Steele Watching: A Remington Steele Podcast
Two fans—one young, female, and Canadian, and one old, male, and American—discuss one of their favorite near-classic televisions shows—Remington Steele—episode by episode.
Steele Watching: A Remington Steele Podcast
5 of the 4th
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The Remington Steele season 4 recap episode '5 of the 4th'. Hosted by Eric Alton-Glenn Hilliard and Sara McNeil.
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I'm guessing I'm hosting this 1 because you
Speaker 1:Oh, yes. I absolutely refuse to. I refuse I refuse to host this.
Speaker 0:That's fair. Welcome to Steele Watching, a podcast for Remington Steele fans. I am Sarah, and I enjoy torturing Eric.
Speaker 1:And I am not Eric. I am an AI generated simulation because Eric did not wanna participate in this, and so he sent me instead so that I could be disparaging, insulting. I could say inappropriate things and just generally discredit the entire concept of the top 5 so we never have to do it again.
Speaker 0:Actually, what what's more likely to happen if you're an AI is you'll just get all all the details wrong.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's of course. Yeah. And and and and we're talking about what? Remington Steele, which is a 19 sixties TV show about a man who works in construction.
Speaker 0:Exactly. And
Speaker 1:he gets involved in the lives of his tenants and it features the famous actor, Sarah de Bergerac and
Speaker 0:Yeah. Exactly. 100%. See, you you got it all. Yes. And then some. Yes. Never
Speaker 1:said that AI hallucinations weren't interesting.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Well, there there's something for sure.
Speaker 1:There's something. That's for sure. Alright.
Speaker 0:So I thought normally, we start with just sort of like an overall discussion of the 4th season. Mhmm. But we did get a really detailed email from a Steele Watcher a while back that we said we were gonna dive into. So I think we should use that email as our jumping off point to do the overall discussion of season 4, and then we'll go into like the the other people's top fives and stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 1:We can do that.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Because I I it's funny. Until we started doing this, I didn't think season 4 was a polarizing season. I thought it was pretty much universally beloved. Maybe that was just me, because I really enjoy it. But I thought it was like, you know, just it was kinda like the Star Trek, you know, the even movies are better than the odd movies. Sure. I thought it was the even seasons are are better than the odd seasons, or at least in my opinion, that was kinda how I saw it. Not that season 1 is bad, but you know what I mean. Like, it's just quality wise. But apparently, there's a bit of a split. Those of us who love season 4 and those of us who I don't wanna say hate it, but maybe don't think it's as as good as those of us who love it. So
Speaker 1:Yes. They they they were not happy with some of the changes that were Yes. Uh-huh.
Speaker 0:So we got this email, and so I'll probably, like, I don't know if we wanna go paragraph to paragraph, or I'll just start reading it, and then you can jump in anytime and read more of it. Up to you how you wanna do it, but
Speaker 1:I'm not here. I'm not participating, so do whatever you want.
Speaker 0:So I'll just use the initials. This is LS who wrote, dear Sarah and Eric, I've been impressed and delighted with your 4th season podcast and look forward to hearing your analysis on the rest of the episodes. Because this was a while back, we hadn't obviously finished all the I'm the person who wrote earlier and in passing said that I find the 4th season harder to get through than the others. I didn't wanna sidetrack the podcast with my personal views, but since you asked, it's like, uh-oh. Since you asked.
Speaker 1:That that was our 1st mistake.
Speaker 0:I wanna emphasize that any decline in quality for me is relative. I found Remington Steele when I was 7 years old, loved it immediately, and my appreciation has only grown with time. I'd still rather watch a 4th season Remington Steele episode than any episode of most other television shows. And I think that's worth pointing out just because Mhmm. Even when we get into season 5 and we, you know, hack the shit out of it, it's at the end of the day, in my opinion, still better than than most of what was on TV. So Mhmm. We we if if we criticize, we do so with love. And and usually, it's because people know that the show can be better. So they Yeah. They pick at it for that reason.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 0:I may disagree with some of the stuff in this email, but I I wanted to kinda emphasize that they wrote that because
Speaker 1:It We're coming up to season 5, and you and I are really gonna disagree.
Speaker 0:So I'm gonna be the good cop. I'm gonna do my best to be the good cop, because I know there's a few other fans that want a good cop for season 5, so that'll be me. Yeah. So this person wrote, that being said, the 4th season rarely embodies the best of the series to me. In an earlier email, I lauded the show for being able to accomplish so many things at once. The best episodes offer intricate mystery plots, clever and layered classic film homages, and a funny, but always believable portrayal of 2 people falling in love in real time. It's a lot to juggle. And for most of the 4th season, they just couldn't seem to keep all the balls in the air. The mystery plots suffer an awful lot this time around. I do like your characterization of hand waving, the details of story concerns. And it's true that there's always been some of that hand waving on the show, and indeed, in any kind of fiction. But there's a difference between hand waving details of finding convenient parking everywhere they go, or how many bullets they loaded into a gun versus the entire basis of the criminal plot of premium Steele, or the whole motive for the murders, coffee, tea or Steele, and Steele on the air. I I I was reading Jeff Melvoyne's book, and he talked about I think it was Hitchcock that Hitchcock that 1st coined the like icebox question, but also like the water cooler. What he called like the water cooler. It was basically I can't remember the exact term for it, but it was basically the same thing as a hand wave. Where if it's something that doesn't make sense, but it's not important enough to bring up at the water cooler when you're talking to your coworkers, it's easy to hand wave. Like, you don't have to worry about it. But if it's that much of a how did they do this? Then Mhmm. Then the plot doesn't work. So I think the the writers were aware that we were gonna have to hand wave a bunch of stuff Yes. Throughout the show.
Speaker 1:Now, the the difference is that there are those who will as this writer does, they they will they will the the holes in the plot that are bigger than ice bot questions are enough to take them out of the story and and they and it it, you know, harms their enjoyment of the episode. And then there are those who say, well, okay. Yeah. I mean, the whole thing's fiction, so what does it really matter? We're just gonna enjoy the ride.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And then those are the ones that, you know, are on the spectrum in between there. So, you you know, I I I guess I can understand how the writers would say, okay, yeah. Okay. Yeah. There's plots large enough to fly an airplane through,
Speaker 0:but but
Speaker 1:it's it's it's a fun episode. So we're just gonna go ahead
Speaker 0:and go. They're probably gonna be like, nobody's thinking about this too closely. It's not like anyone's gonna host a podcast in 40 years where they pick it apart by piece by piece, like, so we don't really need to worry too much about it.
Speaker 1:That's right. Whatever. And there's not gonna be HDTVs so that we Yeah. We can see that they plastered something over, but, you know, over the name of a boat, but nobody's gonna notice that because, you know
Speaker 0:Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. Short scientists. I'm on that spectrum bit where if I really like the episode, I'll hand wave anything you want me to hand wave. But if I don't like the actual episode, I'm gonna pick it apart as much as I can.
Speaker 1:Can can I can I can I jump in here real quick?
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You just said what you said about about your perspective on these episodes. And to be honest with you, I despite appearances, despite what I may have said, despite the impression I have probably given time and time again, I am Grumpy old man?
Speaker 0:Sorry. Keep going.
Speaker 1:I am 1 of those who is going to if if I enjoy if it's a fun ride
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm not gonna worry about it. I will still criticize it and say, that was the stupidest thing. They should have fixed that.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Nobody would buy that plot. But as long as the ride is fun
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's what it's it's it's like the Cary Grant movie, Sherrod. It's it's
Speaker 0:Yeah. It's ridiculous.
Speaker 1:It's so preposterous.
Speaker 0:Ridiculous. Yes.
Speaker 1:It is. But it's a fun ride.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Or, I mean, even if we're talking here, you know, arsenic and old lace is similar. Right? Because, like, it's so ridiculous. They've got how many bodies buried in the basement and nobody's noticed?
Speaker 1:Well, now, you know, there are there have been cases, real life cases.
Speaker 0:Fair enough. Fair enough. That's true.
Speaker 1:But, yeah, the whole
Speaker 0:But yeah. So they've they've got this person has written that, I guess, for them, there's too much hand waving, which is fair. Again Mhmm. I'm not trying to debate other people's perspective. Whole stories this season simply don't make sense. And and this is they also brought up the Hitchcock Mhmm. Icebox question. They said Hitchcock used to refer to icebox questions, which he meant as those plot points that viewers wondered about later at night when they went to get a midnight snack. He dismissed them because he said that they didn't affect one's enjoyment in the movie at the time. Remington Steele episodes always had some icebox questions, but in the 4th season, they grow into major issues with the basic mystery plots. In the same vein, I would note that clues have all but disappeared in the 4th season. Never mind the audience figuring out the mysteries. Most of the time, Laura and Steele simply hang on and stay alive long enough for the villain to try to kill them, and that's how they figure it out.
Speaker 1:The intricate clueing Whatever works.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Right? The intricate clueing of in the Steele of the night or illustrated Steele is long done at this point. Grappling Steele is at least a partial exception, I grant you. Again, and I think this depends on what you watch the show.
Speaker 1:And of course, she picks this person or she or he picks 1 of the episodes, I would say, 1 of the worst 4th season episodes. I I don't mean that as an insult. I just No.
Speaker 0:No. Just find it funny. For me, it's it's I I guess it it depends on what you're watching the show for, because I like the mysteries, and I like mystery as a genre. I'm a mystery fan, but the show if the rest of the plot is good, the mystery will come secondary to me, and it doesn't really matter if it doesn't make that much sense. If the rest of the plot is not great, then yes, the mystery will be the thing that has to tie it together. But I'm not as as worried about whether or not the mystery makes sense if the rest of it feels like a coherent story. So
Speaker 1:I I I love mysteries. I mean, I'm a huge fan of Ellery Queen. But Yeah.
Speaker 0:Yeah. That was For me I enjoyed Ellery Queen.
Speaker 1:Remington Steele. Yes. It's a mystery. I love the mysteries that are in there. I like it better when they make sense.
Speaker 0:Yeah. But Of course.
Speaker 1:My perspective of the show is that it's really not a mystery. It's a rom com.
Speaker 0:Yeah. It is a rom com.
Speaker 1:So Yeah. If you approach it from the standpoint of, hey, this is a rom com and the mystery is just something that goes along with it as part of the Yeah. Yeah. The the process and the stories, then I think you can be a little more forgiving.
Speaker 0:It's kinda like how and I know you won't have seen this show, but there's a Canadian gay romance series called Heated Rivalry that is set in the hockey world. It's 2 hockey players that that are on competing teams, and they fall in love, and it's it's an adaptation from a a series of novels. And it's very explicit. So much so that there were scenes where I'm like, you know what? I need to fast forward this because I'm even not even my delicate sensibilities are like, I don't know how I feel about this being on TV. You know? So I but he but the story is really good. What's funny about it is that a lot of before it was clear as to what it was, there was a lot of men on the internet going, hey, wait a minute. This isn't about hockey. Yeah. A lot of other people going like, yeah. We know. It's not like you're watching it. So it's kinda like hockey is the backdrop and the you know, that's sort
Speaker 1:of It's kinda like try it's kinda like somebody watching Dallas and and then suddenly saying, hey. This isn't about the oil industry.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Exactly. So I mean and I'm I'm not trying to downplay those because because if people do like the mysteries and really want the mystery to make sense, then I understand why Mhmm. It might be frustrating when they don't or when they make when they're less important than the the the will they won't they between the 2 leads. I think it always works best when there's like a good balance. But Mhmm. Again, my my personal inclination is that it's not as important to me personally as the other stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah. You know, and and as far as Laura and Steele and the clues and and such as that, I I mean, you look at Columbo.
Speaker 0:Mhmm.
Speaker 1:You know from the beginning of the episode who the killer is.
Speaker 0:Yeah. That's true. That's true. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's a point. There's there's a little bit of that in some of these episodes I think that they're referring to is in that Yeah. The killer is kind of obvious, but it's the process
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Of Yeah. Of finding them of of Steele and Laura finding them or Columbo finding them more than it being a straight mystery. So Yeah. I I think they were changing their their approach to the stories and the episodes in the 4th season.
Speaker 0:Oh, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah. For whatever reason, you know, perhaps they felt that it was getting a little too too mystery heavy or they were just trying to I hate to say it, appease somebody at the network.
Speaker 0:It might have been.
Speaker 1:But they were they were definitely changing the way the episodes were constructed.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Another the next paragraph says, 1 of the ways the show always stood out from its many competitors in eighties crime television was its connection to old Hollywood. Steele's predilection for referencing old movies was just the overt nod to the classic tone and quality running throughout the series. Steele's interest in movies remains in the 4th season, but it's now just a quirk of the character rather than a reflection of the show. There are no significant connections between any of these episodes and earlier movies. By losing the relationship with the classics, the show starts using plots that are more generic than they used to be.
Speaker 1:Now, I'm gonna agree with the characterization of the classic Hollywood movie references because Sure. Were Yep. Entire episodes
Speaker 0:Yep.
Speaker 1:Particularly in the 4th season where there was absolutely no movie reference at all. Yeah. And that that was a that was something that I know I missed and I'm sure a lot of the fans missed when those things started, as she said, becoming
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Character quirks rather than something that reflects the episode. And and we had episodes Yeah. That were literally just retellings of old classic movies. So, you know, it's
Speaker 0:so I'm gonna say this might have been 1 of those network notes where they were like, okay, you know what? We wanna modernize this. We want it to be we want it to feel more more eighties because this was also the season where Laura started to look physically look more less classic noir, more eighties, woman of the eighties. So
Speaker 1:They they changed their style of dress.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, not completely, but it it there were episodes where we were like, what is she wearing and why? Why? Yes. Why? But it
Speaker 1:but wasn't just that. It was that it also was more of the eighties era. And so when you look at it, it dates it. Whereas the 1st 3 seasons, the the clothes that they were put into were more classic. Yes. You could watch it without saying, oh, this is an eighties TV show. Yeah. Because it it had that timelessness of classic Hollywood looks. The the 4th season moved more into the 19 eighties and Yep. There there are definitely clothing choices, costume choices that don't hold up.
Speaker 0:No. And I mean, there's some that are are fantastic, and I'm personally I love I love eighties stuff. I love watching something and having it be said in the eighties or having it be in the eighties, like, filmed in the eighties. So I'm I'm gonna be like, that's something I would hand wave. But I do agree about the the references as well as the fact that and I wonder if it was more just that they not ran out because there's 1000000001 classic Hollywood films that you could base an episode off of. But I I wonder if it was just that they felt that they had done all they could with that format or the network had felt that. I'm not saying that it's right or wrong, but I'm I'm wondering if that was sort of the consensus and they were trying to, you know, how when they make a superhero film and they're and they try to appease to the p like, they try to appeal to the wider audience as well as the niche nerds, and and Mhmm. Most of the time, it doesn't always work out the way they want. I think this might have been that attempt to kind of broaden it out a bit. Not that it was hard to follow before, but
Speaker 1:Yeah. I That's somebody my once said, though, when you try to make something that makes everybody happy, you generally wind up making nobody happy.
Speaker 0:Yeah. I don't personally mind the I do miss some of the references. I do miss his quirky little like it is more of a quirk than it is part of the episodes specifically. I don't know that I necessarily need episodes to be homages to classic Hollywood films as much as some of the previous seasons, but Mhmm. I do miss the the references. Because you're right. There were episodes where we went through and we're like, did we get a movie reference this Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Episode? Yeah. And and even where the episode was not built on a classic movie plot
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:There were situations where Steele would say, oh, this is like in this movie.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And and, you know, he might turn out to be right. He might turn out to be wrong because
Speaker 0:Yeah. There in
Speaker 1:a later scene, he might say, well, this reminds me of this movie. So, you know, it it didn't have to be that they were building an episode around the classic movie plot, but they were using elements of those classic movies that would springboard him into thinking about those and approaching a clue, a suspect, a scenario from the standpoint of, of, well, it's was like in this movie, so let's try it like they did in the movie and, oh, whoops. That didn't work. Yeah.
Speaker 0:You know? Yeah. No. That's fair. That's fair. And like I said, I I I don't disagree with some of these criticisms. It's just Mhmm. Whether or not it matters as much to me versus the other stuff that I like is gonna kinda alter how I feel about it. Right? But yeah, it there are definitely and some of these things I didn't even really think of. So I'm I'm grateful to the email for kind of like pointing them out because it's funny because when you when you really like something, sometimes you don't wanna dig too far into it to find where it doesn't work. And that's true for other shows that I've watched, where I've listened to podcasts and people have like ripped apart a season that I loved. And I'm sitting there going, I didn't realize there were problems with this season, but now that you're pointing them out, I hate you a little bit. So I'm not saying that to this letter writer, don't hate you, but I'm just saying that sometimes we don't wanna look for for the flaws if we really enjoy it. So
Speaker 1:But that's 1 of the reasons why sometimes I also avoid podcasts about TV shows.
Speaker 0:Yeah. That's fair. Love because
Speaker 1:when you You don't want listening to them, it's like, oh, I thought I'm sorry. I thought you guys were fans of the show. I didn't know that you were you were doing this podcast so that you just totally tear it to shreds and and not having even 1 nice thing to say about it.
Speaker 0:But Yeah. We try to we try to strike a balance. But then they wrote some shows like Forged Steele still feel unique to this format, but most of the 4 season shows could have been sold to Simon and Simon or Magnum PI with only very minor rewrites. Again, I don't necessarily disagree with that, but I don't mind so much. So for me, Well, I'm
Speaker 1:the you know, the thing is though, that there's a lot of lot of episodes in TV shows that are clearly unique, I'll say, to that series, but they can rewrite that and make it unique Absolutely. For another And then there's the lazy writers who will use an episode that is almost almost word for word from from another episode that either they wrote or somebody else wrote, you know, and I'm thinking of Shatner's Police series. What was that?
Speaker 0:Yeah. What was
Speaker 1:the name
Speaker 0:of that? Hooker.
Speaker 1:Hooker. Yeah.
Speaker 0:Hooker. TJ Hooker. Hooker. That's it.
Speaker 1:Where they had an episode that was basically a pretty straightforward and obvious rewrite of an episode from David Cassidy Man Undercover. It's like, I've watching it, and it's like, I've seen this episode before, but it was over there.
Speaker 0:This 1.
