Lee and Francine are off to Dulles International Airport, trying to get the surveillance tapes from Murray (that’s ‘oh nooo not Murray’ Murray) without going through official channels.
[why? why not show up with the paperwork.. Columbo manages it all the time! 
]
Murray: I don’t know. I just don’t know… [Seems he’s the Murray you can’t hurry ] ..You’re like a couple of bees buzzing around. We got rules. We got regulations.
[Since they’ve met Murray before, I figure he is playing hard to get..]
Lee: Yeah, yeah. Murray, if you keep talking, we’re all going to need hip waders. Now come on man. [Murray has been referred to by name 4 times now? man!! Gee I think we’ve caught the guy’s name.. thanks! I think Lee comes off sounding very unprofessional here.. he should know better than to assume Murray will give him something just because Lee wants it! ]
Murray: Listen, I could get a ten-day suspension for this. You’ll just have to go through channels, Lee.
[Seems he’s the Murray who refuses to Scurry!]
Lee: Murray, this is an emergency. Cut the bul-
(Here Francine puts her arm out, behind Murray to cut Lee off- bad idea Lee!)
[named 5 times??!!!! Murray!!!!
Surely the agency have systems in place to get paperwork when a terrorist has flown into town and threatened a monument? ]
Francine changes tactics..
Francine: Murray, Murray honey. We go back a long way. [named- 6, 7 times!!! I suspect Murray had a clause in his contract that every time his character was spoken to they had to refer to him by name!]
gag!! Is it just me or is it weird seeing Lee with Francine.. and without Amanda! I bet Lee is missing her.. maybe that’s why he’s got his impatient cranky pants on!
Murray: Listen, don’t “Murray honey” me, will ya?
[lol even Murray is getting in on referring to himself by name??!!! whhahahaaa. That’s #8 times now!]
Francine: Murray, [#9!!] why don’t you work with us on this. We don’t want to have to call Sontag….
(They arrive at the airport security office)
…We don’t want to have to go through all that 
paperwork and come all the way down here again. Murray [#10], just tell us what you 
want. Anything in the whole world. Tell Francine…[finally they’re making sense ]
Murray: What do you think a guy like me (named Murray) wants?
Lee and Francine share a look – I shudder to imagine what he might want..Do you think Lee and Francine assume something?
Murray then unlocks the office door (did you notice – his name is Murray!!! Murrraayyyy!!!! ) and goes inside leaving Lee and Francine confused and alone.
Lee (to Francine): What is this?
Francine shrugs..
Murray comes out again..
Murray: Wait a minute. Luciano’s in town
Lee: What?
Murray: At the Kennedy, doing “Traviata”. 
Boy, would he like to see my smiling face look up at him. From the eighth row. Centre. Two tickets. What do you say?
Francine: Done!
[I think they got off lightly! Is it just me or is it slightly unnerving that an airport security official could be so easily bribed- even if it is by people working for his country I mean.. if he’ll compromise for them.. maybe he’d compromise for a foreigner if it’s a season pass! ]
Francine and Murray give each other five.. and Lee just kinda inwardly groans.. what’s he thinking here? Missing Amanda? or maybe he’s thinking: phew.. enough of the Murray references!
There’s also lots of Italian references in this episode so far huh!
Back to the rose garden.. Amanda is still following Alan..
Chamberlain takes a seat on a park bench. The two priests (one is Gelati) approach behind him. 
We see Amanda take a seat on an opposite bench, she takes note of the priest’s arrival and gets her camera ready. 
Gelati pulls out a tape recorder and plays a message to Alan behind him.
I think this is super clever (yes-note my sarcasm!).
Yes standing behind a man seated on a park bench while talking is far too suspicious!!!
But.. standing behind a man seated on a park bench and playing him an audio tape? that’s normal!!
Message (in Gelati’s voice): Mr Chamberlain, do not speak. Just listen. We may be observed…
…As I told you, your sister is safe for now. We must move quickly…
smooth Amanda! [click and-strike a pose!]
(We cut back to Amanda taking a photo of this 
exchange.. then.. back to the tape recorder and Alan.)
[I wonder if the recorder is czech made ]
…Nod your head if you made the necessary arrangements which I asked you to. (Chamberlain nods) Do no fail us. The telephone will ring in a moment. Answer it and do nothing but listen.
