Lee and Amanda arrive at the McMasters estate. There’s a cop already out the front.. and Lee has a sinking feeling.. lol. 
Inside, Mrs Felicia is trying to avoid her angry husband, the yellow (okay! Banana!) coloured Mercedes dude.
McMaster Jr is breaking stuff, and accuses her of letting Nicky in through security to spend the night together.
[They are maaaaaassive shoulder pads!]
McMaster Sr is more worried about his art being looted. Accuses Nicky of taking it. Okay, soooo it’s been stolen huh. that was quick!
Jr goes to strike her, and Sr stops him. Then Lee and Amanda enter.
rofl at how Sr is all formal and polite when he was literally just stopping his son from striking his cheating wife!
Lee shows a photo of Nicky, and says there’s an ongoing agency investigation going on..
Sr tells Felicia they want to truth.
Blah blah blah.. this is really not interesting.
So I’ll skip the detail. Felicia confesses to the love affair but defends Nicky as not having stolen anything as he never left her side the whole night.
[Ewwww Sr’s line about being ‘sated by this man’ ewwwww..
creeper father in law!]
Lee notes that no one actually saw Nicky stealing the paintings.
[Okay this made me laugh!]
McMasters, Jr: (looks at the photo of Nicky.) I’m going to memorize this face because I’m damn sure I am going to kill the miserable pig. 
[And Nicky had been soooooo concerned about how he would take the news!! He really wanted to spare Jr’s feelings!!! rofl. Sooo if that was Mr banana car shooting at Nicky and Lee earlier, he’s a pretty good liar! ]
Jr pulls Felicia’s arm again roughly, and she leaves with him. Ugh whether she likes it or not..
Sr reassures Lee and Amanda Felicia’s safe. [but lol not really sure he can say that!
Love the look Amanda gives him. Ohhh really?!
I’m not a Felicia fan, but there are abusive vibes here for me!!! Not liking how she was manhandled out of the room, and the Sr’s lack of concern, when two seconds ago he had to physically stop his son from hitting her!!!!]
Lee uses Sr’s phone to call Billy….
He suggests to Billy they stop news of the robbery getting out, and wait for Nicky to show up again. If he’s not involved and really in love, he will show up again and they’ll be able to figure out what’s going on.
Lee: … But, anyway, Billy, this just doesn’t seem like Agency business to me. 
Billy’s on board with this plan, but not with Lee’s attempt to finish working on the case! 
Billy: This case gets priority one handling. Dr. Smyth’s orders. Straight from the White House to his ear. Rotate into an off-assignment mode. That way I won’t even have to juggle the work schedule. 
Lee: Now, wait a minute. That off-assignment mode is our vacation time, Billy. 
Billy: “Our” vacation? (He sits.) I’m sure that was a coincidence, or is there something you want to tell me? [Gah! Billy is so on to them!!]
Lee: No, no. There isn’t.
Billy: Ok, now listen. You’re an authority on Nick Grant. The sooner you help the Virginia cops find him, the sooner the two of you will be able to go on your trip… trips.
[wha hahahaaaaa] 
[Uh oh]
Lee hangs up.. he rushes over to Amanda.
Lee: Look, they’re not going to cut him loose for about an hour. Let’s use the time. It’s only twelve miles from here to Marion. 
Amanda: (smiling) The Justice of the Peace.
Lee: Yeah.
Amanda: Good idea.
Lee: Come on. (They exit, arm in arm.) 
[Whoa. keep it professional guys! arms around each other as they leave???
Also, Lee’s sore ribs seem to be all better permanently! haaaa.
So what do you all make of Billy here? you think he’s totally on to it?]
Moving on…
[In the image above – is that Amanda’s car outside? this might be a boo boo. They arrived at the estate in Lee’s car – and I don’t see the corvette anywhere!]
Anyway, inside…
{A couple is there, speaking with the court clerk Marguerite Bowman.}
[Oh please don’t let Amanda wear an outfit like that!!!]
