11/15 Season Three, Episode 19: The Boy Who Could Be King- Scarecrow and Mrs King

36 thoughts on “11/15 Season Three, Episode 19: The Boy Who Could Be King- Scarecrow and Mrs King”

1. I briefly toyed with checking out all of Lee’s apartments, but my life suddenly got crazy and I’m anticipating a possible major life change. We’ll see. I did look back at Agnes’ apartment in JEHG, while there is a lot of similarity, those bedroom windows are throwing me off. I don’t know if it’s the wood in Agnes or something else, but I’m not sure if they are the same. Maybe they did some reconfiguration of the windows. Oh well.

   I like how Lee’s look to Amanda comes shortly after Sandra utters, “ready for something”. I think Lee is ready for something and it’s showing more and more.

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   1. I hear ya Valerie! RL has to come first. And we do what we can! Maybe one day you’ll have more time for an smk project 🙂
      but either way, it’s still fantastic to hear from you! 🙂

      I think Agnes’ bedroom and Lee’s bedroom are the same set. as in the positioning of walls, double French doors and the step up.. but they do lots to change the look of it all.. changing the wood, colours etc.. It makes sense they would recycle a set, that way they have more $$ for Francine’s wardrobe!

      I like how Lee’s look to Amanda comes shortly after Sandra utters, “ready for something”. I think Lee is ready for something and it’s showing more and more.

      Yes!!!! the editing of that scene says a lot!! 🙂

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2. Beige guyovski…lol – I don’t think I’ll ever watch this episode quite the same again, especially with all the beige in the van!

   Oooh!! Another new blog author!! Go Silver Corvette!

   Women never learn – the lie about the father being dead NEVER works. Duh! Especially on tv. I bet Amanda could tell her just how many tv shows, made-for-tv movies, and romance novels where it has failed. I bet Dotty could too.

   And Lee is one to talk about the decorating at the Cap D’Far embassy. His apartment could use some major help IMO.

   Like everyone else here on the blog I’m sure, I love the little look Lee gives Amanda while she is listening to Sandra. I think he is thinking about what he thinks Amanda is thinking – the stereotypical princess fantasy story. But I think Lee might also be thinking that if anyone deserves to be a Grace Kelly stand-in it would be Amanda.

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3. I love that little scene, its one I re watch over and over. And I love SMK for including a little nugget like that. Remeber the looks Lee would giver in Affair at Bromfield Hall and SOS when she would talk about how she knew if two people were in love? This look is so different. Or the way he responded to her in JEGhost during that “we’re talking about love” comment? This little look of his is part of all that, I think. And, yes, he just loves her now and he knows it and I think he enjoys it. And I can’t help thinking that he is beginning to think more and more about how Amanda feels and what she wants and what her concerns and needs are and he is ready to meet it all. I see no cold feet here. Amanda loves love stories and that makes Lee love her all the more. I think he unabashedly wants to be in her love story and he can’t even hide it here. Love it!

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4. I had completely forgotten they were married. I figured it had been a fling.. Is it just me or is it a bit bizarre that they were actually married? Maybe this is my modern eyes seeing things differently here, and a fling and baby out of wedlock for the woman who we are suppose to like in the 80’s was a step too far?!I think it’s a stretch that they were married but Terry is a secret from the world- A daytime soap actress marries a King? It doesn’t matter how small and insignificant the country or the soap was.. everyone would know about it. Even in the 80s before the internet! Entertainment tonight was around no?!  and I mean it’s so Grace Kelly/Prince Rainer!