Speaker 1:You know? So
Speaker 0:Yeah. And I mean, like, it that's not a lot of these writers have written for various different shows. Right? So you're not always going to get we have a few writers that we've noted that are consistently writing for the series, but then we every now and then, you get a writer pop up where Mhmm. We're just like, where who's this person? Like, where Yeah. Where have they come from? So it could just be sometimes the tone doesn't match. And they wrote, the change in tone also affects the comedy that's another hallmark of the series. It's still funny, and the leads are still good at playing with a light touch, but the comedy has gotten much, much broader. The office scene in Steele Inc. Is a good example. What are they talking about as they keep switching from office to office with various villains and investors? Nothing. There's There no reason they have to keep having those conversations, which is why we don't need to hear any of them to move the plot forward. It's just there as a farcical set piece. Again, it's not that a lot of stuff isn't funny in this season. It's just that we've gone from His Girl Friday and the Awful Truth to National Lampoon's Vacation. The tone isn't the same anymore. I'm gonna push understand back on what they're saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I I don't think it's it's quite that far. I think they're they're being hyperbolic here. But, yeah, you're right. I mean, there there were some scenes in some of the episodes that were there strictly for the comedy appeal. And personally, does every scene have to move the plot forward? I mean, we've notated some scenes, some very good scenes
Speaker 0:that were
Speaker 1:relationship relationship scenes between Laura and Steele that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot. They did not move it forward at all. But they were they were they were scenes written for the characters and written for the fans because Yeah. They were nice scenes.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And we've had some comments here. Poppin. Yeah. Done. Somebody said, I would disagree with the season 4 episodes being suitable for Magnum PI or Simon and Simon. I've been watching those 2 shows a bit lately and Reminds of Steele is very different from those 2 shows. In fact, the other 2 have given me a new appreciation for Reming Steele and how different it is from the rest. And I'll just say, I think the the writer of this email that we're referring to here is not saying that that it would just be a direct, you know, take take out lore and Steele and just drop in
Speaker 0:some more mainstream work. Either. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But they they were talking about how the plot has more of a feel of those type shows.
Speaker 0:But I I think in terms of the comedy, I actually didn't see much of like, if you think about Steele Inc, which was referenced as 1 of the examples here, and even Big Borrow or Steele or Steele at Your Service, that that zany screwball aspect of the show, I think has been there all along. And we looked at it with Steele and the chips. We looked at it. Like, there's and and for some people those those screwball episodes kind of fall flat, which is fair. But I don't think the scene in Steele Inc was any different. In fact, I think it was more harkening back to what we know was as Remington Steele with the zaniness, with swapping around the characters, with you're not sure who's in what room or why they're Like, in what I think that felt more true to previous seasons than some of the other stuff that happened in season 4. Mhmm. That's just my personal kinda read on it. But we've definitely gotten Steels Gold. I mean, whether or not these episodes work for you is is completely separate thing. But we've definitely seen that zany comedy for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah. In the history of the episode, we have a tradition of some of this type of of scenes episodes. So it's it's not like it's totally out of character for the show. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, so
Speaker 0:So, yeah. It continues with, have you read the 1985 LA Times article about how the show has such a clear sense of its identity and how the forthcoming Tony Bennett vocals illustrate the ways it's different from everything else on TV? I haven't read that article, but I will now look it up after reading this.
Speaker 1:I tried to look it up and I couldn't find it, but
Speaker 0:If if someone has it,
Speaker 1:please Yeah. Send it to It's probably behind a paywall.
Speaker 0:Probably. But I know how to get around those, so yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Send them money.
Speaker 0:No. No. No. There's a way there's a way to you can just put the link into another website, and it'll pop it up there for you, but
Speaker 1:I have gotten around those things a few times, but it's it's been inconsistent. But anyway anyway anyway
Speaker 0:So then they wrote
Speaker 1:0 0 0 0, another way I found that works on those is is if you do the what's it called? The reader view.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah. That works too. Yep. So then they wrote, related to that broader comedy, the characterizations have flattened. Steele loses a bit of the subtlety he gained over the 1st 3 seasons. You've noted it in your analysis. Is the smirking war
Speaker 1:of says Steele loses a lot of the subtlety. Said a Oh,
Speaker 0:okay. I'm sorry. Sorry.
Speaker 1:Yes. There's difference there.
Speaker 0:Is the smirking boar of Steele blushing really the same sensitive guy from Red Holt Steele? Is the callous flop of corn fed Steele the same compassionate guy from as far back as signed Steele and delivered? There are fewer inherent ways to put Steele and lore at odds in a lot of these stories, so they do it by making Steele more narcissistic and dense than he ever was. Again, I'm gonna say that they do this throughout the whole show. He he But can he has I
Speaker 1:also add to that?
Speaker 0:Yeah. Go for
Speaker 1:it. That's called being human.
Speaker 0:Well, yeah. But it's also the episodic nature of the series Mhmm. And the fact that they weren't really allowed to do too much character growth in and of the characters here. Mhmm. And also, like, I we've noted this in other seasons too, where he will come across as being really emotionally mature and really in tune with what Laura's feeling and and know when to say the right thing. And then he'll turn around in the next episode and be a complete a hole. And I'm sitting there going, that's that's not that doesn't make sense. So Yeah. I I yeah. Don't
Speaker 1:know Everybody at at various points in their life has has vacillated between Yeah. Sensitivity and being a boor. So
Speaker 0:I think I think the 1 episode that maybe just completely tops all the others in terms of that as being sort of character destruction would be Bonds of Steele Mhmm. As we noted when we were talking about it. But beyond that, yeah, I don't think this season has more of that oscillation than the other seasons. I think the other seasons have just as much, because
Speaker 1:we Part of it could also be the context. True. Because when it happened in the 1st season and the 2nd season and somewhat in the 3rd season, the relationship between Laura and Steele was different.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's And so in that context, it wasn't as it it didn't feel as as extreme.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But as they've gotten closer and closer, then these same kind of changes become more seemingly out of character because of the nature of their relationship.
Speaker 0:Yeah. So And and there was a bit of character growth. And I I will say there was a there was some character growth with Steele because of course, even even even when you're writing is episodic, it happens maybe sometimes despite the writers. So when he does when he does vacillate back to that part of that version of himself that seems more season 1 or season 2, it feels more extreme, or it feels more notable because we're not expecting it. Mhmm. The the stuff and and interestingly, with Steele Blushing, it wasn't until we started doing the podcast that I was like, wait a minute. He's being a real jerk about this whole thing. Like, you know, because I always found it really funny.
Speaker 1:Okay. So people, you can you can hate us for ruining your show.
Speaker 0:I mean, it's it's kind of like because I actually started to think about it, I was like, oh, wait a minute. This is horribly invasive, and he's he's treating it like a joke. What the heck? You know? And the same with Cornfed. It Cornfed was 1 of those episodes where I think no matter what season it was in, it would have felt wrong because his character had been established from the get go as somebody who did tend to care about sort of quote unquote the little guy, even as far back as Sheldon Quarry. So to see him only caring about his boat felt out of character, but I don't think that would have mattered if it was season 1, 2, 3, or 4. It it felt like it was that they were using his character for comedy as opposed to serving his character through comedy, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Right. So And not only do we have the context of the seasons and the relationship between Laura and Steele that highlight or hide some of these extreme vacillations in in personality and and attitudes, But we also have 1980 to 2026.
Speaker 0:True.
Speaker 1:And, you know, we're looking back on something that was a product of its time. Yep. And so some of the things that back then were just in part because it was episodic, but also just in part of the basic attitudes of the time
Speaker 0:Oh, yeah. For sure.
Speaker 1:Would be looked at as, yeah. Yeah. That's funny. That's great. That's hilarious.
Speaker 0:Yeah. You watch
Speaker 1:Don't see a problem with it. Don't see a huge problem with it. But as time progressed and people's attitudes changed about these things, then we look back on it and and we we judge it through our 2026 perspective.
Speaker 0:As your shirt says.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yes. So so I I think that's a factor as well. And and I'm not saying that that's wrong. I'm just saying that
Speaker 0:No. But I think it's it's natural.
Speaker 1:It's it's it's relevant to criticisms of things like that because you have to keep in mind that
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Things change, I you
Speaker 0:mean, you can still enjoy it but it's like Mhmm. We my husband and I have been watching all the James Bonds from Connery all the way up. We're now at Brosnan. Mhmm. And I'm watching the early Bonds and like, wow, this guy is a real piece of Yeah. Like, he's an awful human being. It's like Yes. But it was the sixties, and you could get away with that, and it was with with some of the episodes I've had to do that where it's just been looking at it through our our view versus Mhmm. You know, what what it's the same with like, if you watch any eighties college comedy, you know, like, Revenge of the Nerds or Animal House, those movies are horrible. Like, if you watch them from a 2026 perspective, it's it's all date rape jokes and just horrifically
Speaker 1:awesome never really got into those anyway, even when they came out. So
Speaker 0:I mean, there's a couple that I liked. I enjoyed Weird Science back in the day, but then we rewatched it and I was like, okay. Wow. This move how did this movie get 2 teenage boys make a woman. They make her, and then they basically like, she's supposed to be their sex slave, but they're also minors. It's like, all of this is wrong, and I don't know how it ever I don't know how the script ever got greenlit, but at the same time, it was a wild, like, massive hit. So
Speaker 1:Well, like, I I don't particularly enjoy the movie and a lot of stuff in it.
Speaker 0:I love Blues Brothers.
Speaker 1:But there's a lot of scenes and a lot of things about it that I like, especially the music.
Speaker 0:But The music is great.
Speaker 1:But, you know, as a movie Yeah. It's not 1 I sit and watch to enjoy. It's 1 I sit because there are things about it that I like. Yeah. But yeah. Yeah. Blizz Brothers is a great actor.
Speaker 0:Blizz Brothers, I I actually just unabashedly love it. So
Speaker 1:Well, I I I love them, their band, their their musical
Speaker 0:actors. So So Laura also loses this is again, going back to the email. Laura also loses a lot of the complexity that made her special. There's no more inner conflict driving her to be serious and to achieve. Laura was always painted as appealingly human throughout the series with episodes like Vintage Steele and A Steele at Any Price, and Dice Steele among many others illustrating that she has become the way she is in reaction to who she is afraid of being. Steele and Laura need each other because she makes him feel safe showing the trustworthy aspects of himself, and he makes her feel safe accepting the less controlled parts of herself. But there's no more inner conflict for Laura this season. She does feel conflicted about Steele sometimes, but never about herself. She's become the sitcom wife this year, scolding but ultimately loving intolerant. Of that
Speaker 1:is just the natural evolution of relationships.
Speaker 0:Yeah. That's kinda what I was thinking. Like, it's
Speaker 1:As as you are in a long term relationship with another person, those things that may have been insecurities largely are well, I'm not gonna say largely, but but they are affected.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The characteristics of each individual start to become blended. Start picking up some of the other person's characteristics. So I I think I I understand what they're saying about becoming the stereotypical sitcom wife, but I I think I don't think Laura became the sitcom wife in the sense of most sitcom shows.
Speaker 0:I and I think we have criticized that they have, at points, quote unquote, dumped her down to sort of Mhmm.
Speaker 1:Oh, yes. Advance his character. We've really criticized But
Speaker 0:we've been criticizing that since the 2nd season. Mhmm. So it's not like that's anything new. I wouldn't say, like, in terms of their relationship, I actually like what they did with the 4th season in the sense that it was getting stale, seeing them go back and forth with her insecurities always being the thing that, you know, drives the conflict. And and I we did get some of that in season 4. But we got it where we needed to have it, like, sensitive Steele. That fight was 4 seasons in the making, and it felt like it needed to happen when it happened. And so I think that a lot of the 4th season was Laura coming to terms with the fact that she does trust him. That and and obviously, there's moments where she falters, forge, Steele, you know? But ultimately, that they have each other's backs. They're they we've talked about how they feel more united. They feel more cohesive in this in this season. They feel like they they have this sort of they don't have to talk sometimes. They just know what the other person's thinking. And I personally really enjoy that part of season 4. I think that that I don't mind. Like, I like the conflict in the earlier seasons, but you can't keep it going forever. And I think that was part of the problem was that season 3, they knew they had to do something with it, hence the freeze. But once they get them back together, you can't have them revert back to season 2 and season 1 versions of themselves. They have to move forward. So
Speaker 1:Well, I and I think Remington Steele and I'm gonna call up Scarecrow, Miss King here. I think both of those shows did try to break that network attitude Yeah. That episodic TV attitude of we cannot change the characters. They must be the same. They must behave the same exactly all the way through the series. There there can be we can pretend that their relationship is progressing, but as soon as this episode is over, it's right back to where it was.
Speaker 0:Yeah. We
Speaker 1:Because that was a unique situation only for that episode and we're not gonna allow it again. Steele and Scarecrow, both of those, the characters evolved.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Not to the same degree that we see on modern TV shows No. That are more continuous in in their their plot lines and their character lines. But they did evolve those characters. And when characters evolve, the things that motivated them in the 1st season are not gonna be the same things that motivate them in the 3rd, 4th, 8th season, or whatever.
Speaker 0:And I don't know that she needed to necessarily because like, you're she this person is right that in the 1st, 2nd, and even to the the 3rd season, Laura is motivated by her need to prove herself. And and she's sort of in this weird position where she can never do so because, of course, Steele always gets all the credit for everything that she does. And I think that that is largely somewhat resolved by the 4 season. Obviously, she still gets annoyed when everybody gives him Mhmm. The praise and whatnot. But she seems more not content, but resigned to the fact that this is the way it's gonna be, which may frustrate people. I get that. But I don't think she feels the need to prove anything to him or to herself. I think she feels confident in who she is as an investigator, as a person, as as their relationship goes. I don't think she's struggling to show I can do everything. There are moments where she has those Mhmm. That that I can do everything myself. But for the most part, that's become more of a team. They've become more of a team. And in previous seasons, we we kind of criticized the fact that they she kept saying, oh, no. We we don't do things apart, but then they go and do things apart. And we'd be like, guys, you need to talk here. Season 4, they've been talking. Mhmm. That there was there's been, like, a ton of communication. It's been small and subtle, but I I don't think I if the criticism is that she doesn't have a motivator, I think more of the motivator is, at this point, is is their relationship, and it's not quite as overt. It pops up in little places.
Speaker 1:Well, I I I think we've also seen and this, again, addresses the motivation that is being referenced here for the 1st few seasons for Laura, where she's gotta go out there and prove herself, and she's getting frustrated because she can't prove herself because he's always getting the credit. The attitude of their clients, the attitude of the media within the context of the show, the attitude of the police within the context of the show is that Laura's credibility has and and skill has come up in their eyes. Not that it's actually changed, but in their eyes, it's come up and still has not dropped in in the credibility, but the gap between how people perceive them has has narrowed. So people are seeing her as more of an equal to him. They still give him too much credit because he's not really a detective. Although, by the 4th season, he's he's not a He's bad
Speaker 0:pretty much. Yeah.
Speaker 1:But the the respect that Laura gets from others that she was so desperately seeking, the recognition that she was so desperately seeking is coming to her more and more. And so she is seeing that, okay, I have done this. Yeah. He's still you know, it's still him pretending to be the boss and I'm still doing a lot of the work, but I'm getting more recognition. I'm getting more credit.
Speaker 0:I think as well, having Mildred know really helped that. Oh, yeah. Because now we have episodes where Mildred is siding with Laura or sort of, like, not working against Steele, but recognizing where his lies or his ego or his past isn't interfering with their investigations and not always fawning all over him. And I think that that has lessened her need to assert herself even within her own office because in the previous seasons, she felt the need to not just assert herself to the public, but assert herself in her office because Mildred always saw her as even though they had, you know, reiterated again and again that he's in charge He's of boss.
Speaker 1:She's the boss. Charge. Yeah.
Speaker 0:It it, like, was always, oh, boss, do you need this? Oh, boss, do you need that? Whereas, now they're kind of like this united front all girls together. Yeah. Poor guy. And I like the dynamic. I like the the change because it it it's interesting watching him flail and and not have that same sort of ego stroking that he was getting, and having and maybe the the alternate view then is that season 4 is him having proved himself to Mildred and to the everyone else already because he's always gotten these accolades without having quote unquote earned them. Mhmm. But now he is earning them. Now he is showing how competent and how much he's learned from her, and that is coming through in in these episodes. And so I I actually quite enjoy watching that personally. So, yeah.
Speaker 1:Back to the email.
Speaker 0:Back to the email. This is why we waited. Yes. So the next paragraph says, Laura and Steele have changed as individuals in the writing of the 4th season, but their relationship is different too. The series always had a Howard Hawks view of romance. That is to say, we got a lot of character development and relationship dynamics, but it was always while people were doing their jobs. We learned a lot about the friendship between John Wayne and Dean Martin in Hawks' Rio Bravo, Warner Brothers 1959, or the romance between Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn in Hawkes' bringing up baby, RKO 1938. But it was always in the midst of the plot. That's how we grew to understand Laura and Steele's relationship also. But in the 4th season, it usually becomes a choice of 1 or the other. There are so many podcast episodes this season where you've had to end by noting that they really didn't have much to say about the relationship. Then at the other end of the spectrum, we have sensitive Steele where the characters themselves don't even care about the plot and we are subjected to multiple walks where they talk about lists or things they like about each other. I accept that not every story can boast the miraculously layered reflection of love among the Steele. But for the most part, the 4 season doesn't even try. To be fair, forge Steele and beg borrow or Steele are are better at about blending the plot and the characterizations. Sarah made some very eloquent points regarding the former during your podcast. Yay, me.
Speaker 1:Shut up there a little bit, Harry.
Speaker 0:I don't know that I know again, I get what I get what they're saying. Mhmm. But sometimes I feel that when the episode is being
Speaker 1:You released said that phrase. The person you.
Speaker 0:When the relationship moments are being swept along by the plot, I don't it doesn't seem to me that they always have enough time to breathe. And I personally like to see some pacing where they slow down and and take those moments and have that time to breathe because as we said before, with episodic television, we usually get, oh, here's a really good moment between them, but we're forgetting about it the next episode. And and and nowhere
Speaker 1:that more rush through it because we we need to put it in there because it has some relationship to something and so so it's gotta be there but it's really it's not we don't wanna focus on that. We we we need to get on to the next thing because
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The plot's gonna keep moving. Keep the plot moving. Keep the plot moving.
Speaker 0:Red Holt Steele is a fantastic example of that, whereas we've got this beautiful moment between them in in his apartment after her house is blown up, and there's this gorgeous discussion that he that they have and how he says tonight, I don't think I could ask. And then at the end of the in the tag scene, we've got the piano that he gives her. And the next episode is business as usual. And it it I get it. It's episodic. That's how it's gotta be. But I feel like season I feel like season 4. See in the comments, someone wrote, I feel it too. Sorry. Season 4 to me has more moments where they slow down and actually acknowledge what's going on. Mhmm. And and they keep the momentum of it. And so I like that. I like the fact that their relationship isn't always just at the mercy of the plot, and then it's forgotten about the next day. I like that like, Sensitive Steele is and and it's I think personally, the the plot really works in that episode. I think the mystery is great. I think the I think all of it is a a really good blend. I don't really think there's an issue with it personally. I I yes, the episode is sort of hung on their relationship more so than it is a mystery.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 0:But that that makes sense given what they're dealing with in the in the story, so
Speaker 1:Well, again, I think it's it's an issue of the progress of the relationship of the characters. Yeah. Because even in real life, you know, by the time you get to the 4th year of your relationship, those intense personal moments have maybe been less frequent. Yeah. And you're more about the day to day, in this case, the day to day being mysteries. So I I think it reflects somewhat their their effort to progress the characters individually and the relationship. And so I I I think also it it probably points to the fact that they were trying to change the show a little bit. I don't I don't mean that as a criticism, but they couldn't keep doing the same thing over
Speaker 0:and over You
Speaker 1:and can't. Over
Speaker 0:And like, this person referenced Bringing Up Baby by Howard 1 of my favorite Cary Grant movies. I adore that movie. And yes, the romance is very much, like, in little bits and pieces as they chase after this leopard, but you can't do that for 4 seasons. Eventually, you're spinning your wheels. Yeah.
