I can’t believe that there are only FIVE episodes left of this season of Scandal! Why??? *shakes fists angrily at the sky* With the season nearing its end, circumstances surrounding the current plot were due to intensify, and “Trojan Horse” does not fail to deliver on this front. There are killers and white hats and girlfriends, oh my!
Without further ado, let’s get into this.
The More You Know
The episode kicks off with a news broadcast featuring a reporter who is sharing that the electoral college vote is a mere four days away. As he states that the electors have little choice but to rally around Mellie Grant, the camera pans away to reveal more of the office and eventually the pair who are getting it on in it. It turns out to be David Rosen and his girlfriend “Samantha” aka “Marjorie Ruland” aka Ponytail. They’re so hard with it that they damage the table that they’re on and go collapsing to the floor.
Laughing over their mishap, David offers to get them both some water. He leaves the room for another part of the office, and as he rummages through the fridge, he gets ambushed from behind by Jake. Jake orders David to get rid of his girlfriend, and when David resists, Jake quickly fills him in on the fact that Ponytail was behind the Vargas assassination. He warns that it is important for David to act as if he isn’t in the know or he’d risk getting murdered himself.
Over at OPA, Olivia has finally shared with Mellie the existence of the mystery people and what they have been up to. On the glass wall in the conference room are images of various players and victims in the scheme as well as documents relating to the pair. There is Jennifer Fields, Sandra, Meg, Nelson McClintock, Tom Larsen, Cyrus, Abby, Mr. Android and Ponytail. (Curiously absent from the wall is Rowan.)
Having digested the information, Mellie turns to Olivia to ask what her options are. Olivia tells her that there aren’t any, which leads Mellie to assume correctly that Olivia believes that she should cede the election. At that, Mellie launches into politician speak about how her job isn’t to quit on America but to stand on behalf of the country and to make the lives of her citizens better.
Olivia reminds Mellie that Francisco Vargas actually won the election and as such the White House belongs to Vargas and Cyrus. Mellie is riled up by this and can’t believe that Olivia is suggesting that Cyrus ought to have the White House now because Vargas is “gone.” Olivia points out that Vargas is not merely gone but was taken from his rightful place as President-elect, and since Cyrus was his choice for Vice President, it is their duty to do what is right and step aside. Olivia then launches into some bit about wearing the “white hat” and Mellie goes off, telling her to “get off your cross. Like you’ve never murdered anybody? Like you’ve never stole an Oval or two?”
Um, okay. Is this the bar now? Because lines have been crossed in the past, they ought to be crossed again? Girl, boo.
Anywho, Olivia tells Mellie that she doesn’t want to win this way, but Mellie says that she does. Olivia insists that Mellie doesn’t because she knows that Mellie is better than the mystery people and she goes on to tell her that if she takes the Oval knowing that murder was the only reason that she won, then Mellie would be no better than Mr. Android and Ponytail. Olivia then says that she knows that Mellie is inherently good and that this fact is the reason why Mellie would have made a great president.
With Olivia’s words finally sinking in, Mellie looks absolutely devastated. Olivia comes over to console Mellie by placing a hand over hers, and Mellie offers the same support by taking Olivia’s hand. The moment is sad one.
The following day, David Rosen is announcing that his Department has received evidence that suggests that Tom Larsen had lied about assassinating Vargas, and as such, Cyrus has been deemed innocent of the charges that were levied against him. David offers his deep regret on behalf of the Justice Department for the incarceration of an innocent man.
Olivia is watching this announcement in her office, Fitz is watching from the Residence, while Abby has gone to the penitentiary to share video of the announcement with Cyrus. Rowan has his eyes on the press conference as well, as does Mellie who is downing liquor as she watches.
Following this bombshell announcement, David is asked by a member of the press corp what this all means for the electoral college vote, and David replies that the vote will go on as scheduled. He is then asked if Cyrus is going to be the next president-elect and David states that that is a question for the electors, but in the meantime, Cyrus is to be immediately released.
Later that evening, Olivia is updating Fitz on how Mellie is handling the situation. She explains that Mellie is taking it hard, but that she’ll be fine with time. After a brief pause, she continues on about how Mellie is going to hold a press conference the next day and cede the election to Cyrus, but Fitz interrupts her. He’s been watching her recite these words to him, and though she’s talking about how devastated Mellie is, it is clear that she, too, is also disappointed.
