Back to the baddies..
Durran: This old man has just found the needle in our haystack, Atkins — the weak wall. It’s on Level F…
[Seems Durran had another copy of the blueprint 
]
…It has taken me 20 years to figure out this pyramid. Thank you, Rupert Simpson.
Whimpy Leo Atkins: I don’t like it. What if he remembers something?
Durran: Nah, he’s harmless.
Leo: He worked for them. What if he tipped someone over there? Mentioned Pyramid?
(Durran reaches over to a box of vials.. uh oh..)
Durran: And broke his oath of secrecy? Nah, they wouldn’t have made him Pharaoh’s engineer if he was prone to that.
Leo: What are you going to do with him?
Durran: Well, this little booster is going to make Mr. Simpson so addle-brained…
…he won’t be able to string together two coherent sentences for the next week…
…It’s cleaner than murder, and just as effective…
[Is it just me or does this have shades of Service Above and Beyond? Reluctant wimpy baddie watches on while the big baddie draws up drugs and injects others!]
[Very decent of the baddie to cover the injection with his hand so we can’t see it]
…There, right.
(Injection done, Durran opens the door)
Durran calls for the men in white: Get him out!
Durran walks back over to his blueprint..
Durran: Now, come on, loosen up, mate!…
…The fun’s about to begin.
Leo: ‘Fun’? ——, what a curious word you use.
Duran: Hey, I paid you for the full ride, Atkins. Too late for second thoughts — way too late.
Leo: I wish I had used my head before I got involved with the Agency.
Duran: In a little less than 10 hours, the Agency will cease to be a problem for anyone.
[Who is this Leo Atkins? He’s involved with the agency? Not that I need to (or want to) know all the details or anything but I have no idea who he is and why Durran had to pay him anything… I guess he is with Blue Star Insurance.. Is all this about bringing the agency to an end?? destroy the agency??
I went back to an earlier post [post 8] and Atkins says “They can track those names through my policy lists. I’m the one who’s exposed.” – I find it all quite vague.. maybe it’s because I’m not especially engaged with the story.. but here’s my guess so far- Durran paid Atkins to locate the agents who worked on Code Pyramid through Blue Star Insurance policies.. and it seems the agency tends to deal with Blue Star.. lol here again we wonder – should the agency have it’s own insurance company? I thought agents were suppose to have covers so they were not identified as agents.. but whatever.. Do you think Durran wants to know about Code Pyramid to destroy it? or is there more going on here?]
Back to Lee and Amanda staking out Blue Star insurance in the corvette.
They see the white van exit.. and they follow…
The sun rises over Washington D.C.
We see Lee and Amanda again pull up at Birchwood.
Lee and Amanda enter Rupert’s room with a little trepidation.
Love how Amanda holds on to Lee’s arm
Lee heads over to Rupert’s bed to pull back the covers while Amanda nervously stands back.
Lee: Rupert? Rupert, wake up.
Rupert suddenly sits upright
– scaring Amanda.
Rupert: What’s wrong? Did I miss breakfast? Oh, I always sleep in my uniform,..
…so’s to be the first one in the latrine! And the mess hall…
…Rotten food. But there sure is lots of it.
Amanda: Rupert, are you all right?
Rupert: Yeah, course. Fit as a fiddle…
…Slept like a log…
…Do I know you?..
…Where the devil am I? Oh-ho-hoo,..
…I’m in the wrong barracks!
(Rupert sorta puts his hat on)
(Rupert salutes Amanda and heads for the door)
(Amanda, confused sorta salutes back)
As he leaves the room Rupert mumbles:…Right, left, right, left, right.
Amanda turns and heads to the door still saluting. Lol..
Amanda is still saluting as she turns to Lee confused..
And still saluting as she heads for the door after Rupert.
[It’s all too blurry for me to bother]
Amanda calls after him: Rupert! Rupert? Rupert!
Amanda’s funny here.. good to see a bit of humour being injected here.. phew.. we need it..
what do you all make of this?
Yes Amanda.. you were this silly when you were ate the chicken salad sandwich 
but IMHO you were funnier!
Moving on to IFF, and whooo Ms Walker is still patrolling the perimeter!
In Billy’s office we find Rupert sitting at a table and doing kooky weird things with the jigsaw puzzle..
Does anyone find drugged Rupert funny?
I don’t, but that doesn’t mean others can’t find it funny.. if you do please share what you’re thinking!
I wonder why it is that I could find drugged Amanda funny, but I can’t find drugged Rupert funny? Maybe it’s his frailty? Anyone having the same experience I am?
