My first blog post for 2015.. and a brand new episode!!! Hooray!!
This episode opens with a helicopter zooming 
across the water and a caption:
Hmm.. I guess this is the first ‘flight to freedom’ of the episode!
Is Santarilla for real? I’m guessing not 
Judging by the bunch of stock footage we see – it seems to be a mixture of newsreels from various wars in different nations..with different ethnicities.. Anyone recognise this?
[Hmm curious that my photos from the episode now have a black border.. hope you don’t mind it, no idea why it changed or how to get rid of it.. and no time to figure it out. lol I will just pretend I meant it huh.. like my new black borders? I think they are swish and add a new look to the blog for 2015! haaaa ]
This whole intro to the episode goes on a long time.. what a way to start an episode!! [which I don’t remember well but have a very good feeling about!]
Huge thanks to Jule 
and Happy Camper 
who have each transcribed half of this episode-(Jule first half and Happy Camper second half) – I can’t exaggerate what a huge help this has been to keeping this blog walking –it’s a team effort!!– Jule and Happy Camper –we salute you!!!!!
Back to the long opening montage..
We hear gunshots and a new report as these images are shown.. I’ve always wanted to find out where these images were really!
Here goes the very long monologue (kudos Jule!) :
Announcer: Reports coming out of Santarilla this week continue to paint a grim picture of conditions inside this Central American country…
…The homeless count in the thousands, their peaceful country has been transformed into a battleground. Many of them are in headlong flight toward nearby borders to escape….
…Rebel guerrilla units have attacked more than a dozen government strongholds intensifying the struggle..
..Rebel hit and run tactics are making travel between the Santarilla capital and the coastal port cities a deadly business but somehow life goes on. In the news profession we accept the dangers of covering a story like this but we’re never really prepared for the loss when it happens. Yesterday in Santarilla we lost two of the best,…
…Bart Stoler and Colleen Donnelly…
…They were on a photo assignment for Transworld press…
[Can you believe they used this still for the episode?? Colleen with her eyes half closed?! it was on screen a few seconds at least.. whahaaha]
…Suddenly, caught with several other news teams in a freakish attack. Another still photographer…
[oh? who?! and why were they not running from the bombs?! I bet the photographer was working for Warner Bros! ]
…got these terrifying pictures as they ran for cover…
…A stray mortar round landed virtually on top of them in the town of San Miguel yesterday afternoon…
[whoooo I think this sign is in El Salvador!!]
…they were left behind by the others who barely escaped…
…Bart and Colleen were engaged to be married when they returned to the US…
…although we don’t have positive word of 
their fate, It looks like that marriage will never take place… [the same image from earlier is used again. funny, Colleen doesn’t have an engagement ring on?] ..They will be missed.
The monologue ends with a loud explosion..
So, anyone spot Lee or Amanda in this opening? Umm Francine? Billy? Augie? Agent Duffy??!!! Jill??!!!! Anyone we have met before? no didn’t think so.. me neither.. It’s more than 3 and a half minutes into this episode before we see a character we know!
Pretty presumptuous of the press to report their marriage won’t take place and to basically report their death – when they don’t know! [Don’t they realise these are real people with real families as Dotty would say!]
Anyone else feel like they accidentally switched channels and are no longer watching smk?! Maybe it’s just me, but I think some of this news footage is probably real – feels a bit ick to be using images of people suffering in a tv drama to tell a completely different story… but.. nothing I can do about it now (other than to not post images here of the civilians the episode shows suffering- so I won’t).
Anyone an expert on South America?? does that footage look legit?? anyone recognise those soldiers? Pretty sure smk didn’t shoot that footage.. it looks pretty old too..
Anyway, back to Washington..
We head to Amanda’s.. we 
find a foot dangling in mid air.
It’s Amanda’s foot. (and it’s another minute before we see Amanda’s face.. my goodness this ep starts strangely! I guess variety is the spice of life huh..) Amanda’s under the sink. [what happened to her Nikes?]
