So we ended last post with Lee having tossed Falkan into a truck’s load of dirt.. and Billy leading Eagles and Webster at gunpoint..
Outside the warehouse, Lee approaches the back of the truck. In the distance we see Amanda running out of the warehouse.. followed by Billy with Eagles and Webster.
Lee: All right, come on. Get out of there. Come on!
Falkan starts climbing out of the sand. Lee keeps his gun trained on Falkan but he turns to look at Amanda (with her magical regenerating heels).
Amanda: Lee.
Lee: Amanda.
Amanda: Are you all right?
Lee: Yeah, how are you?
Amanda: I’m OK…
…How did you find me?
[Amanda is not letting go of those lapels!!! 
]
Falkan jumps to the ground safely and grunts;
Thank goodness Billy is around to ensure the bad guys don’t get in the way of a romantic moment!
Billy puts a gun to Falkan’s back and cuffs him: All right. Let’s have a show of hands.
Lee turns to watch Falkan be cuffed.. but Amanda pulls him back around toward her.
lol. go Amanda
She’s still got those lapels! She’s not letting go!!
I think she glances at his lips here
Amanda: How did you find me?
Lee: Well,..
…I guess I made a little deal…
…with the devil…
[too many pictures? Yeah.. didn’t think so!]
…I’m sure glad I did.
With this.. Amanda lowers her head..
And reaches for Lee and an embrace..
I love how he just watches her as she enters his space for an embrace Like how wonderful that she’s wanting a hug from me! It reminds me of how he watched her hand with fascination and amazement as it reached out for his earlier in the elevator.
For me, this is the episode where Lee knows for sure that Amanda has romantic feelings for him too.. and it’s where I see Amanda as having fully realised her feelings for him too.. but I’m sure you guys will put it way better than I could. Lee has the green light to make his move! Now.. it’s really about the timing..
Not close enough..
There.. that’s much better!
Add a little bit of rocking back and forth..snuggle..snuggle..
(phew.. well done Lee watching where you aim that gun!)
and.. Amanda has a smile of real contentment.. 
Anyone not full of contentment themselves when watching these two here?!
It’s sweet isn’t it.. A sweet victory.. It’s a triumph of love and the human heart for these two to be coming together this way after so many years..and.. it’s not something I see on TV much errr I mean at all these days!!!!
I think it’s no coincidence that this moment at the end here is so similar to the moment in sixties r’us – where Amanda holds on to temporarily blind Lee’s lapels and wishes she could hold him and be held… as I mentioned back in post 7 (and probably more expansively in the comments) – I see that moment as Amanda feeling the full force of her feelings for Lee – but she is uncertain in that earlier moment and isn’t sure what to do.. Then, in the elevator reaching for Lee’ hand she revealed her feelings to Lee unknowingly..
Here? Amanda is intentional in reaching for Lee and revealing her feelings. She takes what she wants [that’a girl!] – she wants Lee to hold her – Here IMHO she tells Lee that her progression from ‘friends to lovers’ is complete 🙂 Interesting to compare this moment with the moments earlier and see Amanda’s progress.. well.. I see it – but feel free to disagree if you wish 🙂 If you see a different progression please share!
I’ve always been too absorbed in the romance to stop and think about the dialogue here.. and the ‘deal with the devil’
I must be building up some kind of resistance to the effects of the awesome swoony power of Lee Stetson, because I’ve been able to have a thought aside from the romance here. LOL!
I’ve been thinking about the whole triumvirate thing.. I think this deal with the devil relates back to the triumvirate thing and to the very beginning of this episode.
A deal was made to release a ‘devil’ (Krakower) for the kidnapped school teacher.. the triumvirate were not happy this had happened so they sought justice by assassinating Krakower.
Here, Lee makes a deal with a devil for kidnapped Amanda – and he is happy to have done it. I’m pretty sure the relatives of the US teacher would have been happy with that deal that was made earlier- and would believe it was worth it. I guess sometimes the baddies may get away with things – but they don’t for long.. eventually justice prevails.. and I think Lee believes eventually Jepard will face real justice.. it just doesn’t have to be at Amanda’s expense!
