Back to IFF and Lee and Francine are checking out what they’ve found on those surveillance tapes.
Francine: There. That guy in the funny robes. That’s Necci, all right. [Funny robes?! I guess Francine didn’t go to Catholic school..]
Lee: Is there any ID on the person in the wheelchair?
Francine: No, no but we’re working on it. Meanwhile I’ve initiated an inter-agency alert…
Lee: So they’re here.
Francine: Mmhmm.
Lee: Planning to hit something in town. The question is – what? [You’d think by now Lee would pick up the phone and call Amanda – because whatever she’s involved in will be related 
]
We cut to Billy walking into the bullpen followed by three officials.. Billy is speaking very formally when compared to his earlier greeting -(Stetson! Desmond! now!! tee hee)
Billy: Mr Stetson, Miss Desmond, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.
[implication?: you’ve been hiding?! lol.. well Billy did say they’d be arriving at 11, and Chamberlain’s meeting in the rose garden was at 3 – sooo this is quite a long day for Billy!]
Lee: humph.
Billy: Representatives Faber, Kildare and Slauson, two of our best agents, Francine Desmond…
…and Lee Stetson.
[uh oh.. you know what happens to the best- they die!! ]
Faber: Stetson!…code-named Scarecrow. Correct?
Faber smiles at Lee warmly.
Lee: Uh, right on the nose…
…I’m flattered.
[uh oh.. Lee thinks he’s in the clear! not so fast!]
Billy looks proudly at Lee here.. LOL!! [This flash of pride is interesting to me, give I though earlier I saw a similar feeling in Lee look at Amanda head off for her solo assignment- is this deliberate? lol.. is anything?! tee hee]
Faber: Don’t be…
[rofl. as we hear Faber’s change of tone- we see Billy’s smile get wiped from his face haaa]
…Your name’s come to my attention so often, I doubt I’ll ever forget it.
[whoa.. she’s a smiling assassin! be careful Lee!]
We see Lee give a fake chuckle in response.
Lee: Mmm hhmmm.
Lee’s realising this is so much worse than he could have imagined
Faber: or some of your adventures.
Faber looks at her colleagues here, they seem a bit stony faced..
[man what a wasted opportunity.. there should have been a crack here about if only he had a brain or something!]
Faber sniggers.. Francine is trying not to laugh- great.
thanks Francine.. not!
Francine does seem to enjoy Lee getting a hard time from women..(or is that in general? what do you think?) interesting..
[I think Lee’s reaction here shows greater maturity than early Lee – Lee is trying to stay pleasant and calm.. early Lee would have snapped back I think.. but YMMV]
Lee: Uh yeah. Ah Billy, there’s been a new development in the Red February thing so I’ll just…
[lol Lee tries to get out of this torture.. but alas.. he can’t side step it.. and I think Billy’s had enough of these three!]
Billy: I’ll put Hutchins on it. You can show Representative Faber around.
[Hutchins! a random agent sighting!]
Faber: Representative Faber doesn’t wanna be shown around…
[Fair enough.. so she doesn’t take anything 
from Billy either.. she’s there to do serious work not look at the decor- 
but.. she seems to have a personal dislike for 
scarecrow!]
…What she’d like to see is some facts and 
figures. Hard ones. I’m sure Miss Desmond can handle my colleagues while I finish up with Mr…Scarecrow.
Francine: I’d be delighted to acquaint the congressmen with logistic analysis, counter-revolutionary profiles and statistical operational procedures.
[whahahaa.. she must be going for the ‘I’ll jargon them to death’ defence!] …Shall we, gentlemen?
Francine and the two men leave.
Love the glare Lee gives Francine here..
Billy: Well, I’m having lunch brought in for you and Representative Faber.
[Lunch?? it’s after 3pm.. that was the time Alan was meeting the baddies.. (was it 3 pm Rome time? ) smk time people hello?!]
Lee: Oh no no no Billy, that’s… I don’t think that’s really necessary.
[Billy should have ordered Faber a chicken salad sandwich from that same place that got Amanda into mischief ]
(Billy waves his objections away, and leaves them alone)
Faber: Well, why waste time? We have so 
much ground to cover. Let’s start with your case reports, Mr Stetson. Beginning with your first day of employment…
Lee tries to put on a brave face.. oh dear..
Faber walks off to get started.. I think she’s looking forward to this!
