We move on to Billy’s office.
The tape recording of the peacock dance with the Lisbon variation is coming to an end..
Sonja (through the tape recorder): … And then we can mix business with pleasure.
As the shot widens, we see Francine is there along with Lee, Amanda and Billy.
[Is it just me or is listening to this with everyone really really ick????!!!!]
Francine seems to look over at Amanda with a smile. Hmm.. Amanda doesn’t look at her, and Lee has his back to her. [Me thinks Francine enjoyed hearing this. Ugh..] 
Amanda seems quite stoney faced.. and not her usual upbeat self. Lee is looking at her, but she isn’t looking at him.
[Billy is no dummy, surely he has noticed.. just what does he make of all this?!] 
Billy: I think we’ve got ourselves a carrier pigeon.
[rofl Lee’s been downgraded from a peacock to a pigeon! 😉 Bet he feels the goose! 😉 I wonder if this causes Lester the (damn) duck flashbacks! and it’s so ironic.. as scarecrows are suppose to scare the birds away! haaaaa!!!]
Amanda gives Billy a little smile
[but IMHO it’s a courtesy smile, she’s not feelin it!]
(Billy gets up)
Lee: Yeah, maybe….
…There’s something about this Sonja…
[Francine is interesting in this scene.. can’t wait to hear your thoughts all! Hearing there is something about Sonja – she seems amused by this.. Hmm.. Francine thinking that Lee is up to his old tricks? Enjoying this perk of the job?!]
…It’s just an itch…
(this remark has Francine raising her eyebrows! It certainly gets Amanda’s attention!)
[OMH. this dialogue is wrong. Just wrong. Especially after seeing what Lee and Sonja were getting up to!!! Okay okay.. Maybe Lee is hinting that his antibiotics hadn’t yet put a stop to the Russian flesh eating bacteria he’s been forced to come into contact with 😉 haaa okay probably not! ]
….I’m gonna see if T.P. Aquinas can scratch it. 
[OMH!!! this dialogue is hilarious!!! No itching and no scratching around hanky panky you hear me??!!! Actually now I think about it, I guess TP is probably an excellent way to put a stop to an itch..]
Billy: All right; keep me posted. Meanwhile, I’ll phone Dart and see if I can arrange to get you those radio frequencies ASAP.
Lee: All right. [Thank you secretary Billy!]
Billy: Excellent!
(Billy hands the recorder back to Amanda, making a special effort to acknowledge her)
(to Amanda): Excellent work, Amanda.
Amanda: Thank you, Sir.
(Amanda takes the recorder back)
[Lee seems to be paying close attention to her reacting, and he seems pleased she is saying thanks for the well done..]
(Billy heads to the door..)
Billy : A successful Lisbon variation depends on teamwork.
[Everyone give a hip hip hooray!….
*crickets chirp in the silence*
Yeah.. Billy I’m not feeling there is much to happily celebrate her right now! 😉 ]
(The moment the door is open, Amanda shoots up out of her chair, not looking at Lee at all, and responds to Billy as she leaves)
[I think Lee immediately senses she’s not happy!!!]
Amanda: Yes, Sir…
…Lee did all the dancing.
(She quickly exits. Francine has a chuckle at this one.. Billy gives nothing away.. and Lee has lost his smile! )
The scene ends there.. no one responds to Amanda’s quip!
Whoa.. just how are things between Lee and Amanda at the moment? so many questions unanswered!! Much tension here!!! Lee seemed to be trying to connect with Amanda here in this scene, but Amanda was not happy and didn’t give him a thing back!
I think she would have preferred Billy not paid her a compliment with her contribution 
ahem!
I think the scene is fantastic to watch while focusing just on one character.. so much going on that’s non verbal! Francine doesn’t even have any dialogue- but she’s a part of this interaction! Go watch and let us know what you all think!! Can you pause at the end of this scene? or is it too hard to stop and wait for the next post?! 🙂
Okay guys I’m going to pause here!!!! any thoughts you’d like to share?
"Just walk with me.." 
With respect to what Amanda is feeling here, I guess I will just pick up from my comment on the last scene. I do not interpret her behavior in this scene as indicating that she was deeply upset that Lee was in that situation with Sonja. Again – she and Lee were in that situation together. They were working as a team.
