Amanda King. Housewife? Yes. Den Mother? Yup. Agent? Hardly. Spunky? You bet. From the moment she accepts that package from Lee Stetson at the train station to the moment he comes to offer her a ride in his new Corvette, Amanda morphs into a changed woman. Let’s take a look at how she grows from your typical suburban mother and housewife who is looking for work in TFT to becoming the Agency’s only hope in CBAH.
But before we start, I’d like to thank iwsod for the use of her lovely screen caps. Thank you, iwsod!! 
You saved me so much time! Also, I am using iwsod’s season 1 episode order.
In the tag of TFT, we don’t get to hear Amanda totally explain how she figured out the entire case and helped save 
Lee in the process. Actually, I think Billy must not have heard the whole thing either, or I’d wonder why he didn’t just hire her on the spot as a trainee agent – not as a civilian they rely on from time to time. All on her own she does this:
- realizes the words on the paper in the music box are recipe titles and researches until she finds out they are from Mrs. Welch
- uses a cover to get the air dates for each recipe from the TV station
- links each air date with the dates the agents were murdered
- figures out Lee is missing
- connects Lee being missing to air date of Pilgrim’s Peach Puff
- goes out to Mrs. Welch’s mansion only to discover Francine is the
leak and helps save Lee’s life.
- Oh, and she flies a helicopter.
Sounds like potential agent material to me! Right off the bat, we see she is persistent, a critical thinker, able to quickly make connections and is very courageous. I’ll give Billy the benefit of the doubt and consider she maybe had a bit of beginner’s luck with this first case, so let’s look at the rest of season 1 and see what develops.
Initially, Amanda is asked to help the Agency because of who she is, what she does, or where she lives. From being 
asked to be the “authentic” half of a suburban couple with Lee,
to babysitting a smug “orphan”, to using her driveway to hide the next best thing in 
the government’s mobile weaponry arsenal, and 
to being a Bedside Bluebell for a crabby Lee, we see that Amanda is being used in ways that take advantage of her expertise.
But what we see is so much more. We see her ability to think and make connections to the job with 
“normal life”, 
her ability to get people to talk and share information, her attention to detail and powers of observation, 
and let’s not forget her driving skills – driving in NYC on 
Thanksgiving for the Macy’s parade is equal to proving your skills at LeMans and Monaco 
. You go, girl!
Billy must also take in these skills that Amanda is displaying and practicing, because she is rewarded and gets her first “real” spy assignment in SD: she is to be an undercover operative 
(messenger) at the Pioneer’s football camp where Lee is already undercover. After successfully completing her first real assignment, she is used again for her expertise. In Gift Horse, a “frumpier”- 
than-Francine Amanda with her PTA connection gets to show Princess Penelope around an elementary school.
Lee is in need of a 
beautiful woman for a date to the Quickie Chickie Snack Shack backer party in SAAB and in SBTB he needs someone who will feed his fish
while away meeting women in the Caribbean.
Amanda clearly displays her people skills when 
she befriends Penny and gets her to open up. She also displays her quick thinking skills and comes up with a convincing cover in SAAB. 
Even Billy is impressed, “She’s thinking on her feet. She has instincts.” In SBTB, her observation skills are tested, but with her excellent memory and eye for detail, she comes through and 
she and Lee find the house where she was held captive. We also see a new skill in SBTB: she climbs up to the top of some high shelving and pushes over a tall stack of heavy tires to take out the baddies and free Lee. Amanda is growing and getting more used to being in the spy business!
After all this, she is rewarded again by Billy in TLCE by being 
given a short undercover assignment. Although this operation doesn’t go 
quite as planned, we get to witness Amanda’s bravery and common sense as well as her first aid skills.
In ROTP, Billy gives Amanda another “spy” assignment. She 
is asked to help Lee investigate his own murder by doing his legwork. She gets to see the seedier side of life and almost 
gets blown to smithereens by that nutter, Sinclair. But hey, at least she now knows the going rate for such an establishment, ahem.
