"Just walk with me.."

Lee and Billy enter IFF via the entrance guarded by Mrs Marsden.
[She’s back! whoo hoo!]
Billy:  It took the Review Board ten minutes to rule ‘inadvertent homicide in the line of duty.’
Lee: It was a suicide. Tranh Van Khai knew how to set up an ambush, Billy. And from that range he couldn’t possibly miss me – he was a crack shot
[soooo do you remember the first time watching this? Were you thinking this could be a suicide? I think I always thought that was a stretch. thanks to the title. lol]
(Mrs Marsden hands Lee and Billy their ID tags)
Mrs. Marston: Dr. Smyth’s in the building… low to medium boil.

(She seems to point upstairs like indicating where Dr Smyth is.)
Billy: Thank you, Mrs. Marston.
[lol I would have turned around and left!]
Lee: Yeah, great.
(Billy and Lee climb the stairs as they discuss the situation. Where is the portrait of Harry?? Bullet holes can be repaired easy! lol. Maybe they are supposed to be boring on purpose. Boring previous IFF bosses. old men old men.. Nothing to see here! Yawn! )
Billy: Khai’s dead… you probably won’t be able to explain it, so take the standard two weeks.
(Hey look! Billy is taller! teee heee)
Lee: I’m not going anywhere. I’m gonna get to the bottom of this.
Billy: Well, what do you plan to do? Khai decided to turn you over to his side, but he was the loser.
[How does Billy get that from this scenario?!]
Lee: He was a damn good friend of mine, and you know it. And don’t give me any of this hard nose stuff. He left a widow and two kids.
Billy: They’re being taken care of. Two Vietnamese nationals on a special guest visa from the State Department…
…A sizeable amount of quiet money to help compensate for their loss.
{Neither notice Dr. Smyth coming out of the men’s’ room at the end of the hall and listening to their conversation.}
Billy: I understand how you feel. I’ve been there. Double agents change sides all the time. I’ve been there.
Lee: Billy, Khai was a good man…
{Dr. Smyth appears in the doorway}
…If he wanted to ‘call the question’, I’d have been the dead one…
(Dr Smyth watches from the doorway.)
[Billy and Lee don’t seem to see him. Guys, check your peripherals! Then again, they knew he was around and probably expected he would be watching from somewhere!]
… I’ve never known him to be sloppy, and I’ve known him for fifteen years!
Dr. Smyth: So much for the sanctity of friendship.
[Lee and Billy don’t seem surprised by his appearance, more.. annoyed?]
Dr. Smyth:  You don’t appear particularly sanguine. Reasons?
Lee: It’s in my report.
Dr. Smyth: Read it. Punched your man a ticket on the last train to Nirvana. [love this dialogue!]
Lee: We owe Khai a lot more respect than that!
[Uh oh. Lee is gonna let Dr Smyth have it!]
…We owe him a full scale crackdown on the Viets, and a fast boot out of this country!!!
Dr. Smyth: No can do. Mr. Diem is the darling of the State Department, and he quivers like a tuning fork at the mere suggestion we don’t love and cherish his delegation…

[Lee doesn’t have patience for quivering! He looks to the heavens.. errr nirvana!]
…. We’re trying to bury the hatchet with those people… [in their backs?] …capice?
Lee: What about Khai’s tip? He was going to confirm it. Diem is planning a major hit against the Chinese. Five hundred PRC nationals in town this weekend.
(Dr Smyth doesn’t seem to care. He walks between them toward the door puffing away and producing smoke! He turns back toward them as Billy tries to explain to Lee that it would be a major diplomatic flap.

Lee thinks it’s worth it because it cost Khai his life, and the info might be legit. But Dr Smyth isn’t having it. He thinks because Khai is dead the info is meaningless. Lee argues Khai was a high performing double agent and they should value his information more.. but.. Dr Smyth isn’t listening, and doesn’t care. Rah Rah.. Not even Dr Smyth dialogue makes this little discussion terribly interesting, it feels kind of repetitive to me.)

Lee: My intelligence is good… [yes ‘scarecrow!’] …Every instinct I have tells me so. Dr. Smyth: Lemmings go on instinct. And I find their plight enviable in comparison to my own…
[He doesn’t look unhappy about that. lol]
…Perhaps you’d like to take my place at the meeting of the National Security Council this afternoon and explain this snafu to the President…
(Billy lets out a big breath) [i.e. no thanks!]
…Bye all.

