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Post by KC on Aug 27, 2013 2:59:06 GMT
I put the last episodes of season 4 as my least favourite for season 4 'cos they're Amanda-lite... it's just not right seeing Lee working with Francine. However--I try to tell myself it's because she's recovering from the bullet in MoG... And I don't like most of The Krushchev List 'cos I don't like to see the disharmony (though it's bound to happen--the reformed bachelor with a part-time live-in wife... there's bound to be teething problems...)--and, frankly, A upset that L threw away her eyeshadow, WHEN SHE'S CLEARLY WEARING EYESHADOW, just bugs the snot out of me. I like the very end, but it's still a sour note for me to end it on... maybe I'll have to adjust the order too. Please know, though, that although I put these as my least favourite for the season (along with Santa's Got a Brand New Bag which bugs me) I have absolutely the utmost respect for KJ and her working through these eps. I consider her extremely talented and highly professional, and while I do really wish that the last eps weren't Amanda-lite--both for KJ's health's sake and for my enjoyment of the season/end of the series--I am so beyond thankful that we have the gift of four seasons of such an amazing show. Despite picking fun at "bloopers"--just 'cos it's a fun game to catch them when they happen--I think this was a superbly acted (by the main cast), mostly suberbly written (with exceptions such as A Class Act), and just plain great show that told a great story and didn't take itself too seriously.
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Post by debilyn on Aug 27, 2013 13:31:16 GMT
"just plain great show that told a great story and didn't take itself too seriously"
Kc, I think this is the one thing that really makes this show so enjoyable. When a show can laugh at itself - the industry it showcases, the over-the-top character protrayals, etc - it makes it all the more enjoyable for me. When we can laugh along with them instead of just at them, we (the audience) feel a part of the action more.
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Post by Jenbo on Aug 27, 2013 17:27:18 GMT
"just plain great show that told a great story and didn't take itself too seriously" Kc, I think this is the one thing that really makes this show so enjoyable. When a show can laugh at itself - the industry it showcases, the over-the-top character protrayals, etc - it makes it all the more enjoyable for me. When we can laugh along with them instead of just at them, we (the audience) feel a part of the action more. I agree and also think modern TV just can't wait to throw in a load of angst all the time. I see enough doom and gloom in the news without it being fed into modern TV shows.
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Post by KC on Aug 28, 2013 6:42:17 GMT
Ooh. I can't believe I forgot to list my top worst episode. Welcome to America Mr Brand. I know it's supposed to be a parody BUT I think is badly done. Rather than making me snigger it makes me cringe LOL. I actually like this episode... he reminds me of Mr Bean.
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Post by morley on Aug 28, 2013 12:02:08 GMT
Yes Brand is like Mr. Bean. LOL!
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Post by Jenbo on Aug 28, 2013 13:52:04 GMT
Which is probably why i cant stand it. I hate Mr Bean. I cannot conceive how Rowan Atkinson could do so much great comedy like Blackadder and then do Mr Bean :/
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Post by KC on Aug 28, 2013 14:29:02 GMT
Oh, come on... the one where Mr Bean goes to the beach is hilarious! Mr Bean - At the beach (But the laugh track is really obnoxious!) I do understand that Mr Bean is kind of a love him or hate him character, though... I think that this SMK ep (WtAMB) shows more of Amanda's magical healing powers and sort of mirrors her healing Lee... she's so gentle with James' heart, helps him find himself/self-confidence, and gets him to fix his relationship with his father... I love it. (And comedy--e.g., Lee besting Dr Pain with the bogus Cobra Death Grip is hilarious.)
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Post by Jenbo on Aug 28, 2013 16:04:14 GMT
The cobra death grip is I grant you funny. But you'll not convince me Mr Bean is funny, not after such comedy genius of Blackadder 2, 3 and 4.
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Post by valerie on Aug 31, 2013 5:22:51 GMT
Wow! These are such tough questions to answer. In so many episodes there are such moments of brilliance, comedy, drama, and romance. It is truly such a grand story that plays out over those four seasons and I remember being so distraught when it was cancelled and feeling like I needed some closure. Things that I like best in the episodes are when you can see those changes in Lee as to how he feels about Amanda. I love those times when he hugs her and rocks her ever so gently or when he finally gives in to what he is feeling and then can't stand to be apart from her.
I think when I first watched it, it all culminated for me when he finally, finally told her he loved her in Stemwinder pt.1 and admitted what we all knew all along--that he had been in love with her for a very long time. I also like how in SpiderWeb how Lee's faith in Amanda was being tested and he never wavered.
I think my favorite season is probably season 3. They began to mesh so much as friends and partners and there was such a comfort zone that had been established. Conversations they had indicated that they talked and saw one another outside of the agency. Like in Reach For The Sky when they were in the elevator and Amanda knew how quickly Lee could get into the Kappa house and that Amanda was a Kappa.
