We find Lee and Amanda have gone for a walk with Shamba (where’s his hat?! He needs it!) on the hunt for Joe King.. Interesting that Shamba is walking between Lee and Amanda – after last week and all that touching/hand holding this feels lacking in this episode! Deliberately so..
Shamba: Quite a bit of shooting. Besides the Prime Minister, a guard was also killed at Government House…
…Word of the deaths started some local panic in T’Bai which spread into a night of looting and fires.
Amanda: Yes but no one saw Joe—
[look out for the random bicycle!]
Shamba: – Pull the trigger? no,…
…but someone saw him running away… 
…Now it’s enough, if not for justice then vengeance… [eh? what is he on about!] …It is hard living in Estoccia now…
…The food is short, the land is parched like a vengeance. The people have few good things, but they loved their Prime Minister… (ahem!) …They want their own vengeance for him.
Amanda: This is where Joe lived when he was in Law School.
Lee: Well it looks like we turned off Memory Lane onto Fraternity Row.
Amanda: No, this is Mrs McDonald’s…
…We called her Mrs McDragon. She rents rooms to law students. Joe lived right up there…
(A lady yells out to one of the students they have a phone call)
…That’s— Mrs McDonald! Hello.
Mrs McDonald: Hello.
Amanda: I know you probably don’t remember me.
Mrs McDonald: I sure do – Amanda.
Amanda: Yes, that’s right.
Mrs McDonald: What’s going on? Is this some off year reunion?
…Your old boyfriend was here last night. Did you two ever tie the knot?
[Uh oh… now Joe’s been demoted! I could have sworn Amanda explained to Lee in post 9: Joe and I were married in ‘72. Joe started law school in 1973. Joe lived there in law school.. Amanda just said so.. and now Mrs McDonald wonders if they ever got married?
Okay, she could be forgetting.. but it sounds like if Joe lived there he wasn’t living with Amanda and Phillip who was born in 73- so if he was married they weren’t living together.. what a mess! I get that between episodes these things can be jumbled..but in the same episode?! ]
Amanda: Uh—
lol Lee and Shamba are paying close attention here.. for I’m sure very different reasons 
Mrs McDonald: Oh, er, come on in. 
Amanda: Thank you.
They all head inside.. Shamba is last.. and does his little arm flap as he goes through the front door..
Shamba: Shamgoba.
LOL Lee turns around and gives him a look
and he lets Shamba go ahead of him.. yes should probably keep an eye on this one Lee!
Love Lee’s little hesitation as he looks back at the door.. I think Lee is thinking – don’t trust that guy!!!!
Now that I think about it.. it didn’t matter that Shamba left his hat behind – there is no way a hat could convince anyone this is an average American! 😉
Inside, Mrs McDonald shows them to Joe’s room.. err I guess we missed the part of the conversation where they asked to see his room.. because its a bit random for -hey Amanda shows up after Joe and so is automatically shown what his room looks like!
Oh hey, Shamba does another arm flap coming through this door too.. I never noticed that before.
Mrs MacDonald: Joe said he was in 
town for a seminar and there was a mix up in housing, I had the room so- Course he’s a little older than most of the kids but then who isn’t?
Shamba: Are you sure it was Mr King?
Mrs MacDonald: Yes, he slept right there last night…
Shamba feels the bed’s vibrations lol.. Mrs McDonald gives Amanda a sideways glance.. who is this guy?!
Amanda’s unimpressed.. I think she’s too caught up in worrying about Joe to notice.
Mrs MacDonald asks Shamba: Excuse me, what are you looking for? 
…Some kind of an aura?
Shamba: It is not out of the question.
Amanda: Mrs MacDonald, did Joe say where he was going?
Mrs MacDonald: No, but he was gone when I got up.
Shamba notices that Lee has found something..
Shamba: What is this?
Lee: Oh, it’s just traveller’s cheques – empty.
Love Lee’s shifty little look at Shamba having bought his line about the thing being empty.
Then Lee sneakily puts it in his inside jacket pocket.. Yep.. Lee’s found something!
Amanda: Um, look, I’m going to give you my phone number, and if you don’t mind, if he comes back by or he calls or anything, could you just give me a call?
Mrs MacDonald: Sure, but why don’t you stick around. The kids will be drifting in about 4. Could be a couple of laughs.
Lee: Ah, no. I’m sorry, not today.
[Why does Lee answer and not let Amanda answer? Hmm.. maybe this is because he just found something and he is giving Amanda clues he wants to leave? What do you think?]
Mrs MacDonald: It’s your loss. I could tell you stories about—
Amanda: Mrs MacDonald, it was good to see you…
…Please don’t get me in trouble.