Jaime: Grandma. Do you see what mom is doing?!
Phillip: I tried to tell her!
[What boy of age 10 or 12 or whatever they are would be trying to get grandma’s attention to stop their mother fixing the sink? or telling her to stop?!! They would (IMHO) be in there wanting to help, or wanting to take over!!! lol! Seems like these two boys are dobbing on their mother to her mother.. Aie!]
Dotty: Amanda
Amanda: Yes mother.
Dotty: If I didn’t know better I would say that you were under the sink trying to unclog the drain.
[Yes. In HER HOUSE so she can do it if she wants!]
Amanda: Mother, I can do this.
[Well isn’t this a visually amazing shot.. not! ]
Dotty: That’s not the point. The point is that we decided to use professionals to do the home repairs.
Amanda: Yeah, but Mother, the plumber’s just too expensive and I really think I can do this myself.
Dotty: You’re very enthusiastic Amanda…
…You watch all those PBS specials and buy those home repair kits.
[Ah there it is again.. Amanda is enthusiastic! Is that the point of this little exercise?! to remind the viewer of this?? thoughts anyone?]
Amanda: Mother, it’s just a clogged drain.
[It’s ohhh soooo dangerous trying to unblock a drain?.. hey, why not give it a go before calling the expensive plumber!]
Dotty: That’s what you said about the chimney.
Amanda: Let’s don’t talk about the chimney…
[I want to know what happened to the chimney!! but Amanda says she doesn’t want to talk about that! I think the last time we saw the fireplace Amanda was in front of it with Dean.. Hmmm.. nuff said…]
Phillip and Jamie share a look and a chuckle over the what happened with the chimney..
…There we go. Look at that…
[Finally we see Amanda.. she gets up out of the bottom of the sink (it’s only 4 and a half minutes into the episode!) Aie!]
… All finished.
(Amanda looks very pleased with herself. I say go Amanda! Just for giving it a try!!)
Dotty: Oh, that’s good. I’m proud of you.
[I will say, Dotty is quick to let things go!]
Amanda: Thank you…
…Hey fellas, do yah wanna clean these tools up for me. I’m gonna be late for work.
Phillip: Sure mom.
Amanda: There you go.
(Amanda hands Dotty a wrench)
Dotty: Well, okay. I don’t believe it. ha haa.. Well, who knows, maybe she’s learning.
Dotty hears a groan coming from the sink..
Suddenly the tap randomly starts squirting water out of the tap..
Dotty: Ohh!!!
… Maybe not.
LOL The scene ends here..
HA! Amanda was nowhere near the taps! still.. a cute little Dotty and the boys moment.. and they have been a bit lacking lately..
It seems very random though.. I think there is a purpose to it other than the gag with the tap.. but what that might be will probably only become clearer as the episode progresses.. sooo let’s keep this scene in mind as we continue our walk..
At least.. I hope it has a purpose, because with 3 and a half minutes of Santarilla, and a minute of watching Amanda’s foot dangle – this is a pretty slow start to an episode!
At the very least, I think it can show how Amanda is growing more assertive in life in general.. but then, she was always pretty assertive with stuff at home… kicking the dishwasher and not just calling someone to fix it.. you know? Oh I don’t know.. what do you all think?
Interesting to see Dotty is in all white.. which is usually Amanda’s look..
So Dotty and the ‘fellas’ are left to deal with the taps.. and call a professional while Amanda heads in to work.. But.. I shall finish up here for the moment.. I’m hoping there are some central American experts amongst us who can shed some light on that footage! byeee for now!! Back with more as soon as I can! byeeeeeee
"Just walk with me.." 
Yeah that opening is NOT my favorite. I usually ff. I can’t believe the news would show their bodies like that but then they showed that luger get killed in 2010 so…
I wish they’d kept the original opening. According to the script on Petra’s site Lee rescues Colleen and has to stop her from running back for Bart. Much more tasteful.