I didn't like any episode where Lee was sort of mean to Amanda. I know he was still being a petulant child, but it can be grating. I also had some trouble adjusting to the disjointedness of the tail end of Season 4. Having the DVDs and watching them in a different order kind of helps, but Amanda was so key to the show it's just hard to watch it without her. And then knowing what occurred makes it sad to watch.
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Post by KC on Aug 31, 2013 6:17:18 GMT
OK--so I just rewatched The Artful Dodger during Tie Patrol, and I have to say that it's definitely my least favourite season 1 ep. Magic Bus may not be great, but at least Amanda isn't lobotomized in that ep...
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swissmiss
Junior Member
So glad to have found this place today!
Posts: 42
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Post by swissmiss on Dec 10, 2013 15:58:35 GMT
OK... wow..... not only is it a HUGE task to pinpoint answers to IWSOD's original questions, other people's posts have put a few thoughts in my mind as well.
Fave season: Season 1 NO doubt about it! For these reasons: 1) It is what made me fall in love with the show in the first place. 2) The only memories I have of SMK in its original run is watching the first season with my mother and the both of us just laughing our heads off. I have no recollection of watching any other season. 3) It made me fall in love with Lee and Amanda. But I am not referring to their romance or relationship. I mean them, as people. I came to care about them and what happened to them. I began to root for their happiness and successes (personal as well as romantic) and throw a fit when someone hurt or insulted them. They became my friends and I watched the other seasons because I cared. It gave all the other seasons meaning. If the show had started at Season 3 or 4, there wouldn't be any meaning behind their relationship. But having watched how it all started, I was able to appreciate the kisses, the romance, the spats, the emotional struggles, and actually enjoy them rather than getting frustrated and giving up on them! Season 1 made season 4 worth the wait!
I think this post is gonna be longer than I anticipated when I hit the reply button. Good thing it's a snow day from school and I can sit here in my jammies all day.... (My SMK jammies no less!)
Hmmm... fave ep..... believe it or not...one that I watch more than other ep is not in Season 1! It's Reach for the Sky. No clue why but I just love to watch that one. Love the "give me five" at the elevator and Amanda in custody of Lee the security guard. I bet she thoroughly enjoyed stomping his toe in the name of the cover! Love Amanda's hair and wardrobe in this ep too. The blouse she wears in the beginning makes me think it would taste like Neapolitan ice cream! YUM! Then of course, there's "call me a cab." And "I'll apply the sixth sense" and just gets into the car. Loves Lee's face here! "Up and down, up and down".... now there's some of that Season 1 coming back to haunt! She is just WAY too awesome at that stuff... Amanda and KJ both!
Least fave ep.... hmm..... I have to say there are absolutely NO eps I can not watch. I guess maybe cuz I vid.... every ep I watch has value to me... a classic look or long-awaited moment or a hysterical gesture or expression. I will admit there are some that have plots that do not trip my fancy, but it is not due to a failure on SMK's part, just my interests. I agree that the end of Season 4 can be hard cuz I always see KJ in those eps, not Amanda. I picture her feeling so sick while we are just sitting there looking at her. I can not bring myself to judge her or anyone else for how those eps turned out. She didn't feel well.. at all.... and she put on her brave face and appeared any way. She didn't let on to anyone that she was sick or that there was a problem. No one knew but her and the producer. So when I watch those eps, I do not see a failed episode. I see a strong person, I see a hurting cast who went on in spite of not understanding why is was all happening. BB never made me feel like all wasn't right in the SMK world. Neither did Martha, Billy or Beverly. And they did that for us. I have found a way to enjoy myself while I watch those eps though. The scripts were doctored to allow Francine to play the role that Amanda was supposed to play in those eps. So while I watch Francine, I try to imagine Amanda saying those things.... her voice, her facial expressions, her body posture and gestures. It is a fun challenge for me to see if I know Amanda well enough that I could "direct" her performance myself!
Ok...now.... if I haven't lost everyone due to the long-windedness of this post..... my response to a couple of the comments made on this thread......
In regards to the Mr. Brand episode: I have always viewed this ep as an interesting concept to tackle. We have seen Lee deal with Amanda-ness; we have seen Amanda deal with Lee-ness. But this episode gives us a glimpse of Amanda dealing with Amanda-ness. Mr. Brand is Amanda-ness in this ep and Amanda treats him with understanding and kindness and respect, which is of course, the typical way Amanda treats everyone in the general sense (Francine has been successful in trying Amanda's long-term social patience, however; and Magda does get her goat in Dead Ringer...which in essence was Francine anyway!). Perhaps this is the way she wishes Lee were to treat her. She spends the whole ep trying to get Lee to change the way he sees Mr. Brand's value to Lee, perhaps subconsciously her own value to Lee. I am slightly disappointed the writers didn't tackle the reciprocal concept. How would Lee cope with Lee-ness???