Chamberlain walks over to the phone booth..Amanda following him, and the 2 priests 
follow, overtaking Amanda (my goodness those priests do blend in don’t they! not! ) Amanda takes note of them as Alan goes to answer the phone.
Chamberlain (answers ringing phone): Hello?
Sophia: Alan…
(Sophia says something in Italian- Aiuto something Piacere- sorry that’s all the Italian I can pick up here-anyone able to help out with the Italian? I can only assume she says help me please in Italian?)
…Help me (screams)
The baddies grab her to shut her up.. but umm I thought that was the whole point of the phone call- lol this call makes no sense to me!
Chamberlain: Sophia, answer me! Are you all right? Sophia?
[Hmm what was it they said? ‘answer it and do nothing but listen’? lol! what was the point of all this? If he wouldn’t let Alan hear Sophia’s voice before, why now?! weird..I can only guess this is all about Amanda seeing Alan is in some kind of trouble..]
I think it’s likely Amanda heard – she must be wondering who Sophia is and what trouble is Alan in?!
He runs after the van but they get away.
Then a skateboarder nearly knocks over Amanda (lol love the skateboarder cam!!)
Alan shouts to Amanda: Look out!!
Amanda is sort of knocked over.. or at least her camera is.. whoo hope the film is alright!
Alan approaches Amanda and helps her up [Oh my.. this is the same thing Byron Jordan did remember??!!! could it be deliberate?]
…Are yo
u all right?
Amanda: Yes fine, thank- (she stops short realising who she is talking to!! lol!!) … I’m just … didn’t even see him coming.
Amanda seems to be having trouble getting those words out.. I think I know why.. she’s too busy thinking:
Chamberlain: Fortunately I did
Amanda: Yeah, thank you
Chamberlain: Uh, well when one lives in Rome, one becomes accustomed to crazy drivers.
ROFL.. what a pick up line
I think I just realised why I don’t warm to the chin named Alan- He reminds me of Amanda’s date in Artful Dodger, named Alan Squires (well I would assume that was his alias) !!!
Remember? His line was ‘In my apartment in Paris, I have a collection of all the original Ellington Sides.’ gag!! And another similarity- Alan Squires and Alan Chamberlain are both in the art world! Alan Squires’ cover was he sold art (when he probably stole it ) and Alan Chamberlain restores art!
Sorry if you love Alan Chamberlain- I don’t hate the guy (unlike the artless dodger) but even with his own hair I’m not finding the guy charming!
I wonder if some of these parallels with previous men we’ve seen in Amanda’s life are deliberate- or am I just seeing what’s not there?! I’ll ponder this one some more.. not sure what to make of it.. Sorry! I digress!
Amanda: Well I guess you can use that here too.
Chamberlain: Uh I see you’re a tourist too.
Amanda: Tourist?
Chamberlain: The camera?
Amanda: Oh yes. Oh I am. I’m a tourist. I’m here visiting my aunt. And you’re from Rome, uh but you’re not Italian.
Chamberlain: No, I’m an American. My work 
takes me abroad frequently. I’m not here very often. Unfortunately, this trip is mostly business and 
uhh… (a sad look comes across Alan’s face)
… I’m not going to have much chance to relax.
There’s an awkward silence between them..
Together: Well- ha- oh.. well.. yeah..
Amanda: I’d better go. I have lots more pictures to take.
Chamberlain: Of course, I understand…. Well
Amanda: Ciao
Chamberlain: Ciao
Amanda: Yeah
Amanda walks off -Awkward! 
How can she follow him if he’s met her now?? what if she said byeee and then later in the day he saw her following him? Psycho!! whahahaa!!!
Chamberlain catches up to Amanda: excuse me, miss. I was just.. uh.. I was wondering if maybe we could walk for a while and talk if you have the time.
Amanda: Ohhh well, I… well, maybe we could have a cup of coffee.
Chamberlain: That’s a good idea! It might 
help us both recover from that near miss.
[lol nice one.. yes it was totally scary ]
Amanda: One cappuccino.
Chamberlain: right.
Amanda: OK.
They walk off together crossing the road..
[I know he’s blurry in the pic above – but the photo is to show Amanda’s reaction..]
Tell me what you think- to me Amanda walks off smiling.. with an air of ‘whoo I probably shouldn’t do this.. but what harm can come of a lovely little cappuccino with a handsome man right?’ .. and like I said before- how could she follow him and pretend she hadn’t already met him?! tee hee.. the invite was a great way to deal with it I also think Amanda not immediately jumping at it (because she is not suppose to talk to him, just follow him) makes Alan even more secure that he can ask her out (too eager and it could seem a set up).