The battle has really been lost when you take justice beyond the law –and become a baddie yourself. Lee has maintained his good guy status and Jepard he can deal with another day. Heck the guy only has one lung..whahahaha piece of cake 
oh and now people know what Jepard look like – I’m sure they would have taken pictures of him before they let him go 😉
Does anyone remember where or when we’ve talked hugs? I think I even published a comparison of a bunch of hugs.. but.. I can’t remember where.. help? Anyone? Me thinks we need a blog post dedicated to their hugs so we can source them easily.. anyone interested in the torturous task of collecting hugs and writing a blog post about them? !!!
Okay everyone.. I’ll pause here so we can explore this moment before heading into the tag.. I can’t wait to hear what you all think!!!!!
"Just walk with me.." 
Oh that hug!!!! He holds her so tight in his strong arms!!!
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Hi everyone
I just found this blog about a month ago so I am walking at a slow pace. I was in college when this was on and loved it. I used to think Amanda always loved Lee then as I read your thoughts I changed my mind and started looking for signs like you all do. I see this scene and I go back to my first thought. I think subconsciously she always has BUT has now allowed herself to accept it. I link this to my own life. My husband and I met when I was 38 and he was 41. Both of us were wary. Life lessons I suppose. I said after I finally said” I love you” that allowing myself to love him was the hardest thing I had ever done but once I opened that door it was the easiest thing I had ever done . Amanda was young when she married Joe. She had it all figured out until she didn’t. She not only had to trust Lee with her heart she had to learn to trust herself and her instincts. In this scene it is like she can’t hide from him or herself any more.
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“She had it all figured out until she didn’t. She not only had to trust Lee with her heart she had to learn to trust herself and her instincts. ” Love this!
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Once burned in a relationship you thought was solid, the restoration of self-confidence is a long, slow slog to trust your heart and yourself again. Lee, being a loner for so long, had his own issues to overcome. Most people have experienced a broken relationship at some point. The series took its time and I think that’s one of the reasons why S&MK remains so compelling after all these years!
I agree with Cindy, you have a great turn of phrase. Glad you’ve joined this delightful and insightful group of S&MK walkers, Maureen!
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I love how the running gag of this show is Lee saying “stay put!” or “dont follow me!” except here, she actually listens 😉 I think its one of the only episodes that she does listen.
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Amanda:How did you find me?
Lee: Well,..…I guess I made a little deal……with the devil……I’m sure glad I did.
THAT and the following embrace was what I was referring to when I stopped mid-sentence in my reply below in post 14/17.
[Lee&Amanda on February 4, 2016 at 9:30 am (14/17)
… Noooo, I forgot: That way we wouldn’t have a plot – or better a sequence of plotholes and neither this amazing Lee-Amanda scenes in the old Cumberland norrrr… oouuppss… can’t say more 😉 I should be more modest… and patient… tsktsktsk – shaking my head in wonder]
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Hi Everyone! Enjoyed hearing your thoughts!
Sorry I think I wasn’t clear. There has been no hugs post. I was suggesting it could be good to do one. But – I know there was an episode somewhere in which we compared hugs and discussed them in particular.. that was what I was curious to find. but.. I don’t have time to pursue this right now.. and thanks for trying to remember!
So no one is really interested in the whole deal with the devil? Given how many shared they were uncomfortable with the deal made with Jepard – I wondered how this scene with Amanda.. fit into all this?
I think the deal with Jepard was suppose to be uncomfortable.. dirty.. and wrong.. in a way! lol…. but because it saves Amanda – and because it is not the final page in the book about Jepard (and how he got caught lol) I think the writers are aiming for us to view it as a small loss for the agency, but a major gain for anyone who cares for Amanda 😉
Well I won’t go on about it now as there doesn’t seem to be much interested in this angle at the moment..
But should anyone in future be reading this ep and this discussion – I’d be really curious to hear your take on all this! byeee!!!
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Wow! Loving all the comments from everyone. It’s funny how Lee refers to Jepard as the devil and they were dealing with the 666 code numbers in that account. Also, interesting how Lee says he made the deal when it’s Billy who actually had to do the brokering as Lee was too keyed up about missing Amanda.
I’m not sure if there was a hugs post, but I do remember a hugs discussion that may have taken place in the comments section. That might be some weekend research.
