Brace yourselves! 🙂
Back at Lee’s and it’s tag time….
Lee and Amanda’s cars are parked out front..
Cute music.. whooo this is gonna be good!
As we hear Lee talk, we cut to inside, the dining table is set.. Lee seems to have lit a burner of some kind. I see candles! 
we know what this is smk code for! [Um potential power outages yes?! tee hee] 
Lee enters the dining room (in an apron no less – is there anything more attractive than a man in an apron cooking for you?! tee hee..). Lee sets down a bowl of something.. 
[Guy cooking for you and doing all the work? best start to a romantic evening 
Lee knows all the right moves ahem. focus iwsod! If we are going to get overtly romantic Lee more often in season 4 – I better start to try and build up some resistance here or.. how will I be able to continue??!!! Focus iwsod! I think I’m going to need you guys to help me ]
Lee: And despite your belief that I only keep a wrinkled apple and fermenting cheese in my refrigerator, I want you to know I’m preparing a feast Escoffier would be jealous of.
[rofl great continuity with the fermenting cheese gag! Did we get a Lee and his smelly cheese joke in season 3? if so we had one in every season! haaa..] 
(The shot widens to find he is talking to Amanda, who is laying down on his couch reading a magazine and smiling.)
Amanda: Oh, I really wish you hadn’t gone to all this trouble. I think I’m too tired to appreciate it. 
Lee heads back into his kitchen as Amanda replies..
Lee: Nobody’s ever too tired to try one of my frittatas. It’s a potpourri of eggs,..
[drink! drink! drink everyone!! ‘Pot Pourri!’ and no – I honestly had zero idea that we’d be hearing this word again in this episode- rofl!!!]
…mushrooms, garlic, spinach, everything but the kitchen sink…. ha ha ha..
[The shot zooms back to the dining room table where Lee sets down his masterpiece]
…When I was assigned to a NATO operation in Capri, a wonderful old chef who shared with me his secret for making the perfect frittata… 
[I love to see him sharing freely parts of his well travelled history- plus a story not involving a potential liason of some kind! Amanda has a need to know. And.. I think Lee has a need for Amanda to know ]
…You don’t sauté the garlic but add to the eggs just before you put it under the broiler. That way you keep the flavour and you don’t burn the garlic. 
(Lee looks so happy and contented! he heads back into the kitchen.. we hear a pop… then..)
Lee calls out from the kitchen: Amanda?! think of this as a celebration for Zhmed…
(Lee reappears with two flutes and a bottle of champagne.)
[Oh boy. Lee, cooking for Amanda, wearing an apron, doing all the work, and champagne? no one could resist all this!!]
Lee continues on as he approaches the table behind the couch, but we can’t see Amanda : … being accepted into the defectors’ relocation program…
[Err great news for Zhmed by the way lol. for a second there I had to remind myself who he is haaa..]
…And I can only speak for myself when I say that we are long overdue for some celebrating around here…
(Lee pours the bubbly)
…Especially the type that includes only the two of us, hmm? So…
(Lee picks up the two filled champagne flutes and begins walking around the couch to Amanda’s side)
… with that thought in mind, some romantic candlelight, a little bubbly,…
[LOL Lee is off in his own little world, enjoying the scene he has set for this special evening, he’s so enjoying it he doesn’t seem to need or notice Amanda’s response. too cute! I think this little moment could be termed Lee’s ode to champagne and romance.. a speech for the ages! ]
…and a little romance.
(Lee turns to Amanda and kneels I think. but.. Uh oh.. she’s fallen asleep!!!
Lee leans in to have a closer look. she isn’t! Noooo is she? yeah she is!!! [too cute how he checks he’s seeing what he’s seeing]
ohhh he can’t believe it. lol. 
He lets out a quiet chuckle. Am I going into too much detail?
Yeah.. no I didn’t think so
Lee sets down the two drinks. then..
he licks his lips.. and looks at Amanda –anyone want to guess if he is thinking of Frittata? or Amanda’s lips?!
He watches sleeping Amanda..
He goes to move closer.. chuckling to himself..
Don’t move too fast Lee I don’t want blurry pics!
He leans in very close and says quietly: … A very little romance. 
Lee leans in and gives sleeping Amanda a gentle kiss. 
Kissing sleeping beauty perhaps? Another reference to fairy tales?! 
As Lee leans back we see Amanda’s eyes (-flutter into the back of her head and she passes out? Nah.. she’s stronger than I am.. ) -flutter open..
Lee grins.. 
Amanda grins..
She kinda moans/sighs.. and reaches out to Lee.
