11/16 Season Three, Episode 7: Utopia Now-Scarecrow and Mrs King

30 responses to “11/16 Season Three, Episode 7: Utopia Now-Scarecrow and Mrs King”

1. LeeLovesAmanda | August 4, 2020 at 11:53 am | Reply

   I think Lee is a realist, rather than an optimist or pessimist. I think in his line of work, he has to be objective.

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2. Nancy | October 22, 2019 at 4:28 pm | Reply

   #2019 rewatch

   …Let our body heat warm us up, huh?

   I like to think Lee was recalling James Brown’s 1976 record “Body Heat.”

   Symbolic of Lee seeking the silver lining in a challenging situation is the color of his new Corvette!

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3. Pingback: 10/- Season Three, Episode 16: The Triumvirate-Scarecrow and Mrs King | "Just walk with me.."

4. BJo | October 22, 2014 at 11:47 pm | Reply

   Yeah, you’re a pretty good scout.

   Lee, Lee, Lee…is that the best you can do? You do know that you’d still be walking around the wood looking for Rudolph if it weren’t for Amanda, right? Geesh! I bet you couldn’t start a fire if you had a whole book of matches…cuz you wouldn’t have thought to bring the waterproof kind. Like Amanda did. You may look great in the outdoors, but you are not an outdoorsman. Nuh uh.

   Anyone else want Amanda to say ‘that’s much more natural!’

   ROFL!! And Yes! I think she is saying it inside her head!

   Okay, so why is Amanda so scared in this episode? I mean, they are just in the swamp – at her choosing. It’s the backwoods of VA, a place she knows well, and she’s with hunky superspy Lee. Do you think it’s because she knows Lee is a crap scout? And he has no gun? This seems a bit un-Amanda-like to me. Like she says, they’be been in some pretty tight spots before. They are alone here, no bombs, no guns, no rope preventing them from moving around. Why is she so scared this time? I don’t see how/why her fast-changing relationship with Lee would make her more scared. Maybe that she has more to lose. Does that make her more scared? I dunno. Maybe someone smarter and more of a deeper thinker knows.

   Happy noises?? Hahahahaha!

   Is this the first time we’ve ever heard Amanda tell Lee that she likes something about him? I bet it is. I think Lee is genuinely touched that she likes something about him. Remember Alexi’s reaction in the ACMKid when Amanda tells him she likes him? He gets this big, goofy grin on his face and you can tell he is really happy to hear it. There is no goofy grin on Lee’s face here, but I think on the inside he is equally happy to know that Amanda likes him. Cha-chink!

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5. happycamper | October 13, 2014 at 11:35 pm | Reply

   I was struck by how they just seem to feel “right” when holding each other close. Keeping warm is a good excuse, it really is, but then they kind of settle into an “ah! that feels just right!” and it seems that the tension, stress, and worry melt away. Staying warm was a non-threatening way to initiate it; more baby steps. At this point, it’s still something you could see doing with your best friend. They’re happy and comfortable together, glad to be with each other and to be watching out for each other no matter how much danger or discomfort they’re in, but that step has been taken now.

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   • BJo | October 22, 2014 at 11:49 pm | Reply

     Awww, I like what you say here, happycamper! Makes me a happybjo!

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6. iheartsmk | October 13, 2014 at 4:33 pm | Reply

   I love this episode and especially this scene. Wish I had more time to share all my thoughts but since I don’t, I’ll just offer these tidbits …

   One thing that always comes to mind when I watch this scene is what would Billy and Francine (and the entire Agency for that matter) think if they could see Lee and Amanda like this?! LOL I wonder if either one of them ever considered the fact that Lee and Amanda could develop feelings for one another after spending so much time alone together … getting to know each other; depending on each other … working together on all these cases. Wonder if this was Billy master plan all along?!

