Do You Take This Spy: Take Two
Many thanks to my amazing betas, Beth and Taya who let me bounce story ideas off them and catch all my boo-boos.
Presenting the newest Scarecrow and Mrs. King episode. . .
Do You Take This Spy: Take Two Many thanks to my amazing betas, Beth and Taya who let me bounce story ideas off them and catch all my boo-boos.
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For those waiting for a new Scarecrow and Mrs. King fictional season five screenplay, your wait is almost over. I must apologize for any confusion as I slightly changed the order of the episodes. Episode 10 (Year of the Spy) is now Episode 11 as it fits better within the timeframe. Episode 10 (Do You Take This Spy: Take Two) will be the wedding episode that I've been wanting to write for a long time. Hoping to have it posted within the next week or two.
In addition, I would love some feedback regarding episode 12 - the series finale. I know I want it to be a two-hour long "episode," so it will be the longest of the screenplays I have written. Any baddies you would have liked to seen return or recurring characters? I would love to hear what fans would have liked to have seen in season five of SMK and hopefully I can give fans the closure we all craved, unlike what the writers and producers did to us fans for the series finale of Chuck. Yep, still bitter! Yes, after a long, long hiatus I wrote a couple new short stories. They're homemade; I hope you like them.
First, following their "marriage" in San Angelo, Lee and Amanda investigate a threat against the President of the United States. This ficlet falls under Lee and Amanda's Road Trip series, but can stand on its own. A Bump in the Road Second, Dotty's thoughts while waiting for news on Amanda's condition following her being shot while on vacation in California. Dreaming of Dragons Those waiting for another Scarecrow and Mrs. King Season 5 screenplay. I finished outlining a new one yesterday. Stay tuned. . . Life has been very, very, very crazy lately, but I have been writing. Here are links to my most recent stories and a SMK Season Five Project screenplay. A huge shout-out to my fantastic beta readers. I couldn't do it without you. And before anyone asks; yes, I am writing episode 10. (I am a little more then half-way through).
Heart of Gold (Episode 9) Smooth Sailing (Season 3: Lee and Amanda) Ghosts from the Past (Season 3: Lee) My good friend Annette (caperchick) and I collaborated together to made some SMK fan videos which can be found under the drop down menu "SMK Music Vids." I also highly recommend following these super talented ladies. They make some fantastic and brilliantly done SMK fan videos. (In no particular order). 1. SMKjennilee 2. lovesmk 3. tjsmklvr A huge shout-out to the multi-talented Sarah Spencer, also known as Whisper Romance and lovesmk (YouTube) for making my new wallpapers for my SMK fan fiction pages. Please take the opportunity to pursue the pages to look at her designs. You can also visit the SMK Avatars and Wallpaper pages (sorry Sarah, I haven't updated this page in a while) for more examples of her amazing work under the drop-down window "Scarecrow and Mrs King."
There are times when I just feel it is time for me to stop writing fan fiction and concentrate on more original works. Not saying there is anything wrong with fan fiction, but have felt a little "Burn Out". Then, out of the blue, a story idea sparks and screams to be written. This is actually a combination of a couple ideas colliding. First, in early February, my youngest sister had a birthday, and I had wrote "Happy Birthday" on her Facebook wall and she had the gall to write back, "Is that it?" Well, I took it as a challenge and whipped out a short Scarecrow and Mrs. King story for her. However, I thought the story could be expanded, so I also ran with an earlier challenge story of Lee and Amanda on a road trip in a limousine. This is the final product and I feel now complete.
Timing is Everything I also have to note in the episode "Do You Take This Spy?" Lee and Amanda were married in Marion, Virginia, but looking at a map, I realized Marion was five hours from D.C. Darn, continuity of the SMK writers! Therefore, I followed canon and had them married in Marion, but expanded the story to explain what airport I believe they flew out of, whatever happened to the limo Amanda drove to the courthouse, and how much time had passed before they headed to California for their honeymoon. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of these events. Finally, a special shout-out to my beta readers! I am happy to see tjsmklvr is back to writing fan fiction again. Actually, a few of the original SMK fan fiction writers have been popping back up and entertaining us with their stories of danger, excitement, intrigue.
