11/20 Season Three, Episode 10:Flight to Freedom-Scarecrow and Mrs King

So it’s super late and it’s time for sleep…
Lee: Yeah. You gonna be comfortable there?
FTF.avi_001448715Lee gets up to blow out the wall lamp. How sweet is it that he asks Amanda this?
[it’s more comfy than that swamp they stayed the night in for Utopia Now! Smile Hmm shame we didn’t see them share that picnic basket Amanda packed.. or I’d think Lee is returning the gesture here and is learning Smile]
Amanda: Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine.
[Amanda blows one candle out..]
Lee: Alright. Alright, I’ll probably be up most of the night, so I’ll-
FTF.avi_001456589_thumb(Lee pauses as he sees Amanda blow out the last candle.. it’s now dark)
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– take the first watch.
Amanda: Yeah…
Lee gives Amanda a look.. he’s not happy you blew out that candle Amanda! Lee sits back down again.
…You know, look, you just tell me when it’s my turn, OK? Good night.
Amanda gets herself comfy under the blanket and lays down to sleep in the dark..
Lee: Good night.

It cuts back to Lee, wordlessly lighting one of the candles again with a lighter.
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The glow reaches Amanda (such a strong glow for one measly candle Winking smile ).. she pokes her head back up..
Amanda: Shouldn’t it be dark in here?
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[Such a stylish sleeper is our Amanda.. collar up.. hair perfect.. she’s lookin good Winking smile It must be the spy classes.. they teach how to do that in spy class I’m sure Smile ]
Lee mumbles a little: I, uh, I like to sleep with a – light.
FTF.avi_001476343_thumb[1]Amanda: You like to sleep with a light on?
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Lee: Yeah,…
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…I like to sleep with a light on… FTF.avi_001482916_thumb[1]
Amanda gives him a blank look. (non-judgemental though Smile well done Amanda!)
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…It’s – it’s a long story, Amanda…
(Lee is exasperated with his blankie.. it just won’t do what he wants! He is too cute here!)
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Curled up in his blankie, Lee now feels comfortable enough to maybe tell Amanda what’s going on..
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…Goes back to – well, when I spent a week in Istanbul – the catacombs. It was wet, dark – rats—
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Love how Lee starts off trying to sound casual about it.. like hey lots of people like to sleep with a light on! Winking smile but.. he quickly gives in and is honest with Amanda about it Smile
A week in Istanbul or a week in the catacombs?! I’ll bet someone has written a fan fic about it!
Amanda: Rats?
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[Kj’s delivery here is genius.. she doesn’t over do it.. Hilarious!!]
Lee: Yeah, big –
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Amanda -Big rats?
Lee: Biiig rats…
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…Yeah.
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Lee: –I don’t want to give you the details.
/Amanda (same time): -I don’t want to hear this.
[the way they both say those last lines at the same time is awesome.. very well played and probably not easy to do]

There you go Lee! Amanda isn’t going to make you share haaaa.. she likes for you to maintain a little mystery Winking smile tee hee.. it’s such a cute little exchange..I can’t say I mind that Amanda cuts Lee off (if he had been wanting to talk) –I think it’s good.. she’s not mothering him. but if it was evident he really wanted to talk – she would have listened..
What do you all make of it?
Me being me.. I can’t quite see how it fits! though I love it and think it cute!  A problem with the dark on a boat, on a sofa, on the water? that’s nothing compared to being in the middle of a swamp, with no light, laying in the dirt all night, where there are probably rats!.. Biiig swamp rats!!!
If it wasn’t an issue in Utopia Now, I can’t quite buy that it is now! [unless he went to Istanbul sometime between Utopia Now and Flight to Freedom?! whahaaha!]

I mean I enjoy the gags here.. and Lee revealing a little of his less heroic, more human, vulnerable side to Amanda- this is awesome.. but it seems random to me. I do think Lee is telling the truth here.. I just blame the writing! I do love this whole scene though, so I’ll just try and move on from that!

