Wild card: a person or thing whose influence is unpredictable or whose qualities are uncertain; a person who may act in an unexpected manner; an unknown or unpredictable factor.
If ever there was a Scandal episode that you wished to use in your practice of armchair psychoanalysis, “Wild Card” would be it. This episode had my jaw on the floor more than once. So much happened in it that I was left excited to see what’s going to pop off in the next episode. You’ll see why in a minute.
As I did with the last recap/review, I broke this episode down into its respective storylines. There was overlap in some areas, and when that happened, I placed the overlapping scenes in the subcategory that I thought it fit best with. Hopefully it all makes sense to you as you go along.
The Irrational, Real and Unbelievable Olivia Pope
In the first scene that we see of Olivia, she is sitting with Rowan by the Marine Corps War Memorial, their favorite meetup spot. Rowan is tickled by the title of Mellie’s book, which he has in his hands. “Lady in Waiting: My Story, My Turn,” he reads. He compliments Olivia on the book’s title and then follows this up by lauding her for (1) taking Mellie on as a client and (2) doing so despite their “complicated history.” Olivia isn’t allowing her personal relationship with Mellie affect their professional one. Rowan is clearly proud of how Olivia swooped in and snatched an opportunity that would gain her some power. He laughs maniacally and Olivia beams from the compliments she is receiving from the one man whose approval remains ever important to her.
Rowan then shifts the conversation by saying that he has a request related to Jake. Before he gets to the actual request, he starts off by saying to his daughter that Jake isn’t built like the two of them. He’s a guy who is up for a fight, but doesn’t live for it. Unlike himself and Olivia, chaos does not stoke Jake’s fire. He continues by saying that Jake was practically like an orphan when he pulled him into his dark embrace, and what do orphans crave more than anything? “The things that they were denied: family, stability. The normal life,” Rowan says.
Sooo….Rowan’s basically describing Olivia? I’m sure the irony of what he was saying to his child was lost on him.
Olivia responds to him by saying that Jake as head of the NSA isn’t him being normal, and Rowan tells her that he’s not talking about the warrior, but the man. He then spills that Jake has been seeing someone that Jake likes. Olivia kinda shrugs at this reveal and says, “It’s not like we’re a couple.”
Pause. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that Rowan has been aware of Olivia and Jake knocking boots, and by Olivia’s response, one can conclude that she knew that he knew. To add an extra ick factor in all of this, Rowan knew of this woman that Jake was seeing and also knew that his daughter was sexing it up with Jake, but didn’t think to make mention of this girlfriend to Olivia until now. Why? What moves him to speak up now when he’s long since had this information?
In response to Rowan’s statement, Olivia tells her father that Jake is an adult and is thus capable of making his own decisions. You see, Rowan is trying to get Olivia to let Jake go. Remember, Jake isn’t like them. He isn’t built for chaos.
Olivia gives Rowan a look of warning and Rowan acknowledges her meaning, admitting that he has overstepped. He stands up from where he is sitting and says to her that he only wants what’s best for his both of his “kids.” His kids, y’all.
Before he departs, he returns back to their earlier subject of Mellie and says to Olivia that he is proud of her because she is now “drinking from the chalice.” In other words, she has tapped into power via Mellie. (The chalice is a religious reference where one drinks the symbolic blood of Christ in order to bring Him into the body of the imbiber and sustain them eternally, give them everlasting life.)
Next we see Olivia emerging from her bedroom with Jake following. This is Sunday morning. (It was initially unclear as to what day it was, but a later scene between Olivia and Rowan establishes the day.) Olivia is dressed casually in an outfit that is mostly black but which includes some bits of color. She’s asking Jake if he’ll be busy later that evening and he says to her that barring acts of war, he should be free. He opens the door to exit and finds Huck standing there. Oh, my damn. They’ve been BUSTED.
Jake draws back at Huck’s unexpected presence and remarks about how creepy Huck is. (It takes one creep to know other, Jake.) He makes his way out of the door and towards the elevator. When Olivia asks Huck what he’s doing at her apartment, he tells her that they need to talk and asks if he could come in.
Upon entrance into her space, Huck fires some questions off at her. He wants to know what she has found on Jake and Rowan. He tells her that he wants to believe that this business she has going on with Jake is her collecting intel because if she were doing otherwise, it would basically mean that she was “sleeping with the enemy.” The Olivia Pope that he knows would never do that.
Olivia’s response to her puppy is as perplexing to him as it is to me. She says that Jake and Rowan aren’t up to anything, and Huck asks her to repeat her statement so that she can hear how stupid it sounds. Welp.
Huck reminds her that Jake is living with Rowan now, so that means that Jake is back under Command’s control. He also killed someone on Rowan’s orders, which then presented the opportunity for Jake to become head of the NSA. Huck asks Olivia if she really believes that her father has nothing else up his sleeve, if she believes that the NSA was the last stop for him.
When Olivia maintains her stance that there isn’t anything going on and so no intel to collect, you see Huck’s face fall in disappointment at her denial. He tells her that she knows where to find him when she finally decides to “snap back to reality” and accept that there is more going on that meets the eye.
This scene reminded me so much of the one between her and Jake from season 3 (“Hello to My Little Friend, episode 304) where Jake was asking her why she’s pretending like she doesn’t understand the evil that her father does. Olivia was basically kicking him out of her space while he wanted to stay and protect her, an offer that Olivia declined because Fitz had people watching her. At the time, Fitz had no idea who he was protecting Olivia from, so his provisions for her safety were inadequate. Jake tried to make her understand that Rowan would indeed hurt her. He was perplexed by her denial and her suddenly acting as if she was “daddy’s little girl.”
Sound familiar? Jake was as frustrated with Olivia then as Huck is with her now. I’ll come back to this particular scene in that episode again in a bit because it may help us understand what is going on with Olivia in present day.
The next time that we see Olivia, she is lying on the floor in her bedroom with Jake beside her. Thankfully, we are seeing them in the aftermath of their incestcapading. (Some higher power out there clearly loves me.) Olivia remarks matter-of-factly that Jake is seeing someone, and he turns to look at her before turning away and making a statement of his own. Rowan filled her in, he says. He was certain that Rowan wouldn’t mention it.
