5/7 Season Four Episode Twelve: Any Number Can Play -Scarecrow & Mrs King

Lee and Amanda arrive back at her place..
Amanda (off-camera): Mother had this taken last Christmas with the boys. It was their Christmas present to me. Oh, would you look at that…She had the worst time getting Jamie to smile; he had his new braces on. See? He was so self-conscious.
Lee: Hey, come on. Come on, it’s no time to be like that, OK? You’ve got to think positively.
Amanda: I know. I know. I’m just, um, you know, a little scared. Heh. [I love to see her acknowledging her feelings, but not being swept away by then.. and Lee doesn’t brush them off either. really lovely!]
Lee: I know you are, but you’ve got to think that everything is gonna work out OK.

Dotty: Amanda, is that you?
Amanda: Mother!
Dotty: Well, I thought I heard some talking in here.
Amanda: Mother, where have you been?
Dotty: I have been on the patio. Amanda, you have no idea how much trouble Harry is in…
(Lee comes into view).
…Hello, Mr Stetson.
Lee: Ah, Mrs West.

Amanda: Mother, we went to Van Hagen’s house, but Harry wasn’t there. We found your newspaper.
Dotty: Oh, well we must have just crossed each other. Anyway. I was right about everything. I was right about the mobsters, the money, the, the gambling…
{As Dotty talks, Harry walks into the room, behind Dotty.}
Amanda: Harry, you’re here!
Dotty: Yes. Thanks to me. Uh, Harry, ahh… I’d like you to meet, uh, Amanda’s gentleman friend. That’s Lee Stetson.
[rofl. her gentleman friend?!
Hmm I guess I get my answer here, seems Amanda had already been introduced to Harry]
Lee: Hi. (Harry and Lee shake hands.)
Harry: How do you do?
Dotty: He… he works with her and maybe he can help.
Harry: Look, I was just thinking, maybe it would be better if we didn’t call the FBI.
Lee: The FBI? Ah, now, wait a second. (Amanda looks horrified and moves her eyes sideways to Lee and then straight again.)
Dotty: Amanda, will you help me talk some sense into this stubborn man?

…I mean, when you are dealing with blackmail, you have got to get the feds involved.
{Dotty waves her finger.

Lee smiles and shakes his head.}
[Dotty is on a roll. Lee is smiling nervously I guess he doesn’t want the FBI involved.. and Amanda seems a bit deer in the headlights!]
 …I have seen Efrem Zimbalist, Jr do this a dozen times.
{Learjet notes: This is the actor father of Stephanie Zimablist from Remington Steele! And he starred in the TV series “FBI” from 1965 to 1974.} [that is hilarious given Beverly Garland played her mother in Remington Steele!]
Amanda: Mother, that was television.
Lee (same time as Amanda): Yes, that was TV.
[Chaos! Dotty won’t shut up, and someone needs to take control here, but this is his future mother in law Lee can’t?! Not that she would know anyway ugh.. Will Amanda take control??
Dotty is trying to take the lead and she doesn’t know what she’s doing.. and doesn’t know that Lee and Amanda do!]
Dotty (talking over Lee): I know. But those were from actual case histories…
Harry (over Dotty): I was just thinking that maybe it’d be better …that the police might be a little more sympathetic… (Lee is looking increasingly confused and frustrated.)
Dotty (over Harry): That has to do with jurisdiction. (Lee puts a hand to his head.)
Amanda (over them): I don’t think sympathetic is exactly the right word.
Harry (over them): Well, understanding, maybe.
Dotty (over them): Just – the names were just changed to protect the innocent. (Lee is looking annoyed now.)
Amanda (over them): I don’t know, understanding might not…
[Lee’s had enough.]
{Lee whistles loudly. Silence falls and they all turn to him in astonishment.}
[go Lee! I’m so glad he stepped up!!!]
Lee: Could we all just sit down and talk about this?

Everyone agrees. Phew!
They make their way out on the patio…
Dotty is pouring coffee.
Dotty: Sugar, Mr Stetson? [rofl. there’s a joke in that line somewhere!]
Amanda: Cream… (Dotty looks surprised and Amanda tries to cover up.) Oh, I know that from work. (Lee smiles at Amanda) Go on, Harry.
Harry: Well, anyway, the boss was away so much I started driving the Bentley once in a while, and…
Amanda: Mm-hmm.
Harry: Then I started borrowing a couple of his jackets… [What about this Jacket Harry? because I don’t think Van Hagen would miss it!] … Pretty soon I was believing that I was the rich one.
[Hmmm umm what exactly does Dotty see in him?!]
Lee: How did you find out about the club?
Harry: From another chauffeur. I’ve always had a kind of a… weakness for the dice… and I just wanted to have some fun, but… So I used some of Van Hagen’s ID to get in the club, and then I started calling myself Harry Beaumont…
…All the people in there use some pseudonym, but, I don’t know, it just sounded classier than Berrigan.
…And it was exciting…
…You see, I’d never played for such high stakes before. Until I started to lose…
Amanda: How much money do you owe Mr Trent?
[uh oh Amanda you are sounding very sure of yourself and professional here. Dotty’s going to pick up on it!]
Dotty: Nearly $50,000. But he wouldn’t have if Trent hadn’t been buying his markers.
Lee: Sure. Trent dangled the carrot…
Harry: …I took a big bite.
Amanda: Now, don’t be too hard on yourself, Harry. It’s a classic blackmail set-up (Dotty looks shocked..
and Lee gives Amanda a look)