I think that Lee fully knows where he is and what he’s feeling for Amanda right now. We have seen some of the changes and adjustments he’s made in his life and his lifestyle of late. I think that he is not so much less sure about Amanda, but less willing to push her and lets her move at the speed she’s ready.
He didn’t push a conversation after what he heard Dottie say while he and Amanda were listening in the car in OBDOBD. He just gives her a look and lets it go. I think he’s given her plenty of signs and signals as to where he is without saying the actual words at this point.
Amanda has shown and taught him so much about life and about who the real Lee is. He fully admits this in UN in the swamp. Amanda once mentioned how people at the Agency seem so lost and how they see some of what they do as almost a game. What Lee terms friends are not necessarily true friends but seem more like acquaintances. Even Francine seems to have less faith in Lee than does Amanda.
Amanda has shown him real friendship, true partnership, and I think he knows that she can show him what a real relationship is like. Lee knows that the suave and debonair routine is not necessary, but that has been his method of operation for so long. He knows that he cannot rush into anything with Amanda and he has to wait for her to be ready and is letting her take the lead. I think that he is seeing that she is gravitating more to him and wanting what he wants as well. Several times in this episode you can see the joy he is feeling as he sees how Amanda is responding to him.
I’m thinking Amanda feels the same way, but is still not truly ready to express it yet. She still has a bit of hesitation. Her reaction in the car in OBDOBD was to try to cough over what her mother said. But what she cannot or won’t intellectually say at this point, she is already saying it in other ways. Her reaching for Lee’s hand, her disappointment at him leaving the hotel room, her going in for a hug. Those are somewhat subconscious, but telling as well. She can’t help but be drawn to Lee, but they are both in sort of a holding pattern.
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Thought I’d add a bit about the gun. I never noticed it before until seeing the screencaps either – sorry forget who said that. I don’t like guns either, but I am completely comfortable with a gun if it is in the hands of someone who knows how to use them/is a trained expert/has used them. Guns are such a part of Lee’s life that I would trust him completely with a gun in his hand. It’s part of who he is and what he does for a living.
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Hiya iwsod! I love and don’t love this scene at the same time. The dialogue is the part I don’t love. I don’t know what I would have wanted instead, but this feels corny. I see the connection you made back to the beginning of the story, it’s just that at this point, every viewer of SMK is just so gosh darned happy with this hug here that talking about the case/work again feels off. I would not expect anything earthshattering to come out of their mouths – no declarations of love or anything like that – but maybe just a simple, I’m so glad I found you, would have been better. Who cares at this point about Jepard anyway?
I think it’s interesting that Amanda goes in for the hug from Lee, and then he gives in. I think at first Lee is struggling with their being in a work context. Billy is right behind him for crying out loud along with three baddies! This is not the time! But I think he cannot resist the hug of the woman he loves and so he gives in and hugs her back. The heck with Billy and those other nincompoops!
I don’t view Amanda as being in the same place as you here. I think this hug is more about her feeling safe again. Safe in the arms of Lee. I think she is falling more in love with him in the episode, but I do not see her journey as complete. I think at this point she may be ready to let go of her fear for herself and her family because of her job. Lee can find her no matter what. He’d even be willing to make a deal with the devil (ok, that counters my dislike of the dialogue, I know) to find her. I think at this point, she can no longer keep the fear of the dangers of the job between her and Lee as an excuse, which is a big chunk of her wall to come down. I would put compare this hug to the one in OTL after Amanda saw the gruesome fireball of flesh in the sky. She has progressed in her feelings for Lee, but I still see her as not yet completed that ‘friends to lovers’ journey.
I don’t remember where you’ve published the bit about hugs. Sorry!
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A delay of their moment would have been nice, I’d agree. A better place for this conversation would be back at the office. Another idea is if she remained handcuffed and once they got the three stooges captured, Lee comes back to get her out of the cuffs (no baddies around and no boss). And then as they’re walking back to the car, they have this conversation (‘deal with the devil’) and hug.
On that note… How would they fit Lee, Amanda, Billy and the three stooges in that car? Makes me think they did have back up. I mean, I guess they could fit six adults, but it would be awfully cramped. Or Amanda would have to sit in Lee’s lap. 😉
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Oooh – I like your alternative scenario. Keep her handcuffed and then Lee can go back to get her and then they have their scene.