The latest story from tjsmklvr is This War of Mine set during season three of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. A little AU, but a wonderfully crafted tale with lots of action, suspense, and romance. Warning regarding violence and a couple swear words, but still a must read. Stories like this remind me why I fell in love with Lee and Amanda to begin with. Have no fear. . . I have not abandoned my SMK Season Five Project. Real life and a missing muse have put me behind. Nonetheless, I did finally write and post an new episode earlier this week. For those who are new to my blog, I started a fictional fifth season of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. This is what I think a season five would have looked like if we (the audience) had another season. This in no way lessens the virtual seasons of SMK and stands on its own. I wrote it in screenplay format, because I thought it would be a challenge and wanted them to read more like an episode.
Here are the synopsis and links to the first nine episodes of the SMK Season Five Project. 5.1. Secrets, Lies, and Half-Truths Lee and Amanda go undercover to stop an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, Francine is determined to find out Lee and Amanda's secret. 5.2. The Ties That Bind Also Gag Dotty accidentally gets mixed-up in a case involving Lee. Later, Amanda searches for Lee whom she learns is being held captive. Does she find him in time? 5.3. The Choices We Made - Part One As the Agency deals with pre-election year housekeeping duties, Lee and Amanda are sent to investigate a case of vaccination tampering. Meanwhile, Billy is seriously injured in a traffic accident and Lee steps in as temporary section chief. When his decision leads to the death of a fellow agent, Lee must deal with the ramifications. 5.4. The Choices We Made - Part Two Juggling Agency duties, finding time together, an inquisitive Dotty, and Lee’s recurring nightmares, have Lee and Amanda rethinking their relationship and their marriage. All secrets are revealed. 5.5. A Drop in the Bucket Lee and Amanda travel to Seattle, Washington to investigate missing satellite surveillance photos, but they aren't the only ones who have an interest in them. 5.6. Life Interrupted As Lee begins to find his place in the Stetson-King household, life is put on hold when Emily Farnsworth is gravely injured in an explosion. Lee and Amanda travel to London to help with the investigation. 5.7. Guilt by Association Jamie being at the wrong place at the wrong time, witnesses the murder of a DEA agent. When the murderer finds out there was a witness to his crime, Jamie becomes his next target, 5.8. A Long Winter's Night It's Christmas Eve and has Lee and Amanda finally broken their Christmas curse of being trapped in a nest of killers and thieves. Don't bet on it? 5.9 Heart of Gold Lee and Amanda must protect a teen Russian gymnastic star who is in the States as part of a Goodwill tour. Trouble ensues when there is an attempt on his life. A list of my favorite Scarecrow and Mrs. King lines.
Favorite swoon-worthy line (Lee): "Just walk with me." ~ The First Time Favorite romantic line (Lee): "Amanda King. You are the best, the bravest, the smartest, most beautiful woman I have ever known." ~ Night Crawler Favorite comic line (Lee): "Senior agent always gets the bed." [Amanda rolls her eyes at him] "Get your mind out of the gutter, will ya?" ~ There Goes The Neighborhood Favorite jealous Lee line: "Do you have any idea how many women 'Jim' has been sincere with?" ~ Service Above and Beyond Favorite swoon-worthy line (Amanda): "He carried me." ~ Service Above and Beyond Honorable mention: "Look, you won't talk to anybody and you just act like you're some kind of superman and you're not a superman, you're just a man. . . but you're really a pretty special man." ~ We're Off To See the Wizard Favorite romantic line (Amanda): "Now wait a minute. You can't just walk into my life, hand me a package, tell me to give it to the man in the red hat, tell me you love me and then walk out of my life again." ~ Stemwinder 1 Favorite comic line (Amanda):[Amanda holding a hair dryer] "Why is this thing not loaded?" ~ DOA: Delirious on Arrival Best Amandaramble: "Oh, thank goodness, another human being! I have been stuck on that things for what must have been hours, going up and down, up and down, up and down. I got on at six just to zip up to seven to borrow a little coffee from purchasing, and that thing ran away from me going up and down, up and down, up and down. What floor is this anyway?" ~ Reach For the Sky Favorite snarky Francine line: "Oh great. Well, why don't we meet back here, say a week from next Tuesday?" ~ Filming Raul Favorite comic line (Francine): "Don't even try to explain. It will only make it worse." ~ Need to Know Favorite Dotty line: "Amanda, that does not make sense. How