you sent for me Gregory.
[Baddie whistles and Billy comes? Even the baddies boss Billy around?! 😉 Heck Billy.. Gregory called you because he wants you to tell him stuff! der..]
This whole little exchange may as well be in Russian.. for all the sense it made to me..
Gregory says he’s ‘keeping the lines of communication open, in the spirit of Detente.’
Billy: when you say communication open, that usually means the KGB wants to pick my pocket. so?… (Billy pauses a moment) …I’ll start. How does the name Harry V. Thornton grab you?
Ohhh hoooo.. this is hilarious. Billy complains the Russians only want to steal info from him.. and then he offers to go first.. and actually gives them information because of the question he asks!! Aie..
Yo! Sorry Bro you is lame interrogator! 😉
Gregory says he heard Harry had ‘rejoined the game’
Billy: not true!…
[umm why would you answer that?!]
…but I did just kick Harry Crawford out of the game…
[ why did you tell him that?! why don’t you tell Gregory everything! tell him that Rudolph won’t recognise Santa if Beaman gives him a Santa ID! lol!!]
…but I’ll be damned if I know what game we’re playing.
[If you don’t know, why are you admitting it, and why are you telling Gregory?.. can anyone help me here.. am I missing something?! seems to me Billy is giving the Russians an update on where the agency is at and Gregory doesn’t really offer any information in return!]
Gregory responds: the same old one we’ve always been playing. Although, we may have 
entered sudden death… (whoooooo!!! I hear ‘sudden death’ – I straight away think Lee and Amanda’s first kiss! though Okay, technically it was Sandy Newcombe and Amanda kissing ) …nothing that has gone before matters.. one point wins it all.. do you understand?
Billy: No. and I told you I didn’t know the game. I’ll also tell you that Harry V. Thornton isn’t suppose to be in it.
Gregory: Then, you have told me quite a lot.
Aie.. Billy.. I think Gregory just ‘picked your pocket’! This lame scene ends here.. ugh.. could have been cut and not been missed at all. So what happened? Gregory confirmed his suspicions that Harry is a triple agent-I guess? Because he now knows the agency considers Harry to be out of the game. But.. Harry tells the Russians he is in the game and cheating on the Americans.. so together it doesn’t make sense… or heck, maybe I don’t make any sense.. quite possible! 🙂 Whatever!
Anyway.. I best finish up here for the moment! Already I’m enjoying the freedom the Q bureau provides for Lee and Amanda’s relationship to grow and the interactions to expand.. Mrs Marsden has the best seat in the house Lee and Amanda’s interaction there in the foyer must have been very interesting.. I bet she has started an office sweep – will they?? or won’t they?!
[I’ll umm put a couple of bucks on ‘they will’ how about you? ]
Well, I know which I’d bet on haaaa!!! Looking forward to hearing from you! byee for now!
"Just walk with me.." 
I think Lee did have his own desk in the bullpen. We almost always see him in the front corner of the room next to the conference room. I specifically recall it on Car Wars & Remembrance Of Things Past, but there are a couple of other eps too. It’s the one with a big map behind it. Amanda takes it over on The Eyes Have It and it seems to then be Francine’s according to Unfinished Business.
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In previous watching, I never noticed that when they are leaving, Lee tosses his badge to Mrs Marsden. (I knew Amanda returned her Guest Pass when she left, but never Lee.) I didn’t know that she holds ALL the badges for everyone. Does that mean when everyone gets to work at 8 am, they all have to wait in line for Mrs Marsden to give them their badges? There are a ton of people who work in the agency! It seems pretty inefficient that full-time agents don’t keep their own badges. Would they all have to tell her the code word too? Where does she store all those badges?
I’m remembering Lee and Amanda putting their badges on each other in the elevator, but I can’t remember if Mrs Marsden gave Lee his badge or not.
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Well, I mean, not just the lineup to get badges but also how does a quiet Georgetown neighbourhood not notice an office building worth of people disappearing into a tiny town house every day?
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ClagJanet – right! Even their IFF cover seems odd in a neighborhood rather than in a business district.
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Good point! And that would be hilarious to see filmed Does everyone need to give a password to her or just the guests? Do they have to whisper it in her ear so the other employees don’t hear while they are waiting in line?
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I was wondering the same thing about having to whisper the password. They’d all lean over and whisper “backlash” over and over as they entered lol
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Remember when it was okay to lean in close and whisper things into people’s ears?… Now Mrs. Marsden would need the Con of Silence and it would have to be sanitized between each person!