Speaker 1:You're okay. We did that plot. Okay. Yeah. Let's how do we make it look different this time? Okay. Yeah. It's just
Speaker 0:And I think 1 of the biggest criticisms that we've both had about the 1st 3 seasons is that and we get why why it is because they can't ever get together, but it it feels like that push and pull that that here's the carrot. We're dangling it. Nope. Not this time. They're back to where they started. Yeah. So season 4 felt like real progress.
Speaker 1:You know, and and the fact that there's so many people who believe that by season 4
Speaker 0:That they were sick
Speaker 1:relationship of has become physical. That you know, if you accept that as a fact, be it an implied fact or or otherwise, then season 4 makes a whole lot more sense. Yeah. Because they've gotten through the the most turbulent period of a relationship.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And they've moved on to solid solid ground of a relationship, if you will. And so they don't have to be lovey dovey all the time or, you know, always these romantic moments or or exploring their feelings. They're they're onto, okay, we've got this relationship. We're pretty confident in it and we can relax and enjoy it when those moments come along, but we don't have to strive for those moments all the time.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because that gets exhausting.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And quite frankly, most guys aren't up to it. But in many senses of the word.
Speaker 0:In in in and and going off of what you just said, the next paragraph kind of talk touches on that. They said, do recognize that there is a story problem driving the relationship issue this season. There's simply no reason for Steele and Laura not to be together anymore. He has proven beyond all doubt that he isn't going anywhere. She trusts him implicitly. He has seen the flaws she loathes in herself and and has been supportive and accepting. She has warmed and become less rigid. Steele searching ends with Laura giving him the gift of a real name and identity, and his joyful reaction shows that he wants to keep that name forever. All of the weariness and stumbling back and forth has been solved. So the only reason to keep them apart is that the show would be less fun and special if they were just Jonathan and Jeff Jonathan and Jennifer Hart stumbling onto crimes and expensive cars. So I'm not insensitive to the greater difficulty in giving their relationship screen time this year. I don't know how I would have solved the problem, but it does take away another level on which the show used to operate. And and this again, I agree. But this is 1 of those like eighties episodic television versus now because nowadays, we wouldn't have spent 3 years for them to do this. It would have been maybe a season and the show would have Yeah. Then And the show would have then progressed into, okay, what is their relationship look like now? Because you still can have challenges with a married or involved couple. Mhmm. Usually, they're external, or you can have internal stuff popping up from, you know, Steele has a rich background that they can use to kind of like, you know, make trouble. Somebody shows up from his past. Something happens. Whatever. But this was the eighties warring with with modern day storytelling. They wanted to be more modern day in their storytelling, but the network was probably like, no, no, no, no, You gotta keep these 2 apart. It's not interesting if they get together.
Speaker 1:That's right. They can't, you know We know this works, so just stick with what works.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Exactly. So it it we
Speaker 1:know that you can progress a relationship in a in a TV show. You can have them get together. Yes. You can continue to have an interesting relationship between those characters even after they've gotten together. And if you doubt me, go watch Or
Speaker 0:Outlander, for for those of you who who know what I'm talking about. You know, if you know, you know. But yeah.
Speaker 1:Bones. Look at Bones. I mean, it took them actually 6 seasons. I think 7 seasons before Booth and
Speaker 0:Brennan. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Brennan got together. But even after that, there were
Speaker 0:Yeah. There were huge challenges.
Speaker 1:Tensions, conflicts. A lot of them were external. Yep. Some of them were
Speaker 0:Silly.
Speaker 1:The the kind that I say I, you know, I just shake my head over. But the fact is, they still kept the relationship interesting.
Speaker 0:And they did the same with Angela and Hodgins, who were kind of off and on throughout the series as well. By the end, they were together. So they yeah. You can do it. Yeah. It can be done.
Speaker 1:And and that last season with Hodgins, there's a lot of people I've read
Speaker 0:Oh, so much.
Speaker 1:Who they hated the Hodgins character in that last season. But the thing that happened with him.
Speaker 0:Yeah. That made sense.
Speaker 1:Definitely something that that kept the inter the relationship turbulent
Speaker 0:Yes.
Speaker 1:If I can use that word. And it was certainly within I don't wanna say within character, but it's within character for somebody who had experienced what he had experienced.
Speaker 0:Oh, for sure. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And that I mean, that was for, you know, for anybody out there who didn't like that that that season because of the Hodgins character, I would say, welcome to a portrayal of a real situation Yeah. That affects 2 people and And how they respond to it still made for very interesting TV.
Speaker 0:It it it was it was very interesting. I I actually really enjoyed that. Not to get off topic here, but going back to this
Speaker 1:No, we're not gonna be doing the Bones podcast. We don't have that much time.
Speaker 0:Oh my god. No. It's like 12 I
Speaker 1:had 2 episodes a month, we would be doing that for Oh my god. 20 years.
Speaker 0:I'd be dead. We'd be we'd still have episodes.
Speaker 1:I would be dead. I or at least in a you know, on on a on a medical bed, you know, wearing an oxygen oxygen mask and try to breathe. But yeah.
Speaker 0:Dribbling into the microphone. Yeah. So, they went on to say, I have mixed feelings about the evolution of Mildred this year. Everything that happens to her makes sense, and Doris Roberts is good at everything. My concern is that all the changes are predicted are predicated, sorry, on her learning Steel's secret, and I'm sad that she does. Once Murphy and Bernice left, no 1 else knew the truth. Consequently, Laura has no 1 to talk to about it besides Steele himself. That limitation forced a lot of interesting confrontations between them because Laura had no other outlet for her frustration. Now that Mildred knows the truth, Laura has someone else with whom she can be open, and that means she isn't always directing that openness at Steele, which is a loss. Anyways, happy to have more of always happy to have more of miss Roberts though. So perhaps it's worth it. And I I actually loved the change personally. I think that Mildred's growth needed that. I think her character would have become stale without if if we could kept the same dynamic of her worshiping Steele, and and that that was funny for 2 seasons, but it had to change. It had And I I love Mildred's character in this season. I love how she stands up for herself. I love how she asserts herself. I love how she becomes braver in in episodes like Dancer Prancer, Donner and Steele, and even like Santa Claus is coming to Steele. She has more of a role within the agency. She's she's integral to Laura's growth, to Steel's. Like, I love everything about Mildred this season. No notes.
Speaker 1:Well, also Oh. Also, the the fact that she is more involved in cases
Speaker 0:Yes.
Speaker 1:Means, actually, that Laura has less time to talk to her about things because Mildred's off doing this or that or the other thing. And so it's it's gotta be Steele. And and also, I think it creates a situation where some of this conflict that that seems to have been missing or at least some people have seemed to have been missing, it was actually created and generated more conflict because it's as as the Steele in the running, it's the girls against the guys. Yeah. Know? And
Speaker 0:Coffee to your Steele where Mildred has to finally stands up for herself and says, hey, no. I'm gonna be treated with respect. I do more in this agency than just answer phones. Not that that's, you know, but and she is willing to walk away in order to get that respect. I I love that episode. It's fantastic for her. So, yeah, I I I I think Mildred's growth was necessary. Otherwise, her character would have just been background, like, exposition. Here's what I found in the computer.
Speaker 1:And you can only tell the same joke so many times before you've Yeah. Move on to a new joke.
Speaker 0:Exactly. It says here, before leaving the topic of characterization, I have to mention the guest characters. They seem much less vividly drawn to me in the 4th season. Some are cartoonish and overdone, and others are dull and interchangeable, But almost no 1 seems to fall in between. Some of the loveliest character moments for Steele and Laura came when we saw the way they were affected by guest characters in earlier episodes, seeing Steelers love among the Steele, vintage Steele cast in Steele stronger than Steele, Steele knuckles and glass jaws, etcetera. The 4th season has a lot of returning guest stars, but how many of the new guests make that kind of connection with the leads? Maybe Rosemarie and Steele in the spotlight. The episode scripted by Michael Gleason do have some memorable guest characters even if they don't particularly affect the leads much. I I don't know. I I personally really loved Dancer Prancer and Donner and Steele. I love the guest characters in Sensitive, Steele in the Spotlight, Steele Blue Blue Yonder. Like, I I I think we've had some really good guest characters in these episodes.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And and I think some of the guest characters, like, I was gonna say Steele blew yonder. I think they really did affect Laura and Steele.
Speaker 0:Yes. Absolutely. Maybe
Speaker 1:not in the way that others do, maybe not in the way that some people would have liked, but they definitely have effect or or Steele in the spotlight. Rosemarie's character, definitely that character affected or Windsor, that little she definitely affected their characters and their relationship.
Speaker 0:Yeah. For sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And again, not in a way that I would've liked. But, yes.
Speaker 0:And we have a comment here that says, agree that Mildred was due to no, and it allowed her character and Remington, Steele, Laura to grow.
Speaker 1:So Yes.
Speaker 0:Yeah. So so the next paragraph here asks you a question. It says, I've mentioned some individual exceptions to various complaints I have, but I do think it's important to acknowledge the big exception in the 4th season. Michael Gleeson wrote Steele Searching and the 2 Santa Claus episodes, and I think they are all very much in the spirit of the earlier seasons of the show. Very little of what I said applies to any of these episodes, and I wonder if Gleeson had stepped back a little in his day to day influence on the show. To be clear, I have no evidence 1 way or the other. It just seems that his scripts feel like older episodes, but other people's scripts don't. Is it possible he has rewriting he was rewriting less? Eric, and I don't mean to put you on the spot, could you share why you disliked Dancer Prancer, Donner and Steele? Not a criticism. I like that everyone doesn't always agree, just didn't know why you thought that was a lesser episode.
Speaker 1:Well, let's let's 1st address the 1st part of that. I'm sure that Michael Gleeson had a much deeper involvement in the writing and rewriting of scripts early on and that Yeah. As the show progressed, he probably did less of that. I don't know that for certain.
Speaker 0:Jeff Melvoin was credited in the credits as the, like, executive producer for that season.
Speaker 1:Because Jeff also in his book said that those titles, in television Fair enough. Largely Yeah. You know, paper titles that that have I'm no real
Speaker 0:just wondering if he was driving more of the bus of season 4.
Speaker 1:And that could be. That's That could be.
Speaker 0:Because I've seen some of his early his other stuff, and he does seem more character focused in his So that's my theory, but Dan, I'll let you talk about Dancer Prancer Donner's deal, because I love that episode. It's 1 of my favorites.
Speaker 1:I I was hoping we could forget about it. No. I I I 1st of all, I I think I've said this before. I I don't like the episodes where they put the heroes in danger. Are they gonna live? Are they gonna make it through? Because we know it's a lie. We know it's fake threat, a fake tension, because we know they're gonna come through, with the exception possibly of some newer shows where they are ensembles
Speaker 0:You can kill anybody.
Speaker 1:They can they can get rid of somebody if they if they want to or need to, you know, contract negotiations.
Speaker 0:It's FYI, in terms of in terms of Buffy, nobody is safe. Do not expect anybody to be safe and and that includes literally anybody, just saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, you
Speaker 0:know, in in
Speaker 1:the newer shows, they can get away with that because they've got such a wide cast of characters to begin with. But I don't like that in in these older shows where, you know, they they didn't have those wide cast of characters and I don't I I don't know. I just the the
Speaker 0:Sorry. I thought I did the Jeopardy theme here. I
Speaker 1:just it just doesn't it just doesn't appeal to me.
Speaker 0:That's true.
Speaker 1:Just don't like the the whole the whole thing. And and I I know a lot of it is because of the the fake put put the put our leads in danger thing. But it's just I don't know.
Speaker 0:I just Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's fair. I can't necessarily pin it on specific things. I just don't like it.
Speaker 0:You're you're allowed to have that as your answer, by the way. Like, that's allowed to be your answer. Sometimes we don't like, we don't always have to have, like there's a few episodes where I've said, yeah, I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it does. It just does. So, yeah. The last 2 paragraphs, again, I don't wanna make it seem that I don't find value in the 4th season. I think there are a handful of excellent episodes. Moreover, I love a lot of individual moments in the other episodes too. I suppose it's that the 4 seasons joys for me are represented more by those moments than by entire episodes. Whereas in previous season, I find seasons, I find that I am more moved, amused, and impressed by whole stories than just moments. I realize I've gone way overboard here, and I certainly have no desire to hijack the discussion. If you read any of this message on the podcast, please feel free to edit it. Sorry, we didn't. For time or clarity is easy. Thanks again for all the entertainment and notification I get from the podcast. I really enjoy the discussion and the in quotes company. So
Speaker 1:I I I don't like editing emails No.
Speaker 0:I don't like editing.
Speaker 1:Because it it it feels like I'm I'm cheating or you know, they had something to say. Yeah. And they took the time to say it. Need to respect that.
Speaker 0:Sure. Yeah. Me too.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 0:Oh, and you've got a comment where it's
Speaker 1:Yeah. While I often disagree while I often disagree with Sarah no. While I often agree with Sarah, I wanna read that as disagree. On board with I Sarah about this don't like this episode, Dancer, Prince of Donner and Steele, and I don't know why. I never rewatch it unless I'm going through the entire series again. Thank you for the support. I appreciate it.
Speaker 0:It's I mean, it's fair. It's it's 1 of those, like, there's a lot of episodes of other shows where I'm the the well, I'm the outlier that loves stealing the news, and everybody else doesn't seem to see what I see in it. So I I totally get
Speaker 1:Steele in the news with with the the news guy?
Speaker 0:Yeah. Or no, the the
Speaker 1:airplane crash?
Speaker 0:No. No. The Steele in the news with the news guy that in the 1st episode. Yeah.
Speaker 1:The 1st season. 1st season. Yeah.
Speaker 0:Yeah. There's a lot of people That's a great episode. I put that in my top 5, whereas a lot of people were like, yeah, not That's a
Speaker 1:great episode. I I I I'll I'll I'll be honest with that 1. 1 of the things that appeals to me is the the dance scene with the the big band music. I'm a big band fan. I love big band music. So yeah.
Speaker 0:Alright. So I think we've covered a lot of what worked and didn't work with season 4 for us.
Speaker 1:So Did you go back and and check the document? Because this person sent a 2nd email Yeah. About
Speaker 0:Bons I was gonna say that you could read that because I just did all of that. Okay. So Yes.
Speaker 1:The same person wrote us because they had watched the live recording of Bons of of Steele as we recorded it. And so they had some comments. I started watching the Bons of Steele podcast video and I wanted to chime in with what I knew about the situation as per Sarah's request.
Speaker 0:Yay.
Speaker 1:Bonds of Steele was filmed very early in the season and held back. I don't know the filming dates, but the production put code puts it 6, which means it was either before the 4th season even premiered or just about that time. At the time, this episode was conceived and filmed. The series had series had just finished its highest rated season so far, so they would have been so they would have had a good reason to believe that they would be renewed for a 5th season. Thus, there was no reason to suspect the script was intended as a series finale. Alas, the ratings for the 4th season were substantially lower. And by the time the episode finally aired in May, NBC had not renewed the series. In most cases, that would have been the end of the story and at the time the episode aired, the producers would have us have to assume Bonds was going to be the series finale. Although, by then, it would have been too late to do anything about it except maybe change the finale or change the final scene at the last minute. NBC did have a 5th year contractual option on the show, and MTM had options on the star's services. All the James Bond speculation drew attention to the show, and the ratings improved for the season for the summer reruns. In July, NBC exercised its option for the additional episodes and the stars were recalled to work to their chagrin. Yeah. And it's And I responded to this saying that, yes, as we prepared for the episode, I don't think either of us thought to look at the production code numbers. But it does raise many interesting questions. Why do a wedding episode mid season after the season premiere or not as a season finale? And why did none of the episodes written and filmed afterward reflect the change of status in the relationship? Were they rewritten and maybe even had scenes refilmed after the discussion was made to hold the episode back? And what was the plan going forward in season 4 had they left the episode in the originally intended sequence? So many questions. And actually, I I just thought of another 1 right now, and that is I don't know when the production codes are assigned to an episode. So I don't know that we can, from the production code, surmise that the episode was actually filmed as the 4th episode of the season. Because, like I said, I don't know when those production codes are assigned. It could be that it was assigned a code and planned to be filmed, but then they decided to hold it for some reason and filmed it at a later date. There's just too many too many things that we don't know about the situation, about the behind the scenes operations and maneuverings to be able to make good, solid conclusions
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Any direction. You know, if if we had access to somebody who had insider knowledge, we might be able to get some of those questions answered, but we don't. And so I I'm gonna say that, yes, in checking the production codes, they are correct that the production code for that is puts it as the 4th season in the episode, but I'm not going to necessarily accept based on that alone that it was already filmed and in the can and being waited for to be released at some later date.
Speaker 0:So So We got a couple of comments here Mhmm. With regards to stealing the news. Someone said, I have every reason in the world to love stealing the news, but I just can't. There are great themes, great moments, but I just can't hack all those eye rolling characters like nails on a chalkboard. There are some opposite there are just some episodes like this. Note, all are good for at least 1 watch. There are just some that don't bear a rewatch for me or many where others do. And then but in terms of what you were Yeah. Saying in terms of what you were saying, in reading that, it occurred to me that part of the reason why it feels like such character whiplash is if if that was written or if if that was written earlier, whether it meant to whether it was meant to be filmed as the 4th episode or not, that makes sense because the characters hadn't gone through all that growth in season 4. And so when you hit hit the bonds as a finale, and you're like, why is he just sitting there watching her? Not that I think he would ever just watch her get attacked. But some of the other moments where he's more glib about their situation or just getting married in general Mhmm. Without telling her, that definitely feels like not end of season 4 Steele. That that feels like a much lesser version of himself. So I think that what my my guess here is that it was written earlier. Probably intended to be a finale, but then they had all these episodes where the characters actually, you know, grow and change. And and by the time they got to it being a finale, it was like, oh. The for the viewers, they're like, what is happening here? These 2 aren't the same people that we've been watching this whole time. What is going on?
Speaker 1:Yeah. And if it had been if it had been planned as the the 6th episode, I think I said 4th earlier. Yeah. It had been planned as the 6th episode and filmed to be the 6th episode, and then after the fact, it was decided to hold it for some reason. Why wasn't there any kind of a reflection of that? You know, be between the time it was filmed and the time Yeah. That they made the decision to hold it, why wasn't any of that reflected in any of the scripts? So there there there's a lot of contradictory evidence that we have in front of us that doesn't make sense because we there's just other evidence that we don't know about that would explain some of these inconsistencies and dichotomies.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Absolutely. Alright. Are we ready to get to the top fives?
