It’s tag time!!! I guess it’s been quite a while since we saw a tag, since part 1 didn’t really have one..Yes I am going to cover the tag in two posts.. but don’t worry – I will schedule the posts to publish so there are no delays between them! 🙂
Here we go!
We find Lee in the vette parked on a suburban street at night.
He’s watching something across the street.
Ah! Amanda’s!! We see Amanda followed by Joe coming out of her front door.
Amanda: Well, I don’t think I’ve seen the boys this well-behaved in an awful long time.
Joe: Hmmm.. Well, I sure enjoyed it. Well, that part at least.
Amanda: Maybe someday I can tell you what this was all about, Joe.
[Joe reaches up and takes Amanda by both arms – Just like Lee does.. and just in the way that makes Amanda melt when Lee does it -only she doesn’t reciprocate with the hands on his chest. phew! ]
Joe: Mmm… I know enough about the Agency to know that maybe I don’t wanna know.
they share a quiet moment.
Then, they give each other a quick peck. On the lips??!!
[so wrong!] but glad to see that at least their bodies are not touching..
[Ugh.. can’t wait to hear what you think of this guys!]
(We quickly cut to Lee..
He was watching..
and quickly looks away.) [Why didn’t I think of that?!
I think Lee’s cheek is going..
Jealous? what do you think? ]
Lee turns back to watch them say goodnight..
and Joe leaves.)
[He’s good at that 
sorry! couldn’t resist!! bad joke! Joe is supposedly a good guy.. okay okay.. life is not always black and white.. I’m just going to need to get use to this seeing Joe around thing. If I can avoid watching them kissy kissy I might cope okay.
Hmm I wonder if Lee is thinking the same thing I am?!]
Joe: ‘Night.
Amanda: Good night.
(Amanda sees Joe off, and lets out a big sigh)
[I think she’s kind happy that’s done lol. but then, it might be that I want to see that 
]
(Amanda heads back inside. We get one last look at Lee watching Amanda from a distance.)
[To me he looks totally smitten.. what does he look like to you here? do tell!]
Amanda joins the family in the kitchen..
Amanda: Okay, fellas, better get upstairs and do your homework.
(She and the boys share a group kiss.. and the boys head upstairs to do their homework with zero attitude or complaining!)
[Amanda should go on the run more often! ]
(Dotty is putting on an apron)
Dotty: I wish you’d met this Agent Melrose. He was polite, but threatening.
Dotty: Huh. I have a mind to write to somebody. [rofl! She’s always thinking of writing to somebody! 😉
Um so how was all this explained to Dotty? I would have liked to see that conversation! Sad to see Dotty not happy with Billy, when he was instrumental in protecting Amanda, and helped bring her home safe, well and innocent!]
Amanda: I’m sure he was just doing his job, Mother.
(Amanda’s busy clearing the dining room table, while Dotty gets busy with the dishes) [I thought Amanda had a dishwasher..]
Dotty: Oh. All this brouhaha about a couple of people from a film company.
(Behind Amanda, Lee taps on the window. 
Amanda freezes, smiles slightly [she knows exactly what that noise is ] 
She turns around to face Lee who gives her a massive grin.)
(we continue to hear Dotty jabbering away in the distance.. but watching this I can’t concentrate on a word she says )
Dotty : I mean, huh, is that how they spend our taxes? I don’t understand everything, I admit…
[It’s hard to focus on Dotty’s words with all this flirty stuff going on.. but lol at how Dotty admits she doesn’t understand everything!!! this humour has shades of season 1 no?]
(Amanda leans toward the window..)
[Just check out those dimples!!! He’s so happy to see her ]
(Amanda gives a sneaky little look back at Dotty.
She then motions to Lee to go around to the side) [– I guess she’s saying she’ll join him out there soon..]
(Lee gestures okay. Dotty continues talking… She could be speaking Russian here and I would not notice. Thank goodness KC transcribed her dialogue
(Lee mouths okay.. and [Oh my gosh.. Quick! Smelling salts!!!] Lee blows her a kiss!!!