Olivia wants to know who the woman is and Jake sighs before asking her if it matters who the woman is and if she cares. Olivia says that she doesn’t care, but she wants to know who she is anyway. Jake tells her that she sounds like she cares, but Olivia counters by saying that she’s being practical. He is dating now and that’s fine by her. He is free to run about with as many women as he wants, and Jake cuts in on her rambling to tell her that there is only but the one woman. He’s been seeing her a while. At that, Olivia comments that this relationship must be serious, and Jake says that the woman is special, that Olivia would like her.
Really?
Olivia looks like she wants to say something to that but can’t quite find the words. Jake continues by saying to her that she doesn’t have to worry about anything because he and his girlfriend are “very safe” and so that means that Olivia is also “safe.” Good God, what is this conversation?
Olivia laughs humorlessly at the absurdity of the situation and I’m just here shaking my head at the turn that this already confounding relationship has taken. So now Olivia is the side piece to her present jump off who used to be HER side piece? LOL! How did we get here, y’all?
Later that evening, we see Olivia having dinner with Rowan. They aren’t having dinner at some fancy restaurant or at her father’s place. They are in HER apartment. This is a significant shift from the norm for it is the first time that we see Olivia voluntarily having her father within her personal space. Prior to this, Rowan has never been in her apartment by invitation. He would instead violate her space by breaking in and sitting in wait for her arrival or by manipulating his way in by making threats to the lives of the innocent.
This willingness to bring Rowan within is a marked turn. Olivia is further embracing her father with this welcome into her now darker space; a space that essentially embodies the hole that she’s thrown herself into. Who better to invite into this cold, emotionless cave than her daddy?
Rowan is excitedly talking about Mellie’s book. He has now had the chance to read it and he has nothing but good things to say about it, calling it “substantive” and “revealing.” He’s quite animated in his excitement over it and proceeds to praise Olivia for the writing, adding that there is nothing that his daughter can’t do. Olivia laughs at his reactions but reminds him that it was Mellie who wrote the book and that she merely assisted. Rowan isn’t buying this modesty Olivia is trying to sell as he radiates pride in her accomplishment.
After a moment, Olivia asks him why he’s smiling and he tells her that he loves seeing “this side” of her. The amusement on Olivia’s face turns quizzical as she awaits his further elaboration. Rowan remarks that Olivia is happy and he thinks that this is wonderful. Olivia’s startled expression belies this belief of his. Happy? Olivia is far from happy, but she doesn’t challenge him on this. She instead asks him if he’s content, to which Rowan says that he “couldn’t be more so.”
Rowan goes on to say that with Jake sitting atop of the NSA and Olivia steering Mellie’s presidential campaign, there is nothing left for him to do but to sit back and enjoy his retirement.
Yeah, right. Who in the hell believes a damn thing Rowan is saying here? This man created and ran a top secret spy organization for over 20 years and has never missed a day of not remarking about power, but we are supposed to accept that he’s alright with being the doddering old man who watches as his adult children skip down side corridors as they quest for that same power? Come on, man.
Olivia, too, is dubious of this picture that he paints. Rowan notices and remarks on it. Olivia in response reminds him of what he said during their meetup the day before about chaos stoking his fire and lighting his blood. Rowan goes on to admit that making this adjustment was initially difficult, but that he has had to come to the realization that “I, Eli Pope, was done.” Ha!
Olivia is watching him closely as he speaks, but the rest of what he says becomes drowned out as she contemplates him. Eli Pope sits smiling in front of her as he happily drones on about his transition to retirement, but Command is who Olivia flashes back to in her mind. Rowan and Eli are juxtaposed. Command vs. Daddy. Who exactly is Olivia dealing with?
Olivia recalls the threats, the promises of her losing to him, the reminder that he is as formidable as they come. She remembers telling him how she can never trust her gut when it comes to him and then the time when he eviscerates her for frolicking about in a “field full of bombs and mistaking them for daisies” right before he threatens to take out Fitzgerald. Her father telling her to get herself some power. Jake asking her if she is blind as to who she is. Tom telling that she was raised by Command. The concluding message from all of this? “Run, Olivia. Run.” Eek! (Very good use of past moments here.)
Rowan’s story at present (sorry, I have a hard time referring to him as Eli) starts to come back into focus as Olivia watches him. Those darker thoughts about her father are still rolling about in her head. Is he deceiving her as he had before? Is she allowing herself to again be played by the chessmaster?
When Rowan ends his chatter, Olivia forces a smile to her face and then toasts to his “happy retirement”. Rowan smiles at this as they clink glasses, but Olivia is watching him with suspicion.
Later that evening, we see Olivia sitting at the edge of her bed, wrapped up in her bedsheet and is deep in thought. She and Jake have been at it once again. (Did she really give it to him twice on Sunday? Shout out to @number1feeling for that one. Heh.) Boredom is a bitch, but so is having a puzzle on your hand that you can’t seem to figure out.
Jake is redressing when his phone dings about the shooting in Harrisburg. He remarks that he’s told these people that the situation is not a terrorist attack, which prompts Olivia to turn towards him. She asks him if he thinks that her father has changed for the better. Jake distractly responds with a “yeah, sure.” He’s not really paying attention. His focus is on whatever is coming through on his phone about the situation with Governor Vargas.
Olivia turns towards to him to see that he’s not even looking her way and she orders him to do so then. When he complies, she tells him that she has no compass with Rowan so she would like his honest opinion about whether he has changed. Jake tells her that he’s not getting in the middle of her daddy issues and says that he has to go.
Before he can make his way to leave, Olivia stands up and gets in his way. She wants to know why he moved in with Rowan in the first place and what the two of them have got going on in there. Jake stresses again that he has to go, but she holds him back. She wants to know what it is that Rowan wants from Jake, what it is that he is making Jake do. Jake says that there isn’t anything that Rowan wants from him. Olivia cuts into his denial to tell him that she suspects that the reason why her father told her about Jake’s girlfriend is so that Olivia would cut Jake out of her life, thus preventing her from figuring out what it is that Rowan has up his sleeve. She then says that if Jake tells her what Rowan is up to, she can help him.
While Olivia is talking, I’m here looking at her like:
Here she goes again with casting Jake in the position of victim to be saved. Does Jake look to you like he wants to be saved? It looks to me like he’s just fine being with Rowan and being the doted upon son that he had been once upon a time. Matter of fact, Jake seems to be content being back with “daddy.” Is he in cahoots with Rowan? I haven’t a clue, but he certainly is willing to do whatever Rowan asks of him.
Jake looks at as if he’s considering her proposition, but then his phone dings again and he tells her that he has to go to work, leaving Olivia there to stand there alone.