By this point, Amanda has certainly proven that she adds value to Lee and the Agency beyond her expertise in being a normal, everyday mother of two housewife. She’s recognized by Billy for her ability to think on her feet and for having good instincts. Lee also must see some of this, because in IANNNHIEBAS, for the first time not borne out of desperation, Lee gives her an assignment: she is to pick up a message from the elevator guy and bring it to him at the 
drop at Milo’s Daffy Dogs. Unfortunately, all does not go as planned. Lee thinks he’s gotten Amanda killed, and he is significantly impacted. 
But Amanda, ever resilient, comes through and continues on with the Agency. 
What pluck!
Amanda next has a series of small assignments in LAF, TAD, DR, and TM. She is asked to use her life experience plus what she’s learned from working at the Agency so far. More importantly, she learns a couple of lessons. In TAD, to her 
horror, she is personally used and betrayed by the Dodger so he can steal the final MAB sheet. On the positive side, she learns that she has earned some level of trust with Lee in The Mole. He 
trusts her to dig around in everyone’s personal business and actually gives 
her a badge and sends her out to interview someone on her own to get information.
Savior is a bit of a different episode, and it is another hard lesson learned for Amanda. Despite being used personally in TAD, she falls prey again and is tricked in Savior out of her 
loyalty and dedication to Lee. But this time it is from a professional standpoint. I think she learns that Lee is truly the only person she can trust in this business and that she needs to be 
wary of others who may try to take advantage of her.
In FR, Amanda is accidentally involved in the case, literally. And it is her relationship with the parking lot attendant that 
brings the videotape of people coming and going from the Agency to light. Once again, Amanda’s people skills are on display: she can 
befriend a princess or a parking lot attendant. She continues to offer up suggestions to Lee with the idea of looking for 
a sub-basement at the warehouse and even finds a way to help stop the baddie by taking a trick from her favorite movie, 
The Sound of Music, when she removes a bunch of wires from his car.
In Weekend, we see Amanda get her last assignment of the season. She gets to be Mrs. Lee Stetson at a posh resort. 
She continues to show how she can think on her feet when helping Lee with his “pill”. 
Amanda keeps earning Lee’s trust and she is rewarded with a little freedom when he asks her to trail Valerie Tucker, one of the suspected baddies to be his eyes and ears.
The last three episodes of the season have Amanda getting involved coincidentally with the Agency (WFG – estate sale/meatloaf for a princess, FD – Dotty/Drought Cycles of 
Burma, and CBAH – her charity work at the Equidome). We also learn she’s been transcribing phone conversations and typing reports. In WFG, Amanda’s logical mind and keen senses help Lee crack another case. He’s impressed with her ability to glean useful clues from the tapes and even shares details of the assignment with her even though she doesn’t have a need to know.
In FD, her attention to detail and memory help the 
sketch artist to come up with a close enough picture to ID Carlos,
and she quickly makes the connection between the book her mother “bought” and the fact that it is her mother the bad guys are after. 
She even shows quick thinking and good aim with the hose, which helps stop 
the bad guy.
CBAH makes a great season-ending episode, and I think it highlights Amanda’s professional growth. Despite the danger of being discovered as Lee’s “in” to the Equidome, 
Amanda comes through for Lee just like she did in TFT. With Lee tied to the bar, Amanda takes the initiative to go search for the secret 
formula and winds up finding a dead body. Not long after that, she realizes Lee 
might be in trouble and goes to find Billy to let him know. Although Billy tells 
her to give Lee more time, her instincts tell her not to listen. She disobeys Billy, 
takes out a security 
guard, and rescues Lee from the freezer. Wow! No Lee popsicles this season!
Despite learning a hard lesson or two along the way, Amanda has proven her value to Lee and to the Agency in season 1. She’s successfully pulled off a cover many times and has used her intuition, common sense, and quick thinking ability to help Lee solve many of his cases. She’s grown in self-confidence and street smarts and to trust in herself, despite being used and tricked. She’s shown her loyalty and dedication to Lee and the Agency and we’ve never seen her courageous spirit falter. As a result, she’s earned some trust capital with Lee and Billy. And although she still has to wear that damned Guest Pass on her lapel, Amanda King has made her mark. I think she is ready for bigger and better things in season 2, don’t you? (Not to mention a ride in Lee’s new Corvette!)