Amanda is a modest person, though, and I imagine it is embarrassing, having to listen to the tape in the bright lights of Billy’s office. Even though I do not believe she finds this hurtful, it is still gross and annoying to have to listen to it for the second time in one night. And she is in this weird situation where she and Lee are keeping a secret from the rest of the office – that they are involved in an intimate romantic relationship – and she is wondering how Billy and Francine would be acting right now if they knew… It would be so much more awkward than it already is! Moreover – if Billy did know, would he have not given her and/or Lee the assignment in the first place? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? There’s just a lot going on here, it’s getting late, and she is ready to be DONE tonight.
What is Lee feeling? I mean, it must be mortifying to have to hear yourself played back this way. He is also deeply attuned to Amanda and it grieves him to see that she is struggling with a lot of thoughts here and is feeling very uncomfortable. I do not, however, think that Lee is feeling some kind of deep remorse or shame here. He and Amanda are doing their job well – they may have found their carrier pigeon. Moreover, he knows what I believe to be true – that while Amanda is not happy to be in this situation, she is also not truly hurt by his actions with Sonja. At the same time, Lee is also conscious of this secret between them that is hanging in the air; he knows that their romantic involvement, still quite new, makes the assignment so much more unpleasant for both of them than it otherwise would be, but he can’t acknowledge or address it in front of Billy and Francine.
So much of this episode is about the consequences Lee and Amanda are going to face in choosing to keep their relationship a secret. There are things that will come out worse for them because of this choice.
As for Francine – I like Francine in this scene. I do not take her smiles as taking pleasure in Amanda’s discomfort. She is a professional and operations like the peacock dance are her bread and butter. I think her smile is directed at the room, a way of saying, “that’s our Scarecrow, he really did lay it on thick, isn’t this amusing, LOL.” And Amanda was included in that. In a way, it is a compliment to Amanda – she sees her as part of the team.
(Full disclosure: I love Francine.)
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Okay, I have to edit my post above — for some reason I have always imagined that scene as taking place later that same night, but now I realize that they have changed clothes, so it must be the next day. Nevertheless, my overall impression of what they are both feeling here remains the same.
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Ugh, COULDN’T THEY HAVE SPED UP THE WHOLE DOGGONE PEACOCK DANCE ALREADY!?!?!? Adding Francine’s attitude into this mix makes me so queasy I cannot eat for days. Amanda King, you are THE. WOMAN.
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Yeah, I totally would have preferred that off camera UGH!
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I love Lee’s face at the beginning of this. The way he has his head lowered, looking up with his eyebrows furrowed like a sheepish puppy in trouble. He looks so pained, embarrassed , regretful about Amanda having to listen to this and in the presence of Billy and Francine. The old Lee would have proudly say there glowing in his conquest. But now, his feelings for Amanda make him feel ashamed and embarrassed. The way he glances at her with such recourse and empathy, knowing she is hurting ❤️— BB plays these emotions so well with his expressions and body language.
I also love Amanda’s body language —KJ nails the body language: composed with an underlying angst, as if on the verge of tears. Her hands folded, looking down yet back straight and tall. She is trying so hard not to react ,nor to show the sadness.
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So hard to watch, but such brilliant acting
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We saw Amanda’s reactions when she initially had to hear Lee and Sonja. She was alone and free to voice how she was feeling about the whole situation. Having to hear all of it a second time has to be harder because now she has to keep her thoughts and emotions in check and pretend like this doesn’t bother her. Professional or not, business or not, this Peacock Dance has to be causing a bit of distance between Lee and Amanda.
This last evening with Sonja seems to be the deciding one in regards to setting her up with the radio frequencies. Was this the only night that they listened to to determine that? Why is Francine even there? Was there a Rostov tape they heard earlier?
Don’t like Francine’s attitude one bit. One minute you think you see some growth in her and some acceptance of Amanda, then the next she reverts to some pettiness and truly unprofessional behavior. Amanda had proven herself so many times by now, but Francine still seems to begrudge her or cut her any slack. All of her smirking is aimed at Amanda. Lee can’t even see how she’s reacting so it can’t be for him.
