We find Amanda being led by Carla and Barry at gunpoint down a laneway..
Whoooo Francine appears off to the side alone.. (Yes, followed by that team she was going to put together.. remember that?? the invisible team it seems!)
She’ll know what to do! what with all that super brilliant agency training that Amanda doesn’t have that makes Francine superior..
Francine, seeing Amanda in trouble, holds her gun on them all and yells: Freeze!
(Carla turns to look at Francine, while still holding her gun to Amanda’s side.)
Amanda flatly yells out to Francine): Francine, she has a gun.
(Love how Amanda doesn’t even turn to look)
yeah thanks for the lousy rescue Francine. Meh! tee hee.. well it is lovely that Francine actually tried I guess.. though what a shame she just jumped in there.. she could have followed them, and figured out what was going on.. Hmm just like Marvin, and just like Amanda- she has rushed in and been bested by Carla and Barry. (and these baddies are not super clever.. so that’s saying something!)
Carla (to Francine): Pointed right at Mrs. Keene…
..Your move?
[What a great catch you have there Barry! Yeah she’s one you could take home to meet the family! Oh wait.. nooo.. something’s not right here..]
(Francine reluctantly puts her gun on the ground; Barry retrieves it.)
Carla: Well… the plot is thickening considerably.
[Aie! This line of dialogue deserves a meme! So cliche. ]
[I guess it’s a sure sign I’m feeling the nark for this ep right now.. we need some Lee Stetson – STAT!!]
(Barry holds Francine at gunpoint with her own gun. Ouch.. that’s gotta hurt.)
Oh LOL now I see the elbow patch! Was that you that pointed that out Kiwismh? If I’m mistaken apologies – but they are hilarious.. Barry is truly bad to the bone! The elbow bone!
Carla (to Amanda, while looking toward Francine and Barry): Tell me, is there anybody who’s not working with you?
[What are you talking about Princess Di?! Amanda is a housewife from Maine!]
(Amanda’s looking worried!) and the scene ends there.
Have no fear.. Lee Stetson is here! we cut to a left hand writing.. gotta be Lee! 
Hooray.. Hi Lee it’s been while! [lol what’s with the knick knacks? ha!]
Whooo such a tiny pen and notepad. Or…. Is it a huge hand?!!!! 😉
Lee: Okay, I’ve got it Marvin. Now, you do exactly what they said to do, huh?…
The shot widens, and we see Billy approach Lee who’s still talking on the phone.
…And we will be there. You hear anything about Amanda, you let me know right away.
Billy: Problems?
Lee: Yeah, a bad one. …It’s Barry and Carla… they have Amanda. They’re holding her for insurance.
Billy: Now how did that happen?
[I blame Marvin!!! Running off like that.. he should have listened to the experts! booo.. hope he is feeling guilty and chastened and will do what he’s flippin told now he’s put Amanda in danger!]
Lee: You-
Billy (continues): Never mind, I don’t wanna know… [what was Lee going to say? ‘You don’t want to know?’ thoughts? ]
(shakes head slightly) ….What time is the drop?
Lee: Four o’clock…[Still four o’clock.. nothing has changed there!] … And once they’ve got the money, then they’ll phone us with the list of outlets. When they’re safe, that’s when they’ll tell us where Amanda is.
Billy: What about Francine?
Lee: Well, Marvin did see her car, but he didn’t see her. And wherever… They’re holding Amanda, Billy! [Oh my gosh.. anyone NOT swooning over the way Lee says this? Nothing else matters! they’re holding Amanda Billy!!]
… they told Marvin we’ve got until 4:45 to find her.
Billy: All right. We’ll proceed as planned. Let’s hope 
there’s no problem… because if there is … you and I both know where our responsibilities have to lie.
Whoa! Ouch!!! Lee isn’t going to like this one.. (maybe I was too generous Valerie, Maybe Billy was worried about Amanda being in the way in the previous post?)
We cut back to Lee and it’s cheeky Lee to the extreme!!
Lee: Yeah.
(Lee looks down. Billy walks away.)
Not much said from Lee verbally here.. but plenty is spoken..
Whooooo Lee’s jaw is grinding away.. intense!
The scene ends here..
Can’t wait to hear what you make of this.. only last episode we had Billy telling Lee that if he had to use Amanda to find Joe he would need to do it- here again we see Billy feeling he needs to remind Lee where his loyalties or priorities are. How interesting.. Billy seems to be picking up on Lee’s struggle here.
Anyone think Lee would actually consider at this point not moving heaven and earth to rescue Amanda? When has he ever not???!!!!! Right from The First Time he has protected her.
I don’t think Lee could ‘live with this one.’ Ever!