…or so I understand.
Harry: Why would anybody want to blackmail Harry?
Amanda: Well, I don’t know. Did he, uh, ask you for anything?
[Seems Lee is letting Amanda take the lead..]
Harry: Yes. The last time I saw him, he said I wouldn’t have to pay him if I’d give him something called the… the Berlin Shipment.
Amanda: The Berlin Shipment. Well… you have any idea what that is?
Harry: No. I thought it might have to do with Mr Van Hagen’s business. He’s in airfreight. But I checked his log..
(Amanda and Lee share a look)
[Lee seems to react to this like it’s new information – thumb tapping away.. but he’s trying not to show his reaction – but why I don’t know. this is not new information to Lee and Amanda. Meh. maybe I read him wrong.]
… and he hasn’t scheduled any flights to Germany. I was just gonna… hide out in my cousin’s apartment in the Bronx until I could figure out what to do, then Dotty talked me out of going.
Dotty: When you came in, we were talking about whether we should go to the police or the FBI… (Lee and Amanda exchange glances again) …I mean, Harry has got to have some kind of protection.
Lee: Well, uh…
Amanda (over Lee): Umm…
[lol lets see how they handle this one while keeping their secrets! lol!]
Lee: I don’t think there’s enough time for the FBI to… send someone out here.
Amanda (over Lee): Yeah you know I’m, uh, I’m not really sure this is a matter for the local police.
Lee: Yeah.
Amanda: Gee, it…
Lee (raising his finger, as if coming up with a new idea): Why don’t you call that agent that, uh, that helped you out? Remember when we had the security mix up?
[security mix up?]
Amanda: Yeah… who was that?
Lee (simultaneously): What’s his name again? (Both Lee and Amanda appear to be trying to remember the agent’s name)
Dotty: Oh, oh, Mr Melrose.
Amanda: Melrose.
Lee: Right.
Amanda (repeats): Melrose.
[Oh Hallelujah!]
Dotty: Yeah. Mr Personality. Oh! Well, at least he was efficient (Lee and Amanda smile).
Dotty continues: All right, OK. I’ll see if I can find his card.

[Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this scene everyone! It’s awkward and cute at the same time.. but phew.. they got there in the end!

Love the smile Lee gives Dotty as she walks away.gah! ]

{Lee walks into Billy’s office, carrying a set of mug shots.} Time for the gang to finally put it together!
Lee: Miles Trent, also known as Trenton Miller, Miles “the Squeeze” and about a half a dozen other names…
[oh rofl. I just love how baddies always have a nickname or ten. The Squeeze?! haaaa]
…Harry picked him out of a Metro police mug book. [how did they explain being able to get hold of that?]
… He’s got a rap sheet here longer than all of our arms put together… [Huh? that doesn’t even make sense] …It’s mostly, uh, two-bit stuff though, cons, boudoir blackmail…
Francine: Then Senator Castleton would have been exactly his type. One of the Congressional pages broke down when I questioned her. Seems that she and the senator shared more than a, uh, political affiliation.
Billy (reaches out and takes the mug shots from Lee): Well, if Trent is trying to find out about the Berlin Shipment, then he’s moved up to the majors.

Lee: Yeah, but not alone. Trent doesn’t usually dabble in gambling and Harry owes him 50 grand in markers he bought. Now, where does a guy like Trent get that kind of cash? Somebody’s got to be bankrolling him.
Francine: So Trent’s just a front man?
Lee: Yeah.
Billy: Well, we could bust Trent on blackmail charges but that wouldn’t guarantee that he’d tell us who was backing him.
Lee: Right… What we’ve got to do is set up a situation that’ll send Trent running to his man. I think Harry can help us do it.
[whooo this sounds like fun. and excitement. Harry was actually wanting a bit of excitement! lol]
Billy: Francine, call Van Hagen in Berlin and tell him to stay alert.
Francine: OK.
(Francine turns and leaves the office.)
Billy (to Lee): If you’ve got a plan, let’s hear the rest of it.
Lee: Just one more thing, before we go on, um, Amanda’s worried about her mother. Now you’ve met Mrs West…
Billy (smiling slightly): OK, OK, I got you. Tell Amanda not to worry. I’ll take care of her mother.
Lee: Good.
[Lee and Billy share this soft little moment at the end here which is so sweet! I love how they each speak in soft tones. Like they are discussing something very precious! Awh!!!!!]
The scene ends here.

Well I’m going to pause here – can’t wait to hear from you all!!!