6/16 Season Four Episode Three: Unfinished Business-Scarecrow and Mrs King

Back after the break.. and we finally get to hear- what the hell Amanda is doing there – err as Lee posed the question Winking smile
4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000789022
[Looks like not only did Amanda break into his house, she broke into the vette and moved it too! Here’s where it was parked: 4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000549222
haaa! There’s no holding Amanda back now! Oh and does Amanda have a new car too? or did she have that back in season 3?]
Back from the commercial break and we find Lee and Amanda exactly where we left them. 4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000790924
Lee gets off Amanda. LOL and sits on the edge of the bed.
Lee
: Well, how did you get in here anyway?4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000793827
Amanda
: Lock pick. Standard issue.4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000795328
[LOL at Lee’s expression when hearing this – man, now Amanda has these new skills things are different! lol. but hey, if Amanda could get in baddies could get in.]
(Amanda joins Lee on the edge of the bed.)
Lee
: I’m gonna have to do something about that.
[Yeah give her a key! Winking smile ]
4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000798231
Amanda
: Look, I know this is about your mom and dad.4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000799632
Lee
: And what makes you think that?!4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000801234
Amanda
: Well, their pictures all over the living room,… 4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000803136(Amanda seems to point to something on Lee’s bedside table off camera)
4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000803636
…and besides that, I saw the CIA folders on your desk….
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[Confession time!]
….I mean, you know,…
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…I didn’t mean to snoop, but I snooped. I’m sorry, I snooped. I did.4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000808341
Lee
(at the same time calmly)
: So you snooped. Yeah. Mm-hm.
[So interesting.. look at the image above – they are mirroring each other! Here while Amanda confesses to intruding, they are still mirroring each other and totally into each other Smile  – signs are good they’ll be okay! Smile ]
Lee
: Amanda.
Amanda
: Yeah.
Lee
: This is something that’s very personal…
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…Can’t you just leave it at that?4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000817550
Amanda calmly and slowly
: No, because when somebody that I care about hurts, I hurt too. 4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000822455
[Awh!!! Well this really stops Lee short from his wish for privacy! I think Amanda’s gentleness here, rather than demands, is what touches him Smile these two are so sweet!]
(Lee totally softens!)
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Lee pauses. Amanda’s silent, waiting.
Lee
: I’ve never told anyone…
4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000827761
…I never leaned on anybody, even when I needed to.
[Yeah you did back in Wizard no?! Your not superman.. your just a man? I guess that wasn’t leaning?! This aside, I’m guessing this is a major unique turning point for Lee.. Maybe as significant as taking that next step into romance (officially!)]
Amanda quickly and calmly
: You can lean on me,…
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[I love how Amanda approaches this, it’s not about her need to hear what’s wrong, it’s all about Lee’s need, and being there for Lee – she could have gone the whole girlfriend needs to know what’s happening!!! but she didn’t. good on Amanda]
…I’m a lot stronger than I look. 4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000834267
(Amanda smiles..)
4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000835068
(Lee responds with a smile of his own  Smile Awh!!)
[I think Lee’s thinking: Yes you are!]
Lee starts shifting around, still smiling, and kinda shaking his head.. he chuckles to himself..
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(Amanda waits silently for his answer.)
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(Lee holds out his hand to her.)
Lee: Let’s take a walk.
(she takes his hand)
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(Lee smiles and the scene ends there).

Whatever has been going on with Lee, and whatever boundaries Amanda may have crossed that she shouldn’t – it’s a true sign of a good relationship when they can talk things out, and forgive, and put the other first! Smile This wonderful relationship is what the show does soo very well!

Next, Lee and Amanda are walking in the park. 4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000842575
Lee
: That file I just got?
Amanda
: Yeah?
Lee
: It’s a follow-up to reports from an undisclosed source saying that my mother and father were double agents during the war.4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000852686
Amanda
: Oh, come on now; you know that isn’t true.
[In Amanda’s world, she probably could assume her relatives weren’t bad guys or spies! In Lee’s world.. who knows! No wonder Lee has trust issues! No wonder Lee initially kept this from Amanda. It’s starting to make sense to me..]
Lee
snaps back
: How do I know that?! [lol Lee just read my mind! Papa Stetson did have a moustache – SMK might have been trying to play up the suspense here with whether Lee’s parents really were good guys.. He had a moustache! He may be a bad guy! gah! ]4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000857791
Amanda quietly, carefully responds
: Well, I mean, you don’t – you don’t know…
4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000864197
…I ….I guess you’ll just have to… to prove it…
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…I mean, are you willing to do that?4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000871204
Lee: Yes
….

