Isabel

Memorable Stuff

- Steele & Derek's sword fight. What fun!
- Heather's bored look as she and Derek rehearse is just a hoot.
- It doesn't take me long at all to start to hate Stan. What a louse! Guess that means Paul Kreppel does a good job in the role, eh?
- Heather throwing herself at Steele. Amazing that dress didn't budge! Must have taken several pieces of tape to keep it in place.
- The scene about the rumors of the stars of the commercial not getting along, paralleling the rumors of PB & SZ about this time.
- The poor Rabbit gets abused again....
- Derek coming on to Laura. He's trying so hard to be smooth and actually doesn't do too badly - he just takes it too far!
- The second appearance of "Sterling Gillette" as he schmoozes his way into the conversation between Doris & Mother Trust (who does a wonderful job)
 

Character Development

- The logical argument Mr. Steele uses to get Laura to tell him what's wrong:
R: Did something happen between you two?
L: Of course not, why do you ask?
R: Well, because every time I mention his name you begin wolfing down food.
L: I'm not hungry. (shoveling in more food)
R: Precisely!
L: Nothing important.
R: Then you won't mind sharing it with me, eh?
it shows how well he knows her. Using some simple logical statements appeals to the math major...
- Steele's obvious jealousy after Derek makes the pass at Laura and his actually discussing his & Laura's relationship with Derek
 

Favorite lines

Doris: This is not some pointless little mini-series we're shooting here. It's not some infantile sitcom to save a floundering network. This is important!
Laura: I know. It's a commercial. The linchpin in the television industry.
Doris: Not A commercial. THE hottest commercial on the tube! I am producing the "ET" of frozen foods here!
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M: Television is so disillusioning.
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R: (indicating her martini) Would you like another?
Mother Trust: No thanks, five's my limit
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R: The more you reassure me, the worse it gets!
L: Where are you going?
R: To barbeque an old ham. Excuse me.
 

Hair & Clothing

- That maroon suit with the blue shirt are good colors for Stephanie. Don't envy her wearing those high heels though!
- The slate blue suit Steele wears as Sterling Gillette...man, oh man. The gray suit at the end is nice too.
 

Goofs, Headscratchers & Misc

- Sign of the times - The humongous cell phone Laura uses to call Mildred!
- After they reached "the top of the world", just how were Derek & Heather supposed to defrost and cook the frozen dinners?
- After Steele goes off to confront Derek, Laura stays at the office and is seen stacking folders on his desk. Did Mr. Steele actually do some paperwork?
- So why did we never see that necklace again? Would have been a nice physical reminder through future episodes. On the other hand, it's produced several great fanfics!
 

The beginning - gloved killer always means it's a woman! And why only poison one? There are so many of those packages in there... where is the guarantee that the only one poisoned will be given to Derek?

What happened to all the sexual momentum from the last episode? No more random kisses by trees, pools or in cars?! WHY?! But I did enjoy the ending and of course, the necklace he gives her. Steele swashbuckling with Derek and later on reprimanding him for "making a pass" at Laura (Barbecuing an old ham, is it?).

Haven't we already seen the "crazy-person-tries-to-kill-character-but-doesnt-appear-crazy-until-the-end" format already? The one with the wrestler... Chip something?? And his dad tries to kill his girlfriend? Weeeell anyways..

Why does Laura always go places herself, completely alone and unarmed? It's almost as if she's asking for trouble. Then of course Steele arrives to save the day :)

I always love when Steele impersonates someone else on the spot - the Mother Trust scene. "I just got out of court" or whatever he says... I don't have the perfect memory I watched it last night so don't kill me if it's wrong haha.

Well, I think that's all the info I have stored in the old noggin for now. Good ep for the most part I suppose...

"You lived with a man who wears white belts? Am I disappointed"
BoaW 08/07

I LOVE Derek Vivyan, he's one of my favorite guest stars. That could be because he's riffing on two of my favorite actors -- he's playing Peter O'Toole playing Errol Flynn in My Favorite Year and he's wonderful at it.

The fencing scene with Steele is one of my all time favorite scenes. We finally get to see Steele's epee in action (and we know he practices with Jean Claude from Framed). Fencing, boxing, tennis - all incidentally "gentleman's sports" and much more believable exercise than Steele ever going to the gym and hitting the soloflex or running just to run. To see Steele fencing (and working up a sweat with his shirt unbuttoned) combined with his adoration of films and stars is just wonderful. I'm surprised he could pull himself away at all and insist Derek go to the taping, even if it was after 3 plus hours of dueling and movie quotes.

Favorite exchange:

"Nice try, Steele. Nice try. But do bear with me. I played Hamlet at the Old Vic, I played at the Chischester, Beckett at the Edinburgh Festival, and now I'm to play second lead to a platter of Chef Gaston's pre-shrunk Beef Bourguignonne."

"Make it a double," Steele tells the barkeeper.
 

Indeed.

Lauryn and Anne wrote a marvelously fun story on this episode for the gender switch RS Fiction challenge: http://andrea11.t35.com/HeatNServeSteele.html

Mildred: Oh, I can't believe that. Are you trying to tell me that they don't LIKE one another?
Remington: Let's just say I wouldn't put them both in the same room with a loaded gun.
Mildred: Oh. *sigh* Television is SO disillusioning.

I absolutely HATED that scene when it first aired and I STILL hate it to this very day. We all know what it was referring to...And I find that to be a rather low blow more suited to "Moonlighting" than the classy "Remington Steele".

OK...Done venting. Now, on to the good stuff! Pierce. OMG!!! Fencing with Derek. Fun, fun, fun! And DAMN if he didn't look hot!!! He got my pulse racing, that's for sure! And when he put his double breasted jacket on but still had his shirt unbuttoned?!?! OMG! Hose me down, baby! Normally, I find the half unbuttoned shirt on a man rather cheezy and think the guy is a macho loser...But on Mr. Steele? PERFECTION!!! Why, oh, why did he have to button up and put on a tie?!?! (Bad marks for wardrobe! Don't they know that less is more? Especially on a man as beautiful as PB!) I also recall that Stephanie looked great in one of her outfits, but I can't think right now. All I can picture is Pierce's manly chest. Oh-ho-ho, yeh-heh-hes!

Enjoyed most of the guest stars...Actually, ALL of the guest stars...Though I didn't care for their characters. I guess that's a good thing, LOL! Barrie Ingham (Derek) was SO entertaining and enchanting as a drunken has-been. LOVED his scenes with both Pierce and Stephanie. His best line has to be:

"Ah, you proud vixen. Your cries will go for naught. I intend to possess you this very evening, and I will not be denied...What the hell's that from?"

LOL!!! SO funny!!!

I also LOVE how possessive Mr. Steele is of Laura at this point in the series. The whole scene in the office where they're eating dinner is perfect..."Spot on" as Michael Gleason would say. Pierce and Steph really work well together and come across wonderfully despite what may or may not have gone down between them.

Sorry, but I have to say this...The end scene bugged the living crap out of me. I'm sorry, but I really wanted to kick Laura's butt. Good grief, woman...The man just gave you a beautiful heart necklace!!! Doesn't he deserve more than a quick peck and a "thank you"?!?! She didn't need to put out, but a little enthusiasm was definitely called for! How about a REAL kiss (ala "Vintage Steele")?!?! How about gushing about how beautiful it is?!?! And how about wearing it in the future?!?! If I were Mr. Steele, I would have been majorly pissed. No more bling for you, babe! Sheez!!!

All right. I'm done. On to tonight's SOTW...
 

Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!