Later we see Olivia in her living room watching a news report on the situation happening out in Pennsylvania. She has her record player set out and she’s sipping on wine. If you can recall, the first time that we ever saw this record player was in “Where the Sun Don’t Shine” (episode 409) when Rowan sits in wait for Olivia’s return to her apartment. He’s got the player and a number of records along with it. He says to her that no matter how hard one tries, a person cannot totally erase pleasant memories. His exact words were:
“I don’t get sentimental about many things. Sentimentality is a weakness. But despite the many ways that family can hurt you and manipulate you and deny the very fact that their success is a product of yours, it is impossible to wipe away the pleasant memories no matter how hard one tries.” -- Rowan, episode 409
As we later saw in that episode, Olivia proceeded to use the player and the albums that her father had brought along with it to dance it out with Jake. She didn’t want to think about her father anymore. No talk about B613 or the danger that Rowan posed on the world. She just wanted to revert back to the good ole days, the days when memories of her with dad were happy. She wanted back to a time when she was young and joyous and free.
Seeing the player out again with the records on the table would suggest that Olivia is once again indulging in a bit of that. Olivia has for years now struggled with reconciling the father that she knew and who she still longs for with the man that is Rowan and who has caused her a great deal of pain.
Her ringing phone draws her attention away from television and she sees that it is Abby calling. When she answers, Abby is hesitant to speak but then says that she called because she wanted to talk. Olivia puts the television on mute and asks Abby what the problem is, but her friend tells her that nothing is wrong. When Olivia presses her, Abby apologizes and says that she shouldn’t have called.
The resulting silence clues Olivia into the fact that the call is related to Fitz and she asks Abby what it is that he’s done. Abby tells her that what he’s done is something that Olivia does not want to know, and she once again repeats that she shouldn’t have called. In the ensuing silence, Olivia appears to have figured out what the issue is and why it is that Abby can’t tell her. It involves Fitz and a woman.
Olivia says to Abby that she is right. She doesn’t want to know. She apologizes to her bestie and Abby is full of understanding. This is then followed by more awkward silence before Olivia lies about her having an incoming call in order to end the uncomfortable moment.
Once the call ends, Olivia tosses her phone onto the side table and adjusts her position on the sofa. She is not okay. Not only does Jake have a girlfriend but so does Fitz. It looks like Olivia isn’t their center of attention anymore, huh? That’s gotta sting.
At some point, Olivia makes the decision to go to OPA. The only person present is Huck, which I’m sure she already knew. She stomps her way into the conference room and then goes off about the fact that she’s sleeping with the enemy and turning a blind eye to what her father is up to. She tells Huck that she is actively making a choice. Huck on his end is staring at her like the woman is crazy. She tells him that she’s “playing the game and I’m playing it better than anyone” just as she starts for her office, but she doesn’t get far because Huck finally speaks.
Huck asks her what game it is that she is playing and she tells him that it is the one where she wins. Huck then is like, oh, so you’re playing the kind of game that requires all luck and no skill or information that would ensure that she does indeed win. The kind of game that Olivia insists that she is playing is the kind that has a higher probability of failure.
Olivia tells him that she has all the information she needs, but Huck is like chile please. She has no information because she is unwilling to believe that there is any information to collect. He tells her that she isn’t playing the same game as Rowan and adds that she isn’t even on the same court. To this, Olivia says that she isn’t on the same court because she doesn’t want to be, which leads Huck to counter that her real reason is because she is deathly afraid of losing.
She finally admits that the reason why she isn’t looking further into her father is because he always wins and she points out to Huck that he of all people should know this better than any of them, especially given the number of times that she’s had to save him from the hole. She angrily bangs on the table and rails at him for having the nerve to lecture her about Rowan. Huck is sitting at his computer like:
Olivia, girl, your crazy is showing. Look at you with your eyes flashing and the hard breathing. You aren’t expending all of this energy because Huck is wrong. You’re mad because he has managed to upset the fantasy world that you’ve been living in for the past six months. Who were you this time? Julia, Alex or someone else entirely?
I’m going to take you back to that moment I referred to earlier from season 3 when Olivia refused to allow Jake to pull her back into this business of going after her father. Her response then was that she couldn’t do anything to upset Rowan or he’ll inflict horrors on the people that she cares about. Her tactic then was the following:
“Whatever’s going on, I don’t want to be a part of it. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to see. I don’t want to help. I need to go back to doing what worked. Eyes straight ahead, no looking around corners, no peeping in shadows, no asking questions, no stepping outside the lines. I need to be a good girl, go to Sunday dinners.” -- Olivia Pope, episode 314
Isn’t this exactly the same tactic that Olivia is employing now?
There is devastation on Huck’s face as he comes to the realization that Olivia’s “guy” is coming out. That statement causes Olivia to pull back in slight panic and she takes a step away from the table. Huck says that he hadn’t considered it before, but Olivia was made just like Rowan’s “special ones.” Olivia is quick to recover, but comes back at Huck with this same fairytale that she so desperately wishes to believe: “He’s my father. My father. And at the end of the day, he will always look out for me. He will always be by my side. He will always love me.”
Girl, what? Stop this foolishness.
Huck that realizes his mistake. Nope. Olivia doesn’t have a guy within her. She doesn’t need one because Rowan is her guy. He is always out. Huck says to her that Olivia really does need Rowan because as long as he is around and by her side, nothing she does seems bad in comparison.
Huck presses on by saying that Rowan is the biggest, hungriest monster on the loosest leash and that monsters do not change. No matter what Olivia wishes to think Rowan is still there. And as a monster, Rowan is always hungry and one day he’s going to turn around and eat her.
While Huck is saying all of this, Olivia is trying to get him to shut up but he won’t. She is getting more upset by the second and we see her clutching at the back of the chair in front of her in an attempt to contain her rage. Huck sure has tapped into a sensitive spot. Yiiiiiiikes!
Is Huck sure that she doesn’t have a guy within because the woman was literally vibrating like she was about to morph into the Incredible Hulk. Olivia on the inside was like:
Olivia and Huck have never gone back and forth like this EVER. It was truly one of my favorite scenes from this episode. Huck was unwilling to let up on his boss and champion. Reality is a hard pill to swallow, but it’s one that he’s going to make her take.