We see the baddie’s van approaching. they are watching, and taking note of Alan’s movements- and now, of Amanda too..
So funny how the baddie points at them- theeeerrrre!!! whahahahhaa..
If someone says this week ‘Arrivederci Mrs King’ and puts a big x on her picture?! I am going to absolutely lose it! hilarious!!!
Well I shall finish up here for the moment..
Again- Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Learjet who has transcribed all the dialogue in this episode!! Phew!!! Thanks Learjet!!!!
Thanks too for stopping by and reading – I love to hear from my fellow smk fans – do say hi and share what you like on this section of the episode!! byeee for now!
"Just walk with me.." 
So I was re-watching this episode last night and something about the background actress in the vertical striped dress struck me as familiar (or more accurately the dress struck me as familiar, and then I realized that the same woman in the same dress is sitting next to Dotty and Amanda in the restaurant scene in “Fearless Dotty” from Season One. The dress stuck with me because it’s so distinctive; I remember thinking that if I was the director I wouldn’t have a background actor attired in something that flamboyant. Then it occurred to me that perhaps this was no ordinary background actor, given the circumstances, so I looked closer and did a bit of research – and if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear it was executive producer/writer Juanita Bartlett! If anyone knows for sure, do chime in. It’s always so fun when shows throw in little inside jokes/references or Hitchcockian cameos like this one. (Hitchcock was known for appearing in the background in one scene in each of his films.)
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That is wild!
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Iwsod, this post had me ROFL!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 10x “Murray”, Gelati, and asking about the recorder being Czech made and I was in stitches!!! 🤣🤣🤣
I have really enjoyed reading all these original comments regarding Amanda/Lee/Alan and where things are for them. You guys have fabulous thoughts!
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🙂
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I’ve always loved Ben Murphy (Alan)….I think he is very attractive….he isn’t as swoony as Lee but he is handsome….He was in a not so well known t.v. show in the late 70’s (I think) called Alias Smith and Jones…. I liked him then too….I kind of wanted the writers to play up the romance between Alan and Amanda to make Lee jealous and watch his reaction to another man getting romantic with Amanda.
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Company come and gone, trip to the beach and back, laundry cleaned and put away – well, almost…finally time for SMK again!
Murray – it’s a fun name to say. So is Murphy. Do we have any Murphy’s in the show yet? Murf? Or would it be Murph? I think if we ever get another dog I’m going to lobby to name it either Murray or Murphy.
“What do you think a guy like me wants?” Bwahahahaha! Indeed! I have a few ideas, but not sure they’re appropriate for the blog! Too funny! I guess they don’t like it when 10x Murray walks into the building without them. They are not used to him not giving them what they want! Are those 5 cigars in his pocket?
For you Americans out there…is it just me or does the shorter priest remind anyone of a shorter, bigger headed Mitt Romney? He reminds me of someone and MR keeps popping into my mind.
Oh, Amanda please ditch those white pumps! But I DO like Alan Chamberlain. I find him charming and a little boyish in the face. He’s sort of the anti-Lee.
I think Amanda is happy to be having a cappuccino with Alan. I think she finds him attractive and a little charming, and intriguing. No, she’s not supposed to make contact, but I think she knows that in the spy business things don’t always go as planned and so you just have to go with it. She knows Lee’s had his share of run-ins and relationships in his work, so why shouldn’t she? It happens, and she’s only talking about a cup of coffee, not an overnighter.
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i sort of glanced at what has been written and agree somewhat about the fact of it being a possible danger that Alan has focused some attention on Amanda. And he may be using spending time with Amanda (or the book stall lady) as a way to pass the time or distract himself from what is going on with his sister. At this point he wouldn’t be able to assume that it’s a danger for Amanda or anyone else, especially if he doesn’t discuss it with her. He has no clue as to who she is. And therefore doesn’t think it would be a problem. However, that Rome line is ridiculous. I know that Billy said he was famous and Francine did indicate that he ran in a fast circle so to a certain extent he must be some kind of artsy player.