Anyway, Amanda isn’t hanging around to chat about Rats.. she lays back down and covers herself again..
FTF.avi_001507474Amanda: Good night!
Lee: Good night.
Looks like Lee is planning on trying to sleep now.. me confused!!  I thought he was first watch?!!
This scene isn’t over.. so hang in there! back with more soon!!! Smile Anything you’d like to share about it so far? byeee!

51 thoughts on “11/20 Season Three, Episode 10:Flight to Freedom-Scarecrow and Mrs King”

  1. OK I’ve just taken everyone’s wonderful comments and mashed them up into this half-baked theory:

    Lee does not like to sleep in the dark but his reason is not what he told Amanda. It really goes back to when he was little, an after-effect of his parents’ deaths. He’s outgrown the fear of the dark, but still would prefer a light on if possible.

    The story of the catacombs and the biiiiig rats is the one he’s used for the Jillians and Randis because it still makes him sound macho. And once he explained to them what the catacombs are (meeee-OW!) they were duly impressed and were even more attracted to him.

    With Amanda it’s not so much about macho (although there’s still a little bit of that). He’s willing to admit his discomfort, but he’s just still not ready to share the full extent of those feelings yet, even with her.

    And if you buy all of that, I’ve got a piece of green cheese from the moon you might be interested in. 😉

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      1. Lol 2goldens! I just checked in and there’s already 50 comments. It seems obvious to me that we have all wandered through Billy’s door which leads through the black hole, into the vortex, down this rabbit hole and now into the catacombs and probably far beyond! Love being here without you guys!

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  2. Wow! I never really delved that deeply into the whole “when did Lee become afraid of the dark” issue. I just sort of took it for what it was, a nice little scene between him and Amanda. I guess this sort of plays out like the rose issue in Wizard and OTL. Amanda and Lee have spent several overnighters together and it hasn’t come up. They were together in SD in the bookie’s office and in the lint-picking Count’s home tied to a chair. There was something about a candle in A Class Act, but not in the context of being afraid of the dark. Have to check that one out again.

    I just like the fact that they are continuing to bond and become closer and that Lee is comfortable enough to share something else with Amanda that maybe everyone else doesn’t know.

    I think that Lee was basically planning on sitting up for a while and not really going to sleep. I think that no one would bother to try to lay on a bed, because if that were me I would be in full-on sleep mode and not want to get up to keep watch at all. I think they both probably thought to be in and out of sleep that night.

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  3. I like the vulnerability Lee shows in this scene too, but like many of you it doesn’t really seem consistent to me. My problem is not so much Utopia Now (everyone gives good reasons why he wouldn’t have mentioned it there), but just that the whole thing came up out of the blue. If there had only been a handful of episodes before this, even with one like UN coming first, I would have bought it better. But the fact that we are — what, like 60 episodes into the series? — makes it seem like someone just said, “Hey, you know what? I’d be really cool if we make Lee afraid of the dark. Wait a minute. I guess we can’t do that, because he works in the dark all the time and we never mentioned a problem. Oh! I got it! We’ll make him just afraid to SLEEP in the dark!” and never really checked to see if it integrated with all the story that has gone before.

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    1. totally agree Happy Camper – you’ve read my mind!!! I was nodding away like crazy when I read this comment of yours! 🙂
      Yep! I am sure that’s what the writers were saying!!! haaaaa!!!

      Like I said, I’m just going to enjoy the essence of the scene and give up on the actual detail! lol!!!

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  4. Given the absence of these scenes in the script, I wonder if the Istanbul rats thing was an ill-thought out last-minute add-in? It is a bit lame but I guess it’s in there so we have to live with it unless someone can write a fanfic that comes up with a better excuse as to why Lee doesn’t like sleeping in the dark.
    I get the feeling that someone was trying to come up with a similar idea to the Indiana Jones fear of snakes plot device from *Raiders of the Lost Ark”.

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    1. At least the continuity advisor was awake enough to nix Lee’s seasickness from the original script. We certainly didn’t see him barfing over the railing of the Princess Martha in SOS prior to his rescue of Amanda from that boom thingie.

