Author Archives: iwsod

Helloooooo! Time to walk a little further into this episode…[okay more of a crawl but given this episode is called Night Crawler I think it’s appropriate :)] Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Back to the Odessa Funeral home, I mean Birol’s guest accommodation.
Birol enters Amanda’s cell. Whistling. Happy. Ughhhhhh [Birol walks over to where Amanda is wearily sitting in the corner. He crouches in front of her and yanks off her heart pendant. Amanda has a little bit of fire in her as she protests.]
Amanda: Oh, no!
Birol: Sorry, about that, but I need this for now… …Don’t worry, I won’t lose it. I’m sure it has sentimental value.
(Amanda gives a nod.) [Like she has a choice.]

(He gives her little playful tap on the cheeky as he skips out of the room.) [Way too happy with how his plan is coming together!

You don’t fool me Birol. You don’t understand or value sentimentality at all!]

(We cut to Birol skipping down the stairs continuing to whistle to himself. He is holding the necklace in his hand, as he is met at the bottom of the stairs by Mara, they kiss softly) [I try not to vomit loudly! Soooo I’m going to save us all from looking at a still image of it!!! ].
[To me, this looks like the foyer at the agency where Mrs Marsden sits lol. but redone of course.

Anyway, Birol reveals himself to be the arrogant you know what that we all know him to be..
{He walks over to a small desk in front of the staircase and takes out a small notebook. It holds paper the size of the one we saw Billy holding. He turns back to Mara.}
Birol: I might as well tell you I made love with your sister last night.
[The way he says this is like- I can sleep with whoever I want: I am King!! Honestly, this guy is designed to really lead me to just hate his guts. I’m starting to wonder if Yusef was on to something when he said he thought Birol deserved to die!!!! rofl]
Mara: It’s not the first time. [Internally Mara tells herself: hoorahhhhhh I got a night off! Yuck!!!]
Birol: But I always came back to you.
[I think Mara accepts it too easily for her cover to be believable. but ugh. The tender cheek caress is a bit much. lol.. whatever I don’t even want to think about this!] …So the practical view is best. Also, this time it was business…
[Mara sees the love heart necklace hanging from his pocket. lol. set up much?!]
…Deliver this like the first. It’s my deadline. [They don’t seem terribly concerned about finger prints?]
…I’ll move the woman a few more times until Stetson gives me Night Crawler, or I deliver Amanda to the Libyans.

Back to the photo booth!
{Lee and Mara speaking from separate booths.}

Mara: It was in his pocket at the Maryland house. A heart shape on a platinum chain. [platinum? lol you can tell it’s platinum and not silver from that far away? she’s good!] 
Lee: Yeah, Amanda wears one.
Mara: Addi has a fetish, he wants nothing in his pockets to ID him. He checks every minute. He must have just put it there.
[is it just me or is this idea of Addi’s fetish pretty funny and lame?! Pretty flimsy line to rule out the idea that he could have put the necklace there a while ago. whoo kinky!]
Lee: This could be the break.
Mara: Be cautious. Addi has six houses in D.C., or more. He says he moves Amanda. We are never told where or when.
Lee: Well, why do you think I’m sitting on my hands, huh? Do you know where she is?
Mara: I’ve drawn a map. It’s taped under your seat.
(Lee pulls a piece of paper out from underneath him and unfolds it.)  …All right, I’ve gotta try. His new deadline only gives us twelve hours and this whole Libyan thing is too iffy. What’s the risk to you? [awh bless, Lee isn’t throwing Mara under the bus to get Amanda back! that’s our Lee!!]
Mara: Phyllis has been to the house. But Addi won’t need much suspicion to kill me. I don’t want to die…but I don’t want her to die in my place.
(The meet up comes to an end..) [Lol gosh I hope Lee remembers to take his photos with him haaaa.]
(Next, we find Lee and Francine looking all stealthy in front of the Birol guesthouse.)
[Awh.. Francine is there for Lee.. and deep down, she is probably there for Amanda too! She just won’t admit it haaaa]