Maybe Lee’s crankiness or lack or professionalism is because he has quite a bit running through his head right now. He made a special trip over to Amanda’s to ask for help with his financial reports for this oversight committee and now she’s off on her own assignment with someone who seems to have distracted her attention from Lee. His reports are not getting done, he has to work with Francine, this Red February group is a problem and the specially named Murray is dragging his heels about helping them, which he kind of knew was going to be a problem to begin with. He probably feels as if his day is not going well at all at this point.
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Hiya Everyone! I don’t want to be misrepresenting myself here.. it’s confession time!!!! – I watched this episode last night! LOL!!!
I think there are advantages to writing the posts with fresh eyes – but there are also disadvantages for the discussion.
I’m finding it is too difficult to know if I’ve already seen enough in an episode to draw a conclusion about a character.. and I think this makes it more difficult for me to join in the conversation (which I love to do- discussing with you guys is just as important to me as actually recapping the episode).
So what I will try from now on is I will watch the episode once at the start of walking through the episode.. I’ll make a few first impression notes etc that I can incorporate into the posts – so I think I can still write up the episode with fresh eyes.. but I’ll also have an idea if something may be addressed later in the episode – which means I can more easily suggest we hold off exploring something because it’s addressed later or we can go for it because I know we’ve been told all we are going to know about something – this is impossible for me to do if I really can’t remember what’s ahead..
So since on this blog I have the role of recapping, but also assisting to keep the discussion on track (not jumping ahead) – I think I’ll need to compromise on the freshness of my recapping, just a little – in order to not be a pain in the behind for you all when I keep saying I think we learn more about that ahead so I can’t discuss it yet and we don’t!! you know??
Thanks for your patience with me.. I am figuring this out as I go along and am always open to suggestions or ideas..
I think watching the episode just once and then no longer jumping ahead once I start to write up the episodes is a happy compromise – which will hopefully make for a more enjoyable and coherent experience of walking through the episode for everyone!
I did watch the episode last night once, that doesn’t mean I caught all the intricacies and plot craters of an smk plot.. but it does mean I have more of an idea of what’s explored throughout and what is revealed about the characters..and when.. hopefully this will help to make things less confusing!
Thanks again everyone for your support, encouragement and your lovely accepting way you welcome my recaps (so accepting, it would put Amanda to shame! 😉 ).
Okay byeeeee!! I best get off here and get some posts written! 🙂
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Iwsod: I for one am happy however you choose to do it. I think your new approach is a good compromise. P.S. I won’t mention it again but did you enjoy the nightgown scene?? [Learjet slaps herself on the wrist]
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Heck I had never forgotten THAT scene!! 😉
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Thanks again for transcribing the dialogue in this episode Learjet – as Lee says to Amanda ‘You are a godsend do you know that?!’
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Pleasure. It’s fun (in a strange kind of work-intensive way) and is a great way to pick up details that one usually misses.
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Hiya iwsod! So glad you found a way to make this watching and recapping and participating in the discussion work for you!
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Leaving aside Alan and his (IMO) inappropriate hunting for a date with the stall-minder, Amanda etc, I have been pondering Amanda’s interest in Alan, and to a lesser extent other men eg the Artless Dodger, who use appalling pick-up lines and who are much too smooth for my taste. Number one, her interest in the photo of Alan brought on by the contrast to Lee’s (previously alluded to) bad fashion choices of the day!! Alan actually appears well-dressed and appealing in comparison. He does have compelling eyes and loads of his “ownhair” – in fact a bit of a shearing wouldn’t go amiss!! Secondly, Amanda is a divorced mother of 2, still young and attractive with little male attention. She is a romantic (we know she had fantasies about spies and reads wildly improbably romance novels (SAAB) and lives this v practical life, caring for her boys, left by her husband and just scraping by financially. So despite his city-dropping talk (living in Rome), a bit of attention from an attractive man must be very welcome (esp given what she has endured from a certain cranky spy in the previous 2 years, and his apparent unwillingness to engage in a romantic relationship with her)
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I like these thoughts, learjet
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I like these thoughts too. I guess we see Lee as a changed man and ready to take that next step, but Amanda doesn’t see that yet. I like that she was looking for a little excitement. Maybe it was after seeing Lee dating Leslie and her mom going on a romantic weekend, she wants some excitement for herself. I guess it is hard to see her interested in this guy after seeing how far Lee has come and that they are spending more time together and getting closer. I also see both of them as flirting with each other in the beginning of this episode. This also makes the most sense at the fifth episode, and not the first. I like it much better watching it as the first episode. Makes things harder to follow.
