So we left Lee and Amanda having followed a white van carrying Rupert to Blue Star insurance.
Lee: It doesn’t look like there’s an easy way in. Get on the phone to Billy, fill him in on what we’ve seen.
[What exactly have you seen so far? Did they see Rupert get put in the van? He could be back in his bed for all they know! just like the mistake Rupert first made.. lol..]
Amanda: Right. What are you going to do?
Lee: I’m gonna try to get a peek inside.
Amanda: Be careful.
Lee: Umm-hmm.
(Lee leaves Amanda in the car, and the high tech music continues)
[ lol did I just hear an SMK theme accompanying the high tech music? weird.. This is just weird to me..]
(Amanda picks up Lee’s high tech phone to call Billy)
Receptionist: (V.O.) IFF, may I help you?
Amanda: Amanda King, special clearance. Could you patch me through to Mr. Melrose, please?
[Special clearance?????!!!! Whoooo hooooo!!! Seems Lee’s declaration that Amanda is a clearance code all of it’s own has changed things for the better!! btw- the music here is bugging the daylights out of me!! Okay iwsod.. try and focus on something else.. special Clearance? Squeeee!!]
Receptionist: Hold your clearance, please.
Amanda: Yes, I’ll wait while you check.
Back to Lee.. We see him jump a fence..
then he disappears behind a thick set of bushes,
we see him come out the other side and continue on.
LOL.. call me crazy but me thinks a Stunt Lee jumped the fence while BB waited in the bushes, stunt Lee walks behind the bushes, and BB continues on like it was him –lol!!
Lee runs low along the fence line.. He’s sneaking.. this music is sooo over the top!!! lol guess this is high tech sneaking music..
Lee comes to a stop in the shrubbery 
and looks up at a window in a rather high tech building.
Is this building famous? Architect-Lautner? Lloyd Wright? anyone know it?
We cut to a bedroom with the lights out.. and a phone rings.
The bedside light is turned on – it’s Billy’s bedroom!
lol!! That was Jeanie?! we sorta got to see Jeanie??!!!
Billy: Melrose here.
Amanda: Hello, sir, it’s Amanda. I’m sorry, sir, did I wake you up?
Billy: Yes, Amanda, you woke me up, but it’s not the first time. What’s going on?
Amanda: Well, sir, when Lee and I got to Birchwood we saw the van that Mr. Simpson and I saw last night,…
…and so we followed it to a place called Blue Star Insurance. We think the night pirates have kidnapped somebody else, sir.
Billy: Night pirates?
[Aie.. to hear Rupert say it was a bit dumb.. to hear Amanda repeat it is just plain stooooopid. don’t mind me.. ]
Amanda: Yes, sir, that’s what Mr. Simpson calls them, sir. What should we do?
[looking forward to hearing what you all make of this!]
Billy: Follow procedure, Amanda. The situation report, please, now. Are you sure someone’s been kidnapped?
Amanda: No, sir.
Billy: Well, is anyone’s life in jeopardy?
Amanda: I don’t know, sir.
Billy: Is this clearly a matter of national security?
Amanda: Not clearly, sir, no sir.
[LOL so Lee’s “fill Billy in on what we’ve seen” was basically a “tell Billy we know nothing”]
Billy: Then don’t do anything, Amanda.
Amanda: No, sir?
Billy: No. Just take some casing pictures, snoop around a little bit, but don’t tip your hand. I’ll meet you at the Agency.
Amanda: Yes, sir, thank you sir. I’m sorry I woke you up, sir.
Billy nods and hangs up. lol..
Amanda settles in.. and waits for Lee.
We cut to Mr Leather Jacket Duran Duran leaning over Rupert – who has his eyes closed.
He didn’t take the pill.. is Rupert feigning sleep? 
Lee watches this from the bushes with his binoculars. LOL so kind of the baddies to plant the action in front of a window at night, with the blinds open!
Lee: Durran!..
We see the other baddie in the background looking suitably regretful about all this.. wimp!
Lee: Oh, Rupert, what are you into now?
Finally, we see the baddies draw the blinds and it looks like we have a commercial break here. Back from the break.. we find Rupert is being given a gas of some kind.
and flashing lights.
Durran is talking to Rupert. Durran touches his cheek like he’s checking Rupert is under- guess at this point it doesn’t matter that he didn’t take the sleeping pills? That whole aspect is confusing to me.. anyone else?