So, what do you think??? How do you see Amanda’s professional growth in season 1? What do think Lee thinks about her at the end versus the beginning? What does Amanda think about herself? We know Amanda’s kidnapping in IANNNHIEBAS impacted Lee. How does it impact her professional growth? What about her other “booboos”? Is there anything that sticks out for you? Is there anything you can relate to? Please share!! Thanks for reading!
"Just walk with me.." 
Okay, I have been away for a little while and now need to play catch up, but now that school is out I have plenty of time to do so. Thanks Bjo for the Amanda walk-through. I’m enjoying the post and the comments thus far. Bringing Up Baby was on the other night and I got that whole SMK vibe again while watching Katherine Hepburn. Amanda is like this breath of fresh air that has blown through the Agency. When you look at the first season overall as a whole it seems as if Amanda had an effect and impact on Lee immediately. He felt something about her right away. It appears to be annoyance, but her being herself brings something out of him right away. But once Amanda finds out that Lee is not of the criminal ilk and she is asked to help out a few more times she embraces the idea of helping him and the Agency.
The only quibble I probably have is that when Amanda realizes how dangerous some of her work has been and requests some sort of training she is told that it would compromise some of her usefulness. They seem to forget the Amanda seems to be instrumental is solving many of these cases more so than these trained agents.
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I keep thinking about Billy’s reasons for hiring Amanda. In the first episode, when she’s in Billy’s office, telling him about her adventures with Lee, he seems thoroughly charmed by her. I think that it’s her enthusiasm that charms him the most. She’s just been through a harrowing experience that would leave a lot of people saying, “I’d never do that again,” but she’s all happy and enthusiastic, like she’s just had the bestest time ever! Then, Billy points out her good qualities to Lee and says that maybe having her around will make him more careful. I think that Billy has realized that Lee has been alone too much and that having someone else experienced around will make him more responsible. With Amanda by his side, he can’t be as reckless because he has to be concerned for her welfare as well as his own. I don’t think that Billy realized the romantic potential for the two of them right away, but I don’t think it took too long for him to think of the possibility either.
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Hehehe “…the bestest time ever!” Very funny! You’re so right, she does act like that. I wonder just how much of Lee’s cases were with Amanda after TFT. He clearly has other cases that don’t involve her, but Billy does seem to have some sincerity in telling Lee that he’s found a new partner. Lee acts as if Billy is kidding, but I think you’re right, Jestress, I think Billy was serious, even if only a little bit, in having Amanda work with Lee in the future to remind him to be careful.
I do wonder when Billy first noticed the romantic potential – perhaps in the elevator of Magic Bus when they are pinning each other’s badges on? I wonder when Billy realizes that Amanda treats Lee differently than the other women in his life. Interesting question to think about!
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Now that I think about it, it would make sense if Billy started thinking of the possibility for romance between Lee and Amanda in Magic Bus. I love that little look he gives Francine when they’re spying on Lee and Amanda in the elevator. I’m not sure whether that look is supposed to be because he just noticed something he hadn’t seen before between Lee and Amanda (ex. “Look at that! What do you think of that?”) or if what he’d seen confirmed something that he’d already started to suspect and he and Francine had speculated on (ex. “See? I told you!”). Either way, that could be the moment that he seriously started to consider the idea of them as a couple.
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WEll this is all really interesting!!! I think we need a Billy post!!!!!
Anyone interested?? I guess I should avoid taking this discussion further as this post is about Amanda.. poor Amanda! but if anyone decides to write a post about Billy: the question of when Billy thought what would be fascinating to include!
If someone wants to write it, I’m happy to put the pics in for ya! But.. don’t feel obliged there is no pressure 🙂
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For sure!! I think there are many characters who need their own post! Billy, Dotty, Francine, Phillip, and Jamie at a minimum! Francine probably needs at least two!
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I agree.. Francine is fascinating.. did you see the meme I did on Neds – I (sorta) dedicated it to you!
LearJet has dibbs on doing one or two Dotty posts! 🙂
Gooooo Learjet!!! 🙂
Anyone else keen?
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Oh, gosh, no! At least I don’t think so. I need to go check it out. I haven’t been to Ned’s in ages! I just don’t have time 😦 Can you help me out and tell me what page it’s on on that meme thread? I know there are ton of memes over there.
