"White Hat's Back On"
I'm not typically a Scandal blogger but I had to address somethings about last night's episode. I don't know whether I'm shocked, worn out or just plain stuck in that mouth wide open mode. Scandal is constantly pushing it's audience to the brink of anxiety attacks and last night episode was no different. So, hold on to your SPOILER ALERTS! If you haven't watched the episode, do not read below. This is pretty much a scene by scene review…
Here we go!
What we know:
Billy Chambers is the mole, alongside of David Rosen (SNAKE!).
We start off in the basement in the White House with the meeting of the 5 (Olivia, Cyrus, Mellie and Hollis). Obviously missing Verna as she is currently dead and that's thanks in part to our beloved curl, President Fitzgerald Grant. However, this issue, Defiance, OH. needs to be resolved and thus the meeting. I love that Hollis is eating while everyone else is fighting in this scene. I don't think that there is anything really that can shake up Hollis Doyle, not his daughter being kidnapped, not rigging an election, the man is a statue. Right in the mist of the fighting between BFF's (yeah, right) Cyrus Beene and First Lady, Mellie Grant, she stands to walk out of the room…
Enter Fitz and his oh so forceful, "Sit down, Mellie."
They are discussing Defiance and getting rid of Billy Chambers. Ofcourse, Hollis wants him dead, Fitz decides that they just need the Cytron card… No more blood.
There's a look between Fitz and Liv that Mellie sees and looks utterly defeated, knowing that he no longer chooses her over Liv… That's strike one.
Fitz decides that their mission is to get the Cytron card back. That's the only way to save themselves.
Everyone leaves, (but of course there needs to be a quick Olitz fix for those of us that live for them in this show) Liv and Fitz are left behind.
Fitz tells Liv that he's divorcing Mellie, marrying her and making her First Lady.
Liv so eloquently tells him, basically he's delusional and that she's willing to wait another 4 years because she wants him to be president. He deserves to be president. Fitz isn't dumb but he realizes that it'll be difficult and he makes it her job to fix it and I quote, "Use your super powers".
And then Fitz shows her HIS super power. Super sex power! Olivia, you lucky bitch.
Once again, Rowan and Jake talking on the Lincoln memorial.
Rowan wants Jake to bring Olivia "in". Jake doesn't want to bring in Liv, mostly because he knows she'll never come out. After the conversation ends, Rowan leaves and so does the woman that Jake hired to serve Charlie at the bakery….Hmmm, mental rolodex, check!
Then James finds out that the prez and the First Lady are seeking counseling from a pastor about their "infidelity issues" (total lie BTW) and tells Cyrus that rumor has it Sally Langston is planning on running for office given that the president cant seem to keep his business in his pants. Cyrus then goes, well, Cyrus on Sally Langston.
He compares Sally to the White House dog. She's only supposed to do two things, be loyal and don't die. I LOVE CYRUS!!!
Back at OPA we see the gladiators and the snake, David Rosen. Olivia figures out that Billy Chambers is using Governor Reston to out Fitz on Defiance. There goes Olivia and her gut.
There's a really quick and poignant scene between Huck and Liv. Huck's worried about Quinn and her becoming him, which is an issue. But even more importantly, he's worried about Liv. And we see continued doubt in Liv's plan to be with the president when she says, "I'm worried about me, too."
Isn't that the way with dealing with a married man. You're constantly on the hope that the "I'm leaving her for you" will finally come true. But Olivia isn't stupid or naive... and that feeling isn't going away.
Back to the mole, Dave then calls Billy and lets him know that he's been found out... Dammit David... traitor, buttface, etc.
Cyrus meets with Rowan and is told to worry about his boss because Rowan is handling Olivia Pope... Cyrus is concerned because as we and he know, this guy is a killer, plain and simple, he's not warm and feeley. And regardless of how much Cyrus really love/hates Olivia sometimes, he doesn't want to see her hurt or killed.
Liv then calls Cyrus and lets him know about Reston. Well look at that, right at the same time that Reston is meeting with the President to black mail him into the vice presidency... Nice.
Oh yeah, then Cyrus has a heart attack. And continues to work on the phone......in the ambulance. Then wants secret service to shoot the EMT for taking his phone away while their trying to take his blood pressure. Again, LOVE CYRUS!
There's a very telling conversation that we flash to with David Rosen and Billy Chambers. Billy starts to confess about every single murder that he is responsible for. You know how the villain monologues about everything they did before the super hero claims victory by taking down said supervillian... But this isn't the good guy he's confessing to, it's David, who then hands over the Cytron card when Billy convinces him that Liv and her "Band of Thugs" isn't worth it. Son of a bitch!