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Omg the Cone of Silence! Get Smart was way ahead if it’s time. (I love the Get Smart / S&MK thread over at Neds!)
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rofl. once you open this can of worms there’s no stopping right?! haaaaa.. it’s hysterically funny to me how it becomes so farcical!
Great points! it’s all really weird! I mean we saw this entry in TGTN and there was nothing between Lee and that elevator haaaaa.
I’m pretty sure in later episodes we see them enter and give no password. I like to think Amanda broke the password system haaaaaa..
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I think Lee and Amanda are at a comfortable part of their working/personal relationship…Now that Amanda is working more regularly and they are partners, I think that by now they are having working lunches and probably dinners together which are not per se dates, but it certainly forces them together, and I don’t believe they are complaining about the togetherness. I don’t think Lee is ready to call what they do “dates” ….yet….we must remember, Lee is still fighting his emotions where Amanda is concerned not yet ready to admitt to himself that there is a possibility he could be attracted to Amanda, this mother of two who lives in the suburbs.
You know it takes some men a long time to grow up! LOL 🙂
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I do think Lee had a desk in the bullpen. In ROTP, he sits at a desk in the corner, puts his feet up on it like he owns it and starts to eat a sandwich (I think). Then he hears that ticking and searches for it source of it. His search becomes more frantic until he finds the Polaroid camera which takes that lovely photo of him. I think that is supposed to be his desk. And in a case of rare continuity, that is also the location of the desk that Fred Fielder occupies when Lee “leaves” the Agency to go work for Edson Ballon in Savior.
Not only does Billy notice Amanda leaving the bullpen, I think Lee also sees her out of the corner of his eye. LOL – on the big hair joke!!! Too true! And I don’t think Billy is suggesting Lee has a choice about whether or not he gets the Q-Bureau. I think he is suggesting that Lee might just change his own thinking about it. Lee might like to have all those cases now that it appears there might be a big juicy one involving Harry V. It might not be such a bad move that Billy’s made after all.
Oh, iwsod, you are really hitting my funny bone with this post!! Derr, who is the spy??? Yes, Lee does trust Amanda and is open to suggestions! Wowza!! Lee has come a looong way, baby! And I love how Amanda just makes her move and tells Lee how she’ll tell him on the way over to the State department and doesn’t really give him a chance to say no. Oh, and would you take your stinkin’ box back please to carry it? Thank you!
I love how Lee really doesn’t put up any resistance to Amanda just inserting herself into this trip to the State Department. He could have, but he doesn’t. Now that he trusts her, has seen in her in action plenty of times, and is comfortable with her, I think he doesn’t really mind her coming along. It’s so nice to see them working together like this. She has really gotten under his skin and he is okay with it. He is letting her get more experience professionally with him at her side and they are both
enjoying themselves doing it.
Yes, that is a lame-o scene with Billy and Gregory. Billy gives him the store and get nothing in return other than to know that Gregory doesn’t know what’s going on either and he eats Russian caviar. Oh, wait. Now he does because Billy told him. Duh! I think they had to give Gregory so much screen time and vague dialogue to fulfill a contract…otherwise, what’s the point?
Do you think that is real caviar he is eating?
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Liking the more easy-going, less tense and strained atmosphere of Lee and Amanda right about now. Maybe some of the friction and tenseness was caused by the restrictions of being in the bullpen, which is pretty much like a fish bowl. There’s no privacy and everyone sees all. With the diminishment of prying eyes, maybe guards can be dropped and a more relaxed camaraderie can develop. Without the fear of curious questions and not so subtle innuendo, the behavior can be more open and forthcoming.
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I like that idea, Valerie. And you can add to that more relaxed work environment the new relaxation of their friendship in which they have both agreed that being friends outside of their working relationship is ok too. Makes for some comfortable and enjoyable partnership ( and a great atmosphere to let emotional honesty grow???)
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“This suggests he actually did have a desk in the bullpen”
Wasn’t it the one in the corner of the bullpen where he got his picture snapped when the drawer opened… what episode was that? I’m away from my usual resources…
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It was Remembrance Of Things Past. I was just thinking the same thing, KC.
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thing, not think…although think might fit as well…
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Hah! Thanks, Valerie!
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And I think Fred Fielder took over his desk briefly when they made it seem like Lee left the Agency in Savior.