can you not want to meet someone you've never seen?" ~ Fearless Dotty Honorable mention: "Clams again, Dear?" ~ The First Time Favorite comic line (Billy): "Scarecrow, I think we've finally found you a new partner." ~ The First Time Favorite Billy line: "I want you both to know that your relationship, whatever it is, is fine with me. We all look for something and I think when we find it we should hold on with everything we've got." ~ Billy's Lost Weekend Least favorite line: (Hollander) "Soak your cuticles, James. It really does help." ~ Service Above and Beyond Honorable mention: (Amanda) "We could go to dinner. You don't have to move down the street." ~ Vigilante Mothers What are yours? A = Amanda King (Kate Jackson). The housewife from Arlington who was paired with Lee Stetson and became one half of the best team the Agency ever had. Scarecrow would be nothing without his Mrs. King. B = Billy Melrose (Mel Stewart). Head of Field Section at the Agency. He is the one who pairs Lee and Amanda together. Also have to throw in another "B" word - Blue wire. "It's always the blue wire." C = Corvette. The car Lee Stetson drives after his beloved Porsche goes over a cliff. D = Dotty West (Beverly Garland). Amanda's mother, who moves in with Amanda after her divorce. E = Emily Farnsworth (Jean Stapleton). An MI-5 agent and Lee's mentor. "She's a friend - in a business that doesn't have many." Lady Farnsworth was in two episodes, but wish they had brought her back for more. F = Francine Desmond (Martha Smith). An intelligence operative who worked hard to get in the position she is in and is a little jealous of Amanda coming in and getting to work with Lee Stetson. At first she is snarky, but later becomes friends with Amanda. And can't forget goofy Fred Fielder, who runs a "dynamite microfiche machine." G = Germany. Where Amanda goes on "vacation" with her family. Also the country where she is arrested for passing counterfeit $20's. H = Housewife. What Amanda is before she meets Lee at a train station and he brings "danger, excitement, intrigue" into her life. However, on the flip-side, I think Lee later learns to appreciate the "stamina of the average American housewife." Wink-Wink. I = Ice Cream (particularly the Tutti-Frutti variety). Also ISP, like Lee's that is for sale in "Rumors of My Death." Finally, can't forget, "I love you." What Lee told Amanda over the phone. J = Jamie King (Greg Morton) and Joe King (Sam Melville). Amanda's youngest son and Amanda's ex-husband. K = Killick Hitch Knot. The knot Amanda can not untie. "K" also stands for Kisses. From cover kisses to the wedding kisses. L = Leatherneck (Billy Ray Sharkey). The Quarter-Master, Trainer, and Christmas Decorator at the Agency. Another character who was underused. M = Marshmallows. Great with hot chocolate. And no one knows where Amanda hides them. N = Night Crawler. Lee's inside source in Addi Birol's organization. O = Oz Network. Special ops team Lee was apart of not long after he became an agent. Also how Lee came to get his codename. P = Phillip King (Paul Stout). Amanda's oldest son. Can't forget Pinto, Amanda's childhood dog. Finally, special mention to Pilgrim Peach Puff. My favorite dessert. Q = Q- Bureau. Lee is given control over the Q-Bureau after Larry Crawford is scooched. The Q-Bureau is important for the progression of Lee and Amanda's relationship. R = Roses. Lee hates the smell of roses; however, after Amanda helps him following a rather difficult case, he gives her three red roses. S = Scarecrow. Lee Stetson's codename. T = Trellis. Like the one Lee climbs up to warn Amanda about Franco Necci and the one Lee and Amanda fall from while trying to escape the Agency goons. U = University of Virginia. Where Amanda earned her degree in American Lit. Also could stand for all the Universities Lee was thrown out of. Finally, Lee's Uncle - Colonel Robert Clayton. The Uncle who raised Lee after his parents were killed. V = Victoria Greenwich. The cover name Amanda uses to get close to James Delano. W = Washington, D.C. Where Lee and Amanda work. X = (E)x- girlfriends. Like the many, many girlfriends Lee had before he falls in love with Amanda. I know it's a stretch. Then there is X-Ray, like the x-ray Lee had to have taken for his torn lateral-collateral ligament. Y = Yard. Practically, Amanda's ever growing and changing backyard and gazebo. However, where some of the best scenes happened. Z = Zulu Blue. "Respond without question." What Harry V. Thornton sends Amanda when he becomes concerned about Lee. I had fun putting this list together. What letters can you come up with? ***Scarecrow and Mrs. King from A to Z video by SMKjennilee*** Because of work commitments, I was unable to attend the Scarecrow and Mrs. King 30th Anniversary, so I asked my good friend, Dava, to write a recap of the events. Thank you, Dava for taking the time to write this.