Back in Cyrus' hospital, Olivia tells Fitz and Cy that Billy Chambers has the card, not Reston. Liv sets up Reston, OPA does their thing, catches Reston calling Billy for the Cytron card, yada, yada yada...
Mellie sees a news story about the President is seeking spiritual advice on his marriage, praying for guidance, so and so forth. However, is then hit with the approval ratings for the prez going up while hers are going down because of her decision to air dirty laundry... Oh boy. Strike two.
Mellie rushes to the hospital to see her pretend BFF, Cyrus. I love that when Fitz asks why Mellie is there, she begins with the word "officially". Not because he's sick, because he's her friend, offically, meaning for the press... What a bitch.
Then, Shonda Rhymes the brillant and wonderful writer who both annoys and captivates us, throws Tony Goldwyn into a 2 page monologue and It's amazing. Of course its not Fitz' words, it's Liv's. Her plan to get them together... It's perfect, it'll work... And Mellie knows it. Strike three, you are outta there, Ms. Mellie.
Back at Olivia's apartment, late night phone call between Liv and Fitz. The love grows...Until her door starts to get picked, she hurries to lock it and then is grabbed from behind by, you guessed it, Jake. Door opens, the girl from the bakery comes in with a gun and tries to kill Liv, but ofcourse, Jake kills her first.
Huck and baby Huck (aka Quinn) are sitting waiting for Billy Chambers to return, as usual, Quinn is anxious and Huck needs her to calm down.
Billy enters, runs, Huck chases. Not a good sign for Billy.
Jake brings Olivia back to OPA and feeds her some scotch or some sort of brown liquor and tells her that she needs to stay at the office... Jakes lets her know that he is a part of B613 and that she's in danger because she's in a relationship with the president. Liv then realizes that he's protecting her which is putting him in danger.
Finally, we find out that Jake is actually a good guy. Liv kisses him goodbye...
"Be safe".
Cyrus sneaks out of the hospital to see Olivia because he was worried about her (See! She's still his friend!). She says something I didn't catch until the 2nd time I watched the show. She asks Cy if he's ever heard of B613... He tells her there are things that he's not at liberty to say, and she says, "It doesn't matter, I know who it was, it's not going to keep us from being together."
Even when she's telling Cyrus that she loves Fitz and that they will be together, it sounds more like she's trying to convince herself rather than Cyrus.
Cyrus goes on a firing squad type speech when he tells Olivia that he's tired of the Romeo and Juliet star crossed lovers crap that the both of them have completely bought into. He's done with the teenage dream type attitude that they so blissfully have been fooling theirselves with (MFEO, Made For Each Other type shit). He then drops the Verna bomb.
Fitz killed Verna...With his own two hands in cold blood. "That's the man you love..."
Then he says something that I think makes Olivia come to her final conclusion... "This is not a romance novel. Life is not a romance novel."
And although I know that Olivia knew that, it made Olivia wake up... Admit what we all know to be true. Fitz and Olivia can't be together, normally, happily. Not now anyway.
In the classic Shondaland fashion, we split two stories that are happening all at the same time. First, Huck is about to reek havoc on Billy Chambers' body with a powerdrill to find out where the Cytron card is, Cyrus has gone balls to the wall and goes to talk with the president. He wants to play a DVD for him and calls it reality TV... Oh shit.
Back to Huck and Billy. Huck freaks out and can't perform what's needed because of anxiety, but never fear, Baby Huck takes the reigns and starts to drill into Billy's leg, smiling and yelling, "Where's the damn Cytron card, Billy." She stops and smuggly smiles, "I'm not going to ask you twice."
I believe we have created a monster...
Cut back to this heart wrenching look on Fitz' face and we then realize what Cyrus is showing him... The tape of Liv and Jake having sex in his apartment. Shit, SHIT!!!! I love Cyrus but that's cold as hell.
Quinn calls Abby and tells her where the Cytron card is. She find it and begins to encrypt it, but there's nothing on it, it's a fake. Wait, what!?
Abby figures out that David is the one who took the card and begins to look through David things. She finds that he's been trying to steal the card since he's been hiding out at OPA. Mutherf*&ker!
But, wait…
David meets with Cyrus to give him the card and gives a box to Olivia with a digital recording of that same telling conversation between David and Billy Chambers. Evidence to convict Billy of the whole pile of crap he's done and a beautiful white hat....