The camera pans from drugged kooky Rupert to the other side of the room..
What a shame we didn’t see Amanda in front of the flag.. I think we saw that in the bit that announces the show will be right back – I vaguely remember seeing that on recorded of the TV dvds.. Anyway.. moving on!
Lee: How is he?
Pfaff: Let’s skip the exotic psychological gibberish. [Oh booooo I enjoy that! ] Most of us exist in three dimensions. Right now, Mr. Simpson’s drifting in and out of about four or five.
Lee: What did they do to him?
Pfaff: Blood analysis indicates substantial traces of trichlorolmethyldehydrine… [Phew!! Kudos to Happy Camper who managed to transcribe this!!]
…which — more gibberish, sorry. It’s a psychoactive drug administered as a gas that does a terrific and non-lethal job of scrambling the brain. Lasts for about a week — give or take a day — but no lingering ill effects.
[I’m glad to hear it. But.. Rupert was given an injection and a gas.. I thought the injection was the psychoactive drug.. given so he would say nothing that made sense? Yet again, I’m confused.. give me some of that drug!!]
Francine: And there’s no antidote?
Pfaff: No, just time.
[Oh my gosh.. That outfit needs an Antidote!!! those ear buttons!! gah!!!! ]
Billy: Can we talk to him? I mean, can we get any information out of him?
Pfaff: You can talk to him all you want; he’d love it. Probably drive you nuts.
We cut back to Rupert doing kooky things..
and the kooky music..
Meh.. enough of Kooky Rupert.. we get it..
Is it just me or is this all a bit slow?!
So who likes the flag? Who doesn’t?
What are you all thinking of KJ’s direction?
I know some of you said earlier you enjoy this episode, please forgive my narky comments.. and feel free to share what you love – always open to hearing different views.. maybe you’ll help me to enjoy this episode more! Can’t wait to hear from you all!!!
"Just walk with me.." 
I have to admit, that shot of all of them standing in front of the American flag was pretty cool! IDK why, but I always liked that shot!
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Bwahahaha – love that the baddie in the suit is “Whimpy Leo Atkins”. Did you do that in prior posts?
Looks like rather than go through US Government Medicare insurance, they’ve contracted their health care insurance through Blue Star – a privatized company. LOL – now there’s a statement for ya. Is it because Medicare isn’t good enough for these older, retired agents or is it a security need? Haha – given that the whole Agency is run through the government, I’m guessing it’s the former….maybe they wanted these people in HMOs…ok, I’ll stop there.
Why does Amanda have hold of Lee’s arm? It’s cute and all, but doesn’t really fit. They’ve been up all night and this is not a particularly dangerous situation. What am I missing?
Rupert is very funny and cute in this scene! He’s not as funny back at the Agency ripping the puzzle pieces apart. No matter how scrambled his brain is, why would an engineer like Rupert do that to those poor puzzle pieces? I guess he doesn’t see them as puzzle pieces.
Okay, fashion police – Francine needs to be arrested. What is she wearing??? And those awful ear buttons!
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I like that Amanda isn’t the perfect model of a completely put together woman. She has her moments of brilliance and then her not so sharp ones and that makes her… well, it makes her like me. A normal woman. And I think it interesting that these aspects of Amanda’s personality must be how KJ conceptualizes her, because she was the one directing this one.
Wasn’t that flag part of a promo for SMK? Again, I see it as part of the theme. Once again there stand the pros, right in front of a big bold American flag, the one they have given their lives (maybe even their personal lives) to protect. But I also like that quirky smile on Lee’s face as those professionals stand there watching Amanda interact with the drugged old man. She is the one who can get through to him and I think Lee loves that. he fact that he loves that kind of brings the professionals standing in front of the flag into a direct appreciative relationship with the quirky normal woman. Works for me.
Oh, And I love Rupert in this scene. He reminds me of an old man that I spend a lot of time with lately.
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I love your take on normal, morley 🙂 I know some people find Amanda’s lapses of competence and Lee’s temperamental loss of control (not so much this episode, just speaking generally) unenjoyable, but I like the realism and the humanity of these characteristics. Was it just earlier today that I got out of the car while it was still in drive? Was it just last weekend that I told my close friend that I’d been looking for her son Tyler at church, only to be reminded by her that Tyler was actually someone else’s son? Did I just get irrationally angry at my husband for expecting a Thanksgiving dinner Thursday even though the whole family won’t be gathered until Saturday? Did I drive my goddaughter to her ACT test early this morning wearing a coat over my pajamas? Yep, I personally need Lee and Amanda to be a little imperfect so I can feel a little less imperfect!
