Episode sixteen of ABC's Scandal did the title some justice. Stir in some Fifty Shades of Grey with some interesting storyline developments and you have an hour which I enjoyed for the most part.
Provocatively titled "It’s Good to Be Kink", Matt Byrne wrote the episode directed by Paul McCrane. Lena Dunham was the headline guest star, playing Suzanne Thomas.
The hour kicked off with a quarrel between Abby and current boyfriend Leo Bergen. This was a typical Abby style scene, where the actual subject matter remained unclear for some time. It was the start of a terrific night for Darby Stanchfield, an actor who is at her best when playing someone who is either very angry or bordering on insane.
Said subject was to become clear shortly after, with Abby seeking her former employer's help in halting the release of a raunchy Fifty Shades of Grey style book written by Suzanne Thomas on her dealings with several elite Washington officials. Abby was intimately familiar with two of those men - one being Leo, and the other being David Rosen. Realizing she was sitting on a jackpot, Suzanne sought a tidy $3 million from her conquests in exchange for her silence. David wasn't having a bar of it given its illegality, though Leo was all in with the plan.
The first half of the episode was pretty upbeat, bouncy, and funnier than normal. I was enjoying watching things unfold, but then things took a turn, not necessarily for the worse, but it threw me off somewhat.
This was largely to do with Huck, who spent most of the episode obsessed with obtaining immunity from David for his actions under B613. Initially, David wasn't keen on the idea given the processes yet to occur, but Huck got his way eventually.
Though this was a natural storyline progression following the events of last week's episode, Huck felt completely out of place among the other characters. Huck's storyline clashed heavily with the procedural storyline simultaneously occurring, and it became quite irritating to watch as the hour reached its end. Then there was the unfortunate incident where Huck slashed the throat of Suzanne Thomas, which will surely go down as one of the most abrupt and unexpected killings on television this season.
With that off my chest, another ongoing storyline that tied in much more smoothly was Olivia's continued recovery. With Jake out of the picture for now, Olivia hit the town and landed a man for the night, though it took her two goes thanks to a PTSD related flashback which was beautifully executed. As reported back to Fitz, plenty of wine is being consumed, and the gun is still present.
Much of the talk around the web in recent weeks has centered around Mellie's intention to run for office. Finally, this was made official in last night's hour, with Mellie announcing she would be running for Senator in Virginia. Baby steps at first I suppose, but it wouldn't surprise me if we see another significant time jump at some point either this season or the next to push things a long more quickly without compromising on legitimacy.
Mellie also settled on a campaign manager in this episode. After Abby denied access to Leo, Elizabeth North returned to persuade Mellie to give her the job. I'm on the fence on this having not been a huge fan of the character or Portia de Rossi's work, but I'll keep an open mind in case I decide to change it. One could expect the creative team has a series regular role in the back of their minds for de Rossi.
Times are changing for Abby too. In a brilliant scene with Leo at the midpoint of the hour, Abby decided to resign from her role as press secretary, citing the pressures of the job and the potential ramifications of the book being released. Abby unloaded big time about the judgement she faces in her role, with her gender clearly an aggravating factor. Though the book was never made public, and Abby didn't have to resign, the mere mention of it along with detailed reasons leads me to believe Abby won't be in the role for much longer.
Lastly, it was great seeing Charlie back for a brief appearance. Smart use of the character, with some dark humor to boot. It was a nice cherry on top for an episode which was pretty good for the most part even though Huck's storyline ground my gears.
Thanks as always for reading! Don't forget to share your thoughts and theories in the comments below. Scandal's ratings are available on my TV ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/scandal.
