4/7 Season Four Episode Twelve: Any Number Can Play -Scarecrow & Mrs King

Back to IFF, and Amanda joins Lee in the Q bureau as he’s getting off the phone.
Lee: Guess who I was just talking to?
Amanda: Who?
Lee (seated behind his desk): Guy Van Hagen.
Amanda: Great. Are we gonna talk to him?
Lee: No. We really can’t afford the time to fly to West Germany. {He holds up a photo of a grey-haired man, who definitely isn’t Harry.}
[Hang on. Read that again. Rofl. What does he mean? He doesn’t have to fly to Germany to talk to him. haaaa hey Lee it’s called a telephone, and you literally just hung up from talking to this guy sooooo no need to fly to Germany! I’m starting to worry about Scarecrow! 😉 ]

…But this is Guy Van Hagen… I got in touch with him through the CIA. Now, he’s not an agent. He’s more of a company cousin; unofficially official. But he carries a Delta Green clearance. He’s in West Berlin right now, assisting in a hot defection…something code-named the Berlin Shipment.
Amanda: Does he even know Harry Beaumont?
Lee: No, but he does have an employee that fits his description. A guy named Harry Berrigan.

[whoooooo the plot thickens..]

We cut to a computer spitting out an image of Harry [maybe Beaumont, maybe Berrigan, definitely not Tom or Dick!]

{Amanda tears it off and reads from the text.}
Amanda: Berrigan, Harold T. Age: 57. Occupation: personal assistant and relief chauffeur. Employer: Guy Van Hagen.
[How do they have this information???!!!]
Lee: Hmm. Now, Van Hagen told me that he house-sits for him when he goes out of the country. So that explains the car.
Amanda (hand on hip): Yeah, what about the fake name and the guy last night? What kind of a man has my mother gotten herself involved with?

Lee (tuts): I don’t know. But I think I’d like to talk to him.
[Good idea. maybe instead of jumping to conclusions you could.. just talk to the guy. lol.]

Back to Amanda’s… and we watch Dotty have a phone call with Amanda..
Dotty (on the phone): Amanda, what do I do? First you tell me that Harry is not Harry; that’s he’s Guy Van Hagen. And then you tell me that he’s not Guy Van Hagen. His name really is Harry, but his last name is different. I mean, oh, what is going on?
Amanda: Mother, that’s what we’re trying to find out. Now you’re just gonna have to sit tight. [maybe it’s just me but I think Amanda could have apologised at jumping the gun on the Guy Van Hagen identification!]
Dotty (on-camera): Sitting tight is not one of my strong points.
Amanda (off-camera) Mother, there’s nothing else you can do.  I’ll talk to you later, all right? OK, bye-bye.
Dotty: (to herself) I hate to sit tight!
[The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m not really sure what’s the purpose of this scene.. other than Dotty’s getting antsy.. Ooohhhkaay]

We move on to see what Harry’s up to..
[have we seen this before? anyone?]
Harry’s packing his suitcase to leave the fancy mansion, and.. calling Dotty!
Harry: Dotty, it’s Harry.
[Whoa. that jacket. have we seen this one before? I hope he stays away from naked flames!!]
Dotty: Harry! Harry, I’ve got to talk to you.
Harry : Yeah, well, I haven’t got much time. I’ve been called away on business. I have to leave town right away. When I get back, I’ll…
Dotty: Ah, ah, ah.Wait a minute, Harry Berrigan. You’re not going anywhere until I talk to you.
[whooo you is so busted!]
Harry: How did you find out?
Dotty: That’s not important. Now I know all this has to do with the money you’re losing. I don’t care about that. What I care about is you and I wanna help.
[Awh.]
(Harry doesn’t see there’s anything Dotty can do.. it’s time for him to make a run for it. Oh wait. Dotty can give him a lift to the airport. [lol. He’s got a nerve if you ask me!] Dotty gets his address… scrawling it randomly on a nearby newspaper. She tells him to stay put till she gets there.
She hangs up, walks away, immediately walks back and picks up the phone again hearing a dial tone) 
Dotty: Harry, I don’t have a car! Oh…
…OK, just get a hold of yourself, Dorothy…

[bing!]
…Cab!!.. [Dotty is kinda laughing in a I’m barely keeping it together hee hee kind of way. Oh my. She’s so funny here!!!!!]
… Of course. Heh-ha. Call a cab (she picks up the phone and starts dialling).

What are the baddies up to??? Let’s see!
Like any truly evil baddie, their HQ is a mansion.. with expansive grounds..
Okay this mansion I do remember without needing to check – this is the mansion where the baddie in Sudden Death lived… [making lemonade out of lemons or something haaa]  wasn’t it used at the end of Murder Between Friends too?! lol.

Trent has been called in to see Eddinger… he seems nervous.
Eddinger: Yes. I’ve had an update from my European sources. The Berlin Shipment is moving within 72 hours. Now, if I don’t get the information soon, it’ll be worthless and I’ll be out of a lot of money. How are you doing with Van Hagen?
Trent: Great. I should have it tonight.
[Trent seems really nervous.. and.. is that the tie Lee wore in the UK?

maybe?]
Eddinger: You’d better be quite certain on that, Trent. (Trent leaves. Eddinger’s goon approaches him. It’s the guy who was with him at the shoe shine.)
Eddinger (to the guard): I’m not at all sure about him. It might be a good idea to hedge my bet. Simons, why don’t you get over to Van Hagen’s house and see if you can find … anything useful.
Simons: What about him (Trent)?
Eddinger: He may work out yet. (sighs) If not, uh, you’ll dispose of him later.