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Oh my gosh, what a horribly awkward situation for Amanda. Lee is doing his best to act professionally. Amanda is too, but it is very obvious that she is uncomfortable. Francine, much to my chagrin, seems to be enjoying Amanda’s discomfiture. Come on, Francine, grow up! I do like Francine, but her actions here make me want to slug her. I think Billy is doing his best to either ignore Amanda’s discomfort or is just acting cold toward her on purpose. This type of work is part of the spy business. Amanda has to be learn how to deal with this type of scenario. If she can’t do the job, then she needs to find a new job. Being partnered with Lee requires this type of work. She has to just swallow down everything she wants to hurl and do the job. It is unfortunate, but let’s not forget this is the Agency we’re talking about here.
I always thought Sonja was the carrier pigeon. I don’t know why. I don’t want to think to make a logical argument for it – just commenting.
I think Lee is very aware of how Amanda is feeling. I think he is also thinking like Billy. Amanda needs to be able to handle this type of situation without being emotional. She needs to be able to do the job. I also think Lee thinks Amanda is very capable of handling the situation and is maybe feeling a little frustrated at the end here that she is acting the way she is acting.
As far as Amanda is concerned, I think she is doing great. I would not have been able to handle this meeting as well as she did. So my hat is off to her!
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BJo! hey great to see you stop by! 🙂
love your take on this very awkward/uncomfortable moment.
Agreed!! Cruel and unnecessary are the two words that spring to mind!
rofl. I’d say technically both Lee and Sonja are carrier pigeons in their own right 🙂
I’ll second that! 🙂
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Fantastic idea to re-watch the scene & focus on one character- there is a lot to see, and Francine is really interesting! She is enjoying the whole thing a little too much; I’d like to think she is enjoying Lee’s discomfort, but I think that may just be an added bonus to her- she has always had fun putting Amanda down & making her feel like she isn’t a real agent. Now things are getting too real, & Francine is thrilled it is at Amanda’s expense. That being said, its not as malicious as it may appear since she doesn’t know that there are genuine feelings between Lee & Amanda. I don’t think she would see this as a possibility at this point.
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Hi Xiolaperry! I’m so glad you got a chance to do this and let us know how it went! 🙂
I’m seeing it the same way as you – her focus is Amanda – not really Lee (IMHO) – I agree I can totally see Francine enjoying Amanda’s suffering.
Francine wears her toughness like a badge of honour, it’s about time Amanda learn about the harsh realities the ‘real’ grown up agents have to deal with!
Agree!! it’s not terribly malicious.. I’d say this is just her usual level of maliciousness – there is always a hint of it with Francine which is what makes her to me such a curious character!
yeah I’m not convinced that Billy and Francine are clued in to Lee and Amanda’s new relationship!
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I think it’s hard for Lee (and us ) to watch Amanda in pain. She’s trying (especially in front of Billy and Francine) to be professional but I think she’s obviously trying to mask her pain with anger. I’m guessing she found somewhere private and had a good cry. If it were me, I would be fighting it all the way, but would end up not bring able to control my emotions, like I want to.
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Sooo agree natsned!
It must be hard for Lee too – but.. I actually appreciate that he doesn’t baby her!
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Having prepped this dialogue, I did have time to watch Francine. I find her attitude hard to take. My impression was that she’s enjoying Amanda’s discomfort more than Lee’s (although I could be wrong). I find it very hard to forgive her behaviour here. It just seems so cruel. Reminds me of when one of the minijets seems to get a kick of the other minijet getting into trouble 😦
I really feel for Amanda here. I guess this is one good reason why romantic relationships between spy partners are a bad idea.
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Hi Learjet, great to hear your thoughts!
I think ‘cruel’ is a great word – I think Francine is often quite cruel… here especially so!!
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YUCK! As if listening to it once wasn’t enough, we/ she /they have to sit through the replay? Along with the character study of everyone’s body language, it’s also interesting that not only doesn’t Francine talk, Amanda barely does either; she has only ten words (half of which are Yes Sir and Thank You Sir.) Very un-Amanda!
How’s this for outside the box? What if Francine’s body language is her enjoying Lee’s discomfort with this because she has no doubt had to put up with his comments every time she’s had to go out in the field and do this dance (every other week it seems sometimes!) So maybe when she smiles at Amanda’s comment, it’s more because she thinks it’s Amanda lobbing a zinger at him and she enjoys seeing him on the receiving end of it?