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Raffie, your comment here had me in stitches! Especially the getting out of your car when it was still in drive…😂 …the other day I totally turned my car off when it was in drive coming into my driveway (I think I was meaning to press the garage door opener on my sunvisor but was distracted by kiddos arguing… ) Anyway, I love yours and Morley’s thoughts here about Amanda’s moments like this and Lee’s “tempermental loss of control”, as you say. I have thought about this with all of his more annoyed looks throughout this episode…how real that is. Their relationship has such real elements to it – these two people still have ups and downs with each other, themselves , work stress, lack of sleep, etc.
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Sorry this post disappeared for about 12 hours! lol!! my fault – long story – but glad I was able to restore it with the lovely comments.. I’ll be back later today to respond – bye!!
[and thanks Sara for letting me know – I’d miss the blog being deleted at the moment me thinks.. I blame that very distracting Lee pic in the side bar.. hooooo haaaaaa.. focus iwsod. press ‘post comment’ you can do it……
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Maybe they put up the flag to make Rupert comfortable? He thought he was still in the army.
I love funny Amanda from S1 & S2. It’s some sort of weird feminism to me that you have this goofy housewife, who is as smart and able (or more so) than the official secret agents. At some point in S3, it seems to have been dropped (whether written out as character development or part of an overall change in the general feeling of the show, IDK). When it shows up in S3 and S4, it does fit in the way it did in the earlier episodes. I love all 4 seasons but for different reasons. It’s funny to me that I find myself drawn to rewatch S3 and S4 more even though I think S1 and S2 are better. I also find that I only want to read fanfic when it relate to a favorite show that was problematic to me. For example, I love Madmen but I would never read the fic because it is so complete to me. I can read SMK S3 fic all day.
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whooo don’t tell me what happens to smk humour for the rest of season 3 and into season 4 gail – you can head to Nedlindger’s to discuss this if you wish but for now, here? Hold that thought 🙂
I’m with you on mad men – such a clever show! I’ve just discovered it.. into season 2.. not writing online about it.. lol just watching and enjoying and not creating work for myself:)
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Like Raffi5, I am a bit thrown by the flag. Maybe it was an 80’s thing but if so, why haven’t we seen it before? Very puzzling. (However, I am glad that Francine got advance notice that they would meet in front of the flag that day and is appropriately dressed in red stripe! She is a dedicated and repeat offender of every fashion crime:-)
I am even more puzzled that Lee and Amanda calmly follow the van with Rupert back to the home, making no attempt to catch the miscreants, follow the van to its lair or even get the number plate (well they might have done the last, this could emerge in the next episode).
I do feel sorry for Rupert, I like him and anyway I hate seeing him so confused, he is brave and vunerable.
I don’t mind the saluting though, I could see myself doing the same kind of thing, more or less automatically.
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Hey Michele great to hear from you!
lol.. true I guess they knew the baddies were connected to blue star and that was enough.. and they wanted to straight away check if Rupert was okay – but it’s daylight when they wake him so is it much later?
the timing is all a bit strange.. I’ve mentioned this in the next post so i’ll say no more for now.
yes! Arrest Francine please!! go for it Michele 😉 we should all arrest her 😉
yeah the saluting was automatic.. that’s true!
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I had a random thought here. Haven’t seen the episode in a while and my weeks keep filling up, so bear with me. In this episode, we have retirees and active agents. Maybe that’s why they paired up Atkins and Durran? Atkins may have earlier knowledge that’s useful to Durran. So far, he’s not really showing us that, but otherwise why would Durran be working with him? In the beginning, he tells that group of guys, “I’m paying you to kill them, not get killed yourself”…blah, blah, blah. So it doesn’t sound like he’d bring in a wimpy guy.
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Not sure about the flag as a backdrop either. People standing in front of it makes it looks too posed. Maybe it helps detract from Francine’s sweater, but according to Kiwismh, she’s still in trouble. Francine looks good in red, but she needs a different top and to lose those red button earrings. I’m going with the theory that she’s kidnapped on the way to work by fashion crooks and forced to wear some of those outfits. 🙂
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Better than my theory that she lost a bet and this was her ‘pennance’.
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Maybe.. interesting! we do have an older baddie and a younger baddie teaming up – the inter-generational thing seems to be a theme in this ep. Good call!