Drat! I wanted to hear Amanda stories.. we get to hear so few of them! ‘In trouble’ is an interesting way of putting it.. I’m guessing we’ll unpack that!!! Sooo what do you make of it everyone?!
Mrs MacDonald: Okay.
(Mrs MacDonald heads for the door and leaves them)
Amanda: Okay. Bye bye.
(to Lee): Well—
Lee gives Shamba a sideways look.. what to do with Shamba?! He found something and he doesn’t want Shamba to know.. 
Lee: Well, ah, we’ve got to be going to…
(Love the silent conversation Lee has here with Amanda.. these two are so good at that now!! Follow my lead Amanda!)
… I think someone should stay here…
…and keep this place under surveillance though.
Shamba wordlessly points to himself… like me?? really?
Amanda: Oh, that’s a good idea.
Lee: Yeah.
Amanda: See you later.
Shamba doesn’t seem to mind too much 
being left behind.. After Lee and Amanda close the door Shamba looks around not too bothered..
I think he bought it haaaa..
Well I should finish up.. we are slowly but surely learning more about Amanda. Seems she is a very private person in general.. I wonder if this is a quality that Lee enjoys – I think Lee likes a good mystery.. a fascinating riddle.. and I think Amanda is that for him 
Sooo what did you all get out of this section of the episode? or so far??!! I’ll be back soon! Can’t wait to hear from ya! Shamgooba!!!
"Just walk with me.." 
So busy don’t have time to read this post now but scrolled down and saw a pic of Tom Selleck as Magnum PI. I can go to work happy now…. 😉
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Been massively busy at school and no time for anything. So glad to be able to catch up. There’s a part of this scene where after Shamba does his door thing at the dorm room door that Amanda gives him a look. Lee’s reaction to Amanda’s look is priceless as if he is waiting to see what her response will be. I’m wondering if BB put Garrett Morris up to an ad lib before they entered.
Love SMK time. Dates don’t matter, consistency doesn’t matter, focusing on Lee and Amanda should dispel any inconsistencies. Love the Georgetown hat and pennant along with the random paintings on the wall.
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I’m sorry the pics are so lousy.. grrr I’ve had troubles trying to get it right since my computer went to the doctor!
Hopefully for the rest of the episode I will be able to improve 😦
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Aw, poor computer! 😦
If it’s a Mac, I had a teacher once who claimed that they’re connected on the spirit plain and that you can get them to behave better by thinking good thoughts and not eating any apples before using them. If it’s Microsoft, I’m not sure what to do. They routinely do weird things for no apparent reason. I think it might be a design feature.
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They have a hard time acting like they have just met. It’s great that they are still communicating without speaking even after everything had been tense earlier.
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I love how Mrs. McDonald hovers her hand by Shamba’s, as if maybe she could figure out what he’s looking for that way.
I stopped by for some light relief — I just unexpectedly lost my job of 15 years, in a way that feels personally directed, and have been living the last week or so in kind of a fog. I don’t know yet if that will translate into more or less time for smk; I’m just still trying to process. I’ve always found Shamba hilarious, so this scene was just what I needed.
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Oh happy camper! I am so sorry you are going through a rough patch – that really bites. SMK and Leslie Nielsen movies are what I turn too when I need a break from real life.
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I’m so sorry happycamper, that is so hard. well, the SMKland rabbit hole is good for escape and letting your unconscious work on its own. Take care.
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I’m really sorry, happycamper, that stinks. I hope SMK can keep you laughing through this tough time.
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So sorry, happy camper. Like the others, I hope SMK can be a place of joy and relief while you wait for the fog to clear. Peace to you.
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Happy camper I’m so sorry to hear your news – that just plain sux!!! being personally directed would be such a blow – and 15 years is a long stretch. Those idiots!!
I hope smk and chatter with us can help you even just a little…
If you’d like to do an smk post on:
evil bosses
baddie bosses
bosses blowing themselves up
bosses having their daylights punched by Lee
bosses being shoved or tripped by Amanda
-in order to purge, snigger or release some rage – you would be most welcome to publish it here 🙂
I hear ya – sometimes its very therapeutic to just be silly and have a laugh if that’s where you are at go for it.. and lol.. Shamba is certainly silly 🙂 Glad he came along when he did!!
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Sorry to hear your news, happycamper 😦 . Look after yourself.
When you’re ready, I think a marathon of SMK season one and an obscenely large box of chocolates is well-deserved.
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Sorry about your job situation. I things will turn out for the best!
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Ouch! Hope you find another job soon, happercamper. It sounds trite but a change really is as good as a rest. Look at this as an opportunity to move on to new and exciting things.
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Happycamper, so sorry to hear about your job and the way in which it was handled. Sending you good thoughts and prayers.
