We join Billy, Lee and Amanda heading back to the bullpen for that huddle.. 
Billy: You’re saying William Towne is a Russian spy?
[Eh? Umm wasn’t Lee saying that before in Billy’s office??!!! you know.. compromised codes and all that?!]
Lee: No living relatives, no school records. They invented him Billy,…
(Amanda wrings her hands together as Lee talks..)
[She must be itching to interrupt if she believes Towne to be innocent.. but she is wise her and lets Lee finish]
…and he has a condo in Baltimore as Wally Tuttle. The prints match. 
Amanda: You can plant carpet fibres and fingerprints, and that condo is hardly lived in. 
Lee: He just bought it Amanda! 
Amanda: Oh look, the shirts hadn’t even been worn. It’s all conjecture, you don’t have any real proof.
[Sheesh.. the one time smk actually goes all CSI and it doesn’t even really prove anything?! tee hee.. ]
Lee: Oh, Soviet agents don’t usually carry ID’s.
[I’ll add: judging by Amanda, some American agents don’t either! 
]
(Billy joins them holding the envelope with Francine’s vacation photo in it.. while Amanda picks up the file with the chemical analysis in it.. ) 
[I like that she isn’t giving up!]
Amanda: Listen, somewhere in all of these – ah, ah – pictures and…
…– and – chemical break-downs with moo goo gai pan…
[Anyone making Moo Goo Gai Pan for dinner tonight?!]
(We see Lee give Billy a look here- a scowl.. But Billy is listening to Amanda and not paying any attention to Lee )
…with MSG, the—…
(We see a speedy close up on ‘MSG’!!!!)
…Wait a minute, that’s it.
Lee: What’s it?
Amanda: Well the MSG…
..When I was at Will Towne’s house…
…his wife had an allergic reaction to the Chinese food he’d ordered… 
(At this point Lee is listening more intently and grabs the read out to take a look for himself)
…because he’d forgot to tell the restaurant not to put the MSG in it because she’s allergic to it…
…Now there’s MSG in this – 
…he would hardly make the same mistake twice, would he? 
[And.. he would hardly order Chinese take out two days in a row would he?! but.. whatev..
Go Amanda! She rocks!
Hey, good thing the restaurant has lousy customer service.. because if they did – they would have remembered Towne doesn’t want MSG in his Chinese food and would have done that for him! They did confirm earlier Towne is a regular customer..
Oh and – good thing Edgar is lousy at choosing the location to plant bugs, if he’d been good at it (hey he’s only number 5) they would have heard the conversation about the allergic reaction to MSG and would have taken care to not make this mistake.. but hey.. the Russians have been pretty cunning.. as we know they can be: from the way they set up Amanda in spiderweb]
Lee: No, not likely. 
[Credit to Lee.. he catches on quickly once this new evidence is revealed..]
Billy: Would somebody please explain this to me…
[LOL ahh bless him]
…I mean you found Towne’s death certificate.
[noooo they found an entry in a book. not a death certificate!]
[I’ll explain Billy! Ummm birth and death records can be fabricated.. A husband’s mistake cannot haaaa]
Lee: This has all been a set up to make us think that Towne is a Russian… 
…Billy, can you believe this – what a prize!.. 
[Even better than a Kewpie Doll huh!] 
…A top code theorist and we hand him over thinking he’s one of theirs! 
Billy: You’re telling me he’s not? 
[rofl.. oh poor Billy.. keep up Billy! lol.. poor guy. His mind is probably racing – but who can I swap now to get back Francine?!!]
The blinders have well and truly come off Lee’s eyes: Towne is a good guy!!!
Once Lee catches on.. he catches on!
Lee: They almost pulled it off too… 
[Lee is amazed at their cunning.. Gregory does seem to be the type to go for the big and bold win.. trying to take down the the creator of the agency the first time we met him tells us that! He’s a fun and clever baddie – a good foil for Lee and Amanda.]
…They probably used a double to do it,…
[LOL now it suddenly all seems so obvious to Lee- a double! of course!]
… except…
Lee slows down.. as a thought strikes him..
A small smile appears…
and Lee waves his pointing finger around a few times as this thought truly sinks in.
Lee turns to Amanda.. 
then back to Billy.. 