Lee: All right, if he’s in there, he’s not burning the midnight oil. I’ve got enough immobilizer to stiffen a division.
Francine: You ready?
[I know Francine is in ninja dress here but it still looks really funny to me to see Francine with gunk on her face like that!]
Lee: Yeah.
(Francine injects Lee with something.)
Francine: Okay, you’re neutralized for ten minutes. How much silence before I come in after you?
Lee: Thirty minutes. If you lose signal, you go in there and get me, pronto. Okay, ready?
Francine: Mm-hm.
{Lee climbs over the gate and belly flops on the other side and then crawls forward. He stops and releases a spray canister near the ground which lights up a red laser.}
Lee: He’s got a laser alarm grid. Okay, here goes the gas. {Lee throws the canister through the window and quickly climbs in through the wall of smoke.}
Francine: You got a green light. I’m tracking you on frequency two point three one five.

Inside, we see:
{Birol is staggering down the staircase in the dark holding a flashlight and coughing. When he gets to the bottom of the stairs he falls to the ground, immobilized. Lee comes in the door and heads to Birol.}
Lee: It’s GZP. Zap gas, Birol… {Birol is now paralyzed on the ground, eyes wide. Lee begins handcuffing him to the staircase rail.} …You’ll be stiff as a board for twenty minutes and then you’ll feel like the bad end of a train wreck for a week. But it won’t kill ya.
[what a shame]
{From outside, Francine listens to Lee’s voice over the radio.}
Lee: Francine, I got Birol. There’s no sign of Amanda. Keep a look outside. Some of his boys may be waiting in the wings. [Boys? Lee the one thing about Birol is that he loves to use women on his team!!]
(Back inside..
Lee finds Amanda’s necklace

He struggles to keep himself together.. )

Lee: Don’t you go away, huh? If you’ve hurt her, my business with you hasn’t even started yet.
{Lee busts open the door to Amanda’s darkened cell.

He shines his flashlight on the ground and sees Amanda lying on the floor.

He runs over to her and crouches down beside her.}
Lee: Amanda! Amanda?
[Uh oh. I hear the ‘there’s something wrong’ music!]
{As Lee looks at her he realizes something is wrong. He reaches a gloved hand to her neck and is able to peel off a thin, latex mask from her face to reveal his source,
Night Crawler/Mara, who Lee now knows has been found out by Birol.} 
…Oh, my God!
{Lee stands up and takes a step back. He suddenly falls through a trap door on the floor and lands in a slimy fishing net. NOTE: The script lists this as a viscid hardening foam.}
[I know I shouldn’t laugh. but when the trap door activated I just couldn’t help it. I mean how did the door know to wait until the mask had been torn completely off?! rofl.

Then I saw all the slime and what was hilarious truly became flippin hilarious!!! this place truly is the house of horrors.. and where the heck did the slime come from?! poor Lee so humiliating!]

(Back to Birol and he wakes up.. He hid a little explosive in his shoe so he could blast apart handcuffs. [good for him. Still hate ya. but.. nifty!]

Back to Lee – looks like his light, his gun, his tracker have all fallen out of the net into a pool of slime.) [really? how did the gun fall out?! it’s big?! magical weapons sucking slime I guess.]

(Of course Birol comes to gloat.. and prod Lee a little..)
Birol: You should’ve slit my throat when you had the chance.
Lee: When I get my hands around your neck, I’ll– –ah! Where’s Amanda?
Birol: You found Night Crawler upstairs in the cell. So did I. She’s not dead, you noticed. Nor is Amanda. My business with you has just started.
[I thought this guy was an evil terrorist, why wouldn’t he kill Night Crawler? I figure he’ll keep Amanda alive for the five million]
Lee: Get me out of this stuff. Come on, get me out of it!..
[Yeah Lee when are you going to learn that yelling at a terrorist doesn’t make them do what you want?!]
{Birol picks up the nozzle and directs a short burst in Lee’s face.} …Aah!
Birol: Solvent. I’d close your eyes. You should’ve come in here with an army, Stetson, but I knew you wouldn’t. I know you so well.
[Birol begins dousing Lee with the solvent.]

(Outside the Birol guesthouse, Francine’s watches as the place blows up!) [Uh oh.]

I’ll pause here.. sooooo what thoughts you got to share with us all hmm?? Anyone else finding Lee kinda pathetically funny here?!
Any and all thoughts are very welcome!!!