{Amanda and Lee are sitting behind them, watching them leave.
Mrs. Bowman: I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a lovely ceremony.
[Bet she says that to everyone!] 
(She calls after them.) Send us a little note every now and then. So many of our newlyweds do! 
{She reaches into her pocket for a card. She turns to Amanda and Lee and lifts her arms to welcome them.} …Byron and Jennifer!
Amanda: (and Lee stand): No, Lee and Amanda. We just need to talk to His Honor for a couple of seconds (she looks at her watch) if we could. 
Mrs. Bowman: I can slip you in. I’m His Honor’s clerk, Marguerite Bowman.
[I want the clerk to be named Marion, so she’s Marion in Marion.]
Amanda: Hello, Mrs. Bowman. {Lee and Amanda are all smiles.}
{Mrs. Bowman looks a little puzzled for a moment.}
[more of a steely glare. It’s weird and random.]
Lee: Uh, is there a problem?
Mrs. Bowman: I don’t see any problem at all.
[lol I’m gonna put it down to…. wind!] 
Amanda: Oh good.
(They head into the chambers to meet his Honour)
Mrs. Bowman: Are you wearing a gown?
Amanda: A nice suit.
Mrs. Bowman: Such a good idea. Some of our brides try to change into a ten-foot train in our ladies room. Then again, some show up in blue jeans and sneakers.
[I’m pretty sure there is a guy sitting at that desk there, but I’m not sure.. because he’s wearing brown and everything is sooooo brown!!!!!! 😉 ]
Tagsworth: (rising) Manheim/Dorf.
[Ah! I see him now! He moved!!! 🙂 ]
Amanda: Stetson/ King. 
Mrs. Bowman: Manheim/Dorf are just a teensy bit late, Mr. Tagsworth…
(She takes Lee and Amanda by the upper arm.)
…Lee and Amanda are here for their preliminary.
(She pushes them together. She peeks through.) [Preliminary hazing ritual?]
…They want Friday. [She’s got some muscles!]
Tagsworth: Who doesn’t?
Mrs. Bowman: (leans in between Lee and Amanda, separating them) I’ll pencil them in for 5:30, your last slot. (She pulls them back together again.)
Tagsworth: If you don’t mind a word of advice. I never thought that Friday nuptials were such a hot idea.
Amanda and Lee: (Together) What’s wrong with Friday?
Tagsworth: Well you’ve been working at some sort of job all week long. You’re bushed.
Lee: (exchanges glances with Amanda. They sit. Lee hands Mr. Tagsworth their license.) Oh. Ahem.
Tagsworth: (sitting) Uh… And, then, well, you know most folks just aren’t ready for, uh, the kind of effort marriage can be… (Amanda reaches out to take Lee’s hand and he covers both their hands with his.) …I hope you’ve given this more thought than Manheim/Dorf seem to have.
[How judgmental!!! No confidentiality in this office! I gotta say, Stetson and King want to keep their nuptials a secret? They’ve come to the wrong judge!!]
Amanda: We’ve given it a lot of thought,… and we’re very sure, and we have reservations for Friday.
Tagsworth: (gives a knowing nod) At the inn.
Amanda: Yes. 
Tagsworth: Who doesn’t? I fill that place up on Fridays. Try to get extra towels then! (He picks up a piece of paper.) Well, if you’ll just fill this out – (Amanda reaches for it several times but he keeps pulling it back) uh, denominational, nondenominational… If you want a special service – 150 words max, please. And then, uh, rings and flowers are up to you. Mrs. Bowman will snap your picture. (Amanda finally takes the paper from him.)
Mrs. Bowman: (enters) Manheim/Dorf are here.
Tagsworth: Late to their own wedding… 
[Tut tut. Oh the shame. Manheim and Dorf are so shameful! it’s terrible!! errr me thinks this is very unprofessional! and what is he going to say to Manheim and Dorf about Stetson and King huh??!!! They wanted Friday, they’re staying at the Inn! Everyone wants Friday!]