Lee continues: … they made one crucial mistake…
(As Lee says this, we see Billy turn to collect his envelope again.)
(Lee pauses.. and prepares himself.)
…Our Agent of Record…
…caught it.
Amanda’s a little shy here.. very sweet.. she doesn’t gloat.
They don’t say anything for a moment.. That Lee calls her Agent of Record is praise enough!! 
Amanda reaches out to touch Lee.. but thinks better of it..I’m guessing those lapels are calling her name 
[darn she is so professional to be able to resist! ] 
Lee smiles and meets her eyes.. oh boy.. there would be such admiration in his eyes! I would have loved to see this moment in a close up.. I’m guessing it would be right up there with that look he gives her in Burn Out – when she says she really does understand. Aie. it seems strange to remember the slap at this moment.. but it’s there.. and it was a big moment for them getting through that challenge.. and yet again: here they are getting through yet another challenge stronger than ever- with Lee again amazed by Amanda’s professionalism, and her forgiving graciousness.
You do get the feeling if you gave your heart to Amanda she’d look after it- you know? oh sorry.. I digress! Back to the scene!
Amanda seems to be aware of where she is.. Umm she is standing in front of Billy and in the middle of the bullpen. not a time to get lost in those eyes and touch those lapels.. ahem..
Amanda turns back to Billy..
While Lee remains in awe of Amanda.. [me thinks.. utterly grateful to have her on this case and in his life. Amanda makes it easy for Lee to admit he’s wrong. I wonder if that is some kind of a relief for him…]
Oh I cannot wait to hear what you all make of this big moment!!
Amanda notices the change in Billy’s demeanour.. while.. Lee just notices Amanda 
Amanda: What’s the matter Sir? 
[By the way- I note Billy was not surprised Amanda figured out the Russian plot.. and that she did her job as the Agent of record he’s moved on to more pressing concerns]
Billy: I just found out who the Russians are holding for a trade. 
Lee: Who?
(Billy hands Lee and Amanda the photo)
Amanda: Francine? 
Lee: What’s she doing in Kabul. She’s supposed to be in Cairo on vacation. [Need to know Scarecrow!]
Billy: She’s not supposed to go undercover without my approval. So, how do we get her back?..
[Billy quickly switches from this shouldn’t be to.. how can we fix this.. maybe it’s just me but Billy is very boss like and professional in this episode!]
..Thanks to your good work we don’t have anybody to trade for her anymore. 
Cue the uh oh looks all around!
I wonder how the realisation about the Russian plot would have gone done had Billy told them first that the hostage was Francine.
Anyway – I’m busting to hear your take on this scene everyone!!! Glad to get to the big pay off for watching all this fighting 😉 Anyone care to share?
"Just walk with me.." 
Wrong Number has historically been one of those not my least faves but not my faves. But man, watching this scene today was fabulous and made my heart get all fluttery. This action from Lee is so very significant, and that look he gives her with those words “our agent of record” just are amazing. KJ and BB knock this scene out of the park.
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Okay.. so seems there weren’t ideas for how this case could have been solved (other than the fan fic Jestress has posted on Neds – cool!)
So I’ll just go ahead and share my own idea for a solid piece of evidence that could have been used to back up Amanda’s MSG reveal and so would have seen Lee’s realisation seem more convincing and less out of the blue.
I think when Amanda was watching that vid of the drop and seeing Towne collect the money this was a great opportunity.. it was very quickly moved on from though.
I think it could have been the key to getting actual solid evidence!
Here we had an actual date and time when they knew where this person who was suppose to be Will Towne was.
If it wasn’t Will Towne, as Amanda believes – then where was Will Towne when the drop took place?
Was he at work? was he at home with his wife? Was he getting a speeding ticket somewhere?!
They never actually checked where Will Towne was when the drop took place!
Gah!! I think they should have given Will Towne an Alibi that Amanda revealed right before her MSG reveal (which ironically reminded us of the drop and that whole contrived set up). The real Will having an alibi was kind of screaming at me to be answered..
But then.. I was enjoying the scene and could accept the reveal as it is so I just went with it (but I understand this was not everyone’s experience).
Anyway.. thought I’d share this idea before it leaves my mind never to return!