This post is a big one. I don’t want to cut it. Enjoy! Sorry for the delay since the previous post.. it’s been holidays and return to work time. Oh well.. at least we always have SMK! Anyway..
Back to Birol’s house of horrors..

{Amanda is in the room that serves as her cell. . She’s resting, but not quite asleep.}
Lee [voice-over]: Hi.
(Amanda blinks and raises her head in confusion. Lee’s image appears by the wall again.)
Amanda: Oh, look at you…

..You’re overdressed.
[Oh my gosh. this is hilarious! I love this.. this humour is like an oasis in a desert! was this in the script? anyone?]
Lee’s Image: It’s a special evening, and I’ve got a very special question.
Amanda: Ah, come on. I know you’re not really here. My mind is playing tricks on me.
Lee’s Image: Don’t give it up, Amanda. Remember how much I love you.
Amanda: Don’t give what up?
Lee’s Image: Do you know her?
Amanda sees:

Lee and Birol [voices fusing]: Do you know her?
{Amanda blinks in confusion.}
Then Amanda sees:

( Birol is holding up the photo of Mara.)
Birol: Do you know her? Do you know her?  I think you’ve seen her before!
(he crowds in on Amanda.. something cracks.. Amanda jumps)
[– does he hit Amanda? I don’t know what he did but maybe Amanda just jumps at the noise.]
Birol continues: So Night Crawler is my lieutenant, it’s Mara. [I guess from Amanda’s reaction she gives away that Mara is Night Crawler. Which is quite an achievement given she didn’t know who was Night Crawler. What am I missing her all?!
Okay she could have seen Mara at the airport, but she also saw Phyllis and would have reacted to Phyllis’ image in the same way – with recognition no?! I thought Lee was saying Birol wouldn’t accept that Amanda didn’t know who Night Crawler was. Now apparently she did? umm help?]

{Birol is crouching on the floor next to Amanda and he slides a tray in front of her that holds a glass and a paintbrush in a plastic bowl of white goo. }
[ohhh maybe that’s what the crack was – Birol putting that tray down]
… Disorientation, confusion-

-they can make us betray our best intentions. …But it’s interesting how you deal with your apparitions.
[for  once, this little moment Birol actually makes him interesting to me. It’s dripping with foreshadowing IMHO. but who is going to be deceived against their best intentions in future? Lee? Birol? or.. both?!]
Amanda: I was dreaming.
Birol: Dream again.
{Birol swipes the brush over Amanda’s eyes.}
[Lots of scary music.. we really don’t know what he is doing to Amanda here!.. I might just go to my happy place too..

here ya go…
happy happy happy..]

Back to Birol’s shack..

{Birol is smiling and holding two mugs of coffee. He sits on the edge of a cot where Magda Petrak is sleeping, unconcerned.
She has a gray wool blanket pulled up around her naked body. He leans forward and kisses her awake. She smiles up at him.}
[LOL Magda makes fast work of getting Birol into bed! Actually, I’m really glad they didn’t try and show us it  – remember Francine and Rollo?! I’m still trying to bleach my eyeballs.. ]
Magda: It’s early.
Birol: It’s late. You’re already American soft.  “Westoxication,” we call it. I have to go back to my “guest.” …
…Don’t raise that curious eyebrow. I’ve hidden Amanda miles away.
[She must be really good in bed. He’s singing like a canary! Or lol. okay maybe the coffee is really good coffee yeaaaahhhh that must be it.]
Magda: Oh, why bother? I doubt Stetson will betray his source. Even to save her life. But, uh, you sure put him in hell with the choice, huh? What are you staring at?
Birol: Your soul. I wonder what kind of deceit I’ll find there.
[rofl. like it’s her soul he is really interested in?! haaaaa good one! ]
Magda: Addi, you never trusted me?
Birol: I never trusted anyone. Why should I change for you? Your sister’s coming. Are you going to explain about our reconciliation?
[I’ll spare us the pics of them kissing!]
Magda: Oh, explain to Mara? She’s as big a fool with you as I was– as I am. [oopsie!!]
Birol: Did my “fool” forget to negotiate a fat fee from the Libyans? [Hey umm so umm is Birol Libyan? is he Hungarian? I’m really confused.. He does like to say Karbala so maybe he is supposed to Iraqi? can someone explain aie my head hurts. and watching all this kissing involving this creep my eyeballs hurt too!]
Magda: A modest fee, for success? They trust me with five million. If I lose it, uh, my fee is a bullet…but you never said if–
Birol: If I wanted your deal. I think I do. Five million for the woman will be something for my trouble.
Magda: And something to rebuild Karbala?
Birol: Now don’t be impolite. I never asked you what the Libyans plan to do with Amanda King.
[oh yes. he is sooooo polite! not!! Soo I guess Magda reached out to Birol with the cover story of the Libyans wanting to make an offer for Amanda King. but err why would they when he was already talking to the Libyans directly earlier? and.. how did she explain knowing how to contact him? Hmm maybe it was okay that she knew where her sister was and that her sister told her how to find him. Maybe? I know some of this stuff isn’t worth thinking about. lol. I just return back to my happy place now..
I’m so soooo happy happy happy…]