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same here! Until last night.. when I went bonkers with memes!
you are mentioned twice.. here: http://nedlindgers.proboards.com/thread/23/smk-memes-fun-pictures?page=39 (at the bottom of the page)
and then here: http://nedlindgers.proboards.com/thread/23/smk-memes-fun-pictures?page=40
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ROFL – too funny! Thanks for the laugh! I’m glad my post and comment inspired some memes. But no, don’t lay off the chicken salad!
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oh good! Hmm I think I’ll lay off the chicken salad till Friday 😉 then look out!
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Yeah, it was that look he gives Francine that makes me wonder too. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s thinking there’s a romantic spark there or if it’s because he and Francine are enjoying watching Amanda stand up to Lee and him trying to get her to stop arguing with him but completely failing! I think it might be the start though, because in SBTB Billy does ask why she was at his apartment, so I do think that Billy might have wondered if Lee’s charms had worked on Amanda like they obviously do on all the other women around.
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I can’t remember what I said as I walked through this ep.. brain sieve.. but.. I’m now thinking when Billy looks sideways at Francine – he’s enjoying himself!! Enjoying seeing Lee and Amanda behaving that way, enjoying the effect Amanda is having on Lee .. and enjoying how Amanda bugs Francine 🙂
Having Amanda around is like setting the cat among the (dead) pigeons 😉 just what this little IFF tribe needed.. and Billy is loving it 🙂
Just my 2 cents..
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Haha – I see Amanda more as a mouse set free at the Agency and all the women (including Francine) are up on the desks pointing and screaming. All the men except Lee are looking up to calm and take care of the women and Lee is intent on the mouse…. I think he wants to capture it, take it home with him, and feed it some cheese 😉
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Jestress – you read my mind! 🙂 I agree with you!
Hey do you think Billy also wanted to teach Francine a bit of a lesson?
The way both Lee and Francine are so dismissive of Amanda in his office at the end – and Billy is over the top wow you are amazing almost rubs it in a bit to both of them no?
Billy might have known/guessed that Francine fancied herself the next partner to Lee Stetson.. the two of them together at that point in time would have been awful!
I just had that thought.. haven’t wondered about that before!
Amanda has a thing or two she can teach both Lee and Francine when it comes to work and how you treat people!! 🙂
Gooooo Amanda!
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I think you’re right about Billy wanting to teach Francine a lesson. In the first episodes especially, she’s pretty full of herself, and having Amanda participate in some of the assignments that Francine wants with Lee could be his way of teaching her humility. Also, if Francine is next in line for Billy’s job, she’s going to have to improve her people skills and learn to recognize and make best use of other people’s talents, even when they’re different from hers. Francine dismisses Amanda at first as just a frumpy housewife who can’t really do much, but Billy gives Amanda the chance to demonstrate her skills and show Francine not to underestimate other people.
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I’m lovin this Jestress.. see my previous comment – eek! sorry I took the topic off Amanda and on to Billy and Francine.. but then.. I guess it was about how Amanda has impacted on Francine.
Now there is a great way to demonstrate Amanda’s professional journey – through the way Francine sees her!! Because Francine’s standards are very high ( and not at all biased right? tee hee)
‘frump housewife’? rofl!! I love it..
Billy gives Amanda a chance that’s so true Jestress – and Amanda takes that chance and runs with it!! Regardless of what his uppity Francine might make of it! 🙂
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lol! Really, I was the one who started the Billy discussion, although I think it’s still valid because it’s about what Billy saw in Amanda that made him think that she would be good for the Agency. If he hadn’t suggested the idea of her working with Lee and supported her efforts, she wouldn’t have gotten very far. He saw some qualities in Amanda that were worth encouraging and maybe some things that she could do for the people he already had, especially Lee, and Amanda proved him right. 🙂
I like the idea of a Billy post, though. I’ve often thought that Billy has hidden depths and some good instincts of his own (at least where Lee and Amanda are concerned). 😉
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You’re right! very valid! phew.. I feel better 🙂
You gonna write it Jestress? 😎
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I don’t know. Let me think it over and see what I can come up with. It seems to me that there are a couple episodes coming up where they talk more about Billy’s past. A Billy post might go well with one of those.