Durran: The time is 1962. You are working for the Agency. On a project code named “Pyramid”.
Rupert: Pyramid. Secret project. Classified.
Durran: Yes, that’s true, Mr. Simpson, then. But it’s long since been de-classified…
… As a matter of fact, I’ve obtained much of what I know from the Freedom of Information Act…
…For instance, I know you were very important to the project. I want you to tell me.
Rupert: I was the project construction coordinator. Put the whole thing together. Did a damn good job, too.
Durran (to the wimpy baddie): He’s the one we’ve been waiting for.
(to Rupert): Details, Mr. Simpson, I need details. Tell me how you built Pyramid.
Rupert: Concept came from the Pyramid of Giza, see? And we were like the Pharaoh’s engineers. Made the place strong as a pyramid from the front, and then, when the work was done, we snuck out the back door, just like they did. Clever, huh?
[I guess Durran already had the blueprint? or what was that blueprint at the start? and the model?
and this back door not on the blueprint? have I understood correctly?? help??]
Durran: Yes, very clever, Mr. Simpson, very clever. Now, what is the back door.
Rupert: The last wall we built. Couldn’t fortify it, so we had to be real careful about hiding it.
Durran: But you know where it is.
[yeah! it’s umm in the back! ]
Rupert: Course I do — I built it. Yeah — yeah.
Durran smiles.. pay dirt!
Oh boy.. anyone enjoy this particular sequence??
Durran and wimpy baddie are very happy..
Back to the corvette parked out front..
Lee’s on the phone..
Lee: Yeah, that’s right, I agree. Look Billy, I’ll get back to you if anything develops.
(Lee hangs up)
Amanda: What do we do?
Lee: We sit tight and keep an eye on things here…
[Amanda looks very concerned for Rupert.. wishing she could do more?]
…Billy’s standing by at the Agency pulling everything he can on Blue Star.
[Billy got out of bed to pull agency files? why does this image give me a fit of giggles????!!!]
Amanda: What about Rupert?
Lee: Look, no one who’s been kidnapped has been hurt, right?
Amanda: Right.
Lee: So we’ve got to go with the odds on this one.
Amanda: Ohhhh!
Lee: There’s no telling what might happen if we make a move on that building.
Amanda: I hate just sitting here.
Lee: I know. I know how you feel, but — well, Rupert will be a lot safer if we don’t provoke them. Hmm?
Amanda: Okay…
Lee looks toward the building with his binoculars –surely they can’t see anything from the main road?! lol!
Amanda: Can you see anything?
Lee: Nah.
(Amanda reaches over to take the binoculars from Lee)
Amanda: Let me have a look…
(Amanda looks through the binoculars)
…I can’t see a thing.
Amanda seems more worried about Rupert than Lee.. but then, I guess Lee is the more experienced so maybe he keeps it under better control.. I guess we see Amanda here battle the whole personal feelings vs. the job thing?
I think they should have had Amanda grab the binoculars while it’s strap was still around Lee’s neck.. could have brought Lee and Amanda’s faces close together.. real close together.. ahem.. and could have been a funny moment too.. so far.. this ep is very light on funny moments for me..
How about for you? do tell!! Looking forward to hearing from you!!!!!
"Just walk with me.." 
Well, Amanda may still have a Guest Pass, but she does have “Special Clearance”!!! ROFL! She is a clearance code all her own!
Oooh! And we get to see Jeannie’s head! But ugh, what’s with all the sirs to Billy…she is energized for sure and Billy is just trying to wake up. This reminds me if dingy Amanda from S2. I know she’s “excited” about all this and anxious for Rupert, but she needs to learn to get her emotions in check. I guess that comes with training and experience. She still has a ways to go. Oh – I see you’ve said basically the same thing in your post at the end!
Rupert is sort of cute when he’s under gas influence…. And I think because the “back door” was supposed to be a super-duper secret, it wasn’t on the blueprint. When they built it presumably they had to build it all underground so people above ground would have no idea it was there? Ignoring the practical difficulty of this, I can see the need to a way out. They couldn’t “paint themselves into a corner” with no way out.
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Special clearance, Billy at home, in bed with his wife, and I wonder where Lee’s hands were when he was trying to comfort Amanda with his “I know. I knows”?