   Maybe they eloped? 😉

   I really could imagine King Eddie being unconventional enough to take off to Las Vegas with Sandra and getting married in no time. Guess they were both quite young than a it seems it also ended faster than they thought it would. I assume they never took the time to get to know each other.
   So, yes, it was kind of a ‘legal fling’ or a legalised fling whatever you prefer… 😉

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   1. …quite young than a it seems…

      That should have been
      …quite young then and it seems…

      It’s 1:30 am here and I should snuggle with my pillow by now…

      G’night everyone. zzzzzzzz

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5. The decor items in that apartment just don’t seem like Lee to me. It’s like hes hired someone to decorate. I can see he would have decluttered some of the odd stuff from his S1 and S2 apartments, but I see him now having more classic, down to earth tastes – but still high end. Like the Remington-like cowboy and horse sculpture he had in one earlier episode (I can’t remember which one). The Tibetan rams horn and other paraphernalia will have gone, but items that reflect the real Lee would have stayed. I see his taste in art being less pretentious than what’s on display here – maybe again some western Remington or Charles Russell type art, maybe American and world scenes that interest or are special to him.
   His smiles in this scene are all for Amanda. I don’t think he’s terribly impressed with Sandra.

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   1. His smiles in this scene are all for Amanda. I don’t think he’s terribly impressed with Sandra.
      Love this!! 🙂

      Yeah if I saw Lee’s first apartment and then this one, I’d swear it was not possibly the same person who lived there.
      Why did they change Lee’s apartment? I liked the first one.. with all the things he had collected throughout his colourful life.
      This new apartment is so sterile 😦

      Maybe it’s a cover apartment.. and his real one is in NYC 🙂

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6. I agree that there was really no excuse for Sandra keeping Terry’s dad from him (but I do find King Eddie rather infantile, and not in a charming way). I’m wondering if her attitude was the product of the time period? I’m thinking about how sometimes terminal diagnoses were kept from either the person or his/her spouse to “protect” the person in the 60s and 70s. This happens quite rarely nowadays.

   On a much lighter note, I think Sandra looks like an extra from “Oklahoma!” other than her 80s-style “aerobics shoes”. {shudder}

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   1. I think the attitude was part of the time period. People were not nearly as open about family dynamics back then.

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      1. Something just occurred to me while rewatching this ep to tonight in regards to Sandra keeping Terry from his father. This ep aired in 1986, which I believe is around the time Not Without My Daughter came out and international parental abductions were really becoming more noteworthy back then. Not only did Betty Mahmoody write her own story as mentioned above, but she also wrote a companion book shortly after detailing other International parental abduction cases, and I have another book by a former elite special forces soldier who has a special unit that helps parents “kidnap their children back” in cases where you have no legal recourse because the other country doesn’t recognize a legal custody agreement.

         Given that time period and considering who she was married to, I can see how Sandra would feel more threatened and take a stronger measure. Not only does Eddie come across as way too irresponsible and nutty to be a good parent, but he’s THE legal monarch of a small, barely heard-of country. We’re not talking about marrying into the British Royal Family even, which would probably be more likely to respect a custody agreement in a case like this. As the king, Eddie could easily get away with keeping Terry on a visit back to Cap D’Far and Sandra would have no recourse for getting him out.

         Now this storyline probably would have worked better if they made Eddie’s country more like Rheza & Penny’s in Gift Horse, but I think that’s the kind of fear the writers were going for and it makes Sandra’s actions a bit more sympathetic. And they probably banked on viewers remembering those cases, whereas it isn’t something we hear about as much today.

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   2. Oklahoma! Bwahahaha! That is too funny but spot on! It’s even funnier that I know what you’re talking about!

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7. I’m definitely on the “Anti-Sandra” side here – especially once she starts talking about how she buggered off with the kid and wouldn’t let an interested loving parent near him. The fanfic base are often all over Joe as the villain in that relationship, but this seems so much worse to me. Joe was benign neglect; Sandra is someone who’d show up on Doctor Phil now for parental alienation.

   I also can’t get past her naivete that it seems to never have occurred to her that her son is heir to a kingdom – a kingdom too small for Francine in all likelihood, but a kingdom nonetheless.