…Think about it…
(They all stand and shake hands.) …Well, if you decide on a mid-week service, please give me a ring. [They will give you two! On Friday!!!]
Amanda: Thank you very much.
Tagsworth: I’d strongly recommend it. You’ll have a lot more energy.
[ewwwwww!!! Dirty old man. keep your thoughts to yourself jerk! I think this is supposed to be maybe charming? but for me it’s just got creeper central written all over it!! Is it just me??]
(Lee and Amanda are silent and still for a beat, then Amanda laughs uncomfortably.)
Lee: Yeah. (He clears his throat. They turn around and leave.)
The scene ends here.
Lee and Amanda are right back into the case.
Lee: (voiceover) I wish every surveillance was this easy. We didn’t have to wait ten minutes.
(Looks like Felicia is out and about in her black Porsche… followed by Lee and Amanda.)
Lee: … let’s just make sure she’s meeting Nick before we call in the law.
Amanda: (Smiling to herself) We are the law.
[Go Amanda!]
Lee: (Glances at her and laughs.) Don’t remind me. 
(Amanda gives him an amused sideways glance)
[A cute little exchange!!!]
(We see Felicia pull up in a motel parking lot.
They see Felicia get out and approach room 32. Amanda goes to call in the state troopers but Lee doesn’t want to call them in yet, he wants to keep this just between them for now)
Lee: … I want to clear up a little matter of the skin I’m missing along my ribs…
(Lee feels his ribs. ouchie.)
[LOL I love how he only acts like it hurts when it’s relevant to the dialogue haaaa]
…Besides, he gets skittish when he sees uniforms.
{The next thing we see is Amanda dressed as a cleaning lady pushing a cleaning trolley. Lee is following closely behind her, holding his side, and wincing slightly. 
He hides behind the cart, gun drawn. Amanda knocks on room 32.}
[LOL Lee enough with the ouchies. haaaa..
Amanda is too funny here in her delivery! I love it!]
Amanda: MMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDD!
[so funny how long she says this one word!]
Nick: (muffled, from inside the room) Can you come back?
Amanda: Can’t do it. Goin’ off duty! Gotta do it now!
(The door opens, Lee pops up aiming his gun right at Nicky.
Lee questions Nicky about how he took off when being shot at. lol.
Felicia volunteers that Nicky doesn’t know anything about who was doing the shooting back at the restaurant. [How would she know that?! Hmmm maybe it was her, she was there after all! Maybe she didn’t desperately need to powder her nose!] 
The troopers show up.
Lee and Amanda look surprised, and Lee lowers his gun, no longer pointing it at Nicky. I guess they didn’t call them huh.
The troopers go to take them into custody.
Turns out they were following Lee and Amanda in a chopper [– does that mean they followed them to the Judge’s office?! Stealthy marriage is looking pretty shaky!] 
A trooper finds artwork in Nicky’s car boot (truck for Americans), 
Everyone, Nicky included has turned around to see what they found in his boot.
Nicky denies any knowledge of how they got there.
The scene ends here.
On to the agency, and Lee is trying to convince Billy that Nicky isn’t guilty of stealing the McMasters art collection. [Ah okay so that was art work from the McMasters’ place. Got it.] Looks like they’ve only found the one painting, the rest is hidden. 
(Lee thinks because Nicky is a pro, he wouldn’t have just stolen it and stayed at a local motel.)
Billy: But he was there, with the Van Gogh!
Lee: He was as surprised as I was to see that painting.
Billy: (sits, looking thoughtful) So you’re saying he was set up?
Lee: You bet he was. (Lee sits.) By someone who wants to see him behind bars and then get their wife back.
[noooo I’m pretty sure Jr McMaster isn’t that clever or controlled he really just was hoping to rip Nicky’s head off.. at least that was the impression I was getting. lol!]