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Yep – plant and all…
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Hey KC, hope you are nowhere near the Sandy Eggo fires! It’s 100 at the coast in central California. Arrrgh! Hope everyone is not suffering too badly from this extreme weather across the country. Fires, floods, tornados, oh my!
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I’m away from the fires… not in Sandy Eggo this week. Thanks for checking up on me – the weather I’m missing sounds brutal! Friends were evacuated but okay.
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I’m lovin’ Gregory – he’s a first class baddie all the way. He’s in my top 5 baddies of S3 already and I’m not even thinking about all the baddies yet to come in this season!
I think Billy is used to meeting occasionally and discreetly with Gregory, who is obviously the KGB’s unofficial Agency liaison. While there’s always a great deal of sabre rattling and fighting talk between ideologically opposed nations, there’s usually just as much info sharing and situation handling going on behind the scenes to prevent it all getting out of control.
Billy doesn’t trust Gregory, Gregory doesn’t trust Billy, but they have a mutual interest in ensuring nothing extreme happens.
Gregory enjoys his creature comforts and probably enjoys being stationed in the US. However, I think he is playing a double game here – he is not friend of Billy or the Agency, and possibly has his own game within a game going here to advance his status with the KGB or even just to maintain the status quo. The more trusted and higher up he gets in that organisation, the more control he will have over where he goes and what he does. I think he very much wants to stay in the US and continue his life of relative luxury – not that he couldn’t live a luxurious life in the USSR but it is so much easier and pleasant to live such a life in the US, especially as he sees the Cold War beginning to wane and the USSR perhaps headed for a period of national and economic upheaval.
He may have been brutal and unforgiving in his rise up the KGB ranks, but I think these days Gregory likes to control the game rather than be in it. He has been using Crawford when he was inside the Agency to follow the trail to Harry V Thornton being a triple agent. Does Gregory want to score points with his Government and the KGB for exposing Thornton as a triple agent? Or does he want to get his hands on the letter for another reason, e.g. as leverage, an ace up his sleeve if needed in future, or to destroy it as discovery of Thornton’s long-standing and on-going deception of the KGB by others in the KGB could rebound badly on Gregory, who is supposed to make sure this sort of thing isn’t going on.
I’m not looking ahead in this episode and all and haven’t watched it for a while, so I am keen to see how my thoughts on what is going on here pan out.
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Oh my Kiwismh, I was just going to say I don’t get the Billy/Gregory intrigue and then you go and explain it all. You must have been spying on Gregory all this time to glean all that info, LOL! Well done!
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Hey Jule!
Yeah.. I get what Detente is all about and the whole idea of both sides mutually working together even though they are enemies.. but.. this dialogue seemed really lame to me! Billy learned nothing.. Gregory learned lots.. and Billy started out complaining that always happens, he doesn’t trust him and then- heck he goes ahead and tells him stuff anyway.. just.. IMHO (don’t mind me!) Lame!
But indeed – nothing like a foreign refined baddie!!! Love it!!!
I’m off to enjoy the great outdoors.. Just finished putting together post 6. phew.. I don’t like to fall behind!!!
byeeee!
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When I watched this the other night and got to this scene, all I was wondering is what on earth those two talked about during their steak, potato and wine dinner? Things sure have changed! Lee asking Amanda what her ideas are, not arguing when she comes along. I love that scene!
I’ll revisit this later, it is a beautiful spring day and the outdoors is calling me…
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Do you think that Lee is automatically thinking that Amanda is eaves dropping and that it might have to do with an Agency related thing… or do you think he might be wondering if this is more erratic, jealous behavior like outside his apartment in OTL? Did he ask her to come along to the State Department because he wants to figure out what she is up to, or because he really wants to know what her idea is and have her along? I tend to think he does want her along and is becoming more and more open to her help, ideas and company, and he is becoming more open to the way he responds to her emotionally as well. That is the way I am viewing these scenes. Maybe because Lee knows Amanda he is taking into account what he knows of her instincts and his trust in her and interpreting her actions through those, so he is genuinely interested in why she would be behaving this way and knowing that something is going on, instead of interpreting them as though they are erratic behavior, but the thought popped into my head because of OTL (in this viewing order) coming right before.
