Back to IFF.. and whooooo we find Lee and Faber have made the move to the Q bureau- completely unexplained!
LOL at the close up on the half a take-away 
hotdog and take out… rubbish food.. and rubbish company! Lee looks miserable!! I must say, Lee is coping quite well to have lasted this long!
Remember watching this as episode 1 in season 3?? All of a sudden we are in a magical film library!! Now though- it makes more sense that it’s after Lee has been given it- but it seems a bit strange that Lee is sitting on that side of the desk- oh well whatever! Moving on..
Interesting to note, now Faber is sitting on the edge of Lee’s desk- as opposed to Amanda 
BTW- also love the lamp on the desk- and how it is lit – a little shout out to the joke in the Mole about how if you are going to be interrogated it may as well be under your own lamp! (and Lee using the lamp on Connie in Mongoose!)
Faber: Now, about the case involving a Hungarian trapeze act. Two sisters, I believe. Twins!
[Faber leans in as she broaches this subject Lee and twins-she’s riveted!]
Lee:aaaand a mother. The Flying Fedorovas.
Lee responds factually, without looking at Faber, but handing her the file on the Fedorovas.
LOL.. 
Lee doesn’t seem to want to even look at her anymore.. Faberova? err I mean Faber?? she’s very errr enthused at her work here- even after a long day.. ahem..
Faber takes the file.
Faber: Precisely. There should be a receipt in here….
…for seven hundred and twenty rubles for…
[Knowing what’s coming, Lee turns away and squeezes his eyes closed 
]
…. “female undergarments”.
[okay- anyone got a fan fic they can recommend about this little assignment? head over to the Nedlindger’s forum to list it and discuss! ]
Lee: Yeah.
Faber: Explain, please.
[ick! female undergarments.. I don’t want Lee to have to explain any female undergarments to Faber!]
Lee: Well, you see, she had a penchant for pink-
Lee’s sentence is cut off at this moment by an agent entering the Q bureau suddenly.
Ohhh my goodness.. check out Faber here as Lee begins his explanation!!! The eyes are intensely on Lee.. and growing larger and more intense!!! rofl!!! Look at them!!!!! Appalled.. Fascinated.. and obsessed!!! whahahaa… Eeeek!! quick Lee get out of there!!! This is bordering on too ickworthy to watch!!!
Someone give that agent a medal for interrupting!
Messenger (Tim): Scarecrow, Here are the proofs of Mrs King’s surveillance photos.
Lee: Oh great.
Lee takes the form to sign off that he got the photos and the agent smiles at the congresswoman awkwardly.
Tim: please.
Lee: Yeah. Thanks, Tim, thanks a lot.
[Tim gives the congresswoman a surreptitious glance.. and raises his eyebrows.. think he notices something is a bit errr ‘off’ here??!! Like why would a congresswoman be looking for receipts after 8 o’clock at night??!!! ]
(Lee hands back the form)
to Tim: …There you go. (Tim leaves.. bless you Tim!!)
to Faber: Excuse me…
(Lee gets a magnifying glass so he can check out the proofs)
So glad we don’t see Faber checking out Lee here as he bends over to get his magnifying glass 😉 She’s preoccupied with reading about the Fedorovas.
then.. she gives him a glare – like.. pay attention to me!!
no? Phew.. glad the ickness has passed though! 🙂
Uh oh.. Lee recognises the guy in the photo [Lee 
knows everyone!]
…The priest is Franco Necci. The priest is Franco Necci.
Lee rushes for his jacket and the door. The pink penchant forgotten
Faber is put out – how dare he!!
Faber: Wait a minute, Mr Stetson. What about the ladies’ underwear?
[oh rofl! what a line!!! this is classic smk isn’t 
it??!!! whahahaha 😆 ]
Lee: Look, lady. A good friend of mine is getting too close to some pretty 
scary people and she doesn’t know it…
…So I’ll just have to take care of your underwear problem later.