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Good question about Towne’s alibi! I don’t think they ever said anything about it. Did the Russians deliberately pick a time when Towne would be doing something that would make it unlikely that he would have witnesses (like working on something at home while his wife was out somewhere or going for a jog by himself)?
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Sooooo… is this the moment where he actually consciously realises he is in love with Amanda (as opposed to just knowing he desires her on both an emotional and physical level and wants to pursue that desire). Is this the moment where the words form in his head “I love you, Amanda”???? Is that why he is so fixated on her for so long here?
Or has that already happened in a previous episode.
kiwismh is feelingin the mood to pose the BIG questions today. 😀
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whooo yep big questions for a Friday evening phew! 🙂
Some may say yes it is the moment, others may say no it isn’t.. some may say they don’t know.. There’s no one right answer happily! Gives us plenty to discuss! What do you think Kiwismh?
Is it possible he had already acknowledged to himself that he loved her, and then had this additional professional realisation that just added an extra dimension to it? I’m thinking it is possible.. and I tend to resist picking one big moment. lol.. I agree it was a significant moment though..
Based on my experience of the walk through the triumvirate, I was pretty sure by the end of it Lee was in love and he knew it.
gosh.. I need to ponder this one.. and consider it in great deal. such a tough tough task this is.. ahem.. you ask hard questions kiwismh 😉 teee hee..
What does everyone else think?
Bye!
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so late to this party, but here none the less.
I think Lee has been aware for a while that he feelings he has for Amanda are serious and love, but something has held him back from acting on them. we see tiny little forays of him stepping forward, but he always seems hesitant and not willing to make any status quo changing moves. I think this little moment may turn his yellow light to a shade closer to green… but not totally yet.
realizing that he has loving feelings for Amanda was hard enough for him but risking their friendship and work relationship by entering into another type of relationship would be really difficult for him. I believe that one of the fears that really holds Lee back is a fear of loss and stepping into a romantic relationship with Amanda would really touch that fear. I mention this because I really think that fear was behind a lot of his crankiness in this episode.
How does that fit into this moment. I think Lee is pretty aware that anything with Amanda would need tp be long lasting.. . permanent – or else it wouldn’t be worth the risk. So somewhere in his thoughts he must have wondered if Amanda was spy material enough to be his life partner. How would she handle a life commitment to him, the world class international spy. See, I can see his fear of loss and subsequent defenses coming up in response to this question from the very first scene they were together in in this episode. But here I can hear that defensive wall beginning to come crashing down and I think that is thrilling Lee. However, I don’t think this moment completely demolishes that wall yet… soon, but not quite yet.
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I’ve been wanting to come back to this look from Lee and what it all might mean, but we’re at the end of our school year here and that life has taken precedence and will do so off and on for a bit. In any case, Lee has a history of giving Amanda these “looks”. They’ve ranged from annoyed to exasperated in the beginning when he was first getting to know her. Then it moved to awed, surprised, and stunned when she accomplished something or figured out something before Lee or anyone at the Agency did. He then segued into acceptance and understanding as they moved into friendship and partnership.
I’ve mentioned once before that I think Lee had all these firewalls that Amanda has slowly been breaking through. Lee has trusted her with a great many things and I think he is finally realizing that he can truly and completely trust her with his heart. I still think there is at least one more firewall that has to be broken through before he fully commits to what he’s feeling, but they have been dropping quickly of late. The look he is giving her seems to be one of awe and adoration.
For some reason some of the lyrics of the following song came to mind when I saw this look of Lee’s:
You’re just too good to be true
Can’t take my eyes off of you
You’d be like heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I’m alive
You’re just too good to be true
Can’t take my eyes off of you
Pardon the way that I stare
There’s nothing else to compare
The sight of you leaves me weak
There are no words left to speak
But if you feel like I feel
Please let me know that’s it’s real
You’re just to good to be true
Can’t take my eyes off of you
Of course, I’m dating myself with this Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons song.
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Beautifully put – and you’re dating all of us who know the song along with you. Although I think I still hold the age record for having actually used a slide rule at least once.
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Haaaa!! hey how’s your banana bread Janet? How’s life at Birchwood? 😉 whahahahaaaa..