[lol these baddies are all the same lol. not much new to see here. but I find it hard to take Eddinger seriously. No one with a floral armchair is that scary if you ask me!! ]

Soooo everyone is headed to Van Hagen’s except… Van Hagen!  Dotty and her cab arrives to pick up Harry, Dotty asks the cab to wait and then rushes inside.

Inside, Harry is sitting at the telephone table, flicking through a binder.
The doorbell rings and he closes the binder..
[I guess this is the log for Van Hagen’s (VH’s) International airfreight company? VH Air. how imaginative lol.]
Harry goes to answer the door.
Dotty (off-camera): Harry, I know that you are in way over your head..

…but it is not your fault. I mean, mobsters are clever; they can trick you. Oh dear, is this Mr Van Hagen’s home?
(Dotty puts down the newspaper she’d scrawled the address on, and her handbag onto the table while they talk..)
Harry: How did you find out about all this?
[we have our ways!!!]
Dotty: That isn’t the point. The point is: what are we going to do about it?
(Dotty tries to encourage Harry to not run, but he is quite attached to his kneecaps [get it?!] so he thinks he’s safer running away. Dotty doesn’t argue with this line of logic.. picks up her handbag and they head out. She left that newspaper on the table though.)

Random next scene is the corvette turning a corner.
[which I am certain we’ve seen before lol. but don’t ask me where. anyone?]
We hear a voice over from Lee:
Lee: Why is it you only get a flat tyre when you’re in a hurry?… [or when the plot demands it!] …Ah well,.. since Harry doesn’t know we’re coming, he won’t mind if we’re late.
[Curious.. why did they need to show the corvette was delayed? No idea yet. I’ll hold that thought.]

We cut to Simons looking through papers at Van Hagen’s mansion, he’s making a proper mess!

He pauses when he hears Lee and Amanda pull up out front. Lee and Amanda get out. Lee rings the door bell while directing Amanda to check the window to the side.. Amanda sees the mess.. Lee picks the lock and they get inside.
Simons tries to make a getaway via the back – but jumps down in front of a big window Lee and Amanda are standing in front of. lol.
Simons runs for the car, and speeds off.

Lee runs for Simons..  tyres squeal,

…Simons shoots out the corvette’s tyre and he makes a getaway.

[Oh right. this is why we had the clunky line about needing to pause and change the tyre. No spare!!! Oh boy.. Super duper clunky!]

Lee and Amanda search Van Hagen’s.. and Amanda finds the napkin and the newspaper.. (Go Amanda!)

Amanda: It’s from the Kenley Club. Remember that guy handed Harry a napkin last night?
Lee: Yeah. (Reads the napkin) “The Berlin Shipment. All details”. This doesn’t look good for your mother’s boyfriend.
Amanda: Mm-huh. Look at this. This is Mother’s newspaper. Mother’s handwriting: this address…  …which she didn’t know when I talked to her an hour and a half ago. (Amanda tries dialing her home number and there’s no answer.) …What’s going on?
[at this point they can at least think that dude at the club gave him that napkin and wanted info on the Berlin shipment.. i.e. someone else has mistaken Harry for Van Hagen. and oh yeah, wasn’t Francine working on some extortion thingy with the FBI task force thingy?! whoa. they wouldn’t be related would they?! ]
Lee (shakes his head): I can’t tell. And without a program, it’s getting real tough to tell who the players are here… Look, why don’t we try Billy?
They dial Billy’s number..
And we get to see Billy speak with Lee on the phone.
Billy: So somebody searched Van Hagen’s house, probably looking for information on the Berlin Shipment, and now Van Hagen’s assistant is missing.
Lee: And that’s not all, Billy. Ah, there’s a good possibility that Amanda’s mother is with Harry.
Billy: Amanda’s mother? How’d she get mixed up in this?
Lee: Well, to tell you the truth, it’s, it’s a long story.
Billy: Damn it, the Berlin Shipment is Alpha One priority! Someone’s mother should not be mixed up in it. [Oh my gosh. This line is hilarious and sooooo SMK!!! ..well you know Amanda and her family! Heck Lee and Amanda don’t need to keep their relationship secret Dotty gets into loads of trouble anyway!!!]
Lee: …OK, Billy, I’ll tell her… Yeah. Oh, oh, listen, the guy shot out my tyre. You’re gonna have to send someone out here to pick us up. OK. Bye. {Lee hangs up the phone.}
[Or bring Lee a spare tyre no?]
Amanda: Tell her what?
Lee: Billy is issuing an Agency alert on Harry and your mother…We’re gonna have to go to your house. He needs a picture of her.

[All things considered, Amanda copes quite well with this situation and Lee is careful, but not overly so.. I think this is progress when looking back on all the other times Amanda’s family has been mixed up in agency stuff that someone’s mother shouldn’t be mixed up in. rofl. that’s sooo good!!!]

Well I’m going to pause here! any thoughts you’d like to share? Do tell!!!