I think the answer to your other question is…the car must be a clown car!
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Clown car….ROFL!
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If I remember right they have at least two or even three cars to use:
1) the back-up car Amanda and Eagles were driving with
2) the car Billy and Lee arrived at the warehouse
and I’m not sure about that one
3) the car Webster and Falkan used – or how did they come to the warehouse?
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You’re right, I did forget about the other two (not driven by Billy and Lee). So technically there’s two, because Falkan and Webster can’t drive back while in custody. Lee would take one and Billy would take the other.
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They do point out as they drive up that the backup car she was supposed to escape in is parked out front, so there would just have to be some fox/hen/grain math to figure out who’s driving who.
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Which I guess means that after kidnapping her, Falkan went to get the other two? They are such number-crunching administrator baddies, they even carpool to their crime scenes?
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That would be better. If they didn’t carpool, Falkan’s car would probably be confiscated once he’s detained and he’ll have another administrative nightmare getting it out of impound.
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SWOON *
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This is one of the few times Lee doesn’t reholster his gun at a moment like this. I feel like the prop guys were probably having heart attacks because even prop guns are dangerous.
Also, such an Amanda moment. She’s been kidnapped all night (because administrator baddies apparently need to have a meeting about everything first, even murder!) and the first thing she says to Lee? “Are you alright?”
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” She’s been kidnapped all night (because administrator baddies apparently need to have a meeting about everything first, even murder!) ” Hilarious! I wonder if they had motions, seconders, and followed Robert’s Rules of Order. Who took the minutes? Bwa ha ha ha ha!
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I wonder what type of decision matrix they used to figure out who would give Amanda the injection? Decision tree? Plus, minus, interesting? 6 hats?
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I love how Lee’s gun was still trained on Falcon, but he wasn’t paying one bit of attention to what Falcon was doing, he only had eyes for Amanda….
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The regenerating heels….IWSOD your commentary makes this process so much more fun (swoons screen caps aside ;))
I know why Amanda hangs onto his lapels (hand holding would probably look more obvious IYSWIM) but I confess it’s a habit that really, really bugs me 😳😳 Its still a lovely moment, Lee’s dimple makes an appearance as Amanda dives in for a snuggle 😍😍😍
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And handholding maybe wouldn’t have allowed for such a close-up? Agree with you – her lapel grabbing bugs me too.
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haha…. Her magic regenerating heels! I could use a pair like that. She runs over to Lee in those heels. At this point, she didn’t have to run, she wanted to. 😉
Enjoying these comments so far and all the great screen caps (thank you, Iwsod!) I’ll be back with more thoughts.
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HI!!! This post forced me to come out of my busy family cocoon. I am so glad it did!!!
First off, the Gun! Ugh. I hate guns and the idea of that gun there in that beautiful embrace bothers me. BUT! I think it is important that it is there. It is part of the territory, that territory that they are both stuck with. And Amanda is comfortable, Amanda who hates guns, Amanda who has really learned a lot about using them and about how Lee uses them. Remember that scene in RFTS when Lee guns down that guard and then reaches for Amanda’s hand and reassuringly leads her past him. We talked about how Lee knew that would have affected her and yet he leads her through it because it is part of this job and it is part of what he does. Here she is embracing him, fully, while he is holding that gun. His finger is still on the trigger it seems to me. And yet it doesn’t stop the intimacy and complete comfort of their embrace. I think that is kind of important.
I guess I kind of see this embrace as the continuation of their little exchange on the couches the night before. Then they were just about to open something up between them and it got cut off. Now, not only are they seeing each other for the first time since then, Amanda has also faced death and Lee, losing her. I think emotions are strong and yet everything still is unspoken. But it is there and they each know it fully about themselves and I think they are pretty close to acknowledging its true about the other. Funny though, because I still think there are some pretty large seeming hindrances between them. Actually I think both of them think they are large hindrances but they are really just light weight two dimensional things. One blow on them and I bet they evaporate rather quickly 😉
And, I am not too worried about those bad guys getting away. Everyone knows who they are now and how they are connected to the Agency and the crimes. It wouldn’t be hard to corral them if they did get away and I think the Falkan and the rest know it might be best for them if they just came with the good guys willingly. Their only strength was in their anonymity anyway. I do love the way Billy doesn’t even give Lee and Amanda’s embrace a second glance. I think he is more aware than even they are, even at this stage.