   Last but not least, where are these trees that are magically casting shade on the blinds in Lee’s room? They sure aren’t in the exterior shot! LOL

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   1. Rofl the magical trees!
      Maybe the exterior zoom shot we see of Lee’s apartment is all a cover.. because after all Lee Stetson is real, and we couldn’t have the whole world see what apartment block he lives in no? even if he changes apartments within the block to keep people on their toes, with that key hidden under the pot plant.. all bets are off!! 😉 tee hee..

      I agree it was not okay to do what Sandra did, but I don’t think I’d say I’m Anti-Sandra. Maybe it’s because I see her here now beginning to deal with her past mistakes.. maybe. She’s certainly paying for them now! 🙂

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   2. I think I’m more on the Anti-Sandra side with you Janet H. I wonder if at the time there was a bit of I’m a major soap opera actress and I can do what I want – I’m Nurse Veronica! (or whatever her name was). Now I don’t see any of that type of attitude, she does seem quite nice, albeit a bit naïve. But I don’t think she should have kept her son from his father, especially when the father was asking to be in his life. I don’t see Joe as nearly as bad as this.

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8. Just getting back after a week’s visit at my mom’s to catch up on some SMK… 🙂 Thanks a lot, Iwsod, you’ve filled my mind with thoughts of shirtless Lee lifting weights…. Where am I? What day is this? If that weren’t enough, there’s that adorable grin as he’s looking at Amanda. Dimple alert. 🙂

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   1. Phew. glad I got back here! Just wanted to say- So glad you are back Sara – missed ya!!

      lol dimple alert.. sounds like you may have missed those dimples 😉

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9. I have to admit that I’m being kind of judgemental on Sandra right now. First of all, King Eddie wears his heart and everything else on his sleeve. I just don’t see how Sandra could spend any amount of time with him and even marry him without knowing what kind of person he was and what she was in for with him.

   Then, refusing to let Eddie even see his son after he kept calling and begging seems cruel. Eddie doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would kidnap or mistreat his son. He’s an eccentric and not a particularly practical person, but he seems too open and caring for that. Besides, if Eddie was going to exercise his authority as both Terry’s father and a king to claim his son and take him away forever, he could have done so years ago.

   Also, keeping everything from Terry certainly doesn’t seem to be in his best interests. I don’t suppose that it ever occurred to her that he would have to learn eventually because one or the other of his parents would die someday. Eddie thinks he’s dying now and Terry needs to that he’s his heir. If Sandra had died first, Eddie would have come right away to claim Terry and take care of him.

   What I’m thinking is that even though Eddie seems like an immature party animal, Sandra wasn’t really ready to settle down when she met and married Eddie. Her outlook isn’t terribly realistic, even after Terry has been attacked because he’s King Eddie’s son, and she still seems to be making decisions based on insecurity and self-interest. She just stands there when she realizes that Terry’s leaving, probably to go see King Eddie. I think that she’s embarrassed that Terry has heard her confessions to Lee and Amanda and worrying about what he’s thinking of her. If it were me, I’d be worried that he was going out without protection and would immediately head for the stairs to try to intercept him or at least be close behind. Actually, I’d insist that he hear everything I had to say face to face in the first place. Terry’s not a little kid, and the idea that she could just explain this all away without having to really tell him anything is ludicrous.

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   1. Agree 100% Jestress☺ I didnt voice my opinion on this and I’m glad as you’ve said it so much better

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   2. Sounds good to me.. I was definitely left with the impression Sandra is a dreamer and is struggling here to come to terms with the reality she created years ago, and the consequences of her actions for herself, her son and her former husband.

      It will be interesting to see how this plays out.. and if SMK acknowledges this or if they go easy on Sandra. I do feel sorry for Eddie, no matter how annoying he can be, it’s not okay. agree with you Jestress.

      Maybe in a way both Eddie and Sandra were not the most practical of people… but.. being a mum, Sandra was able to justify her decisions to herself based on her doing it all for the sake of her son. Which I think here she is beginning to let go of – which I thought was a good sign.