Speaker 1:No. I'm I'm ready to call it good. Yeah.
Speaker 0:Okay. Do you want do you want me to start with the the same the same person's Yeah. Top Go ahead. Yeah. Okay. So this person wrote ranked for the purpose of Eric's spreadsheet and in reverse order for the sake of suspense. Number 5, they have beg, borrow or Steele. The plot gets a little convoluted by the end, but it's a very clear clever premise, and it's always fun to see Laura and Steele have to be resourceful outside their usual environment. We also get to see the kind of romance between them that we haven't seen in a long time, and it's very nicely integrated into the story as it unfolds. Late period winner with the benefit of a lot of familiarity between both the characters and the actors. No disagreements there. I love this episode. I know you weren't as keen on it as I am, but I think this one's a lot of fun. So I love the the porno theater that they have to sleep in and the just all of the stuff with Laura being out of her element and still kind of yeah. I I don't know. I love it. The we've misplaced miss Holt's urn.
Speaker 1:Great There were some good moments in that, but overall, yeah, not not 1 of my favorites. So
Speaker 0:So they have number 4 as Forged Steele. A Los Angeles high rise reworking of the red headed league. The setup here works beautifully because the cliches we accept are used against us. Steele believes what he's told, and so do we. Then as he and Laura peel back the layers of the scheme, we see all the ways we were misdirected. The star's performances are particularly good here. We can see Laura fighting her own mistrust, and we can feel Steele's indignation at the frame up. I also love the way the story surprises us with some new character depth. At 1st, Laura seems to be truly uncertain about Steele, and it feels so unjustified at this point in their relationship. But then Steele pushes her about it after he gets out of jail, and the source of her feelings is something else entirely entirely surprising and yet believable. I'm not always a fan of bringing back guest characters, but I never tire of the odiously delightful Norman Keyes. James Tolkien just died recently, and there was a lot of good work to remember fondly, none more so than his outings as Keyes. Again, I agree. I love a character you love to hate. Mhmm. I love a character that is specifically designed to just be so awful, to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever that you just enjoy watching him chew the scenery, and nobody does that better than James Tolkien. So I I yeah. This one's a good 1.
Speaker 1:I don't Although, Ricardo Monta won.
Speaker 0:Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Mean, so
Speaker 0:he yeah. God. Yeah. It just this this episode. Yeah. I agree all entirely with and I never even thought of the fact that we the the cliches we accept being used against us. That is that was something that never occurred to me. So reading that was kind of like, oh, yeah. Okay. I learned something new. Number 3, Santa Claus is coming to Steele. Elegant sleight of hand in this 1 as we think in 1 type of psychotic murder at at hand. It's sorry. It's 1 type of psychotic murder at hand, but it's actually another. The clues here are very fair, and both Michael Horton and Stephanie Zumbelis do great work. I do agree with Sarah that the ending of this episode is a little distasteful, but for me, it just underscores the difficulty of ever really advancing or significantly altering Steele and Laura's relationship. They exist so ideally as they are, and even the act of imagining a more domestic life for them ruins the magic. Could they be a committed couple and loving parents who still do this kind of work? Sure. But that's Scarecrow and Mrs. King. The formula here is delicate, and it's even hard to let them talk in the abstract about another kind of future. Yeah. I I think we sort of covered it in the sense that both of us think that they could have kept going and could have had a really like bones again. We see this in bones where Mhmm. The characters are still doing the work that they're doing. Booth is still in the FBI. Brennan is still helping with cases. Mhmm. Yeah. There's a lot of points where they're in danger or their kid is in danger, but they don't neither 1 of them feels the need to step down from their job and and and not do their job. They just the script makes it work. And I think the script could have made it work for Steele and Laura, but I do agree that that I don't think the show was quite ready for that yet. I don't think they were ready to kind of so I don't know. Maybe just don't bring it up at all. You know what I'm feeling? But other than that, I I do agree that the the twist in this episode is what I really enjoy with it being Wally and not well, I mean, he's also trying to kill them. You know, number 2, Eric's favorite, Dancer Prancer no. I'm kidding. Dancer Prancer, Daughter and Steele, 1 of the very best illustrations of developing their characterizations feel
Speaker 1:like this person included it just to goad me.
Speaker 0:You're gonna hate my top 5 then. 1 of the very best illustrations of developing their characterizations and their relationship in the context of the plot. All of the stuff about the unload unloaded gun is wonderful, and it allows for life and death suspense to coexist with some psychologically and emotionally complex stuff for Laura and Steele. His childhood Christmas memory is pretty great too. The supporting characters may not be deep, but they're fun and especially as we watch them with the growing understanding that 1 of them must not be what they seem. Christopher Hibler in inattentively directs what may be the series
Speaker 1:Inventively.
Speaker 0:Sorry. Inventively. You're right. My bad. Directs what may be the series' most claustrophobic episode. As for breaking character to Wish Us a Merry Christmas, either they were taking a cue from mister Steele's favorite TV show, The Honeymooners, or someone at NBC told them to try to be more like moonlighting.
Speaker 1:I'm afraid that the the latter is true probably true.
Speaker 0:The tag yeah. The tag never worked for me, but I agree with all of the other stuff. I like the claustrophobia. And I I know I get what you're saying about, like, never truly believing that they're in danger because, of course, they're not. But at the same time for me, it still works. I'm still able to suspend that disbelief and put myself in the, oh my gosh. Are they gonna die? Because I want to, I guess. So that's where we kind of and I get it. Trust me. I do. I just for me, it's not really a problem. Number 1, they have Steele searching. And this is interesting because every single person that put Steele searching on their list said, I'm using these 2 episodes as 1, and that's I don't care if anybody gives us calls a cheating. So we're just gonna, like, buy buy, majority rules. I'm According to majority rules, Steele searching is 1 episode, even though it's 2.
Speaker 1:Well, then season 5 is all 1 episode.
Speaker 0:Oh, god. Yeah. So they wrote, apologize if choosing a 2 part episode for 1 slot is cheating. Apparently, it's not because you're not the other 1. So, there's a lot going on in this 1, and I think it's juggled very effectively. In many ways, it feels like a series finale to me. Their relationship has come almost to the breaking point, but in the end, Steele risks his life to give Laura what he thinks she wants. Laura accepts that Steele is fully committed to her and that she is ready to give him the same degree of commitment. She even says out loud that she's working on being in love. Mildred learns the whole truth, processes her feelings about it, and is able to give Laura the best advice she ever has. Steele fully and willingly moves from the Daniel Chalmers phase of his life to the Laura Holt phase of his life. And when he finally has to accept that he will never know his real name, Laura gives him the greatest gift, a passport with a name and identity that is now truly his. Now, reading all of that, there's more to this. But reading all of that, no no disagreement. That could have been a great finale. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love the fact that we got season 4. But at the same time, if I were to have to choose between that as the finale and bonds, Yeah. Anyway. So, yeah. Where was I? Of course, it's not a series finale and it was never intended to be, but it does feel very satisfying at this point in the life of the characters. The plots are fine. Part 1 is atmospheric and part 2 is witty. Part of the difference in tone tones comes from the script, but also this 2 parter is the only 1 in the series directed by 2 different people. Efraim Zimbalist always seems to have more fun on this show than anybody. His speech to the Earl is a highlight. Yes. It is true. He's again, he's another always chewing the scenery type character. What's extra fun about his performance is that it really isn't the kind of thing he gets to do very often. He played a lot of serious square jawed heroes. He did get to do some of this stuff as a guest on Maverick a few times, but that was more than 25 years earlier. He once said that his happiest experience in the show biz in show business was guest starring on his daughter's television show, and I believe him. I mean, that probably had to do as well with just working with his daughter. Well, he
Speaker 1:he was probably contractually obligated to say that.
Speaker 0:Well, bet, I mean, he he gets to play such a fun character. And if he like, the only other things I've seen him in, he voiced a character in the animated Batman film Mask of the Phantasm, and he the 19 nineties nobody else will know about this. Maybe a couple, but like the 19 nineties Zoro TV series that was on for, like, 1 season, which I have on DVD. He played the villain in that. And so those are the things that I sort of associate with Ephraim Zimbalist aside from the show. I haven't seen a lot of his other stuff. So, yeah. This seems like a more fun silly type character that he got to just sort
Speaker 1:of goof around and and have fun with. He he played a a cop on a TV show decades before, black and white TV show. Yeah. So, yeah, he was he was or the FBI, I guess it was.
Speaker 0:Right. Right.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, his his traditional character was always the serious type character.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I'm sure that this was a total departure for him. So it was probably a combination of with his daughter Yeah. In a successful TV show that where she was doing it. You know, she was she was the star Yep. And and was well lauded and received for that, And plus, just the the character itself. And
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:The the way that not only was the character over the top, but the the way the character got to interact with the the 2 leads of So the fun. 1 being his daughter. Yeah. I mean I mean
Speaker 0:Yeah. No. It it was I I think that
Speaker 1:would The probably dance be scene between him and and Laura
Speaker 0:Love it. In Love it. Season 2.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I mean, it was just that was a great scene.
Speaker 0:And then the last line of this email, now on to your next mission to make the 5th season great. I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try. I'm gonna do my best. Yeah. Alright. Do you wanna do the next email?
Speaker 1:This 1 is from somebody called that we initialed as Jay. They didn't give a whole lot of of description on their choices, but they gave some and said, here are my favorites from season 4. 5, Steele on the Air, simply because the radio people made me laugh. Fair.
Speaker 0:Yep. Yeah. Yeah. They're they're hilarious and Mildred's hilarious and there's a lot of really good comedic moments in that episode, so The
Speaker 1:vegetable lady. Mean, come on.
Speaker 0:Oh my god. Yeah. Have vegetables, we'll travel or what is it? What did he say?
Speaker 1:Number 4, Steele blushing because Laura's embarrassment about her picture being there and steals the sort of poking fun of her and and steals the sort of yeah. Poking fun of her for it was funny. Yes. I mean
Speaker 0:Yeah. I mean, I I I if I set aside the part of my brain that's like, dude, not cool, it's hilarious. Oh, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, especially the 1 where she finally sees the
Speaker 0:picture and is like She's you knew that was a no. And she's apopleptic and we can't even talk because she's just like the rage. It's Stephanie was so perfect in that scene. She was she was so good. Yes. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Coffee, Tea, or Steels, number 3. Because the banter between Laura and Steele while undercover Yes.
Speaker 0:Was great. It really was. Yes. We kept going back to that 1 too. We had a lot of stuff to say about Coffee, Tea, or Steels. Yeah.
Speaker 1:We did. Number 2, Suburban Steele because Francis and Donald cracked me up. Oh I wish my we saw more of them. Oh, yes. Absolutely. They they were hilarious.
Speaker 0:If this were an ensemble TV show today, they would have been sort of roped into more of the plots more often. And it would've been a lot of fun to see Laura and her sister bond and grow and sort of become more yeah. I I would've loved I would've loved it.
Speaker 1:And and the conflicts that we could've gotten from them.
Speaker 0:Yes. Yeah. It would've been great. Sadly, we didn't get to see as much of them as we would have liked,
Speaker 1:but No.
Speaker 0:I don't yeah. This was good.
Speaker 1:And Jay's number 1 was Grappling Steele because this episode was probably the most couple like way they acted the in the entire season of the show or
Speaker 0:Yeah. No. I enjoyed I
Speaker 1:misread that because this episode was probably the most couple like way they acted in the entire show, not the season. So yes.
Speaker 0:I was I I was a fan of this 1. I I like this episode, but I know you're not a fan of wrestling, so it didn't work as well for you. Yeah. It
Speaker 1:it just Yeah.
Speaker 0:Yeah. I get it.
Speaker 1:Out there.
Speaker 0:So we've got the next 1 from Centimeters. Here are my season 4 top 5. I know Sarah loves season 4, but interesting season 4 is not my favorite season. So again, this this kinda highlights that that dichotomy.
Speaker 1:This is this is the 1st Centimeters of 2 CMs. We had 2 different people write in with the same initials.
Speaker 0:Gotcha. It's Okay. It's this
Speaker 1:1 is 1 of 2. The other 1 is 7 of 9. No. I
Speaker 0:used to call 7 of 9 breasts of 10, but that was just me. So anyway
Speaker 1:I'm sorry. That that I never I I I like to catch better than 7 of 9,
Speaker 0:but Anyways, so here Yeah. Here are my season 4 top 5. I know Sarah loves season 4, but interestingly, season 4 is not my favorite season. The top 3 were pretty easy for me, but as a result, I struggled a bit after that. There are a few mid tier episodes for me and a bunch that I rarely watch. Anyway, I did my best, so here you go. Number 1, undoubtedly premium Steele. It has an intriguing case that keeps you guessing till the end, a particularly memorable guest character Monroe from Steele's past. A bit of wry humor in some of the best romantic and heartfelt moments. Motel scene, thank you for being you, and tag scene. It really has it all. Agree. I love this episode. It's I think most people will have this. I was surprised that it wasn't in like every single top 5, frankly, but that might just be me. That just you. Beg, borrow, or Steele is the next 1. This episode is hilarious from Steele
Speaker 1:telling you missed you missed the you missed the lead in the Oh,
Speaker 0:sorry. Sorry. Sorry. The rest are not in any particular order, but I'll go with how I feel today, which is fair.
Speaker 1:Yes. I mean Yeah. That's that's always been my my response is that ask me today, it's 1 thing. Ask me tomorrow, it's something
Speaker 0:else. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Ask me 5 minutes from now, it's something else.
Speaker 0:So they have this up for beg, borrow, or Steele. This episode is hilarious. From Steele telling Mildred the mortuary misplaced Laura's urn to them spending the night at a porno theater. Hot hips, Holly, anyone? It's filled with insanely funny moments. Meanwhile, stop hogging the bed might be my favorite romantic line of the show. The only criticism of this episode is that the mystery is a bit confusing. Overall, still a great episode. Honestly, I'd be happy to take this 1 as the series finale. Forget about bonds in season 5. Fair enough. I mean, I loved that episode. I I agree with all of those statements. I think there's a lot of good comedy. I love the urn thing. I love the stop hogging the bed. I just it's a good 1. The next 1 that they've got here is Steele blushing. Okay. So here's a pattern. I like comedic episodes. This is another really funny 1. Boudoir photography, the moment Laura saw her picture. Yes. That's my page was simply priceless. The mystery was top notch as well. Very clever. Yep. Agreed. No notes. It's great. The next 1 is Suburban Steele. I just love Donald and Francis. Seeing a theme here, everybody seems to love Donald and Francis. They bring so much to the show. Laura and Steele playing house is rather cute. Finally, as someone who's as helpless in the kitchen as Laura, I can really relate. Fair enough. Fair enough. I would like to try her special spaghetti to see if it actually does taste bad, because I still maintain that it's really hard to screw up spaghetti, it's just me. So I then they said, struggled a bit to find the 5th 1, but I decided to go with coffee to your Steele. The scene in the motel was hot. Laura dumping ice water all over Steele was funny, and the conversation between Steele and Mildred Mildred was sweet. So, yeah, I coffee, tea, or Steele is a really good 1 too. I enjoy it.
Speaker 1:The next submission we have is from Ah. And I have my top 5 ready. And this time, I'm not quite so late turning it in. This has never been my favorite season. This is a reoccurring theme here.
Speaker 0:Yeah. I've seen
Speaker 1:this But hearing theme Sarah say it was hers and hearing her reasons why, I looked at it a little differently this time through. I enjoyed it more than I remembered. So here are my top 5, starting at the bottom. Number 5, Steele searching parts 1 and 2. Another cheater.
Speaker 0:Did she count on those 1? Think I we have to allow it if everybody does it.
Speaker 1:No. I don't think so. Counting them as 1. I loved how they had Laura almost recite the original voice over in the show, explaining how she invented Remington Steele and why. She finally tells Mildred the whole truth and I like that, even though even though later Mildred has to have time to process everything about steel's real identity. After Laura tells her and Laura is ready to give up on it all, Mildred stands up for Steele. You know, she cares about him and wants to them to give him a chance. I also like that Steele basically says goodbye to Felicia, and he knows she's lost him for sure this time. And she knows that she she's lost him for sure this time. And I always enjoy Everend Zimbus junior.
Speaker 0:Yeah. We got a couple comments here. 1 person said, I really wish we got an episode with both Abigail and Francis and Donald. Yes. Mhmm. Would have loved to have all of them in the same and then maybe even stick Daniel Chalmers in there for even more chaos. It would have been great. Oh, yeah. And then somebody else said, I love that Sarah has volunteered as good cop for season 5. I didn't know there was so much dislike for season 5. I was scared you would both bash it. Eric, be kind. Not really. So, yeah, I'm gonna I'm I'm gonna be the resident good cop for season 5 because I I think there's some there there are some wonderful stuff in season 5. It's just
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's yeah. Just Anyway, number 4 here is Steele blushing. Just a funny 1 to me. Steele and Laura constantly not talking about the same thing. This
Speaker 0:was good. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Steele getting all his little digs and then Laura finally seeing her picture in the magazine. Loved her reaction and face acting here. She's visibly shaken. And of course, I loved the ending. I'm always a sucker for a good kiss between those 2.
Speaker 0:Yep.
Speaker 1:Yep. Her that reaction of hers, you know?
Speaker 0:It's it's honestly probably 1 of the best moments. If we're going moments of the series, I gotta say that's 1 of her best, like, acting moments is just the way the the the range of emotions that crosses her face in that span of a few seconds is just brilliant. It's just it's really well done.
Speaker 1:And I think you brought this up. Somebody commenting that 1 of their favorite actresses was Stephanie. And it's she just doesn't get enough credit for her
Speaker 0:credit. No.
Speaker 1:She really doesn't. Because she does. She can take a moment like this Yeah. And just you you can see all of the without saying a word, you can just see everything going on in her mind on
Speaker 0:the face. You know exactly what she's thinking. You know, every single swear word that's happening in her head, you know, like, the mortification, the embarrassment, the rage, the all of it. It's just there and it's really well done. So Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Number 3 on this list was Beg, Borrow and Steele. I think 1 of the main things I liked about this episode is that because of the plot, they were together for the whole episode. I like it best that way. I never like when they separate them and give them different storylines. And we've commented about that in
Speaker 0:the past. That's true.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I also like when she almost heads home, but then decides to stay with Steele. Yeah. We we've commented about how at least for the characters, it just doesn't work when they try and go off in different directions.
Speaker 0:No. It really doesn't. I get that for sometimes purposes of the plot in order to get stuff revealed that they have to, but it it really works better when they're both together. So Yeah. Yeah. I agree with that.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And and then, of course, there were always those outlying episodes where they had almost no interaction throughout the entire episode. Yeah. Were just Yeah. Those were
Speaker 0:They and they yeah. They were typically not as great because of that. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Number 2 on the list was Sensitive Steele. This person writes, I was able to join your livestream on this 1. Of course, this 1 is a fan favorite for obvious reasons. It's great to see them on a more personal level. I love the end when he gives her a revised list. Her reaction and her smile, so genuine. I also wondered if maybe he really did write down something funny or something nice about her, like maybe Pierce writing it about Stephanie. Would be sweet if that was really the case. Yeah. You know, this Yeah. Those types of situations, especially when we don't see or hear the interchange between the characters, you know, the teapot note in the office and and this note here. Yeah. That is an opportunity for those cast members to express their appreciation, love of working and with that for it to you know, especially if they can do it in 1 take because that gives a genuineness to the reaction Yeah. Person.