Billy: Jason McMasters, Jr.
Lee: Bingo.
Billy: Now there’s a bucket that holds water. Besides his old man hasn’t given him a piece of the family fortune yet.
[rofl. umm yeah cos he’s still alive. This is pretty flimsy but okay, maybe it was Jr masquerading as an angry hot head but really he’s cool and calculating!]
Lee: Right… right. And guess what? If Jason needs cash, that mean a fence… a top fence…
…Now if we find him, we can use him for bait. Look, Nick knows every fence in town better than anyone. Now he can open a lot of doors on the street, but he can’t do that sitting in jail.
{LLA: I looked it up – a fence is someone who deals with stolen goods.}
[Cool thanks!]
Billy: I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t we bring in McMasters, Jr, and uh… shake him up?
Lee: Because if he’s smart, and he keeps his mouth shut, those pictures disappear. Now we’ve got to play his game and I want Nick on my team, Billy.
Billy waves Lee off agreeing with his plan, and Lee leaves to get to work with the set up. The scene ends there, and I shall too (for now!).
His ‘Thank you’ to Billy is kinda sweet at the end here I think..
Soooo what do you all think peeps??
What’s your take on the judge/clerk scenes?
Can’t wait to hear from you!
"Just walk with me.." 
Love it, but where is the link for the rest of episode 16? Are we ever told who shot McMaster jr? Did I miss it? Thanks
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Hi Vera, not sure why you can’t see the link to post 4/5 but here it is: https://justwalkwithme.com/2022/02/06/4-5-season-fourepisode-sixteen-do-you-take-this-spy-scarecrow-and-mrs-king/
Maybe you will get your answer to this in posts 4 or 5? Maybe post the question again if you didn’t get your answer- enjoy!
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Billy on the phone with Lee: I find Billy to be hilarious here. Yes, obviously he knows they are vacationing together and it must be serious. I try to look at this from a man’s world. Billy knows Lee is coving up something—and doing it poorly. In man-speak, Billy’s actions are not only justified, but expected. However, I always thought that the goading is also a way to motivate Lee to get the case wrapped up quickly. Men often work better under pressure, even if they hate it, yet, the pressure allows Lee to do his favorite thing—complain.
“Don’t worry; she’s safe.” HELL NO!!! Actions speak louder than words. Why is Sr so nonchalant about this. Just a normal day in the castle? Felicia is out with Nicky an hour later, so what happened after being dragged away? The writers bombed on this one. Sr.’s comment seems to me to be reassuring the audience that there is no violence, so they can move on quickly, yet, sending us the message that there is a reason for her to have an affair. Unfortunately, it sent the message that problems are fixed by running from one bad relationship to another.
The Judge and Mrs. Busy-Body: ugh. I found them more annoying than funny. Comic relief is a good fit at this time, but I wonder how else they could have done it.
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Agreed! the judge and Mrs. Bowman was very annoying. Loved the scene in the Judge’s office, as Lee and Amanda are getting ready to leave, Amanda is looking at him, and sniggles in his face.
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Chateau McMasters: I am totally weirded out by Felicia and McMasters Junior arguing about her marital indiscretions in front of McMasters Senior. Hate the threat of physical abuse directed at Felicia, it is all very gross, and it is also not great to see Amanda and Lee stand by as Junior manhandles her out of the room.
“Anyway, Billy, this doesn’t seem like Agency business to me” – YES, BILLY, LEE IS CORRECT, but whatever. I really dislike Billy’s attitude in this scene. He knows that Lee and Amanda are going on vacation, but Lee just HAS to be on this case because he is “an authority on Nick Grant?” Meh, I don’t get it. Billy can’t even be bothered to “juggle the work schedule” to accommodate their planned time off? It’s a jerky thing to do. Moreover, the way he says, “I’m sure that was a coincidence, or is there something you want to tell me” sounds very accusatory, as if Lee and Amanda are doing something wrong by vacationing together. He already knows they are in a relationship, and he seemed happy about that. What is his problem? Maybe he is joking around, but he doesn’t sound very jokey to me.