And gives her a sweet smile..
Amanda smiles in response.)
[No swooning? She’s a strong woman!!!]
I think we could have had only this non verbal, through the back window tag and I would have felt very happy with it! haaaaa.. but.. we get more!
Dotty: … but people talking about traitor and fugitive, and you running off with some strange man, alone.
[Love how Lee blows the kiss right when Dotty is talking about Amanda running off with some strange man alone. Yes I managed to watch that and connect it to the dialogue- it took a few goes.. ahem.. but I got there in the end. Don’t worry Dotty if you knew the truth you’d be thrilled!]
Dotty: I’m supposed to just stand here and accept this as normal behaviour.
[If it’s running off with Lee? then yes, please do!]
(Amanda puts the dirty dishes down, not really looking Dotty in the eye, she rushes to the back door. lol she doesn’t respond to Dotty’s remarks!)
Amanda: The Ferguson’s dog’s in the backyard again, Mother. [rofl. Lee’s new nickname everyone: the Ferguson’s dog!]
Dotty: Oh. Get him if you can. [rofl she’s going to get him alright! haaaa!]
Amanda doesn’t wait around for Dotty to answer. LOL. Amanda heads out the backdoor looking around for Lee – she’s gonna get him!!! 🙂
Okay guys… I don’t want to rush this tag.. So I’ll pause here and be back soon with the final post for this massive two part episode – I cannot wait to hear your thoughts!
I’m currently away on holidays and will be reading your thoughts on my phone, but I won’t be able to respond till I get back… enjoy! bye!
"Just walk with me.." 
I think Lee blowing a kiss to Amanda through the window is the sexiest moment in the series so far and one of th! so tender and unabashedly romantic. 🙂
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About the Joe kiss:
I don’t think any of us are thinking “Yay! Amanda just kissed Joe!” And I agree in the thinking that it is not my preferential way for them to bid farewell. But, I will also agree that it is in character for them at this point. IMO, it is uber clear to both of them that there is nothing romantic between them now. Joe has apparently done a fabulous job keeping the house steady in her absence. And I imagine that is pretty special to Amanda in light of their history. So I think she wants to acknowledge that, and somehow it seems not out of character for her to do so by giving him a little peck. But I also get how bothersome it is, too – it’s bothered me off and on through the years. I think my delving into WWH recently has changed my perspective on the dynamic between Joe & Amanda. I think she sees in front of her this man who has invested himself back into their world in a very present, but not over-bearing way, and both are at complete acceptance and peace with their past. I think he also knows more about her life at the agency and with Lee than anyone else, perhaps, which must be a comfort to Amanda, and there must be an appreciation for his willingness to keep all of that in confidence. So I think it’s harmless. Weird, maybe, but harmless.
As for Lee at the window…W.O.W. Good grief, how she doesn’t break every dish the instant she sees that man, glowing and blowing her a kiss (not to mention the dimples)….It makes me a bit weak in the knees, for real. Seeing it firsthand would be something I likely couldn’t recover from. My tummy flutters just thinking about it. One of my favorite moments of the whole series, hands down. I need salts.
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Quick!!!
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Whew, thanks. I needed those! 😀
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There are a lot of things Amanda does that I don’t know how she can manage in Lee’s presence. Like touching his lips when she pretends to give him the pill.on Weekend. I’d be a mess.
I’m totally that girl who drops the discs on You Only Die Twice. LOL I’m going to be such a wreck if the 40th Anniversary Reunion happens (but I’m still going anyway!)
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When I was a teen, I hated that Amanda kissed Joe — howcould she! Then as an adult I was annoyed that Lee was jealous: I mean come on he spent 6 nights hot and heavy with Sonja and Amanda listening in to boot! It also annoyed me that Amanda had to explain herself and reassure him— I wondered did he reassure her after his evenings with Sonja? But now I realize that they both knew the Sonja thing was an act; Amanda knew there was no real love there. But with Joe, Amanda had loved him once and slept with him, so this kiss is more real than Lees kisses with Sonja. No wonder Lee is jealous.