Speaker 0:It makes me think of M*A*S*H in the episode where Henry Blake dies when radar was given that note to come in and read it to them. The others didn't know. Like, he he was that was 1 take. That was their reaction in in genuine real time because he was handed that basically the script and said, go and deliver this message. So it was like, you're seeing their reaction, and it's so much more poignant and memorable that way, in my opinion. It it really works. And I'm kinda surprised this is the 1st top 5 that has had Sensitive Steele on it, frankly. We've had a couple of enlist and this is the 1st 1. We've got a whole bunch of comments too here.
Speaker 1:Good point about Beg Borrow and Steele, how they're together throughout the entire episode. And then somebody finally agrees with me. Stephanie is really yeah. Totally agree with Eric, l o l. Why is it so funny to agree with me? I'm sorry. Excuse me. I'm offended. Stephanie is a great actress. Stephanie really is a great actress and I think her performances are underrated. Yes. I get that she wasn't chasing fame and she wanted to be a good actress that got to play just wanted to be a good actress that got to play. Yeah. And Skip skip down to
Speaker 0:the last skip down to the last comment he finishes.
Speaker 1:Oh, multiple roles. She was just a good I wanted to be a good actress who that got to play multiple roles and wasn't looking for another series, but returned to theater to continue to develop her craft and not looking for accolades. And that is, you know, that is 1 thing about Stephanie is she she doesn't seem to have ever pursued the limelight.
Speaker 0:I know she was cast in in Robocop, she did lose out on that role, but it strikes me that if if if she had and I I don't know. I'm I'm speculating. I don't know what happened in her life or or what this what her goals are were. I wish we could talk to her. That would be great. But like, it feels to me that she wasn't looking for another Robocop, or she wasn't looking for the next big thing. As as this person pointed out, it feels more that she just wanted to work and do her job as an actress and whatever medium that that happened in, she was happy with.
Speaker 1:I thought I would like other television and other movies.
Speaker 0:Yes. Oh, for sure. She's done tons of stuff. But yeah. But
Speaker 1:or TV movies, I should say. Yeah. But she's she's spent from what I've seen and read, she spent a lot of time doing theater work. And theater work, I suspect It's hard. Well, it's it's hard. Yeah. And I suspect it doesn't pay all that well compared to other things that she could have been doing at the So, same yeah, clearly, she was not out to chase the the the big paychecks in the line.
Speaker 0:I mean, she was she had everything in that Hollywood would have wanted in a leading woman if if that were really the like, everything was there. The talent, the looks, the, you know, whatever. But, I mean and again, that was her what she wanted and she's so good at what she does. So anything we do get to see her in, it always feels like a gift because
Speaker 1:And and you know what? I I think you just you just said something there that made me think she's so good. And maybe in the context of what you just said before, maybe that's 1 of the reasons why she didn't get looked at as often for these big name roles is because when somebody's really good at her craft, they don't look like they're that good. They don't look like they're working that hard at it. You know, there's there's the people that, I'm such a great actor.
Speaker 0:You
Speaker 1:know, and they make it obvious that they're acting and and people see that. They say, oh, they're so so great. They're look how but Laura, with with Stephanie, it's just like it's naturally believable. Yeah. And she's such a natural actor that you don't see that she's really acting and she just gets overlooked because she's not bringing this big fanfare to what she's doing. It's just, here it is. Isn't this a wonderful thing?
Speaker 0:Agreed. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Somebody else wrote, yes. Almost referenced the office in my email. There
Speaker 0:we go.
Speaker 1:Anyway, back to this person's list. Their number 1 was Forged Steele. Joined this livestream too. I said it then and I'll say it again. The scene of them talking on the street is maybe 1 of my favorite talks between them in the whole It's a
Speaker 0:great talk.
Speaker 1:It looks so real. Her hands on her face, them switching places where he is by the wall and then she is, her smile when he gives her that big hug, all of it. You really feel that they are there for each other and are a team, especially after the conversation. Okay. And also, Steele drinking all
Speaker 0:the time at the beginning.
Speaker 1:I hadn't noticed until
Speaker 0:so Sarah pointed that out. Weird.
Speaker 1:So funny. But it was truly the scene on
Speaker 0:the street
Speaker 1:that put this at number 1 for me.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah. And it's so and you know what? I had never noticed it before until I was watching it for purposes of making notes of the podcast, and I'm like, wait a minute. That's not oh, he's drinking. Oh, that's gross. So and this is so the next letter here, Centimeters is different Centimeters. So this person whose initials are Centimeters wrote, season 4 is probably my least favorite of the show. Again, I did not know. I did not know. Not including season 5, which I pretend doesn't exist. Still, there are a lot of there are some really good individual scenes throughout the season. Most of my top 5 is based on moments rather than the episode as a whole. Fair enough. You know, whatever you like, you go with it. Yeah. So they have number 5 is Suburban Steele.
Speaker 1:Didn't set any rules, Yeah. Unfortunately, we should have because so many people are picking sensitive Steele. 2 for 1.
Speaker 0:So this person wrote, number 5, Suburban Steele. Holy Pete. I love Donald and Francis and their dynamic, and the kids are so cute. Laura being the 1 who struggles with the domestic tasks while Remington slips right into the fun uncle kind of role is cute and also revealing. It makes sense that Laura, who grew up in a traditional but somewhat volatile environment, would not find it easy to step into Frances slash her mother's role, while Remington, whose only experience with the family dynamic has been from a distance, would be eager to jump in. The conversation between Donald and Remington is 1 of my favorite moments, and I like to imagine these 2 become good friends as well as brothers in law. I, yeah, I love that take. I agree with all of that because it it does feel like he's eager to jump into that domesticity and and be that brother-in-law type person. And Laura just feels like she's struggling. Mhmm. So, yeah. I I I like that read on it. Number 4, they've got is Bake, Borrow or Steele. So much love about this episode. If it were up to me, this would be the series finale. And again, someone else thinks this should be the And series we'd forget everything that comes after. Laura eating her way through New York City. She was wearing an egg machine. You still thought it was miss Holt? Misplaced my urn? 1 night at the porno theater, him sleeping on her shoulder under the Freeway. So many cute moments. Best of all, the moments in the homeless shelter and her realizing that she'd rather be uncomfortable with him than at home without him. This is a great 1. Mhmm. Yeah. I I I do. I love it. Number 3, they have his premium Steele. This is also a solid episode overall. Every scene with Monroe, the I'm committed moment, and Laura as the plant lady are big highlights. Yeah. I do love Laura as this is again another really good Stephanie acting moment because just her groovy. Yeah. Wow. Sticky leaves. She's just so out of it. It's great. Yeah. So but what secures it in my top 5 is the hotel scene. 2 people shaken up by the day's events and seeking comfort in each other. I love him realizing that she's anxious and reaching for her hand, and Laura accepting the gesture of what it is and thanking him, realizing she's allowed to be scared. It's a beautiful moment, and her laying her head on his shoulder is the cherry on top. I also like, as much as we criticize and this is just me, not the person writing. Mhmm. That was much as we criticize the writers for keeping that physical aspect away out of their relationship. I think sometimes, the moments are more intimate as a result. This scene in the hotel room, most modern shows, they would have sex. That's what they would do. That would it would be a big crashing, like, you know, they throw each other. They throw themselves into each other's arms. This this the music swells. The other things swell, whatever. It's Not anymore. But it's not. It's I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:That was
Speaker 0:the 1st comment. It's this really beautiful quiet moment where the 2 of them are there for each other in a way that we don't often see on television because television wants more gratuitous. The more, you know, whatever, the better. The bigger, the better. So
Speaker 1:That's what she's saying.
Speaker 0:Wait. I'm sorry. Number 2.
Speaker 1:No. No. Stop. Stop. Wait a minute.
Speaker 0:Let me The change something
Speaker 1:reason that joke came out was because the last line of this comment for the episode, It's a beautiful moment and her laying her head on his shoulder is the cherry on top. That reminded me of a 1st season episode of The Ops Office.
Speaker 0:Okay. I thought you were gonna make a cherry joke. Okay.
Speaker 1:No. Keep going. I think it was the 2nd episode of the of the show called diversity training. And they're in the conference room having this big long meeting. And, of course, you know, Jim has lost a a huge client to Dwight and it just it was a terrible day for for him. But they're in this this long tedious conference room meeting and Pam falls asleep and leans over and her head rests on his shoulder. And, I mean, that's just a nice, sweet little moment. And then at after that, you've got Jim doing his his little commentary. And after he's had this terrible day, he smiles and says, best day ever.
Speaker 0:Yeah. I I Just because Stuff like that. Yeah. Of
Speaker 1:the pat on the shoulder.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah. Stuff like that really, I'm gonna actually make an Angel the series reference instead of a Buffy 1, because that made me think of there's a a similar moment in Angel, although it's a little bit more comedic Mhmm. Where this whole episode, Angel Angels Angel gets sent this ring that allows vampires to walk in the daylight and basically be invincible. And of course, for purposes of the show, they can't have him keep it because then Yeah. You know, he's not got a lot of so at the end of the show, even though he's, like, tortured and almost killed for this ring, he kill you know, he he survives. And at the end, he decides that because the he he gives this whole speech about how like, the his his character the other character says, think about all the people you could help during the daytime. And he says, they have help. The whole world's built for them. And if I join them, I'll stop seeing it. So he destroys the ring, and then he turns to Doyle, the other character he's talking to, and he says, you know, I don't know about you, but I had a really good day. Except for the bulk of it where I was nearly tortured to And Doyle says, well, you held up well. And he's like, yeah, I was this close to cracking. 1 more hot poker, and I was giving him the ring. Your mom. How is your mom, by the way? That's kind of like how it goes down. But like, just those little moments where you have, like, these characters appreciating what they have in front of them as opposed to it's Well the quiet moments. Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's well, it's the quiet moments, but it's it's also just these little gestures that particularly when they're presented in in in this way where it's
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:A contrast. You know, you've had this really bad day and then there's this just this little thing. 1 thing. Yeah. And that becomes far more emotionally impactful
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Than I think a lot of times where they they have these big long speeches and, you know, they're professing love or they're, you know Yeah. Groping and and grabbing or whatever, but
Speaker 0:Don't you just wrong. Groping and grabbing has its place. I'm not gonna Well, right. But but
Speaker 1:it's not necessarily as
Speaker 0:impactful as some
Speaker 1:of these little small moments
Speaker 0:Yep.
Speaker 1:That are just common, ordinary, everyday little moments, but it's it's the touch.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Agree. I agree. And and 1 of the commenters said, yay, Angel. I just watched that episode recently with an Angel Binge watch. So yeah. Yeah. I love that. It's a great 1. So, yeah. Sensitive Steele is number 2. Mhmm. The fight scene, I appreciated your commentary on this because I find that a lot of discussion points, Laura as the bad paints Laura as the bad guy or the 1 who caused more damage. In my opinion, this fight brilliantly shows how they both have the ability to find and call out the vulnerability the other person hides. The fight is a slow escalation of both both of them picking at the other.
Speaker 1:Pricking at the other.
Speaker 0:Oh, sorry. Yeah. His frustration and her unwillingness to move forward, to feel, to give him credit for his growth, and her frustration that she's not getting what she needs from him. Does she even know what she needs? After he calmly pushed her to say out loud that she was afraid of him leaving Unforged, it was probably confusing for her to now have that thrown back in her face in a room full of people. He calls her ridiculous, and when she asks him why he doesn't just leave, clearly looking for him to reassure her, he agrees that it's a good question. Triggered by the suggestion that he wants to leave, she tells him to go. Triggered by being told to leave, he walks away and shuts down. Maxine telling her they always come back is salt in the wound as in her experience, they never come back. It's hard to watch each of them poking at the sore spots on the other and hard to watch him shut her out after, but it's an airing out that needed to happen, and Stephanie and Pierce acted the hell out of it. Agree with everything there. Yeah. Yeah. No notes.
Speaker 1:That was a that was 1 of those emotional scenes that was, you know, the opposite of what I was just talking about, but it is just as impactful, but not in the way that you would typically expect a fight scene to be impactful because underneath it all, they're both scared.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah. It's all fear. And it's I was trying to avoid the who's more at fault part of that because I I think people we we tend to get hung up on whose fault is is whose fault when it comes to and and not just with TV, but with our own relationships. We tend to get hung up on, well, you this is your fault, or I'm right and you're wrong, and I need that to in this case, it wasn't so much about who was right and who was wrong as as what are their wounds? What parts of themselves are they operating from that have damaged them that have caused them to not be able to communicate the way they want to? And how are they able to point that out? Get pull pull forward. Sometimes, you have to do that by ripping ripping the Band Aid off rather than trying to be delicate about it. And they've they've been trying to be delicate this whole time. And now, they've this episode just kind of like tore off the band aid and pulled out the stitches and whatever else, so this might afford them beating to death, so Well,
Speaker 1:you know, and the thing is that that after the the fight reaches its climax and she tells him, you know, why don't you leave? And he says, yeah. And he he walks out, and then as as the comment was made, Maxine telling her that they always come back, it's unlike a lot of TV fight scenes where it's obvious that it's just there for dramatic effect. When you're watching this 1, it hurts.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, you you you hurt for the characters. You know, it's it's not like I said, it's not like something where you watch it and you know it's just for dramatic purposes for the the episode and there's not any real emotional investment in it, either by the characters or the actors or or the the audience, this hurts. It does. It hurts.
Speaker 0:It it because it's it feels like we, as the audience, are hurting with them. Mhmm. And when she says, I was better off without you anyway, that hurts. When he says, I'm not your father. I'm not the man. Like
Speaker 1:Well, you know, especially if you know, I I think you kind of commented about it or alluded to it when we were discussing it. And this this email kind of refers to it as well that how is it that this person put it? When she asks why he doesn't just leave, clearly looking for him to reassure her. We've all been there and that's what makes Yeah. It that's what makes it so painful to watch.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Is because we've all been there. We've we've all put up a brick wall and gotten angry and, you know, I just just leave me alone. Leave me alone. Yeah. You don't really mean it. Don't don't believe me. I don't Yeah. Exactly. You know? It's just
Speaker 0:It's human nature. It's a very human response. Like, the whole thing is very human. And that's why, like, I think you got frustrated with the whole or I got frustrated. Like, we kinda disagreed with with how I said, well, she really does want him to come back. And and because, like you just said, like, this is this is a human nature response. Like, they both lashed out. They both said things they didn't mean. And at the end of the day, how do you fix that? How do you go, no, wait. I didn't mean it. Come back.
Speaker 1:You know, but the the the conflict is that at the same time, you do mean it. You know? Yes. There's a part of you that that means it. Just leave me alone. But then there's that other part that says, are are you gonna are you just gonna actually do it or are you gonna stick with me here
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Even though I've just blown up at you and told you to leave. So yeah.
Speaker 0:It's yeah. Okay. It's great. It's great. And there are number 1.
Speaker 1:Additional Angel and Buffy comments here.
Speaker 0:Yeah. I I just
Speaker 1:The person who commented about just recently doing the binge added that they just started watching Buffy season 4 and Angel season 1 rewatch with their niece.
Speaker 0:And I just said my daughter and I are doing the same thing. We're on
Speaker 1:season 1st watch.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Some my daughter and I are doing the watch together, and we are season 4.
Speaker 0:It's funny because she's very perceptive in ways that I wasn't, so she's actually figuring out the episodes that I didn't figure out. She's like, oh, this person's over. And I'm like, oh, okay. You're 10. This is not allowed. Like, you need to just stop. Oh, so, yeah. It's quite funny.
Speaker 1:Anyway Yes.
Speaker 0:Yes. So their number 1 here is Forged Steele. The jail scene is a top 5 moment of the entire series for me. He's so sweet and patient with her as she tries to tell him what she was thinking. In other episodes like Sensitive, he meets her fears with quite a bit of frustration. Perhaps that's why it's obvious that she had no intention of sharing it with him, clearly planning when she arrived at the jail to pretend she'd never questioned his innocence. Instead, he gently prides it out of her and gives her the words she needs. I'm not going anywhere. If Sensitive highlights the damage done when they refuse to communicate calmly, Forged highlights how good they can be together. Solid acting, solid writing, and a great season 4 reminder of why we're rooting for these 2. Yeah. 100%. They say all the right things here. Mhmm. And it's just a that's a really beautiful moment. It's 1 of my favorites, the whole show.
Speaker 1:Alright. The next contributor is KP. Before I lose my chance or forget, I'd like to tell you how much I've enjoyed listening to your podcast. Thank you very much. We appreciate that. Yay. I anxiously await every new episode and listen to them on my walks, sometimes on repeat to make sure I haven't missed anything or just because I enjoyed the episode. It feels a bit like having a conversation while watching the show. I appreciate your interpretations, whether I agree with them or not, and your deep dives down the rabbit hole. Keep up. Looking forward to your review of season 5, though quietly hoping you wouldn't completely trash it. Either way, I'm sure it will be
Speaker 0:I'm I'm gonna try. I'm gonna be the good cop. I promise.
Speaker 1:And and, you know, we've always said we are not Yeah. Looking to trash the shows.
Speaker 0:No.
Speaker 1:No. Don't. Looking to trash the episodes. We're we're we're not gonna pull our punches necessarily when when we've got something negative to say, but we're not going to be, you know, we're not gonna go over the top with it. We're just
Speaker 0:gonna say hates at problem. End of the day, we're fans of the show. We don't
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 0:Like, we're not trying to sit and hate on it. Nobody's there's never gonna be a perfect read on an episode. Everyone's gonna have a different opinion. Everyone's gonna have different thoughts on something. So I'm gonna do my best to be good cop. There's gonna be things that I don't like about season 5, obviously. It has its problems, but I actually enjoy a lot of it too, so I'm I'm the resident good cop. I will take on that role.
Speaker 1:Well, they they give us some general notes about their thoughts on season The season got off to a great start. I love everything right up to episode 9, Dancer, Prancer, Steele and or Donner and Steele. Cornfed, Steele accepted, but it wasn't bad either. Ad Trine and approval from season 3, and that's 11 solid episodes in a row, which is unprecedented. Yeah. After that, the season gets a bit spotty for me though with a few episodes that I'll skip because they're either dull, annoying, all those stereotyped characters in service, or terrible bonds. But every season has its equal share of stellar instinctors, in my opinion, which is why I can't place 1 over the other. As for my favorites from this season picking, my top 5 boils down to those episodes that deal with some aspect of Remington and Laura's relationship. Even better, if it tugs on the heartstrings. There are the episodes that I can watch over and over again, plot integrity be damned if need be. Though, comedic elements and action sequences are definitely a bonus. And with that in mind, these are my top 5 for season 4.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Number 5, Sensitive Steele.