Almost done......I promise.....
Ok... just a random thought that hit me when I read someone's comment on Mission of Gold. I chuckled when I saw the initials MOG in the comment, because it is similar to OMG....which instantly made me think of Lee's dramatic line in that ep when he sees Amanda in the car with a bullet wound... he says "Oh my God." Now I will forever see the initials of Mission of Gold as OMG!
Ok... you have arrived! You have reached the exclamation point at the end of this post!
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Post by morley on Dec 10, 2013 16:56:30 GMT
Welcome to Ned's Swissmiss! It is nice to see you here. And I like to read your long comments. Keep them coming!And enjoy your snow day. It is a winter wonder land here on the Shorline of CT.
Morley (npieen on yuku)
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Post by creaturecuddler on Jan 12, 2014 1:41:03 GMT
Okay favorite season. I loved them all for different reasons. I adored the banter of season 1 and seeing Lee trying to reconcile the fact that he starting to really care for someone when he is so adamant that he is a loner who doesn't care about anyone. I love seeing a real friendship evolve between Lee and Amanda is season 2 that leads to deeper feelings at the very end of the season. And of course I love season 4 when our favorite couple is finally together and in love and there is no hesitation or denial anymore. But my favorite season is 3 because IMO that is when there is the most sexual tension when they obviously are very much falling in love but have not yet given into those feelings. This season always gave me the feeling of an old time courtship because it is like they are dating but not physical yet. Loved it!
Favorite episodes, hard to pinpoint it to just a few. Service Above and Beyond, Saved by the Bells, Rememberance of Things Past, The Long Christmas Eve, Brunettes are in, Burn Out, the Pharoh's Engineer, Triumvirate, Utopia Now, All the World's a Stage, Stemwinder(by far), Night Crawler, and Bad Timing. These are my tops but there are several episodes not far behind.
Least favorite episode hands down A Class Act(might as well just take a Masheti to the growth and development of both characters up to that point). Not far behind the Artful Dodger(Lee is just so mean to everyone, especially Amanda and Amanda wearing that concubine ring yuck!), the Damn Duck episode(I can't suspend belief that much) and Welcome to America Mr. Brand(I'm sorry it's just silly), Oh and All That Glitters(Lee fighting his attraction to another woman ugh! It's realistic everyone has to deal with temptation especially a man with his past, but I do not have to enjoy watching it), and three little spies(boring, and after all the sexual tension to that point we get you have a cute nose)
On a side note though they are not my favorite for content I love watching the European episodes of season 2 because of how God awful gorgeous Lee looks. That kind of makes them my favorite. Yes, I am that shallow and I don't care.
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Post by jule on Jan 12, 2014 5:24:39 GMT
LOL! Yep, realistically any episode where Lee looks freakingly fantastically gorgeous is my favorite *grins from ear to ear*. I'm swimming in the shallow end of the pool with you Creaturecuddler!
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Post by ebineez01 on Mar 16, 2014 4:37:47 GMT
Hi everyone well as everyone has pointed out this is a difficult task! I think my favourite season is S1. As swissmiss says we get to know Lee and Amanda and fall in love with them as characters in their own right. I also think it has less 'bouncing around' as far as episode orders go. S2 is probably my next fave. I do like the European episodes, but it's too obvious that they filmed them all at the same time & then just interspersed them throughout the season. It annoys me a bit when Lee's hair is long in all the European episodes & he's had it cut in the home episodes. So you get a shot of short hair, short sideburns one week & then the next week when they're back in Europe again he has longer hair and longer sideburns! And don't even get me started on the Amanda hair thing! Or the Q-beareau order of events! of course all eps where Lee is too gorgeous are generally favs. These ones usually take me about an hour to watch a 45minute episode due to all the pausing and rewinding fav episodes? I'll only say for S1 as I'm only about a third of the way through rewatching S2 right now. In saying that I have rewatched all seasons since I got the DVDs this time last year (of course!) but am only up to there in my recent rewatching (since I started joining in here and over at JWWM) In no particular order: - the first time I absolutely love their first meetings in this one. Even though Lee does behave like a bit of a brat sometimes - there goes the neighbourhood Connie Beth Golden Circle Girls supplying arms to rebels, stuffed buffalo heads, and senior agents always getting the bed- what's not to love in this one?! And I didn't even mention the flamingo fighting! - sudden death Okay - Lee in those little shorts! Amanda in the locker room - this one may be shallow but hey...what can you do? Plus I thought Bela was very cute - the artful dodger because I love jealous Lee! And the look on his face when he sees the concubines ring... can't really name a least fave in this season. I might come back as I finish out the rest of the seasons and update then
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