(anyone know what I’m referring to? )
Well I’m going to pause here for the moment and try and recover from all this swoony Lee intensity! What do you all make of this part of the episode? And.. what do you make of Billy’s warning/reminder here at the end of this scene? and most importantly of all.. what do you make of Barry’s elbow patches? (kidding!) byeee for now!
"Just walk with me.." 
Tiny pen, tiny notepad, tiny lab pictures…hmmm…what else is supposed to be tiny in this episode? I’m sensing a theme here. I’d put Barry in the tiny category. Tiny amount of poison in the sauce to do a whole lot of damage?
Oh boy – the way Lee says that line. And yes, I do think Billy knows exactly what Lee is thinking with Amanda and why he reminds him of his priorities. I do think Lee would move heaven and earth to save Amanda, but I also think he would not prioritize saving Amanda over stopping the poisoning of millions. If he saves Amanda but the millions get poisoned, I think he gets fired and loses his pension and feels guilty for the rest of his life. If Amanda dies and he saves the millions, I think he eats that vial of poisoned sauce that he kept in his pocket and kills himself. So the only option for our hero here is to save Amanda and the millions. Let’s hope he succeeds!
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So I got behind somehow and have been trying to catch up, without any time to write anything, but really enjoying all your comments. And welcome, Amy and heartsmk! Join the fun!
But when I got to this post, the comments were so great I just had to take the time to say so. Loving the comparison with SBTB, Lee’s uncertainty then versus his more mature knowledge of himself now. Raffie’s comment about Lee and Billy both knowing, and the moment of reckoning for them both, especially resonated with me, as did all the insights into Lee’s acceptance of Amanda as a professional who can choose to take risks and his realization of how that changes his own responsibility, yet at the same time his determination to rescue her. Also, the comments about Billy’s insensitivity in treating this issue the way he does, in light of the fact that Lee already lost a partner. I had almost forgotten that, yet it has to have an effect on everything he does — you don’t get to put that kind of thing totally behind you. I bet it replays in his nightmares, only now it’s Amanda getting killed. Maybe that helps explain why he was so reluctant to really consider her his partner? Because his partner got killed, and accepting that Amanda was his partner meant accepting that she could get killed, too.
I’m ashamed to say that when I first watched this episode I thought the story was a good one. Now, after having all the plot holes pointed out, I don’t know why I couldn’t see them. Maybe something was distracting me? Or maybe, the warm fuzzy feeling I got from the progressing of L&A’s relationship just kind of spread itself over the entire episode.
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Sooooo if they had Marvin at gunpoint why all the shenanigans with the drop off? Surely he could have been pressed for the money using the gun as leverage and they get away scot free…..I don’t get this plot.
Poor Lee having to have Billy give him a pep talk about priorities….bitter pill to swallow.
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Based on re-watching a few scenes, Francine wasn’t supposed to need a team or teams, because Billy sent her to just pick up Amanda. That was why she was there alone. I believe the teams Francine was supposed to get together was to head to those 20 locations after the drop occurred. They kept using the word location and I had to rewind a few times to figure out which location or locations they were talking about. The drop location discussion was still pretty ridiculous as they already knew about it, so no phone call should have been necessary.
I also think that when Amanda tells Francine that Carla has a gun it was to warn Francine in case Carla decided to take a shot at Francine. Amanda was looking out for Francine. I think that Billy assumed that Francine had gotten to Amanda and therefore there was no way she should be a hostage at this point, which is why he asked how it happened and then also asked about Francine.
Also, Billy’s tone of voice in this scene is much different than the last one. He sounds very understanding as to what Lee is going through right now. He is gently reminding Lee of what he has to do, but also letting Lee know that he understands his inner turmoil. He knows that Lee will do what he has to do and he knows how difficult it will be if things don’t go as planned. I think I just needed to hear it to see where Billy was coming from.
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Ohhh Francine went to pick up Amanda? I missed that – that explains some plot holes.
but then who would be with Marvin?! Was Francine going to bring him to the agency? they didn’t know Marvin had gotten a phone call yet.. (and yes.. I that ‘location’ thing had me baffled too.. I went back to see what had been said about it and I couldn’t make any sense of it!)
I’ve been directly all my nark at the writers.. and I’ve resisted focusing on the blue vinyl jacket.. ahem.. I’ve been trying to be good- honest!
You’re right Valerie.. Francine picking up Amanda while Lee waits by the phone is just weird! lol..good call! this whole plot is weird.. and gets weirder and weirder.. and it all seems to be in order to set up what we now have – Amanda and Francine far away in a freezer (or lol ‘on ice!’)
.. and Lee far away being action man with Marvin.. rah rah..