   Also in this scene, it is my humble opinion that we begin to see more of Lee the man, not just the super spy that we all know so well. We get to see more of who he is as a person as he learns to love and care for this woman. For example, in this scene, we see his spy persona – watching the perimeter for the baddies and securing their location – yet on the other hand, we watch him make himself available to have this very open and honest dialogue with the person he’s clearly developing feelings for. I just feel that the S1/S2 Lee would not have allowed this type of conversation to take place while he was “working,” let alone have made time to participate in it himself.

   And, what about his suggestion to huddle together for warmth? That CERTAINLY is something S1/S2 Lee would have done. Is it me or does anyone else think that maybe Lee is trying to test the boundaries of their budding relationship with his suggestion? Maybe he longed for more than just hand holding but didn’t want to be inappropriate so he used this moment to see how close she would allow him to be? Maybe confirming for himself just how real and deep and serious her feelings are for him? I always saw that brief moment of him closing his eyes as they got comfortable next to each other as an expression of contentment or relief as he finally got to hold her close. I don’t believe they have had this type of closeness before, when they both were on the same page with their feelings for one another.

   Does anyone know if this scene follows the original script? Wondering if the actors exercised a little creative liberty in this scene.

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   • morley | October 14, 2014 at 12:50 am | Reply

     I like your ideas here, iheartsmk.
     I always find Lee’s word choice funny. He says “huddle” when I really think it was more of a “cuddle” but he just doesn’t feel free to use that word and remains in more of a professional mode and uses what sounds like a technical term for what one should do for survival in such a circumstance.
     And that choice continues to make me think about what is being developed in this episode. Lee and Amanda have a professional relationship and a personal friendship and they have just began to explore their growing interest and attraction o one another in something more than a friendship. I have often mentioned in the past that Lee had kept his life rather compartmentalized and here he is going to have to integrate all those parts of his life or either lose a friend, close off his heart or mess up a job. I think this is why I notice the maps. They are navigating this path and they do it here as they just respond to one another and the natural comfort, care and respect they have for each other. You can see how they are blending all of theses together and then, voila, there is something beautiful that they discover.
     It isn’t just Lee that is navigating this as well. I agree that there is something very special about Amanda’s confession that she is scared and her very individualized response to Lee’s reply about his feeling of guilt about bringing her into the business. Here in this conversation they acknowledge each other as individual adults and own their own actions and in doing so it helps them to build a sense of who they are as a couple. Amanda has a sense of self now in a way that she didn’t when we first met her, and she brings it into that warm circle of Lee’s arms and Lee can’t help but respond to that as a man, a real man, not a Scarecrow persona. They have been bouncing off of and briefly touching that in one another from the beginning. But here they are not able to move away from it and I don’t think wither one of them wants to. I love that last screen cap. They look so happy and content there wrapped up in each other’s arms as they hide from the baddies that are scouring the area in order to kill them.
     I bet I could extrapolate a huge metaphor about their slow trudge through a swamp to ultimately finding a dry spot to build a little fire while fanning into flame a bigger internal fire… Sigh, and then I look at the huge mountain of laundry that needs folding…

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     • iheartsmk | October 14, 2014 at 12:56 pm | Reply

       I love the swamp metaphor idea Morley! It is spot on. Don’t know why I never saw that before. 🙂

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7. LAAL | October 13, 2014 at 3:33 am | Reply

   I think it is a big step for Amanda to feel comfortable enough to admit she is scared. I think she has been scared many times, but would never admit it. She has now admitted it twice in the same day. I think Lee is an optimist in terms of getting out of these tight situations. He always thinks that there is a way out. I agree that it would be nice to see them cuddled up together, because they want to be, but I think the point of them being chained together is that it really forces them to work as a team. They can overcome this situation because they can work together.

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8. Valerie | October 11, 2014 at 10:21 am | Reply

   I talked about the one match in an earlier post and how we used it in a survival class for Outdoor Education trips. I remembered one of the ways that we used to light the match was to strike it on the zipper of our pants. I was thinking about that, Iwsod, when you mentioned listening to the first part of this scene with your eyes closed. Oh myyy!