I love the screen shots at the window ❤️😊
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Love this insight. And welcome!
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Me, too, Amy! Especially when he gives Amanda a kiss … air mail.
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I have been up and down on that little peck between Joe and Amanda. At times it has bothered me and at times it hasn’t, mostly because of how Amanda expressed her feelings towards Lee and those soul-searing kisses they shared before going on the run.
When SMK first aired I had married parents. Some time after that they got divorced and remained very friendly up until my mother passed away. My mother and stepmother actually got along. Before my father remarried he was there for my mother quite a bit, especially when she was ill. He often referred to my mother as his ‘wife’ after they divorced, even to women he dated. Sometimes my siblings and I were confused as to this little dynamic, but they had a history as a young couple raising kids and struggling to make ends meet. That doesn’t just go away after a divorce, especially when you have children together. You are always going to be in each other’s lives. So you have to make a conscious choice as to how you are going to handle things. I think that Amanda made a conscious choice to not be angry and move on with her life. She had moved on spectacularly.
But i also feel for Lee. He has admitted and committed his feelings to Amanda and is vulnerable. What he has seen of Amanda’s life from her back door and backyard has not included Joe. Whereas he has to use the back door of her life, Joe gets to use the front door. Joe being back adds a new dimension of what he must now adjust to.
And can we please talk about Dotty saying to Amanda that she wishes Amanda had met Agent Melrose? Dotty has twice heard or used that name in reference to Amanda’s work at IFF. How can she not connect that with this whole situation? The way Dotty makes the statement here is as if she is going the clueless route as opposed to she knows something else is up with Amanda. To me it’s a huge continuity conundrum.
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I like to hear form other people who have had experience with amicable divorces – it may not be what people expect but its possible. Also, the difference between her goodbye kiss to Joe and her “Hellllllooo!” kiss to Lee should put any doubts to rest…!
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“And can we please talk about Dotty saying to Amanda that she wishes Amanda had met Agent Melrose? Dotty has twice heard or used that name in reference to Amanda’s work at IFF. How can she not connect that with this whole situation? The way Dotty makes the statement here is as if she is going the clueless route as opposed to she knows something else is up with Amanda. To me it’s a huge continuity conundrum.”
Agreed!!!!!
I think I’m going to tell myself that sometime during their two meetings (probably the first one, when she would have felt more chatty and less antagonistic toward him), Dotty actually brought this topic up with Agent Melrose and mentioned that her daughter’s boss had the same name and were they related? And Billy, of course, had a totally believable answer for her, so she dismissed the whole thing from her mind. Billy’s usually pretty good at inspiring confidence.
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It always makes me laugh at the way she straightens up when she hears the tap on the window almost as if he’d goosed her. And if Lee goosed me, I’d have that smile on my face too.
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Agree with you about the kiss on the lips! Seriously!? I don’t know, I am funny about kissing on the lips; only kiss my husband on the mouth. At least it was a peck. Yeah, Dotty ramble–and did she forget how Melrose helped her in season what was it 3?
Loved Lee at the window! Oh, so so gorgeous and he looks like a lost puppy in the car when he is watching Amanda and Joe!
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“Loved Lee at the window!” — Me, too, especially him “air kissing” her!
“Oh, so so gorgeous and he looks like a lost puppy in the car when he is watching Amanda and Joe!”
I think Lee really loved being with Amanda nearly 24/7 and living together without him having to share her time with others. Now he’s back to waiting his turn and, though he should be used to that, he’s feeling lonely for her. Not necessarily a bad thing imo, because that yearning reminds him how much he loves and needs her!
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Yeah!!! friendly, even loving I can cope with.. kiss on the lips? no way!!
