“Spellbound?”
“Or Robin Hood.”
Nice Dali-esque Hitchcockian dream opening and sequences that ties in
very well with the Spellbound amnesia connection since the film has a similar
sequence done by Dali.
Their expressions pf complete befuddlement and shock at the Weapons/Survivalist
place are wonderful.
The attempted murder by multiple machine guns seems very extreme and
rather messy for someone that managed to kill without being caught so many
times. The hand grenade is again over the top but in that situation what
else could you do?
“Wrong? Remington Steele”
His pompous incredulous inflection and Laura’s eye roll are perfectly
matched.
“She’s not my type.”
Err. Looking at the rest of the women it seems more that he wouldn’t
be their type.
Frank is such a bland looking rather innocuous nebbish that his unabashed
quintogamy (what is the word for a bigamist plus three?) and multiple fraudulent
careers is
a) hard to believe
and yet
b) easier to believe he could get away with it because who would suspect
him?
I wonder if he lied about still having jobs or rather what jobs he was
going to. Like he met one wife while playing a professor and by the time
he met the next he'd moved on from that job to truck driver and just told
wife number 1 he was writing a book or guest lecturing out of town. But
realistically no one could juggle that kind of timetable or lifestyle,
especially not if he had to contribute to/maintain FIVE households -- though
all his wives seemed to have careers and jobs except the Yum Yum (or is
it Num Num?) but she seemed expensive.
It's a neat riff though on the Great Pretender, the film the book and
the real man -- one many successfully doing high skilled jobs without training
or credentials. Tough I don’t believe he did them all that same time or
juggled wives.
I LOVE that Mildred adores and worships Mr. Steele. It’s about time
someone did on that show. ;-) Though talk about a shock to Laura’s system
after Murphy and Bernice had nothing but eye rolling contempt for him –
but it’s no wonder Steele laps it up.
“Portrait of grief “ - When Laura whips out his handkerchief and Mr.
Steele looks to sartorially peeved – she’s just thrown off one the complimenting
details of his ensemble. :D
Steele’s expression as he listens to all the Frank talk at the funeral
- wonderfully disbelieving deadpan.
Mildred obviously watches the same old 40 noir detective films that
Mr. Steele does. But yes where does she get that hat from? Why would Laura
leave an extra at his apartment? Is it Mr. Steele’s? Does he put it on
when he watches Bogart?
Steele has his handkerchief back where it belongs by the time Nancy
is putting the moves on him. I love that it takes Laura repeating herself
get his attention with Nancy pressed up against him running her finger
down his face – he’s only human after all and seems a trifle out of breath.
Does Mr. Steele always have bottle of champagne chilling? Or did Mildred
break that out in his absence?
I love Steele’s expression of rapt attention and innate understanding
from personal experience as Frank tells his story about he wasn’t like
other men, how he could successfully leave different lives.
Steele saying at least Frank was able to make a commitment - what’s
the joke in North By Northwest?
Roger Thornhill: What's wrong with men like me?
Eve Kendall: They don't believe in marriage.
Roger Thornhill: I've been married twice.
Eve Kendall: See what I mean?
Although in this case it's 5 times and all at the same time. :D Not
only legally not worth the paper it's written on but all those commitments
and attendant I love yous meant pretty much zilch.
The difference between Steele and Frank is that Frank is not only a
professional fraud but an emotional and personal one. Steele’s never been
that with Laura.
And right after we get the flip side of the relationship with Laura
and Barbara about how Frank taught her to love and not just have a career.
Oh and what antique shop did they have to raid to furnish Barbara’s house?
“Enter my parlor said the spider to the fly”
“Oh yes Frank. She’s definitely something. Definitely”
Excellent line readings.
Steele talking to Mildred – what’s not to love? I adore their relationship
and here we see for the first time the real emotional connection (beyond
the hero worship which is mostly played for laughs) they have and will
grow to have. Steele tells her the truth to comfort (or a facsimile thereof)
and assure Mildred and not because Laura wanted something said or to appease
Laura.
It rankles that when Mildred later find out he’s not “real” in Season
4 that she doesn’t remember what he told her almost from the beginning.
Well that and the fact that Mildred seemingly forgets that she’s seen Steele
do much to be admired.
The scene by the fountain is a beautiful setting and hooray for an uninterrupted
kiss. I don’t think saying that he’s becoming the Remington Steele that
Laura envisioned is the best personal compliment. (though did she really
imagine her Mr. Steele to be sexy? In License she talks about his honesty
and fastidiousness) It’s a compliment to his role-playing and his new found
honesty but was he not kind, courageous, good humored and sexy before he
met her? It discounts the man he was before he met Laura and the real man
he is.
I think Laura’s “Thank you for being here. For being you” in Premium
is a far greater compliment, a far more personally intimate thing to say
and is indeed the nicest thing Laura ever said to him.
FASHION:
Gorgeous grey/blue small diamond tie on Mr. Steele in the opening scene
that manages not to conflict with the striped shirt but rather pull the
outfit navy and grey together. Beautiful dark three piece and red striped
tie at the funeral. But the three piece brown/gold ensemble near the end
is the piece de resistance – a beautiful combination of textures and shades
of color.
Laura’s black dress is simple and lovely and looks better running in
it so you can see her great legs. The necklace – yuck – it’s in the same
realm (though of course not as legendarily awful) as her King Tut thing
- chunky and spangly. Laura’s rich plum dress at the end is a great color
for her.
The W-I-D-E shouldered HUGE polka dot draped thing that Barbara is wearing
– yee gods. And yet somehow Jane Kaczmarek has the flair and lean style
to make it almost work
Delta Burke’s wrap around black mourning dress is gorgeous – very flattering
to her hourglass figure. The hat eh… The electric blue dress while form
fitting is not nearly as flattering or attractive.
|
by Xenos1981
(Fri Apr 13 2007 16:24:37 )