[Atta girl]
her hand finds his shoulder.. 
and pulls him closer as she finally speaks:
Amanda: I may be sleepy but I’m not dead.
Lee doesn’t hesitate!
He moves in fast chuckling to himself..
Hoorah! Kissing time! I guess this ties in nicely with that alone time Lee was longing for at the start of this episode. Awh!!! these two!!! So sweet! And sexy!
I love that here we actually get to see the end of the kiss.
Lee leans back and they share looks of pure contentment.
the episode ends here. sigh
I’m feeling quite dizzy.. so much swoony goodness to start and close out this episode. the rest in between? I can put up with if I get to see this haaaaaa – kidding!!!
Before I sign off.. did you notice the light blooper? I was a little cheeky not sharing a pic of it yet. but it is a transition moment anyway so it didn’t fit…. If you want to find it yourself, and you don’t yet know about it. Read no further – pause here!
Go watch this tag again. Try really hard not to stare at sexy Lee in his apron (I know it’s tough)… watch for the prop light that accidentally shows up on camera!! then.. come back!
So did you find it?
Here it is: 
(bottom left corner!)
Rofl! I think I had watched Lee in his apron, err I mean this scene many times – until someone pointed out the light. I had no idea it was there for years! Definitely wasn’t me who noticed it – but apologies I can’t attribute this discovery to a particular smk fan. I’d love to.. whoever you are – we salute your strength!!! to notice something like this when sexy Lee is in full flight is truly an achievement! tee hee..
One final note – next up is It’s in the water- I’ll be switching to less detailed blog posts so you’ll see a difference I think, I’ll be aiming to cover episodes in less detail from now on -unless we are walking through a few of the eps full of Lee/Amanda gems! It’s likely I’ll continue to post once a week, but we’ll be covering more of the story with one blog post from now on. We’ll see how we go. Hope you can continue walking with me through to the end of season 4!
Now NTFTM has come to an end – how did you find this episode over all?
What’s your thoughts on this tag? Zhmed and his sunglasses? Pollyanna? Lee’s apron? do tell!!!
"Just walk with me.." 
I saw the Question way back in the first post but i thought it would be better if i answered here… b4 i get to that let me just rewind a little to S3. My opinion on where they were in their relationship may be entirely different from what others feel. And that’s one of the things i like this space very much..there is no right or wrong abt anything..its truly abt how we view their relationship progresses. And i am kinda old fashioned too..i am an Asian afterall😂😂but having said that..i considered all aspects even the 80s era b4 i came to my conclusion.
Many won’t agree but i actually felt their ALMOST KISS in Utopia now was really HOT coz both were at very vulnerable moment..very emotional moment(i have commented on the post in detail)…and their flirting in FAST FOOD FOR THOUGHT just confirms that they were willing and desiring for more..It was pretty obvious Amanda did not seriously make a COFFEE invite😂😂 To me..they just seemed to be exactly where they wanted to be..they knew very well what they wanted..it was all abt who made the MOVE first..Then came ATWAS..where that kiss said it all to me..Lee wanted her completely😍😍.That also is the reason why i felt TBWCBK should be after ATWAS. I honestly think THEY consumated their relationship after ATWAS..and then the episode TBWCBK(sorry but i felt TBWCBK should be after ATWAS). See,with them it is always abt having time..which they almost have none…so,in my opinion..they were emotionally and physically involved after the kiss in ATWAS….Then we have UB. It doesnt mean that you begin a emotional and physical relationship,you will want to share all secrets with the person you care abt?? But Lee gets past that and we have the STEMWINDERS..we see them keeping their relationship a secret from everyone but nothing says they are not involved physically,right? I believe,if they were just kissing..Lee would not have felt so uncomfortable when he had to do the PEACOCK DANCE and Amanda would not have got sooo affected by it to storm out of Billy’s office..i suppose a couple had to be intimately involved to get worked up in such a manner.
Soooo..here, in this episode,if Lee seems edgy abt not spending time with Amanda,i would say he meant his alone alone time with her…in his apartment…Lee has to compete for ALONE TIME between her job and her family….And it is very clear that when he asks Amanda over to his place….dinner was the last thing on his mind…and she knew very well what his intentions were😂😂😂😂
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Very interesting theory about putting TBTCBK after ATWAS. It certainly would explain the closeness in the tag better.