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I do love the fact that Amanda is pragmatic and is open to being distracted by a handsome face. It drives me nuts when women are portrayed as pining away for someone who doesn’t/can’t return their feelings.
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I think Amanda likes curly or wavy hair. And poor Lee is only blessed with stick straight hair on the top of his head. 😉
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I am thinking that both Amanda and Allan need a distraction. Allan is looking for a little distraction while he waits for information about his sister. I agree with everyone, though, that it is dangerous to bring another person into your circumstance like Allan is doing. Good thing it is Amanda, she is used to being dragged into dangerous things 😉
I agree with kiwismh, I think. It seems like Amanda is blowing off some steam too. Maybe her behavior here is still a kind of reaction to the OTL stuff she was going through. Every one was moving on, Lee, her mother, maybe she thinks it is about time she had a little romance in her life again, even if it is a little cup of coffee with a handsome stranger. I think she believes that Lee is still with Leslie and having a normal relationship. She is enjoying their friendship, but that is all it is and all it ever will be. And she is going to prove to herself that she can have both too, the friendship and some romance as well. Especially after all that has happened in Wizard and the “It is important to me that you care” conversation. I think Amanda is saying to herself, “I can do it.” She can have her own assignment and a bit of spur of the moment romance too. She is going to be a spy! Danger, excitement, intrigue? As mature as she has gotten about the business, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a moment like this.
I like the idea that Lee is cranky pants because he knows that Amanda is alone following Allan and very interested in whether or not he has his own hair. I don’t think it is because he is eager to get back to the Agency and deal with the audit people, right?
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Danger, excitement, and intrigue – yes. I think Amanda has an adventurous streak in her, despite all her practicality. I agree that she and Lee are becoming closer – as work partners and friends – yes, there is and always has been that underlying attraction, but I don’t think Amanda sees that as an option for her and Lee yet and so she isn’t thinking about it. I think that is why she looks so happy to be invited to a cappuccino with Alan. I think most of Lee’s crankiness has to do with the audit people and with Murray. Yeah, he may have had a tiny jealous moment with Amanda before, but I think he’s more concerned for her safety. I’m sure he’s not forgotten about her involvement with the Dodger, James Delano, or her misplaced trust in Ballon. Plus he knows that if anyone could get into trouble by a simple assignment, it would be Amanda. Remember what he says to her in SOS about getting into trouble walking around the deck of the ship? And he was completely right.
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That is true about Amanda always getting into trouble. How does he learn to trust her and trust the world with her? Amazing, actually
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I like this scene with Murray – very amusing and the closest I think SMK gets to earthy conversation. Lee you’ll be needing those hip waders ‘cause it looks like Murray’s spreading the bs liberally today 😉
Ooops, looks like I’m in the minority in liking the whole Murray scene. Only one thing could have made it better… if Francine hadn’t stopped Lee from finishing his sentence… 😉
So the roses are all out in DC – is this Spring or early Autumn, or Summer? It’s mid-Winter where I live and one of my roses is still flowering but I live in a temperate climate. I imagine roses only bloom this profusely for a certain period of time in the DC climate? Can anyone enlighten me?
Amanda does seem a little enamoured of Alan – his looks clearly hooked her straight away when she saw his photo but she seems to have let her superficial attraction to this man get in the way of doing her job professionally and objectively. I think she was enthusiastic about this assignment as it is an opportunity for her to fly solo but I don’t think it was just enthusiasm about the assignment that had her following Alan far too closely and putting herself in a position where she could (and did) end up making contact with him.
Maybe she did want to get up close to see if he did have his ownhair 😉
Interesting that it was her idea to have coffee with him too – she could easily have made an excuse about having to be somewhere else but she chose to spend more time with Alan. I guess she figured she couldn’t keep following him now without being noticed, so maybe she was thinking on her feet in accepting the coffee knowing that this was the best way to observe him from this point.
Somehow I’m trying to justify this very un-Amanda like behaviour – she is normally so diligent about doing her job well, but this time she just seems to be acting a little dizzy. I do think she’s been trying to keep her attraction to a certain someone under control for a little while now. As Pfaff says, “the pressure’s been building up” and maybe the need to release a little of that pent up pressure has instinctively led her to divert her energies elsewhere, even if it is just a harmless fantasy she can play out in her own mind while she carries out this assignment. Only now she’s got herself in a situation where she’s having coffee with the fantasy… oops. 😉
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hey kiwismh – I’m not minding the Murray scene.. I just find it errr random! 🙂
I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on Amanda kiwismh.. at this point in the story she’s at an interesting place huh!!! Something is definitely going on with Amanda here!!! 🙂
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ROFL at “ownhair” meme Iwsod! I think Amanda is enjoying this stepping up her responsibilities and finds Alan attractive and seemingly uncomplicated; a relief from those emotions floating around in her Tupperware cabinet. Me, I find Alan too practiced so that puts me off regardless of a handsome face.