[In other words, you need to get more information if you want anyone to take this seriously. Dr Smyth isn’t about to stick his neck out. Capice? business as usual.]
(Dr Smyth leaves,  Lee crosses to door and slams it, turning back to glare at Billy and the scene ends)[LOL that the door slams but it just slides right back open again, kind of undercuts the whole whooooo intense Lee/ the tension is rising vibes they were going for here!]

Moving on to the Vietnamese Mission…
{A Vietnamese man (Diem) is in a controlled rage. A woman (Lien) nods along with his ranting as she walks beside him up the stairs.} [More talking on stairs! lol.]
Diem: I knew Khai would run. I simply expected you to find him by now! [whooo Diem is quivering!]
Lien: He’s gone deep… but every eye in Chinatown is watching.
[Hmmm sooo they think the man who died twice hasn’t died.]
Diem: Watching is passive. Stetson will be searching. He’s smart enough to find Khai.
[Uh oh. they know about Lee Stetson by name?! haaa everyone knows Stetson!]
Lien: Yes, Mr. Diem!
[She sounds really over this gig already!]
Diem: Yes, yes, yes. Lien we must find Khai first.
Lien: I think you’ve given Khai an irresistible reason to come to us on his own.
(Lien seems to motion to the door. Diem opens it, and we see a young Vietnamese boy. They have a short exchange in Vietnamese.) {Diem smiles and says something in Vietnamese to the child who responds politely with a nervous glance at his guard. Diem then shuts the door}

the scene ends..
[So is this a geography lesson or something?! weird. The boy doesn’t seem to be under distress though maybe a little nervous. I really don’t remember what this is all about. but it seems Khai will care about this boy..]

Amanda arrives at the Q bureau.

Amanda: Hi
Lee: Hi
Amanda: What are you reading?
Lee: Oh I’m just looking at the architecture. Here check this out.

Amanda: Let’s see…. …‘Colonial four bedroom. Rockville area, acre and a half’…
…I bet it’s perfect for horses too.
{Lee smiles and waggles his eyebrows.}
Amanda: Look if you really wanna go house hunting, let’s take a few days off and go.
[To me she still doesn’t sound enthusiastic.. what do you think?]
Lee takes back to paper and walks back over to his desk with a sigh.
Lee: No, I can’t. I can’t, not now. Not with Khai… (He drops the paper on his desk, and instead picks up a file and walks back over to Amanda’s desk)
…Did you read the M.E. report?
Amanda: Yes
Lee: Cause of death?
Amanda: He was killed in the fire.
Lee: Did you read that I grazed his skull with one of my last shots? That he lost consciousness while taking the turn? A lucky shot at a moving target, believe me. But he was driving then and he only fired twice… Khai was not trying to kill me. He even warned me before he shot.
Amanda: If he wasn’t trying to kill you, what was he trying to do?
Lee: I don’t know, I don’t know. I don’t have the slightest idea. The only thing I do know is that if you are grazed in the skull by a 9mm, you are gonna go down…. The ME can’t make a positive ID, you notice? Khai’s features were obliterated in the fire, they can’t find his prints or dental charts or anything. All they have is this..
(he opens file again)
… “Asian male, blood type O-positive, 30-36 years old.” Period. Amanda, I don’t believe this is Khai and I’m gonna try to prove it.
Amanda seems to agree, or be on board with exploring deeper.
[one way to avoid house hunting?! haaaa. Well, I’m glad we finally get there. Something is dodgy with his death, and Lee is gonna prove it! I could do without the whole ‘the agency doesn’t care and won’t act’ side of things. Even though I love Dr Smyth!]Anyway, the scene ends here.

(Lee and Amanda head back to the crash site, after lots of pointless repetitive dialogue, some distance measuring [which looks like they are being super clever but which actually doesn’t really prove anything], Lee gets in the vette and tries to take the corner as tightly as Khai did. Not even the super brilliant corvette [which corners like its on rails] could do it.
Conclusion? Khai faked the accident.)
Amanda: Why did he fake it?
Lee: Ah, I can’t give you a good reason, but let’s look at it. Khai ‘calls the question’… the classic way a double agent lets you know he’s one of theirs…
…He tries to kill me… He kills his own credibility at the same time. Dr. Smyth gets cold feet… he’s afraid to insult Diem… so he lets the Chinese General Secretary waltz right into Diem’s party.

[Is it just me or are they really being over the top with the dialogue about what happened? Whatever. The most interesting parts of this scene?
While Amanda watches Lee try and corner like Khai did, we can see the cross again.
You know what? Amanda is one picky lady… a love heart necklace is perfect for talking to Lee in the Q Bureau, but forget about it for being out in the field measuring tire tracks.. that calls for….The Crucifix!!