(Lee pauses then continues)4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000878411
…Amanda, there’s this nightmare that I’ve …that I’ve had ever since I was a boy, and I’ve been having it a lot lately….I’m, I’m looking for my mother and father and…all of a sudden this monster comes after me and… I run, and I run and I run away from him. And I get to this door, but it’s locked. Just as this monster is about to grab me. I wake up…4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000901735
…Now, I, I know that this door…means something;..
4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000912746
…it’s important, Amanda…4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000908341
…Now, I have an idea…4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000914647
(Lee reaches for Amanda suddenly much more upbeat and determined!)
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…. Do you really wanna help me?
Amanda
: Ohhh-gh…
4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000916750
…That’s a pretty silly question.4.03 UNFINISHED BUSINESS.avi_000919753
Lee: Then you’re really…gonna have to trust me.

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Amanda silently nods. Of course she’ll trust you – she always has since she met you Smile Can’t wait to hear what you all think!
I think Amanda is incapable of saying no to Lee – I think she’d do anything for him Smile How could you resist?!
He’s put his trust in her and shared what’s going on..
She’s absolutely going to trust him also..
I get the sense that they are very grateful for what they have together – These two are so swoony!

Lastly, I’m thrilled to have a scene between these two in the great outdoors! Smile
I enjoy watching the others in this park – I imagine they are all warners bros extras.. did you see the boy who had his big moment right behind Lee and Amanda-
(around where Lee is saying ‘How do I know that?’) he’s on camera, someone sends the ball his way – and he flubs kicking the ball and misses it entirely! whahahaha.. I can imagine him thinking he’ll tell all his friends! then.. when it aired, he found out they used the take where he flubbed the kick! tee hee..

Also LOL at the couple behind them, I think they kiss or something,

right as Lee talks about the monster in his dreams! lol..

I cannot wait to hear what you all think. bye for now!

71 thoughts on “6/16 Season Four Episode Three: Unfinished Business-Scarecrow and Mrs King

  1. I took Lee’s comment on “I never leaned on anyone — even when I needed to” in relation just to the death of his parents. I don’t think he really had a chance to grieve them properly, especially with how anti-tears his uncle seems to have been.

    Which makes me wonder — I know the popular fandom theory is that Lee lived with his grandmother from age 2 to age 7. But I’m wondering if he had to be put in foster care instead for two years while they tried to find his family. (Was it foster homes by then or were they still using orphanages in the fifties?) It makes more sense that he would have closed himself off in an environment like that than if he’d been placed with family originally, and also adds to the theory of why he’d have resented his uncle so much. The guy couldn’t be bothered to come for him for two years? Really?

    (I’m also of the theory, especially given the name differences, that Col. Clayton married Matthew’s sister and that she died before Lee’s parents, which would also add to why it took so long to find family for Lee to be placed with. His biological aunt is dead, there were probably unsuccessful efforts to trace Jennie’s family in England, and then the only relative is an uncle by marriage who’s constantly travelling in the military and was probably travelling overseas, although why he wouldn’t have heard about his brother’s death is a little weird. Was there a war he might have been deployed to between 1956 and 1958?)

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  2. To me, the end of this walk in the park is the scene that definitively places it in episode order for me. Lee asking if she really wants to help him and saying she’ll really have to trust him seem completely redundant if they come after Stemwinder. And although a part of me actually wants to bump it up into season 3 a bit (Is that cheating to mix seasons? Are there Episode Order Police? Am I busted now that I wrote that on the internet?), the way they’re standing there, her hands on his waist, I don’t think I can actually put it before ATWAS. I think I may still have to fudge things a bit, though, and put it at the tail end of Season 3. Their relationship here just feels much closer to Season 3’s uncertainties to me than it does in Stemwinder, and although we all know SMK’s sense of time is flaky at best (Spring Cleaning in Washington DC in February?? AND again in October??), and there COULD be a time lapse between episodes 1 & 2 (or in this case 3 & 1), I still think I need the summer break to happen in between. (Even if “summer break” only lasts a few days in my case! 😄)

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  3. These two scenes are just lovely and sweet. I love the lighting in Lee’s bedroom. It’s adds to the quiet, intimate conversation that they are having. I love how Amanda cares so much for him and is patient and gentle. Lee is so vulnerable here, and Amanda sees it and respects it.