‘A good friend of mine’ huh… hmmm!!! Interesting he doesn’t say – the agent I’m responsible for is getting too close.. noooo..
All things considered I think Lee deals pretty well with Faber here – and manages to get her to back off without insulting her.. err too much!
‘Your underwear problem’? ohhh smk at it’s best wouldn’t you say??!!! I love how he says this!!! and that it’s her problem. Definitely not their problem, and it implies her knickers are in a knot – are any of you familiar with this little saying?? Maybe it’s only an Australian saying! I think you can guess what it means..
What do you make of the twins and their mother?? Do you think Lee was err ‘dating’ all of them? I find this kind of ridiculous.. far fetched.. and suspect Faber would have assumed he was.. and been on tenterhooks to get all the details.. details!!!! Love Faber’s barely contained outrage at Lee leaving her to her underwear problem! 😆
A nice touch!
Lastly, I love how Hutchins was given the Red February case so Lee could deal with Faber (post 5)– but he is never referred to again and it’s like Billy never did it haaaaa.. oh Billy – such authority! okay okay.. Maybe Tim was Agent Hutchins?!
On to Amanda’s.. LOL seems every light is on in the house! Amanda’s just arrived home from her date errr work dinner with Alan!
LOL Learjet, I love how in your transcript you have noted here the ‘romantic harp and piano music’- tee hee.. good call!!! that’s exactly what it is… it’s that sad tune we heard when Alan and Amanda kissed again – why?? Why did they play this music again? Is this sadness because Dotty is waiting up to hear how the night went? Hoping her daughter will find a man to love with his ownhair?!
Dotty is asleep on the couch.
Amanda goes to wake her.
[She has a book? this is a lot like that moment in Wizard where Jamie and Phillip find Amanda asleep with the wizard of oz book no?? another wizard similarity- man!! it’s almost like they really wanted us to connect these episodes closely together or something.. thoughts?]
Amanda: Mother, it’s ok it’s just me. Wake up.
Dotty: What time is it?
Amanda: It’s time for you to go upstairs and go up to bed. You’re gonna get a kink in your back from this couch.
Wasn’t there something in the Over The Limit script about waiting up??
Not Dotty’s laughing at remembering how she would have sounded when Amanda got home (when she got the Rebecca’s fantasy package) but there’s something in there about Amanda waiting up for Dotty – but it got cut.. anyone?? Sorry I’m time poor right now so I’ll leave it to you lovely people to check it if you like!
Dotty: First I want to hear all the highlights.
In response to this, Amanda scoffs: Ohh!!
Dotty: .. Did you have a good time? And don’t give me that “I’m so very bored” look.
[But Dotty! Alan is as dull as a stick! ]
Amanda: I’m not bored, Mother, I’m tired.
Dotty: Good.
Amanda: What does “good” mean?
[beats me! Or is this Dotty saying it’s good Amanda is not bored by the man? rather than it’s good that she’s tired? lol!]
Dotty: Good, I mean that’s just good. I mean, I’m glad for you. You gonna see him again?
Amanda: Gonna have breakfast with him in the morning.
Dotty: Breakfast.
Amanda: Breakfast.
Dotty: Oh so soon.
Amanda: Just breakfast.
Dotty: Just breakfast. Hmm.
Amanda gives Dotty a look.. and starts heading up to her room. Yep, there’s no talking to Dotty Amanda.. she’ll see whatever!
Amanda (sighs): Good night, Mother.
Dotty: Good night. Hmmm good….. (sighs) Good sign.
We finish the scene with Dotty looking very contented on the couch with Amanda’s business dinner.. ahem..
Poor Dotty.. she wants her daughter to be happy.. but.. this man is not going to work out.. The sad theme as Amanda arrives home, tells me Amanda has closed the door on that little fantasy..Is there some hope things will start to look up for Amanda?? well.. we shall see! 🙂
Can’t wait to hear what you all make of these scenes!!