My goodness those shoulder pads are massive! Bigger than Stripey Francine? -Amandarambler’s comment on this reminded me of them- thanks Amandarambler!

Sorry I’m getting distracted! ]

Moving on, back to the Vietnamese mission.

{Diem and Lien enter. Three other Vietnamese are already there, sitting at a meeting table, smoking cigarettes. Diem crosses to a cabinet and removes a large map, then comes to the table.}

Diem: Dangle the bait gently. We want Khai on the hook…
..If we kill his son too soon he’ll want to take revenge on us… We must not let Khai get in the way…
[So the artistic geography student is Khai’s son. Oh nooooo.
‘too soon’? sooo they are planning on killing his son regardless of what Khai does? and lol- kidnapping his son is dangling the bait gently?! ]
… Now I intend to take all the revenge this city can bear.

[I’m sure he is doing a Muahahahaah on the inside!]
{He thumps his finger down on the map}
…We have six bombs on the parade route….

…The Chinese rejected us the day they chose televisions and blue jeans above Maoism…
[whoa. they chose tv and blue jeans huh. okay, whatever]
…They simper for affection and they have the audacity to call us Vietnamese ‘reactionary dogs.’ …

…But wait, wait until their blood flows in the streets tomorrow, and the bamboo curtain will drop for another thirty years.

[They call us reactionary dogs, so we are going to react by blowing them up!! ha haaaaa!! This Diem is a genius!!]

The scene ends here.

It’s pretty funny how Diem is on his evil rant, but his audience don’t seem terribly enthused. Tough crowd! I wonder what Cindy D will make of the baddies in Season 4. -Great to see you stop by and comment  again Cindy D!!
Diem is pretty cold to kidnap and plan to kill a child, and yet.. there’s nothing in his speech that fills me with terror?? Weird.  I was more afraid of Dr Smyth!

Thoughts everyone?? do tell!!

Everyone ready?  A massive thanks to Janet H (code name Clagjanet!) who has kindly transcribed this episode, and given descriptions. Thanks so much for contributing to smk fandom, and to this walk Clagjanet! We Salute you!!!!
Clagjanet has kindly written descriptions for this episode, so: I’m going to indicate:
-descriptions by Clagjanet in {brackets} if I use them.
-my descriptions, which are more conversation than description sometimes, mine will be just in (brackets).
Clear as mud?

Let’s do this!!!! The episode opens with an image of the White House, and some shots of Washington DC streets. We head straight to Billy’s office and it’s time for visual aids. Billy is presenting information to a small group of agents..
Billy: The Chinese Trade Fair is a week-long event… eighteen running miles of parades and exhibits…
(Lee, Francine and two randoms are present. Lee’s in the office half listening and reading the paper.)
Billy: …Their General Secretary, Hu Yaobang, kicks it off at noon, Friday…

…Fifteen receptions, two concerts, about a hundred possibilities for any anti-China group… doesn’t make any difference which hand they salute with, right or left. It’s still a security nightmare.
[You all paying attention? There will be a test on this later! rofl. Such detail!]
Francine: Several nightmares.
[are we playing smk bingo? I think we can tick off ‘Francine inserts a quick quip into some boring info’ for this episode]
Billy: The Secret Service and the DC Police will handle the main show… we will back them up with intelligence….
…Any half-truth or piece of lint that you pick up, I want it now. Let’s do it.
[whooooo Lint alert!]
[These two totally need names – anyone want to go for it?! have we seen these two before? In days of old, I would have gone hunting to find a collection of sightings. Sorry everyone, those times are not now- it’s a time for curiosity thrown out there and if someone wants to take it and run with it: Awesome!! and if not.. well.. it will still be a question to be explored then next time we walk through this ep together
Come on iwsod, focus.. I’m getting distracted already.]

(Francine and the two randoms get to work. Lee and his newspaper stay put.)
Billy:  House shopping?
Lee: Ahhh, just studying architecture… pre-Revolution, anti-bellum… You know they date everything around here from some war.
[Is this ‘some war’ line a gag that I probably don’t get? I’m guessing it’s probably obvious, and thus funny for Lee not to say]
Billy: Go to the senior staff meeting, you’ll find out why. Dr. Smyth is beating me up for proof on your ‘Vietnamese plot.’
[Ahh those pesky higher ups want… actual proof! Lee’s word and sources are gold! they should be enough! lol. I am a little afraid. I find myself agreeing with Dr Smyth here!]
Lee: Well, it’s real. The Vietnamese are going to hit the Trade Fair. Khai has all the details.
Billy: Well, get them… The Old Man likes to have a nice thick packet under his arm when he goes to the White House.
Lee: Why the hell are we being so careful with these Vietnamese, huh?…