    The walk allows Lee to open up to her, since he doesn’t have to look directly to her. We get to see a glimpse of the sad, scared little boy who lost everything in an instant. I love how Amanda holds on to him, trying to nurture that sweet little boy.

    (I also noticed the little soccer playing boy who completely missed the ball – HYSTERICAL!!!!)

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  4. Finally! Some good Lee and Amanda time. I’m still confused, but this bedroom scene and subsequent scene while they are walking really clears things up. They are okay and they still seem to truly care for one another deeply. I love Lee’s let’s take a walk line, and it is only surpassed by Amanda’s that’s a pretty silly question line. I love how KJ delivers that line. After all their adventures and all of what she has done for him, it really is a very silly question for Lee to ask her if she wants to help him. It makes me wonder just what exactly it is that he is going to ask her to do.

    I also really like that when Lee challenges Amanda when she tells him that he knows his parents weren’t double agents that she backs off and admits that he doesn’t know and that he’ll have to prove it. It feels real and mature and not just part of a plot. It’s as if in that moment SMK has also grown along with their relationship.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yeah so agree!!!
      Finally they talk and that cloud of confusion is lifted!!!

      I also really like that when Lee challenges Amanda when she tells him that he knows his parents weren’t double agents that she backs off and admits that he doesn’t know and that he’ll have to prove it. It feels real and mature and not just part of a plot. It’s as if in that moment SMK has also grown along with their relationship.

      Love this!!!

      Like

  5. This is one of my most favorite scenes in SMK. Its the real and true opening up of Lee Stetson. I think here, on the edge of the bed, the last remains of his walls come down. And I love the way someone here in the comments mentioned the relief that you can see in Lee. And I love it that he lets it fall after throwing up every last out for Amanda and she has just persisted in being there for him – like so many of you pointed out. Clagjanet, you nailed it!

    I also Really liked the comments about Lee’s parents and the uncertainty about who and what they actually were as opposed to Amanda’s easy experience of normal and goodness. All along Amanda and Lee have had this dialogue about “normal” and the spy world, exposing each other to their other’s world. Amanda has experienced and been drawn into the spy world and she has embraced it and I think lee has been drawn more and more to wards normal. But here, I think Amanda is encountering a new dimension of how this spy world affects generations. I often wonder if Lee began to delve into his parents history because he is contemplating a “forever” with Amanda and he is wondering about how families are affected by spydom… I wonder if this conversation in the park starts some thoughts like that for Amanda.

    And as far as Lee never having to sit on the edge of a bed with a woman fully clad and Amanda’s lack of a key… well, I really think Lee is going the old fashioned gentlemanly route with Amanda in this relationship. I think he may really value those old fashioned ways and because of the depth of feeling he has for her he may take a path that he has never before walked. Not just because of Amanda and her own ideas of romance and her own expectations, but because of how much he really cares for her ( loves her) and his hopes for a future with her. If he thinks she is “it” might he handle the relationship differently. I do however, think she will be given a key after this moment. But what happened to the key under the potted palm? Maybe that was why he had to move, maybe a bad guy found the key and so Lee needed to move into someplace more secure???.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. And as far as Lee never having to sit on the edge of a bed with a woman fully clad and Amanda’s lack of a key… well, I really think Lee is going the old fashioned gentlemanly route with Amanda in this relationship. I think he may really value those old fashioned ways and because of the depth of feeling he has for her he may take a path that he has never before walked.

      Ohh, and I appreciate his newly discovered ways, Morley, I really do. 🙂

      … what happened to the Key under the potted palm?