Love the screen caps!
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I love the hug here but there have been loads of warm hugs, some initiated by Amanda or at least jointly. I suppose this one is that bit sweeter because of all that went before it and because it was done openly in front of everyone. In fact a little irresponsible to Lee to leave Billy to round up the triumervate . If they had a brain between them, they would have managed to free themselves and take Billy’s gun in a minute (and just as well they haven’t). I like that Lee is unaware of all this and thinks that comforting Amanda is more important than cuffing Falkan.
The set up may have been contrived but the payoff was very sweet.
I didn’t mind Lee with the gun but I suppose that could be because I have never really seen one in reality and I tend to see them as tv props rather than weapons of harm. I think it is probably something you wouldn’t see in tv these days where the reality of gun violence is so much greater
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I guess there could be armed guards off camera with their guns trained on the three so they won’t run. (Or maybe I’ve seen too much modern day cop shows?) More cars (back-up) could have pulled up behind Billy and Lee after they showed up. Or that’s what I’m going with. Can’t ruin Lee and Amanda’s moment. 😉
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I was kind of worried about one or more of the triumvirate trying to make a break for it also. On the one hand, I love Lee and Amanda showing their relief at getting through this, but I’d feel better if a couple other agents came running up to lead the bad guys away so they could safely focus on each other.
I can’t remember if anyone actually did a hugs post or if we just talked about it. Sometimes, it all blends together. I do remember that we were talking about kinds of hugs in Over the Limit when Lee finds Amanda after the explosion. Actually, I think we talked more about it sometime after that, but I just can’t think when.
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I’m not seeing any hugs posts. Also thinking another, very related ‘event’ might be worth a similar style post. Not thinking too far ahead or anything. 😉
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What do we think was Lee’s reason for holding back and letting Amanda take the emotional lead through all this? Is he trying to be careful not to take advantage of her vulnerability? Or is he adrift in terms of how to handle things? Or is he just wanting to watch to see how things play out on Amanda’s terms? Or is he really wrestling with his own emotions and so trying to keep a tight lid on things himself? None of the above? Or a mix of some? No matter the answer, I love the elevator scene, the hotel room scenes, and this Lee-Amanda reunion scene for Lee’s strong yet gentle reserve. And yet this reserve cracks ever so slightly in the elevator smile, the hotel room soul-bearing conversation, the secret gaze, the relieved and grateful hug. It as though, for this dance, he has decided to let Amanda take the lead, and he has lovingly and capably followed fully in step, and the result is simply beautiful.
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I personally think he’s letting Amanda take the lead. I don’t see him trying to keep a lid on things as he quietly shows his pleasure in the lift scene and during the hug here.
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I think Lee doesn’t really know how to proceed and even if he should even though I don’t think he can help himself. The way he feels about Amanda is so different than anything else he has ever known, I think. And beside the fact that I still think he has irrational, unresolved fears about really truly loving another person the strength of what is growing inside of him for Amanda is overriding this fears. Yet they are still there. Plus this isn’t just some lovely little affair (yes, I meant that) he is contemplating with Amanda, this is a life altering affair on all accounts. Amanda has kids, Amanda is his work partner, Amanda would require permanence. He had better not make any missteps and he had better be very sure of her. I can imagine all of that being quite paralyzing. And yet, he is savoring every tiny bit of evidence that she just might be on the same page that he is. I love watching it.
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Really like this, Morley! I think this is one of the reasons why his love for Amanda is growing so strong. By focusing on what it would take to make Amanda happy, he’s letting go of what wasn’t working before. Those ‘lovely little affairs’ that were short lived or had nothing to sustain them. For him to love Amanda, he has to let the past go. But that lets in more of what really matters. I also think that her reassurance (the touches, the hugs) and the fact that she’s testing the waters and figuring things out too, they’re moving through this at the same pace. It’s surreal for both of them.
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Hi Morley – I just wanted to reply that I’ve enjoyed hearing your comments and it’s great to see you’re back! 🙂
This whole idea that you’ve shared… that there is still something holding Lee back?
I approach this from a very in the moment view point- I think this sometimes means I have ideas about how the story is unfolding, but as the story continues to unfold and I learn new information – I am also constantly looking back on what has happened previously, what I thought could be happening, and then reinterpreting it based on new information.