The next day (Monday), we see Quinn happily stroll into OPA and announcing her return. She acknowledges that mini vacations is not a thing that they do, but she didn’t care. They could shame her if they wanted to. Marcus says that he hoped the trip was worth it for her, and she says that it was. That her and Charlie babysat some kid and it was fantastic. Marcus’s facial expression says that he’d find that far from fantastic. Quinn goes on to say that “Charlie is going to make an awesome dad” which prompts Huck to look at her like she’s just grown a second head.
She then asks of Olivia who walks in at that very moment. She is dressed from head to toe black. Black leather jacket. Black skinny jeans. Black heels. Black Prada. She is dark and dangerous and determined and sexy as all get out. I’m a little afraid of all of this black.
Olivia directs Huck and Quinn to come with her into her office, leaving Marcus out in the conference room. Poor guy. Keeps getting treated like the redheaded stepchild.
Once they are in private, Olivia tells Huck and Quinn that she wants them to investigate a woman named Vanessa Moss. She wants there to be full surveillance on her at both her home and her office, and she wants to know about all property holdings that she has ever had. She tells them that she needs information, real information. While Quinn is looking at the file in her hand, Olivia looks over at Huck and asks, “Are we clear on what game we’re playing here?”
YAAAAASSSSSSSS, bitch! Huck finally got through to youuuuuuuuuuu!!!
Huck acknowledges her nod back to their earlier conversation, but Quinn is lost. She wants to know who this Vanessa Moss is and Olivia tells her that she is the woman that Jake is seeing. (How did Olivia figure out who she was anyway?) Now Quinn is really lost. They’re spying on Jake? And to that Olivia says, “Yes.”
HALLELUJAH!
Quinn starts out of Olivia’s office first and Huck gives Olivia what looks like a small smile before he too leaves the room.
The White House and the Wildcarding President
The episode opens with the President of the United States getting frisky with Lillian Forrester in the presidential limousine. It seems like they may have just come from somewhere, but it is unclear. What is clear is that these two don’t have enough sense in the limited space between their crotches to figure out that they should take this dry kissing session into an actual room.
Fitz’s hands are roaming up a storm. He seems to be searching for the Holy Grail when Abby opens up the door, begging them pardon for her interruption as she climbs into the vehicle. Fitz awkwardly helps Lillian off of his lap and into the seat adjacent to him while acknowledging Abby’s intrusion.
After an exchange of pleasantries, Abby tells her boss that she needs to speak with him about an urgent matter that is of the utmost importance. Lillian turns to Fitz then and says that it’s all good. Their makeout session can wait. Fitz says to her that whatever Abby came to tell him shouldn’t take long, but Lillian tells him that she’s not mad and that the matter should take as long as is necessary. Madam Thirst Basket then launches into sycophantic coos about how him being the “leader of the free world” is sexy and being the “hottest excuse” she’s ever gotten from a man to prematurely end their date.
The needle on a 1 to 10 scale of sizzle between these two is on a -20. They have the chemistry of dead fish on a block of ice, outchea kissing each other like their breff stink. Don’t nobody wanna see this!
Anywayz, once Lillian exits the limo, Fitz sits slouched in his seat while waiting for Abby to explain to him why she interrupted his time with his new plaything. Abby doesn’t immediately speak and so Fitz poses some questions to her of scenarios that would fit into the definition of “urgent.” Is the country at war? Did California somehow fall into the ocean? When she still doesn’t respond, he demands that she come out with it and Abby finally tells him that the concern is that they haven’t done any planning for the “wildcarding” that Fitz is currently engaged in. Of course, he has NO idea what Abby is talking about and so she is left to explain her meaning.
Fitz is none too happy with Abby’s interjection, telling her that his relationship with Lillian is none of her business, but Abby counters by telling him that the relationship is indeed her business. She’s not judging his choice of bedmates, but she reminds him that there are protocols that must be followed should he choose to gallivant about with randoms. Abby starts listing all the different things that must be in place and adjustments made in order to ensure his protection.
Fitz is shaking his head in incredulity as Abby is making her recitation. He breaks in at some point to say that none of these protocols were carried out when he was with Olivia, but Abby tells him that they were. The modified measures were put into place after Olivia’s kidnapping.
To say that Fitzgerald was impatient in this moment would be an understatement. He remarks that what Abby is saying is that he essentially has to make a request whenever he is looking to get laid. To this, Abby tells him that in the event that he should spend time at the home of a date, specialists would have to come into that date’s home and sweep the place for his DNA and remove all traces of it.
At this point, Fitz begs Abby to stop talking. His face looks like someone trying to pass a kidney stone. The discomfort of this whole conversation has officially reached unbearable levels as Abby drones on about hair, skin cells, saliva and semen. Fitz again demands that she quit talking, and when she finally does, he instructs her to exit stage left and for her never to bring up the matter again.
Talk about killing the mood, Abby. LMAO! Fitzy no likey you right now.
The following day, we see Abby hesitate to enter the Oval but then she takes the plunge. She starts off by apologizing for being a cockblocker and says that she understands that Fitz is angry with her. While she’s speaking, Fitz isn’t even looking at her. He does finally look up when Abby admits that she went about the situation wrong and that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. The last time there was a single president in the White House was in 1886, so there is no playbook for her to follow when it comes to handling something of this nature. Fitz appears to be listening, so Abby goes on to tell him that he can’t date Lillian or anyone else until they can sit down and work out a plan.
Ah damn, Abby. You just told him what he can’t do. You know how your bestie hates the word “lose”? Well, #TeamMe Fitzgerald doesn’t like the contraction “can’t” when it comes to the hole he wishes to stick his rod into.
Poor thing ain’t see her mistake until it was too late. Fitz defiantly picks up the phone in her presence and has Charlotte connect him to Lillian, which causes the the victory smile Abby was wearing to disappear. Handling this Fitzgerald Grant is proving to be one hell of a painful exercise.
Later that evening, the situation involving Governor Vargas makes the news and Abby goes to Cyrus with the red folder to pass along to Fitz. Cyrus convinces Abby to do it herself, to use it as sort of an olive branch to get herself back in Fitz’s good graces. Reluctantly agreeing to this logic, Abby goes off to deliver the folder to Fitz.
Barging into the room without knocking, Abby catches a partially clothed Fitzgerald atop of Lillian. That wasn’t exactly the situation she was expecting to walk into nor was it a moment that Fitz had expected to be interrupted. He rolls off of Lillian and demands to know why Abby is there. Turning away from the bed, Abby holds out the red folder in his direction as she tells him about the shooting that has taken place in the Pennsylvania State Capitol with Governor Francisco Vargas inside. There are two known fatalities.