      Perhaps the palm died because of lack of AmandaCare… or
      perhaps Lee´s new neighbor doesn´t have a potted palm in the hallway; because Lee has to move every year or every second year to prevent being chased down by enemies…although giving away his address to countless girlfriends doesn´t help much… therefor he should move at least every 6 month… 😉

      Just a new idea:
      Perhaps Lee just moved when he was sure about Amanda being it, because he wanted a new apartment, free of all remembrances of old flames, not giving away his new address to any other woman than Amanda (and Francine). Even buying a new bed, he´ll never share with any other than Amanda.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. For some reason I woke up this morning thinking about Amanda and that phone call from Joe and what may have led her to go to Lee’s with her lock pick kit.

    Lee’s progression has been far easier to track and see, especially since he was so bombastic and rude in the beginning. But we can see his external and internal changes fairly easily. It has been harder to see the internal changes within Amanda. We can see, externally, how she is much more confident as she becomes an agent and develops more skills, but there are some internal things going on that are sometimes more subtle.

    Back in WWH we learn that Joe has described Amanda as being resistant to change and stubborn. Lee comments that Amanda knows how to get what she wants. But Amanda didn’t get what she wanted as far as Joe was concerned. Joe made the decision to leave his family no matter what Amanda wanted, which was a stable, settled home. And she still defended his character and the person that he was. They hung on for a couple of years being separated. She felt that her life turned out okay., but Lee disagreed.

    I wonder if that is how she truly felt and has been hesitant to admit, even to herself, that she should have fought harder for what she wanted. It’s clear that she did not give Joe any ultimatums regarding his decision. And she put up with a long distance marriage for two years.

    Once Joe returned he sees and mentions that Amanda has changed. And maybe she has changed in what she will and won’t accept in regards to fighting for a relationship. Maybe there was a reason for Lee/Joe transition phone calls.

    Lee has twice turned away from Amanda. He hustled her out of the office and then left her in the office. Now he is not responding to or returning phone calls. The phone call from Joe, may have started her thinking or questioning whether she was going to accept this marginalizing behavior again. She is wondering if she needs to fight harder in this relationship. If she accepts Lee keeping her from what’s going on, what does that say about her relationship with him? I think that to a certain extent, the phone calls motivated Amanda to do what she did.

    Of course, I could be stretching it a little.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I’m glad you lingered on this interesting and curious phone call scene Valerie!

      I’ve enjoyed hearing the different ideas about it.

      I enjoyed hearing your ideas too!
      For me, Amanda has been proactive in not letting go of Lee since the first episode, so I don’t see it as something Amanda is grappling with. Maybe that was the old Amanda with Joe, but the new Amanda,- after her divorce and from when she met Lee and started this new life, has been determined to be a good friend to him, and has a number of times before resisted his attempts to push her away – even before they were romantically involved and she had that kind of understanding of his feelings for her..
      So while I enjoyed your exploration of this idea, because I see Amanda the way i described above – it hasn’t worked for me.
      Your ideas here helped me to think a little more about Amanda and what I see happening here.. great stuff!!
      Thanks for sharing Valerie – please get deep any time you like and share with us 🙂

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      1. I agree that Amanda has been very proactive regarding their friendship, I guess I was focused more on the romantic aspect of how she was handling things. They’ve taken a big step forward as far as transitioning in their relationship to something closer and more intimate. I was just pondering if she felt any hesitancy in how to handle a situation like this. I would think that because she has been proactive in not letting Lee go as a friend and his willingness to let her in, that helped inform her choice to go over and check on him.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. I’m going to be controversial here. Maybe because I’ve rewatched this episode a bit too closely and frequently as I transcribed it. Maybe because I’m not a red roses and romantic gestures kind of girl. I just find the “No, because when somebody that I care about hurts, I hurt too. “ and the assumption that Lee’s parents are entirely innocent without any evidence irritates me. Intellectually, I can see that she is being kind and supportive but I’d feel a bit boxed in and smothered if I were Lee. I’m surprised that he responds so well. I’d have been running in the opposite directly. Message from Learjet to Amanda: “It’s not you, it’s me” 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

      1. rofl. I suppose breaking into someone’s house would be cause for a restraining order lol. but Lee and Amanda live in a sometimes surreal spy world where this is not necessarily uncommon 😉 haaaa..

        I love how she comments that the lock pick is ‘standard issue’ – lol and since Amanda’s lock picking skills saved his butt in ATWAS he can’t complain too loudly lol..

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I kind of agree. I think that picking locks is so normal for Lee that he can’t really object. He would do the same himself. But in most non spy relationships, it would certainly be a big red flag!