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If by ‘Agency related’ you mean Lee suspects she’s been asked to do something that requires her eavesdropping – no but I also don’t think he’s considering it a reaction of jealousy. I think he’s assuming she’s nosy – which she is and because she’s becoming more and more of her own person at the Agency he probably assumes she’s just trying to stay on top of things and doesn’t like to be left out of the conversation.
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whoooo interesting discussion guys! I’m around.. but too busy to comment much right now – boooo!!!
I agree Allofakind, I don’t see Lee thinking Amanda is weird jealous.. not sensing that..
A great idea to explore though Morley! What is Lee thinking now?
I think I wrote in my post he was taking note. Not sure if I said this – but I think for someone who is suspicious like Lee – it would have rang a silent alarm (yes joke intended 😉 ) when Amanda randomly suddenly asks Lee who is the portrait of. and then she asks if he knew him. He even noted it at the time – why the sudden questioning? he noticed…
Then! the next drama of the day happens to be a scooched agent breaking into the agency using Harry’s ID ??? and he learns Harry is still active?? It’s all got to seem to be too much of a coincidence.
I wouldn’t go far enough to suggest Lee would guess Harry had contacted Amanda, but he might suspect something is going on Amanda can’t tell him about.. and he is taking note – in post 6 he confronts her with what he has noticed.. but gets no where.. nahh I think he knows it’s not a personal thing , it’s a work thing – and it’s got something to do with Harry!
I was surprised Lee actually told Amanda not to follow him! That’s pretty telling! – see post 6 for this, it’s been published by now..
Okay well bye for now!
Lovin hearing all your thoughts and sorry I’m a bit slow with publishing the posts at the moment. I’ll get them out as often as I can I promise! loving this walk with you all! byee now!!
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I agree with this Allofakind. I think Lee has noticed these little things that Amanda is doing, but it chalking it up to her unusual status and unusual way of doing things because she is not official. She has to sneak around and read between the lines because she doesn’t ever really get the scoop because of that flippin’ guest pass!
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Hi Morley,
Like I said to Allofakind, I think Lee is not thinking this is erratic, jealous behavior. Only that maybe she’s being a bit too obvious about being interested in Lee’s business. I do think he let’s her go with him to the State Department because he does value her as a partner and it would be better to have two heads to figure out how to get into the SD than one. So I agree with what you say about him being more open to her professionally and emotionally.
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I see the change in the relationship as well. In my mind that first dinner (or date LOL) isn’t the only one they’ve had since OTL. I imagine that they’ve been spending more ‘non-work’ time together. He said they didn’t do enough of it and I think that was the step to say they would start doing it more, not just the one time. And it’s starting to show in the relationship.
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Interesting thougts here, allofakind! How many dinners/dates do you think they’ve had?
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Well I kind of envision 3, depending on how much time has passed between the two episodes. I don’t subscribe to the idea that it’s been one week since OTL even though the show airs once a week (and of course assuming you accept the “Morley” order which I do). Based on the kind of changes we are seeing and continue to see (being very careful here to not do spoilers) I’m seeing 3 dinners (or non-work time together) or so over the course of 3 or 4 weeks. I think the OTL dinner is the most ‘official’ where he asks and she says yes. I think the others are another development in their relationship that doesn’t require anything quite as “official” as it progresses. Even though I consider the OTL dinner a date, I don’t think they are ‘dating’. I think they are starting to spend more time together in a way that develops their relationship. And there is enough of a change in their relationship between OTL and now, as many people have noted, that I just don’t see that happening with just the one dinner. These two are on the super-slo-mo path to relationship land so I just can’t believe something changed ‘overnight’. They need a LONG time to make even mild adjustments.
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Like this. A date but not dating is a good way to describe where they are at. “super-slo-mo” is an apt description of their relationship progression too. 😉
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lol.. see now I think if someone goes on a date, that is dating. LOL.. but other than calling it a date, I’m pretty much on board with you guys – I agree they take their time and are on super slo-mo 🙂
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sounds good to me, although I think there was only the one dinner -so far. I will explain that when we get to an upcoming episode
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Maybe the difference in perception arises from how Lee and Amanda would view the dinner and subsequent personal time together and how someone observing them (like us) would view it. To the casual observer it seems like a date. Lee and Amanda at this stage wouldn’t classify what they are doing as dating. And there is a difference I think even between Lee and Amanda in how they view it. Lee I think is aware that this is dating territory, although he wouldn’t admit it right now (especially if Leslie is still in the background). It has probably crossed Amanda’s mind too that what they are doing could be construed as “dates” but after recent events (Leslie) I don’t think she is assuming at this stage it is anything other than friendship motivated. she’s not willing to risk their close friendship and her own heart by assuming more at this point.