‘First day of employment’?! He’s been there for over 10 years no?!! We learned that in Weasel.. This is beyond ridiculous.. Actually it’s bordering on psychotic.. I’m guessing Faber’s dad left her and her mum –choosing instead to work as a farmer in rural America (standing in the middle of a 
field- arms outstretched, not moving and scaring away the birds) – or those flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz deeply affected her in childhood- Scarecrow? Noooooo!!!!
I love how Lee pauses a moment..
Then seems to brace himself…
Before he heads into the lion’s den here.. eek!
I feel so sorry for him!!! You know – this is a little like wizard no?? I mean Lee’s past antics come back to bite him here with the reputation he seems to have earned with this congresswoman.. this is interesting! Not sure what to make of this.. but I’ll ponder it some more..
As if a Congresswoman would actually go through someone’s accounts. Give me a break! 
That dude LaRue would do that! Remember him? 
I suspect he would have relished being let loose on Lee’s accounts
Moving on.. and whooo here is an interesting transition shot..the shot pans from the White House..
then pans to the right.. across the road and ta da!!!!
There is the Sherman hotel!
Okay, where have we seen this place before?? Is this the same place where Karen murdered Credle? Where Lee met Auggie in DOA? it looked a bit different then.. but I’m thinking this is the same place.. anyone? I don’t have time to look now – booo!
(I think it’s where Amanda met Mr Brand too no?)
Anyway.. interesting the hotel is opposite the White House.. so close to the national archives Did you notice Lee’s car hiding in the transition shot?? I think it’s hiding here look:
See it?? As if we would miss Lee’s car.. who are they kidding!!!(yes I have no life whahahaa) See it on the end? next to the newspaper box? Gee and I thought Lee was busy with Faber.. maybe he sent the vette out to keep an eye on Amanda for him and to report back
We find Alan and Amanda are in the Cafe of the 
Nations restaurant- I’m guessing this is suppose to be at the Sherman hotel? Cafe of the white lattice..
The camera pans over and we find Alan and Amanda in conversation.. hearing Alan finish his sentence saying: So… I… just never got married
[ROFL!!! Amanda has made fast work of getting that question out of the way!! Why did the topic of conversation go to why Alan never got married? Amanda!!! what are you doing??!!! Maybe Amanda is Dotty’s daughter after all It’s one thing to be having a coffee with him, it’s another to be probing for why he has never married and discussing such things.. Hmm.. actually.. is this because Amanda is interested romantically in Alan?? or is she wondering who this ‘Sophia’ was that she heard him screaming to over the phone?
Hmm.. maybe she’s trying to suss out if she is his wife..to get information? I’ve always assumed Amanda’s interest was personal. Maybe it is professional.. maybe.. it’s a bit of both?! thoughts??
[lol.. I’ve concluded it’s personal only.. based on Amanda’s behaviour coming up-so we’ll come back to this- but find it incredible she could have missed Alan screaming ‘Sophiaaaa!!!’]
Amanda: Hhmm.
Chamberlain: Didn’t seem fair to ask a woman to share a life of living out of a suitcase. See the artist’s life is not quite as romantic as it’s cracked up to be.
[Alan doesn’t paint a very rosy ‘picture’ yes pun intended ]
So does this little conversation remind anyone of the cafe scene in Wizard? Do you think it’s suppose to? Amanda is good at listening to men and encouraging them to talk Trouble is.. Amanda is not close to this man and was not suppose to get close!! I think she’s playing a bit of a dangerous game here.. flirting with there being a little something with Alan and enjoying herself (I think this has shades of Service Above and Beyond- and Amanda wanting to enjoy a bit of romance, a life different from her own- which probably tells us something I guess. She feels her own life is lacking romance, and she is longing for a special man who makes her feel special. Interesting.. we don’t get many insights into where Amanda is at do we- well not explicit ones anyway!) sorry I digress..
Amanda: Oh I don’t know. It doesn’t seem so bad. You travel, and well you love your work.
Chamberlain: I do, I do love my work. It’s an 
uncomplicated kind of life. At least it should be. (whooo there’s a clue! Amanda can 
see something’s wrong.. and she wants to help Alan I think- judging from her compassionate expression here.)
…Um anyway enough about me. (So here we see Alan directing his attention to Amanda- intentionally away from his being blackmailed- this seems to be his modus operandi- I’ll come back to this) … I’m curious about you. You’re a tourist from..?