          Liked by 2 people

            1. rofl!
              Wonderful to see you stop by happycamper!! 🙂
              Yeah I think this was a bit of a missed opportunity! they could have had Amanda pop up in his kitchen window starting off light hearted here.. then when he doesn’t answer the door – she breaks out the lock picking kit! 🙂

              I can only think of one time Lee actually broke into Amanda’s house – in spiderweb.. and that was on orders from Billy. Okay, maybe also when that milk snake was trying to eat Amanda (ooadp) and Lee saw it through the window and then broke in to save unconscious Amanda (swoon!) but that doesn’t count!

              Anyway, so if this is payback – I’d say it’s pay back in spades! 🙂

              Liked by 1 person

              1. Lee is also miles behind Amanda in the “excuses to Dotty” department. I think Amanda would rather Lee break in, than have to come up with an excuse to Dotty. 😉

                Liked by 1 person

    1. Your reading may be correct and that’s why he snaps “How do I know that?” when her reaction is a bit naive about whether or not they could have been guilty. We do get to see her stop short and realize what she’s doing though, and maybe it’s because he knows her well enough to know she is a bit of a Pollyanna that he reins it back in and doesn’t run in the opposite direction.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. I think in the first stages of love, you tend to think that their family is perfiect. Especially a deceased family. And Amanda still has her ‘suburban’ respect for parents. (I am the same myself ). So I think her automatic reaction her is understandable. I got the feeling that Lee was more snapping at himself than at her. ie the horrible lingering doubt that maybe they weren’t what he thought

        Liked by 3 people

    2. Hey learjet, enjoyed this comment! But I don’t think this is remotely controversial 🙂
      I commented on the assumption that Lee’s parents were innocent in my post – I think Amanda and Lee grew up in very different worlds, so it is natural Amanda would immediately assume they are innocent… and for Lee it is possibly he would question it (though I think he too struggles to believe it – he’s had many personal betrayals in his life and I think anything is possible in his world).

      I think Amanda’s innocent and trusting upbringing is something Lee wishes he could have had too – so while he snaps back at her immediate assumption, I think he understands where it comes from.. and Amanda seems to also – because she immediately says quietly to herself that yeah he doesn’t know – that’s too.. like she is processing this whole foreign state of affairs.. I mean parents are not bad guys!
      Maybe it’s also because she thinks Lee is so lovely – so how could his folks be baddies? 🙂
      But.. in the spy world – it’s a question that needs to be answered.. and Amanda pretty quickly catches on to this once she gets her head around it – they don’t know – so let’s find out!!

      I don’t see Amanda as smothering here, there we see things differently.. but that’s cool!
      Maybe he doesn’t feel smothered because deep down he has wanted her to comfort and support him – he needed someone to lean on, but he wasn’t sure how to lean.. Amanda is helping him.
      And lol that could be perceived as smothering 😉

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Like what you say here, Learjet. I commented earlier that I would never have broken into Lee’s apartment like Amanda did – it crosses a boundary in my mind. I also don’t really like Amanda’s line, but I love what happens subsequently, so I ignore it like a bad plot hole.

      It also doesn’t help that Amanda’s hair seems to have taken a turn for the worse in this episode either….

      Liked by 1 person

  8. The thing I noticed last night for the first time when scrolling through rapidly to read the comments is that both these scenes are long uninterrupted shots. We see Lee and Amanda side by side throughout with no cutaways for closeups or reactions. They are on the same page, indivisible through all the tough conversations. Nice job KJ!

    Also I think having the horizontal shadows of the blinds falling across them gives the impression of a kind of almost invisible rope tying them together.

    Wow that Film 101 course in 1983 really paid off…

    Liked by 3 people

    1. “Also I think having the horizontal shadows of the blinds falling across them gives the impression of a kind of almost invisible rope tying them together.”

      I think my biggest frustration with S&MK are the shadows in so many episodes. I had always attributed them to cheap lighting or lazy lighting. Having never been to even one millisecond of film class, I want to thank you for enlightening me that those shadows can have a purpose.

      The long, uninterrupted shots you pointed out give these scenes the feeling of live theater, which was where BB got his start (at the Ivanhoe/Goodman Theater in Chicago). Can’t recall KJ being active in theater so perhaps it was a topic in their lengthy discussions between takes over the years and she decided to try it. I echo your, “Nice job KJ!”