*************************************************************************************************************************** SMK 30TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION TRIP Written by: Guest Blogger Dava DATE: October 4 - 5, 2013 PLACE: Beverly Garland Holiday Inn Hotel, Los Angeles, California EVENT: SMK 30th Anniversary Reunion ATTENDEES: 58 Fans of the Show, Bruce Boxleitner aka Scarecrow/Lee Stetson, Martha Smith aka Francine Desmond, Greg Morton aka Jamie King, Myron Natwick aka Dr. Smyth, Richard Herd aka Jake (Photo Finish), and Dennis Duckwall, Producer FRIDAY: October 4, 2013 - WB (Warner Brothers) TOUR A group of about 50 of us met at the WB VIP Tour Lobby. We saw a short film about how Warner Brothers Studios was started. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot. We then split into three tour groups: A, B, and C. I was in tour group B. Our tour guide said it was group B for "Boxleitner" or "Bruce" or his name "Brad". Brad was an excellent tour guide and had watched Scarecrow and Mrs. King "The First Time" and a few other episodes so that he could discuss the show with us. We were so excited when we saw the stairs that Lee/Scarecrow comes down in the opening credits. We also saw the stairs to Nedlingers (stairs may have been at "The Ranch" below), grassy area that was Rock Creek Park, and the wooded area used for "Utopia Now". Our biggest surprise was we got a special tour of "The Ranch". "The Ranch" is part of Warner Brothers lot, but down the road. It was an outdoor walking tour. We saw & took a tour of one of Amanda's houses. I took a picture of the bookcase and gate door. It was so cool standing in Amanda's living room. We also saw "Harry V Thorton's" balcony where he had put out the flowers for Amanda (Tail of the Dancing Weasel), "Sonia's" house on (Stemwinder), and the house where Amanda squirted the hose to take out the bad guys (Fearless Dotty). SATURDAY: October 5, 2013 - THE 30th EVENT AUTOGRAPH SESSION AND RAFFLE: The doors opened at 9:00 AM for a three hour autograph session. Autographs were $10 each which you were given a ticket for. There were also $5 each tickets for a raffle drawing to be held later in the day. You could buy as many tickets as your money would allow. Each star was at a table and you went to that stars line. Of course, Bruce's line was the longest. I went to each line getting autographs from each star. Bruce and I being friends caught up. We had not seen each other since November 2012. I found all of the stars very warm, funny and gracious. The first three hours flew by. At 12:00 PM, we broke for an hour for lunch. The afternoon session resumed at 1:00 PM for more autograph signing as well as the raffle drawing. I actually won a raffle. I won some SMK trivia cards, some fanfiction stories and an old program from the SMK 20th Anniversary. I was thrilled to win anything. The next three hours also flew by and we stopped for a two-hour break before dinner. Dinner was to be at 6:00 PM. We all went to freshen up and get dressed up for the evening dinner. Stars had a room at the hotel to rest. DINNER: We entered the dining room at 6:00 PM and went to each table to find our name card. I was seated at Martha Smith's, Francine Desmond, table right next to her. We were told that dinner was served buffet style where you go up to get your food yourself. It was an Italian themed dinner. We had a green salad, several pasta dishes, antipesto dish, marinara dish and chicken picata. Cake was for dessert. Martha was very gracious and wonderful. She asked us where we were from, what was our favorite SMK episode and our favorite Francine moments. She giggled and was lovely. Martha's favorite episode is "Life of the Party". Because Martha's birthday is coming soon, she was surprised with a birthday gift and chocolate birthday cake. Bruce presented her with her "gift". Yes, it was a feather duster. She laughed when she opened the gift. They brought out the chocolate birthday cake with three candles. We all sang to her, and she blew out the candles. I asked her if she loved chocolate as much as Francine did, and she said "Yes". HA DINNER ~ VIDEO and AUDIO: We were treated to a short bloopers video (no, not for sale anywhere... sorry), a video tribute from Beverly Garland, Bruce and Martha to Mel Stewart. A video tribute to Sam Melville from Bruce and Martha. The audio was a message from Kate Jackson that her friend and assistant, Mike, had personally delivered to us just for the event. Bruce and Martha were very moved by Kate's words, as were we all. DINNER ~ Q&A: Question and Answer session included Bruce, Martha, and Greg. Richard Herd, Dennis Duckwall and Myron Natwick had left. They joked that two microphones were needed or Bruce would do all the talking himself. Various audience members asked questions. Greg was asked a lot about being a child actor. Martha was asked about her wardrobe and how she softened towards Amanda as the show went on. Bruce was asked about his stunts, locations, etc. Lots of laughter and fond memories by the stars and us as well. This lasted until midnight. Bruce went outside before he left and hung around. I was able to get a few minutes of private time catching up. He also chatted with others. They said their "goodnights" to us. Then my roomies and I went up to our hotel room. Goodnight all. Tipping Point is a new SMK fan fiction story by Resourceful. She is posting in chapters and her story consists of a total of 15 chapters. It is a very suspenseful and well crafted story, set in today's time period and deals with the real dangers of internet and social media and the controversial technique of hydraulic "fracking". I am grateful to be working with such talented and gifted writer being one of her beta readers. If you have a chance to read, please take a moment to leave a review.