Moving on (thank goodness!). Lee is knocking on the King’s front door…
[Call me crazy.. but.. this looks like earlier Lee. It’s very unusual for Lee to approach and knock on the front door. so there are not many moments to choose from.
And it’s kinda ridiculous that I can tell from this far away. I should feel ashamed of how much I pay attention to Mr Lee Stetson.. but I don’t! haaaaa.
found it. this ringing the front doorbell moment is from Odds on a Dead Pigeon!
It’s just a tighter shot.
There is hope for my memory yet! but.. my concentration and distract-ability are not so good it seems.. Sorry back to Night Crawler!

edited to add: Nope there really is no hope for my memory haaaa. See comments from colorfulangel and Nancy identifying where we’ve seen this Lee at the front door moment before! ]

{Dotty opens the door and the suit-clad Lee steps inside.} [LOL Lee’s suit is way darker than in the wider shot! Oh my goodness. the big moment is finally here – when two of the most important people in Amanda’s life finally finally meet!]
{Dotty immediately puts her hand up in a halting motion.}
Dotty: Uh, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. If you’re the termite man, we can’t possibly afford what you must charge.
[Nice little call back to Mr Shoot Out in A Little Sex, A Little Scandal!]
Lee: No. I’m Lee Stetson, Mrs. West. I work with Amanda…?
Dotty: Oh! Yes!
Lee: We’ve talked on the phone.
Lee: Oh.
Dotty: Oh, I’m sorry! (Dotty removes her glove to shake his hand)
Hello, how are you? Y-you look vaguely familiar.
Lee: Well…
(As Dotty closes the front door, Lee looks around the home for a second unobserved.)
[BB does an amazing job again – he’s finding it tough to be here in Amanda’s home and needing to hold it together while he meets Dotty. gah!]
Dotty: Oh. Well, I, uh, I was just picking up the den–well, I wasn’t picking up the den, I was picking things up from the den.
Lee: Yes, I-I understand.
Dotty: Yeah, well, um, won’t you come in? Um, what’s the occasion?
(Dotty starts to show Lee into the home)
Lee: Uh, just a social call. It’s a very nice house you have.
[BB does a great job of showing how awkward this is while tryign not to show it lol. The hands in the pockets are a bit of a giveaway to us. Plus, that’s quite the flimsy excuse there Lee! social call?!]

Dotty: Well, it is a little cramped.

…Amanda’s sons, Jamie and Philip, had a sock hop here this afternoon. Forty-fives all over the place.
{Lee looks at her kitchen…

He sees…
{kitchen-based images of Amanda. The first clip is Amanda wearing her nightgown and overcoat and reaching for the coffee cup Philip offers her from The First Time. The second is Lee and Amanda preparing drinks and snacks for their guests from There Goes the Neighborhood. The third is Amanda, with her arms full of clothes, walking past Dotty as she rushes after the boys, also from There Goes the Neighborhood. NOTE: The first and last clip Lee didn’t witness, and the middle clip didn’t take place in her kitchen. BETA’S NOTE: Each of Lee’s imaginings highlights the domestic side of Amanda. Ironically, the images of Amanda that he found foreign and even threatening when he first met her now provide him with a sense of comfort. Standing within her home, looking into her “cheery kitchen”, feeling her presence, Lee is able to clearly and comfortingly picture Amanda as mother, daughter… and wife.}
[Jaemie you have gone to town with sharing your thoughts on this little spiritual connection between Lee and Amanda here! It’s weird he sees moments he wasn’t there to witness. I figure they are trying to convey the spiritual connection here: meaning not remembrance of actual moments he witnessed but a connection to the core of who Amanda is and what she values: her family, her heart – you know?
It’s not really supposed to make literal sense.
What do you think? ]
Dotty continues chatting away as Lee spiritually connects with Amanda.
Dotty: That, uh, drop dancing they do, I’m surprised they don’t… …break something… Why is it that you said you were here?
{Suddenly, Amanda appears to actually be there and she turns around, is surprised to see him.