Oh I think only a wimp would take money to do something bad and then moan about it the whole time -especially when you’ve outgrown your usefulness and the guy you are moaning to is a ruthless dragon 😉
I’m just surprised Durran let him live that long – I don’t even know if Durran killed Atkins, could have been suicide no? I guess no suicide note hints that it was Durran?
But either way.. murder or suicide, I’m still surprised Durran let him live that long. I guess he needed the blue start offices to interrogate the residents maybe.. ohhh whatev!
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I’ve always wondered about that flag — was someone trying to salute the miliary? It wasn’t a significant USA anniversary year. The Reagan era was very patriotic but I can’t recall anything around that time warranting a brazen patriotic display like this. Odd.
I enjoy the Amanda saluting scene. I don’t mind Amanda being a little ditzy. I really think that’s part of her nature, and while she learns to control it, sometimes it still pops out.. I just watched Weekend and can relate to Lee’s line to her: “Just be yourself … but not too much!” Maybe the show is fighting a lost cause. A ditzy agent is almost an oxymoron yet it’s exactly what gave the show its legs in S1. Well, that plus a cute and long-suffering agent partner.
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I hear ya raffie – I think Amanda’s character is tough to develop and get right. she’s still Amanda.. but.. she’s also got to grown into a mature agent.
Maybe Emily is our role model here? she was a bit kooky and off the wall – but still a super clever mature agent. I like to think if the story had continued, Amanda would have ended up developing into someone like Emily 🙂
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Oh, I like that, Iwsod! Emily is definitely a lovely blend of agency professionalism and amusing personal quirkiness!
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‘amusing personal quirkiness’ APQ? I love it!!!!
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The Amanda saluting scene makes Amanda look S2 ditsy again. Not my cuppa tea. She’s more professional and clued up than that now, so these moments to ditsy-ness don’t really seem to fit.
I just knew Francine would be the first fashion arrest I would need to make. She is a determinedly recidivist fashion felon. She may have been trying to camouflage herself against the flag so as not to be noticed, but the Fashion Police are not so easily fooled. It another stay in fashion prison for you Ms Francine. 😎
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rofl. love your fashion arrest kiwismh! 🙂 she deserves it!
This little ditzy moment didn’t bother me – but I totally understand what you are saying and why it bothered you! Maybe if it had gone on longer? I don’t know..
I don’t know if it makes me impossible to please, but I don’t want completely serious Amanda, but I also don’t like dumbed down and ditzy Amanda.. maybe I can have small doses of ditzy Amanda without it seeming she is dumb. does that work? lol..
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The ditziness does bother me. I’d much rather have amusing personal quirkiness – like you said above. Ditziness to me says lack of intelligence, and I think Amanda is intelligent – just in different ways than Lee or Francine. I think a person can be completely quirky (think T.P.) and still be intelligent. I wish they could have kept Amanda just housewife quirky not spy-biz ditzy. I know she has to learn but they don’t need to make her appear like an idiot before she learns what she needs. Easier said than done though.
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” I wish they could have kept Amanda just housewife quirky not spy-biz ditzy. You’ve said it so well! That is why I am such a fan of early season 1 Amanda’s character and not as much of late season 1,and most of season 2.
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So Francine matches the flag in her stripes, then we see Billy and I keep thinking he should have a nice blue tie with some white stars to complete the matchy-matchy flag theme. The flag as a backdrop seems somewhat contrived (an idea by KJ that didn’t quite come off?) – more like a publicity shot than part of an episode.
I do find the Rupert/Amanda saluting scene amusing – it definitely harks back to S1-style humour – but I don’t find confused-Rupert-at-the-Agency funny. And the building blocks?? My kids played with those type as toddlers….!
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LOL learjet I hadn’t noticed the blocks. random! He’s a bit loopy so lets give him children’s toys?
Hmm I wonder if this is alluding to Rupert’s role of engineer/builder? maybe Rupert chose those toys out of the toy box! lol..
Yeah I don’t mind the salute either – ditzy but not in an ‘I’m stoooopid’ kind of way.. so I was fine with it, but it’s interesting how were all different with what we are okay with and not okay with 🙂
contrived? smk? 😉 I can’t think of a specific moment but my impression of early smk was it was patriotic to the max.. so that we suddenly see an American flag? yeah.. this is smk.. lol I don’t really question it..
I just think whooo that looks totally contrived but hey Lee looks good in front of it.
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I think I’ve settled on a theory for the flag. It’s a backdrop for their documentary promos. When they make brochures or film jacket covers, they use it as a backdrop.
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Brilliant!
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