Courthouse: I have always wondered… Why Marion, Virginia? It is a real place, but FAR from D.C. and not known for anything in particular. Google says it is at least a five-hour drive. Perhaps Lee and Amanda just wanted to be far away from everyone they know – but it’s supposed to be just twelve miles away from the McMasters estate? They would have been spending all day in the car driving back and forth! It doesn’t make sense. If the writers were just going to pick a random Virginia town, you would think they would have chosen something closer. “Marion” is so oddly specific. I wonder if someone associated with the show had a personal connection to it.
Wedding plan: I will admit, I am sad they chose such a modest, random place for their marriage ceremony, especially when I remember that Lee had initially wanted a big wedding. This is the point in the episode where it really hits home for me that they are going through with this, and none of their friends or loved ones will be there. Of course, it will be wonderful, but … still. It would have been neat if they had at least chosen a place that had meaning to them. The Lincoln Memorial at night? Back to that island from Ship of Spies (which would have the added benefit of making the marriage record harder to find)? The Cumberland I (from Weekend)? So many possibilities….
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I agree with you on Billy, he already knows that Lee and Amanda are a couple as he even gave his okay in episode 7, “Billy’s Lost Weekend”. Let’s forget about secret marriage part, what is the big deal of them going away together? Yet Billy seems to make it a crime. I don’t know, season 4 was my least favorite, the writers seemed to be all over the place. It’s almost like they (the writers) didn’t know what to do with the characters anymore. Even if Kate Jackson didn’t get sick, I didn’t see this show going another season.
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Well they aren’t just trying to hide their marriage — they’re downplaying they’re even involved with each other at work. So they are trying to hide everything.
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I can understand, especially around Dr. Smith, ugh! again Billy knew, he even came over to Lee’s apartment while Amanda was there.
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Agreed. No loved ones and/or friends to celebrate with them makes me very sad. My take on why they use a justice of the peace in a far, far away county is because they don’t want their “secret” marriage to be discovered by any evil doers. Their main goal is to “protect” Phillip and Jamie.
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I never thought of how emotionally difficult that must have been for them
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Hiding what is normally a joyous announcement from their family and close co-workers has to be tough on them. IMO Dotty, Phillip, Jamie and Colonel Clayton are being cheated.
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Yes, and there is something disconcerting about the fact that Lee and Amanda don’t express any of that sadness to each other in this episode. I’m not advocating for some long, depressing scene, but just some acknowledgement to each other of the gravity of what keeping this huge secret from their family will mean, and how they will miss sharing the joy of their marriage with them. It would have made the episode more emotionally complex, and richer.
Amanda’s boys aren’t even in this episode. I would have loved to have a scene where she sat down with them at bedtime the night before the wedding and just told them how much she loves them, how much she will miss them while she is on “vacation,” how they are such an important part of her life and she is thinking of them always… She and Lee are, after all, doing this to keep them safe. It could have been a lovely and poignant scene. Instead, it seems as if Amanda is not thinking about Phillip and Jamie at all – and to me, it feels very out of character for her. So I am left a little disappointed about that.
This is what I meant when I wrote earlier that I could have done without the Nick plot at all. There were many more interesting things they could have done in this episode that would have been a better and more satisfying use of the limited time allotted.
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I agree they should have had a scene with Amanda talking to her boys. As far as her and Lee talking about it (secret marriage), I disagree. Everyone knows how much Amanda adores her family, for her to have a discussion with Lee about them not able to present would have been very hard on her. After all this is the day when she marries Lee, whom she has been in love with since they first met(actually for both of them, they were just too stubborn to act on it). Besides, they already discussed and agreed their wedding would have to be a secret to keep their families safe. I personally thought the whole secret marriage was stupid. Another reason why I didn’t like Season 4.