LikeLike
The “Santarilla” footage of people running along the streets of town looks like Nicaraguan architecture. I lived there from 2014-2017. Not much had changed in 30 years…architecturally, that is. Fortunately no one was shooting up the streets anymore! Hard to say where the rest of the overly long footage is from, though.
I’ve never had to unclog my sink, but I will admit that when I was crawling around on my kitchen counter to paint around the window and soffit over my sink, I eventually went out to the garage and got my gardening kneeling pad. Home repair and improvement can be uncomfortable!! I don’t blame Amanda or Kate for wanting a couple pillows!
*Name edited by iwsod
LikeLike
Hiya Geobear, Just a heads up that I edited your name that displays to match previous comments you made, as it looks like you used your real name when you made this comment – as it was different to previous comments- it sent your comment to moderation.
Comments go into moderation when the name or email address are different to previous comments that have passed moderation.
Thanks for the insights. Nicaraguan architecture huh! must be very weird to see it in SMK! haaa glad no one was shooting up the streets when you were there ha!
Hi Everyone!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
whoooo this blog post is the random pick huh. Hooray!!! I do look back on this ep and walk through this ep with much fondness!!
Quite a lame opening.. for such an awesome episode!!!
Also hilarious that the random blog post is a post with no Lee and only Amanda’s shoe 😉 whahahhahaah.. see! it truly is random!!! 🙂
LikeLike
Hey, iwsod…I thought you said no more “Lee-free” posts??? Or am I imagining that?
🙂 You know I’m just teasing, right? Kudos to you for making lemonade out of a lemon beginning!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amanda doing her own plumbing? Sounds like a great (but very unSMK-like) euphemism to me, given the status of their relationship… 😀
(Wanders back to the gutter…)
LikeLiked by 3 people
😯 … 😀 ROFLMBO!
Oh KC, perfect swan dive into the deepest, murkiest depths of the gutter. I hereby crown you Queen of the Gutter. 😈
Speaking of Queens, I see I was left of the New Years Honours List again this year… and I was so looking forward to having Dame Kiwismh on my letterhead. 😎
LikeLike
Sorry to hear you didn’t make the New Years’ Honours list, kiwismh. But I nominate you as JWWM allrounder of 2014 – able to analyse lyrically and profoundly, but also lurk in the gutter with the best of them 😉
(Speaking of gutters, KC, I need some of Jestress’s MindBleach to erase that image of Amanda and her plumbing….[Learjet shudders and tries hard to focus on Lee in jeans]
LikeLike
Oh my gosh!! I’m laughing so hard I actually snorted. Yes, I’m admitting that on live computer…
You crack me up, KC!!!
LikeLike
I snorted tooooo!! haaaaa!!!! I really did! and then I read this comment of yours and did another! 🙂
LikeLike
Oh my gosh. that’s flippin hilarious KC!
LikeLike
I guess I have always thought that the ditty with Amanda and the drain was supposed to communicate Amanda’s growing self confidence and independence. I remember my Mom being rather insecure when household appliances needed repair when she had become newly single. It brought out a vulnerability in her that was painful to all of us. But as she got used to not having a man around, she got more confident and things like sinks became a challenge that she readily rose to accept. I kind of see this with Amanda here. She isn’t bereft or dependent. She is an independent, competent woman, able to take care of things in her home.
I do think this opening scene taking place in some Central American country is supposed to be reflective of what was really taking place at those time. We had El Salvadoran refugees and Liberation Theologians in our house all the time during the 80’s. This is familiar to me. But I think it serves a purpose here. We are looking at he world scene and the very real work that these reporters are doing in the major conflicts that were rocking our world at the time. But we are also looking at two individual lives and how their work and the times are affecting their well being and intimate relationship. Does this reflect on any other characters in he show 😉 I guess we will have to watch and find out. I think the fact that they have chosen to highlight these two things at the beginning of this episode could be setting the stage for us. But we are talking about love and when we are talking about love we will have to be patient 😉
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yeah, what’s a leaky faucet compared to Russian baddies kidnapping you, nuclear bombs about to go off, and being handcuffed to an immovable piece of equipment in a burning building with petrol tanks? I agree, Morley, I think it shows something of her increasing self-confidence!