Alan changes the subject.. sooo I will pause here for the moment and pick up right where we left off..
Just what is Amanda thinking here?? this is playing with fire meeting with Alan and discussing marriage??!!!… Maybe it is partly professional.. but maybe it also hints Amanda is a bit dissatisfied with her life, confused.. and questioning what she is doing – I think because of recent events involving Lee in Wizard and Over the Limit.. her very close friendship with Lee is now openly a non work friendship- with no shop talk.. so just how does Amanda cope with this and keep a check on her growing feelings for him?? Hmm.. a lovely little cappuccino and conversation with handsome man will at least be enjoyable- A lovely little distraction from some tricky, awkward questions that are now starting to well up in Amanda about her relationship with Lee. At least.. this is my take on it at this point in the episode.. what do you all make of it?
I’ll come back to Alan and what’s up with him in the next post, as it relates to the end of his scene.. okay! Can’t wait to hear from ya!!! byeee!
"Just walk with me.." 
Yep, Lee is slower’n molasses on that one….
Oh, looky! It’s the LHOTPrairie school marm…yet another real life BB connection, well BB former wife RL connection. Ugh. Not a fan of the former wifey. Or that show.
Okay, starting with his first day of employment 10 years ago? No wonder people in those kinds of jobs get a bum wrap. If they do idiotic stuff like that, they deserve it. What if she sees something in his first year of employment she doesn’t approve of? Bill the agency? With interest? Geesh! I don’t like Ms. Faber. At all. Her LHOTP connection not withstanding.
I’m not surprised at all about Amanda getting to the marriage question. She’s probably wondering what life is like for someone with his job and position. Marriage and family are so central to her life, it’s natural for her to ask him if he has a family and natural for him to explain why he doesn’t. I don’t think it necessarily has any bearing on a potential romantic interest on her part. Plus she is very easy to talk to and people tell her stuff all the time on this episode, from parking lot attendants to princesses. Why not a famous art restorer?
I do think Amanda is flirting with danger here. But so far she’s kept the conversation off herself. Her comment about his life not seeming so bad because he gets to travel makes me wonder. Is she feeling dissatisfied with her life? Or does that just mean she likes to travel herself? I think she does like to travel and probably enjoys that aspect of her job.
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Haha…Senator Faber is weird to see after watching that actress play Miss Wilder on Little House on the Prairie. I do think she wants to teach him a lesson.
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I’m not sure what to think of Amanda here. She has always been such an emotional conundrum and harder to analyze. I do believe that she is the type of person who can readily put someone at ease and can quickly engage someone in conversation and draw them out. She seems to draw people to her like moths to a flame. She’s been able to break Scarecrow’s shell so I think that’s what she’s done with Alan. I think she probably has some agent mode going on, but somewhere I think that she does appreciate the attention she’s getting.
Does anyone else hear the little whimper that Lee gives when Faber walks away? BB can add these funny little touches sometimes. This Faber does seem to have it out for Lee for some reason. She makes it seem as if he is main cause for some accounting discrepancies. It seems a bit unrealistic to go back ten years. Did they not do periodic checks before this, especially if things were getting out of hand?
Francine reminds me of those students I’ve had that tend to suck up and be a bit of a brown noser. You know the ones who don’t just answer the question as succinctly as possible. They give a one page answer when you want one paragraph. They want to show off about how much they know so they add more and more unnecessarily so. And the rest of the class just gives them that look, like the one Lee is giving. I think Francine is just trying to show off a bit.
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Yes Valerie!! I hear Lee’s little whimper!! 🙂
Francine showing off? makes sense! She does love her work 😉
I agree Faber has a personal, specific dislike of Lee – maybe we will be able to figure this out a bit more from more scenes with Faber soon.. the vibe I get is that Faber disapproves of Lee’s ‘adventures’ – thinks he is wasting tax payer money and anytime she hears of one of his ‘adventures’ she resents him that much more.. maybe worst of all for her- as she sees him this way, she finds she is also attracted to him – that darn man! that darn smile!!! it’s infuriating 😉
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I agree, Faber has a disdain for Lee, but I do think she is also intrigued by his adventures and the reputation he has. I think she is also very content to have him all to herself as they go over 10 years worth of accounts.