I’m kidding!!!!!! totally kidding!!!!
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It took me a minute to see what you were saying.. dating yourself? is this like that Whitney Houston song about the greatest love of all?! tee hee.. I complete misread you! tee hee… I guess the ‘dating’ concept is front and centre for me at the moment because of Lee and Amanda 🙂
i.e. Lee and Amanda are ‘dating’ but not calling it dating yet.
Shoulder pads and ear buttons? ‘dating’! horrifically so!!! 😉
whoo a wonderful walk through the history of Lee’s looks Valerie.. I sense a potential future post????!!! [Always hopeful, never presumed 🙂 ]
Whoooo I’ll be on the look out for that one to go! 🙂
Swoon… When a good man looks at you like that.. how can you not buckle at the knees!!! Amanda is a strong woman! 🙂 – which btw makes her perfect for Lee 😉
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We may have replaced the trope of Amanda lucking her way into the answer, but the entire plot does hinge on the fact that Gregory unfortunately put this football into play at just the moment that Amanda was doing Will’s security check – and yet he must have been aware of it because he saw her leave the Townes’ house.
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whooo I forgot the old ‘luck’ trope! good call Janet!
yes I agree it does hinge on this, but I don’t see this as not fitting. I think it fits very well. Because Gregory has a particular axe to grind with Amanda – I think that made it even sweeter for him to decide to make his play.
yes! Operation slide rule will definitely go ahead now I know Mrs King is involved!! how can I refuse this opportunity to take my revenge, dupe her, ruin her career (agent or not lol), and just feel darn brilliant and super clever at having bested her and that Lee Stetson…grrrr!!
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I do not have time to get caught up on a binge, but I cannot let this post pass without a comment. This scene for me is one of my favorites in all the series. To me, this is when Lee’s heart is completely, totally, and irrevocably lost to Amanda. In this moment when she catches something in a professional capacity (that has nothing to do with lucky guesses) that Lee missed, the last bit of resistance, fear, hesitation, you name it has flow open and the last piece of the puzzle fallen into place. There is no going back for Lee here. The door has opened, he has stepped through, and the door has shut again behind him. He is now on the other side. This is Lee’s magic moment, and I think he even realizes it, and I think he is even okay with it. I see nothing but good things in his facial expression and body language. If they were not at work and right in front of Billy, I think he would not be able to resist pulling Amanda into his arms and kiss her. But he can’t – not here – and I think that is a good thing because Amanda is focused more on the professional aspect here, that she’s found the flaw in the Russian’s plan and has saved the day. No guns, just a tiny detail involving husbands and wives and Chinese takeout. I wish I had time to say more, but I don’t. I’ll get back as soon as I can, but I had to share these thoughts in real time.
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I agree with you that this is the “event horizon” for Lee. I think a main theme of this season has been resolution. Lee has had closure with his heartbreak over Dorothy. Amanda has faced her past with Joe’s return. Lee gave up serial dating and even tried dating someone “normal” only to find all roads lead him back to Amanda. A remaining obstacle for both, whether conscious or not, has been their “unequal” professional relationship/standing. In this moment, I see Lee, after a valiant and last ditch effort to resist, completely surrender and acknowledge that Amanda is a full-fledged partner in every sense of the word and now they are free to move forward on common ground.
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Hello Kingston – Welcome to JWWM!!!!
As this was your first comment it went into moderation.
Now I’ve approved both your comments you should be able to freely comment and see your comments straight away 🙂
I’ll be back later to respond – just wanted to say a big welcome!!! so glad you’ve joined us!!!
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Yes, sorry, I thought it was a glitch from my computer. Thanks for the welcome! 🙂
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weird! this comment was treated like spam by wordpress but I caught it!! hang in there Kingston! no idea why.. I’ll keep an eye out for your comments should you have further issues..
otherwise I’d recommend you sign up for a wordpress account and sign in to that and then comment.. they are free and easy to get.. good luck! 🙂
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Welcome, Kingston! “All roads lead him back to Amanda” — yes, what a great summary for the S3 evolution as well as for this particular episode. I do agree this was a remaining obstacle that had to fall (although I feel the fall was inevitable, because for me Lee’s point of no return had already happened an episode or two ago), and both of them seem incredibly relieved to have overcome it. It’s a scene powerful enough to overwhelm even the most preposterous of plotholes!