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that’s cool.. honestly Jestress while I offer encouragement – it is equally balanced with acceptance if you can’t do it 🙂 no pressure! SMK is for fun and is not an obligation 🙂
If you or anyone have questions about writing a post feel free to email me about it off the blog
iwsod@optusnet.com.au
Gosh. It has honestly been years since I’ve seen any of those episodes you could be referring to Jestress. I’m feeling like season 3 is a great big vast pot of goodness I’m going to be exploring with fresh eyes.. I’m so excited to be at season 3.. and not really remembering what’s to come! whoooo hooooo!!!
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Hmm, I’m not sure I see Billy wanting to teach Francine a lesson. Or maybe it’s that I don’t think he would bank the outcome of a case on teaching her a lesson. I don’t see him playing games like that. I think he uses Amanda when he thinks it is appropriate to use her instead of using a highly-trained and experienced agent. Francine doesn’t like it because she wants to go have “fun” with Lee on cases, but I think it’s good management skills on Billy’s part. And if he can stick it to Francine in the process, then all the better. She does have a lot to learn, and Amanda can definitely teach it to her – I agree wholeheartedly with that!
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LOL.. I agree with you.. he didn’t take on Amanda to teach Francine a lesson per se- but if he can stick it to her at the same time?? even better 😉
I think we’re actually agreeing Francine wasn’t the main motivation, but it struck me that there was a plus there also!
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Awesome job!!!!!!! — I don’t have the chance to read everyone’s comments so I am probably stating what everyone else has said, Amanda totally rocked in Season 1 (especially early to mid). I don’t know if her character drift in season two was deliberate or accidental, but am sure glad it got ‘fixed’ for season three.
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Thanks, Cindy! Yeah, Amanda sure is different so far in season 3 isn’t she? I’d like to think it was all a natural progression of her growth…but I won’t say more here – post 2 is due out soon!
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BJo – this is AWESOME!
I also like to see–and miss when she’s gone–feisty Amanda, but at the same time, I’m glad they no longer make her out to be an inept womble.
“And although she still has to wear that damned Guest Pass on her lapel, Amanda King has made her mark.”
Guest Pass, my a*** (rhymes with Pass 😀 especially when spoken in a Kiwi/Brit/Aussie accent)… Amanda’s a natural, and deserves to be there.
Amanda learns and grows, and gives as good as she gets as well as giving back.
Simply: Amanda rocks!
Thanks for this awesome recap, BJo – I’m looking forward to the rest of it!
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Thanks, KC! Love the GPMA!!! It rhymes real well in American English too 🙂 😆
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Wow BJo, that was a fascinating look at Amanda’s first season journey. I forgot how far she has come and also the total sassy and adventurous woman she was first season. Thanks for the great post!
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Thanks, jule!
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Hooray!! I’ve been looking forward to these posts of yours BJo!!!
Awh you are very welcome to use my pics.. if anyone else wants to put a post together they are welcome to also 🙂
I agree with Morley, now we are about to walk through Wizard, now is the perfect time to stop our walk for a moment and remember just how far Amanda has come!!
I’ve always loved Amanda’s professional journey, and her own personal journey (not just her relationship with Lee but her relationship with herself) ..
I think Billy hired Amanda as a civilian because he didn’t have to hire her as a trainee agent..ha! he got her anyway – and I don’t see Billy as knowing from the first time that Amanda was going to be a great agent someday – I think he was thinking she had something,… and in the meantime she can teach Lee a lesson and keep him in line.. But we all know Amanda is much more than that!
It’s interesting that you start by listing all the fab things Amanda did in the first time – because in the first time Amanda had a lot to learn about herself and the spy biz – even though Amanda was great at a number of things.. she still had lots to learn. Hmm I always figured this is why the writing had to dumb down Amanda some mid season 1.. because Amanda couldn’t be too fab or she’d have no growing she needed to do.. you know?
I guess Amanda begins with a hungry, curious mind, and lots of motivation – because she wants to help Lee and maybe get herself a job at the end of it all..?