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iwsod, Morley – I also think Rep. Faber is attracted to Lee. Glad to see I am not the only one who gets that vibe. I think she is intrigued by Lee’s “reputation” (since I’m sure his adventures are not the only things she’s heard about him … remember the Naval Attaché and his Jaguar, not to mention his daughter …) which has developed into some weird attraction for him that she knows she shouldn’t have. Poor Lee .. Watch Out!!!
I don’t believe Amanda is talking marriage with Alan or probing him for information. I think HE is initiating the conversation. By his statement “enough about me,” I get the impression that Amanda hasn’t really said much of anything up to that point. I do agree she has that type of personality that just makes people want to open up to her. Or, maybe Alan is trying to send HER signals … remember his conversation with the girl at the book stand???
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I agree that Faber is fascinated with Lee/Scarecrow. She’s using this time to fulfill a bit of her own spy fantasy, I think.
Because Amanda is a good listener, I think people do tend to open up to her. She’s just naturally kind, gently curious, and knows how to get people to open up in a natural way. She was probably also probing for a bit of information while she tried to figure out how to portray herself as a tourist.
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“She’s using this time to fulfill a bit of her own spy fantasy, I think.” LOL … Love it debilyn13!!! She kinda looks like the type, or is that just me projecting her Little House on the Prairie character’s persona into this role. Anyone remember her from that show?! I know Melissa did.
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Hiya iheartsmk! wonderful to hear from you! I’m away on holidays for the next few weeks on and off so will be in and out and maybe not commenting much – but always reading! always enjoying!!! 🙂
Faber was in little house on the prairie?! haaaaa!!!
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I always got a ‘titillated’ vibe from Faber. She just seems a little too enthusiastic about wanting to discuss Lee’s exploits.
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I’m going to make the time glitch right by imagining that Alan’s meeting with Gelato & Co was midday’ish or 1pm. I note in the previous post that the sun appears to be more or less directly overhead as Amanda’s shadow appears quite short (as is the skateboarder’s too in one shot). So, that makes Billy suggestion of having lunch brought in more sensible.
Is it just me or does Representative Faber seem to have a fixation on Lee? Like she’s got the hots for “Mr Scarecrow”. She does seem particularly interested in him and him alone, and manages to wangle some alone time with Lee by suggesting Francine distract her two colleagues for a while by taking them on a tour of the Agency. And see what weird south of the border look Faber gives him just before she walks off camera? No wonder Lee looks worried. I think she’s got more than “facts and figures” in mind. 😯
Maybe Alan volunteered the info about never being married. Amanda may not have directly asked him. In fact, I don’t think she would have enquired about his marital status directly at all – that’s almost code for letting a guy know you’re interested. While I think Amanda has been a little lax here in letting an interaction with Alan occur, I don’t think she would so overtly encourage his interest at this point knowing that she shouldn’t really be talking to him at all.
I guess I see it as more likely Alan decided to get the conversation going by telling her a little bit about himself he probably saw an opportunity to let her know he’s not attached. Not that he should be thinking about chatting Amanda up right now with his sister being held hostage, but he does seem taken with Amanda. I suppose if he’s thinking ahead to successfully securing his sister’s release, he might be thinking further ahead to looking Amanda up when his life gets back to normal.
I think Amanda’s dealing with some churned up feelings and sexual frustration at the moment and perhaps this accounts for her being so easily distracted by this ruggedly handsome, worldly man.
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hiya Kiwismh!
LOL.. Nah gelati was pretty forceful about meeting Alan in the park at 3pm! [maybe he called back and brought the meeting forward?! ha!!]
Your ideas on Faber are really interesting! I did wonder if Faber was coming on to Lee at all..
Oh yeah I see where she glances down. I don’t think she was looking at Lee though (but, maybe it’s just me) I think she glances at the ground briefly as she wanders over to the desk to get started.
I think she wants to teach him a lesson.. he’s one of those men who has far too many ‘adventures’ – on tax payer money!! But.. at the same time.. (maybe based more on an upcoming scene so I won’t expand) I think she does find the idea of learning of all his adventures a bit titillating! simultaneously appalled but fascinated? lol!!! But for me I don’t think she is coming on to Lee. Maybe she wants just a little adventure in her own life, but I don’t think she’s really hoping Lee will give it to her personally ( though maybe vicariously!) – is this a tie in to Amanda’s lovely little affair?