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Aw, you guys are all so encouraging. Iwsod, lol at the “bosses blowing themselves up” idea! You made me giggle!
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Hooray!!!! 🙂 hope you are doing okay!
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Belatedly but sincerely, I’m sorry too, happycamper. Unexpectedly and personally is like a 1-2 punch. I’m a believer in closed doors and open windows. There are better things waiting for you in your future.
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A fabulous sentiment there Raffie.. that closed doors/ open window thing – I think I learned that from the reverend mother in the sound of music! [where all wise things stem from ahem ]
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LOL, yep, that’s what I always think of too, Iwsod, but I thought including a link to my “How do you solve a problem like Amanda” vid would have been OTT 🙂
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Oh, Happycamper, sorry to hear about your job loss. I do wish the best for you in whatever may come your way next. I’m one of those closed doors, open windows, too.
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Well, since I’m not really into reality, in my head I always figured the writers meant to say “college” not “law school” thus this would be where Joe lived before he and Amanda were married. Or the writers and cast and crew were smoking something funny that day……just saying 😉
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Right, maybe they meant “pre-law” school. works for me…
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Makes sense (about renting to college/pre-law students or the writers were smoking something funny that day). Just like in “You Only Die Twice”, I prefer to substitute Dotty looking at the police blotter section of the newspaper rather than the obits for the news of Amanda’s death.
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Love Lee’s little double take back to the open door after Shamba goes ahead of him. Shamba cracks me up in this scene too!
Starting with Lee’s comment about “fraternity row”, I get the sense that he is personally uncomfortable with Amanda’s past here. I can’t say that I blame him, it would make me feel uncomfortable.
So how do you get Mrs. McDragon from McDonald other than the first three letters? Sounds like a fanfic idea, that one.
It bothers me that Lee cuts off Amanda and doesn’t let her answer the Dragon Lady’s question. I don’t think for one minute Amanda would have said yes without getting a non-verbal cue of approval from Lee, but he didn’t have to jump all over the question like he did here. It further confirms my suspicion that he is a wee bit uncomfortable being somewhere that Amanda would have spent a lot of time with another man who she eventually married. I don’t like that he does that, but again, I can’t say that I blame him. I know the first time I met an old girlfriend of my husband’s out in a store somewhere (he was with me) it was uncomfortable and the conversation couldn’t end soon enough. The old flame was married to someone else and we were engaged at the time, so I really wasn’t threatened by her, but it still was uncomfortable for me.
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That memory lane and fraternity row comment by Lee always strikes me. I’d go as far as saying he’s jealous, and being sarcastic in an attempt (a failed attempt) at being amusing but instead comes across as facetious.
And I too relate: can remember the very awkward meeting with husband’s ex (who I know before from another context) and her husband. One of the most uncomfortable evenings of my life!
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First post! 😀
Looks like Shamba’s still doing his eccentric tourist act, checking Joe’s bed for auras or vibes or something, but he might have gotten a better look at what Lee found if he hadn’t been doing his little act. I think Shamba knows that Lee has found something significant but has chosen not to act on it for his own reasons.
I do think that the things that Shamba mentions about life in Estoccia might clarify some of Amanda’s reservations about accompanying Joe there in the first place. Shamba mentions drought and food shortages, and the fact that someone assassinated the “beloved” Prime Minister indicates political unrest that might have existed for a long time before these recent events. Aside from the difficulties of living an unsettled life, moving from project to project within the country as Joe has been (I think that’s what he meant in one of his letters when he referred to the project that would take three months. I think he’s been spending brief periods of time in various parts of Estoccia, not just hanging out in the capital), there are real physical hardships and dangers as well.
I like Mrs. MacDonald. She seems like a fun lady, and I’m curious what kind of stories she might have about Amanda and Joe from their college days. I agree that the time they give for Joe living here is weird. It’s almost like the writers forgot what they’d said before about when Amanda and Joe were married. Otherwise, it is an odd living arrangement for them.
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Jestress wrote:
I like it! good call!!!
Oh hey I’ve just worked out the whole weird married but Joe was living at Mrs McDonald’s alone while at law school time space continuum problem – Joe and Amanda had a ‘secret’ marriage 😉 snigger
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Jestress groans!
Would that make Amanda a serial secret bride, or would she have to do it for a third time in order to make it a serial? 😉
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Maybe she has already done it for a second time and we just don’t know about it…it’s supposed to be a secret after all! 😉
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O.o
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Dean??? Eww…
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Oh, wait a minute! Maybe the wedding in Ship of Spies could count as Amanda’s second secret marriage! It’s okay if she “marries” Lee secretly more than once. 😀
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