Hope all you northern hemisphere fans are having a wonderful summer – and can stop by and share your thoughts when you are able to!!! Anytime is fine – these are big episodes where lots of significant things happen – it would be a shame if we missed out on hearing what you think just because you were on holiday when we walked through this ep!!!
Just note, if you do comment on a post and it’s been a while since the post was walked through – it’s really helpful to give a little context to your comments – so when we get an email with your comment we know what you are referring to – this is a helpful little hint for everyone- and encourages people to respond (Eg. ‘Lee with Faber and the underwear problem is hilarious’.. rather than ‘ that line of Lee’s is hilarious’!) Make sense?
I suggest this so you can have the best chance of hearing from people in reply- which is always fun huh!! And posts are always open to you adding thoughts to years later.. as they come to you!!
Oh and hello to southern hemisphere folks too!! Hope you are surviving the winter and hanging in there!!!!
Can’t wait to hear from you all!!! byeee for now!
"Just walk with me.." 
Regarding the statement about Lee, the twins and their mother….we must remember that when Lee is on assignment he is under cover to convince the baddies that he is someone other than a spy! There might be lots questionable and unexplainable expenses connected to an assignment… is it a coincidence that his cover might be a play boy???? No I think not, Lee loved his bad boy personna and it seemed to work for him as a young hot shot agent….. but as he’s grown closer to Amanda I think he is a little embarrassed by some of it and I’m sure the panty raid is right there among those embarrassing hard to explain situations……I do think the school marm er.. I mean the Faber woman is very strange at wanting specific details….she sounds a little like she wants to experience a wild side vicariously through Lee’s explanations…
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You are right Gruvy Granny.. Lee’s cover could have been ‘playboy’ but yeah I also get what you mean.. he did rather relish that role!
Loved your take on Faber.. she was very weird!!
Great to hear from ya!
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Love the “Farewell to Faber”! She’s really creepy, and I love both Lee dashing out the door to rescue Amanda, and his parting shot that relegates the underwear to her problem! I agree that there’s probably a good explanation behind the underwear purchase, not a juicy story, and I also agree with morley that a year or so ago Lee would have made the most of the story anyway. But no more.
I’ve heard the knickers/underwear expression before, but never around here (midwestern US).
BTW, what time of night is this???!!! It’s after Amanda’s dinner with Alan, which didn’t start until 8, and we’re supposed to believe that not only is Faber keeping Lee forever going over accounts, but that agency work like developing what they thought were routine, humdrum surveillance photos is still going on?
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We say knickers in a twist here 😉 I can imagine back in the old days getting your bloomers in a wedgie must have been downright painful!
Dating twins AND the mother? Lee might be good but he’s not that good 😉
I always thought it was as you have all said these were much prized items that couldn’t be sourced. Or that they defected and needed some spare undergarments 😉 Faber really is a pill though. Her face is a picture but the idea that he would be audited this way by someone like her? Stretching the credibility for me
I am really not liking Dotty’s hair 😦 she always looked glamorous with it slightly longer. Grow it Dotty it suited you the other way!
I took Dotty saying “good” to imply Amanda had worn herself out by smooching with Alan 😉
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I’ve heard “undies in a bunch” here. But I’ve also heard all the others as well. First of all, the take-out food looks a little congealed and gross. No wonder Lee doesn’t want it. Rumpled Lee looks very good however. This Faber is just too much. Did this review have to be completed that day? Why not just pick it up again in the morning? Interesting that she too is wearing white.
Considering Faber and what she seems to be interested in there had to be a pretty interesting story regarding Lee and this trapeze act. She seems to be interested in all the tawdry details of Lee’s accounts. It’s just so creepy. Thank goodness for the interruption. Lee certainly comes to life when it looks as if Amanda could have some trouble.
Dotty seems to think that a man is what Amanda needs to make her happy. And she’s been singing that tune since the series started. Fortunately, Amanda chooses to steer her own course and has done quite well without a man and has been pretty happy. We know that Dotty only wants the best for her, but sometimes she needs to give it a rest.