He reacts..

She then smiles at Lee.
Amanda’s Image: I’m okay.
{Her image fades out with her smiling at him reassuringly. }
[For me, the take away is that connecting with Amanda like that, Lee is able to receive strength and comfort to continue on and do what he can to get them out of this situation they are in right now – for Amanda and her family (who are unaware there is a danger). Amanda will hang in there while you work out how to get her back! What do you think this little connection is conveying?]
{Dotty is watching Lee. She clears her throat.}
(Lee’s head snaps back around to Dotty lol)
Lee: What?
Dotty: I was– why is it that you said you came by?
Lee: Oh,
I’m sorry, I was, uh… I was just thinking.
Dotty: I was just staring.
You have no idea how many times I’ve wondered about you.
[BG’s delivery here is – genius! It must have been a real treat to finally have a scene together for these two actors after being in close proximity at times but never actually sharing any dialogue!]
Lee: Well, it’s, uh, it’s mutual.
(Lee’s hands are back in his pockets!)
…Listen, Amanda, will be at least another day. Uh, she didn’t… (The phone rings) Well, she didn’t call or anything like that, did she?
Dotty: Well, that-that might be her.  I mean, she usually calls when she goes out of town…fact is, she’s…usually with you.
Hello? Uh… Oh! Yeah, just a minute. Mr. Stetson, it’s for you.
Lee: Oh.

Dotty: Wonder why that doesn’t surprise me.
[whoa!!!! Dotty sooo knows that there is something curious about Lee and Amanda’s work!!]
Lee [into phone]: Yeah?
{Francine, dressed as Magda, is on the payphone. Two Libyans are standing in the background in front of a black sedan.}
Francine: How’s Amanda’s mom?
Lee: Ah, a lot cooler, uh…than I am… (He clears his throat trying to get a grip) …Uh, did you find a buyer?
Francine: Uh, yeah. A couple of real Libyans, in fact. The Habib brothers.
Their cover’s pressed dates, but, uh, they’re really shopping for airplane parts. [Yum I love dates. took me a second to figure out what this reference to pressed dates was haaa]
Lee: What’d they offer?
Francine: Well, I had to throw in a couple of, uh, F-15 fuel pods and a Xerox machine, but I did get them up to a hundred grand.
[rofl at the Xerox machine!]
Lee: Well, don’t tell Amanda, huh? Uh,…..
.…it’s just the office party.
Dotty: Oh.
Lee: Ha ha, just some crazy people here. ….
Uh…do they know Birol?
Francine: By reputation. He’s gonna hear that they’re dealing him out. And they’ve got the bank credit to go the deal in case Birol does his homework.
[my my.. this does actually kinda make sense. Kudos for the plot smk!]
Lee: Uh-huh. How do they like Magda?
Francine: Oh-ho, charmed darling.
Lee: Well, that’s great, huh? You go for it! Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Bye-bye.
(Lee hangs up and we see Magda rejoin the Habibs..)
Francine as Magda: Gentlemen, I think we have an arrangement.
handshakes all around…

Sooo it seems like Magda is quite the little deal maker on the side – If Francine has to pose as Magda to make a deal with these Habib Brothers.. rather than making the deal as Francine no? Why didn’t Magda go make the deal? I’m a bit confused.. but then I know I’m finding it hard to focus on smk at the moment.. boooo sorry smk deserves better I know!
Anyone got a craving for pressed dates?!
So what do you make of Lee’s little visit to Amanda’s?? which seems to me to be pretty unplanned.. spontaneous and not thought out at all. Like he was acting on pure instinct!
Do please share your thoughts on this part of the episode!!!