Oh guess what guys?!
this morning I went to turn on my computer and it crashed. Yet again. new computer.. and it hasn’t come back up.. still crashed!!!! soooo post 19 is written.. and I’ll publish that on Monday.. but.. there may be a bit of a delay coming – gah!!!!!! I’m so mad at computers!!!!
May take up Learjet on her offer to post a few more fashion posts.. actually.. some light-hearted fun may be just what we all need after the lame plotting we’ve covered in the last few posts.. but.. then again.. we did have swoony intense Lee.. Iwsod sighs
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I am wondering if Billy is getting a clearer picture of what is actually happening between Lee and Amanda now. This is one of the things that makes me want to put this episode after the one we will walk through next. But I guess I will wait until we get to a certain scene in that one before I explain further. I gather that a personal intimate relationship between two partners would be a no no, partly due to the fact that it could compromise their objectivity on a job and I am wondering if Billy is making sure that Lee can handle it and not lose his objectivity. I think Billy would be willing to turn a blind eye to something between Lee and Amanda because he can see that it is good for Lee, as long as it doesn’t decrease his effectiveness as an agent.
There is a maturity here in Lee’s look. I think after TWWH Lee made a conscious decision about pursuing a serious relationship with Amanda and I think he counted all of the costs, this was going to be an all or nothing choice for him. He knows that choosing to allow himself to fall in love with Amanda would mean there could be a moment like this. As hard as it is, he knows that he needs to honor his commitment to his job and the innocents he is protecting as well as Amanda’s professional choice to also put her life in harm’s way to do her job… and at the same time to be fully present to his love and concern for Amanda. That is a mature choice. But I don’t see Lee shrinking back from any of it in the self protective ways he used to.
Why Francine went ahead as she did, I have no idea. I haven’t spent as much time in her mind as I do in Lee and Amanda’s. But I love Amanda’s dry responses. No “oh my goshes” here.
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After having re-watched this I so agree with what you say here, Morley. I haven’t looked ahead at the next episode, but I’m starting to get an idea of what you might be talking about, but I will wait as well. I agree that Billy is starting to see more and more as to where Lee and Amanda are heading, especially when he consciously chose to partner with Amanda in the beginning. And I also agree that should a partnership become more personal and intimate there could be a question about objectivity and decision-making when it comes to a life and death situation regarding that partner. I think this is another critical step for Lee and how he ultimately deals with this situation.
It’s interesting that when their personal relationship was at best just a friendly one, Lee was willing to move heaven and earth to rescue Amanda, regardless of the consequences. And now when it is moving into a deeper relationship you can see a more mature response from Lee. Amanda is no longer the doe-eyed civilian that she once was and she is well aware of the consequences of being an agent. And Lee is aware that she is aware.
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I’m looking forward to walking through the next episode and hearing your thoughts, Morley!
I’m not sure i can express this properly, but in the early years, Amanda the civilian was Lee’s responsibility. We know that his rescues of her had an element of tenderness and desperation that revealed there was more too it, but I don’t think Lee did.
But now he knows there is more, that his professionalism could be compromised by the growing feelings that he has for his partner, and that he now has to face the challenge of striking both a professional and a personal balance.
Funny, as I write this post, I’m at the point in SBTBells where Lee is upset because Amanda is dying in his place. Billy gives him the inquisition, quite matter-of-factly: “If it were another agent, would you feel the same way?” “Is there something between you and Amanda?” “Well, why was she at your apartment?” It’s a far different delivery from the one he gives in FFFT. In FFFT, Billy doesn’t suspect, he knows. And in SBTBells, Lee was confused about how he felt about Amanda, but here in FFFT, he knows. We are entering a moment of reckoning for both Lee and Billy here, and how Lee conducts himself could very well determine the future of his and Amanda’s agency partnership.
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Raffie! whooooooo loved this comment! phew so glad I got back here to tell ya!
Love your point you make here I think it’s spot on.. Lee has always protected Amanda.. but now things are changing and yes ‘he now has to face the challenge of striking both a professional and a personal balance’
Loved your comparison of Billy and Lee’s exchanges – genius!
I haven’t often heard it mentioned that one of the reasons Lee and Amanda go slow is because Lee has to come to terms with doing this job but managing his feelings for Amanda. I think this is a very powerful point. It could have been very dangerous if Lee had not maturely come to terms with this and instead he had jumped straight into a relationship with Amanda – it could have put lives in danger! damaged his career!
Lee will always do what he can to protect Amanda.. but here – Lee has a job to do (and doing it may save Amanda) so I think it is not a choice here between innocent people’s lives and Amanda’s life.. oh my.. this reminds me of those emotional dilemmas they use to test emotional intelligence – you know where a train is coming down the tracks and you can divert the train line so the train kills one person, or you can leave it the way it is going and it will kill five people.. Insane choices.. and in this job, both Lee and Amanda would have needed to make that choice and be healthy and prepared for it – or.. they needed to get out..