      Interesting that Lee doesn’t react to a son being kept from his father.. given his own background.. he could have been sensitive about it. Maybe it’s a sign that he is healing some of his past pain….

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      1. Interesting that Lee doesn’t react to a son being kept from his father.. given his own background.. he could have been sensitive about it. Maybe it’s a sign that he is healing some of his past pain….

         I don’t think so, Iwsod. I think he reacts but doesn’t pronounce it.
         Do you see Lee’s look in the first close up of him when Sandra tells them that she didn’t want to complicate Terry’s life? He looks sad there – at least that’s what it looks like for me. He might think something like ‘Oh my God, another boy, who grew up without a dad and his mother also told him his father died…’ (after Sandra continued her story).

         Perhaps the look he gives Amanda later on also admires the way Amanda tries to handle her family situation. Trying to include Joe now after his return to the States not excluding him and keeping him from their sons. ‘Cause she knows exactly Philip and Jamie are not only her sons but also Joe’s.

         Why doesn’t he say anything? I guess it wasn’t the right time to blame her. Perhaps Lee gets patient? 😉 And when Terry ran off it wasn’t his concern any longer, getting Terry back was more important.

         Is Lee healing? Yes I think he has started healing at least a little. Amanda helped him getting there and I guess he knows it. 🙂

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         1. I don’t think so, Iwsod. I think he reacts but doesn’t pronounce it.
            Do you see Lee’s look in the first close up of him when Sandra tells them that she didn’t want to complicate Terry’s life? He looks sad there – at least that’s what it looks like for me.

            Fair enough! we all see different things.. and I love to hear the different ways we all see it 🙂

            I might just have to watch that swoony moment again. for errr research purposes!

            When I said I thought Lee didn’t react – I was thinking he wasn’t judgemental or condemning of her decision but I didn’t fully express that. That’s what rushing does to me!
            I don’t see any anger or judgement.. but sadness? Maybe! I’m going to take another look when I can..
            I was caught up in the way Lee was looking at Amanda.. which led me to think he was thinking of her. Not his parents.. but I enjoy exploring other ideas!

            What does everyone else think?

            oh and you asked the question – why doesn’t Lee say anything?
            I think a pattern has begun to form in how Lee and Amanda work together as a team – especially after Agnes.. Lee leaves Amanda space to build rapport and gain the person of interest’s trust, and look after their emotional/psychological well being. He knows this is her strength and where he can he makes room for this, provided the situation isn’t one of imminent danger.
            At least this is the picture that’s forming in my mind at this point in the show.

            bye!

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            1. I was caught up in the way Lee was looking at Amanda.. which led me to think he was thinking of her. Not his parents.. 

               Huhhh? I didn’t say anything about his parents…

               I was talking about Amanda and how she handled her parenting including her ex-husband and avoiding that their sons will miss their dad.

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               1. I was responding to this part of your comment:

                  Do you see Lee’s look in the first close up of him when Sandra tells them that she didn’t want to complicate Terry’s life? He looks sad there – at least that’s what it looks like for me.

                  I thought you were saying Lee looks sad because the situation reminded him of his parents. Sorry if I misunderstood.

                  I was talking about Amanda and how she handled her parenting including her ex-husband and avoiding that their sons will miss their dad.

                  I thought you were saying Lee admired the way she handled it. But didn’t think you referring to that same moment I thought you were talking in general. If I’ve understood correctly, you’re thinking it’s a bittersweet moment for Lee – he’s thinking about Amanda’s situation, how sad it is for families to be separated, and how much he admires Amanda for how she dealt with it all mixed in together.
                  Have I understood correctly? Have patience with me L&A, I quite often get it wrong.

