MovieChat Forums > Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983) Discussion > S4

S4

posted 12 years ago by jmatrixrenegade
2 replies | jump to latest

I just watched it & enjoyed it overall. Was a bit upset at the tepid kiss at the end of S3, but enjoyed Lee/Amanda's relationship in this season, including various developments from dating to marriage to dealing with a secret marriage, including Lee getting to know the boys. A highlight of the season.

As noted in another thread regarding favorite episodes, did not like the two part season premiere. Seemed padded and had various other problems imho, including more opportunity for Dotty to be totally clueless [I have this idea that deep down, she knows everything, but simply is playing dumb.] Then, there is a more charming episode about Lee's parents (directed by Kate Jackson & nice small role for the actress playing his mom). And, there are some good episodes ("Billy's Lost Weekend" is an example), two repeat players (T.P. and Dr. Smythe ... or however he spells his name) who steal various scenes (TP has his own episode, basically). Plus, we don't only see Francine have various hair styles, in lingerie but trapped in a crate and warning Amanda not to get too close to Lee.

The Christmas episode was okay but other than a continuity error, the notable thing was that the opening music was replaced by Christmas music. Cute.

The season ended on a sore note given Kate Jackson's health problems, which particularly came clear with "Mission of Gold." We saw less of Amanda, take a look at her hair & at times she sounded pretty tired on the phone. The plots in the final few episodes were a bit weak though the final episode (which doesn't seem to be intended to be ... there really isn't any sense of closure though it ends on a nice touch) had a pretty good plot.

And, there is always the "I know that person!"

[–] kehwie 12 years ago

Personally, Stemwinder is my favorite storyline, but it suffers from cramming too much into too little time (ironic given that it's a two-parter). But the pacing is all wrong--too much has to happen in that first ep to set up the second, and there isn't time for it happen in a way that makes sense. I like the second part better, because it doesn't have as much of a pacing problem.

"A good man is like a good cup of coffee--hot, strong, and sweet."

[–] electroflier 11 years ago

I just finished watching the entire SMK series over the last few weeks. It was really obvious that the last few episodes of S4 were different than the rest of the series, with focus shifting off of Amanda onto Lee, Francine, or other characters. The distinct lack of screen time for Amanda was jarring. As noted, Kate's real-life health problems were the reason.

The last scene of the season (and series) ended tings on a good note. Of course, it would have been great it there had been one more season, with Lee and Amanda coming "out of the closet". It would have been fun to see how they handled things with Dotty and the boys (for example do they or don't they come clean about what they really do?) What sort of assignments do they get from the Agency? Does Amanda get even closer to being a "real" agent, or stay more of a sidekick?. Lots of possibilities.

In any event, SMK is/was a good show. The mostly unplanned (I'm assuming) end of the series gave fans enough of a sense of closure unlike many shows that were cancelled abruptly.