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I like the Murray scene too, kiwismh! I just wonder if Francine is bluffing and leaves scrambling, wondering just how she’s going to get two 8th row, center stage tickets for LP, or if she already has it figured out. Lee’s reaction to her “Done” suggests that he’s a little surprised and wondering about how she’s going to deliver too.
Pretty sure those roses in not in D.C., but in California. I think I saw reference to this location over on yuku a while back. I have no idea about roses and their blooms in DC.
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Roses bloom in June here in the northeastern part of the US. We are usually only a few weeks behind DC. I bet hey bloom in May. Time to suspend belief, I say.
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Well, considering that we also have Billy doing “Spring Cleaning” here within these first few episodes, it’s probably safe to say that SMK wasn’t running on the same timetable as the rest of the USA! IMDB says OTL first aired on October 5.
Hmmm…this also made me ponder the “25 months and 2 weeks” discussion from Wizard, so I checked while I had IMDB up. It would have been rather hilarious if that episode really had aired 25 months and 2 weeks after “The First Time”, but sadly, no. “J Edgar’s Ghost” had that privilege. Based on airdates, Amanda’s original answer of “about 2 years” was actually right on the money!! 😄 (Oct 3, 1983 to Sept 30, 1985)
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Nope dont like Alan and not because he has shades of the artful dodger. His sister has been kidnapped and hes looking for a date and chatting up women?! Jestress makes a good point about the risk of involving another person when you have this sort of drama. I just cant warm to him.
I am lmao at Murrrrrray!!! Sheesh way to over use a name. Were the writers trying to pad out the script perchance?!
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Yeaaaahhh I’ll say I’m thinking along the same lines as you Jestress and bitsybeans/Jenbo (I never know what to call you now Jenbo – what do you prefer?)
but.. I’ll just wait a bit longer before I go there about Alan 🙂 haven’t quite put it together in my head yet!
Oh good!!! So glad you enjoyed Murrrraaaaayyyyy!!! and so glad we don’t see him again.. one Murray appearance is more than enough 😉
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I don’t mind either LOL stick with Jenbo as I think that’s what you’re used to? And it will confuse everyone lol
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When I watched this as a teenager, I remember thinking Alan could give Lee a run for his money with Amanda. Hate me (kidding!), but I find Alan good-looking, intriguing, and more overtly attentive than Lee. Maybe less complicated and spotty, I don’t know. But anyway, I always considered this the watershed episode for Amanda, where she had to decide once and for all where Lee stands with her. I thought Over the Limit was the parallel for Lee. Thoughts?
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Hiya Paula! Sooooo wonderful to hear from you!!! It’s been a while – so delighted to see you’ve stopped by! 🙂
So far I’d agree that Alan is good-looking and more overtly attentive than Lee – but I don’t find the guy charming or attractive.. sorry but I’ll hold off fully expanding on this just yet as I still need to get to know Alan a little more..
‘Watershed episode for Amanda’? Paula, you may be right there! but we can’t really discuss the overall significance of this episode on JWWM until we’ve walked through it.
I don’t remember it very well so I really need to hold off in responding to your comments about any watershed episode.
Can we please hold off discussing overall thoughts about the episode for now..
Any hints or clues as to what this ep might be about so far?? If so – throw them out there and we can ponder them.. but if you are referring to future happenings in the episode it would be helpful to hold off for now.
These days Paula I am pretty unspoiled heading into these season 3 and 4 episodes – it has been years since I saw any of these episodes.
I didn’t watch them since I started walking through the episodes on this blog- so they would be fresh when I get to them- and I can safely say: Mission Accomplished!!!! they are very fresh!! So please – let’s keep JWWM spoiler free and not jump ahead – Don’t forget Nedlindger’s is always a great place to discuss anything at anytime 🙂
Thanks!!!
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Even already in this episode we can see that Amanda is playing a role with someone she’s interested in and covering up who she really is — just like another certain someone we know.