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                  1. Uhhh, I see it´s a little complicated – so i´ll try to explain my thoughts:

                     Lee thinking of his parents: Yes and No but a little more of the No part…

                     I think Lee thought about Terry in the first place. He felt sorrry for him for never getting the chance to get to know his father because his mother (Sandra) told him his dad died when he was little. Sandra kind of closed the chapter father in Terrys life before he had any chance to get to know his father.

                     That of cause reminds Lee of his own situation of losing his parents when he was only five years old and his upbringing by his uncle at countless Airbases all around the world.
                     Yes, I think it is a bittersweet moment for Lee.
                     But I think it´s not so much about Lee nowadays it´s more and more about other people for him.
                     Hehe… He learned from the best… 😉

                     Than Lee´s second thought might have been about Philip and Jamie. They also grew up without their father. But in contrast to Sandra Amanda decided to give her ex-husband every chance to be part of the familiy or at least of the boy´s lives. Amanda never closed the chapter father in her boy´s lives on the contrary, she tries to encourage her sons AND her ex-husband to (re-)build a relationship after Joe returned to the States.

                     And when Lee gave Amanda that look after Sandra´s remark about being
                     a B-movie version of the Prince Rainier/Grace Kelly story I think he really admires Amanda´s decision how to handle her familiy situation. Amanda could have gone the same path as Sandra did but she chose a different one and Lee appreciates that.

                     Ohhh my…. I rambled – didn´t I?

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                     1. That of cause reminds Lee…

                        Of course that should be

                        ‘That of course reminds Lee…’,

                        sorry for that one. Hope there are not more typos in it…. 😦

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                     2. Ah now that’s explaining more fully 🙂

                        I love that such a small moment can spark something in some of us that really resonates and speaks to someone.. and for others.. it’s a pretty simple little moment..
                        I figure we connect with different moments.. or maybe it’s also our mood when we watch things sometimes!

                        For me, going back to this little moment of Lee’s – it’s been interesting to hear all your thoughts L&A!
                        I’ve gone back and had another look (oh poor me, such a sacrifice.. not! 🙂 )
                        For me, I’m understanding it in a very simple way.. and I’m enjoying the simplicity (for once?!) it resonates with me.
                        I think it’s partly because of the editing in this scene, the timing of the cuts and Lee’s reaction steers me toward him just plain admiring who Amanda is in this moment. How good she is with people.. and I’m not seeing any sadness there.. so I’ve just relishing Lee here simply enjoying Amanda.
                        Plus that little look up and down to me hints that he is desiring her in this moment also.. 😉 hoo haaa..

                        Ramble away L&A! Here’s the best place to do it! 🙂
                        I’ve enjoyed your take on this moment.. and I always enjoy hearing when moments resonate with others.
                        Sometimes it helps me see new things. Or.. sometimes it just helps me to understand why I’ve seen it the way I’ve seen it.. and that’s cool too 🙂
                        bye!

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            2. I thought that the reason why Lee (and Amanda too) might skip over Sandra’s choice to keep Terry’s father a secret from him was because they’re more concerned about the more pressing issue: Terry is in danger. The two of them try to lay it out for Sandra because she’s just not seeing it. Things can’t just go back to Sandra’s version of normal. 😛

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               1. Jestress if this is in response to where I said

                  He knows this is her strength and where he can he makes room for this, provided the situation isn’t one of imminent danger.

                  For me, the danger is not imminent, because they are safe in Lee’s apartment. But yes, Terry is still in danger.

                  Or if you are referring to Lee’s lack of a judgemental reaction to Sandra and that he was focused on the job at hand – you may be right. I was just exploring what his character could have been experiencing in that moment, and if it told us anything worth exploring.

                  The two of them try to lay it out for Sandra because she’s just not seeing it.

                  Great summary! 🙂 I think she is starting to see it, the situation is forcing her to begin to see it.

                  Things can’t just go back to Sandra’s version of normal.😛

                  Ha haaaaa! love it 🙂 well she was an actress on a daytime soap.. she loves dramatics!