Both Fitz and Lillian hop up off of the bed then, setting themselves to rights. Lillian says that this situation means that she has to go, too. Another instance of gun violence means that this story would be front page. Time to go be a good journalist now.
Lillian picks up articles of clothing from where they laid strewn on the floor and then she heads for the door. Abby moves to make way for her, saying to her that she can have an aide escort Lillian out, but Lillian hits back by saying that she already knows her way out. Of course, she does. It would be foolish to think that this was her first time in the Residence. It has after all been a week since they went on their date (the one mentioned in the previous episode).
Once Lillian finally leaves, Abby launches into Fitz like a disappointed parent. “This is exactly what I didn’t want you to do,” she says to him and Fitz goes all the way off. I admit that I had to watch this particular part of this scene a number of times because I kept getting distracted by the by the Shirtless Wonder. Lawd Jesus…
Fitz tells Abby that she is out of line with her trying to tell him what to do. He asks her if she realizes how outrageous her behavior is and if she knows that she could lose her job over it. Abby responds by telling him that he can lose his job over this business with Lillian. Fitz complains about her bursting into his bedroom, but Abby cuts him off to remind him that they burst into his bedroom all the time. This isn’t a new habit. They come in at all hours to share with him matters of immediate importance and he knows that this is the job. She points out that the only difference this time around is that he’s “half naked with some girl.”
Fitz wants to know why it is that Abby is so obsessed with his personal life and she tells him that it is because his personal life is her professional life. Instead of internalizing what it is that Abby is trying to tell him, Fitz makes some disgusting remark about how Abby’s anger is really related to Olivia. She’s upset that it isn’t her friend who is “warming my sheets.” He then compounds this offense by asking Abby if Olivia had been her means of a power grab.
Really, Fitzgerald? Really?!
Abby rightly tells him that his conjecture is disgusting, and then she goes on to say that she is indeed upset that the woman isn’t Olivia but it isn’t for the reason that he is thinking. She has no investment in the relationship between them. The reason that she wishes that it was Olivia is because Olivia is someone that she trusts beyond anyone else in the world. She points out that even Fitz trusts her. She is one of them. She’s part of the family. She holds their secrets.
Abby reminds him that he was once in love with Olivia and willing to spend the rest of his life with her. Then she said this bit that took me all the way out. “Liv was real. Who the hell is Lillian? What is this?”
Yes, Abby!! Ask him! Who. The. Hell. Is. Lillian? He doesn’t even freakin’ know.
Fitz doesn’t take too kindly to her holding that mirror up to his face to show him how reckless he’s being. He barks at her about how this is his life and that she needs to stay out of it or he’ll indeed fire her. Abby sighs her disbelief at his insistence on being obtuse. He wants to remain petulant? Fine. She circles back to the reason why she came to the bedroom in the first place, reiterating the details that she said to him earlier and adds that he is needed downstairs to do his job. Fitz finally accepts the folder from her and then she exits.
Listen, y’all. Shonda and co sending Abby over to the White House has been the best thing ever. Her scenes with Fitz have been my absolute favorites. Darby Stanchfield really shines. Her dynamic with Tony Goldwyn is so very good. Thumbs up, Darbs!
And let’s hear it one more time for Tony’s physique. Good gawd almighty…
Later in the Oval, Fitz is being briefed by Jake about the unfolding situation. Cyrus is also present. Jake tells Fitz that Wayne is a disgruntled loner who “blames illegal immigrants for his personal failures.” Cyrus glances over at Jake as he shares this information. It’s exactly the narrative that Cyrus was hoping would be used when speaking about the gunman.
Fitz states that this man isn’t connected to any domestic or international terrorists, and Jake again tells him that the man was acting alone. He adds that all of this will be over soon based on intel he has received from his FBI sources that tell him that sharpshooters are preparing to take the gunman out.
Some time later, we see Abby watching the news as to how Vargas tackled the gunman after first getting shot. One of her aides comes by with a cell phone in hand, but Abby stays her as she continues to watch the report on Vargas. The woman clears her throat to get Abby’s attention and then hands her the phone. On the phone are images of Lillian leaving from the private entrance of the Residence. Someone has snapped photos of her departure.
Abby goes to Fitz with these pictures. His response is that they are going to say that he and Lillian were discussing a story, but Abby points out that nobody is going to believe that with Lillian’s hair looking as disheveled as it does in those pics. Fitz again, and calmly this time, tells Abby that his personal life is personal, but she informs him that it is now political. This could be used to paint him as being distracted by a woman while a crisis was unfolding in Pennsylvania. Fitz says that he wasn’t aware of the situation while he was with Lillian, but Abby says that it’s not going to matter and that he knows that it’s not going to matter. “It doesn’t matter,” she tells him. “That’s how they’ll spin it. You know that. I know that you know that. Don’t play dumb.”
Fitz is set to go off again over her disrespectful tone, but he’s cut off when Abby tells him that she doesn’t like doing this anymore than he likes her interfering. She tells him that she keeps giving him a hard time about this because she is trying to protect him. In a year, he’ll be free to do whatever the heck he wants, but until then, he has to follow protocol. Abby begs him to stop fighting her on this because he knows that this is how it has to be. Then she tells him that he can either fire her or not, but she isn’t going to stand to be threatened again.
Alright now, Sassy Abby! Tell him, girl!
FINALLY, Fitzgerald relents. After giving her such a hard time about this, he finally sees it from her perspective. He then gives her permission to call him “Fitz”. If she’s going to be working with him on such intimate details, the least they can do is dispense with the formality. Plus, she appears that she’s the only friend that she’s got in the place.
Ah, man. This is both touching and sad. The guy really has had nobody that he could fully trust. It looks like Abby has passed the test and has officially transitioned into the trusted position of work wife. Congratulations, Abigail. Fitzgerald loves a woman who can dish it as well as she can take it.
I was laughing to hard at how uncomfortable it was for Abby to go from calling him Mr. President to calling him Fitz. It was just so unnatural. LMAO!!! Gotta love Darby in this episode, for real. She killed it.