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“LOL at the close up on the half a take-away hotdog and take out… rubbish food.”
You know what makes me LOL? The stack of airmail envelopes in the letter holder!
“So I’ll just have to take care of your underwear problem later.”
That line totally cracks me up, every time!!!
“knickers are in a knot”
Nope. Not just Aussies… all over. Knickers in a knot; knickers in a twist; panties in a wad; panties in a bunch. I remember it all the way back from Basil Brush… (Remember him? I loved him!!! Ha ha ha, boom boom!) In fact, some people attribute the origin of the saying to him. 🙂
Hmm… Dotty thinks it’s good that Amanda is tired after her date. Nope. Gonna be good…
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yeah!!! the airmail envelopes.. they were the days! 😉
a wonderful gag huh!!! kudos smk!
Basil Brush? really? he’s responsible??!!
LOL yeah.. I could see that opening there KC, I figured Dotty was meaning good she isn’t bored – which I find interesting.. maybe a hint that Dotty figured Amanda gets bored with men she isn’t interested in.. like Dean (and interesting given Amanda made up that Alan was dull as a stick!) good job KC 😉 lol..
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Basil Brush–possibly, yeah. I couldn’t find any solid references saying otherwise, and this guy thinks so (so it must be true :p ) — http://www.theblog.ca/panties-knot — and this site dates the phrase to 1967–> http://britishisms.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/knickers-in-a-twist-or-knot/ — which is around when The Basil Brush Show began.
Then again, the Online Etymology Dictionary states the phrase as first attested in 1971. shrug
Junk science? Who knows… but I like the story–and Basil Brush–so I’m sticking with it! 😀
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I use ‘Knickers in a twist” but I learned it from a British friend.
I wonder if we are supposed to snicker alongside of Faber here about the ladies undergarments. Or maybe we would rather wince with embarrassment for Lee. But by the way Lee seems bored and in no way ruffled, especially after the Four Black Book scenario, I am led to think that the Federova sisters and mother and their penchant for pink… undergarments wasn’t as tawdry as Rep Faber would like it to be. I am thinking it must have had something to do with the unavailablity of certain items behind the iiron curtain and a way of getting information. Nylon stockings were quite the prize during WWII here., maybe it was something like that?
But I think the point here for Lee is that he is sick and tired of the image that he used to project. I bet once upon a time he told that story about the Federova’s with gusto and made sure he left lots of hints about pink undergarments. I wonder how many things he embellished? But now? Now he is done with that. Now it is tripping him up. Now he has tasted someone knowing him as just plain old Lee, and he likes it. And right Now that someone needs him (or so he likes to believe)
I love the way he runs off impetuously. Can’t he wait until first thing in the morning? No! He doesn’t even think about the time of day or who will be around Amanda’s or how he will actually get her attention, he just goes!
I do think Amanda is in business mode, again. She has gottne kind of used to that mode. She tried something different tonight, but she can’t make it work. She isn’t bored, she is right because she has an interesting job, but I do bet she is tired. She mus being feeling pretty lonely too. And nothing makes that worse than to have an eager parent who wants to hear all about it and you have nothing to tell. Ugh! Just go to bed Amanda. Tomorrow is a new day, everything will look different in the morning 😉
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hi everyone!!
I’ve got to head off.. booo.. so I’ll be back later today to catch up properly on comments (from post 8 too) – just wanted to add that the presence of the mother makes this one too much for me to believe – don’t want to!!! so unless it is explicitly stated by Lee – I’ll do my best to see this case as something other than Lee being the honey trap for all 3 women!!
I am guessing he was going to say the mother had a penchant for pink- MICROWAVES!!!!!
