Back to Alice’s mansion for another brother-sister baddie catch up. I.e. Trask tells his sister stuff for no reason and the sister freaks out. Alice offers her brother money to stop but he rejects it.
Trask basically thinks Alice thinks she’s too good for all this now she’s in high society and married to a rich guy (named Alan haaaa SMK just loves that name!). 
Trask thinks their business with Weathers got Alice moving on up.. and I don’t really care enough to include the dialogue. But, suffice to say Alice wants nothing to do with this, and Trask is pulling her back into it whether she likes it or not. 
Funnily enough, I find myself sympathising for Alice trying to move beyond her past but being dragged back in by her lousy brother! [How about you? thoughts on this?]
Next, we have a street view of the corvette parked in a shopping district. 
The shot zooms in on a particular shop.
Mrs W’s Curios and gifts.
{Mrs. Lena Spickens {{CINDY:who looks like she is fresh off the set of Little House on the Prairie}}, gives a customer her bag and change…..
. ..then turns to Lee and Amanda.}
[this is the weirdest looking shop to me!]
Lena: {to customer}: Thank you. {to Lee and Amanda} Sorry. I’m the only one here…
Amanda: That’s all right.
Lena: I didn’t think it was necessary for me to stay in touch with the Treasury Department. I thought it was all over. But you think you might have a lead on him?
[Seems Lee and Amanda have agreed that Amanda will take the lead here.]
Amanda: Well, yes, Mrs. Spickens… We found a man’s body. This is all we have.
{Amanda takes Lena’s hand and, from an envelope, pours out the stone from a ring; sole survivor of the fire. } 
Lena: We were in college. I made us rings. With matching stones…{She holds the stone up to the matching stone in her ring.} 
..Where was he?
Lee: Uh, In a construction site here in D.C. He died six years ago.
Lena: He never left me.
(Ms Spickens becomes emotional)
Amanda: Mrs. Spickens, we’re trying to find whoever murdered your husband.…..
…so if you have anything you can tell us that might help, we would appreciate it.
[Is it just me or would old Amanda have maybe been a bit more sensitive than this? Bam! You just told her! haa]
Lena: I think it’s time I showed somebody. {She crosses to a safe and unlocks it} {murmurs to Lee} Excuse me.
{beat} I knew Luther was seeing someone else. I followed him one night to an apartment he was keeping in Georgetown. I found these. [What luck! He was a lousy cheater!]
He had kept his letters from his mistress right out in the open where I could find them. We fought…he stormed out, I never saw him again.
Lee: Mrs. Spickens, this woman…do you have a name on her?
Lena: {shakes head “no”} All the letters were signed with an ‘A’… even that was more than I ever wanted to know.
Amanda: Why didn’t you tell the investigators about these?
Lena: Because I didn’t think it mattered. Maybe they can help you now. 
[Anyone else scratching their head over this one? Oh well.. at least now Lena can get some closure and move on! Good luck to Lena!]
{Lee and Amanda exchange a look}
(Outside, we see Trask is pulling up. Hmm he would have seen Lee’s corvette straight away..) 
{{CINDY: Ron Trask doing an impressive parallel park -with an arm in a sling no less! – behind the ‘Vette. }}
Back inside the shop… Lee and Amanda say goodbye to Mrs Spickens and head for the door. Only, Lee spots Trask.. 
[It’s amazing how bad my memory is. I have no idea what happens here!]
…Wait a second. Aren’t we on a 3-0-3?
Amanda: Yeah, Mr. Melrose is the only one who knows we’re here.
Lee: Trask isn’t here by coincidence.
Amanda: Maybe he knows about Mrs. Spickens
Lee: Yeah, maybe. I think I’ll see how he wants to play it. Take her around back just in case. Then work your way around to the street and watch my back.
Amanda: Yeah, be careful.
Lee: Yeah.
{Amanda leaves out back while Lee leaves the shop through the front entrance} 
Lee: Trask, what are you doing down here?
Trask: I’ve been looking all over for you. I finally got smart and called your office 
Lee: You did?
Trask: Yeah.
{Amanda and Mrs. Spickens peek around from the back} 
Amanda: {whispers} Get back, get back
Trask: I think I got a good lead on that morgue bomb. Where’s your partner?
Lee: She’s inside
Trask: Why don’t you get her and hop in? I’ll explain on the way.