The Return of the Monster
We meet Cyrus during a moment when Ethan is giving him details about Pennsylvania governor Francisco Vargas. They appear to be in a hotel room. Ethan is downloading all of the intel that he was able to find on Vargas, one of which included that Vargas had fought in the Gulf War. From all that Ethan is saying about the man, Vargas sounds like a unicorn. He’s got not a speck of dirt on him. At least nothing that Ethan could find. His only negative is that people don’t know him. His national profile is nonexistent.
When asked what it was that Vargas was doing in the Gulf War, Ethan tells Cyrus that Vargas had been Special Forces. This bit of detail gets the wheels in Cyrus’s head to spinning. Cyrus sends Ethan on his way, and then he hears the door close, he speaks to the room, saying “He’s gone.” And just who in the heck was Cyrus speaking to? Tom Larsen! Say what?
Did I mention that Tom comes out wearing nothing but a towel and his body is glistening from the shower I’m assuming he just got out of? Lawd have mercy! What is going on here?? Are Cyrus and Tom…?!
Well, shit. That was unexpected.
Tom asks Cyrus what the meeting with Ethan was all about and Cyrus tells him that that is his revolution, his freedom. Cyrus says that because of that meeting, his face will be in the history books because everything that happens from that moment on would have been “signed, sealed and delivered by Cyrus Rutherford Beene.” Ut oh.
When Tom shows confusion as to his meaning, Cyrus opens up a folder and shows Tom the picture of Governor Vargas within, telling him that it is time to go to work. Tom wishes to know what kind of work and Cyrus tells him that they will be making the next President of the United States. Oh boy.
In the next scene, we see Charlie entering Quinn’s apartment as she is zipping up a suitcase. She is excited about them getting away for the weekend like normal people and she makes a move towards the door, but Charlie doesn’t budge. When she asks him what the problem is, he tells her that got a call from an old buddy of his (a person who he had “killed a lot of people with back in the day”) who had a last minute babysitting request. Quinn is perplexed by the idea of Charlie babysitting and that anyone would leave their kid with him. Charlie tells her that he has to do it because the guy has always had his back and he says that she doesn’t have to come. That proves to be a bit of reverse psychology because Quinn didn’t intend to leave him to handle a kid alone. When she turns towards the door, we see that Charlie is relieved that Quinn decided to come with.
Meanwhile, over at some diner, we see a man sitting alone at a booth. His name is Wayne. He’s the same guy who had stood up during Governor Vargas’s meeting with citizens to express his is opposition to the governor’s proposal to offer free college education to Pennsylvania residents in the previous episode. He is soon unexpectedly joined by Tom, who slips into the empty bench in front of him. Wayne protests that the seat is already taken and Tom reveals that he knows. The spot is reserved for the man’s son. Wayne is surprised that this stranger knows this and other more detailed information about him, including the fact that he is a white supremacist. (Hold on to this bit of detail.)
Tom proceeds to blackmail Wayne by exploiting his love for his child. Tom frames it as Wayne doing whatever he can to protect his son. If Wayne doesn’t help him, Wayne’s child suffers the consequences. When Tom presses him for an answer, Wayne says that he will do whatever is asked.
We next see Tom call Cyrus with the news of his success. The call is quick and to the point. Cyrus is strolling down a hall in the White House when Abby rushes out to meet him. She’s glad that he is back, and she wastes no time in telling him about the situation with the President. Cyrus has a smile on his face as he tunes Abby out. He’s not even listening to a word she is saying. His mind is on the successful execution of part one of his plan to make the next president.
The next scene is a brief one of Charlie and Quinn with the boy that they are babysitting. He is playing miniature golf, and he is excited when his ball drops into the hole (y’all can tell that I don’t golf, yeah?)
Later that evening, Wayne is seen entering the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building. There are a number of officers prowling about when he walks in a places his keys in a bowl for the scanner. He is then directed to come forward through the metal detector by one of the officers, but something on his person sets the alarm off. Wayne looks immediately panicked at this and the officer holds up a hand to stay his forward progress. Reading the indicator and then looking at Wayne, the officer realizes that Wayne is still wearing his belt. Wayne nods and starts backing out as if to remove the belt when Tom unexpectedly bursts in and fires off three shots.
Wayne is visibly shaken by the execution of these officers, staring dumbfoundedly at the dropped bodies on the other side of the metal detector. Wayne doesn’t have time to process any of this as Tom grabs one of his ungloved hands and places the gun he just used into his. It’s now Wayne’s turn to execute the next phase of the plan. Wayne carefully steps through the metal detector and hazards a glance in the direction of the felled officers before hardening his resolve and moving forward.
Upstairs, Governor Vargas is trying to keep his staff calm. Those were indeed gunshots that they heard. He instructs one woman to call security and says that he’s going to go take a look around, but he doesn’t get a chance to because the gunman is standing but a few feet away from him.
We get a flashback to Tom in the diner with Wayne where he is revealing to him who his target is, and when Wayne flips the picture over, we see that it is of Governor Vargas. Return to present time and Wayne has his gun trained on Vargas.
Over at the White House, Cyrus has his eyes glued to the television. He has the channel set on the BNC who was at the moment reporting on Susan Ross’s announcement of her intention to run for president. It is stated that Susan has wide appeal across all demographics, but that Mellie has received a huge bump in their recent polls since the leak of a snippet of her book the week before. None of this is what Cyrus is interested in. He’s sitting in wait for the moment when the Vargas situation he orchestrated will hit the airwaves. He’s pretty much worked out when it should interrupt normal programming to become breaking news.
And just like that, the breaking news graphic hits the screen and news of the gunman at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building is reported. Mike the reporter is relaying information about the number of police officers killed (he says two) and Cyrus corrects him to say that there were three. Cyrus is on the edge of his seat as this is unfolding.
Just then, Abby comes into his office with a red folder about the situation. She remarks on how the matter is terrible as she hands the folder over to Cyrus to give to the President. She then turns around to exit since she has to go handle the White House press corp, but Cyrus stops her by saying that she should be the one to give the folder to Fitz. Abby refuses and points out that Fitz hates her. Cyrus dismisses that and says that the red folder isn’t Lillian Forrester, which is the reason why Fitz hates Abby. This is “fence mending, bridge building” that could get her back on Fitz’s good side. He tells her that he’ll keep an eye on what’s happening in Pennsylvania while she talks to the President.
Ah, yes. Cyrus the monster is most definitely back.
He continues to watch the news coverage, which has now started to provide details about Governor Vargas’s background. Ethan pops into the room then and points out that Vargas is the same guy that Cyrus had him look into. He finds it weird that it is the same guy. (Oh, Ethan. If only you knew…) He asks if the governor was shot as he takes a seat in front of the television.