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IMO, Faber belongs to the same breed of milk-producing animals as Francine. [An aside for that ownhair – what a colour for her!! Change your hairdresser, Faber!] i’m not sure if I buy into the attraction to Lee theory, but then I wouldn’t blame her…
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Yeah who isn’t attracted to Lee! 🙂 but I think she really loathes him and wants to teach his type a lesson!
[hope you are well learjet!] I miss being here more often.. but seems lots of people are busy at the moment with holidays anyway.. so maybe the timing is good! byeeeee
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Yeah, I’ve never gotten the vibe that Faber interested in Lee in that sense. And I’m pretty sure that this actress’ natural hair color is red. Maybe not this red, but it is red nonetheless.
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Ughh, WordPress just ate my response so I will have to try again.
When I first saw this episode all those years ago I just assumed Faber was just an uptight politician on a mission to cut government spending. Watching it with more mature eyes 20+ years later I was surprised to get the vibe that she’s an uptight, buttoned up, frustrated woman who’s not only on a mission to cut government spending but she’s definitely having some less than pure thoughts about Mr Scarecrow. She at once despises him and finds him desirable, which makes her even more uptight. 😉 Not that I believe she intends to make a move on him or anything, but she’s definitely not just thinking about facts and figures.
Another woman in this episode struggling to stick to her mission. 😉
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I agree with all this kiwismh!!! 🙂
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The thing that is interesting about Faber is that she is attracted to the seamy side of Lee’s life. Someone used the word titillated, and I think that is an accurate word. I wonder how Scarecrow will react to that, there was a time when he would have loved to impress with many stories. I wonder if it goes along with his impatience with Francine’s horoscopic love life?
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Good call Morley! I think you’re on to something fascinating!
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Also! I really enjoyed your idea that here is another woman struggling to stay focused on the job kiwismh!!
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I hate for this to be the reason that I for the first time perhaps meaningfully enter the discussion, but am I the only one whose mind went into the gutter with Representative Faber’s remarks right before she consigned her colleagues to Miss Desmond? I think this woman has been vicariously stalking Scarecrow for a long time–yes, bordering on psychotic, Iwsod–and she’s chomping at the bit to use her position of power to see how far she can get with him, and she thinks that going over his case reports starting from his first day of employment will give her plenty of time to use her wiles.
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Any reason to join a discussion is a good one, ruthp221. Glad you did. I have always thought that as well. The way her voice sounds she also reminded me of Glinda, the good witch from the Wizard of Oz, in a twisted sort of way.
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Oh, yes. I was wondering why the voice sounded familiar to me and couldn’t put a face to it.
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LOL at Glinda
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Welcome, ruthp221! I am late to this party…trying to catch up on several posts and just read your comment. Hope you find other reasons to jump in the discussion!
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I’ll try to come back to your thoughts on Amanda here kiwismh..
Why did I think Amanda had asked about marriage? hmm.. maybe it’s because I don’t see a man volunteering that kind of information without being asked. which is just my opinion!
Didn’t Amanda ask Lee very early on if he was married or had kids? she wasn’t coming on to him then.. I think to Amanda it’s a natural question. but with this man she’s been fantasising about all day? lol.. she’s playing with fire here.. gotta go! eek!!! byeeeee
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As for Amanda asking about Alan being married, it does seem like a natural question to ask, especially from someone of Amanda’s age who is eager to mention her little boys. Maybe when one is their twenties, they wouldn’t ask, but in her middle to late thirties, it seems natural and the question could lead to any sort of information. I can’t tell if she is thinking as a professional here of personally. I would hope that she is being more professional, but I do think her personal side is getting a lot from this little coffee break.
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Amanda could have easily asked something like “Do you miss your family?” when she found out Alan traveled a lot, leading to the unmarried explanation. I could see that coming up quite early in the conversation.
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I can see where this shows how Amanda is an easy person to talk to. She may not have even asked about Alan being married. There is the impression that he had been talking a bit. It is also shades of relationships that Lee has had. She is starting to get personally involved and she can’t be herself, she needs to make something up. Poor Lee, he never got Amanda’s help going through his expense accounts before meeting the congresswoman.
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Hi! Maybe the writers want to show how easy Amanda gets information. Francine on the other hand is having a hard time with MUUURRAYYYY. Just a thought 🙂
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Whahahahhhaaaa!!! Love it!! Hiya Claudia!!
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Yeah! They should have sent Amanda to get the film from Murray! Wonder how that scene would have gone?
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