Lee: Okay
(Lee turns back to the shop playing along, with Lee’s back turned, Trask holds up a bunch of dynamite nice and high while he lights the fuse on it. 
Amanda sees and calls out to LEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Lee pulls his gun and shoots Trask. This leads to Trask accidentally blowing himself up in his car. So Lee dives for cover.)
[ rofl. Seems what Trask said was true – there was a great lead on that morgue bomb!]
BOMB: BOOM!
{Trask’s car explodes in a ball of fire.}
[Another big boom boom. Hey, Trask parked immediately behind the corvette and then went big boom boom. If he scratches Lee’s car, it will be the last thing he touched! Oh wait.. no something’s not right there.. never mind.. ahem.. tee hee.]
Back to Billy’s office.
[Is this some kind of a record? Lee nearly went big boom boom twice in one episode?!
What do you think of Amanda’s outfit? That belt is a new look..]
(We get a pretty boring scene between the fab four recapping where they are up to.)
[The set up of this scene is just weird, with Lee and Amanda sitting low on the couch like that..] 
Trask panicked, they’ve tried to connect him to Spickens but no luck so far. 
[Thoughts on this nonsemble??]
Anyway, Billy instructs them to keep Trask’s death a secret..
Francine leaves to continue investigating Trask.
Billy informs Lee that the last ISP Spickens (The Scribbler rofl.) worked on was Lee’s..
[Uh oh.. they gotta find Lee’s ISP or his whole career is over!
Honestly, go watch this scene peeps, and count how many flippin idioms they all use. It’s so over the top it’s ridiculously painful. Me thinks someone is wishing they could write some Dr Smyth dialogue!]
Happily moving on! And it’s back to the evil golf course/resort to catch up with Weathers.
He’s on the phone organising the ISP purchase..
Weathers: {into phone} This phone is clean. What do you want? 
Miles Taggart/ Not Brad: {on pay phone} You want the delivery at your place? 
Yep. we gotta have a finale using golf carts and funiculars! Have I guessed right?!! haaa well we’ll see!
On to the Isle of Capri restaurant.
(We find Joe and Amanda have had their meal and their plates are being taken away.)
Amanda looks kind of nervous.
Have we seen this location before? the outside??
The interior looks similar to where Lee and Amanda met up for lunch and Lee was late last episode – and didn’t stay but that was more classy than this..
here it is in Promises to Keep: 
Looks like the same place to me but trying to be a different place?
Joe: …You want some coffee, dessert?
Amanda: No thanks, I don’t think so.
Joe: Well, we finally got together.
Amanda: Yeah, we did, didn’t we?
Joe {unsure}: Is it..? Is it hot in here or is it just me?
Amanda: It is warm. It’s warm {She starts to loosen her collar} They have the heat in here too high, I think
Joe: I think so.
Amanda: Well, the weather is really pretty unseasonable too.
Joe: We’ve gotten no rain yet.
(They’re both pretty nervous.)
[Aie. this is torture!]
Amanda {laughs}: Oh this is silly. {She takes his hand} 
{{CINDY:WHAT THE EVER LOVING HECK!?! Okay, maybe Lee wasn’t overreacting when he said Amanda needed to stop leading Joe on}}
[*Iwsod bangs head on table]
…Hmmm. Listen to us. We’re stumbling around, we can’t even talk to each other. We know each other better than that.
Joe: Yes.
Amanda {sighs} : Joe, I love you.
{{CINDY:WHAT!?! WHAT!?! Good LORD! That is NOT letting someone down easy!}}
[Cough cough… Amanda – that does not sound like ‘I’m taken!’]
Joe: I’m getting married.
Amanda: You’re getting married? [still doesn’t sound like ‘I’m taken!’] 
Joe: I’m getting married.
Amanda: Did you say you are getting married? [Hey, she’s taken!]
Joe: I knew I shouldn’t have just sprung this on you like this. {{CINDY:But he wanted to save you the embarrassment of declaring your further love for him}}
Amanda: Oh no, no,no. You could, you could– you can-
– You could spring it on me. No, I’m — I — Yeah, ha ha. I’m surprised. But happy.
[Ummmm Amanda.. you are… taken?!… I give up!]
Joe: You mean it?
Amanda: Yes, I’m really happy. {beat} Who is she?