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Agree ‘All roads Lead him back to Amanda’ was a great way of putting it Kingston!
Love this Raffie!!!
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good call Kingston… yes lots of issues have been resolved which enables Lee and Amanda to come together to form a healthy swoony relationship in Season 3.. gee I wonder how this season is going to end.. and
Now Lee has had this significant moment – and changes his view of professional Amanda.. are there any more moments or resolutions that need to take place?
….. Are we there yet? 😉 haaaaaa..
errr these are rhetorical questions of course… because the blog doesn’t jump ahead..don’t let me tempt you to jump ahead haaaaa.. just thinking out loud, enjoying your comment and all the delicious possibilities that are ahead for our fave characters!
Thanks for sharing Kingston!
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Welcome to the fun 🙂
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Welcome to the blog, Kingston! I’m sorry I’m very late welcoming you – especially since you agreed with my comment 🙂 RL is a bit overwhelming at the moment, but I finally made it here for a bit of a binge. Hope to see you on future posts!
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and I am latest with the welcomes, but i will offer it any way! Welcome Kingston!
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I completely agree with you that this is Lee’s “event horizon”. I believe a main theme of season 3 has been resolution. Lee has had closure over his heartbreak with Dorothy. Amanda has confronted her past with Joe’s return. Lee has grown tired of and ceased serial dating, and even tried dating a “normal” person, only to find all roads lead him back to Amanda. A nagging obstacle, whether conscious or not, has been the “inequality” of their professional relationship. Finally, after a valiant and last-ditch effort at resistance, Lee can no longer deny her increasing competence and at last surrenders. Now that he can view Amanda as a full-fledged partner in every sense of the word, there is hope they can move forward on common and solid ground 🙂
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I’m guessing you thought your first comment hadn’t worked Kingston because you couldn’t see it – but it was because it had gone into moderation.
I thought I’d go ahead and publish your second answer because it was so full of smk goodness and.. it was slightly different 🙂
Again- welcome!!!
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Welcome, Kingston!
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BJo I loved this comment! So beautiful!!!! 🙂
I don’t know if it is Lee’s magic moment myself.. but your comment is magical 🙂
I’d go along with everything else- but I find it tricky to commit to one big magic moment.
You put said it brilliantly! so glad you did share your thoughts! get back when you can 🙂
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Hiya, iwsod 🙂 I’ll have more thoughts in the future about why this is Lee’s magic moment…stay tuned.
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Another thing – Lee’s sudden acceptance of Will’s innocence?
Yes the visit to the school scenario would have been great.. and I can totally see where you guys are coming from when you say it was all a bit sudden.
Lee was even rattling off the evidence as they walked into the bullpen!
But.. as I just commented about – I like to think Lee realises the personal information Amanda collected was so difficult to fake that the Russians didn’t manage it..
It does seem sudden.. but then I see Lee as holding on to his beliefs and it’s taking more and more effort to disregard what Amanda counters with..
So it seemed Lee was become more and more convinced.. but really it was the opposite..
You know how some times someone’s reaction is the most intense right before a big change of heart kind of thing? this is how I see Lee here.
So for me, I’m okay with Lee’s change of heart.
I like that he lets it go and moves quickly with the new information – which IMHO could be another indicator that Lee had underneath it all actually been listening to Amanda’s frame up fantasy after all maybe 😉
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You know what else I like about this reveal with the MSG?
We have a plot break through here where Amanda has put the pieces of the puzzle together through her skill, and her hard work.
No accidental reveal! No coincidence that is really just an smk coincidence! No let’s ask TP and he’ll happen to know!!
Not even Lee’s source did that – her knowledge turned out to be part of the Russian’s set up plan..
They named Will Towne and the meet in front of Rhonda like there was no tomorrow!
And to top it all off – Amanda’s talents were seen for what they are by Lee and Billy.. and her grace and professionalism was on full display – for me there’s so much to love in this reveal that I don’t mind it a bit! 🙂
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It also means that they know Rhonda is one of Lee’s contacts. Wonder if there was a second copy of the barnstorm list that had fallen into the wrong hands. Oh dear.
