Hi Everyone! We ready for more smk?
Here goes!
Lee looks around now super nervous..
He spots a car heading his way. Uh oh.
Lee runs toward Amanda, still holding the paper bags.
Lee: Come on—let’s get outta here!
(They run away together.
[This is some pretty special chow mein and peking duck, and they aren’t going to share!!]
They run, the car chases, they hide..
Lee rips open the bags. [Dang.. there goes the yummy food all over the ground!] Ah! Lee finds a few guns in there. Hoorah! He shoves them both into his belt. 
Amanda has the cash..
More speeding agency cars..
[We see this location a lot don’t we. Is this where Agnes went? and we saw it in Three little spies didn’t we?]
…more Lee and Amanda running..
One car gets close and bursts it’s tyre on the train track..
Another car cuts off Lee and Amanda’s escape..
the car with the busted tyre continues onward…
Lee pulls off some planks off a side wall to make a new way out.
Lee: Over here!
Agent 1: Freeze, Scarecrow!
[These agents are such kidders! I mean.. as if! 
]
Lee and Amanda are busy removing more planks as the agents close in.
Lee helps Amanda into the new opening, and he makes it through just in time.. 
[Phew. Lee nearly loses about 20 cm’s in height! Not the legs! They’re not bad! 
]
Agent 2: Hold it!
One agent stops, seeing they’ve gotten through..
And calls out to the agent behind him to not bother climbing the fence.
Agent 2: No—forget it. Go back!
The two agents in the busted car go through the side opening. 
Agent 2: Go round the other side!
Agent 2: Come on, let’s go!
The non busted car takes off..
We see Lee and Amanda calmly exiting a door on the other side of the warehouse, it seems to be a loading dock with a truck there making a delivery. 
Lee and Amanda hide behind the stairs.. they see the truck is leaving..
Lee: All right, we’re gonna get on that truck.
Amanda: Right.
Lee: Ready? Let’s go!
They run run run catching up to the slowly accelerating truck. They jump into the back..
[Awh. I think Lee lets Amanda jump on first to make sure she gets on okay ]
Once on the truck, Lee and Amanda part the covers and look out.. [Don’t do that!!! they’ll see you!! ]
Lee: The Agency got to my family! 
[well sort of. I mean they followed him, but he still managed to bring Lee two guns, the $$ and a potentially yummy meal. I mean at least the agency didn’t stop that!]
Lee: We don’t have a home. 
[Oh well.. it is all rather dramatic and a perfect time to cut to an intense commercial break. I do like how he has his arm around Amanda here Come on- you have each other at least!
Given all of Lee’s optimism and determination up till now, I find this dialogue overly pessimistic. So the agency found one of the family. so what. Lee’s got the guns and money – that’s good. they’re still in with a chance – especially as they are together and got away from the agents unhurt. Phew! Don’t worry Lee things aren’t all bad – you are still lookin good, and you happen to be wearing those pants that won’t crease or collect dirt when sleeping outdoors and rolling around on the ground for two nights in a row That was lucky!
One last thought- interesting that the agents don’t shoot at Lee and Amanda at all.. no guns out. Hesitancy maybe? Also, Lee has two guns now – and he didn’t shoot either… I prefer to think he doesn’t want to hurt the agents who are just doing their job in this big mean old agency!]
We cut back to home, and Dotty is with Billy and upset..
Dotty: We have gone over this a dozen times! I cannot do it again!
(She goes to pick up her teapot, and it rattles)
[Supposedly from her having the shakes, but lol it just looks to me like she shook it on purpose ]
Dotty: Ohh!
Billy: You’re gonna have to try.
(Billy takes the teapot, and pours the tea for Dotty) [Hmm tea isn’t just for baddies!]
Dotty: Why!?!
(Dotty slams the coffee table with her hand)
[Go Dotty!]
Dotty: What right do you have to come in here and terrorize me and my grandchildren? Interrogate us like we are criminals, occupy our house, tap our phone!
(We can make out an agent wandering around in the background..) [i.e. Dotty’s home and personal space is being invaded. We saw this protective side of Dotty with authorities back in One Bear Dances. I wonder if she looks back on that series of events in a new light now – I think it’s natural we’d wonder if she is really starting to put things together now.. But I love that Dotty gets feisty when authorities are crossing the line!]
Dotty: I wanna tell you something. I have some questions, too! 
Billy: I’m sure you do; unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to discuss anything that you want- [Billy gets up as he says this, IMHO it’s totally dismissive of Dotty.. I get it, his hands are tied.]
Dotty: Don’t give me that! You are at liberty to do anything you darn please and you know it!..
[What an interesting thing to say to Billy at this point.. to Dotty he seems all powerful.. but in reality, Billy can’t at all do what he darn well pleases and is fighting to do what he can to help Lee and Amanda.. Okay- well I think he is but at this point I think I can’t be sure!]
…Now where is my daughter? When’s she coming home? Who is this Stetson man that she keeps mentioning?
[lol what an interesting choice of question-who is this Stetson man!
Dotty- didn’t you hear the agents call out that she was with Scarecrow? ]
(Billy turns to respond to her.)