Okay true! 🙂
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Great pun samellatrent – Lee the ‘lost puppy’ is described by Amanda as being the ferguson’s dog lose in their back yard haaaaaaaaa!!!
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I don’t think Lee is jealous so much as vulnerable and unsure at that moment. He and Amanda have just been through the ringer, not to mention he just professed his love to her and while she returned that expression of love it’s still so new. He needs some reassurance but that’s for the next post. As for the kiss, it doesn’t bother me that much. It’s not how I would interact but I think it fits for their characters. They have a big past with I’m sure a lot of hurt but there is still love – just not romantic. Amanda is a pretty touchy person with those see cares for.
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Hi Emma, not exactly sure why this went into moderation, but for whatever reason, I don’t think it will happen again. Usually once your initial comment is approved, then all subsequent comments with the same email address are immediately posted. iwsod is much more the WordPress pro.
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Thank you!
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Hi Emma, feel free to email me if you have further issues..
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The system, from Emma’s earlier posts, used “Emma ****” then iwsod asked if it was ok to call her Emma. Guess the system needed you, BJo, to make it official.
[Thanks Nancy for pointing out Emma’s full name was still present. I’ve gone ahead and edited earlier comments to remove it, as it appears Emma prefers ‘Emma’ – thus I’ve removed her full name from your comment here 🙂 ]
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Haha! Yup!
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Thank you BJo!
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I agree with you, Emma, about Lee feeling unsure and vulnerable, rather than outright jealous at this point. He’s maturing and realizing that a relationship with Amanda means a relationship with all of who she is—past, present, and future. This is new ground for him and he’s grappling with what this means to him.
Like Sara, I’m more bothered by the kiss because Lee saw it. But maybe that, too, is a good thing. Perhaps it gives him some empathy for how Amanda must have felt while she was listening to him peacock dancing with Sonja.
My family are cheek-kissers; my husband’s family are lip-kissers, so the kiss on the lips doesn’t bother me per se. It looks like Amanda keeps her arms crossed in front of her, so she’s definitely creating a “do not cross” line with Joe. I, too, think it fits their relationship. I see love and respect between the two of them, while realizing that they’re not meant to be together as a couple.
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“It looks like Amanda keeps her arms crossed in front of her, so she’s definitely creating a “do not cross” line with Joe.”
I hadn’t focused on her maintaining that barrier — thanks for pointing that out, 2Goldens. Got a kick out of Amanda wearing heels, which make her as tall as Joe. Dotty’s beehive hairdo had me grinning, too.
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beautifully put 2Goldens!
I was fixated on the kiss between exes. Focusing on Lee and how he is feeling is a much happier place to linger 😉
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“I really haven’t minded Joe being here in this episode. This scene bothered me back in the day.”
You’re stronger than me, sara. The good night scene with Amanda and Joe standing outside STILL bothers me! Lee’s looking awfully bothered, too! Don’t want Amanda kissing Joe on the lips … don’t want Amanda hugging Joe good night … a handshake isn’t the solution, either. What I could live with, and suspect Lee would concur, is Amanda getting a quick peck on the cheek from Joe. That’s it!
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It really bothers me too…although maybe he deserves to be bothered after what Amanda has to listen too with Lee and Sonja. I wonder if that’s the writers idea of circling back to what was happening early in the first episode???
Was it common for people of the opposite sex in the US in the mid-80s to kiss each other goodnight (no matter how chastely)? It wasn’t where I come from and I think that’s why it really bothers me. As far as I’m concerned, they chose to get divorced and physical affection is out.
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“Was it common for people of the opposite sex in the US in the mid-80s to kiss each other goodnight (no matter how chastely)? It wasn’t where I come from and I think that’s why it really bothers me. As far as I’m concerned, they chose to get divorced and physical affection is out.”