                  Okay I really need to get on with my work. bye guys!

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                  1. Yeah, I was talking about why Lee doesn’t appear judgmental toward Sandra because of the lies she told her son about his father and her keeping him from his father. Lee might have some private thoughts about that, but he might be holding back because there are other things they have to deal with.

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      2. You know, I never even thought about how Lee would react to the information about Terry and his father. And now I really need to go back and rewatch this scene a bit more. I am thinking that this episode may be the beginning of a journey for Lee. I keep getting the idea that he is starting to think about “normal” here. And maybe embracing normal or even beginning to think of it as something he possibly might want (co signing a loan?) would lead him to finding a way to reconcile his own violent removal from a normal life and that might take him all the way back to his childhood without parents. Maybe. But I still think that is still slightly buried and right now it is his reaction to Amanda responding to a love story that affects him more. And that is interesting, because it was a love story that Amanda is lacking, her’s with Joe didn’t have a happy ending. Or maybe she identifies with Sandra and the shine coming off of a relationship? I don’t know. All I know is that Lee’s reaction to her is lovely.

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10. Not really liking the glass doors into the bedroom either (as I think I may have said before) I keep thinking of Agnes’s bedroom in JEHG. I think we may have seen them elsewhere as well. So the suspension of disbelief is a bit unsuspended when we see this bit of Lee’s apartment.
    Decor aside, I really enjoy your (Iswod’s) observations of Lee’s reactions to Amanda. Very sweet photos as well.
    Regarding Sandra and her keeping from her son both his father’s existence and his father’s desire to see him, well, I probably should say nothing or I will go into a rant and I know that we are meant to like Sandra and sympathize with her (which I am finding hard). I suppose Eddie was not entirely blameless either but I am kind of on his side here. Was this kind of behaviour ever the norm? I can’t believe it was but perhaps things were different. (The Parent Trap had two parents pretending to their kids that the other didn’t exist?)
    I like young Terry and his gravitation to the Jazz records (another aspect to Lee). The weights are a little on the lame side – couldn’t build up too much muscle with only those low weights (but kind of cute all the same).
    I can remember the first time that I saw this episode I thought that they were all incredibly slow in picking up that Terry was Eddie’s son. Don’t notice that so much in the walk but I know I coped on immediately that the car drove up behind Terry.

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    1. I agree Michele, I think they resused Agnes’ bedroom set for Lee’s bedroom. I think I said that over at the old forum years ago but didn’t have time to get into it, I’m leaving that one for someone else to explore these days.. so I’m really glad you pointed that out to us all!

       Parent trap is a terrible plot! when you stop and think about it – pretty cruel! and all because a couple couldn’t stop fighting? Kids are not possessions.. let’s take one each and say bye. ugh. but.. lol.. I liked the movie haaa I just didn’t think about the reality of it haaaaaa!

       Michele, maybe no one caught on early because they all thought – how could the boy not know who his father is?! 😉

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11. Don’t let me get started on those exterior shots of Lee’s apartment – just wait till we walk through – but I don’t think those bedroom windows really fit that exterior shot. Dark Venetian Blinds (at least, that’s what they are called here in Australia) with no curtains but sheer curtains on the doors and windows into the living room, that seems very weird. And is that kind of arrangement (of doors and windows into the living room) common in America ? I have never seen it before !

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    1. In the apartments I’ve been inside, there’s usually a short hallway leading to the bedroom(s) from the more public rooms. But, I think that they’re trying to portray Lee as being a little unconventional. At least, that’s how it seemed to me.

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    2. hiya SilverCorvette!
       Looking forward to your posts! 🙂

       I think the set up for Lee’s apartment is bit like a studio apartment.. I’ve seen them in a few countries, though I don’t have experience with American apartments.. but European and Australian yes
       It’s really an apartment for one person.. or maybe a couple.. but that’s it.

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