…I think the President oughta take Mr. Diem and his whole delegation and ship ‘em right back to Hanoi, now! (calms himself) But then again, I only work around here.
[Calm down Lee. lol. Okay, Mr Diem is bad. Lee knows good guys from bad.]
…Look at this…
(Lee shows Billy the paper, he studies the ad Lee has pointed out)
Billy: It’s beautiful…
Lee: Yeah
Billy: (deadpan) Did they put too many zeros in that price?
Lee: What?
(Lee takes another look at the price..
and then scowls at Billy, realising Billy was teasing!!)
[Haaaa. good one Billy!
The scene ends with a fabulous Billy Belly laugh as Lee leaves his office.. Ahhh Billy’s work here is done ]

Moving on to the next scene..

{Cut to exterior DC street (daytime) The Corvette weaves through traffic.}
Lee: (V.O. ) Bethesda is just getting too congested. And, y’know, Annapolis is great for a weekend, but you can forget about that 301 coming in.
(Amanda sighs very loudly!!! )
Lee: You like up toward Rockville?
Amanda: Oh yeah, I love it up there, but it’s pretty expensive.
Lee: Well, we don’t have to live in a palace, you know… the point is, I think it’d be great for the boys.
Amanda: Yeah… uh, you know we have an awful lot to think about before we start talking about mortgages.
Lee: I know, I know… I’m just getting excited about the possibilities.
Amanda: I know you are.
Lee: Up in Rockville we can keep horses.
Amanda: Do you have any idea how much it costs to keep horses???!!!
Lee: Yes… as a matter of fact, I do. I had a little roan mare when I was ten years old and my uncle was stationed near Cherbourg. I sure loved that horse. She taught me a lot about responsibilities. I think horses and kids are a natural…
…I always planned, that when I settled down my kids would have horses.
[Uh oh. that’s the smile that’s not really a smile. Amanda reacts non verbally…
She doesn’t look terribly thrilled with this plan]
… You don’t like the idea?
Amanda: Oh, I like the idea. I like all your ideas.

(Amanda reaches out to touch Lee’s shoulder)

 Lee: Well…
(Lee smiles! lol Amanda’s reassurance seems to do the trick)
Amanda: I just think we have an awful lot to talk about before we… start thinking about things like this, that’s all.
Lee:  Okay, keep my feet on the ground.
(We see the corvette pull up at their destination)

(V.O)…But for now, watch my rear, huh?
Amanda: My pleasure. [wha??!!!! whoooo frisky Amanda!!] Lee : Very funny.
[LOL Lee seems unimpressed with this joke haaa. Interesting that we don’t see a close up on them for these last couple of lines here. I think it needed the lightness here – and it worked great.

So before I move on to what happens next, I’m really curious to hear what you all make of this exchange in the car.
I have mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, it makes sense that Amanda would be cautious, and maybe more down to earth in options put forward for their future  – and Lee is a little more head in the clouds. I think this is what I’m supposed to see here..
I mean, I know Amanda loves Lee and is committed to him.

However, the tone feels off to me. Like, he’s more into her than she’s into him. I fully expect others to respectfully disagree with me.. Feel free to. Previously I’ve seen this whole side plot really differently to how I do now!
I think Amanda comes across as closed off here while Lee is wearing his heart on his sleeve.
Amanda seems to be holding back, and her reactions to what he says come across as a bit condescending:  The little shoulder touch and ‘I like all your ideas’??? Seems…. disingenuous to me. Not that Amanda needs to be perfect, she doesn’t.. Just my 2 cents, but the vibe here feels off. Maybe it’s a sign that this episode is going to shake things up..
The little sassy joke inserted at the end here is a welcome addition..
What do you all think about this scene? Do tell! It’s tricky to discuss without jumping ahead, I hear ya, but let’s give it a try?! ]
Okay, moving on..
Khai: Why aren’t you alone? [Ahh Lee’s contact]
Lee: Amanda King’s my partner. Now what’s the problem? [Lol at yelling this secret conversation!]
Khai: (drawing a gun) Mr. Diem.
(Amanda is startled and reacts to it’s appearance.
[Ah Nancy! cross necklace alert!]
But Lee is initially unconcerned that he would shoot them, more that Mr Diem might be around)
Lee: Diem? Where? Come on, what’s going on? Put the gun away.
Khai shouts: Mr. Diem wants to ‘call the question.’
{Khai’s words galvanize Lee into motion. He spins toward the Corvette}
Lee: (shouting) Amanda, get down!”

