We see Nick pull up in an industrial area in his van. He grabs his mobile/cellular phone (whoo he’s got cutting edge technology!). 
We cut to Ronson waiting for Nick to call the phone booth.. Lee is waiting in Ronson’s car (not the vette! haaa well done Lee!) slumped down and trying to not draw attention to himself..
Lee: He’s not here. It’s too open. Don’t worry—he’ll call.
Ronson: I’m way over my head here, Lee—I know that. But are you sure this is the way to go?
[over his head? but that’s why Lee is there to help! I mean surely Ronson isn’t holding the actual missile codes and risking Nick getting them..Umm.. surely?!]
Lee: We don’t have any choice, now, do we?… Ted, we’ve got a dozen guys ready to roll at a second’s notice. Cross makes his move, we’ll be all over him. I promise you.
Such a lovely profile..
[they will be all over him? but Lee! Cross will be expecting that! umm Lee doesn’t seem to have learned to expect Cross to be clever no?]
Ronson: And this material’s authentic? He’s gonna want to validate it before he 
turns over those files. [oh nooooo so the papers Ronson has are authentic? nooo after last time 
surely Lee wouldn’t risk it?! couldn’t they make it up so that it would take time for Cross to realise the info is false? (like they did with Falcon Wing in 3 faces of Emily?!) ]
Lee: If everything works out right, he won’t have any time to validate anything. [‘If everything works out right’?.. Oh dear.. call me crazy but with this national security stuff we might want to have a contingency plan for if well.. not everything work out right.. you know?! lol I’m starting to agree with Ronson and not be sure this is going to work! Lol! ]
Finally, the public phone near Ronson starts ringing..
Lee: That’s him.
Nick calls gives him a new meeting place – a pipe factory… Nick tells Ronson he’ll see the file when Nick is ‘happy with your work’… and hangs up.
Ronson (to Lee): The old pipe factory, right around the corner.
Lee (on a walkie talkie): Francine—it’s the old Chesapeake Pipe Factory.
[Is Francine one of the dozen guys ready to roll? 
or.. is she additional?!]
Lee: Get on it.
Francine: Got it.
Off Lee and Ronson go to the pile factory… Francine gets out of the van with the other ‘guys ready to roll’ and whooo love this.. she seems to boss them around – she’s in charge?! love it! 
Ahhh check out her wardrobe! .. I’m laughing hysterically at this jacket which seems to have had it’s colours run in the wash! This is the episode of hideous jackets for Francine!
And all the agents piling out of that van?! It’s like a clown gag- you know where the people just keep coming and coming and coming.. how many agents can you fit into a minivan? A dozen guys.. and Francine!
Ronson stops just outside the pipe factory to let Lee out – he runs for the building and leaves Ronson to drive in..
Whoooo we see Lee moving into position with his handgun at the ready.. Go action Lee!
Francine and the guys are also seen rushing into the side of a building..
Ronson pulls up.. we see Nick is hiding somewhere between some barrels.
I really think Lee has not learned his lesson – Nick is not going to expose himself here knowing it’s quite possible Ronson has sought help.. this whole set up doesn’t really paint the agency in a good light! ( only IMHO of course!)
Ronson gets out of his car with his folder..and looks around for Nick.
Francine is on the roof (in her I want to blend into the roof coloured jacket )
Lee is hiding somewhere and watching the events transpire.. while.. I must say – looking incredibly handsome.. Yep.. he looks so good here I love the lighting and the composition of this shot..just gorgeous!
Ronson walks to the centre of the courtyard.. 
and we cut to Agnes driving her car..
[The graffiti is fabulous!]
Francine spots Agnes arriving.. and radios this information to Lee. [Though how Francine knows what car Agnes drives is anyone’s guess!]
Francine: Lee—Agnes is here. She’s headed north on Chesapeake.
(Shot cuts to Lee, holding a walkie talkie.)
Lee: What the hell’s going on?… [oh dear..this doesn’t sound promising already!! 
so much for everything working out right!] …What’s Agnes doing here?
[Gee Lee- you underestimated Nick..again.. and maybe Lee overestimated Agnes! she was too vulnerable to be left alone IMHO!]
Francine: What’s Amanda doing here? She’s about a block behind her. She must have followed her.
Lee: What?
[Love how Lee reacts more forcefully to Amanda’s sudden appearance! he looks quite grey in this shot no?] me thinks Lee has lost control of this situation fast – or lol he never really had any control in the first place!]
Agnes gets out of her car and stands at the fence in front of Ronson..