   This is such a great scene for so many obvious reasons. We so rarely get to see Lee and Amanda have a deep personal conversation. We know that they have them, but we aren’t always privy to it. We know that Lee shared about his uncle “the colonel” in ARS as Amanda already knows about him. Lee attempted to share with Amanda in OOADP, but it was the alternate Amanda. In that same episode Lee shows how he knows what Amanda’s home habits are like. Amanda reminded Lee that he knew about the fire in the kitchen in Spider Web. Little snippets come out now and again, but it’s nice to actually see a deeper conversation between them.

   Lee says that he “keeps” thinking about when he gave Amanda the package. I wonder just how often he thinks about it. This is a nice little revelation like in Wizard when you realize he knows exactly how long they have known each other. I agree that this is a turning point/milestone. There have been so many look backs to previous episodes and so many things to remind us just how far these two have come.

   Definitely loving the “enveloping” as you say, Iwsod, and totally agree. Also loving his gentle rocking.

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9. Cindy Davis | October 11, 2014 at 12:55 am | Reply

   Little side note, because they are huddled together and not looking each other in the eye, I think it’s easier for them to express this wonderful dialogue (I was suddenly reminded about the advice that if you want to talk to your teens, the car is a great place to do it because you are not face to face and psychologically they feel safer bringing up things that are difficult to talk about or are important to them.)

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   • jule | October 11, 2014 at 2:35 am | Reply

     So true Cindy, it was the best way for me to find out all kinds of things about the girls when we were driving. And can I just say arghlboglesgyhvl!!! Love the scene and I love all the pics you posted Iwsod! Total sqeeeeee!

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     • iwsod | October 12, 2014 at 2:10 pm | Reply

       Awh thanks Jule!!

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10. raffie5 | October 10, 2014 at 9:26 pm | Reply

    I love your comparison to Brunettes, Iwsod! I never thought about it before, but you are right that there are interesting parallels, right down to the literal and figuarative chains on Lee.

    I feel like Lee’s guilt about Amanda is something he visits fairly often, but so long as she is relatively safe, he is able to temper it with a personal admission that having her along is better than not, and he can even kid himself into believing that is a professional sentiment and nothing more. I am presently at the end of S1 on the treadmill and am enjoying watching this dynamic unfold … all the ingredients are there already as to Lee’s protectiveness of Amanda, his guilt, his efforts to reconcile Amanda’s place in his life, the personal vs professional internal debate he has. And Amanda struggles as she always has to figure out what “partner” really means to her. Here in Utopia we see them vocalizing these struggles, and as we compare it to how it was done in Brunettes, we see that both have grown a lot in their understanding of the other. The back and forth here is more about “you/us” and less about “me”

    We always focus on Lee’s growth, but Amanda has also had to make huge changes in how she sees herself in the role of professional partner. Her fairy tale view of Lee that she has in S1 has undergone a reality check, and she has had to confront whether the warts-and-all reality is truly as appealing as the fairy tale. At some point in late S1 and in S2 she steps back and accepts friendship as their destiny rather than fairy tale endings, but OTLimit and this Utopia scene show she is far from being at peace with this decision. (And I would argue that the Brunettes argument also reflects Amanda’s friendship-or-more struggle, perhaps even cementing in her mind the decision to settle for friendship.)

    A while back, someone on Yuku challenged the portrayal of Lee as always seeing the silver lining. I may be wrong, but I don’t think the script ever calls him an optimist, but he does say this is no business for a pessimist. I too would not think of Lee as an optimist (at least not through this point in the series) but I agree with LearJet that he is a cynic, and I will add that he never gives up. He blows off steam, then jumps back into the fray with an attitude that somehow he will get out of whatever mess he is in. However, I will also add that this aspect of his personally evolves drastically between S1 and S3/S4 as he matures emotionally. THe cynicism is worn down and replaced with Amanda’s more positive outlook on the world. It’s understandable in a job like his that he would need an outside influence to see the “half-full” side of life.