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Well,it certainly works better for me to watch it like that😊👍
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That’s the episode order I came up with, too! It’s the only way I can get the tag from Boy/King to even remotely make any sense for me! And then I think shortly after that, Billy must have presumably said something that made Lee & Amanda realize that he hadn’t seen them fawning all over each other and practically sitting in the same chair while he was up playing saxophone, what with all the lights up on stage (as others pointed out), and didn’t KNOW about their relationship’s new status change, so they must have talked it over and decided (for some mysterious reason) to keep it a secret after all. And there’s just a bit too much distance between them yet during Unfinished Business for it to come after the Stems. But too much closeness for it to come before ATWAS.
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The poor fritatta…I wonder if the “old chef” also taught Lee to use the spatula to torture it in the pan. I’ve never made a fritatta, but I’m guessing you’re probably not supposed to cut it up and move it around in the pan the way Lee does.
Lol – at the lighting picture. I never noticed it before either. Too busy looking at Lee!
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Along with your comment about how this cozy scene ties in with Lee wanting more time alone with Amanda in the first scene, the comment about the empty fridge also ties in with the flirting in that scene:
“How about dinner tomorrow night at my place?”
“You don’t have any food at your place.”
“Exactly”
Even the body language mirrors the open scene with her hand on his shoulder and the light kisses.
Way back on that first post, you asked if any of us had opinions on whether they’d consummated their relationship based and I would say the way she is completely comfortable on his sofa, the way he is completely comfortable kissing her while she’s asleep, and the way she is completely comfortable waking up like that? Oh yes, I think they’re completely connected, in every possible sense.
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So agree with you😍
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This scene made the whole episode worth it ❤ It’s cute how Lee wants to impress Amanda with his cooking skills and love the continued throwback to his empty fridge in Season 1. For a show with so many inconsistencies they were sure remembering that (I imagine someone back in S1 put a huge red note on the board in the writers room “Remember wrinkled apple, fermenting cheese”, lol).
Gosh, this makes me a little melancholy today. At the moment I’m really put off by “modern” shows, as they all do the same love triangle garbage and cliff hanger moments by the end of each season thing. Why can’t anyone these days write a grown-up relationship progression the way SMK did anymore.
Oh, almost forgot, big ROFL moment with the (actually unmissable) prop light…and nope, didn’t notice. Then again, Lee was right there being all swooney, they could have put an elephant there and I would’ve missed it. 😉
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You’re right that the overall quality of tv shows declined steadily. Eight years ago I stopped cable tv (no reception without it in the mountains where I live) and never missed it. Since then, I got an iPad to keep up on news and found quality entertainment (JWWM for example) to fill the void. Do use the old tv set to watch dvds & vhs tapes of films and older shows that suit my interests. Thanks for making me laugh with your elephant joke.
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Even with lighting apparatus visible, this Tag cast so many shadows. There were shadows upon shadows! It took me a while to realize Amanda wasn’t actually wearing a long, dark scarf around her neck! That being said, I found enough satisfying Lee & Amanda interactions to make this episode worth my time.
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This is one of the episodes where the plot is not my favorite, but as always I focus on Lee and Amanda. It’s nice to take these walks through the episode and find little gems and subtle nuanced changes in either the relationship between Lee and Amanda or Amanda’s growth as an agent. We got the lovely opening and tag that shows how much Lee and Amanda’s relationship have progressed. We see how they are still trying to keep it under wraps with the dropped handhold. And of course, Amanda must now be constant visitor to Lee’s apartment. I wonder if Lee finally gave her a key.
Once again I’ve had to play catch up, but Iwsod, it was great to read some of your commentary throughout the recap. I miss your humor. We are winding down our school year and my schedule will open up and next school year should be less crazy.
I’m hoping to get over to Ned’s yet this weekend, but Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!
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NTFTM Episode was Ok, sort of So So, but this Sweet and some what Sexy Romantic ending made it all worth while to watch. Enjoyed reading Everything and sorry to say I did not always have the time to make comments or give feed back. Oh yeah, The Hollywood Sign fully lit up could have been in the background, but with Lee standing there wearing an apron holding 2 glasses of champagne the sign could have fallen on me before I noticed it. So, yes I did not see the prop light……
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And I would blame you not.
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Escoffier would be jealous of Lee’s frittata ! After the staff of Escoffier America tried to kill Lee and Amanda in Sour Grapes, Escoffier deserves to be jealous. It’s nice to see a domestic “normal” side of Lee, so different to Scarecrow and the playboy Lee. Can’t imagine either of them wearing an apron!
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While I enjoy the “domestic” side of Lee and the fact that he is obviously taking care to produce a delicious meal for Amanda, I find this tag a touch annoying. Yes, I know that will be an unpopular view. This tag links us back to the Lee of S1 and S2. The Japanese meal that he cooked for Amanda. The wining and dining of women with fine cuisine. I found that Lee a bit pretentious and not so endearing. And so I find Lee a bit irritating here. (Although his comment about garlic made me think about when I add it when cooking 😀 )
That said, this tag is a bright spot in a pretty ho-hum episode.