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That worries me too – and I can’t remember if we see her again or if she “disappears”, never to be seen again. Oh dear.
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We’re not suppose to remember. we’re suppose to wonder.. and look for our answers 🙂 it’s half the fun!
I hope we do see Rhonda again.. but yep.. it does seem her cover is blown. maybe it’s time to sign her up as an apprentice agent!
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She could work for Leatherneck..ooh fan fic idea. 🙂
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Hi guys! don’t buy the sudden whooooo yes!!!! MSG!!!!??? 🙂 haaaaa
I totally see what you mean. it’s pretty flimsy.. for some reason it didn’t bother me though! lol.. I’m usually bugged by lame plot devices too! lol..
I figure that Gregory’s plan was so elaborate and gutsy, and evidence was so obvious that he didn’t count on anyone checking so closely – after all it is all one major bluff on Gregory’s part.
Without Amanda, he would have been successful and no one would have checked further. Which illustrates IMHO that the set up was good enough – except for the fabulous work of the agent of record 🙂
So with this in mind – I don’t really mind the depth of the evidence and the whole school records not erasing Will Towne’s childhood.
Just like in spiderweb, in wrong number the Russian’s scheme was gusty and elaborate – but it was not perfect.. and nor could it ever be..
And just like in spiderweb – what they couldn’t overcome in their attempted deception was the personal information – that comes from having a relationship with someone. This is something that is extremely difficult to fake. So Lee wasn’t fooled into thinking Amanda was a Russian spy, and Amanda wasn’t fooled into thinking Will the repentant husband was a Russian spy.
As I jokingly said in the post – it’s extremely difficult to fake a husband’s thoughtlessness or thoughtfulness 😉 – for me this type of information about Will’s ordering MSG is more authentic.
Though okay if you scratch beneath the surface there are plenty of holes here.. lol.. and you all make excellent points! 🙂
but there’s enough here that I can go with the plot happily – because I enjoy a good set up by the Russians! 🙂
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I am thinking that the msg catch is part of what Amanda brings to the table due to here “normal life ” knowledge. I think part of what Lee is understanding here is how valuable that “normalness” is to the spy work.
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It’s wonderful to see the look of adoration and admiration from Lee to Amanda. But it bothers me as to what we had to go through to get that look and how it all hinged on something so seemingly insignificant as MSG. Amanda has all kind of research on Towne that Lee barely glances at. She has interviewed the man and double checked all of her work. She is willing to stake her reputation on this man’s innocence. Yet Lee doesn’t believe. He does however believe a two-bit piano player, a badly handled drop, a too clean condo room, and other bits of contrived evidence, including the papers he’s holding when the light dawns. If Amanda were ranking Lee based on this case up to this point he probably would rank any higher than Edgar.
However, there is a bit more than just the MSG here, or so I think. Amanda is not so much focused on the MSG itself, but on the relationship of a husband to his wife. His wife suffered ill effects from an allergic reaction and he was very considerate in fixing the situation. It is that expertise of Amanda’s that I think helps Lee to see the light. Lee referred earlier to Amanda’s personal feelings getting in the way, but I think he is seeing that in many ways what she feels on a personal level has always been a strong facet to her personality and it has also helped her professionally as well. She is more able to see both sides of a situation and therefore better able and equipped to see some things that Lee wouldn’t necessarily see. She was spot on in Affair At Bromfield Hall when she could tell that relationship between the Lord and Lady wasn’t what it was purported to be.
Amanda was able to put two and two together from the same evidence they had looked at earlier. Something seemingly small and innocuous broke the case. Many times it can be the minor technicalities that cause the biggest downfalls. Even Gregory understood that from his earlier run in with Amanda.