See what happened is.. she put her underwear to dry in there – thinking well it’s an oven (just like Amanda dries her boys shoes in hers in the credits) – but.. the underwires all got fried.. the underwear all caught fire… the mother blamed the evil microwave and so Lee had to pay to get the underwear replaced. ahem.. yep.. ahem.. I’m going with that!
Okay gotta run! byeeee back later!!!! 🙂
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Pink… tights. Surely tights would be classified as underwear for accounting purposes? Maybe not. Regardless, they were wearing their Flying Fedorova costumes and ripped their pink pantyhose when Lee was saving them from the bad guys. Done and done. slaps hands together We can all rest easy now. 😀
(Oh, and it lets me sing: “I’m an Oddfellow and I’m OK, got a big peppermint that lasts all day. They taste so fresh, my breath is sweet, I wear high heels upon my feet! The clean fresh flavour see’s me right, I love them more than my new pink tights!” ROFL!)
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KC, you must find the NZ Oddfellow ad on YouTube and post it to Ned’s. 😀
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Pssttt… kiwismh–I did already… it’s on page 1 of the adverts thread. 😉
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very true Morley.. Lee is more frustrated that he has to deal with this stuff than ashamed like he was in Wizard. very true..
I can buy Lee having a thing with the twins – but not twins and their mother.. that’s a bridge too far 😉
though I’m sure it’s not for Faber, and that she is sure Lee had an adventure with all three of them! eek!
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I think the fact that Lee adds, “…and a mother” makes me think there wasn’t anything in it at all. It appears that he thinks Faber’s fascination is as icky as we do and he has had enough of it. I agree, nothing tawdry there.
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I totally agree and missed that connection to Wizard. Lee is now disgusted with parts of his past. He is sick of dwelling on these things in his life and wants to move on.
Lee’s comment to Faver about a “friend” of mine is in trouble. There he is using friend again. In Car Wars he says the same thing when in the interrogation about now its personal that they took a very good friend with the car (paraphrasing). Amanda is no longer the agent, she is the friend now.
I agree about Dotty…..she just wants what is best for her daughter, but she also really doesn’t know her anymore either. Amanda is probably coming home disappointed that the evening didn’t turn out as planned and that she has such a strong connection with Lee (but she doesn’t think anything will ever happen with him beyond friendship) and there was just no chemistry with Alan. (Didn’t Leslie say that she had chemistry with Lee?)
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Leslie is an interpreter, she is a language person, but she knows nothing about Chemistry 😉
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Morley stated, “…undergarments wasn’t as tawdry as Rep Faber would like it to be. I am thinking it must have had something to do with the unavailablity of certain items behind the iron curtain and a way of getting information.” I’m with you Morley. When I went to East Germany in the 70s, everyone, especially the younger folks, wanted to buy my clothes. I was wearing the usual student-backpacking-through-Europe fare, but everything, Levi’s, clothes, purse, etc was up for negotiations. I just gave items I could spare away because I just couldn’t bring myself to take money. Certainly opened my eyes up in many ways.
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I have always thought this scene with Lee and Faber was funny…I love his line, “I’ll have to get back to your underwear problem,” that was probably kinda risqué for the mid ’80s.
It’s fascinating that Dotty thinks Amanda finding a man will make her happy. Maybe that was an ’80s thing. I know a lot of women who are single and they seem happy…have lots of friends to do things with…a fulfilling career. Women probably have a lot more choices today than they did back in the ’80s.
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Very true Melissa R.. Dotty does place a lot of emphasis on Amanda finding a man – I figure it’s partly to do with the fact that Amanda is a single mother of two boys who could benefit from a good man being their step dad ( but this can’t be just anyman!)
I think I can see Amanda as happy to be on her own.. and not needing a man to be happy. At the same time, I think finding a good man to fall in love with and share your life with is a wonderful thing – which would enrich her life.. and I think Amanda sees that and how precious it is.
Dotty might too but agreed she totally OD’s on the encouragement! Amanda is use to it though.. and seems to cope well with Dotty’s enthusiasm 😉 would you say?