[This keeping secrets from your family must be very hard to live with! Though LOL it’s nothing compared to having your workplace completely turn on you!]
[looks like we’ve got a new photo of Jamie, Phillip and Joe. Interesting body language in this photo!]
Billy: I really wish I could answer most of your questions, Mrs. West, but unfortunately I just don’t have the answers—that’s why I need your help.
[Whooo and we have a lovely new photo of Dotty and the boys – lol looks like a professional shot.. I wonder if this was used for publicity somewhere! Why is there no photos of Amanda?]
As Billy says this, a random agent comes in and whispers something to Billy.
Billy gives him a nod.
The agent motions to someone off camera.
Billy: Mrs. King’s ex-husband’s here.
(Joe King walks in.)
[Not Joking!]
Dotty: Joe?
(Dotty rushes over and they hug.)
[Phew, having a lawyer in the family will come in handy!]
Dotty: Oh, Joe, thank god you’re here. Ohh! You’re a lawyer—you’ll know what to do.
[Plus he knows a bit more about what Amanda and Mr Stetson are involved in – the spy biz!]
Joe: It’s okay, Dotty, don’t worry—everything will be all right.
Dotty: I’ll tell the boys you’re here.
(Dotty gives him a kiss on the cheek and then heads up stairs to tell the boys. She gives Billy one last glare before she leaves.) 
[I’m liking this after Unfinished Business, because we saw in that ep he was around again in some sort of regular way – it makes this appearance much less sudden, and I think it helps the family’s situation that he is so close by.. makes me feel better about this pickle Amanda and her family are in. Has it changed how you’ve experienced things at all? thoughts? ]
I’ll pause here before Joe and Billy get into it!
Anyone ready to share their thoughts???
"Just walk with me.." 
Seriously, what’s up with those ineffective agents chasing them?? Not even a warning shot for effect?? The agency really needs to get Lee back on the job ASAP.
“Awh. I think Lee lets Amanda jump on first to make sure she gets on okay”
Yup, that’s exactly what I was thinking, too! 😊
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Most of the action scenes in the series are filmed using stunt doubles. I think that’s why I just love this chase scene with Lee & Amanda running at the train track before the one car blows a tire. It seem to actually be BB & KJ, and they are running hard and fast for their lives. It adds to the authenticity of the intensity.
Ok. Here’s where my brain needs help. Some of you have also already eluded to these questions (and Sara, I am TOTALLY with you on the MIB comment!! I even said the same thing about the boys in WWH!! 😂)…
1. Does Dotty remember Billy as the agent who took her statement in OBDOBD? And does she now know he knows Amanda? Or that he is her boss? Or does she actually even know Billy is an agent? (I think so to that one.)
2. What does Joe know about Amanda and Lee, personally or professionally?
This hurts my brain because I would think surely Dotty would remember Billy, and would know in both situations (OBDOBD and now) that he is an agent. Also that Amanda works for a “Mr. Melrose”, since she hears his name on multiple occasions from Amanda, particularly in late season 2 (MBF & DOA). So how is she not piecing these things together??? Or is she (I genuinely don’t think so)? Why do the writers assume we and the characters are to remember parts of the show but not all of it?!?!?! (Recycling of Sam Melville vs Gregory, for example???)
And also, Joe. Ugh! I wish they’d have spelled out for me what he knew. I feel like knows after WWH that Lee is an agent, and since Billy says in the next post that he is Amanda’s superior, I presume we can presume that Joe knows Amanda works for the agency. Right? 😟
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Seriously, I’m worried about severe headaches if I spend too much time trying to figure out who knows what about who.
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I had wondered why there were no pictures of Amanda with her family. They should have got permission to use an old pic of SM & KJ from The Rookies. It would legitimize an “old” relationship between the two and just would have been fun. On to more serious issues, I don’t think Lee is being bleak necessarily, although Morley’s point is well taken. It seems that Lee has almost always wanted to provide for Amanda (safety, defense, faith/support, and once he realized she wasn’t going away…training/strategy techniques.) It stands to reason that while they’re on the run he would want to provide her with as much stability as possible (a home, so to speak) and because he is usually quite successful regardless of what is thrown at him, he is probably feeling his stress level rise astronomically with this little development. He does well with last minute disasters, but he was relatively well-prepared for this one and things are falling apart anyway! What if he fails?!?! He tucks his arm around her to comfort her and, partially I think, to comfort himself. How wonderful that he can finally bask in the stability and fierce loyalty of Amanda.
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Seems like she would remember Billy after he debriefed her in OBDOBD.
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Maybe Billy is so incredibly good at his job, he debriefed her of her memories of him.
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Suddenly, I’m picturing Billy in sunglasses and one of those flashy things (Men In Black). ;). .
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Snort, ROFL, Cindy and Sara.
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Actually, I don’t think Dotty says anything to make me think she doesn’t remember Billy. Maybe that’s why she is so feisty? I would think Dotty would be a little feisty regardless, but if she remembers Billy and the dangerous situation before, maybe she feels like she can be even feistier. After all, she has talked to Billy before.