Brief thoughts typed on my smart phone sitting in the sun. Too nice a day to be inside. I’m loving this late Autumn New Zealand weather! 🙂
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Sounds lovely Kiwismh! enjoy the gorgeous day!!
There is more coming up very soon about all this dating stuff.. which will explain why I think what I think.. and why I haven’t so far called them dating or called their dinner a date.. but I’ll hold off for now..
Morley my brain doesn’t work in a – they’ve now had 3 dinners kind of way- I’m not that specific.. I could totally go along with them only having had one dinner. Because they see each other all the time at work anyway.. not a biggie for me.. but I totally get that this is the way some people’s brains work – and that’s great – we fill in the gaps in different ways and it’s really fun to hear what brains different to mine come up with 🙂 tee hee..
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Woo hoo!! I cannot believe the subject of what they discussed at their dinner date/no date has not come up yet??? In an earlier Weasel post comment I wrote how I thought Amanda would have most assuredly asked Lee about Leslie during their dinner, but no one took the bait and responded?!!?? At least I didn’t see any reponses, hopefully I didn’t forget to check that notify me of follow-up comments box.
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O man!! I have no self control. A thousand things to d, but I have to reply… I don’t think Amanda brought Leslie up at all. Why? I guess because I make Amanda like me, and I won’t mention something sensative if it is going to push a person and I don’t feel like I have a right to push, and here at this point I think if Amanda had brought Leslie up, she would be manipulating something. I think she tried a bit at the dock when he asked her over for dinner and I think his answer was rather vague, and Amanda just let it slide. I guess there I go again with the where is Leslie thing.
But I do think they probably swapped stories about college (maybe the kappa thing came up), childhood tales. Maybe he told her where “Skip” came from? Could she have told him why she liked that book (the one from Fearless Dotty). I bet she shared a few Philip and Jamie stories. And asked him about that little girl he defended when he was a boy (from ARS) Light talk that lets you get to know more about a person, but nothing too intimate, the kind of stuff that makes us all feel that we are all human with similar experiences and creates a report of commonality between two people.
OK.. time to get out of the rabbit hole…
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Very interesting, Morley! I must offer up my reasoning on my point of view! My thousand things to do will just have to wait as well. My dog can keep them company
I will try to do this in logical list fashion, because that is how my mind works. There are many factors which led me to make the statement that “Amanda would have most assuredly asked Lee about Leslie.” Here they are in logical order as determined in my mind:
First and foremost, I see Lee and Amanda as friends and co-workers. Nothing more. This is not a date to me. They are friends and Amanda does not let herself see Lee as potential romance/future boyfriend or husband material. The outer picture of Leslie as “normal” has shaken Amanda up a little bit and we have seen a rocket-like propulsion of jealousy from her, but I think once the rocket fuel burned out in true rocket fashion (hot and fast), Amanda’s logical, clear head will prevail.
Building on that last bullet, I see Amanda determined and needing to continue on as Lee’s friend despite her blow-up and to care for him as she always has. She has given him no indication of wanting a romantic future with him, and has no reason to expect him to think that. To be a good friend and co-worker or partner, Amanda would naturally show interest in Lee and his life.
Amanda is a very curious and inquisitive person. I think it is natural for her to be curious about Leslie and want to talk to Lee about it in a non-threatening, manipulative way. I don’t see Amanda as a threatening or manipulative person. As a friend I would think she would be concerned for Lee’s well-being and want to know a bit more about Leslie to keep an eye out for bad or self-destructive behavior on Lee’s part that perhaps Amanda thought was gone.
Amanda has always accepted Lee, faults and all, and her faith in him has been fairly firm with maybe one small, but fleeting time of doubt in Burnout (IMHO). Once her jealous fire was extinguished, I see her continuing to accept him. I think she loves him as a friend and wants the best for him. I think that in order for her to continue to accept Lee and maintain friend status, she has to ask him about this obvious “elephant” in the room. It might be a little uncomfortable, but I think Amanda is emotionally mature enough to be honest with herself about a lack of future romance with Lee and therefore would make herself ask about Leslie. (Okay, this is pure BJo here…like you, I am making Amanda act like I would).