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Yeah, she copes with her mom very well! I couldn’t live with mine that’s for sure, maybe my mother in law, but not my mom 😉
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To lower the tone of the discussion, I am really liking dishevelled Lee followed by intense Lee (but I’d hit even Lee over the head if he called me “lady” like that). How can a man eat so badly but still look so good.
Faber is really icky – there’s a kind of prudish thing combined with a creepy fascination with the seamy side of things.
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LOL I have no idea why but I figured that is not food Lee usually eats. maybe it’s the way he talked about the chef and the food in weekend – but I figured he’s a bit of a foodie- even if he doesn’t cook much at home – he appreciates good food.
Oh and he’s comments in Remembrance of things past and how he makes sushi! 🙂
prudish.. combined with creepy fascination? I think your spot on!!! gosh I hope that’s the last we’ve seen for Faber. I’m thinking it is.. but I can’t remember exactly!
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Like you, Iwsod, I get a sense from this scene that Amanda has dropped the fantasy about Alan. I would like to think that she is now back in professional mode as far as he is concerned, concentrating on her assignment throughout the rest of this evening with him.
By the end of this scene I feel she is more serene and settled than she has been throughout this episode. She’s in a much better head space now to contemplate her thoughts and feelings occasioned by Alan’s romantic advances.
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Yeah I agree.. while Amanda is off balance with her latest revelation – she’s serene with what’s transpired.. I agree Kiwismh!
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🙂 the coulor of Dottys sweater actually melted with the couch.
Amanda and Dotty are always sweet together.
OMG the underware problem makes my day 🙂
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Hey Claudia! LOL. I agree smk at it’s best!byeee
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We say, “Don’t get your knickers in a knot” too, so it’s not just Australian, it’s New Zealand too. Maybe it’s English colonial in origin – “Don’t get your knickers in a twist” is another version.
Faber does seem interested in the seamier or titillating aspects of Scarecrow’s past cases and her “investigation” into his over-expenditure seems to be just a cover for satisfying some weird fetish she has. Double Ick!
Agent Tim deserves a medal for interrupting and giving Lee and excuse to get away from this bizarre woman. 😯
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Thihi, yes she seems interested to have a deeper discussion about underware.
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We also used “knickers in a knot” in South Africa. And it is a British phrase originally.
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Oh good!!! Hi guys!!!
Thanks Kiwismh and Learjet for letting me know. I live in fear of saying something I think is universal and isn’t 😉 so prefer to play it safe and errr.. not get my knickers in a knot!!
Hey Everyone!!! I’m exhausted and I’ll be back to catch up on comments asap!!!
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Around here (southeastern US) we say, “Don’t get your knickers in a twist” or “Don’t get your underwear in a wad.” So, I understood what you meant. 🙂
Faber is fascinated by “early Lee,” I would say. Don’t know what others here might think, but I suppose he bought the undergarments for the trapeze artists in order to “buy their favor” and gain some intel because there were enemy agents attached to the circus somehow, or at least one of the artists. (Ooooh, maybe Lee was undercover in the circus. Not a clown, though, he’d be too sophisticated for that. haha) Poor Lee. He’s had enough of Faber. And, maybe Tim IS Agent Hutchins, and he knows Lee would be interested in Amanda’s findings as her “mentor agent.”
It’s in Amanda’s voice that this evening wasn’t easy on her. She likes Alan, but she senses there is something very wrong. She couldn’t get him to talk – is that because he’s in really bad trouble or because she didn’t do her best at the assignment. Maybe a little of both. In addition, her repression of her feelings for Lee are beginning to resurface and she doesn’t quite know what to do with them. She really is tired.
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I’ve heard “Don’t get your undies in a bundle” but I think the knickers comment is older. Gotta love SMK for providing us with reasons to discuss expressions about underwear. 😉
I wonder what Francine had to deal with while Lee was hanging out with underwear-obsessed Faber.
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