BJo I love how you wrote ‘oh and she flies a helicopter’ – so understated! Like: doesn’t everyone?! 🙂
I agree Persistent and Courageous are Amanda for sure!!
Wow this is really interesting to go through in the my revised order! 🙂
ha haaaa yes let’s not forget her driving skills 😉
Bjo wrote: “ She is to be an undercover operative (messenger)” – that’s too funny!! 🙂 good one BJo! (Purist!)
Very true about Amanda’s people skills.. they have been consistently a gift of hers..
Wow! I had forgotten Billy says that about Amanda’s ‘instincts’ well that’s cool – given we were just reminded and hit over the head with Harry V. Thornton’s declaration that Amanda has instincts!!!! pure instincts!!! 🙂
Wow.. so true.. as much as I dislike the Artless Dodger Amanda does learn a lesson in it.. it’s just a shame the show didn’t bring that out – and relate it back to Lee’s own experience of being manipulated by a love interest.. meh!
Loved Savior! yes another lesson for Amanda.. I remember saying that in a way, Lee’s treatment of Amanda up to that point had left her vulnerable to the kind of manipulation that Balon uses – not that it’s Lee’s fault, but her lack of acknowledgement plus her strong sense of patriotism and wanting to be useful was ripe to be exploited. If she had been more secure in her role at the agency and with Lee – she would not have been so vulnerable. Given she deals with national secrets the agency is pretty careless me thinks.. but.. whatev..
LOL Love the sound of music reference! 🙂
Amanda does think on her feet very well- always has!!! though at the same time, she gets better at it, would you say? or more comfortable with it maybe?
Amanda disobeys Billy – Wow!!! that’s huge!!!!
“Helped Lee solve many of his cases” ? lol.. love how you call them ‘his’ indeed in season one they are.. looking forward to your take on season 2!!
I see Amanda as coming a long way by the end of season 1, but she is still very much a civilian.. Is she ready to move on to what it takes to be a real agent? Hmmm.. at this point I think she is not sure..or maybe she doesn’t yet fully grasp what being an agent really entails.. she’s just enjoying working with Lee (now she’s put that crush of hers well and truly away!)
Thanks BJo! Can’t wait for post 2!!
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Hiya iwsod! Yes, Amanda certainly has come a long way, hasn’t she? From TFT to TOTDW, she has grown in so many ways!
Yep, Amanda did have a lot to learn in TFT, but the most amazing thing about all that stuff that she did on her own is that she just did it. No training, no one guiding her, just her own intelligence, intuition, and bravery. Not everyone has those and would do what she did – that’s why I say I wonder why Billy didn’t just hire her right away! But you’re right, why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?
I really don’t ascribe to the view of Amanda being dumbed down. I think initially she ‘just did it’ and didn’t really stop to think too much about what she was doing or the consequences. I think she was caught up in the adventure. Sort of like a tightrope walker – you don’t look down. After her initial successes and scares, she starts to think about what she’s doing, ‘looks down’, and I think it affects her internally. Another analogy would be Adam and Eve and the knowledge of good and evil. Once you have some knowledge, things are different.
You mean you don’t fly a helicopter??? 😉
Hehehe, had to get a Francine-jab in there somewhere!
Oh dear, I have not gone back and ready all your posts – if I repeat an idea of yours, please let me know! I’m not trying to steal anyone else’s ideas, just to write my thoughts.
Yes, Amanda does think on her feet, and it’s a good thing because that seems to be a requirement of working with Lee. He expects her to play a cover with him or go along with him while only giving her the barest amount of information. I think she is good and comfortable at it when she is in her area of expertise – TGTN. Outside of her area of expertise, she learns to get more comfortable with it and subsequently better at it. Think – State Department in TOTDW.
Yep, I do call these Lee’s cases because they are. He is the full-time agent and she is the part-time civilian. I guess I’ll be disappointing you in S2 too, because I don’t see Amanda getting any of her own cases in that season either. Remember, I’m a purist 😉 and a bit of a hard-liner 🙂
I like what you say at the end of your comment, iwsod – Amanda has come a long way but she is still very much a civilian. She obviously plans to continue on – she’ll count on it – but I think she realizes her place within the bigger picture. Her biggest difference to all the other lowly part-time civilians? She has to work with Lee a lot more than any of them and gets a chance to develop a relationship with him in a way that no one else could because they are not her. Because of this, she is able to leap-frog much of the standard progression at the Agency. That is just one reason why she irks Francine so much – I know someone else put that on a comment somewhere on the blog, or was it you in a post? I can’t remember, sorry!