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I completely agree with the comments from both peacock dancer and neckieh. The powers that be (including Kate!) weren’t thinking clearly about this at all!
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Hiya! This is an interesting thread!
I’ve changed my take on this over time, and my relationship with this secret marriage, continues to be a roller coaster where I go up and down and then up and down again about it!
Ultimately, I prefer we got this than we got nothing. So while it’s bittersweet, I try to go with it. I try, I don’t always succeed though lol.
When it comes to post 5/5 – the wedding (At this point I don’t think this is a spoiler for anyone lol), we can talk more about how we find the ceremony itself once that post is up.
Overall in the episode so far though, I think the episode tries to just go with it and make it enjoyable – which seems kind of off and weird, and is maybe not totally successful in this, but they give it a good try.
I think this is why we don’t get any TLC from Amanda toward Lee about his BEING SHOT!!! and we don’t see the boys..
It would all hit too close to home and change the tone. I’m guessing they just want to keep this episode light-hearted while the couple take the big leap.
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A very good take on that! This is still one of my favorite episodes.
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Yep, that photo with Amanda’s car almost front and center is a head scratcher. It’s like they intended for us to know that they were at this place, but forgot about the vette. I scanned the other cars, not that there are too many, and there’s no sign of the vette. There were lots of those Amanda-wagons around in the early 80s, but it’s too much of a coincidence here.
I sort of cringed at Mrs. Bowman pushing them together by the arms when I first watched this episode. Maybe a friend or relative could get by with it, but not someone they’ve just met.
I actually like that Lee continues to mention his ouchie. Realistically, it’ll probably bother him for days. There’s another show I’m currently catching up on from the early 2000s where the characters should be in a lot more pain than they’re letting on and it drives me up the wall when they walk away from a near-death situation without showing pain or discomfort. Bruises also don’t heal in less than 24 hours. Sometimes SMK forgets who got hurt or who messed up their clothes, etc., but when we see the continuity, I’m happy.
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Which show is that Sara? Now I’m curious. That’s one of my particular pet peeves — characters getting injured and then forgetting about it. I’ve always thought Bruce did realy well with keeping up with that aspect, although Remembrance Of Things Past was a bit neglectful in that regard.
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Hi LeesMolly… It’s Alias. Great show, but I get ouchies just watching them. Yes, Lee, could get some TLC from Amanda if he played it up just right. 😉
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Oh I remember my mom watched that show. (They ticked me off too much with the pilot). Even the little bit I saw though got pretty brutal.
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I had a problem with Felicia’s husband kept jerking at her. Her father in law was very disconcerning the way his son was acting. The scene in the Judge’s office, very unprofessional how he puts out the business how late manheim/dorf are. Of course my favorite part of this scene is the look Amanda gives the judge as they’re about to leave, and laughs at him. Cudos to Amanda!
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LOVE love love! the pictures show how much Lee adores Amanda! And thank you for the detailed commentary. So glad we are back on the walk. Hope everyone is healthy and doing well.
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Thanks Callyhua – wonderful to hear from you!!!!!!
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It’s funny you said what you did about Lee’s injury. One of the things I’m so impressed with is how Bruce keeps up the injury continuity of this ep by wincing at several points, although other than that comment it usually looks like his abdomen is bothering him more than his ribs. (I’m going to assume the scenes we don’t notice it are Lee powering through with painkillers — or more likely Amanda shoving them down his throat if Eyes Have It is any indication)
The scene with the husband gave me the same bad feeling. I didn’t like how he pulled her out at all. Jerk. And I didn’t care for the father-in-law’s lack of concern at all. But seeing Lee and Amanda walk out like that was golden. And I love how Billy is onto them!
I absolutely LOVE Amanda’s pretense at being the maid! So adorable!
And the scene in the judge’s office is hilarious! And you just gave me a ff idea if I may…
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