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You’re onto something. Lee probably WASN’T very sensitive toward Francine’s feelings or comfort level when she was sent out to PD with some horny dude. After all, Lee was sent out on PDs too and, in the past, it was all just “part of the job”. Now Lee’s perspective suddenly changes because the woman he loves and is used to protecting is privy to it all. I concur with your insight that Francine’s smile is in appreciation of THE AMANDA ZINGER, which made Lee verrry uncomfortable!
Amanda’s reaction shows she sure wasn’t pleased to hear Lee say, “There’s something about this Sonja …” and Francine’s smirk in response was just priceless! Well I’m really looking forward to the itch scratching scene since T.P. (and Leatherneck) are my favorite recurring characters. I wasn’t sure WHAT Amanda thought about Lee’s itch and getting T.P. to scratch it … until she fired her zinger. Lee, you better send a dozen long-stemmed red roses, a bottle of Malmsey Madeira and a crate of Côte d’Or creamy Belgian chocolates to Amanda — STAT!
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whoooo I love a bit of ‘outside the box’! 🙂
An interesting thought!
I’m thinking Francine’s focus isn’t Lee’s discomfort – it’s Amanda’s..
And I tend to view Francine as not carrying a grudge for any comments she’s faced when tasked with her own peahen dances.. I picture Francine as being quite proud of how brilliant she is at it!!
I see Francine as quite enjoying putting one over on the men – wimps! so silly and easily manipulated by her because she is so brilliant and gorgeous! they are quite helpless 😉 If male agents made digs it’s because she’s so brilliant and they are threatened or jealous 😉 – because hey, they all want her right?!
As for any comments from colleagues – she gives as good as she gets, and if they ever bothered her in the past (I’m not sure they did), I’m thinking they really don’t bother her now!
I guess I don’t really see Francine as being emotionally and psychologically a typical individual! She doesn’t react the way most would, nor see herself and the world the way others typically would lol. And.. so she is sometimes cruel.
I like her character, she’s interesting! but I don’t trust her.. even if she does see herself as a friend to Lee – she doesn’t even see friendship in a normal way I think.. so…. who knows!
Thanks for sharing this really interesting thought Clagjanet!
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Oh, there is definitely no doubt in my mind after seeing that look on Lee’s face, that he knows Amanda is not a happy camper as they all listen to his lovemaking (how embarrasing). Then there’s the wicked witch of D.C. standing there gloating after hearing all that heavy breathing and the pillow talk, especially the part about eating each other alive (yuk). But Witchy Poo never misses an opportunity to put down Amanda, so we see her smirking and reveling in Amanda’s uneasiness at having to listen to that garbage on the tape, (again).
But my favorite part is when Amanda jumps up and as she leaves says, “Lee did all the Dancing”, and never looked back. Go Amanda
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Loved your “witch” comments, GruvyGranny. I also cheered for Amanda when she did that. I’m sad for her sack that she wasn’t able to hide how upset she was from Francine and Billy, though
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Me too😕
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embarassing is spot on GruvyGranny!
rofl! Great wizard of oz reference GruvyGranny! 🙂
I sooo agree! I think she’s enjoying Amanda’s discomfort.
Hear hear! Go Amanda!!! A great line 🙂
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“Lee’s been downgraded from a peacock to a pigeon!”
You had me ROTF LMAO till I … 😹 … and had to quick start inflating my raft after your bird brain scarecrow rant on Lee. … Lester ducks and geese and pigeons … oh my!
At least the carrier pigeon is a very dedicated, hard-working bird (not a playboy strutting-his-stuff), who returns to his home roost … ASAP
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Thanks Nancy – your comment made my day 🙂
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“Francine seems to look over at Amanda with a smile. Hmm.. ”
I’m thinking Francine finds it both amusing and satisfying to see Amanda “get down in the trenches” to experience the seedier side of being a female agent. I see her looking at this as an initiation of sorts. If Amanda, who is usually protected by Lee, bravely sees this through; Francine, instead of being jealous and snarky, would gain some respect for Amanda.
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I see it same as you Nancy.. I like the initiation idea..
I hope Francine gains some respect… I hope!
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Love this!
Ah Nancy you are an optimist 🙂 If Francine did, she’d never admit it! 🙂
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Oh wow – I will have to rewatch and focus on Francine — I was too busy watching Amanda.
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