So what’s ahead for Lee and Amanda? I am really focusing on not thinking ahead as much as possible here which I think colours how I see current behaviour – and sometimes that might not be completely accurate based on future information.. but I want to experience the show as it unfolds.. and as it would have unfolded for the characters.
All this is a rather long preface to my reply to your comments Morley – right now in the story, I can’t see any indication that something is holding Lee back other than his needing for Amanda to be in the same place. If he has deeper issues going on now – for me, at this point in the story I don’t know they are there.
If he has an irrational, unresolved fear – I’m not seeing anything in the story at the moment which tells me this.
We all approach the show slightly differently.. I know you’ve said before you have a picture of how the story unfolds in your mind that you’ve found works for you and that’s great! Maybe your picture has fit together all the information in the whole show – my picture is mostly made up of what has unfolded so far – so we are viewing things very differently and I know you can’t change your picture and I wouldn’t ask you to 🙂 I hope I’m making some sense here..
Basically when you share your picture, you can’t always fully explain it because there are future events which we are yet to cover – so you patiently wait till we get there and then you share how it informed your picture of the story.
Please continue to share your picture! I appreciate how you do this: you share your picture and you don’t jump ahead 🙂 You’re very considerate! 🙂 {edited to clarify}
I’ll keep sharing my sometimes (in hindsight) strange or inaccurate picture – which I am constantly updating (or trying to!) as the story continues to unfold.. and I suspect we will probably meet up in the same place eventually! haaa!!
Thinking only of what we’ve walked through so far – I think Lee and Amanda are at a point where we can’t see now what could be holding them back from moving forward.. other than the idea maybe of making this massive change slowly so they are both comfortable with it… and – I think that this could be what the characters see now at this point too.
When starting a serious relationship there are no guarantees ever that things will work out. Even when you’ve been friends for years.. so I think the characters are slowly moving forward into the unknown… I guess in any relationship things will come up throughout life.. you deal with it.. and move forward.. or you don’t (Joe King Anyone?!).
Ramble ramble.. send off this comment before it gets anymore massive!
bye guys.. I love hearing everyone’s point of view about our fave characters!!! 🙂
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Hellooooo me again. this comment of mine needs a bit of clarification.. Thanks to the lovely and wonderful member of the JWWM community who emailed me to clarify my comment – I’m glad to know – so I can put things right 🙂
(I’ll try but I know I won’t always get it right!)
I was not saying that Morley sharing her speculation or thoughts on Lee’s fear was somehow jumping ahead… speculate and explore to your hearts content everyone and I enjoyed reading Morley’s comments!! 🙂
Sometimes being the moderator means my words may be interpreted to have wider meaning – when one was not intended. Honest! 🙂
If I think something is jumping ahead I will clearly say so – I want you all to feel comfortable in commenting here.
My comment was simply me sharing how my experience of the walk at this point is different.. and exploring why that may be so.
Future episodes are a blur for me.. for some of you they are fresh in your mind – it is very natural that this would change we experience the journey. The observation I was making was that this can result in us asking different questions about the characters as we all stay in the moment and follow their journey.
There is no expectation that people who remember season 3 or 4 well can completely erase it from their consciousness 🙂 I haven’t been able to completely! though.. I give it a go 😉
But you all do a wonderful job of not referring to what is ahead and you are patient with people like me who don’t remember what is ahead and may say things which people wouldn’t say if they knew what was ahead – you know?
I think you guys are wonderfully patient with me and my (at times) ignorance of future events 🙂 thank you!
I love that Morley raises something that is completely not a question in my mind so far.. Morley raises interesting speculation here- but I am experiencing the show differently and am not in a space at the end of this episode where this is a question mark for me.. so far! lol..
Episodes down the track, I’ll quite possibly look back on this phase in their relationship and think – yeah there probably were fears. lol.. but for now with what I know I don’t see any. Which in itself (to me) is really interesting. But.. to others it may just be a confusingly weird thing to ponder (and that’s cool 🙂 ) As I’ve said in post 17 – I’m left with the impression that these two could ‘officially’ jump into a relationship at any moment.. It’s seeming like the pieces have fallen into place… at the moment! 🙂
I hope I have expressed myself more clearly this time.. and apologies for any confusion caused.