Joe: Um, name is Carrie.
Amanda: Carrie.
Joe: And we’ve been seeing each other since I got back to Washington.
[Aaaaand you never mentioned her before?! Is her favourite drink cold vodka?! Just wondering… ahem..
If he didn’t want to spring it on Amanda he could have at least introduced this Carrie person as someone he was dating before he then told her they were getting married!]
Amanda: Ah.
Joe: I want you to meet her.
Amanda: Oh, I wanna meet her.
Joe: I’d like for you to be good friends [Not asking much, is he?]
[Ugh. I think aim for friends. Good friends is way too much.]
Amanda: Yeah, well, I’m sure we will be. [gag!!!]
Joe: I hope I made the right decision.
Amanda: If it is your decision, it’s the right one. [UGH!! I really struggle with this relationship. don’t mind me y’all who love this dynamic.. you know where I stand on these two so you can just skip my comments.. all his decisions are the right decision? Like leaving her to raise their two small boys without him??!!! ]
Joe: It’s strange, you know, since I got back to Washington, I swear we’ve seen each other more… than we ever did when we were married.
Amanda: Yeah it kind of does seem that way, heh.
Joe: I hope you weren’t uncomfortable with my being around so much. {{CINDY:Interesting note: the script version is “You know the funny thing is since I’ve moved back to Washington, I’ve been seeing you and the boys more than I ever did when we were married. I hope I didn’t mislead you in…well, you know…being around so much.” I think Sam Melville, muffed the line and production thought eh -” close enough”. Though the ‘I hope I didn’t mislead part’ would fit after Amanda declared her love for him}}
[Thanks for including this Cindy!!! I think it says it all.. yeah Joe is way too involved for an ex! that’s why he wonders if she misinterpreted!]
Amanda: Oh no, Joe. We love having you around.
Joe: You and the boys are my family. That’s why you’re the first to know. I guess— I guess, I want your blessing.
Amanda: Oh Joe. Well, you know you have it. I’m very happy for you Sweetheart. Congratulations.
Joe: Thank you Amanda. You were terrific. I– I just didn’t know how else to tell you.
Amanda: Heh, well, yeah, it’s not an easy thing.
Joe: I’ll tell you one thing. If you ever decide to get married again….don’t just invite out to lunch and spring it on me.
[Yeah Amanda please be better to me than I‘ve been to you – like you’ve always been! Why should we change anything about that right??!!! Is Iwsod bitter? Yes! Yes I am!! haaa]
Amanda (same time): Heh, I’m gonna drop it on you. No. 
Joe (same time) : I don’t think I could handle that.
Amanda: Yeah, well.
[Noooooooo she’s doing the myyyyyyystery marriage! So no one can put two and two together about Lee being important to her. Much better that they just act like they are in serious relationship instead! Yep, I’m still bitter.]
Joe: You said you had something to tell me.
(Amanda is still and silent for a moment.. uh oh.. Umm… ‘I’m taken’ was what we are looking for right?!!) 
Amanda: Oh yeah, Philip got a C in history [Again, that is not ‘I’m taken’!!!!]
Joe: C
Amanda: Uh-huh
Joe: Right. Things are looking up.
[Oh haaaaa now that’s funny! sounds like Philip is a bit of a doofus.. and they have pretty low expectations. I’m so nasty poor Philip. haaaaa]
They chink wine glasses… and Amanda has a look on her face that says: phew. got through that! Awk-Ward!!!!!
The scene ends there. I’ve gotta say I share Amanda’s phew, that’s over with!!!! What do you all think?
"Just walk with me.." 
So true. That is got to be brutal for Philip and Jamie.
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As this is the first time Amanda is hearing about this “Carrie” woman, can we safely infer that her boys have never met her either? If so, we know at least one thing that Amanda and Joe have in common: a bizarre (to my mind) disregard for what their own children might think about the fact they are about to acquire NEW STEP-PARENTS. I have always found it completely weird that Amanda didn’t make introducing Lee to her boys her very first order of business after their engagement in Night Crawler. They really took their sweet time about that. And now Joe seems to be doing the same thing!
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I understand waiting to introduce the kids to a new stepparent until there’s a committment. I read a parenting book advocating this and not introducing the children to everyone you date and letting them get attached too soon. But yeah, it’s time for the boys to meet Carrie now. And they probably should have introduced Lee sooner too, although I get that this situation is a bit more complicated than your usual stepparent.