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Hey BJo!
don’t worry no one can possibly have read all previous posts and remember all previous comments- I know I can’t!! 🙂
You don’t think they dumbed Amanda down? gosh. I’d love to see it as a logical response to her facing the realities of the agency and the spy biz… only ACA in season 2 I find sooo bad that sorry.. nope. I’m gonna stick with my original idea. but.. don’t mind me! 🙂
Whoooo now I’m really looking forward to discussiong season 2 with you!
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Yup, nope, I won’t mind you 😆 I don’t even think I’ve used the phrase dumb-down in any of these posts! The writers may have had that intent, but I also think it’s valid to consider that she wigs out for a bit acts weird. In ACA I think maybe she is just too darned excited that she’s high on adrenaline or something…but we’ll see in the next post!
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When I watch the show, I try not to blame things on producers or writers. I want to interpret things as though the characters are working through something… So if it looks like Amanda is being dumbed down, I will try to understand what is going on with Amanda. So in that light, I could see her getting a bit wobbly in the knees about this new pursuit of hers. The amazing thing is that she sees it through. I don’t care how attractive Lee is, I would have quit!
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LOL that’s an interesting way of looking at it!
we are different 🙂 which is great!
I have no problem putting something down to a blip in writing or whatever if I don’t see it as flowing, and I don’t feel the need to force meaning out of something
(not that I think this is what you are doing Morley, it works for you and that’s great!!
– for me- There are just a few instances where I would feel I was trying to force meaning out of something to explain it-(this dumbing down of Amanda thing is one of them) and for me (I emphasise: this is just how it is for me) if I feel this way, I just move on from it.. c’est la vie.. it’s a tv show..and for me, at times the writing will not sit well with me. And I love that we approach this differently 🙂
I do think this is very rare that I write something off as bad writing though – most of the time there is (I agree with you), an explanation that fits the plot or the characters well.
I can see Amanda getting wobbly too (love that description!) but for me, it doesn’t explain a few times I felt Amanda was dumbed down. Those moments are just blips in the radar for me in Amanda’s journey – I don’t see them as influencing how I see her overall story.. which is how I can agree with 99% of what people are saying about Amanda even if I don’t see this one thing the same way.
Sooo don’t mind me 🙂
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I think my way of dealing with those bits that don’t make sense are to sort of ignore them. I do a little bit of that in both S2 posts, but perhaps not with the episodes people might expect. With any data set, I try to theorize and make sense out of the largest percentage of the data I have. The small percentages of data that don’t fit my theory? I just chalk it up as outliers or aberrations and ignore them! LOL!
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“Attractive Lee” would keep me there and determined to make it (the job) work out! 😉
Seriously, by the time she gets the speed wobbles Amanda knows she likes the work, not to mention the partner. She also probably realises that the job presents her with healthy challenges, and experiences she would never get in another job.
And, even though S1 Lee can be tiresome sometimes, working with him is professionally and personally rewarding.
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😆 kiwismh! I think I share this view! I’m thinking there’s not much that would keep me away from Lee if I could be with him!
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Yup, that just goes to show how strong of a person she is, I think. She must have a will of steel!
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Hi BJo. Love this post.
Agree very much with your analysis of Amanda just “doing it” in early S1 then getting the speed wobbles a bit when she begins to really think about what she is doing.
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I agree with that assessment, too, BJo & kiwismh. Amanda eventually had to come to terms with the new job she’d chosen for herself. I imagine it would be a sobering thing to do. At first, it’s all about the excitement, the challenge, the intrigue. Putting together the pieces of the puzzle is fun. Then the Dodgers and Sinclairs come along, and you see what is truly involved. As a sympathetic person, she began to see just how all of this affected the people involved. She began to question and hold back just a bit. (This might involve actually harming people – killing people. I don’t like the thought of that. What do I do now?) She needed to grow into the job without selling herself short. As upbeat as she is, she had to have felt inadequate next to these trained agents who reminded her again and again that she wasn’t an agent, yet. (Francine harshly, Lee when he was frustrated and worried, and I imagine there were one or two more along the way when a case wasn’t going just right.) Her growth as an agent enhanced her growth as a woman – but that’s getting ahead of S1.