That scene with Billy at home makes me think we have another layer of the personal side of life mixing with the highly trained professional operative again. Billy seems to be managing both…
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The call to Billy seems a waste of time – especially given they woke him up and had nothing really to tell him! Maybe this scene was more about trying to build tension. Amanda looks and sounds tight and uncomfortable. She obviously wants to take some action but knows that what Lee is saying makes sense. I guess another opportunity to see how Lee has matured professionally in that he is not rushing in with guns blazing to save Rupert.
Funny how they didn’t trust BB to be able to climb over a fence without injuring himself. Wouldn’t want to muss the hair or threads. 😉
Speaking of threads, everyone seems to be behaving themselves wardrobe-wise in the last couple of posts. The Fashion Police are enjoying some downtime but remain vigilant as we just know someone will step out of line sooner or later… probably Francine. 😀
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rofl! so glad you are still patrolling so faithfully kiwismh! we salute you! 🙂 Actually I’d say the wardrobe is a little dull.. at least when there are fashion don’ts we have something to laugh about 🙂
building tension.. yes let’s go with that! and yes.. when you consider how old Lee and Amanda would have handled this situation (as Michele pointed out) this does show growth on both their parts.. which is I suppose a good thing and only natural..
yes haaa not trusting BB to climb a fence haaaa!
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Now I am imagining ripped pants. Bad, Cindy, Bad!
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hooo haaaa!! see now they could have added more interest to these scenes! 😉
and as Lee returned to the corvette he could have showed Amanda 🙂 she could have given it a very careful examination.. and she could have offered to sew it up for him 😉
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Also, is anyone else besides me a little confused about Amanda telling Billy that they can’t be sure someone’s been kidnapped? The whole situation is pretty shady, and something weird is going on. Is there really any legitimate reason for taking a man who’s been worried about mysterious disappearances/reappearances in a suspiciously nondescript van to an insurance building in the middle of the night?
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Hi Jestress -yeah I was confused about that, then I figured they didn’t actually see Rupert get loaded into the van, and they didn’t stop to check if Rupert was in his bed or not – they just followed the van. One of them could have gotten out and gone to Rupert’s – but I figure they didn’t want to split up Lee and Amanda for this moment..
I guess it was new information that Blue Star Insurance was somehow involved.. but other than that nothing super urgent – then I guess Lee called Billy ( to tell Billy to go to the agency and pull files perhaps! 😉 ) and told him that it was confirmed they had Rupert, and – this is the moment where finally Durran’s plot and the night pirates plots are combined officially I guess..
Am I making sense? I’m feeling I need a hand with this plot – aie! 🙂
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I wish we’d gotten to see more of Billy’s wife in the series. Jeannie probably has some interesting insights about family life and the espionage business. From the way she just rolls over and goes back to sleep, these late-night phone calls are something that happens fairly regularly. She and Billy’s kids probably have days when they don’t even see him because he leaves in the middle of the night after getting a phone call and doesn’t get home until maybe the next night or next day or maybe even longer because of some emergency. But, I guess if Jeannie were present to tell Amanda about all of this, it wouldn’t be as meaningful to see Amanda kind of find out as she goes along.
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I also loved seeing Jeannie – why did she have to turn over in bed? I always look more at her than at Billy!! And it’d be great seeing Jeannie meet Amanda for the first time. Would they talk about the spy business or baking 😀 ?
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I do think that the plot in this episode is potentially a good one. Accessing the memories of elderly spies in their (security deficient) retirement home is an interesting idea. But these (brilliant) bite sized chunks of the episode are bringing home to me why it failed to deliver. Its just not fun. Amanda ringing up Billy and going through meaningless codes for him to tell her to do nothing is just lame. This is not the Amanda we know, who never stayed in the car and would never leave an elderly man in the clutches of the enemy. And Lee skulking in the bushes rather than breaking in the window? It doesn’t ring true. Are they trying to be realistic? If so, its a lot less endearing than even Lester the duck. And less funny. Of course a tangled binocular scene would have made a big difference to this segment 😉 It might have saved the dullness of ‘following procedure’.
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I like this Michele – I agree the plot could have been done well and the premise is an interesting one 🙂
yes it’s missing the fun..