Cyrus glances at him to see how he is reacting to the information coming at him from the report. Soon a picture of Wayne pops up on screen as the person identified as the shooter. Wayne Turner is his full name. In the photo used, Wayne looks angry. Ethan’s immediate read is that Wayne’s eyes prove that he is a “total monster.” Cyrus remarks that he’s sure that Wayne had his reasons and Ethan responds that those reasons couldn’t have been good ones.
Why does Shonda have me feeling bad for the white supremacist who was manipulated into being the patsy in this ploy because of his desire to protect the only person in the world who loves him?
Cutting over to Quinn and Charlie, we see Quinn flipping through channels in the hotel room with their ward beside her with a coloring book. She stops when she gets to the BNC report about the shooter and a picture of Wayne is on the screen. Charlie comes into the room then, immediately recognizes Wayne’s picture and covers the boy’s face while taking the remote from Quinn to change the channel. When the kid asks what’s wrong, Charlie tells him that the programming was something only adults should watch. Quinn realizes her faux pas and apologizes, but doesn’t know the real reason why Charlie wanted to channel changed.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, that kid that Charlie and Quinn are babysitting is Wayne’s son. What I am in a quandary about is whether or not Charlie truly does know Wayne. It would seem that he does since his kid has been referring to him as “Uncle Charlie.”
Charlie manages to navigate to a channel broadcasting “Frozen”--I see what y’all did there ABC/Disney--and the boy expresses how much he loves Elsa. Quinn remarks about how good Charlie is with kids and he tells her that it helps that you can connect with your inner child. Ha! They all settle back on the pillows as Elsa belts “Let It Go.” (If I don’t hear that song ever again, it’ll be too soon.)
Over in Pennsylvania, emergency vehicles are everywhere and so are the news media. There is one woman standing in front of cameras and relaying to reporters about the bravery that Vargas displayed as he asked the gunman to spare the others since he was the one that the man wanted. All of this is playing out quite well in not only putting Vargas on a national stage, but also making as part of the narrative that Vargas is a hero.
As for Wayne, he was picked because of his unfavorable background. The narrative around him would be that his attack on Governor Vargas was racially motivated. Add to that, there are plenty of witnesses who can confirm that Wayne was a hostile presence during the meeting the governor had with constituents. Cyrus couldn’t have planned this better if he was going off of a road map given to him by the devil.
We later see in the Oval that this is the motivation that law enforcement believes has driven Wayne to this point. As Jake briefs Fitz of the unfolding situation, he specifically mentions Wayne’s dislike for illegal immigrants. Cyrus, meanwhile, is looking at Jake as if he can’t believe that his plan truly is unfolding as planned. That is until Jake mentions something about sharpshooters taking out Wayne and ending the whole fiasco. Cyrus is good with hiding his panic at that bit of detail while in the Oval, but as soon as he departs, he is on the phone with Tom. Sharpshooters cannot take down Wayne and spoil the “hero” moment that Governor Vargas is supposed to have.
Now Cyrus is seeing his plan unravel. He now has doubts that Wayne would be able to do what he signed up for. He blames Tom for recruiting “an incompetent whack job”, but Tom insists that Wayne will shoot. Cyrus is going on about how the fame cannot go to some guy with a scoped rifle on the room and Tom tells him that at this point there isn’t anything that he can do. Cyrus in response tells Tom that “failure isn’t one of [his] options”, so Tom needs to get creative and make sure that the plan is executed. He doesn’t care how Tom does it.
Tom finally makes his way up to the floor where Wayne is holding Vargas at gunpoint. He has come up through an entrance that allows him on open look to both men. Wayne’s back to to him.
Vargas is trying to reason with Wayne, but he is uninterested in anything Vargas has to say. Meanwhile outside, there is a female sharpshooter prepared to take Wayne out once he comes within target. Wayne keeps taking steps closer to Vargas and is soon coming within the snipers vision, but Tom has his gun ready and suddenly a shot goes off.
We are flashed back over to Cyrus who is sweating bullets as he waits to receive an update of the situation via the news. The shot is reported but no one knows if it came from the sniper or from Wayne. (Or from Tom!)
Cyrus is shaking like a leaf, nervous over the possibility that he’s just lost his candidate, but the news reporter confirms that Vargas was indeed shot, but he’s alive. Cyrus straightens up then and looks almost unwilling to believe in his good fortune. He wills the news to cut to the footage of Vargas tackling Wayne and he is rewarded when the clip starts to play on screen. We see Vargas get shot, but then Wayne looks behind him in the direction that the shot came from. While he is turned away, Vargas is able to tackle way to the ground despite being shot!
Vargas has just proven to all of America that he is a superhero and Cyrus is on cloud 9. The next shot that we see of Vargas, he is emerging from the Capitol building and he is bare from the waist up. He’s got a bandage over the bullet wound, but who the hell is paying attention to that?! The man’s got guns that rival those of Fitzgerald Grant! Lawd….
Shonda and these topless men. I’m convinced that all of this was done on purpose. There were FOUR in one episode. Two of them I could have done without, but damn it! I peep what y’all are doing, SR. I ain’t even complaining. Heeeeeey, Governor Vargas. RAWR.
The next day (Monday), we see Cyrus strolling casually down the hall in the White House when he is joined up by Abby who remarks about how hard it is to be the work wife. She tells him about the pictures of Lillian that are out and comments about how she’s about to get devoured by the press corp over them. She says to Cyrus that things have been really hard around the White House without him there, but she could have really used his help. Cyrus plays this whole “I would never tell you how to do your job” schtick and Abby stops him to beg him to please tell her what to do.
Cyrus advises that she should distract the press from the pictures of Lillian by bringing Governor Vargas in for a photo ops with the President. Abby thanks him for the save and then goes off to execute. “Everyone loves a hero,” she says and Cyrus repeats this to himself because he knows this to be true. He banked on this from the onset of his plan.
Back in Harrisburg, we see Charlie with Wayne’s little boy. He’s instructing the kid to walk into the police precinct and tell them who he is so that he may be returned to his mother. The boy gives Charlie a big hug in goodbye and then continues on into the station. Charlie then calls Tom and let’s him know that the package was delivered and Tom tells him that money will be wired into Charlie’s account within an hour.
At this point in the episode, I was holding my head.