LikeLike
I hate to burst anyone’s bubble or dispel any fantasy but if we remember correctly Lee was not a Mr. Fixit kind of guy. Remember how he couldn’t figure out the sprinklers in VM (didn’t Amanda say something about his lack of mechanical ability?) and his idea of redoing a kitchen was taking a vacation while it was remodeled by someone else. But what could work is him under the sink with Amanda by his side reading the how-to instructions and them both ending up wet…and I’ll just let that gel a bit.
I, too, am not fond of this beginning. For some reason I keep thinking of the Sandinistas, and the Iran-Contra situation that developed around this time. I haven’t had a lot of time to look it up and I could be way off base. One of the questions that comes up a lot about some of the camera work and photography of certain events like this is what the cameraman or photographer is doing when this occurs. It ends up being a great shot but at what cost?
Being single I have to handle a lot of home repair situations. My sister was amazed for some reason when she watched me replace the shower head in the tub and then fix the whole flushing system in the toilet. Some things you just have to do yourself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
hiya Everyone!!!! You may have guessed it.. not much time to comment at the moment – sorry about that!
but lovin hearing from you! And.. I”m doing my best to keep the walk going..
Lee and Amanda both ending up soaked when trying to fix the plumbing sounds fun Valerie! but.. maybe it’s a bit early in their relationship for that..
I’m with Morley.. and figure they are trying to convey Amanda is resourceful and independent.. and taking on this task – regardless of Dotty’s objections shows Amanda is being more assertive..
Is there more to it? Maybe.. I don’t know.. I’ll keep it in mind as we continue walking through this ep! 🙂
BTW- Kudos to all you super resourceful smk fans who unclog their own drains!!!! 🙂
LikeLike
You know, they could have started this episode with Amanda doing her home maintenance with the radio on, broadcasting the news that two American journalists have be killed in Santi-wherever. Could’ve saved 3 valuable minutes which have been much better spent on L&A relationship development. Good grief.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Ok, there is the two weeks later time line between the event and Amanda home maintenance adventure, but the news broadcast could have been worded appropriately, e.g. “American journalists still missing in Santi-wherever.”
LikeLike
Lee in jeans should have been under the sink (with no cushions hiding his rear end) while Amanda reads the article aloud to him, with pictures of the journalists. I salute Amanda doing home maintenance but couldn’t miss seeing Lee emerge from under the sink…;)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ooooooh, Learjet, a huge improvement on my idea! 😉 Awesome!!!! I think I need to spend some time… a long, long time… contemplating this new imaginary scene. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, Learjet, you just made my imagination very, very happy!
LikeLike
Hi and popping in to say thank you for all the work you do along with helpers. I just want to say how great these are and how I enjoy reading them and the side comments. Wishing every one a Happy New Year and all the very best in 2015. FYI, I do enjoy the side remarks…hmm! reading my mind…lol! Thank you, Conny
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Conny!!!! You made my day 🙂 I’m reading your mind?! cool!!
Thanks for the encouragement.. toward myself.. and toward everyone who stops by and comments and helps! – all the best for 2015 to you too!!!
LikeLike
Lame-o opening to this episode. They could have conveyed the supposed fate of Bart and Colleen much more succinctly and powerfully if they hadn’t used footage of them being “blown up” – remarkably bloodlessly I might add – by a “stray mortar round” (I don’t think mortars are that precise at the best of times!) that landed “virtually on top of them”. ROFLMBO 😀 … and I shouldn’t be ROFLMBO because this is supposed to be serious stuff. Oi…
Moving on, I guess the other photographer had taken cover under something.