Turns out, he was wearing a wire the whole time. So look at that, David is actually a good guy and we all owe Josh Malina an apology for being so mean to him on Twitter. Say it with me, Sorry, Josh!
Huck and Quinn return with Quinn gitty as hell for just torturing someone and Huck is broken, so he returns to his 7:52 corner... When will he ever be able to be normal again. And we all want to hug and go sit with him. Poor Huck.
President Grant calls a press conference to appoint David Rosen US Attorney for the District of Columbia... Yay David! He even hires back his awesome assistant, Alyssa. :)
Here's where things get, well, I don't even really know how to feel about it.
Liv goes to see Fitz in the Oval Office. The first thing he says to her is "You and Jake." Not mad, just letting her know that he knows. But then Olivia lets HIM know, she knows about Verna. He looks like he's going to collapse. He still wants to start over, start fresh, that he loves her, Jake doesn't matter. But he understands that murder is a little different then sleeping with someone else.
Olivia then realizes what we've all known the whole time, they can't be together. Not if he wants to get re-elected, not if OPA wants to survive, not if it means that Huck, Quinn, Abby and Harrison have to flap in the wind because of it. Her whole life is defined and protected by her gladiators and I think she realizes that leaving them even to be First Lady and being with the man she loves, is wrong. They've killed and lied for her, they've been loyal to her, and she knows that she needs to return that loyality. For this scene, as much as it kills me to see them NOT be together, I agree with it, 100%.
But then...
We hear Stevie Wonders Higher Ground start to play and a montage of things begin to happen.
Fitz slowly walks into Mellie's room while she is sitting on the couch. He kneals down almost defeated and lays his head in Mellie's lap...
Okay, we have to stop here for a second.
What............THE fuck is that?!
First, why the hell is he crawling back to her? What in the last 2 seasons of him telling her that they don't fit, they were set up to be together, this isn't a marriage, he wants a divorce, he loves Olivia, etc, etc. would warrant him to come back to her!?
And even worse....
What the hell is she doing taking his ass back!? I understand she's the First Lady, thats what she's wanted to be this whole time and without Fitz it's not possible, but really!? This man has cheated on you, told you that he was divorcing you I don't know how many times, he's NOT in love with you... But you rub his head and smile like he only stole a cookie without asking!? I dont really care what anyone says, she doesn't love him anymore than he loves her, but it's the power of the win. When another woman wants your man and you can look at that woman and say,
"Ha! See, it's ME he can't do without." UGH! So completely annoyed with this scene.
I would of accepted him coming to Mellie, sitting next to her and taking her hand. Something like that to signify that they will run, together, but falling down and submitting to her. Wow... Not what Fitz that we know and love would of done at all...
Moving on...
Olivia seems happy in her decision, yes she loves Fitz, yes he loves her too, but it's time for her to do the right thing and I can honestly say, she has done the right thing. As much as I love Olitz, it's time to be adults and do what's best for everyone and not just for you. If they are meant, it'll happen, and believe me, it'll happen, but now is not the time.
So she's getting ready for what I believe is a run, while watching her walk out of her building, we see Cyrus smashing the Cytron card, with Lincoln's head BTW (Thank God, THAT'S over). Then Jake, oh poor Jake, I actually feel sorry for the guy. He's thrown into that same hole that Huck had to endure for all those months. Which leads me to believe that Jake will be back next season, but in what shape... Oh boy.
And then the big finish, Olivia walks out of her building to find a slew of reporters asking whether or not she's the president's mistress, holy shit! She tries to get back into the building but is forced into a limo by some men in suits. When in the limo, Rowan is there waiting.
"Hello, Olivia."
To which she replies, "Dad?"
Mind
BLOWN!!!!!!
That's her dad!? The leader of B613, the man that is the Don of mercenaries is her father? Holy hell! So does she know that he's the head of B613? Think back to that conversation she has with Cyrus saying that she knows whose doing this, but she doesn't care, she and Fitz are going to be together.
I can't even begin to understand what's going to happen in season 3 with all of this. I still believe that Harrison's story will come out and it will be reveal that he is infact Olivia's brother, nephew, something. He's the only back story we haven't heard, and this is why.
Oh joy!
So Gladiators, I hope (other than that whole lap laying part) that you enjoyed the finale of Scandal. Big standing ovation for the whole cast and crew! The writers for blowing our minds over and over again... Can't wait for September!
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