Lee: Alright she’s here. I see her…
…Agnes is at the fence… I don’t see Amanda…. Everyone in position. Sharpshooters ready. [we see there’s a sniper in one of the windows- I guess the original plan was Ronson meets with Nick, Lee shoots Nick. Game over. lol..]
I imagine that Nick told Agnes to stop her car there and he would talk with her.. So she shows up having no idea what is going on around her. Agnes gets out of her car to find out what’s going on.. How would Agnes know who Ronson is? He wasn’t mentioned at the meeting..
We see Amanda somewhere nearby (though it’s unclear to me exactly where), she parks her car and runs to find a point where she can watch the action! How would Amanda know the agency were there? All she knows is she followed Agnes to this place. Does Amanda even know about Ronson? I guess those Amanda instincts have kicked in and she just knows that something is up here..
We see Nick move into position, behind Agnes’ VW, and a pillar with his gun drawn.
Agnes looks confused and approaches Ronson.. who calls out: You’re with Cross?
Agnes doesn’t know what she is.. or who this guy approaching her is..
and I’m guessing at this moment she doesn’t know what the heck she is doing there or why she gave Cross this opportunity to use her again. She wanted answers… I think in this instant she knows she’s made a huge mistake in choosing to meet Nicky one more time. Sadly, she has her answer.
We see Amanda has found her position behind a pillar to watch the events unfold..
I guess this is Amanda’s viewpoint which we can see here. She can see Nick is hiding there..
Nick calls out: Give her the papers, Ronson. Nice and Easy.
Agnes was never an accomplice to Nick here IMHO- she was a victim the moment she showed up.
Agnes: Nick? [Interesting, he’s no longer ‘Nicky’ ]
Ronson: Damn it, Cross… you’re not getting away with this… Show your miserable face or you’re not getting one single page of this.
[I guess Ronson is trying to draw Nick out so they can get a clear shot. but.. it really looks like that’s what he’s doing here too! Kudos to Ronson here – he is putting a lot of faith in the agency sharpshooter to take out Nick and miss Ronson! He is a hero here.. for the sake of his daughter (which of course I don’t get but it’s what the character thinks that matters), and he’s doing it for the sake of his country.]
Lee (into his walkie talkie): Cross is at the other side of the fence.
Nick takes things a step further.. he moves closer to Agnes and points his gun at her..
Nick: Give the woman the papers, or I’m gonna shoot her.
I suspect there is no limit to what Nick would do to get those papers.. I think he would shoot her. What about you?
What a charmer – so now, he is no longer just getting her to take the files, he is using her as a hostage too.. this guy is a low life.. [this reminds me of how Lee trusted Eva – and how she aimed a gun at his back..]
Nick: Anyone out there… I’ve got the woman in my sights…
…Anybody moves … she’s dead meat.
Well, if there was still the tiniest hint of a doubt about whether Nick really was a bad guy… I’d say he’s just solved that one for Agnes!
We see a shot of Amanda watching on.. this shot of Amanda looking in the distance, with the wind blowing her hair – is a beautiful shot.. again the lighting is perfect, the blue/pink combo of her sweater is gorgeous..Love these colours on her – I think this is one of her sweaters I would actually consider wearing!
Agnes is trapped.. with no way out..
With Nick calling out like that – I guess Agnes realises this is some kind of agency operation.. and maybe there is hope that she is not alone here and someone can help her.
Agnes (terrified): Mr. Stetson? If you’re out there, could you please help me—I don’t know what to do.
[poor Agnes, she’s a librarian, she isn’t use to this action/hostage/danger stuff!! She’s one of those ‘real people’ who are involved]
Lee has a choice here – reveal himself or not.. Agnes calling out to him like this means he has to choose- help Agnes, or put catching Cross first..
Lee: Cross, let the woman go!
Lee chooses to help Agnes – by revealing himself, he has put the operation, and national security at risk [I can picture Dr Smyth thinking Lee made the wrong choice here.. how about you?]
Who doesn’t find Lee adorable in this moment?! This is a good man. [I like to think that when Amanda sees Lee do things like this – she knows he is a man she can trust.. and that she could trust him with her heart ]
Lee doesn’t hesitate to protect Agnes and do what he can to help her. He can see she is an innocent party here.. Bless him!!
Agnes looks desperately terrified here.. the man she once loved (yes I think the love is no longer there at this point!) has turned into a monster right in front of her eyes.. My heart breaks for Agnes here. Previously I watched this wanting to tell her to snap out of it.. My thinking about Agnes has completely changed these days!