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I think you illustrate so well why an Agent needs a partner – because they complement each other. Some data, different method of analysis and different conclusion. The sum of Lee and Amanda is bigger and better than the two individual parts (OK, this if for BJo when she gets here ;))
(Lee + Amanda) > Lee on his own + Amanda on her own
(And this applies to them both professionally and personally)
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LOL – I finally made it here, learjet! And I agree – there is some synergy in their partnership. But I’m a little bummed out…because by this logic, we could never be partners – we think too much alike! 😦
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Love this!!!! I think this is powerful evidence.. and it’s great that Lee sees this.. it redeems for me some of his behaviour! 🙂
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The MSG find just adds to the confusion for me, I’m with Billy, “Would someone please explain this to me!” 😜 But who cares, Lee’s back on Amanda’s side, he’s complimented her by calling her the Agent of Record, he’s looking mighty pleased with her work and showing those dimples. 😍 Like iwsod too bad they didn’t give us a close up of Lee’s admiration here. I do feel for Billy in this scene.
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I suppose Amanda has realised the possibility that there is a doppelganger and this other man they are after is not Towne who she interviewed. So, if this guy ordered Chinese with MSG, he must not be Towne.
As to why Lee suddenly makes this leap of logic as well, is not so easily explained. Maybe he is beginning to learn to think a bit more like Amanda, or at least appreciate her brand of logic.
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I’m preferring to avoid the plot craters and just concentrate on the dimples. 😉
Amanda catches herself before she allows any intimacy to show (in front of Billy), but Lee seems to have forgotten Billy is there until Billy’s Russian Hostage Update. Damn that Francine! Even when she’s not there she still find a way to disrupt the L&A goodness! 😡
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I’m with you Kiwismh.. I’m not minding the plot craters for this one 🙂
focus on the dimples.. good plan 🙂
We best not look a gift horse in the mouth 😉
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OK, I’m still confused but I guess the answer to my confused-ness over the death registry is answered here … the Russians, in an effort to make Towne look guilty, got his name in the death registry, and expunged all Towne’s school records, and presumably all other footprints of his identify? Did his credit cards still work? I think the reason I’ve never understood this part of the plot is because it is preposterously unbelievable, even for SMK-land. Am I totally missing something here?
So on to more enjoyable thoughts …. The “I was wrong” – “it’s okay” scene is wonderful. You’re right, iwsod. I never thought about it like this before, but this is very much like the Burn Out plot. We had to see Lee be a jerk in order to get to this point where he concedes (ever so graciously) and Amanda accepts (ever so graciously). Woohoo! The clouds are gone, the sun is shining again, all is right once more with Lee and Amanda’s world!! (That is, if they can forget about Francine for the moment.) I love how KJ played this … the emotional intensity and pure relief of Lee being back on her side professionally and personally almost induces a loss of professionalism for Amanda, but she catches herself at the last minute. We all knew what she was about to do — surely Billy did too! Unless he was too distracted by the concern about Francine to notice….
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I have trouble believing that they could have gotten rid of all of Towne’s old school records — elementary school, middle school or junior high, high school, and college! Even if they did somehow infiltrate all of those school to eliminate the records, they wouldn’t be able to wipe him out of the memories of teachers and classmates (who would have retired/moved on by then, but still would be traceable). What about employers who would have checked his school records before employing him? Nope. I just don’t believe it. 😛
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Haha, I’d meant to end my post with that same Dotty quote and forgot — so glad you remembered it!! 🙂
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Weirdly, the original script had them going to his elementary school after the Registry office – the files have been rifled through and his records are missing but the teacher remembers him and Lee still isn’t completely convinced but at least it set up the niggle of doubt that made this whole nonsensical MSG twist somewhat more palatable.
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Why, oh Why didn’t we see this scene?
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That would have been so much better than having Lee just suddenly change his mind when he hears about the MSG. I wonder why they cut it?
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Now this makes sense. Thank you for looking this up for us, Janet! 🙂 🙂
I can understand that the MSG being the final piece of the puzzle but it needs the elementary school scene as a vital part of the puzzle – a corner piece you could say (OK, maybe this metaphor is getting away with me 😀 )
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If you were writing this episode.. what evidence could they have uncovered that you believe would convince Lee realistically that Amanda is right and Lee was wrong wrong wrong?
I’m curious..
I’ve got an idea in mind..
but for now – I’ll throw this question out there to everyone who finds the MSG reveal a bit meh – I’m curious to see what you guys could come up with – if you like I mean.. just as a game..
just because you find the MSG reveal Meh doesn’t mean you have to come up with a different idea! 🙂
I have to laugh that yep.. yet again fingerprints and hair samples were planted!!!