It would seem gruesome and upsetting for Bart and Colleen’s families to have seen this footage (although we have seen two recent examples – Malaysia and Air Asia crashes – of ghoulish press showing footage of victims, not to mention distressed relatives who shouldn’t be filmed at all. I’ve stopped watching out of respect for the families).
Anyway, Amanda fixing the drain I think is to illustrate that she is still on a budget and trying to do as much home maintenance herself as she can. I know that feeling! I would think she has always been a person who will fix something herself if she can but maybe now she is more confident to take on more complex jobs. However, she is busy enough as it is with work and family so I think the necessity to not spend extra dollars unnecessarily would be the main motivating factor for her. She’s right, plumbers are expensive.
Having said that, unblocking a drain shouldn’t be that complex. Did she try the plunger thingee? That often works wonders. Must not have worked if she is now dismantling and refitting the trap under the bench. There is always drain cleaner but that’s not an environmentally friendly solution. With her Mothers for a Safe Environment credentials she is probably not keen to go for the toxic solution… good! 🙂
The plumber has a special squirly thingee that always works. Ugh, just call the plumber, Amanda. Well, she (or Dotty) will have to now that there is a water fountain in the kitchen!
Did she try to clean the chimney herself? Messy job best left to a professional, especially as if it isn’t done right it can be dangerous.
Not a great opening sequence all-round really. Next!
LikeLike
A plunger does seem to sort out most problems. Plus it’s very satisfying to use 😀 . Kiwismh, you sound like you know your way around a U bend; can I call you next time I have a plumbing problem 😉
My eye is drawn to the two white cushions under Amanda’s neat behind. White??? Cushions??? This does not enhance the self-sufficient single woman image. Was KJ’s bottom getting sore?
LikeLike
Yes, I have cleared a few blocked drains in my time. Like Amanda I try to do it myself – a plumber is a last resort because they charge like wounded bulls!
I must admit I don’t usually dress as well as Amanda when I’m doing home maintenance – an old pair of shorts or jeans and a paint splattered tank top is my usual home maintenance attire. And no white cushions under my arse either. 😉
LikeLike
Word press ate my comment. Boo!
Anyhow, add me to the ‘do-it-yourself-plumbing’ With a boy (with autism) whose talent includes blocking every sink drain with anything he can stuff down it (including, but not limited to) paperclips, crayons, cereal, rice, batteries, coins and pickles, we’ve become experts in the syphoning/snaking and removing the j pipe/u-bend aspect of waterworks maintenance Otherwise, the plumbing bills would bankrupt us. 🙂
I also thought the opening was unnecessarily long and clunky. I much prefer the opening – if I remember it correctly- to “There Goes the Neighborhood” where guerilla soldiers are fighting over hair dryers. I will instead go to my happy place and replace the opening with our alternative and imagine Lee in faded, well worn, stressed jeans that fit him every so well, and wearing a light colored blue plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up and I ummmm – where was I going with this? Oh yeah — something to do with Amanda’s sink getting fixed. Happy New Year’s everyone!
LikeLiked by 3 people
I think the cushions are an excellent idea! Since the inside floor of a base cabinet is raised 4 inches or so above the kitchen floor, it’s really hard on the back to work under the sink like Amanda is doing without cushions under your bum. Although in my case I’d also have two 80-pound dogs under there with me so cushions would be the least of my problems. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ok, I admit you’ve good a good point 2Goldens. But for optimal back health, she should not cross that leg over her over one; both should be on the ground with knees bent to 90 degrees 😀
And brown cushions might have been more practical….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Granted, Learjet, the color white and home repairs are rarely a good combination!
LikeLiked by 1 person
was sitting with one leg crossed over the other Learjet.
Read this.
Legs now uncrossed! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people