Okay I’ve gotta run! Hope you all enjoy post 17 and I’ll be back later today to enjoy your thoughts bye!!!
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And to further clarify, I love this banter about ideas 🙂 Hi Iwsod!
I know I do put my knowledge of what lies ahead sometimes in my SMK thoughts. IAt least I try to when working on the stories about their thoughts. I understand that it doesn’t work like that here and so I try to tie one hand behind my back and go for it blind on JWWM. But, actually, my comment about fears is based on what we do know about our beloved characters. We have learned a lot about how Lee and Amanda have responded in the past. I love them because they do respond with integrity, they want to be honest and do the right thing, they are honorable to others and to themselves. But none of us get that right because we are riddled with fear and insecurity, some more than others and some for “better” reasons than others. I believe that is part of being human. What I love about Lee and Amanda and this show is that they show the characters growing and healing and its subtle. But still the effects of the past are there. We know (or I believe) that Lee had in the past chosen to compartmentalize himself mostly due to his past (his parents death, he colonel, Dorothy) and partly due to his job (had he picked this line of work because it worked well with his choice of how to deal with his emotional response to life events?). We know that anytime that Lee had delved into a deeper relationship it was torn from him. We have also learned that he has been almost irrationally protective of Amanda- he used to blow up at her when he was scared for her.
Amanda, too, has chosen to deal with past hurts by focusing solely on her kids, “sleeping” (isn’t that how we felt she had been coping when we first met her?) and hiding in a fantasy world in a way. She has grown a lot and awakened again, but I still see her holding back for some reason here.
In light of these things, I would be surprised if there weren’t fears that still lingered in each of them, especially as they contemplate such a life altering relationship. I don’t think there is anyway they could consider what is occurring between them as anything but.
For these reasons I have suggested that they are holding back because of irrational fears. I agree that wisdom would cause them to move slowly, but this is really slow in my mind, for two people who love each other so well. And other than because TPTB wanted to milk it for all its worth, I have to find another reason for the snail’s pace 😉 Mental gymnastics again 😉 hehe.
I love this discussion…
As for making a deal with the devil, I guess I see all of this spy life as a deal with the devil. Maybe its part of the territory? I guess I figured Jeppard never really got too far anyway. How does one escape with one lung? Do Billy and Lee really have the jurisdiction to promise him all that anyway?
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Just quickly wanted to say hey Morley – and I’ll look forward to fully digesting this comment later tonight as my reward for getting through a day’s work – really glad you enjoy the banter too 🙂
Hiya guys! look forward to reading all comments at the end of my workday – bye!!!
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whoooo fun! glad you were able to stop by Morley and explore your ideas a bit further 🙂 Okay – I can see what you are saying.. based on what you know about the characters you can see there are likely ongoing issues. Cool!
All that you say about Lee’s past, abandonment issues etc.. all sounds good to me! And beautifully put!
Where I differ is- right now in the journey, It’s looking to me like Lee has dealt with his fears.. Lee’s been making the changes he needed to in order to explore a relationship with Amanda. I’ve been seeing him work on it since we’re off to see the wizard really – he’s been making big changes in his life.
I’m seeing plenty in the journey that indicates to me he’s been doing the work. And he’s made some very brave decisions, there have been brave moments, where Lee has been vulnerable and emotionally open with Amanda which has shown his maturity.. there’s been moments were I’ve felt he put Amanda first and he seemed to be no longer being ruled by his fears..
At the same time – it stands to reason that in any relationship there is no way of knowing what issues will arise in the future. The story right at this moment seems quite idyllic – they are poised on the edge of taking the next step.. If there’s something holding Lee back now – I can’t see it at this point in the story.
Hear hear! I love that too.. It is one of SMK’s best qualities!!
Based on this you are concluding that Lee may still have an issue here? is that right Morley?
Yes I can see that’s possible!
to argue the alternative side.. I’ve seen Lee work through accepting the danger Amanda faces in the business, her choice to be in the business, and the priorities he needs and Amanda need to choose in the field. I’m thinking (and this is quite possibly just me) that Lee dealt with these issues in Fast food for thought…
100% dealt with forever? I figure it would never 100% be dealt with or easy to see someone you love in danger.. but I see Lee as having matured enough and worked through it enough that he is now at a point where this would not prevent Lee and Amanda moving forward with a romantic relationship. It comes with the territory.