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The table setting sure looked pretentious with those gold plates, but the meal he made was just a simple frittata … (for the uninitiated) that’s Italian for an omelet not folded over. A quick-to-prepare late supper, certainly nothing gourmet. Since Amanda was slip-sliding away toward dreamland, I took Lee’s rare turn at rambling as him trying to keep her awake. He wanted her to have a light, nutritious meal before she was down for the count.
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Yes, a frittata is a simple meal. It’s the whole “performance” around such a simple meal that seems OTT to me…
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I find it very irritating the way he pronounces “fritatta” while describing it to Amanda. I agree with you here Learjet on the performance-y aspect of this scene. It improves greatly after Lee pours the champagne!
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BJo appearance?! squeeeeee!!! Frittata! Frittata!!! rofl. sorry that’s all I’ve got time for at the moment.
Just really wanted to say a quick hello to BJo and Hoorah that you’ve stopped by! I missed you and am so glad youc an stop by when you can! You are always welcome!
Same goes for anyone else reading with little time to comment -feel free to comment when you have a moment- would be great to hear from you!!
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Hi iwsod! I started working again last February and have been thoroughly immersed in my new job. I love what I’m doing, but It’s taken my mind off Lee…but he seems happy with Amanda, so I suspect he doesn’t mind ;). I’ve missed the blog too; it’s way more fun when I’m here consistently. So happy to be in S4, but glad to be past this episode. It’s kind of Zhmedish…a bit flat and dull with only the occasional bright smile. Looking forward to the next episode 🙂
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While I can totally see your point, personally I’m totally ok with it:
1. It fits Lee’s personality. He may have done a lot of growing up in the past 3 years, but he’s still the same person. The man definitely has “a flair for the dramatic”! 😄
2. It was the 80s and a man was cooking. And a man with a reputation for having no edible food in the house, to boot! Regardless of WHAT he was cooking, I think some showmanship was probably to be expected.
3. Kind of like on the boat back in Flight to Freedom, he was trying to make it a special evening. Why NOT enhance things a bit, even if it was a fairly basic meal?
4. I actually LIKE that he’s wining and dining Amanda. I mean, why should all those unimportant women in his past get treated to this kind of luxury, but the real love of his life have to miss out?
5. But we know he’s not JUST wining and dining her. We’ve also seen that he loves her, respects her as a person, respects her professionally, cares about her family, etc, etc, etc. As a stand alone, it would be totally shallow (Alan Chamberlain & his poetry come to mind). But having the whole package takes it past “shallow” for me and makes it “special”. And I might or might not be insanely jealous of Amanda for having all that AND the world’s most romantic unfolded omelet.
6. Lee Stetson. Cooking. In an apron. Considering that apparently not one of us ever noticed that production light, I’m not entirely sure #’s 1-5 were even needed 😉
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I love seeing Lee wearing an apron and cooking for Amanda. Absoluty something that Scarecrow would have never been doing. For me the champagne fits because IMHO Lee might have something more on his mind to say to Amanda when he is talking about some romance but was stopped because Amanda was more or less asleep and might not really hear him or realise his words.
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Argg! Gotta dash and run but will be back to study your screen caps in excruciating detail to see if I can see any more production equipment (ya, right!).
And Lee is very talented, there is no way I would be able to cook and keep my shirt clean.
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If “Production Equipment” is a euphemism, I think we’d have to check much later in the evening to see Lee’s.
Gosh. This gutter is so much more comfortable than you’d think…
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Euphemism, Clagjanet -ROFL! Well I live there, the gutter I mean, it’s very cozy 😉
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Oh my gosh. I just sprayed my coffeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
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Rookie mistake, Iwsod, drinking and reading. Tsk, tsk.
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LOL!
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Thank you for this wonderful walk. Laughed myself silly and fell in the gutter.
I think I enjoyed it more than watching the series itself.
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Welcome to Just Walk with Me Sue!!! So glad you have been reading, enjoying and have jumped on in and said hi from the gutter rofl.
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Welcome, Sue! Yes, Iwsod’s commentary is hugely enjoyable, especially with an episode like this! 🙂
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clagjanet: “… I think we’d have to check much later in the evening to see Lee’s.”
You go ahead and get cozy down there in the gutter. As for me? Hey, if Lee’s willing to “stay up” later into the evening, while Amanda snoozes, I volunteer to keep him company … ready, willing and able to use all means necessary to verify his … production equipment is up to code and working properly!
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