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Oops! How could All the World’s A Stage, where Kate & Bruce had hilarious (on stage) and scintillating (off stage) theater experiences, slip my mind? Now I am HMHIS!

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    2. Nicely done Clagjanet!
      I like the longer scenes of the two of them in the same shot too.

      Also I think having the horizontal shadows of the blinds falling across them gives the impression of a kind of almost invisible rope tying them together.

      I hadn’t heard this before – very interesting! I figured it was just nice and moody!!

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  9. I enjoy watching the others in this park – I imagine they are all warners bros extras.. did you see the boy who had his big moment right behind Lee and Amanda.. I guess that is the disadvantage to having to act in front of the camera as well as direct. I am positive if KJ was not in this scene she would have noticed the boy and insist on a reshoot. Check out the older soccer player at about 14:33 in the upper right hand corner. My daughter noticed it (I was too busy paying attention to Amanda and Lee) and now I cannot unsee it. LMBO.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh my gosh!!! Cindy now you are teasing!! I totally thought it was going to be something to do with that guy reclining on the park bench lol! 🙂

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  10. I have all kinds of love for these scenes. There is just so much goodness here. Lee has come so far in how he responds to what Amanda says to him. There is no anger for her breaking in, just a realization as to how far her skills have progressed. I don’t think he has any intention of doing anything about it other than giving her a key. I think he knows good and well that changing the lock just isn’t going to do it.

    Amanda is amazing in how she lets Lee know that she understands his pain, but lets him know that she’s also feeling what he’s feeling because she cares for him. And she does it so subtly, but with so much strength. I think that Lee knew he would eventually tell Amanda and now he’s ready to do so.

    I think his comment about never telling anyone or leaning on anyone is him referring to how he’s been in the past. I mentioned these walls he’s had. This has been the toughest to deal with. It was the first one and has been the hardest to break down. He says that he never told or leaned on anyone even when he ‘needed’ to. That means Lee knows that he’s had a need to vent to someone, but has not been able or was not allowed to do so. It’s kind of sad that he felt he needed to lean on someone but never has, at least until Amanda.

    Maybe the reason he kept the information about his parents from Amanda was because he wasn’t sure of just what his parents were. He has probably had this mythical idea of his parents in his head and most likely held them in high regard. We see that from the way he looked at and held their picture. To think that that may have been double agents has surely sent him and the idea he had of his parents into a tailspin. He probably wanted to be sure of what he knew and how he felt before he told Amanda.

    I like the fact that once Lee opens up, he truly shares and doesn’t hold anything back in what he tells Amanda. It’s so wonderful to see their bond and connection deepen even more.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Hey Valerie,
      Lucky us we get to hear your thoughts as you explore this lovely part of the ep- thanks for sharing!

      I like the fact that once Lee opens up, he truly shares and doesn’t hold anything back in what he tells Amanda. It’s so wonderful to see their bond and connection deepen even more.

      Soooo true!!!

      Like

  11. So these scenes are another reason why this episode fits so well before Stemwinder, IMO.
    It’s another important step in their relationship that needed to come before the BIG step in Stemwinder. I love how Amanda just knows he needs her and inserts herself and refuses to be pushed away. How can you say no to that Lee?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You’ve hit the nail on the head, natsned 😉 Some doors need to be closed before you can open those BIG windows.

      And Lee obviously learned how to improvise during that last stage scene in “All the World’s a Stage” – and in improv, the golden rule is “Always say yes”! 😀

      Like

    2. This sounds like a really interesting discussion – but I don’t have much recollection of stemwinders nor at this point do I want to be reminded.. not just yet-soon! 🙂
      How about we come back to this once we’ve finished walking through stemwinder II?
      I’m really glad you are enjoying the story in this new order natsned.
      It would be fun to take a look at how the order of having UB third would have changed things..[I guess what the original airing would have been like!] once we’ve seen all three episodes. Could you share more of your thoughts then Nnatsned? Would love to hear more detail of how your experience of the episodes changed with the reordering once we are finished walking through all three – if you’d like to share 🙂

      Can someone remind me? I could put together a post dedicated to exploring this if you want.. or we can always tag it on to the discussion of the final post of Stem II when it’s time.. let me know your preference when it’s time..
      Just remind me please. Thanks!