So based on all this – Amanda’s short-lived fit of jealousy, her logical, clear-headed mind, her curiosity, and her determination/need (yes need!*) to accept Lee as he is and just be his friend – I think Amanda would have certainly asked Lee about Leslie. I see Amanda wanting to be a good and supportive friend to Lee at this point.
Now, that is not to say that she is not successful and does not change her mind in the near future. I’m not that obtuse nor am I ignoring the undercurrent of attraction these two have for each other. I’m just saying that Amanda has enough self-discipline still at this point which would determine her behavior. In fact, it does not take long for Amanda to start changing and thinking differently. This first dinner (and subsequent activities which we have not walked through yet so I will not name) is a beginning of a change in Amanda. To go back to our Tupperware analogy, I think she has picked up and re-nested all her Tupperware that fell out of the closet in her fit of jealousy. Of course, we all know that once the original set-up is torn apart, it never fits back together quite as nicely as it did initially. To use a different analogy, the spine of the new book has been cracked. It may still close completely after opening, but it’s ever so much easier to open up and read.
*I say need because I think Amanda loves her job and her life as a “spy” and she needs Lee in her life to continue on doing it. Her personal life right now is taking a back seat to her professional life.
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Now, how am I supposed to focus on the mundane tasks when there is such interesting things to think about on JWWM?
I think I could meet you in the middle here, BJo 🙂 I could see Amanda attempting to make small talk about Leslie. Embracing this new development in her friend’s life. Questions like, ” how did you meet, how long have you known each other?” I would imagine that Lee’s answers would be brief and vague, not because he doesn’t want Amanda to know, but because he doesn’t want to talk about it for some reason. I bet Amanda would get the hint and stop bringing it up, slightly relieved that she doesn’t need to anymore. I wonder if she would try to ignore the knot that would form in her stomach as he would answer her and if she would try not to dwell on why he wouldn’t answer her in detail and why she even cared. I would also bet that that conversation would have been at the beginning and more tense time of the dinner. As they switched topics away from things concerning Leslie, I bet the evening would become much more relaxed and enjoyable and probably just flew by.
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I’m with you Morley. I think at best it would have been small talk at the beginning of the dinner or not mentioned at all. Me, I’d just shut the hell up and enjoy the evening for what it is. Why would Amanda want to bring up a topic she knows will probably create some awkwardness in the conversation, unless she just wants to show Lee that she’s okay with it and supportive… which I don’t think she really is deep down, even having had time for it all to settle into her consciousness.
Which is not to say she isn’t curious about what the current situation is with Lee and Leslie but with this “no shop talk dinner: and the promise of more to come (“We don’t do enough of that, do we”) I would just let the ongoing situation with Leslie reveal itself through Lee’s behaviour and the passage of time.
Without jumping ahead, I think it does become obvious to Amanda soon enough that Leslie is no longer in the picture.
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This is interesting Morley and BJo!
BJo I loved how you laid out your thoughts there – some really great insights! I agree with most of what you say.. though I think if Amanda did mention Leslie it would not have been directly – I see Amanda as not being pushy, and IMHO asking Lee directly about Leslie now would maybe push Lee beyond what he prefers. Amanda is good at picking up signals.. a good communicator and I think Lee’s response to the question about Leslie and the embassy told Amanda he doesn’t really want to go there with her (Ie. I agree with Morley on this).
Amanda may hint or open an opportunity for Lee to talk about her, but I don’t see her directly asking- even if she is his great friend.
I was also thinking even if she did hint- I don’t think Lee wants to talk about Leslie to Amanda. I see Lee as not thinking much of Leslie now.. (again same as Morley) so he doesn’t want to talk about her, nor would he want to put it into words- then he’d have to think about his future a bit eek!
Sorry I didn’t respond to your initial question I thought it was a fab question!!! I mean’t to come back and say I think there are hints or insights coming up which will tell us what they talk about..and will even show us what these err ‘get togethers’ are like! so I won’t fill the gaps myself – I’ll let the show do it in future eps 🙂
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I guess with (for the most part) better plots in season three, they also upgraded the baddies — wine and caviar, oh my! Though I always get confused — what kind of wine do you serve with caviar?
Yeah, that scene with Billy and Gregory is lame, I will just go in my rabbit hole and think that Billy was able to glean a lot of information by Gregory’s non-verbal cues.
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Big hair making it tough for spying — Ha! Good one!
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I was ROFLing at that too!!!
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