Speaker 0:Woo hoo.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of angst in this episode and I love it. Laura takes the spa exercise very seriously. Mister Steele does not. I have to admit that I roll my eyes at the sensitivity spa. Its facilitators and patrons ever bid as much as Mr. Steele does. Ain't that the truth? I can't quite figure out why Laura is so into it, though I do appreciate that she wants to use it as a means to finally get mister Steele to open up to her. Unfortunately for her, he's afraid to confront his feelings and continues to hide behind humor and adolescent passes. We never learn what mister Steele's best qualities are
Speaker 0:That's because
Speaker 1:Laura's are apparently that she dresses better than Mildred and is kind to furry animals. They're not off to a great start.
Speaker 0:No. They're really not.
Speaker 1:It only gets worse with the Bataka fight. Both reluctant at 1st, they end up lashing out at each other, leveling harsh truths, accusations, and responses derived from fear. They say things they later regret, the worst of it being, I was better off without you anyway. The pain they cause each other and Steele freezing lure out can be tough to watch, but in mending those wounds, their relationship is allowed to grow if only just a little. The tag is True to character, they're both still very cautious, but they show a willingness to bend and meet in the middle. Mister Steele going to the effort of taking a serious stab at the best qualities exercise is sweet. We can only imagine how difficult a task it was for him to confront his feelings in a meaningful and direct way like that. There's hope for them which is what makes the episode so rewarding.
Speaker 0:You know what I mean?
Speaker 1:Yeah. That would be tough for any guy. I'm gonna say that I that I'm sorry if that sounds sexist, but it's just, you know, guys just don't
Speaker 0:Emote?
Speaker 1:Yeah. The the they're they yeah. We just we we don't want to we may have them, but we don't want to admit them.
Speaker 0:I I want I just as a response to that about, like, all that about sensitive Steele, it never even occurred to me just until this person pointed it out that we don't know what she wrote about him. Mm-mm. And I'm really curious She's she crumbled up
Speaker 1:and threw it.
Speaker 0:What his best qualities were because, yeah. What did she write about him? What did she write? We've always focused on the fact that we don't know what he wrote about her, but what did she write?
Speaker 1:Other than she's kind to furry animals, and she dresses better than military.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Know what I mean? Like, the revised letter, because it's such a plot point at in that tag scene that we sort of focus on that more than we do about the fact that she crumpled up her letter and threw it away. So what was in it? Yes. Is it was it like he has a nice butt? Like, his hair always looks great? Like, what did it say?
Speaker 1:Number 4, Beg, Borrow and Steele. If the series had to end with season 4, I would have preferred that it be on a high note with this 1.
Speaker 0:Again, everybody wants this episode to be the last episode. Interesting.
Speaker 1:I would have preferred that it'd be on a high note with this 1 than carry on with alive and kicking, is forgettable, and Bonds, is regrettable. Yeah. What were they thinking? But back to this episode. Not since gold did Remington and Laura share such interesting sleeping arrangements. The 1st is a mystery. Whose wedding did they attend in New York City? Bernice's, perhaps. Did they share a hotel room as they were about to do while on the run that 1st night? I guess we'll never know, but the thought is intriguing. As is their actual sleeping situation that night in a porno movie house. Would have loved to have known how that went. There is a fan fiction for this, by the way, by l l o l. Okay?
Speaker 0:I don't know if I've read it, but maybe maybe this person can send the link to the Steele watching the Steele watchers Facebook group or something.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, the next night, they attempted to share a cot in the homeless shelter, but ended up snuggling under a cardboard snuggling under cardboard and culvert drain under a freeway. What I loved about all this was just how comfortable they looked sharing space with each other no matter what the location. And Laura deciding to stay by mister Steele's side when she tells him to stop hogging the bed is so sweet and shows just how much she cares for him, passing up a hot shower and a good night's sleep in her own loft to stick it out with him while he gets to the bottom of his friend's murder. The reaction on mister Steele's face tells us just how much he appreciates the gesture. Yeah. As for the rest of the episode, it's also packed with plenty of humor. Remington tackling Laura in the dark office. Steele finding joy in an old movie despite being on the run. The vision of the mostly motley crew that shows up for their funeral services must be from your side. Laura's Laura Holt's
Speaker 0:Yep. I love it. Steele attacked by
Speaker 1:a bunch of jockeys, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. I did find the plot a little confusing mostly because the nun and Candy actually do look a lot alike. Yeah. And for a long time, I thought they were the same person. After
Speaker 0:It's same.
Speaker 1:Rewatches, I think I finally have it all sorted. Does it really matter though when there's so much else that the episode has to offer? I think not.
Speaker 0:Agreed.
Speaker 1:Number 3. This you're you're on the I'm on somebody's
Speaker 0:You're the odd you're the odd 1 out here.
Speaker 1:On somebody's list. Yes. Yeah. This is an example of an episode that I love despite some of the annoying gas gasp and and beside some of the annoying gasp characters. Yes. Thank you. I can finally get it out. I'd have to do it in a funny voice. Yes. Their fellow hostages can be a little grainy, particularly the flower child. I liked her better after she was revealed to be the mastermind behind the operation.
Speaker 0:Fair.
Speaker 1:But wow, are there ever some great scenes. Mister Steele being the hero, saving Mildred but never claiming credit for it. Mildred winding up the actual hero in the end. She's brilliant. Yes. And the 10 days between Laura and Remington. The 1st happening over Mr. Scavenger's foot is funny and touching, but the 2nd heart to heart is just breathtaking.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We get a little backstory from both Laura and Remington, but most of all, we get the promised flexible flyer, which of course isn't necessarily the literal object, but the promise of a future life. The gesture doesn't escape mister Steele and the full meaning is visible in his expression. I just have to say that if ever there were a kiss between them that is expressed in those no. I just have to say that I can't read. Just have to say that if ever there were a kiss between them that expressed those 3 little words, it's this 1, be still my heart.
Speaker 0:Okay. So this is why I love when people send their top fives, and I know you you you grumble, but almost every single person that has sent top fives has said something that I didn't think about or didn't Mhmm. Catch. And and the idea of the flexible flyer as a metaphor as opposed to just her kind of, like, sweetly saying, like, someday I'll get you a sled, like, as a metaphor for, like, a future life of normalcy. It didn't occur to me. I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1:Number 2, another cheater. Steel's searching parts 1 and 2. Yes. And cheating. I'm lumping them together as 1 because the underlying story of mister Steele searching for his father and Laura searching for mister Steele is the main reason why I love this episode. Where to begin? Pierce Brosnan looks amazing, if not better than usual, all scuffed up. Though I'm glad there's no smell o vision.
Speaker 0:Agreed. I said that. He looks like he's got, like, stink waves coming off him, but at the same time, I'd go for it.
Speaker 1:Steele scenes with Felicia are charming. She's catty. He's comfortable with her, but not too comfortable. After all, he's committed. So nice to hear Yeah. Even if he isn't saying it to Laura. Laura is clearly missing him as she flew 6,000 miles to see him, and I love how she fights to get him back and how Mildred goes to bat for mister Steele too when Laura has her doubts.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I love how both Laura and Steele rescue each other, him from the meat hook or whatever it was Yeah. And her from the murderer. Humor is top notch. Yes, the miners in the golden shovel thing are hokey, but they play it straight and somehow that makes it better for me. And of course, there's Daniel.
Speaker 0:Oh, yes. They're
Speaker 1:replying, congratulations. You've just added bank robbery to our local accomplishments, as well as Linda, Lisa, Laura.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Oh, Daniel. Yep.
Speaker 1:The action sequences. Most notable, mister Steele's escape from Scotland Yard at the train station. I could go on, but the best for sure has to be the passport scene at the end. It was just such a significant, meaningful gift from Laura and Mildred and the appreciation expressed in Remington's face as he realizes what he's looking for or what he's looking at is perfect. They're bringing him home and the he being Remington's Steele, not Harry, not Michael, not whatever legitimate identity he was hoping to find. No. He's Remington Steele. It's who he is and they want him back. Too sweet.
Speaker 0:Yeah. That's a good point. I love that.
Speaker 1:And their number 1 is Premium Steele. This is by far my favorite episode of the season, if not the whole series. It's got sentiment, romance, great comedy, a little backstory, and even a good mystery, though that's never a priority for me. I love the scenes with mister Steele and the VCR in the office. He's just so childlike in his obsession over his new acquisition. The way Laura bribes him into paying attention to the case is too funny. Are they like mother and child or perhaps wife and husband? Personally, I lean toward the latter. Yeah. In this episode, we get to meet Monroe. As a character, he is nearly as charming as mister Steele. He made quite the impression for being in just 1 episode. But through him, we also get to know a little more we also get to know a little bit more about mister Steele's past. That scene where they discuss Rudy's death and their luck in life is just so moving. It hints at past losses, but I imagine mister Steele is also thinking about Laura and how her luck may or may not hold out. He's scared he might lose her as well. Laura declares to her friend, former lover, Norman, that she's committed to mister Steele, echoing the scene between mister Steele slash Michael and Felicia at the beginning of the season. It's nice to know how they feel about each other even if they can't express it directly to 1 another. Laura does, however, express her appreciation to mister Steele when she tells him, thanks for being you. Yep. It's the nicest thing she's ever said to him. A beautiful moment shared between them, and it seems appropriate that the scene should end with them leaning on each other for support, which is about as far as I would expect the events of that night to go appropriately.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Fair enough.
Speaker 1:The tag scene is just perfect. Remington is there to support Laura. He reassures her of her own strength through adversity.
Speaker 0:Yes.
Speaker 1:It's just beautiful and, of course, they kiss because they don't give a damn about how they don't give a damn that they now have picture and sound.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Visually too, that that shot of them on the balcony is probably the most gorgeous. Like, her hair is so beautiful in that shot, and like, her outfit, the way that they've the way that they're standing is just yeah. It's it's wonderful.
Speaker 1:Now, this person also included a few runners up. They say that there are too many good episodes this season, not to
Speaker 0:mention That's true.
Speaker 1:Just a few more. Please bear with me. I'll try to be brief. Steele Blushing. This episode doesn't have any sort of sentimental scene to tug at one's heartstrings. It is, however, downright hilarious.
Speaker 0:Yes.
Speaker 1:Steele needing needling Laura because she hasn't confided in him that her picture is in a porno magazine, which, of course, she can't because she doesn't know anything about it and it isn't even her
Speaker 0:picture. Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's a great Mildred episode as she drags Veenhof all over Los Angeles and secretly hires a stereotypical PI Yes. To find the lost opera. But returned in shambles. The tag is hard to argue with except to say that with it being that steamy, 1 is really hard pressed to believe canon.
Speaker 0:Hard pressed. Hard pressed. Sorry. I keep going.
Speaker 1:And finally, the props department or director. Having a little fun with Laura's wall decor in this in this episode alone is both apropos and an endless source of entertainment for me. Conspicuously hung shell, fish, and lobster copper jelly molds. Grappling Steele. I might rate this episode higher if it weren't for my impulse to, just like mister Steele, snub my nose at all the distasteful, fake mock fake machismo wrestling.
Speaker 0:I like It
Speaker 1:does, however, have multiple delicious smooch scenes including a slow steamy dance in his living room.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Another hilarious Mildred interruptus.
Speaker 0:That should be the term. Mildred Mildred interruptus. Frenzikas interruptus.
Speaker 1:Steele's quip in response and that adorable scene in the office between Laura and Remington at the beginning. Love that potted plant. Steele Forge. The only scene holding this 1 back is mister Steel's shameless flirting with the fake BJ Sinclair at the beginning. It's hard to explain that 1, mister I'm committed. However, it's quickly redeemed by Laura's concern over his mysterious absence, her support for him throughout the episode, and of course, that beautiful scene on the jailhouse sidewalk where their vulnerabilities are exposed. He with, you didn't want to see me. I can feel it. And with her with, and then you go away. Yeah. Yeah. And then their last honorable mention was Steele in the running. I love this episode for the opening scene in the office alone. Roles are reversed and mister Steele's having none of it.
Speaker 0:Yeah. He's upset.
Speaker 1:After all, the maitre d's around town are beginning to forget his face. How Pierce Brosnan got through that rant, I don't know, but it's It's
Speaker 0:so funny.
Speaker 1:It's cute that mister Steele's worried that there might be another man in Laura's life. We really get that mister and missus Field in this episode, though when fluffed off concern though when fluffed off, concern is met with disgruntled acceptance. They know and accept each other for who they are, like it or lump it, and it's great.
Speaker 0:Yeah. No, I agree. So the next person, the initials are l b here, and they wrote, I've enjoyed the podcast so much and I'm mourning the wrap of season 4. I've included my favorite plus a list of my least liked, as well as some honorable mentions. Sorry, Eric. I hope this doesn't mess up your spreadsheet.
Speaker 1:I I ignored everything but the the top 5. So
Speaker 0:Yeah. So they're least favorites, and we'll have to do a whole separate episode for least favorites, I think. I I know we don't wanna, like, dunk on it. But sometimes it can be fun to sort of like almost like the Razzies. You know how they have the Oscars? Yeah. The Razzies are, you know. So least favorites. Number 1, Bonds of Steele. I don't I don't know that anyone's gonna necessarily disagree with this. But after everything Laura and Remington went through, not to mention us fans, hello, to see them be on such different pages was devastating. It's less about a gripe of them not being in character and more about the dismissal of all the growth they made in the 4th season. Agreed. Number 2, Steele Inc. Oh, sorry. Go ahead.
Speaker 1:I was just gonna say, wedding dress. Wedding dress.
Speaker 0:You really gotta watch Lois and Clark then. If you've got a wedding dress fetish, Lois has she wears 3 different wedding dresses throughout that series. 1, where she almost marries Lex. 1 where she's actually a clone that eats frogs, and then their actual wedding. It's a it's a whole I know. But it's a whole thing. Yeah. Anyway. Number 2, Steele Inc. A waste of George Edward Maltz. I would have liked to see him team up with mister Steele again. I tend to nod off during this episode. Fair. I actually really enjoy this 1, but I can see how it's maybe not as he he does have a a really fun charisma with Steele, so I get
Speaker 1:It's not the best mulch episode, but I still think it's a good episode Yeah. Myself. But
Speaker 0:They're number 3 with Steele Searching Part 2. Interesting.
Speaker 1:No. They're they're 3rd least favorite.
Speaker 0:Least favorite. That's what I mean. Like, they're number 3 for least favorites. What a bizarre use of what could have been an amazing 2 parter. They should have used Daniel later in the season instead of trying to pack everything in the world into part 1 and part 2. But this episode is especially disappointing because they are rarely together. Also I hate that Laura learns everything or thinks she does about Remington's past before he does. I'll put a pin in this for next season though. So, yeah. I I I I also I talked about a little bit about when we did this how tonally these episodes felt so different. And the only thing that really ties them together is his search for his father, as well as how in the 1st episode, in the 1st part, they're highlighting all these things that the Earl has done that are really unsavory. And then the 2nd part, they're just like, daddy. So some of this for me didn't land as well as it did for other people. So I can definitely see those points. Their number 4, least favorite Steele alive and kicking. This episode is such a dud, especially since they could have used the final episodes to answer some burning questions if they thought they might be canceled. Again, we don't know what they knew at that point. But yeah, I I don't I don't disagree with that. Their favorites. Number 1, sensitive Steele. The matching wardrobe, the fight, the angst, watching them squirm for so many reasons. They're positively inept at being able to read each other's needs. The silence. Who cares about the plot when we have angst? I agree. This is this is my okay. This person, we're on the same wavelength here because I'm I'm all about the angst. So if you give me enough angst, I will completely forget what the fuck is. I'll just be like, yeah. Okay. I'm gonna ride this wave. I love the tag scene and not knowing what he wrote in his letter. Did I mention the angst? Right there with you. Number 2.
Speaker 1:Somebody somebody adds that it didn't land with them well Yes, back to agreeing with Sarah. Sorry.
Speaker 0:So then this person wrote number 2, premium Steele. The growth Laura makes when she thanks him for being there and for her and for being him. Oh, my heart. This is the closest we ever get to a major declaration from her, but it's done tenderly and in private. I also enjoyed watching Lester help mister Steele through his video desperation. The tag scene is also very thoughtful plus that kiss. Yep. Agree. Number 3, Steele blushing. Where do I start? This episode is such a treat for the viewers as well as Mr. Steele. Watching him needle Laura while she tries to keep calm only works because we know she would never ever pose like that. I'm glad Stephanie wanted that part of the story changed to stay true to character. I also enjoyed a full out comedy after the heavy 2 parter. I'm sure that I'm in good company in my enjoyment of that tag scene as well. Yeah. I mean, the whole yeah. It's it's a lot of fun. Number 4, Suburban Steele. Anxiety disorder aside. Did Frances forget she was raised in California? I could've thought that too. This continuity error doesn't diminish the humor in the beginning when we see the Holt sisters differences spotlighted. Mister Steele dives right in and seems to enjoy caring for her family. Deeds anyone? Well, he might not be friends with Donald out in the wild. We see the admiration or respect Donald, and respect, it should be Donald, for Donald he has for his future brother-in-law as a man, husband, and father. These 2 can hang out anytime and be the best of buds. I also love the caring playfulness with the Piper children that we see from Laura's soon to be husband and amazing father for children. Mhmm. Okay. Yeah. I I actually want an episode where Steele and Donald just hang out and and, I don't know, like, they have a day together. I would I would love that. I would watch the heck out of that.
Speaker 1:But what what what would they do? I mean,
Speaker 0:Donald is probably the
Speaker 1:guy who's into baseball and barbecue and Or golf. I think he's more
Speaker 0:of a golf guy.
Speaker 1:Maybe. But I I the things I can envision Donald doing and enjoying
Speaker 0:That's why it would be fun.
Speaker 1:Can't enjoy don't.
Speaker 0:That's why it would be fun, the whole fish out of water aspect of it. Number 5, they have is beg beg, borrow, or Steele. The only imperfect thing about this episode is the lack of an Oxford comma in the title. Agreed. Being on the run, no money, no problem. 1 can only imagine how uncomfortable they both were spending the night in a porn house. I also enjoy watching Laura lose it when something crawls up her leg. Yes. And then change her mind to stay with Remington. It's a strong bond to keep her from dashing to the 1st hot shower she could find. Mildred had such a hard time trying to process her grief, and of course, detective Jarvis barks up the wrong tree 1 more time.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 0:He's always so fun. I love him.
Speaker 1:Wish Yeah. Yes. You would have gotten more of
Speaker 0:I do too. Honorable mentions, Steele at your service, Ruggles. Yep. Steele in the running, all the skin. Grappling Steele, the romance, the kissing, hat pin Millie.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 0:Forge Steele almost any episode with Norman Keys is amazing. Almost. And then Dancer Prancer, Donner and Steele, the touch
Speaker 1:Were they adding, the the Oxford
Speaker 0:Yes. I see the comment. The touching moment when they're sharing childhood memories. He really had it rough as a kid. I'd say I'm excited about the next season, but I'd mostly be lying. We're gonna do our best. I promise. Alright.