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    • Valerie | October 11, 2014 at 9:46 am | Reply

      First of all, good to hear from you Raffie, and secondly, I really like this. Lee’s growth does seem to be more obvious, because his issues or damage seemed to be more obvious. Even though he prided himself on being a great “intelligence operative” and always seemed to keep everything about himself in check or need to know it’s still pretty much out there for all to see. Amanda’s growth seems to be more subtle. She has kept her issues more hidden than Lee has. I think she is a tougher nut to crack.

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    • kiwismh | October 12, 2014 at 8:12 am | Reply

      Like your comments Raffie. There is a saying that at the heart of a cynic is a disappointed optimist.
      I think Amanda’s journey is every bit as interesting as Lee’s. However, because she is much harder to read and her changes occur more subtly it is easy to overlook just how much change she has gone through. I agree that she had settled for having Lee as her best friend but putting away what she thought was just a crush in the early stages of their acquaintance.
      Along the progression between Burn Out and here she has come to the realisation that her feeling for Lee are much deeper than friendship. The realisation probably hit her full force just after the events of OTL.
      She may have begun to think at this point that he has similar feelings for her but she’s not sure. They’ve been a few dates but it seems that nothing has happened on those dates that wouldn’t happen between two people who are best friends.
      Being thrown into this potentially life threatening situation is forcing both of them to think more deeply about their feelings and how much both need the other in their lives. Unknowns like – How are we going to get out of this? What will I do if something happens to Lee/Amanda? – are forcing their feelings closer to the surface.
      They are expressing emotions and admiration and even fears here, albeit without looking each other in the eye, that they couldn’t have had at the start of S3.

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      • iwsod | October 12, 2014 at 2:09 pm | Reply

        I am loving all your comments!!! Combined I think they nicely explain how Lee finds the silver lining, while being a bit jaded with the world!

        Loved your comment kiwimsh that ‘There is a saying that at the heart of a cynic is a disappointed optimist.’
        So true!!!

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      • raffie5 | October 12, 2014 at 10:59 pm | Reply

        Thanks, Valerie — it’s nice to be back on! And kiwismh, LOL, because apparently I was channeling this post (which I hadn’t read yet) as I posted under the latest entry! It’s always nice to see I’m not alone in my thinking :-).

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    • iwsod | October 12, 2014 at 2:12 pm | Reply

      Thanks Raffie!!
      lol now you are back here.. I have no time to respond to you as I would like! eek!!!

      For now, I’ll just add I loved your comments..

      but hey! no talk of how Lee matures beyond this episode please! Your on JWWM now – no jumping ahead pls!!! but man.. I can’t wait to discuss the rest of season 3/4 with you and hear what you make of it!

      byeee

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      • raffie5 | October 12, 2014 at 11:04 pm | Reply

        No worries, Iwsod! And sorry, didn’t even catch the future reference! I think I musta typed the “D-word” 😉 in an earlier post too (and just caught myself doing it again — argh!! so am quite sure I could have let one slip out). Oh, dear, hope there isn’t a 3 strikes rule!! (Does that translate? In baseball, three strikes and you’re out.) Anyway, I certainly understand “busy” (suspect we all do here!) and there are plenty of others blogging around here … no need to worry about not responding directly to everything.

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        • iwsod | October 13, 2014 at 8:29 am | Reply

          Yes it translates! LOL you are in no danger of me moving to Predec 2 in response Raffie whahahahaahaa..
          [though Raffie’s power lines should watch out! 😉 ]
          It’s all good.. everyone slips from time to time..and I know JWWM is a slightly different space for discussing smk compared to some other online spaces..