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I am 100% in agreement with you and will add that Amanda’s overly conciliatory behavior toward her ex makes me absolutely furious with her! How my heart aches for Lee, who didn’t have enough time with his parents in order to model their healthy marriage.
[This is in Reply to LeeLovesAmanda]
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Exactly! And with how hard it’s been for him to get to a point where he’d actually get married — he of all people REALLY didn’t need this!
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And how confusing is their relationship to the boys? Amanda could argue that she acts this way because of the boys / trying to make things seem more positive for the boys – that their parents get along. But then, do they think they’ll get back together? Or hope they will? Acting this way for the boys isn’t healthy either.
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Exactly. You can be friendly with your ex without going to that extreme. And the boys are even more likely to resent Lee if they think there’s a chance Joe & Amanda will get back together.
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My impression is that she dresses in the style of Colonial Williamsburg, which opened in the 1930s and is 150 miles south of D.C. She does call her shop Mrs. W. and it’s stocked with colonial style items.
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I’m guessing the widow dresses like that because it’s such an old-fashioned antique store? It makes me think of the shops in Heritage Park in Calgary, right down to the hardwood floor. Incidentally, this is the same street with the phone booth that gets bombed on Long Christmas Eve. I’m thinking it must be an actual location somewhere, because Hart To Hart filmed a scene there in their S5 ep Hostage Harts the same year SMK did Long Christmas Eve and I assume those aren’t the same studios since they were on different networks.
I liked the office scene but the Amanda/Joe thing is just…NO! I’m firmly on Team Lee on this one. This just does not feel right for a divorced woman who is engaged to another man. If I were enaged to or even dating a man who was acting like this with his ex I would be REALLY uncomfortable. And wanting Amanda and Carrie to be good friends? Uh, yeah, that’s not weird at all. I get being friendly for the sake of kids but I can’t imagine being buddy buddy with an ex’s new wife. Again, just NO!
And um, her comment “Your decision will be the right one.” You mean like his decision to leave you and the boys and move halfway across the world to Estoccia? (Although I guess that was a great decision otherwise we never could have had Lee/Amanda as a couple!)
I REALLY wish they’d had Amanda as a widow instead if they didn’t want the relationship to be ugly. They could have done an ep or two where the Agency had a case that somehow tied in with Amanda’s late husband and used flashbacks of the two of them. Then they could have still had all the sweet moments without Lee being uncomfortable and the rest of us getting sick:)
I frequently fast forward through this scene at the restaurant because I just can’t stomach it.
I am proud of Amanda and Joe for not pressuring Phillip to be an excellent student when it’s clearly something he struggles with. Especially given Jamie’s grades — that would probably add even more resentment. Instead they celebrate when he pulls his grades up to whatever level is a victory for him. It is amusing though that so many fanfics have Phillip ending up as a doctor!
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I wonder if they make Phillip a doctor because of that scene in If Thoughts Could Kill when Amanda is trying to distract Dr Glaser by telling him that both her boys want to be doctors. Lol
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Alice of the “I have a really big ugly perm” fame reminds me so daughter who washed her newly permed huge hair and therefore was found guilty of murdering her father in Legally Blonde.
Omg Mrs Spickens could have been a worker in Mrs Olsen’s shop! And wasn’t it convenient that she saved the letters right there in the front of the cabinet behind the registers for six years. I guess she had nothing else that needed to be stored close to the register, so sh was like “What the heck? Sounds like a great place to store my dead husband’s love letters from the woman who was having an affair with him.”
UGH that restaurant scene is painfully awkward. What the heck, Amanda? Holding his hand, saying “I love you” and calling him sweetheart is just wrong. Lee has every right to be jealous. But the worst part for me is when she says “any decision that you make will be the right one” (or something like that – I have a short memory). Really Amanda? Is this how you felt when this same man made the decision to leave you and two babies behind and move halfway around the world? The scriptwriter should be ashamed of this scene.
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The shoulder pads troll has attacked Amanda’s closet!! No sweater is safe! On another note, I actually like Francine’s outfit.
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Francine’s earrings are much too big, but I do agree, sara, that her black and teal outfit looks great on her. Just wish she’d give Amanda some fashion tips!
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