I love both shows equally, although Scarecrow and Mrs. King still edges out Chuck as being my favorite television series of all time. Nonetheless, I thought it would be fun to take a moment to discuss the similarities between the two shows.
Scarecrow and Mrs. King was a American action-comedy/spy-drama television serial that aired between 1983-1987. Usually somewhere in the middle of the Nielsen rating numbers, it did quite well in it's time slots until the lead actress was diagnosed with cancer and the show was not renewed. The show ran successfully for four seasons and finished with 88 episodes. Chuck was an American action-comedy/spy-drama television serial that aired between 2007-2012. Always on the cancellation bubble, it struggled to stay on network television, but after successful fan-mounted campaigns, the series ended with 91 episodes. Although, there is no proof the creators of Chuck watched Scarecrow and Mrs. King, I find many of the similarities quite humorous and a bit suspect. To begin with, the whole premise of the show. Both revolved around ordinary people becoming paired with the loner spy and being thrust unexpectedly into the world of espionage. Amanda, a mother of two and a homemaker, is passed secret government information by a spy who is in trouble. While Chuck is a young man working at a computer store, who is passed secret government information by a spy who is in trouble. Both Chuck and Amanda help the agents they are paired with by often thinking outside the box and using unconventional ways of taking out the bad guys. In addition, both Chuck and Amanda dislike guns, although both as they progressed as agents learned how to handle them. I also have to add a similar plot device, in Scarecrow and Mrs. King Amanda put sugar in a gas tank to help her and Lee escape, while in Chuck, Lester put sugar in the gas tank to stop the baddies from kidnapping Casey's daughter. Both shows focused heavily on relationships. For Amanda it was her mother and two boys, while Chuck had a close relationship with his sister. For both of them family meant everything. While Lee and Sarah were the hardened agents, both with circumstances that lead to them growing up in a hurry and each having to deal with the element of abandonment. Of course, these tough agents were never supposed to fall in love with their partners for it was against the cardinal rule of spying; however, cover kisses lead to real kisses, and denial lead to dating others and finally them getting together and getting married. Both shows also had a great ensemble cast.There are several other reasons; i.e. both shows were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios, both shows moved to Friday nights their last season and lost viewers, and both shows ended before they should have. In addition, most fans feel the last three or four episodes do not exist; Scarecrow and Mrs. King, because of Kate's illness and the star being unavailable to film those last episodes, and Chuck, because the final story line had Sarah losing her memories and forgetting Chuck and the five years they had together. Of course, the series finale, fans cried in agony as we did not get closure or our "happily ever-after." I feel the same way about Scarecrow and Mrs. King because us fans never got closure or had the chance to say goodbye to the characters we had grown to love over the years. Finally, both shows have the brilliant and talented Bruce Boxleitner. In Scarecrow and Mrs. King, he was of course Lee Stetson, codename Scarecrow, while in Chuck he was Dr. Woody Woodcomb, also known as, Captain Awesome's dad. Then the most humorous coincidence was the house on 4247 Warner Avenue. In Scarecrow and Mrs. King this was Amanda's house on the fictional street of Maplewood Drive in Arlington, Virginia, but in Chuck the same house was used as Sarah's dream house. The house she longed to live in with the white picket fence and red door, where she and Chuck could grow old together, and she could finally live the normal life she had always dreamed about. For those who have watched both shows, I would love to hear your thoughts. |
"Hey. . . it's me."I live in the shadows of the Olympic Mountains in the state of Washington and I love camping, boating, kayaking, hiking, and hanging out with my husband, our three adult children, and our Bernese Mountain dog, Henry. Tags
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