{Khai fires his gun at them. Lee leaps over the Corvette hood and takes cover himself behind it. Khai fires again and Lee emerges and fires back. Khai shouts something in Vietnamese, then gets in his car and drives away as Lee continues to fire at him. Khai’s car goes under the freeway, disappears around the corner, tires screeching
a beat later, we see a massive explosion.

Lee and Amanda run toward it.
(I see Amanda is back to wearing heels and running!)
They arrive to find Khai’s car has crashed into the side of an oil tanker truck and is engulfed in flames.
Amanda grips Lee’s arm and looks away in horror. Lee rests his hand in top of hers but continues to stare at the conflagration.}The scene ends there..
[Soooo what got up Khai’s nose?! Lee having a partner? lol.
The err title of this episode is called ‘The man who died twice’ so err I wonder if Khai is really dead. ahem. because it all looks like a set up and like it came out of nowhere!
Now, did I think this the first time I saw it? Hmmm.. probably not!]

Moving on, and we head back to Billy’s office..
{Dr. Smyth enters suddenly and Francine leaps to her feet.}
Francine: Sir!
Smyth: Hey, don’t mind me.
[we always mind you. Especially when you say don’t mind me!]
Francine: Are you, uh, looking for Billy?
Smyth: Uh… and apparently what you don’t want me to see.
{As she speaks, she moves to block the screen as Smyth tries to see past her.}
[rofl. could this look any more suspicious??!! ]
{We can see only part of screen} [Call me crazy but is this the screen we were looking at for aerostatik projects in the last episode?!

It is!!! Here’s the screen from the previous episode.

Haaaa Francine, come on- move on! That case is over!! haaaa!]
Francine: Oh, this Sir?
She holds out a file.
Smyth: I haven’t got time for a Maypole dance this morning, Desmond. Digame, digame
(Clagjanet adds: Spanish for “tell me, tell me”)
[Thanks Clagjanet!!]
Francine: It’s Scarecrow’s preliminary, Sir. I was just, uh, cross indexing it for possible peripherals.
{She quickly turns off the computer and walks away.}
Smyth: Spare me. You people down here sound like robots.
Francine: It’s only that you usually receive the report digest, Sir. That’s the full report.
Smyth: I know we don’t play patty-cakes around here but this man Tranh Van Khai is a very special little birdie. I’m surprised Scarecrow made it so irrevocable.
[This dialogue is flippin hilarious!!! He’s scarecrow, of course he was hard on the special little birdie! That’s a scarecrow’s job!]
Francine: He was being shot at, Sir.
Smyth: He was being shot at? Come closer.
(Francine steps forward nervously.)
Smyth: Proverbial life and death situation?
Francine: Yes Sir, I believe it was! Lee Stetson is very cool under fire and he is the first one to avoid shooting someone – especially a friend! This is really tearing him apart!
[Whooo so emotional from Francine here!
I’m quick to say fashion police alert- so I should probably be just as quick to say: this ensemble’ ain’t bad!! and I’m loving her hair here. Aside from the footballer sized shoulder pads, this is a good look on Francine!
I have this underlying sense of discomfort right throughout this scene – Smyth is awesome in his incisive and brutal approach, but also – Francine chooses this time to let her mask slip???!!! I keep thinking nooo Francine don’t show any vulnerability to this guy!]

Smyth (surprised): I think you’re being sincere.
Francine (quietly): Yes Sir.
Smyth: Doesn’t suit you. Back to your peripherals, Desmond. [Sincere doesn’t suit him either! I’m so unsettled.. again I find myself agreeing with Dr Smyth haaa!]
{He turns to walk back to the door. Francine sits back down in front of the computer. Smyth turns back. }
Smyth: I think he asked you not to let me see that, didn’t he?
Francine has her back to him so he can’t see her roll her eyes.
Francine (through gritted teeth): Yes, but I don’t think there was anything devious about it. {She turns to glare at him}
Smyth: (smiling) Why not? I like that in a man.
[Oh really? But.. what does he make of a devious woman?!]
(Dr Smyth leaves and Francine sighs.)
The scene ends here.
[Francine certainly seems to have Lee’s back. And… is actually not pretending otherwise anymore ha!
Dr Smyth likes deviousness? Yeah sure you like that… that’s why you sent people after Lee to kill him in stemwinder because you couldn’t trust him. I never tire of Dr Smyth, his ‘deviousness’ and fabulous turn of phrase! Thus, I kept it all in here – enjoy peeps!]

Lots to talk about here!!! I may not have time to reply to comments, but I always read them and enjoy them!! Soooo any thoughts you’d like to share all?? Do tell!!!