Speaker 1:The next 1 is from C. C says, I am C, your listener from Italy. Since I discovered your podcast in November, this is my very 1st top 5. Welcome to the club. And I know I'm late, but as you said before, life got in the way. So 1st of all, sorry for the delay sorry for the delay, but I had to do it anyway whether you will consider it or not. Yes.
Speaker 0:We did.
Speaker 1:Always as long as we can get we as long as we have time, we we we may draw an official line, but, you know, as long as we have time, we we'll try and shoehorn it in. Below is my list. Of course, tomorrow it will be different, so no detailed explanations. Yeah. I'm right I'm there with right there with you. Honestly, I love almost all Remington Steele episodes with just a few exceptions and just 1 that I really, really hate in the entire series, and it is not Bonds.
Speaker 0:Okay. Wow. I wanna did they say in this email? I can't remember.
Speaker 1:Can you say which? No. They didn't. That would be an interesting question. Yes. You
Speaker 0:need to tell us what is it? What if it's not bonds, what is it? I need to know.
Speaker 1:Alright. They're they did not number these, so I took them in the order that they gave them
Speaker 0:k.
Speaker 1:As being 12345. They started out with premium Steele. Thank you for being there. Oh, thank you for being here. Thank you for being you. And, of course, the tag scene. What more can you say? Forged Steele. I'm not going anywhere, Laura. Sensitive Steele. The fight, the tag scene, the location, the wardrobe. Perfect. Bag borrower Steele. I love this 1 so much. Dancer Prancer, Donner and Steele. This 1 became 1 of my favorites only after listening to your podcast. Before that Yes. I couldn't understand the meaning of Flexible Flyer
Speaker 0:coming Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:But after listening to you and reading some comments about it in the Facebook group, all the dialogue has a different meaning. Just 1 word. Wonderful. And we're we're we're happy to
Speaker 0:Yes. We are glad
Speaker 1:to be help of clarify. Is that the 1st person that has made comment that they didn't understand something and that we were able to help clarify that for you?
Speaker 0:Yeah, because I think we sometimes people, like, we forget that like, I'm from Canada, you're from The US, so some of the Americanisms also fly over my head. So I try my best if stuff like that comes up to kind of like clarify
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 0:For anybody who's outside of North America, this is what this means because sometimes Yeah. It just might fly over your head. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 0:Oh, and and we have a comment. For anyone looking for the porno movie theater fanfic, Beg, Borrow, or Steele, it's called Porn Fed Steele. Porn Fed Steele. I love it. Read by Lauren and Andrea and found on the Krebs Files fanfic site. So, Porn Fed Steele. I gotta find that.
Speaker 1:Okay. And this person says, of course, my honorable mentions, another list of of runner ups, Steele searching parts 1 and 2, and Steele blushing. I hope this is not too confusing as I wrote it in a rush and I am not a native speaker. Hey, you did a fantastic job.
Speaker 0:You did a great job.
Speaker 1:Yep. I really hope this is not the last top 5. Sorry, Eric. Why is it you people hate me? I'm sure there will be a top 5 of the whole series and maybe in the future some top 5 on specific topics. Dialogue, clothing, location, tag scenes, best guest star. I'm just saying. Thanks again for everything. It's always fun listening to you. You do a great job. Keep going. Yeah. We we're discussing the the possibilities of futures. Problem with some of these ideas that we've we've had and that people have shared that they've offered as ideas is that they're not quite as simple and straightforward as just watching through an episode and making notes and and comments on it. It's you know, if you do a top 5 dialogue, you if if you've got a lousy memory like me, that means going through all the episodes again or or at least, you know, there would be a lot of time involved in it.
Speaker 0:We could also get, you know, people to send in their own submissions and patents. That's mean, mean, use that for content.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, the future is up in the air. We we we have some things that we've been discussing and some possibilities, but, you know, We we're we're not in the don't have contacts with with people in the industry and and we don't have contacts with people who were involved in the production. So it's it makes it kinda tough to keep an interesting ongoing conversation going with it. So
Speaker 0:We'll figure something I for think, just like, even if it's not as frequent as what we're doing now
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 0:I'm sure we'll have episodes going forward that just maybe aren't as routinely scheduled.
Speaker 1:Yes. They will be Yeah. As as as the inspiration strikes us and as the time clock allows. Yes. Anyway.
Speaker 0:Yeah. So for I think those were it, right, for Yeah. For submissions? So now it's just down to us. So
Speaker 1:Yes. Do we wanna talk about do we wanna talk about any kind of statistics up to this point or no?
Speaker 0:I'm sure. I don't know anything. So if you have them
Speaker 1:Well, you obviously don't know anything if you like season 5.
Speaker 0:I don't hate it. I have new stuff I enjoy, but if you've got, like, statistics, please please share with the rest of the class.
Speaker 1:K. We had a total of 8 submissions. And out of those, beg, borrow, or Steele appears 7 times.
Speaker 0:Interesting.
Speaker 1:Sensitive Steele, 5 times. Premium Steele, 5 times. Suburban Steele and Steele blushing and forged Steele all appear 4 times. Steele searching appears 3. Dancer prints or doner and Steele appears 3 times as well. Coffee, tea, or Steele shows up twice. Steele on the air is a single appearance. Santa Claus is coming to Steele is a single appearance, and grappling Steele is also a single appearance. Now sorting those in terms of the number of appearances in position hey, everybody. This is future Eric along with
Speaker 0:Future Sarah. Woo.
Speaker 1:Woo. Which is kind of ironic considering something that's coming up, which we will talk about at some future point. But anyway, the reason we have come back from the future is yeah. I I was editing the top 5 episode and I got to the statistics. And 1st of all, it was it was really boring. I bored myself. And secondly, it was 1 of those things where you you're listening to it and it's like, I I I don't even understand what I said. And I was the 1 that said it. So if I didn't understand it, you didn't understand it. And and it's all because I thought I screwed up, but I hadn't. So I tried to fix the screw up that didn't happen. And in trying to fix the screw up that didn't happen, I screwed up.
Speaker 0:So And
Speaker 1:I just
Speaker 0:smile and nod.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I just smile and nod and say, yep. Anyway, so we are going to fix the statistics that I screwed up. We So we're gonna start by listing the episodes in the order of position and and their appearance information. So in the 5th position, beg, borrow, or Steele was the most common selected number 5 choice on the list, and that appeared twice out of 7 appearances total. Sensitive Steele, suburban Steele, Steele Searching, and Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Steele, along with Coffee Tier Steele appeared 1 time in that order in terms of they appeared 1 time and in decreasing order of their total number of appearances. And then the only 1 that really barely made it onto the top 5 list was Steele on the Air, which came in 1 time at position 5 out of 1 total appearance overall. So Okay. That 1 barely scraped by, you know, like they say, the skin of your teeth. The number 4 position, Steele blushing and suburban Steele took the top spot, both appearing twice out of a total of 4 appearances that they made in the list. Forged Steele and begged borrow and Steele only appeared once in the number 4 position out of their total number of appearances. Steele blushing appeared as the number 3 top choice, having appeared twice in the number 3 position. Big Borrow and Steele, Sensitive Steele, Premium Steele, Dancer, Prancer and Donner and Steele all appeared 1 time in the number 3 position. And Coffee, Tea, and Steele or Coffee, Tea, or Steele appeared 1 time out of a total of 2 appearances. That was barely coming in. Claus is Coming to Steele appears once in its only appearance. So the 1 time it showed up in the top 5 list, it was picked as a number 3. So so yeah. So those were the number 3, Steele blushing, big bar on Steele, sensitive Steele, premium Steele, tents or Prancer Donner in Steele, and coffee, tea, or Steele. Now the or in Santa Claus, it's going to Steele. The number 2 position, the bridesmaid, suburban Steele, sensitive Steele, Steele searching, premium Steele, forged Steele, dancer, prancer, donner, and Steele, beg, borrow, or Steele, all appeared in the number 2 position 1 time. So out of all the lists
Speaker 0:That's interesting.
Speaker 1:Each 1 of these only appeared as the number 2 choice 1 time, which yeah.
Speaker 0:That's that is kinda fascinating, actually.
Speaker 1:Yeah. That that's that's pretty pretty pretty widespread, pretty Yeah. Democratic That's neat. Choices there. Now for the number 1 position, premium Steele appeared 3 times out of 5 total appearances. So it takes the cake for the number 1 choice for the number 1 episode of season 4. Forged Steele appears twice, and then sensitive Steele, Steele searching, and grappling Steele all appear Steele. That's fascinating. Steele. Grappling Steele, this was its only appearance in the entire list, and it got So picked as a number
Speaker 0:Okay.
Speaker 1:So that's that's the breakdown by position. So there we go. And we will now return you to your regularly scheduled program.
Speaker 0:Yeah. I I you know, I'm just looking at my top 5, and there's gonna be a couple that are gonna get wacky. Did you wanna start with your 5th 1?
Speaker 1:Or Okay. I I mean, if you're gonna force me to.
Speaker 0:Yes, I am. You don't have a choice.
Speaker 1:Now, before I I give my list, I I do need to preface this by saying these are not necessarily my my choices are not necessarily the best episodes in in probably in the opinion of a lot of people. And I'm like the other people who said, you know, a lot of times, it's individual scenes or elements of an episode that make it stand out for me.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Okay.
Speaker 1:Fair enough. You know, basically, they're they're sentimental choices in a lot of ways.
Speaker 0:Yeah. That's fair. Somebody said on another podcast that and they were were talking about Buffy, but they they were saying that the best episode is not necessarily your favorite episode. And I think that that's true
Speaker 1:And your favorite is not necessarily the best.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Exactly. I think that that's true for like, pretty much any like, you can like an episode and recognize that it's maybe not the best episode, but for whatever reason, you connect with it, so therefore, it it fits. Right?
Speaker 1:Yep. We've had a couple of comments come in here too. 1 person says they've already gone back and started relistening to all of our episodes and there are lots of things that they forgot. And, yeah, that's
Speaker 0:There's lots of things I forgot. I don't know what I said.
Speaker 1:That's that's 1 of the reasons why I would have so much trouble doing a, you know, a a top 5 costumes because there's so much I forget. And then 1 person adds that Santa Claus is coming to Steele and Suburban Steele could have also made their honorable mentions list, but they gave up because the length of their list was getting to be embarrassing. No. No. You're good.
Speaker 0:No. No. You're good.
Speaker 1:It's If we had a problem with it Yeah. I mean, we we would've we would've cut it down, but we don't we don't do that. Yep. So Exactly. Whatever.
Speaker 0:Alright. So, Eric, you've delayed long enough.
Speaker 1:Yeah. We appreciate we appreciate when our our listeners contribute. So we're gonna take advantage of it when we do.
Speaker 0:He's stalling.
Speaker 1:I'm stalling. I'm stalling. Well, this one's embarrassing.
Speaker 0:Okay.
Speaker 1:Bonds of Steele because Clarissa and the wedding I mean Oh,
Speaker 0:my God. Collective fandom gasp.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry.
Speaker 0:That's the only reason wedding dress you guys.
Speaker 1:Steele on the air. I mean, doctor Krebs and the vegetable lady. I mean
Speaker 0:Oh, wait. Wait. Are we gonna go 1 at a time? Or are we are we back and forthing? Or are you just gonna give all your 5?
Speaker 1:0, okay. Well, I I just threw in you have your honorable mentions?
Speaker 0:I do. I do.
Speaker 1:Okay. Then okay. Throw in your honorable mentions, and then we'll we'll do the back and forth. I I didn't I thought you meant you wanted me to just puke them all out at once. So
Speaker 0:Well, let's why don't we save our honorable mentions for Ian and just do our, like, back
Speaker 1:and Well, I already did my honorable mentions. So
Speaker 0:Oh, was was Bonds
Speaker 1:an Yeah. Honorable
Speaker 0:Oh, I thought it actually made your top 5.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Because of the wedding dress and and Steele on the air because of doctor Krabs and
Speaker 0:Oh. Vegetable idea. I see. Okay. Okay. I thought those were actually part of your list. No. Okay. My bad. So my honorable mentions are much more numerous. That's That's okay. Coffee, tea, or Steele is 1 of my honorable mentions, because I I just love the Laura having to serve him the bit in the hotel room. Just the dead bodies. No, I want Yeah. Exactly. Steele blushing because of just the sheer comedy Oh. Laura's face when she sees the magazine. The whole you you know, you your picture appears in a porno, and I'm the pervert. Like, it's just yeah. Grappling Steele. I I love it. I think it's a really good episode. Hat pin Millie. The scene where Mildred interrupts them dancing in the living room. Just it's great. Steele Blue Yonder. I this is it's funny because prior to doing this podcast, this 1 might not have made my honorable mention, but I have a lot I more like it. Don't get me wrong. But like, it just became more I don't know, more touching and more like, I had a deeper understanding of of the character. And and even though it's not about Laura and Steele, it's just a really good story. So it goes in there. Beg, borrow, or Steele. I love them out of their element. I love Laura being hungry. I love the sleeping in the, you know, under the freeway in the porno movie theater. It's just misplacing her urn. Episode The is great. Forge Steele because that conversation after outside the jail cell is probably 1 of the most important moments for their relationship in the entire series. And I do have Steele searching parts 1 and 2. Because even though there is a tonal whiplash between the 2 episodes, the overall through line of Steele coming to the realization that he's happy to be Remington Steele and getting his passport, Lord Mildred finding out. That's all really good. It's just a really good way to start the season. So those are my honorable mentions. I could have put more in there. I realize now I didn't include suburban, and I wish I had. So
Speaker 1:Okay. So I'll do my number 5.
Speaker 0:Okay.
Speaker 1:And again, as other people have said, ask me 5 minutes and it'll change. Stay at your service. I mean, I I love It's
Speaker 0:a good 1. It's a good 1.
Speaker 1:I love the whole Clue
Speaker 0:Yes.
Speaker 1:Vibe to the thing. Yeah. I love Pierce as Gross. As Steele doing Ruggles. You know, it's
Speaker 0:just like He's so funny.
Speaker 1:It it's just And he his stiffness and and his haughtiness. Yeah. You know? They say that the people that have all servants and such that, you know, that they're they're arrogant and and such. Yeah. They people so often forget that the staff can be so Yeah. Dismissive and demeaning toward people they're working for.
Speaker 0:I
Speaker 1:agree. And he just personifies it so Calling
Speaker 0:Albert a Torb. That's great.
Speaker 1:But and then that that ending, you know, but wait.
Speaker 0:Yeah. We'll just say the butler did it. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's good. That's great.
Speaker 0:So my top 5, or sorry, my number 5, I should say, Still in the spotlight. I know this won't make a lot of other people's top fives, but something about this episode just really speaks to me. From the way the scenes transition through the episode, which I we noted when we were watching it. Mhmm. So the careful attention paid to dressing the set in the fifties, the incredible performance from Rosemarie. This episode is such a beautiful character piece. And while it's true that Laura and Seal's relationship isn't really at the forefront, there are some really beautiful moments between them. Like the gentle way he forgives her for her mistake in working with Windsor, and the way she automatically believes him when it really counts. Like, obviously up until, like, she sees how truly serious it is. She shifts immediately. Mhmm. The mystery of what happened to Billy Young is both incredibly interesting and tragic, and Steele's response to accidentally exposing her to the world that she tried so hard to avoid is extremely well acted. As his reaction to just finding Billy in the 1st place, that whole moment is so atmospheric, it just gives you chills. The entire episode just has this feel and atmosphere that I love, I can't really pinpoint 1 specific thing about it. It's just all of it put together makes it greater than the sum of its parts. So that's why it's my number 5.
Speaker 1:I will withhold comment.
Speaker 0:Okay.
Speaker 1:My number 4 is Steele blushing. I mean
Speaker 0:Okay.
Speaker 1:It it so so many great moments
Speaker 0:of Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, and like I mentioned before in our discussion, Laura's response to seeing her photo or what appears to be her photo in this magazine and
Speaker 0:she's That's just like
Speaker 1:so good. Yeah. And and steals, you appear in a foreigner magazine and I am the pervert. But, you
Speaker 0:know picture.
Speaker 1:My comment here is, I mean, what guy wouldn't want their wife or significant other to do sexy photos?
Speaker 0:I honestly, I can't think of a single human being who would be, no. These are terrible. Toss them away. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean you
Speaker 0:know yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, come on. Yeah.
Speaker 0:Yeah. I know the way he says boudoir photograph Gruffy. Alright. So my number 4 sorry. I was just thinking of that. My number 4, Santa Claus is Coming to Steele. And I sort of consider this 1 as a a sequel almost to Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Steele. As we see the return of Del Yeti as the trial approaches, Dancer showing up to scare Mildred. Again, there's an atmosphere to this episode. Mhmm. Steele and Laura, like, when he shows up to to scare Steele, Mildred, and Laura, it's so well done. Weaving those flashbacks in with their performances and their performances, which are so good. They all appear significantly frightened, but determined to put Dancer behind bars regardless of how dangerous that might be. The Secret Admirer storyline could easily have felt tacked on in this episode, which is already stuffed with several plot lines, but it gets woven in really seamlessly. And it's nice to see the show acknowledge that game playing hasn't really gotten them anywhere. Laura's Stalker is a plot that, like, simultaneously feels like it comes out of left field, but also, it doesn't. It doesn't feel like it's too much. And the fact his presence, it it it creates this dichotomy of 2 deeply disturbing men in different ways, which only adds to that feeling of apprehension and fear that kind of permeate the episode. And, yes, I found the tag of it disappointing, but the rest of this episode is so well done that I just Mhmm. It's it's gotta be in my list, so that's that's why it's there.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, and the thing is that her stalker Yeah. And that whole plot there with what's what's the character's name there? I can't
Speaker 0:remember.
Speaker 1:Wally. Wally. Yes.
Speaker 0:Wally. Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's it's so Creepy. As you said, it's so well woven in that it it's a fantastic misdirection.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Yeah. And then when it comes to the reveal, you're just like
Speaker 1:Yeah. Who saw that 1 coming?
Speaker 0:Yeah. It's really well done.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So, I mean, it is. It's it's those 2 elements even though I don't like this episode particularly, those 2 elements of of like a magician's trick. I've got you looking over here, but the trick's really going on over here.
Speaker 0:Yep.
Speaker 1:That that was just well done. I I don't Yeah. I'm not a big fan of that episode, but gotta admit, it was well constructed. Very well constructed.
Speaker 0:Alright. What's your number
Speaker 1:3? Sensitive Steele. Oh. Laura, I'm not your father. What can we say about this episode that hasn't already been said? I mean, it's just it's so emotional. And here's Laura who, for whatever reason, wants to actually take advantage of this opportunity they have. I'll put opportunity in quotes. She just still doesn't see opportunity, but she sees it as an opportunity to explore their relationship. And he's frustrated by it and, you know, I really think that that's the start
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Of their conflict in this, is that she's trying to take it seriously and he's and it's we're here to investigate a case. Is just the cover. You are you forgetting what we're just here to do? It's just and and then it builds up to this huge emotional release and it just the the argument and then the the the tenseness afterwards.