Now it’s me hoping I am expressing myself properly Raffie!
Loved your comment.. and will be interesting to walk through how this all plays out as things unfold for the rest of this ep! 🙂
Byeee
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I think it is because Amanda is not a doe-eyed civilian and is aware of it that Lee can act in this more mature way. In the very beginning, she was like a child and he was the adult. Now they are both adults – Amanda may be a young adult and Lee an older one, but they are both adults. I’m not sure how I think the change in their personal relationship fits in and contributes to this level of maturity – other than perhaps Lee has grown up a bit and become more mature as a result of his relationship with Amanda – he’s learned some things they don’t teach at the Agency from her.
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I think it’s not so easy now for Lee to blithely accept where his “responsibilities have to lie.” I guarantee he’s putting some serious thought into how he can avoid having to make that choice – rescuing Amanda being his number one plan of action. If Amanda is safe, the choice doesn’t have to be made. His look in the last pic in this post has a resolute quality about it.
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Francine’s wearing her Action Cardy, only the action she takes is very amateur and ill-thought out. Maybe the snuggliness of the cardy clouded her decision-making here. 😀
Anyway, I’ll just assume she thought Amanda’s was in imminent danger and threw herself out there to buy them both some time – at least until that team she was putting together shows up. They must’ve stopped off for doughnuts and coffee somewhere along the way. 😉
One thing I’ll never understand is why these Agents consistently call each other by their first names in front of the bad guys. I thought the secrecy of the agency and the anonymity of agency personnel would preclude using name or even codenames in front of the baddies, except in a life and death scenario. Okay, in this case it’s just Carla and Barry, but you wouldn’t want to be blurting out real names and code names in front of the KGB willy-nilly! After-all, remember an earlier episode where the Russians thought Amanda was Lee – they knew there was super-agent called Scarecrow but didn’t know enough to identify him or her. Okay, this is ridiculous, I’m sure in real life the various spy agencies have a reasonable handle on who’s who in the enemy’s line-up. The exceptions would be undercover or sleeper agents I suppose.
Ugh, maybe I’m over-thinking this.
Anyway, if Francine can’t successfully arrest Carla I’ll call out the Fashion Police to get her on that hideous yellow suit with the chunky shoulder pads. Book her, Officer. 😎
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love it the Action Cardy! 🙂 I’m sure that will catch on!! 🙂
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“Tell me, is there anybody who’s not working with you?” That line always cracks me up. 🙂
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While Carla doesn’t believe that Amanda is a housewife from Maine she does seem to still think her name is Keene…funny. Francine couldn’t wait to be a part of the case and then she pulls an amateur move. At least she didn’t try some other move and get Amanda shot. Where is it that Barry and Carla are headed in broad daylight with a gun in clear view? Considering what the weekend was all about you’d think there would be people wandering around. Oh well.
So Marvin knows what kind of car Francine drives? Did Lee describe or tell him what she drove? I’m pulling out this episode tomorrow just to get a feel for Billy’s inflections regarding Amanda. I don’t think that Lee was going to say “you don’t want to know”. I think he is too upset about Amanda to be sarcastic at this moment. I think was going to say something like, “You know it’s not what you’re thinking. She was only trying to stop Marvin from getting into trouble. This isn’t on her, it’s on Marvin.”
It’s a good thing that Francine isn’t around to see Lee’s reactions to Amanda being held. She would definitely be given some food for thought here. This is one of those times when I wish Billy would have been a bit more sensitive. He’s the one who continually pushed Amanda and Lee together. He kept saying that she would be good for him. He has encouraged their partnership and seems pleased at how it has progressed. But whenever there is a situation where it’s possible that Amanda could be lost, Billy decides to remind Lee of his responsibility and loyalties. I’m sure that Billy knows exactly what Lee had to deal with in losing his last partner, why not be sensitive to what Lee might be experiencing with this? Lee knows exactly what is responsibilities are and where his loyalties lie. I know that because of Billy’s status he has to play that card. I just wish he would handle it a little more sensitively.
And I think that while Lee has always been very protective of Amanda even to the point of committing treason, I think that that protectiveness has grown exponentially over time. It began with protecting her as a civilian and mother and moved to protecting a friend and has transitioned into so much more. And we get to see it so visibly represented in his words and actions. Maybe that’s why Amanda doesn’t swoon like we do, because she misses out on all these little moments of angsty Lee. She was passed out not once, but twice when he carried her and then she’s always a hostage when he has to commit treason.
Was it SBTB where he couldn’t “live with this one”?
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correct Valerie! 🙂
Swoony!!
True.. you may have uncovered the secret to Amanda’s strong constitution there!!! I like it! 🙂
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