Lee: You can have the papers—we can do this nice and easy.
…But let her go!
Okay, this post is getting massive.. I better stop here for the moment. yes, I could have skipped a lot of this.. but when I skip things- I risk missing gems, new insights I’ve never had before –like, I’d never realised the implications of Lee’s choice to protect Agnes here.. and it says a lot about his character (awh!) – So how are you all finding this part of the episode? Or the ep so far?
I don’t think I’ve thanked KC lately – KC thanks so much for transcribing this episode for Operation Sandstorm – it is a huge help – We salute you!!
I think this episode doesn’t really leave Lee’s running of this operation (to catch Nick Cross) looking very professional – it all seems pretty silly to have Lee underestimate Nick again.. Oh well – can’t wait to hear your thinking!!! byee for now!
BTW- Merry Christmas Everyone!!!
"Just walk with me.." 
A lace of plot holes, kiwismh? I can see that. 🙂
Lee has definitely underestimated Nicky here, but I can sort of understand this. I’m sure Nicky has a reputation, but he’s spent a lot of time grooming Agnes for what he wanted. In addition, he’s had to spend time figuring out all the subtleties of this “caper” and what it entails. Perhaps he’s been off the radar during this time. He was part of one of Lee’s prior cases and managed to get away – so he understands Lee a bit. However, since he’s been off the radar, Lee thinks he might not be as much of a threat. Whereas, he’s spent some time planning so he’s actually a bigger threat. Whoo boy, I think I just hurt my brain on that one.
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debilyn, I am thoroughly enjoying your energetic brain today. Great job knitting the holes together!!!
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I agree with the whiny Agnes comments here and Learjet’s overacting comment. What a contrast to Amanda in S1 whoever made that comment. And I don’t think Nicky would have shot her. I think he was just playing the odds. I think he knows Lee can’t call his bluff on that one. And I’m sorry but I’m not crazy about Amanda’s stripey sweater. For sure it’s much better than the fluffy ones, but this one reminds me of an old American Indian blanket. But KJ does look gorgeous with her wind-blown hair. Oh, and I like Lee’s blue jacket with the orange trim. It reminds me of an American soldier’s Colonial/Revolutionary War type of jacket.
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It’s the afternoon of the day after Christmas here, so I’m in recovery mode from all of yesterday’s festivities, food, and fellowship.
I think everyone has run hot and cold with their own patience of Agnes in this episode. I tend to be a bit more on the patient side. It seems that her relationship with Nick was something that she had never experienced before. Her reactions seem to indicate that this may have been the first time that she has fallen this deeply before so this betrayal runs deep for her. I can still vividly recall the first time I went off the deep end for someone and just how long it took to recuperate from that. And that was something that might be considered normal for relationships. But Agnes has to deal with so much more especially the fact that she was used and that this guy had no real feelings for her whatsoever. Her reactions are going to be so much more tragic and hence probably over the top. She is grasping for some sort of anchor or lifeline here and calling out to Lee was her way of doing so.
And Kiwismh, I liked your lace comment and how to view some things in the episode. The interactions between Lee and Amanda have been great and in this particular scene Lee looks awesome and Amanda is looking lovely.
I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season!!
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hot and cold is a good description of our experience of Agnes’ character! 🙂
Yes I agree – I really enjoyed kiwismh’s description of this ep as a type of lace.. though, I think the overall pattern of the lace is a bit wonky 😉 there is definitely some skilled workmanship in some aspects of the lace though..
yes good Lee and Amanda interactions.. just not enough of them.
I think the overall plot of the episode has to work, and the guest actors play a huge part in whether the episode works as a whole – every episode has a Lee and Amanda moment in it that is worth watching – but to be a fave the ep has to make sense overall – and this enriches Lee and Amanda’s interactions.. well at least, that is just my view.. 🙂
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I am back!!! Finally sitting down for some relaxing fun after a week of Christmas prep and celebration. Phew!
This part used to bother me. I guess it was because Amanda wasn’t a planned art of this operation and then Lee’s “What?!” about Amanda showing up used to feel like one of his “what is she doing here?” moments. But it didn’t feel like it this time watching it didn’t feel like that. I suppose Amanda wasn’t involved because it’s not art of her skill set. And Lee was concerned that she was entering a dangerous place. But I don’t think he is annoyed, just concerned, and maybe even more so than normal if he has spent any time thinking about love and patience and how he feels about Amanda.