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Paula – like your comment here. I’m with you on Alan. I like him and actually enjoy watching him with Amanda. I do not mind it at all. I said in an earlier comment that he is sort of the anti-Lee and your comment to me says a similar thing. I do agree with you about OTL being a watershed episode for Lee, but not sure about this episode for Amanda. Maybe we can discuss this more in the last post? Or the second to last post? I’m curious to hear more of your thoughts on this as we progress through the episode.
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I’m still not sure why Alan is looking for a date with this serious situation hanging over his head. I think it’s probably because he just wants someone to talk to because he’s under stress, but it still seems dangerous to bring another person into the situation. Or maybe I’m still just turned off by his Emily Dickinson. Just not a fan. Surely, there’s got to be a more romantic poet he could quote?
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My apologies to those who really like Emily Dickinson. Jestress has traumatic memories from high school English. (shudders)
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I’m with you Jestress didn’t grab me at all.. and I’m thinking that I’m seeing Alan along the same lines as you – but I’ll hold off on sharing my thoughts on Alan as they aren’t yet fully formed based on what bits of this episode I can remember (not much!). sooo will gbtu on that one!
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Murray can be bought, but he has high standards for his bribes. Those tickets probably aren’t cheap. It is disturbing that they need to bribe him to get him to do something that is probably part of his job description. The one upside that I can see to it is that Murray is at least a man of culture.
Here, I’ll help with the name count:
Murray, Murray, bo-burry
banana-fana fo-furry
mee-mi-mo-murry
Murray!
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It’s funny…I just had a flashback to a drinking game we used to play in college called Bob and Mary. There were reruns playing at that time of the Bob Newhart Show and the Mary Tyler Moore show. Every time someone would say their name in an episode you had to drink or do a shot. That game led to some pretty interesting Friday afternoons. I wonder if playing the Murray game would get through a whole bottle of wine.
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(A popular drinking game during university was to watch the Smurf cartoons Saturday morning and drink every time the word ‘Smurf’ was used. “Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf!” “What is it Brainy Smurf?” “The smurfberries aren’t very smurfy, Papa Smurf! What are we going to do about the smurfberry festival without smurf berries?” No one made it to the first commercial break.)
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“I think Lee comes off sounding very unprofessional here.. he should know better than to assume Murray will give him something just because Lee wants it!”
And the hip-waders comment/implication isn’t at all unprofessional! ROFL! 😉 😀
“Back to the rose garden..”
That screenshot tickles my (very ticklish) funny-bone–it looks like the statue is trying to cover up after she spots Alan. 😀
“Alan Squires and Alan Chamberlain are both in the art world!”
And I think Alan Squires and Alan Chamberlain both wear the same pocket square, even though it doesn’t really match either tie–it’s too orange for both, and for AC it’s also far too vibrant for his muted tie… wardrobe should be slapped, or are they trying to show that he’s distracted? (At least when baddie Carlo wears it, it matches his tie!) Maybe they got distracted by the stripey dress on the lady sitting near Amanda at the fountain?
Speaking of that lady, I noticed a blooper involving her: when Alan is walking towards the phone booth we see her walking between him and the van parked on the street (it’s her–the dress and the hair are the same), but when we then see Amanda get up from sitting by the fountain, the lady is still sitting there (and can still be seen there when Alan gets to the phone booth–not to be confused with the lady in a similarly coloured stripey dress without the grey over by the road after the baddies leave in the van). Wah hah hah!!! (Though, interestingly, it looks like she’s wearing blue/grey shoes when she’s walking and tan/gold shoes by the fountain, and her collar down when walking and up by the fountain. Filming over two days, possibly? BTW, she can also be seen wandering amongst the roses over Amanda’s shoulder when Amanda is talking to Alan in the tourist part of the conversation, and then walking on the footpath over Alan’s shoulder in the coffee part of the conversation… There are other extras that appear multiple times, but not blooperishly like stripey lady… :D)
“So funny how the baddie points at them- theeeerrrre!!! “
And so funny that the priests have a chauffeur… who looks to be wearing a muscle shirt! 😀
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You know, I think Mildred may have worn a stripey dress like the lady sitting next to Amanda in one of the Remington Steele episodes. Anyone else think so?
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That’s where I’ve seen it before! Good catch!
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It is a very Mildred-ey dress, isn’t it?? LOL!
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