Back over at the Oval, Abby has managed to get Governor Vargas to the White House. She is beaming as she watches the governor and Mr. President get photographed together. Once the photographers leave, Abby introduces Cyrus to Governor Vargas. Now Cyrus has his in. He’s been introduced to Vargas in a capacity that was official, which then would make it easier for him to later approach Vargas about the presidency.
Maaaaaaaaaaaaan, this was one slickly executed plan. I’m still stunned by how all of this came together for Cyrus. Simply amazing.
The Triangle of Snooze
I shouldn’t be so uncharitable with this storyline because, as I’ve mentioned before, I do adore me some Susan Ross, but this triangle they’ve tossed her into with David and Elizabeth makes my teeth itch. Nevertheless, the show must go on.
Susan is the first of the three that we see. She is at a rally where she is announcing that she will be running for the top job in the land. We then see that David is watching the event on TV just as his phone rings. He lifts up his phone to see that it is Susan and he sets his phone down to ignore the call, but Elizabeth instructs him to answer it. He refuses as Elizabeth is telling him what he should say to Susan when he does answer, but he has no choice but to take the call when Elizabeth reaches for the phone herself.
When David finally answers, he blurts out to Susan that she was great and she is grateful for the feedback. She tells him that she was really nervous and he counters by saying that she came across as “very presidential.” Elizabeth meanwhile is giving him the thumbs up, but then she makes a face when David says to Susan that he wishes he could have been there with her. Susan uses David’s statement as her opening to invite him to come over for dinner the next day since her daughter will be gone for a few days.
I see you, Susan! Look at you sending those not so subtle hints that you’re hoping for David to make your kitty purr.
David is slow in responding. He heard her invitation and then he heard her invitation, but he doesn’t know what to say. After all, his diabolical girlfriend was lying right next to him and he’s getting in way over his head. The amount of silence that passes causes Susan to rescind the invitation, saying that the idea probably wasn’t all that great, which in turn props David to finally say that he’d love to join her for dinner. And “dinner”, if you know what I mean.
The following day,, Elizabeth shows up at David’s office and she’s excited about the poll numbers that followed Susan’s announcement. She shuts the door against David’s wishes and then pulls shut the blinds before making her approach. She starts to unbutton her shirt, which prompts David to ask her what she is doing. Elizabeth tells him that she is taking off her shirt so that they can celebrate. David expresses his disbelief that she wants to have sex with him over Susan’s poll numbers, and he says that he can’t join in the celebration. Elizabeth quips about him taking something if the problem is that he can’t get “it” up, but David tells her that that isn’t his issue. He’s supposed to be seeing Susan that evening. Elizabeth mocks the date as she forces David to sit down and proceeds to kiss him. She’s indifferent to this date and doesn’t understand what David’s problem is.
A realization then hits Elizabeth and she straightens away from David. She looks annoyed as she utters her suspicion that David is going to sleep with Susan. When David hesitatingly confirms that this is his intention, Elizabeth considers this for a moment and then her face changes. This is perfect! David sleeping with Susan will make her happy and they definitely want Susan to be happy.
David stands as he protests having sex with Elizabeth right then and then turning around and having sex with Susan later, but Elizabeth pushes him back down and sits in his lap as she again says that maybe he needs to take something. David was stupefied by her inability to understand the point he was trying to make. He tells her that sexing these two women within hours of each other is wrong and Elizabeth mocks him for it. After all, who complains about having sex with two women in one day, right?
Elizabeth indicates that of the two that David will be having, that she is the one who is “smoking hot.” Then she tells David to man the hell up right before she pulls them both up and tosses him on the sofa.
Well, no one can claim that Elizabeth is unaware of how attractive she is, can they? She is confident in it and in the sexual power that she has over David. She’s exerting an incredible amount of control over him with it now, using it to make him do things that he is uncomfortable with but which would be beneficial to her.
Elizabeth is so committed to this goal of making it back into the Oval that she’s willing to share her boyfriend with another woman. Does this not sound familiar? Wasn’t this the same justification Mellie used to turn a blind eye to the affair between her husband and Olivia? Olivia kept Fitz happy and fired up his willingness to take on anything. She was his motivator, his champion, the woman he was in love with. He would do anything that she asked of him and believe anything that she said to him.
In this remixed scenario, David is Olivia and Susan is Fitz. The only difference here is that Elizabeth isn’t passively standing on the sidelines. She may have ripped this page right out of Mellie’s handbook, but she’s the one steering the ship. I do wonder how long it will before this thing goes off course because there is nothing more unpredictable than two people in love. David may not quite be there yet with Susan, but it isn’t hard to see him eventually getting there. He already likes her a LOT.
The next time that we see David, he is cuddled up in bed with Susan and he receives a phone call from Elizabeth. He initially ignores it, but she calls again and Susan tells him that he should answer it. (She doesn’t know who it is.) When David answer, Elizabeth wants to know how his date with Susan went and David asks if he can call her right back. His response tips him off that Susan is still present and she’s unpleasantly surprised. David answer her in code and then hangs up the phone.
The Wrap Up
Can I just tell you how much I LOVED this episode?! If the length of this recap/review wasn’t any indication, I don’t know what’ll be. Oh wait. Yes, I do.
Did you all catch the parallel that was going on between what was happening individually with Olivia and Fitz? Both were doing things that were bad for business and both had to be called out on it by their employees. Both Huck and Abby delved into territory that usually would be off limits, but there are exceptions to that when the personal has an adverse effect on the professional. Olivia’s cavorting with Rowan and Jake and Fitz’s insistence on partying like it’s 1999 wasn’t going to bode well for them, the people around them and the country as a whole.
These two were literally out here on some #TeamMe trip. Both of them. Fitz was determined to reclaim his personal life and make whatever choices he felt like making without having to think of the consequences, and Olivia was doing the same. “Screw everyone else!” was their motto. Much like the unknown quantity that is Lillian Forrester and the yet to be proven retirement of Rowan, Olivia and Fitz were truly wildcards. That is until they were forced to see things from the respective points of view of Abby and Huck.
Neither of these two would let up on Olivia and Fitz. They kept hammering home the point until they won the battle. I award them the MVPs of this episode. Them and Cyrus Beene because WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT?!
That’s it for me, folks. Thank you for reading this recap/review of Scandal episode 512. Be sure to share your thoughts about the episode and about what you think may be head as these characters in the Comments section below. Scandal isn’t airing next week, so I’ll see you guys in two!