I will have to come back later, all my kids just walked in the door hungry…
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Welcome back Morley! 😉 looking forward to hearing how you’ve experienced Agnes!
This is an interesting comment- I hadn’t thought about this at all – hadn’t bothered me.. why?
Because When Nick called Ronson he gave him a place to be in 45 minutes – and Billy called Lee in his car (driving past the white house 😉 ) and told him the meet was in 45 minutes.. the agency had to scramble to be in place for Nick to call Ronson and give the location of the meet – all this happened when Amanda was off checking up on Agnes – so I figured even if Lee had wanted to include Amanda that there was no time to anyway.. so for me it made sense Amanda wasn’t included in anyway.
Plus, as you say – Amanda wasn’t up for the job of sharpshooter (lol) or lookout (Francine had that job because her jacket was great camouflage!) ha haaa..
So I didn’t think anything of Lee being shocked Amanda had turned up either – because she had no idea this was happening, and because (I like to think) Lee is extra concerned when Amanda is involved! Yes I agree Morley – Lee isn’t annoyed just concerned 🙂
Plus- I see this ep as before sour grapes and in the earlier stages of Amanda’s inclusion on cases.. so all in all – it didn’t bother me 🙂
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Oh, you are teasing me with episode order remarks, Iwsod. Before Sour Grapes? Hmm? I like to think that this episode fits right here. But whatever.
Agnes…I feel sorry for her. This has got to be a really low point for her, the lowest in the whole episode. I do think she went out to meet Nick with a last hope that he was going to come through for her, that maybe what he had said on the phone was real. But instead in front of all the Agency people that she is just beginning to realize are all around her witnessing this, she is recognizing the horrible truth that Nick has no feelings towards her at all and never had. She is utterly exposed now and the only thing that she can do is call to Lee for help and protection, if he even can help her.
I do love the way Lee doesn’t even hesitate and alters his plan in order to help Agnes. Empathy is the right word. That wonderful balance that Lee has been teetering toward since we first met him seems to be very much integrated into even his work persona now. Where is the loner Scarecrow now? How will he treat Amanda when if he sees her during this operation? Will he be gruff? Or able to allow her to help out as only she can and receive her presence there. I do tend to focus on that here more than Agnes or Ronson.
I do also notice that Ronson and Lee call each other by their first names. That is interesting to me as well.
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teasing? nahhh.. but I am thinking maybe we should head over to Nedlindger’s to chat about it at leisure.. and we can keep the walk going..
I’ll finish publishing this ep and then I’ll head over to Nedlindger’s to share my thinking on ep order and see if anyone is interesting in chatting about it there. I won’t publish on JWWM about order again now until I have finished the walk through season 3 (but yes, I would still mention it fleetingly from time to time in the walk).
Yes Lee’s empathy is wonderful! one of his best qualities 🙂 as much as he tried to hide it, he’s never been able to not offer assistance to someone who needs it. good man!
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Hmmm, I don’t think the material Ronson is going to turn over to Cross is “authentic” in the “real” sense of the word. I think what Lee means is the material on the face of it would seem authentic and only when Cross gets a chance to really look at it would he realise it is not the “real deal”. It seems that Lee thinks Cross won’t have his freedom long enough to investigate the material in any depth.
Francine must be in charge of the “dozen guys”.
The jacket – looks like Francine was the unfortunate victim of a “leak”… a fountain pen “leak”. 😀 I know – that joke’s so lame it sounds like something Lee might say.
The jackets in this scene are not great – not a big fan of Lee’s jacket but I seem to remember he keeps it in his wardrobe long enough for it to make an appearance in episodes later in S3.
Guess Francine has had time to do a thorough background check on Agnes, that’s how she knows what car she drives.
Following on from the last post I think that Amanda’s instincts are that Agnes is still critical to resolving this case – after all, Agnes is the one person who is the closest, most recent source of info about Cross. Does Agnes know about Ronson, does Amanda know about Ronson… who knows… just too many holes. I think I will call this the “Lace Episode” – lace is mostly just holes, but very pretty. So, perhaps we should just concentrate on what is pretty about this episode. Hmmm, lots of nice swoony pics of Lee, Amanda looking lovely, a conversation about love and patience (and a realisation perhaps between L&A), Lee demonstrating empathy and protection towards Agnes, Lee treating Amanda as a professional partner, Amanda demonstrating professionalism and competence and her usual good instincts, Amanda’s sweater, Francine’s hair looks nice, the ‘vette (which always looks good),.. okay, I’m stretching now so feel free to add your own “pretty” to the list.