And Amanda? I’ll respectfully disagree here. I don’t think she has irrational fears. I think her fears are rational.
but I’ve also seen loads of indications in this ep that she has deal with these rational fears, realised her feelings fully, integrated them, and has begun to show them.. Has she really? I have no idea.. I have to keep watching to find out I guess.
Joining in with your speculation Morley – based on what we know of Amanda is it possible she will have irrational fears that hold her back from this point onwards?
I think there’s reason to think yes (and you describe this well) and there’s a case for no: she’s a strong women who has over come much in life, and been working on her own growth as a individual in her own right.. Amanda is brave with her emotions and her heart. I think once she commits her heart she’s committed her heart.. Right now I’m thinking she did that in this ep. I could change my mind completely in the next episode- I don’t have a set view of how things unfold or even how they are unfolding right now -I’ll change my view of things if future eps reveal a new part of the story that’s yet to be revealed… and I’ll look forward to it!
A friend said to me today: Hindsight is 20/20.
With SMK I don’t have hindsight and don’t want to – I want to experience the wrong turns, the confusion, the misdirects or whatever.. it’s what it would have been like to watch this show as it aired 30 odd years ago…
Am I being extremely annoying right now? hmmm quite possibly.. so Iwsod shall sneak away quietly… Just one last thought in reply to this comment of Morley’s:
Very Carefully 🙂
bye guys!
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I think he is enjoying watching how she is responding to him – that unrestrained cuddle from her (once she finally drops the lapels) without her arms between them is so sweet. But I think that, while he’s aware of how he feels about her, he maybe wants to check out how she feels about him? Maybe I’m projecting because if I were Lee, I’d want to be more sure of Amanda before I took the huge and scary leap forward in the relationship.
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Hi Everyone! I’ve had a massive few days.. but just wanted to say I’ve been enjoying your comments.. and your shared enjoyment of our fave couple 🙂
I agree with what you’ve shared here Learjet!
I know I’ve said before that Amanda is on watch and see mode.. but I guess now Lee is too because he’s looking for a response 🙂
don’t forget: this ep isn’t over yet! 🙂
and LOL no one has commented about the triumvirate? all of us are too busy relishing this dreamy moment? 🙂
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Maybe her very real brush with death has been the catalyst for Amanda to finally face and accept her own feelings for Lee. The prospect of a quick and fiery end to her life must have bought everything into stark focus for her, making her rue what must (now that she is facing the imminent end of her life) seem like trivial reservations about acknowledging her love for Lee.
Love that hug but you’re right Iwsod, the gun worries me too. Maybe it’s an Aussie/Kiwi thing – not used to seeing guns. Certainly you’d never hug someone while you were holding a loaded gun.
This embrace always reminds me of the one at the end of Dead Pigeon. Would be good to compare.
My only bugbear with this scene is that, swooney as it is, Lee takes his eyes off Falkan who could’ve jumped off the dump truck and kicked the gun out of his hand or at least made a decent attempt at escape. Sure Billy was coming along but he’s already got two miscreants to take care of, although they are cuffed I suppose so not much of a threat.
I guess this just shows how much Lee wanted to acknowledge Amanda – a momentary lapse while he took his eyes off the bad guy. Just as well Falkan’s not much of a bad guy. Jepard would’ve been on Lee in a second! 😯 (Even with just one lung 😉 )
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Yeah, maybe Lee thought that Falkan was such a wienie crybaby on the conveyor belt that he wouldn’t have the guts to try anything * shrug *. And oooh that smile on Lee. * THUD! *
(I never noticed he’s still holding onto the gun, but it is so obvious in the stills. I guess I have to go back and watch the scene play out live and see if it makes an impact. Tough life, I know!)
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I agree Kiwismh, One-lung Jepard wasn’t incompetent just evil. On the other hand, the Three Stooges are seriously Riddikulus! And the gun bothers me too. I’m always yelling at the characters to be careful! Guns freak me out.
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Oh my, just the sweetest scene. Must study your wonderful photos some more Iwsod turns into a pile of mush
Sigh….
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