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Good point!
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Love Dotty’s feistiness here. She is not about to just kowtow or easily roll over for Billy.
At least twice in this series Dotty has either spoken to Billy on the phone or mentioned his name. And I’m sure that he had to have shown her his ID and introduced himself. This has to be clicking somewhere in the back of her brain. I’ll wait to pursue that train of thought though.
Both Amanda and Dotty are so much better than me. I could never figure out how they were so okay with Joe leaving like he did. Seeing Amanda recount how everything went down and her continue to express how Joe was such a great guy was a little perplexing to me. But I guess I’m going to have to just go with it.
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I just love this scene between Dotty and Billy. Part of the fun of S4 is when characters who’ve been kept apart of 4 seasons finally meet up! Must have been so strange for MS and BG to share the screen. And lots of fun for us. And the scene does not disappoint. Dotty is at her best here. Sort of making sense but so over-the-top that it’s hard to not laugh at her. Billy is very restrained here…
Do not like the familiarity with which Dotty greets Amanda’s ex.!
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Completely agree, learjet!
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I love Dotty here and her anger at being invaded by government agents. She gets so worked up that her top lip breaks out in a sweat. She is as mad as hell and she doesn’t care who knows it. I’m wondering if she has started to put the pieces together at this point about what kind of occupation her daughter is really involved in. She’s had some glaring clues in the last few hours that should lead her to conclude something other than working for a documentary film company. Maybe Dotty prefers to stay clueless, maybe she’s waiting for Amanda to tell her what is going on.
I love the fact that Lee and Amanda are getting closer through all of this and being on the run with no one to trust but themselves is something that their relationship has not yet experienced. In one swift moment, they made a decision that will change the direction of their lives and relationship, but I believe Lee trusts Amanda with his life and she trusts him and they just knew they could not do it separately, they had to be together through this one.
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The one thing that I keep marveling at is how completely Lee has embraced Amanda as a part of him. He is all in “we” mode here. I don’t think he could think of himself without her very well at all. It makes his initial plan of going underground alone even more stark. But I will get to commenting on part 1 when I get there. “We don’t have a home” is bleak, especially when Amanda is all about “home” to Lee. She is very much with him now. In the business, in his plight in this moment and in the reality of how he has lived all of his life since his parents were taken from him. I do get a sense that Amanda is aware that, once again, she is very much out of her depths here, but she has chosen it because she loves Lee and has chosen this line of work and life alongside of him. Nothing binds a couple/ or breaks a couple/ than realizing its just the two of them alone in the world.
And then we cut to her home where her mother sits invaded by the Agency that has betrayed her and the arrival of her ex that left her. And she is out there alone, except for Lee. What a set up to test these new choices and declarations of love!
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Replying to GruvyGranny here from her post in 1/19. Had the same thought about how they got the Chinese food. I was mostly (after seeing that Chinese food go to waste) wondering when was the last time they ate. Why or why can’t the agents wait until after they’ve eaten? Just a nice meal, they can skip the fortune cookies for now (lol). It’s hard to out-run agents and bad guys on an empty stomach.
But getting back to your point, I wonder if they did get hungry earlier (assuming some time has passed). Lee found a window of opportunity with no one watching, ordered food at this place from his family. So Lee and Amanda eat, which we don’t see. At that time, he puts in the request for more food, money and guns.
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It’s possible they dropped in to a Chinese restaurant run by a member of Lee’s “family” for a quick meal in an isolated booth and to “place an order to be delivered.” I’m thinking Lee’s stash of guns and cash was too far away to risk going there himself. That his stash was placed in two Chinese togo bags under cartons of food, I assumed was a cover for the guy making the delivery. We must remember it’s morning and Lee never eats breakfast. So maybe that’s why he just dumped the food, but to pass on Peking duck … oh that’s tough ’cause it’s yummy!
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Love, Love, LOVE Dotty here. It is a great opportunity for Beverly Garland to show her acting chops.
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Totally agree !! Love this scene with Dotty !!
I feel like this is the most realistic scene of how someone would feel if it happened in real life.
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“Dotty: What right do you have to come in here and terrorize me and my grandchildren? Interrogate us like we are criminals, occupy our house, tap our phone!”
I’m thinking Dotty is well aware of the U.S. Constitution’s 4th amendment to our Bill of Rights — it secures our right to privacy and our right to freedom from unlawful search and seizure. In the last blog post of Stemwinder part one, we saw her keep the Federal Agents from entering her home. That tells us she knew enough to not give them her permission. Billy probably “pushed” his way in while showing Dotty his Federal I.D. However, we do not see a search warrant, which is why she contacted Joe King to help her secure her legal rights and I’m glad she did!
Before anyone scoffs at Dotty’s knowledge about this (since many decades have passed after she was in grammar school or high school where these lessons are taught), she surely watched the popular, long-running weekly tv detective shows (“Perry Mason” 1957-1966, “Mannix” 1967-1975 and “The Rockford Files” 1974-1980, for example) where she’d be reminded of the 4th Amendment.
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I can completely see Dotty getting her legal knowledge from such shows. It totally works for me.
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