Thanks for sharing this great summary, and for everyone’s comments. This is good stuff!!!
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Thanks, debilyn! And I like your analysis here. It really is neat to think about this stuff. I wonder what she thought of the Agency when she first went there? It had to be a bit mind-boggling. I’m sure Lee didn’t give her a tour, so it’s not like she knew how many people worked there, what they all did, and how big the building even was! Her only experience with the spy world was from movies or books. The longer she is with the Agency and learns about all that they do all over the world, it has got to be a bit humbling, overwhelming, and unlike most of those books and movies. I can totally see her feeling very inadequate at times like you say, second-guessing herself, and wondering just what the heck she is doing! Yes, the work is exciting. Yes, she gets to work with Mr. Hotness himself. But the guns they use are real. People really do get hurt or die. And she has to lead a double life to do it!
Speaking of a double life, I don’t bring up that aspect of Amanda’s chosen profession in any of these posts. It really is too big of an idea to weave into them. That is a post all on it’s own. How many lies does she tell her mother? Does she ever lie to the boys’ faces? How does she feel about that? I wonder if it keeps her up at night? All interesting to ponder!
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Hiya everyone! You know, I do like the idea that Amanda is struck the reality of what working for the agency and being an agent is really going to take. I agree with everything everyone has said about this!!
I just don’t necessarily connect it to what I saw as Amanda being dumbed down. There were moments where it struck me during the walk through, and I wondered if maybe that was Amanda was dealing with at some point or another.. but do you think I can remember where?! Nope.. gonna need to come back to this one in a week’s time.
I do remember thinking that the very close call in Service Above and Beyond, and the whole theme of giving up the fairytale view of the world was certainly about this.. but then that was quite early on..
Hmm food for thought everyone! I’ll have to think on this some more!
BJo can we publish your second part now?? pretty please!! busting to read it 😉
[oh and sorry I forgot ACA is season 2 and youweren’t up to that! my bad!! ]
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As I read this comment, it made me think of how Amanda greets Ragmop. It kind of illustrates for me how a home she has become by season 3.
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very true!! and Ragmop knew who Amanda was 🙂 Good to know ragmop was good for something! 😉
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Thanks, kiwismh. Maybe it’s because I’ve had similar experiences myself. I get into something thinking I know a lot about it or how to do something, and then realize rather quickly that I don’t know nearly as much as I thought I did or how it would affect me on the inside. It can really do a number on you! And make you do things that are rather stupid in hindsight! 😆
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I am so glad you did this post, BJo! As we enter into season three and all the great relational growth, it is really helpful to have this backdrop of Amanda’s professional growth to frame what is coming.
What Pluck!!! Yes, that is our Amanda King. I am sometimes think about how brave I am to be the mother of 6 (5 of them boys, 4 are teenagers) But Amanda amazes me, I know she is fictional and yet she inspires me to dream big. The way she never gives up and she keeps going for whatever it is they are working on amazes me. And I am so glad that Lee and Billy share in that amazement as the season goes on.
I love watching her amaze herself as well.
And then of course there are those moments when the woman part of her is touched. I am so glad that they show the whole woman being affected by her experiences.
What does Lee think about her? What does she think about herself? Well Scotch Thoughts and Window Reflections probably say what I think, they think. But I think it all boils down to, “you can’t dismiss Amanda King. She sure is something? What they aren’t sure, but it is something…”
Looking forward to the next posts so we can get her to where we are walking now!
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Thanks, Morley! I definitely believe that Amanda’s professional growth was a necessary piece of the puzzle that is their relationship. Without it, I think their relationship is much different and may possibly have never gotten to where it is now in Weasel. I see season 1 as Amanda learning the ropes and just taking everything in. She is establishing a good foundation on which she can build. It is a good thing that she never gives up and keeps on keepin’ on. She really is amazing!
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