LOL I hadn’t really noticed that to be honest – I was too busy gushing over Amanda actually having clearance!! These small gains for Amanda make my day 🙂 for this reason alone I’m not minding the phone call.. but yeah it was a bit of a nothing call huh!! ee hee.. and they even had to hire someone to play Jeanne for it and make a set for it – I’m surprised it got through the producer no? lots of $$ spent for a scene that was not needed..
Funny you mention lester the duck – the drugs, and flashing lights for Rupert reminded me of Lester the Duck!
yeah.. we can just add our own little funny bits to pad out the dull bits 😉
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Tee Hee – Now I have a mental image of Billy in his read jammies and robe at the agency.
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Don’t forget the slippers! The sky’s the limit on what he’d choose. 🙂
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Me thinks Cindy’s mental image of Billy at the agency in his jammies has been replaced by the mental image of a near miss kiss?! 🙂
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The funny moments really start to dry up at the end of S3. There are still good ones but they are moments rather than sprinkled throughout. I know from interviews that the network wanted them to be more dramatic than comedy at this point but I miss the funny.
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I like what Iwsod suggested. Have the binocular straps remain around Lee’s neck when Amanda grabs for them. At the very least, it could be funny. Even if they exchanged glances, it would have been cute. Although I think we’re overdue for another almost kiss. 🙂
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Yes! Yes! Yes! To the near miss kiss!
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hoooo haaaaa! Now you is talkin gurl!!!! 🙂 sigh it has been too long since we had one of those.. and I don’t know when the next one is if we get a next one.. don’t tell me!!!! It’s kinda fun to not be sure what’s coming!
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Hey Gail great to hear from you!
that’s interesting, I didn’t know the network wanted them to be more drama than comedy.
Maybe it was about winning Emmy awards? I heard that about Burn Notice – that dramas that are funny don’t tend to win them because they get split between categories and so don’t get enough votes.. but I don’t know 🙂
I was thinking last night – there actually were a number of really funny moments in season 3, it just – to me – doesn’t feel like it!
Maybe it’s because they are not so often? But they definitely are there..
One bear dances was flippin hilarious- I think it was a stand out!
When Dotty busts Amanda following her!
When Dotty is led away in the police car and says I thought I told out to stop following me! rofl!!
Oh and when Amanda frantically searches the room they are trapped in and Dotty and Zernoff think she’s lost the plot? Hilarious!!!!
but well.. yeah.. I agree there are not as many gags now.. I miss the funny too – and really enjoy the funny bits we do get now! 🙂
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An Emmy???!!! SMK???!!! ROFLMBO (I so wish I knew how to insert an animated smiley rolling on the floor laughing his butt off here.)
The SMK moment that always makes me crack up no matter how many times I see it is the scene in S1 There Goes the Neighbourhood when Amanda and Dotty were walking to the car in the supermarket car park and Harriet(?) pulls up and starts talking to Amanda about Frank getting stabbed and Betty getting strangled. The dialog and the look on Dotty and Amanda’s faces is priceless.
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lol yeah that is a seriously awesome moment!! the clash between suburbia and the spy bizz seems to get a little lost.. suddenly no one from Amanda’s cases ever run into her at the supermarket 😉
Emmy? you jest! 😉 hey.. SMK was nominated for 3 Emmys.. and won 1! IMDB has a listing 🙂
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Oh my gosh, the costumer was nominated for an Emmy for the PINK PAJAMAS???????? Thank goodness it was Arthur B. Rubenstein who actually won but I’m glad it wasn’t for the music in this episode.
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Ah Ruth.. says it all doesn’t it?! ahhhh The 80’s!!!! 😉
oh I agree re the music in this episode.. for me it doesn’t fit – I’d go with it if it was a plot that was especially high tech in some way.. but umm.. this ummm isn’t?
Maybe an ancient Egyptian tune could have been used.. lol..
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I fondly stick up for a lot of 80’s fashion, but even I can’t handle those pink pajamas!
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ha haaaa! I love it! Great as always to hear from you Raffie!
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Actually I see the call between Billy and Amanda as quite amusing. Billy is so dry (“Yes, Amanda, you woke me up, but it’s not the first time.”) and Amanda is all skittish and rambly. I guess she is tense as kiwismh says, but KJ plays it in a rather humourous way.
Am worried about Rupert – he’s looking very frail….
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