      Like

      1. Well, I don’t know if this conversation ever happened since I haven’t gotten there yet, but I thought I’d share my thoughts before I forget. My thoughts on this seem to differ from the majority, it seems, which I’m fine with. For me, these scenes need to come after the Stems; otherwise, Amanda comes off as too stalkerish for me. I feel like the events and their relationship progression in the Stems gave her the permission she needed to fight this hard for their relationship. I know she fought hard for him in Burnout and the Wizard, but I just can’t imagine her crossing so many boundaries and especially breaking into his apartment before the events of the Stems.

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        1. Really interesting view, Mommynificent – especially about Joe’s phone call and Amanda being too stalkerish. It certainly will give me something to think about.

          Like

  12. … there’s certainly plenty of heat going on here between them – on Lee’s bed! (from post 5/16)

    Lee gets off Amanda. LOL and sits on the edge of the bed. (6/16)

    (Amanda joins Lee on the edge of the bed.)
    Lee: I’m gonna have to do something about that.

    Yeah, Lee, losing your touch, huh?
    First lying on/at his bed with a beautiful woman and later on sitting on the edge of his bed with the same woman -both fully dressed- seems to be a totally new experience for Lee. No wonder he is a little confused… 😉

    [Yeah give her a key!] (6/16)

    Yeah, Lee, come on, don’t be a chicken! Give her her own keys – one for your apartment and one for the ‘Vette! You won’t regret it. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. “Yeah, Lee, losing your touch, huh?
      First lying on/at his bed with a beautiful woman and later on sitting on the edge of his bed with the same woman -both fully dressed- seems to be a totally new experience for Lee. No wonder he is a little confused… 😉”

      😹 ROTF 😹 LMAO 😹

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I love your emoticons Nancy haaaaa!

        yes I was laughing to myself at having to type out ‘Lee gets off Amanda. LOL and sits on the edge of the bed.’ – I never thought I’d be typing that haaaa..

        Like

    2. rofl. too funny L&A!

      Lee is sleep deprived – I’ll give him that excuse 😉

      Yeah I had lots of questions in my mind about how far they’d progressed since the tag of ATWAS- Amanda not having a key led me to think they had not moved so fast.. and were taking it slow 🙂

      Like

      1. Lee is sleep deprived – I’ll give him that excuse 😉

        Lee and his issues of ‘insomnia’…. hmmmm… well, OK, it’ll do for now.
        😉
        Good to know ‘insomnia’ this time has definitely NOT a name (at least no other name than Amanda). 😉
        And his sleep deprivation now isn’t caused by a woman at all, but of his parents and their last case.

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        1. rofl. Yeah insomnia is not some woman’s middle name! 🙂
          So glad the lady friends are behind him!

          their last case

          How do we know that?

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          1. I just assumed it was their last one.
            They were killed during that Blackthorn case. So there won’t be a new one for them and that makes it their ‘last one’ in my books.
            I might be wrong, though…

            Like

            1. Hi Everyone! I’ll be back when I can to respond to other comments more fully – loving hearing all your thoughts!

              Just wanted to clarify L&A, my confusion was over the word ‘case’ not ‘last’.
              to me there are many questions at this point. I think we don’t know what Lee’s parents were doing blackmailing Blackthorne – were they on a case?
              They could be, but it’s currently, unless I’ve missed something here, a mystery at this point.
              It could be they were on a case – and are the on the case as good guys? or double agent bad guys?
              Or.. is it just a side job blackmailing Blackthorne and it’s not a case they were working on?
              I have loads of questions which are yet to be answered at this point – and that’s cool, I’m happy to stay in that confusion for a while – it’s where the characters are in the story and it’s all part of the journey.

              Oh and I think you were right about that ‘last’ part! lol 🙂

              Liked by 1 person

  13. Love what you said here (and also what Clagjanet, Nancy and Lee and Amanda said). It is a beautiful scene which never had any impact on me until this walk. The reactions of Lee and Amanda to each other and to the issue they are facing are an example of how to handle a problem in an ideal loving manner which is still completely authentic. I love the quiet way Lee reveals what is worrying him and the respectful and supportive response he gets. I love that she owns up to snooping rather than read him a lecture on excluding her. Seeing this in slow motion (thank you Iswod) has allowed me to appreciate it .
    Sadly I have to say that I prefer the old station wagon but given the amount of times it was damaged, I suppose it is about time. ( Love the Corvette moving up for it as Lee and Amanda suggests).