          I’m so glad you’re back!
          Lovin your idea of Amanda helping Lee to fully mature btw – so at this point, where is Lee on your development scale raffie?

          whooo I’d love to hear what you make of the chatter on here about otl.. and on wizard!!

          okay I gotta run.. have used up my smk time!
          byeeeee

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          • raffie5 | October 13, 2014 at 12:00 pm | Reply

            Hmmm, where is Lee in his emotional maturity? Good question. He is well past those awkward S2 “teen years” where his confusion over his emotions had him all over the map with his temper and self-centeredness. We get to gradually watch him turn the corner to emotional maturity (I personally love Car Wars for this reason — it exemplifies the struggle) and in Burn Out we, and Amanda, are left with no doubt. Murder Between Friends further reassures Amanda that she can now trust Lee to handle his emotions maturely rather than succumbing to the adolescent outbursts we see earlier in S2.

            I’d say that at this point in S3 Lee is well into young adulthood from an emotional maturity point of view, with growing comfort but limited experience. Now he needs to develop emotional confidence, the idea that not only can he handle Amanda’s friendship responsibly, but he can handle her heart as well. I can’t imagine a better person than Amanda to guide him through this, which brings me back to your wonderful point about how gently Amanda stepped the fireside conversation along.

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11. kiwismh | October 10, 2014 at 5:54 pm | Reply

    Imagine the interaction in this post happening without the “chained together” thing. It’s much more satisfying. 🙂
    Too tired to write more tonight. Might have some deeper thoughts tomorrow.

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12. learjet5 | October 10, 2014 at 5:30 pm | Reply

    There is so much to say so I’ll start with what strikes me first (other than how good Lee looks in all those pics, thanks for the generous quantities of pics, iwsod): Lee being a pessimist vs an optimist. I don’t see him necessarily as one or the other. I think the key is that he was a cynic (and probably saw himself as a realist) when we (and Amanda) first met him. Some of that hardness has been chipped away, partly by the love and care shown him by Amanda, partly by his own desire to first simply protect, but gradually to cherish her. He ‘finds the silver lining’ because this will keep Amanda safe and help her feel safer.
    I’m picking up a lot of the ‘words of affirmation’ going on here – firstly from Amanda. You can almost see Lee ‘standing taller’ as she builds him up.
    Anyway, lots more to say… I think I might have to rewatch Brunettes for homework 😉

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    • Valerie | October 11, 2014 at 9:40 am | Reply

      I agree with you, Learjet, about Lee being a cynic. While he may not be a pessimist I don’t think he is an optimist.

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      • Jestress | October 11, 2014 at 3:22 pm | Reply

        I think it was in Remembrance of Things Past, at Lee’s fake funeral, where the guy giving the eulogy said that Lee was a realist. I think that, at least most of the time, that’s what Lee really is. It’s kind of between pessimist and optimist, isn’t it? Lee has a pretty good grasp of the risks he takes and the darker side of the spy business, but he’s enough of an idealist to think that he should keep going and fighting for what he thinks is right and enough of an optimist to think it’s possible for him to make a difference.

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        • iwsod | October 12, 2014 at 2:10 pm | Reply

          Good call Jestress!!! thanks for reminding us of that eulogy!!

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    • iwsod | October 12, 2014 at 2:13 pm | Reply

      Thanks Learjet! Sooo true how he stands taller when she builds him up.. I think her sweet words are like a fresh spring in the desert to Lee..

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    • BJo | October 23, 2014 at 1:06 am | Reply

      I agree, learjet. I don’t think you need to be an optimist to ‘always find the silver lining’. I think Lee does it for Amanda’s benefit. I’m sure he does it for himself as well – when he’s working by himself, but probably doesn’t realize that’s what he’s doing. I would describe myself as a cynic and a realist and neither optimist nor pessimist as you’ve said about Lee. And I do look for the silver lining for myself or for someone else (my kids, friends, etc. when they are down about something). I do this to give myself or someone else hope because I don’t want to be a pessimist, yet I realize I am too much of a cynic and realist to be an optimist. But to give up all hope? No way. Hence the need to always find that silver lining. I need something to hold onto since Lee’s lapels are already taken 😉

      I don’t think that just because Lee used the word pessimist here doesn’t mean that he sees himself as an optimist.

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