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  5. What I found confusing was the fact that Lee said he would be up most of the night and he would take first watch, but then two minutes later it looks like he is about to go to sleep. Didn’t anyone on the set mention maybe there is something not right here? I do love reading the blog and comments regarding the progression of Lee and Amanda’s relationship, it gives me a new perspective. When I watch these episodes, for some reason I always look at it and think what are the writers and producers doing to keep the audience engaged and the rating up. Maybe a little to practical way to watch TV.

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    2. LOL! I hear ya!!! Jo this was funny huh!!!! I guess the scene might have been filmed over a few different days – which makes what BB and KJ manage to convey even more amazing..

      but the script editor needs a good slap.. but we love the show anyway right?! 🙂

      Ah so glad you are enjoying walking with us all! Yes between us we come up with a few different things we see an ways we see it – it’s all part of the fun!! 🙂

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    3. I just thought that Lee intended to “doze”, which is why he remains sitting up, whereas Amanda lies down and is clearly intending to get some serious sleep… if only it were completely dark. 😀

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  7. I really don’t have a problem with the consistency between this and Utopia Now!.. In that one, there was no option for Lee to light a candle in the swamp, so he just had to put up with it, but here, he has an option and prefers a light on. I think it makes hm more human, and more that little boy we love.

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    1. Hey Susanpr! have you commented on JWWM before? Sorry if you have.. if you haven’t – welcome! 🙂

      you are not alone in feeling the way you do.. and don’t mind me – I love the scene!!! Yes I too love that he shows his vulnerable side.. very like little boy with his blankie! I thought that was very cute!
      and to me it still seems like a contrivance, just doesn’t flow for me.. but.. whatever! 🙂

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  8. Happy Australia Day to all you Aussie SMK fans!!!

    Agree with you about the whole rats/sleeping with the light on thing, iwsod. It does seem a bit contrived. It is nice here, but doesn’t fit with the experience in the swamp. Maybe it’s the enclosed nature of the boat vs. the wide open of the swamp?

    I do think I disagree about Amanda not judging him. I think she is raising her eyebrow just a tiny bit when she’s making her face. I think she is trying not to be judgmental, but I think this surprises her and so it is hard to keep the “you gotta be kidding me” tone completely out of her voice and off her face.

    I wonder when he spent the week in the catacombs…can’t imagine this sleep with the light on think went over well with all the past lady friends, ahem.

    And just one question. I’m not a boat owner, nor a sailor, but I have been on a couple of boats in my time. I’m surprised that on a 55 ft. ketch there is only one room for these two. Would there not be a bedroom Amanda could go to? And if not a bedroom, surely there is some sort of other room Lee could sit in so Amanda could sleep in total darkness? I guess these two just don’t want to be too far from each other, huh?

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    1. I’ve also wondered why Amanda didn’t sleep in the boat’s bedroom. Presumably, there is one somewhere. Amanda probably did say that she’d rather stay close to Lee, and that’s why he asked her if she was sure she’d be comfortable there because she could always go to the bedroom if she changed her mind. And even though they’re arguing over candle vs no candle, neither of them suggests that they split up. Lee doesn’t insist that Amanda sleep in another room, and Amanda seems determined not to leave. It’s kind of silly, but it’s also kind of sweet. 🙂

      I’m a little confused, too, about why Lee seems to be bedding down when he’s supposed to be on watch. But, it’s still one of my favorite parts of the episode. My other favorite part is coming up next. 😉

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    2. Fair enough BJo… I took Amanda as being curious and surprised not quite in the ‘you gotta be kidding me’ tone lol.. She didn’t seem to be looking down on him for it.. at least that’s what I saw..

      Yeah! great question about the boat.. this whole fabulous brilliant scene is a great big contrived set up! but do I mind? Nope.. can’t bring myself to! 🙂

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      1. I only sensed a wee bit of ‘you gotta be kidding me’ from Amanda, but more out of surprise than condescension. Maybe what I hear is her wondering if he’s putting her on. Amanda wasn’t born yesterday and she knows Lee pretty well, so maybe she is questioning his veracity.