Growing up in the Midwest (USA), the screen shot of Phillip and Jamie kissing their Mom on the cheek was what I experienced among friends and relatives. On the lips was for spouses. Does anyone live in The South? Perhaps it was different in Virginia, which is a southern state. I agree, learjet1, that physical affection should cease after a divorce.
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I think the kiss bothered me because I wasn’t sure if Joe knew Amanda and him weren’t going to be a thing. A kiss can be easily misinterpreted.
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True. Though, I wondered if Joe already sensed Amanda moving on in TWWH. He knew something was different about her. Also, Amanda and Lee weren’t a thing then, but there was chemistry.
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Yeah I think the brief kiss on the lips raises the question of whether joe is testing the waters..
The answer may be no he isn’t..
but I really don’t like that the question is raised again haaaaa.
I agree with Sara that he found that door was closed in TWWH.
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And of course there is nothing more attractive than a woman happily in love, so Amanda is probably very appealling to Joe!
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A woman happily in love becomes even more attractive; that’s an accurate assessment, learjet1. IIRC, in TWWH, Joe told Amanda she wasn’t the woman he married — heck, she wasn’t even the woman he divorced, right? We and Lee had the impression Joe wanted her back. In light of what Joe learned from the Stemwinder-Agency fiasco, the question becomes … is Joe still intrigued with the new Amanda or is he intimidated by her?
We know who Lee and Amanda are to each other so Joe doesn’t actually have a chance; however, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t try, if interested, especially with Dotty-the-matchmaker’s encouragement. Not too long ago she was encouraging Dean!
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Whooo what an awesome idea. I love this learjet – it totally mirrors Amanda’s listening in over the ‘dates’!
At least with Lee and Sonja there was no history… it’s more complicated with Joe because he will always be in Amanda’s life.. IMHO makes the boundaries even more necessary!
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Everyone has a past…and Lee of all people should know that. I don’t feel sorry that Lee has to watch Amanda and Joe kiss – even if it is on the lips. It’s clearly a chaste peck. Yes, I do think it’s odd, but their post-divorce relationship has always been very friendly. And if we’re going to compare past history, I think Amanda’s got Lee beat. He may never have loved any of his conquests, but at least she didn’t have to worry about catching any diseases…. And Amanda is clearly in love with Lee. He may be a little insecure about that, but I have a feeling if he were to ever tell Amanda that she’d tell him just what he’d need to hear to take away any worries.
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Iwsod said, “Whooo what an awesome idea. I love this learjet – it totally mirrors Amanda’s listening in over the ‘dates’! At least with Lee and Sonja there was no history… it’s more complicated with Joe because he will always be in Amanda’s life.. IMHO makes the boundaries even more necessary!”
What you said just gave me an epiphany! While it’s true that with Lee and Sonja, there was no history, what Amanda had to listen to was still Lee’s actual history – him spending a few nights with a woman he just met and pretending to be someone he wasn’t. That repeated over and over pretty much sums up his romantic history in a nutshell.
So in this double episode, they both had the uncomfortable experience of witnessing the other’s romantic history, they both deal with it, and they move forward. Wow!
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“Dotty: Oh. Get him if you can. [rofl she’s going to get him alright! …”
Maybe … unless Lee gets her first!
Oh! Who am I kidding? It’s a sure bet win-win either way!!
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I really haven’t minded Joe being here in this episode. This scene bothered me back in the day. Now, I’ve got a different perspective. It’s good that Joe was there for the boys. I don’t know if the boys being so well behaved has as much to do with Joe being there as it does the two being concerned about Amanda. Maybe a little of both.
That peck at the door bothered me initially too, but I think it was because Lee saw it. Not for what it meant. Amanda has clearly moved on. Maybe Joe has too. Always love the scene with Lee at the window. He can’t wait to see her, so he blows her a kiss. 🙂
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I should amend my comment to say that NO I did ‘not’ like the kiss being directly on the mouth. On the cheek…would be more reasonable. A quick hug would have been better. Sorry for misleading.
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reading you loud and clear 🙂
I feel the same way!
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