Well, I guess you’ve all indulged in too much Xmas dinner and have gone to have a lie down. Hope some of you can catch up later when dinner has “settled” as it’s a bit lonely at JWWM at the moment. Almost midday Dec 26th in my part of the world.
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Happy Boxing Day, kiwismh. Boxing Day here too but I’m still recovering from too much Christmas lunch. LOL about Francine’s horrendous jacket. But I actually am OK with Lee’s jacket – if they removed those horrible gold V’s on the lapels. I like his shirt though (but I am partial to Lee in plaid 😉 )
I have to say that this is the scene in which I lose patience with Agnes, which is totally unreasonable of me because it’s been maybe half an hour since she broke down to Amanda. Her comment: Mr. Stetson? If you’re out there, could you please help me—I don’t know what to do. isn’t a problem with me. Fair enough, we can’t expect her to be comfortable to being used as a tool for Nick or with the guns waved in her direction – but I feel that the actress who plays Agnes ‘overacts’ this scene to the point that I can’t take Agnes’ distress very seriously. It’s clunky acting IMO.
Anyone else want to laugh at Nick’s bulgy blue eyes when he get intense 😀
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Looks like it’s just you and me on deck LearJet.
I’m beginning to find Agnes really irritating. I’m not sure why she went to Nick – it was already obvious from his treatment of her that he really didn’t care for her. But I suppose we’ve all done that haven’t we… believed in someone when the red flags were obvious.
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hiya.. popping on deck just for a moment to check in 😉
Yeah, I think it’s irritating, and annoyingly- not uncommon for women to do this! but.. I’m looking forward to the next post – Agnes’ journey isn’t over quite yet 🙂
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Yes! happy boxing day Learjet and Kiwismh!
Yes that plaid ain’t bad 😉
fair enough.. Agnes does get a bit whiny and hysterical – I’m wondering if she doesn’t bug me on this viewing a) because I’ve stopped and thought more about her story and connected with it or b) because I’ve watched the episode in small amounts over a long time – maybe Agnes has not been so irritating! lol!! but..
I find myself okay with the hysterics, it fits with her character and it’s building up to an upcoming big moment.. soooo hang in there! Don’t give up on Agnes 🙂 tee hee..
but fair enough if the acting bugs you , it bugs you! 🙂
I can’t laugh at anything to do with Nick – he is so disgusting to me I can’t even make fun of him! eek! (but by all means, go for it Learjet! 🙂 )
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kiwismh – your whole comment had me laughing! 🙂 I liked your ‘leak’ gag! especially as it was at Francine’s expense 😉 tee hee..
thanks for the list of things to like – all very true! And.. there are still one or two more things we might add to that list 🙂
Funny you mention Amanda’s professionalism – so very true! I was thinking throughout this whole final sequence that the contrast between Amanda’s first experience at being in the centre of the action – and that of Agnes’. Granted, Agnes has had a lot to deal with leading up to this moment.. that Amanda didn’t have to deal with in The First time – but I appreciate Amanda’s resilience, and her cool head in the face of danger..
Agnes (bless her) hits the wall here in this moment and begins to tip over into hysterics… If it had gone on any longer – I would have been annoyed by her! but as it is.. I think for me, she gets away with it – just! but then.. we’ll probably be able to better discuss this fully when this scene has ended 😉
Sorry I’ve been absent.. still caught up with family and visitors.. and moving house stuff – still.. but over the next week or two I am thinking I’ll have more time to indulge in smk than I have had lately..
I confess- I am a bit over this episode.. and wish we hadn’t spent a whole month looking at it.. I want to move on!!!! but.. I guess it is worth hanging in there with this ep.. until.. the.. very… last …. moment!!!!!!!!!
I’ll publish the next post tomorrow and try and bring things to a close – the busyness of real life has meant longer gaps between posts and slightly shorter posts sometimes.. but I am looking forward to picking up the pace a little and getting to know the next episode well! heck. I don’t even know what it is yet 😉 but whatever it is, I’m sure it will be better!
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I forgot to add.. I think the papers are authentic. meaning real – and from what we saw in the ep I think we are lead to believe they are the real papers – if they are not real, then there is less at stake with Nick and the hand over – Agnes’ life and catching Nick. If the papers are real, it adds more suspense to the moment, and adds weight to Lee’s primary concern for Agnes.
Unfortunately it also has the effect of making Lee seem like he was again too cocky when it comes to Nick Cross! but.. this is just my own view on it.. bye!
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And if they were the real papers — a really bone headed move on the Agency’s part.
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