Speaker 0:Yeah. The tenseness just released.
Speaker 1:It's just it's a great episode.
Speaker 0:Yep. Agreed. It's not my number 3, though. My number 3 is Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Steele. It's on here. I'm sorry. I love a bottle episode, and I love a Twisted Christmas episode, and this is both. Like, like, 1 of the reasons and I know that for some people, the supporting characters were irritating. I love them. I absolutely adore them.
Speaker 1:Oh, I thought they were the best part of that.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Like, Egg Dog, Doctor. Scabbard, Alison Green, the drunk Santa that shows up. They are all so funny in their own way.
Speaker 1:Eggnog is hilarious.
Speaker 0:Pete, anything with Peter Jurisic, I am in. Right? And then the Santas themselves are funny. Like, the the 2 the, not Delghetti, but the other 2 are are funny. And then Delghetti as dancer is is menacing. He does such a great job at portraying a deeply violent and unpredictable villain who seems, again, genuinely menacing. Watching everyone deal with the pressure as they're held hostage, it's a slow burn and has some really great moments for Mildred as she takes on Dancer with the unloaded gun, as well as Steele when he saves Mildred Mildred's life. The conversation about the Christmas he remembers with Laura in his office is, like, it's emotional and poignant without being ploying or sappy. We can feel the longing in the story, as well as the sadness for a kid who never got to be a child. And then the reveal as to who Blitzen is, is personally, I find extremely amusing. Even though the tag is a bit cheesy, in my opinion, the rest of the episode makes up for it. I just love it. I know you're not a fan, but it's it's 1 of mine.
Speaker 1:Well, I I have to admit that his character as the kind of psychotic Santa.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's it could have been it it could have come off really, really bad.
Speaker 0:Campy.
Speaker 1:Fake, cheesy. Campy. Yeah. Campy. But he he he pulls it off well. I mean, he Yeah. He really does. It's the kind of thing where you know he's crazy, but he he's it's it's almost believable crazy. And and I think I I told the story of the the the guy I knew who who went off went off the deep end and that that's the kind of crazy that this guy is.
Speaker 0:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's you know that they're nuts, but it's frightening because You know their unpredictability.
Speaker 0:Yeah. And actually, not to just go completely randomly off topic, but you when you mentioned that story that you told me, this just happened in in my city. Okay? This is like, literally just happened 2 days ago. But there was a GoodLife Fitness, which is the gym chain that's like like the McDonald's of gym chains. It's everywhere in Canada. And just 2 days ago, a car drove through literally through the brick wall of a good life fitness, like, literally drove through it and injured several people. Like, they were trapped under the rubble under the car. A huge hole in the wall. There's pictures of it. And at 1st, people thought, okay, maybe the driver lost control. Maybe there was a medical incident. But somehow, the actual security footage of the camera outside the building got leaked and put on the Internet, which normally I don't watch, but I was just so, like, curious about how something like that happens. And you can actually watch the car drive up. It stops a ways away in the parking lot. It waits for a red car to pass, and then it guns it straight towards the wall. And there's now speculation that the person who was driving was trying to commit suicide and did not think that the car would actually go through the wall. So it's it's but like, talk about snapping in real life. Like, that just Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, you just sit there wondering what causes a person to get to that point. And Delghetti really sells it where he's gotten to this point where he's just like, you don't know what he's gonna do, but it's gonna be bad. So Yeah.
Speaker 1:And and you can see in the character that even though they they are clearly mentally off balance, that it's not it's not played over the top. It's played where you see this person and you understand they really believe that they are seen.
Speaker 0:Oh, yeah. Yeah. And that's, I think, where it gets even creepier. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And and the story Steele tells and Yes. I I stole it. Mean Yeah. Tagline of that story is just like, I stole it. Yeah. Or or no. I threw a brick through
Speaker 0:the wall. Threw a brick through the window ran my house.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I mean, it's just
Speaker 0:It's such a great, like, it's because, again, it could have crossed the line into, like, overly sappy. Mhmm. But that that moment, of course, and it it's logical. A kid his age throwing a Mhmm. Throwing a brick through the window because he's so full of, like, longing, but also anger and jealousy and all the other emotions that he must have been feeling. It breaks that tension. It gives us a laugh. It allows Laura to say her line about the flexible flyer. It's just such a perfect way to do that particular revelation without it coming across as like, a very special sweet Christmas episode. So Mhmm. Yeah. I Yeah.
Speaker 1:Enjoy it. Yeah.
Speaker 0:You're number 2, sir.
Speaker 1:Steele in the spotlight.
Speaker 0:Yay.
Speaker 1:If if for no other reason than Rosemarie. I mean, I love Rosemarie.
Speaker 0:1 other person had this on their list. I'm so happy.
Speaker 1:It's it's it's a great episode. She does a fantastic job.
Speaker 0:She's so good. She's so good.
Speaker 1:You know, I just Yeah. She's just an amazing talent. Yeah. And this episode shows it off so well. And
Speaker 0:wish they hadn't cut her song.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Me too. But maybe 1 of these days, somebody will find the footage of it and release it. But it's it's just a a all all the things you said, you know, her Yeah. Her disillusionment at Hollywood and in Hollywood, her trying to run away from it, forget and Steele, dragging it right back out Yeah. Into the open and bringing her back out into the open and
Speaker 0:And his self loathing when he realizes what he's done is Mhmm. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And her her character of just being the attitude of her character being, you know, people would have loved to have been in my position and gone for the Hollywood spotlight and the fame and the fortune, and I'm happy where I'm at, having none of that.
Speaker 0:And kind of what we were talking about with Stephanie too
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 0:With how she could have chased that big fame, and instead, ended up doing what felt right to her in terms of theater and and television and stuff.
Speaker 1:So Yeah. And we you've got a comment that says, yes, your podcast episode on this 1 made me appreciate it more. Loved how they used the actual old footage of her. Yeah. I mean, that's that's Yeah. It's great when when they can take something like that and weave it in. She was such a talent for such a young age. It made me do a deep dive on her. Yeah.
Speaker 0:And I I I'm planning to watch that YouTube documentary because
Speaker 1:Wait for your laugh. Yes.
Speaker 0:Yeah. I it keeps it's in the back of my head that I wanna watch it and I just keep forgetting, but I'm definitely gonna be
Speaker 1:It's an amazing I mean, it's the kind of story that if you made a movie of it, nobody would believe you.
Speaker 0:Nobody would believe you. Yeah. I
Speaker 1:mean, really. So yeah. I guess my number 2.
Speaker 0:My number 2 and and honestly, I was tempted to put Steele in the spotlight higher up on the list. Mhmm. And if you ask me tomorrow, might. But my number 2 is premium Steele. We've got, I think, a really good mystery that also has a really good emotional b plot. We get Lester Shane, who appears to be dead, but also very much alive. Mildred rounding up the dead suspects, which is hilarious. Yes. Steele flirting with the woman who wrote his obituary are all like, that's also extremely funny. And then him desperately trying to get his VCR working. So some really funny moments, but then we get Monroe. Mhmm. A former friend of Steele's fan favorite for a number of reasons. He's handsome. He's charming. We get the impression that 2 of them got into a lot of really interesting adventures together. And then we get this turn that this case takes, this really dark turn when 1 of his employees, this 18 year old kid who is killed working the locked Steel's apartment. And the conversation with Monroe is so well done. It's got gravitas. It's got depth. We're able to feel how serious the case has become. We are able to feel his, like, all of his fears. Again, this is 1 of those things where he confesses his fears to somebody other than Laura, but Mhmm. That we are not always in control. We don't always hold the cards. We can't always protect the people we care about. This bond feels real between him and Monroe. Like, this guy is we we get barely anything in terms of backstory to him, but just the chemistry that he has with the actor gives us this feeling of like, yeah, these people have known each other. They've been through some stuff. And then, Steele turning up at Laura's Loft, as well as later in the hotel room, some of their best and most intimate moments are what like I said before, are when sex is completely off the table. Mhmm. And this is no exception. Her thank you for being here, for being you, is, as others have said, her version of I love you. It is the the most emotional thing she's ever said to him in terms of, like, confessing how she feels. And it's, I think, the most meaningful too because anybody can say I love you, but for her to thank him for being him, the thing that she's sort of been suspicious of the whole time is just gorgeous. Then the tag at the end Go ahead.
Speaker 1:I just as you said that, something just struck me because she's thanking him for being him. And I think the general presumption is that she thanks him for being the con man, the
Speaker 0:No. I never do.
Speaker 1:That he has been. But and that that could be part of it. I think it's also just for him being Remington Steele. And and I don't I don't Yeah.
Speaker 0:No. I know what you mean.
Speaker 1:Mean that just by the title, but just mean the character that he is as Remington Steele Yes. How he is fitting the suit that she had created.
Speaker 0:Now I'm wishing I wore the shirt.
Speaker 1:You know, she created this suit and and all of a sudden, back in season 1, here's this guy wearing the suit and it doesn't fit at all.
Speaker 0:No. No. It's too big. But now
Speaker 1:now all of a sudden, something has happened and the suit fits perfectly. Yeah. And he is the Remington Steele that she envisioned. Yep. And it couldn't have been anybody else. Even, you know, if somebody else had stepped in and done the same thing, it wouldn't have fit the same way.
Speaker 0:No. I agree
Speaker 1:with you. It's
Speaker 0:Yeah. And then the tag, as other people have said, this is might be 1 of my favorite tags, not just because they look so good on that balcony, but like, this moment where she's contemplating what happened to her friend and saying, I don't know what I would do if I lost everything. And then his, like, quiet assurance that she would go on because that's, like, that's who she is and that he knows that's who she is. It's it's sort of like a similar understanding of how well they know each other. She says, thank you for being you. And he says, like, no, you'd go on because that's who you are. And it's just beautiful, this whole episode. I love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah. My number 1 Number
Speaker 0:1. Is still
Speaker 1:Blue Yonder.
Speaker 0:I knew it. I knew it. I called it. I had it in my head. I'm like, it's gonna be still Blue Yonder. I know it is.
Speaker 1:I I mean, I I I the whole World War II aspect of it, I I love that. And even though it's really just the stage on which Yep. The story is played out, It's it's respectful of of the the men who actually were in the in the real Flying Tigers. It's respectful of that whole thing. It's also honest about the fact that there were people out there who were not good people and Yeah. They were on our side.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Opportunists. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And it's a great character story and I realized that 1 of the criticisms a lot of people had for this is that it's not a Laura and Remington character story. Yeah. Although, they certainly play significant parts in it. But just like Steele in the Spotlight, it's a great guest star character story that is both of those, the the guest star, the guest character is the the treatment of them, the writing of those characters in these 2 episodes are far beyond, I think, any other guest character that we've had in the show. Yeah.
Speaker 0:I mean, really
Speaker 1:Daniel Daniel Chalmers is a great character. He gets a lot of a lot of good scenes. But Yeah. He doesn't have the scenes that are so deeply emotional. Yeah. And they're earned emotional scenes. They're they're not they're not created, you know, by Yeah. Yeah. A bunch of false fake faked, you know, emotion setup. It's they're they're earned and they're just Yeah. Both of those are just fantastic episodes. The the portrayal of those by the actors that that did those, Rosemarie and I didn't think check the guy's name.
Speaker 0:I'm honestly glad that they couldn't get Jimmy Stewart for that role because I feel I think he would have overshadowed the part. And I think Yes. That the actor that they did get, Andrew something, I think his name was Mhmm. Was just so human in his portrayal of it. And his the the the the fraught relationship between him and Duncan Harlow, the acknowledgment that he saved his life, that there was once a man that he could count on literally in life and death, and that now and that, you know, the tribute that he says to him at the end where he's like, we're not coming like, here to just all of that feels it's like chills up your spine because it's such a good story, And it's just so deeply deeply felt between these 2 characters. Like, you can feel the history with these people even though we've never met them in in in the show, I mean. And and like, just how much Laura and Steele care about him and how they they try so hard to help him and and just yeah. I it's not my number 1, but I totally see how it could be somebody's number 1 because it is such a good story. It's why I'm it's and, like, if only my top 5 could have more episodes than 5 because it would have been in my I'm like, it's in my honorable mentions for that reason, but it's like, oh, this is a good story.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 0:My number 1
Speaker 1:Yes. Your number 1 is Bonds of Steele.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Right. No. It's Steele spawning, of course.
Speaker 1:Oh, of course. Yes. Absolutely. You just love what's his name?
Speaker 0:Give me all the Bing. I want more Bing. All Bing all the time. He should have a spin off. I can't say that with a straight face. No. It is sensitive Steele. This is easily the episode I've watched the most in this season, possibly in the entire series. It's kind of a toss-up between this 1 or Red Hole Steele, if I had to pick my 1 overall favorite episode of the entire series. This episode has everything. It is a perfect balance of a really interesting mystery, a supporting cast of quirky and zany suspects, deep emotional and resonant core to the episode. The mystery isn't that different from 2nd base Steele, as Steele even points out at the beginning, but it doesn't really matter because it's a good way to get them out of their element, force them to look at their relationship under a microscope. I know somebody else said they don't know why Laura's so gung ho to, like, go along with the silly self help stuff. I think it's just because she she's using it because she thinks, hey. We can we can talk. Mhmm. It's so hard to get him to talk. The theme of self help gurus and culty retreats is even more entertaining given Steele's reluctance and Laura's eagerness to get down to the nitty gritty. The supporting I love the support. Neil Brimsley and Arthur Henderson's rivalry, Ursula, the queen of touching and feeling, and my personal favorite, possibly my spirit animal, Maxine, the screamer, the queen of primal shriek. I just Swatter. Swatter. Swatter. She's got the whole bunch of other people pointed this out. The wardrobe in this episode because they are so it's it's funny because they're they're intimately linked via their wardrobe. And then, this is the episode where they become the most disjointed, the most fractured. So it's really interesting to watch them visually link them so intimately with the way they're dressed at the beginning in the pink with him in the pink tie and her in the pink stripes and then throughout the entire episode. But how just they yeah. The scene with the Patakas, as we discussed in the episode, is probably the most raw and honest they've ever been Mhmm. With each other. Performances are fantastic. The follow-up from the fight is really well done. They don't just bounce back. Things are awkward. They're difficult. They're wounded. They're unsure of themselves. They have they both have their deepest fears and insecurities laid bare and the tag scene is probably the best tag scene in the series. It's the only time I'm not annoyed at the writers for dangling progress and snatching it away because it makes sense that they're still tentative. They're still unsure. They want to meet each other in the middle, but they're they're afraid of where that leads. They look gorgeous. That like, the whole beach sequence, the her
Speaker 1:But they did make progress. That's the
Speaker 0:They thing did. Is
Speaker 1:Yeah. That they made progress. It's it's not the kind of progress people were looking for.
Speaker 0:Yeah. That's, I guess, what I was trying to say. Like, people wanted the big declaration, but I think it makes it doesn't make sense to have the big declaration. There's that would be too easy. It's too easy to say, yes, I love you. Yes, oh, we're happily ever after. That's not how people work. Like, this feels real in the sense that he's giving a little bit. He's giving what he can, and she's accepting that and saying, okay, I get it now. I understand that this is hard for you, and I'm gonna take whatever it is you can give me right now because that's us moving forward. His sweater, speaking of sweaters, I love that sweater. His sweater's amazing. Her jacket with patches
Speaker 1:vaccine sweater.
Speaker 0:I know. I know you were talking about vaccines. She also has a fantastic sweater, but, like, his sweater, the windswept look to their hair Mhmm. The way that Laura's hair is actually frizzy. Yes. How often do do like, They never do would they would
Speaker 1:would not allow that anymore.
Speaker 0:Like, it it makes me think as well of the reboot of Doctor Who, the 1st, season with Billy Piper and Christopher Eccleston. There are a number of sequences where and in the 2nd season with David Tennant, where she cries, and they don't have her wearing waterproof mascara, and her face is covered in mascara, and she's an ugly crier, and it's like, I love this. I love this because this is real and messy. Mhmm. So, love how Laura just looks normal. She looks like she's walking along the beach and her hair is a little frizzy because there's a lot of like moisture in the air and it feels like this the atmosphere you can feel like it's salty. It's I just love it. The whole tag scene is great. The way they hug, the way he kind of like holds her so tightly. It's just it's a beautiful this whole episode is beautiful and Yeah. I just yeah. That's my number 1.
Speaker 1:Yeah. It's a great episode.
Speaker 0:Yeah. So. That's it. We are we are down to the the end of our, season 4 coverage anyway. So we are definitely going into season 5 with this will be it'll be something.
Speaker 1:It'll be something.
Speaker 0:It'll be something.
Speaker 1:It'll I
Speaker 0:don't know what, but it'll be something. Anything else that we wanna say that we haven't already said No. Or have we Yeah. Think we've
Speaker 1:pretty much covered dead horse to death.
Speaker 0:A big thank you, though, to that 1st email because that allowed us to kinda touch on all of the aspects of season 4 that make it different from season 3. I know it's not everybody's favorite season. I I'm actually surprised. I didn't know that before doing this podcast, but it was it's definitely, I think, my favorite season. So Yeah.
Speaker 1:The things you learn on podcasts.
Speaker 0:Indeed. But, on the website, we have www.steelwatching.com, show notes. There's no real we don't have any links to Amazon because there's not really, aside from movies that we've mentioned, as we've talked about it, there's no Mhmm. Episode movies to link. Yes. But there's also social media resources and links such as?
Speaker 1:The official Steele watching Facebook page, the official Twitter, Instagram pages, links to all of those from there. You can link to the Steele Watchers fan group, which is an official Remington Steele fans fan group. Not our group, we are there and we participate and it's a a good time is guaranteed for all.
Speaker 0:Or your money back. And since it's free, that you you don't have to
Speaker 1:This probably is 1 of the few things that's actually worth more than what you pay
Speaker 0:for. Exactly.
Speaker 1:And and then, of course, also on the website, you you can let your friends subscribe in their favorite podcast player, so they can go back and listen to all the episodes that they've missed.
Speaker 0:Yeah. And a couple of comments just really quick. Somebody said, thanks for letting us share our top fives. This was fun. And someone else said, bracing for Impact on season 5. So
Speaker 1:Brace. Brace. Brace.
Speaker 0:And and in that note, our next episode will be the Steele that wouldn't die.
Speaker 1:Part 1.
Speaker 0:Part 1. Yeah. So we're off to Mexico.
Speaker 1:Yes. Obviously, these guys' legal problems cleared up.
Speaker 0:Yeah. Or as I like to call it, romancing the stone. Romancing the Steele?
Speaker 1:Yes. Yeah. Know, that's 1
Speaker 0:of the 1
Speaker 1:of the issues, but we'll get into it. Sorry. And
Speaker 0:on that note, thank you everybody for listening and bye bye.
Speaker 1:Bye bye.
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