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    3. I think a 55ft boat is not really as big on the inside as you would think. The boats I’ve been on usually have interiors like campervans, i.e. a dining area that converts into a bedroom – the dining table usually folds to either become part of the sleeping surface or stop it being an impediment. Also some boats have a sleeping area that is located above the living level of the cabin, e.g. like a bunk area over the cab area of a campervan.
      Interesting that Lee and Amanda don’t fold the table away – they keep it between them rather than convert the area into a double bed. 😉
      But, maybe there is a separate sleeping surface in the boat that they chose not to use. Or maybe it’s just that the set budget was running low for this episode and they needed to keep the interior scenes simple. 😀

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      1. Oh, I should add that usually the cushions on the backs of the seats can be detached to become part of the mattress when the complete sleeping surface is formed by the folded table and/or the existing seats folding out to cover the space. It’s hard to explain. Anyone out there with more extensive boating and/or campervan experience who can make more sense than me? 😉

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      2. I’m not a sailor, but have been on several small motor boats with cabins underneath the bow and I’ve also been on a 24 ft. sailing boat. Based on those other much smaller boats I’ve been on, and the width of this boat, I’m surprised there wouldn’t be a separate sleeping area. I’m sure it all to do with sets and budget or maybe they just wanted this little bit of dialogue. It’s much more fun than Amanda just saying goodnight and leaving the camera to just focus in on Lee. Then again, what would the look on his face have been? 😉

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        1. Usually there is a berth under the bow that is on big bed. And yes the table should collapse so that more sleeping berths can be made. Actually I think the fact that they don’t create or use these bed-like spaces would work for me. They are staying professional and on the job. No one bed/two bed sleeping controversies can come up. No place for impropriety and I do think Lee wants to make sure that their is no hint of that between them right now. I think he cares a lot about how his actions are perceived by Amanda and I think he wants to keep things comfortable for her, maybe partly to prove to her that his intentions are honorable, and to protect their friendship.

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  9. “If it wasn’t an issue in Utopia Now, I can’t quite buy that it is now!”

    Well, slap me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think they had the option of turning lights on in the swamp… I mean, they had the little fire for a bit, but had to put that out to preserve their hiding place… After that, it’s not like there was a giant light, unless the moon came out, until morning–when they had to hustle to get away… (Brings to mind a mental cartoon of Scarecrow reaching up to pull a giant light pull-cord and turning on the sun, or something…)

    My badly made point here being: on the Mati Hari, Lee has the option or choice of light, and is choosing to exercise the option… whereas, in the swamp, he didn’t have that option/choice.

    Further, why would Scarecrow have mentioned darkness and rats in a situation like the swamp, when he knew that Amanda was already scared? Answer: he wouldn’t; he wanted to keep Amanda safe and not scare her any more.

    Here, on the Mati Hari, they’re not in a dangerous situation. It doesn’t matter if Lee turns the lights on. It doesn’t matter if Lee reveals more of himself/his past to Amanda (thereby bringing them an inch further on their journey).

    Ramble over.

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      1. Me too. There is nothing more attractive than a strong man who chooses to occasionally show vulnerablility to the woman he loves (especially if he only shows it to her)

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    2. Okay, so if he didn’t have the option in UN, which I agree with, then what does it say that he is revealing this weakness to Amanda? I do wonder how this little quirk of his played with all the Jillians of the world….

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      1. Uhhh… I’m guessing that most of the Jillians didn’t get to see him sleeping… he, or her, left, uh, afterwards… (PG, PG, PG…) –> the question of light wouldn’t have been an issue. (The few/exceptions being if they went away somewhere for the weekend, then maybe…)

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          1. I still think he would have found a way not to sleep with the women — sleeping would have been too emotionally intimate for him… I think he’d have excused himself to another room in the cabin — I’m sure The Great Scarecrow could have come up with any number of plausible excuses (other than a fear of the dark)… shrug

            Or… it’s just another plot hole. 🙂 We love SMK plot holes… 🙂

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            2. this is all a lot of work!

              for me, I’m okay with loving the scene, taking it as it is and deep down.. just not buying it! (nice try writers.. and I don’t really care because I love what we go!)