[iwsod edited so it hopefully makes sense!]
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I’m a little divided. I agree with what’s been said about the importance of this reveal and that it’s about more than the MSG. I like the thought of the school visit for at least planting the idea in Lee’s mind that he might be wrong and then the MSG is the final piece of the puzzle.
Maybe it’s the scene before it that makes it seem ‘meh’ for me. They go to question Towne about his citizenship. Nothing is really learned from it. Lee references Towne as the ‘football’ and Amanda says that’s unnecessary. Instead of that, maybe Amanda goes to the school alone and finds proof Towne went there, while Lee and Towne meet. And then Lee, Amanda and Billy meet up together, Amanda shares what she knows with Lee and Billy, and the MSG information is the final piece of the puzzle (cue dimples).
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That would make sense. I’ve been thinking about different possibilities, and I thought I’d post them in the Episode Rewrites Thread on Ned’s. Some of my ideas would probably rewrite at least part of the end of the episode . . .
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oh my gosh! this is a brilliant idea! so glad you thought of it Jestress!!! What a wasted opportunity to be limited here on JWWM – at Neds creativity can wander freely 🙂
Here’s the link to Jestress’ thread on Neds.
I’ll try and stop by to read your thoughts and share my own idea (lol which maybe you’ve also thought of) soon! 🙂
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Cool, Jestress! I’ll check it out! 😎
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yes I like the idea of the school visit planting the idea too. even though It doesn’t impact my enjoyment of this scene..
yeah your idea for the school visit woudl have probably been fine. I don’t think Lee would have been convinced by it though.. or had his thoughts changed… teh school teacher was probably wrong. rah rah..
Nothing is really learned from a lot of the things they uncover. I figure it’s all adding to the tension that is playing out through this plot.. so I go with it 🙂
cue dimples? haaa love it!
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Maybe they borrowed that little black flashy thingy from MIB’s Agent K.
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My head, she’s a spinning. I feel for Billy’s confusion here. 🙂 Wow, a whole case hinging on MSG. I am relieved Lee did the fastest 180 I have ever seen.
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This is where the plot collapses for me. I just don’t buy the whole case hanging on the MSG. And, if Towne is also a Russian spy, eating Chinese in his Tuttle condo without his wife, he wouldn’t need to avoid MSG as it’s his wife that is intolerant to it.
I’m pleased that Lee changes his opinion and affirms Amanda so warmly and in front of Billy (a man who can apologise unreservedly for his mistakes is very attractive!) but it does seem a very sudden change of heart on Lee’s side.
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Yeah, me too! After all of Lee’s other objections, I have trouble believing that he would accept the MSG explanation so easily.
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I’m sorta relieved it’s not just me who sees this whole eureka-moment scene as quite impossible. This is absolutely the explanation for why I have never gotten this episode — because I never actually believed the show would be so OTT as to really intend me to believe that someone’s identity had been so completely eliminated. I always figured instead that I was missing something because that would be much more likely than their plot twist.
And I concur about the MSG. Good point that if he really were living alone he wouldn’t have to worry about it. Furthermore, never expect a mathematician to remember anything, no matter how contrite they were about forgetting. (That said, Towne doesn’t strike me as terribly scatterbrained, not like some mathematicians I’ve known.) Lee ignored many more reasonable arguments for Towne’s innocence earlier in the episode just to enthusiastically embrace this flimsy one.
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I am so with you on not getting the whole MSG thing and why it convinced Lee, Learjet, Jestress, and Raffie!! I have never gotten this at all! If anything, it seemed like evidence that he was living the double-life Lee thought he was. When being Wally Tuttle with Cindy or whoever, why wouldn’t he get MSG? But even more confusing to me than that was that this was a drop, not an actual picking up of Chinese food to take home to his wife. The bag they are examining is the one Lee took off Edgar which had been passed to him by PopTutTowne, right? So whoever ordered it was never planning on eating it or bringing it home to their wife; it was always intended to be handed off to Edgar with the formulas. So if Towne really was a Russian spy, why would he have had them keep the MSG out of the food he intended to pass to Edgar? This makes no sense to me at all. I’m just glad Lee isn’t being a jerk anymore.
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