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Sadly I have to say that I prefer the old station wagon but given the amount of times it was damaged, I suppose it is about time.

      Yep, I second that thought.
      I guess, Leatherneck and his team (even after counseling with Ronda if she could come up with something better…) weren’t able to repair the good old station wagon after it’s latest crash. When was that anyway? The last fatal one I remember was in ‘The Eyes… ‘ and than Amanda had a minor crash in ‘Dead Man…’ Well, don’t mind. Let’s just say, they couldn’t repair the old station wagon properly and Amanda was told to buy a new car.

      Like

  14. I’m with you, iwsod: Give Amanda a key, Lee!

    In the still with Amanda & Lee sitting on his bed smiling at each other; the one where his dimples flare … Lee’s dimples are simply irresistible, no wonder Amanda’s breaking & entering !!

    Is Kate the Director using Amanda’s fingers to signal her directions? Scroll through watching her hands to see what I see.

    Has anybody figured out what’s in the picture on Lee’s bedroom wall that we see above Amanda’s head?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Is Kate the Director using Amanda’s fingers to signal her directions? Scroll through watching her hands to see what I see.

      LOL!
      I wondered about her unusual finger moves, but I didn’t thought of her being this episode’s director… LOL
      You could be right about her way of directing, Nancy.
      Anyway, who watches Amanda’s/Kate’s hands or fingers as long as Lee (and his dimples are…) is in the picture? 😉

      Great catch, Nancy!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. “Anyway, who watches Amanda’s/Kate’s hands or fingers as long as Lee (and his dimples are…) is in the picture? 😉”

        Well, I’ll admit it — I do! How else am I to cool down after Lee’s sexy, sweet dimples get my heart racing & my temperature rising?

        Liked by 1 person

  15. I love both halves of these scenes.

    I love that he’s confused by her presence but not angry. I love that he’s not even surprised that she broke in or that she snooped. I love that he is still unsure enough that he is obviously trying to give her any number of ‘outs’ because he hopes but doesn’t really believe she’ll have his back: tries to make her feel guilty that she snooped – nope; it’s personal, you can leave- nope; I don’t share this stuff, it’ll be too much for you – nope. And when she just smiles and he realizes none of that is going to work, he just almost melts with relief.

    The walk in the park is such a true-life element. Lee is an action guy – he thinks better when he’s pacing and perhaps with Amanda’s arrival, he realizes that he needs to be outside where he can breathe. Walking side by side (as any parent will tell you) also makes for the easiest conversations and he’s really frightened, I think, that these reports of his parents might be true. When he snaps back at her automatic “that’s not true”, she knows that’s the fear talking and acknowledges he’s right to feel it but also immediately reinforces that he should prove it’s not true. She has his back – again. And yet, and yet…he gives her that out again “Do you really want to help me?” Still so scared she won’t – and in that we see the reflection of his parents’ loss again, that sometimes people you think will always be there for you aren’t.

    However, Lee, if you’d been paying attention, you’d have noticed that now, when you grip Amanda’s arms like that, just as you have for years, now she steps right into your personal space – and grips you back.

    Liked by 10 people

    1. Beautifully put Clagjanet! 🙂

      My fave part of this comment:

      However, Lee, if you’d been paying attention, you’d have noticed that now, when you grip Amanda’s arms like that, just as you have for years, now she steps right into your personal space – and grips you back.

      Love this!!!!

      Liked by 3 people

  16. [Looks like not only did Amanda break into his house, she broke into the vette and moved it too! Here’s where it was parked:…]

    Nope, the ‘Vette is just a very nice car. A ‘gentleman-car’ so to say. When it sees Amanda arriving in her car it simply moves a little further, so Amanda can park her car right behind the ‘Vette. That way it looks quite cuter than the other way around. 😉

    We all know by now the ‘Vette has it’s own personality and it’s own life, hasn’t it?

    Liked by 1 person

So what do you think??? :)

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