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        2. Yes, I think you are right here KC. I don’t think Lee stayed, or allowed a woman to stay, the whole night on many occasions. And who’s to say the woman he did spend the night with didn’t want to keep a little light on to better facilitate their appreciation of this stupendously attractive man throughout the night. 😉 I know I wouldn’t be too quick to turn the light out on this guy even though I, like Amanda, prefer complete dark. 😀
          Hmmm, it just occurred to me that the rather less attractive sight of me might just induce Lee Stetson to get over his phobia of unlit rooms. 😮

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        3. Yeah I figured one you would raise the ‘he didn’t do much sleeping’ explanation! 🙂

          But a whole weekend? 😉

          I agree with you though – playboy Lee would have avoided non sexual intimacies for sure.. but I don’t want to ponder Lee and all those lady friends too deeply.. lol.. lah laaaaa lahhh!!!

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          1. Remember, he didn’t get to spend that weekend with Jillian. Problem solved. I could see Lee working romantic intrigue into every assignation in order to let a bit of light on in a room. Maybe even by leaving a bathroom light on since a hotel room or a cabin would be a new and unfamiliar place. He might even have been able to trick himself into believing that it was for atmosphere sake and forget all about his fear. He is a highly trained agent and he might even be able to block out his fears when circumstances need it. But that may use energy. Now he is with Amanda, a person that he is becoming increasingly comfortable with and maybe he doesn’t want to exude such energy. Plus I think he likes being known by her. I like 2Gloden’s idea at the top here, that Lee’s fear is really not the rats but something even more deep seated from his childhood. I bet that is why Amanda raises her eyebrow. “Rats, huh?” He is willing to open up, but he still isn’t letting her into his inner sanctum. I think she can pick up on that.

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            1. Yes, but Lee knew that it was a very nice cabin, so I definitely think he’d been there before for a long weekend.

              I wonder what evil Ava thought. We know he spent entire nights with her because she’d never been able to get him to eat breakfast. Perhaps the catacomb/rat bit was after that.

              I don’t know. I find it very difficult to believe that Lee has never spent an entire night with a lady friend, emotional issues notwithstanding.

              So the more I think about this, the more I’m inclined to believe that Lee is just putting her on because he wants to keep the candle lit.

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              1. Maybe it’s the rats and water combination? I assume the catacombs might be quite damp/
                Or maybe it’s all an excuse and he just wants to watch her sleeping so he wants the candle lit? [ Learjet is feeling sentimental this morning ]

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    3. No slapping aloud on JWWM! And.. you would not be wrong or I would not be wrong about whether Lee’s fear of the dark makes sense – we just disagree.. and that’s okay! 🙂

      I completely hear your reasoning – and it’s very sound.. but.. there was noooo indication at all from Lee in Utopia now that he was struggling with having no access to a light or hearing the noises of animals (not that he would have let Amanda see it.. ) the only way I could make sense of it was if Istanbul was after Utopia now and before flight to freedom! 🙂

      I love this scene!!! I love that Lee is vulnerable with Amanda here and it’s a really cute scene!!!
      but to me it comes off as random and not very believable..
      I can not buy it and totally love the scene anyway..

      Because as many of you here have commented – there’s plenty of holes in this here scene!

      you know what I could have maybe bought more? If Amanda had been on lookout and Lee started to have a nightmare. but then.. how do you make a joke out of that?! haaaa..
      Plus, with Lee being first watch it all makes zero sense. Honestly – I love this show!! I love it’s charm and it’s characters.. but heck.. there are moments where I just scratch my head and think – it’s not rocket science! the character said he was first watch and then he proceeded to try to go to sleep! lol!!

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      1. I’ve also heard theories that Lee is spinning a tall tale here to get his way (staying awake to keep watch is much easier when there is light). I still haven’t made my mind up on that one.

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        1. You know, the more I think about this and the more the comments go back and forth about it, I’m beginning to think the theory that Lee is fibbing to get his way is more plausible.

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So what do you think??? :)

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