Fitz gets up from where he is leaning against the Resolute Desk and coaxes Olivia into accepting the hug that he’s offering. It’s a compassionate gesture that she falls into and they hold each other for a bit. Olivia confesses that she wanted and needed to win, and Fitz sympathizes by saying that Olivia deserved the win. They soon pull out of the embrace and bid each other good night as Olivia takes her leave.
Elsewhere, Abby has brought Cyrus to a hotel where he can stay for the moment. She explains that she would have taken him home, but the press is camped out there and she thought that the hotel would be preferable. Abby tells him that she had the White House issue a statement on his behalf asking for privacy, but because she knows that the press will ignore the request anyway, she has Secret Service posted outside of his door to keep watch. She also informs him that more clothes will be coming his way via her assistant in the morning.
Abby asks Cyrus if he needs anything else, and he says that he would like to see his daughter and requests that she be brought to him. Abby unfortunately has to break it to him that she already attempted to make that happen, but that Michael denied her request. She offers to try again, but Cyrus tells her not to bother. He then asks to be left alone. Abby understands, and before she parts, she reminds Cyrus that he’s the next president.
Once Abby leaves, Cyrus goes to stand by a window and he experiences flashes of all of the most recent horrible things that have happened to him, including seeing Vargas get shot, his ordeal with Tom, saying goodbye to his daughter and the beat down that he endured while imprisoned. It all becomes too much for him and he shuts it all out by pulling the curtains shut.
For the People or For Self
Mellie is in her office watching a news report that wonders at what it is that she’s about to do now that Cyrus is a free man, and she turns off the television with an irritated sigh. It is at just that moment that political opportunist Elizabeth North walks in. Mellie wants to know what she’s doing there and Elizabeth offers a metaphor about how Mellie’s sigh is reminiscent of a “championship rider whose horse keeps getting sold out from under her.” (Whaa? LOL!)
Mellie informs Liz that she is conceding, and Liz wants to know why. She asks Mellie who in her circle got to her and she gets to guessing that it was either Cyrus or Fitz, but eventually settles on it being Olivia. Liz goes on to say that Mellie belongs in the Oval and encourages her not to give up. Mellie explains that there are “complications” that drive her decision, but Liz laughs off that reasoning and asks if such “complications” ever stopped Fitz from attaining his goals.
At that, Mellie demands to know why it is that Liz is really there and points out that Liz doesn’t even like her. Liz clarifies that she likes anybody (LOL!) but that she at least respects Mellie. She goes on to say that Mellie has survived more in Washington than anyone would have expected, and Mellie giving up now due to “complications” that she believes only a man can handle suggests that Mellie is weak. Liz then adds that if she had known that Mellie would roll over so easily, she wouldn’t have voted for her. Hahahaha!
You can always rely on Elizabeth to catch you off guard with some foolery. She probably didn’t even vote for Mellie...the leech.
Over at Olivia’s place, the gladiators are all gathered in her room. Though he’s resting in her bed and looks to still be in some pain, Huck has a laptop and is actually working. (Good to see that he’s not suffering any residual cognitive effects of his ordeal.) He reports to Olivia, whose fingers are moving a mile a minute on her phone, that Mellie has cracked the top ten of trending topics on social media, and Olivia remarks that this is a good thing for the concession speech that Mellie is set to give at the Lincoln Memorial that afternoon.
As Olivia continues to hammer away on her phone, a hovering Quinn asks Huck if he is okay and if he needs anything. Olivia follows this by asking Huck if he’s bleeding on her sheets again. Seemingly exasperated from the attention, Huck states that he is fine, but Quinn goes over to where Charlie is sitting and robs him of the pillow he is leaning on to prop up Huck.
While this is happening, Olivia suddenly asks Huck if he’s wearing her robe. (The robe is baby pink, btw.) Huck says that he isn’t, but Charlie says that Huck is and adds that Huck said that the robe feels like money. (LMAO!) At a loss as to what to say to that, Olivia tells Huck to be sure to wash it after he’s done with.
A knock at the front door pulls Olivia away from the gang and to the living area. She opens the door to find Mellie on the other side. Mellie says to Olivia that they have another option to her conceding and that is to allow the electors to decide for themselves.
Making her way into the apartment, Mellie implores Olivia to consider this and says to her that there really isn’t anything more that they can do at this point. They’ve run a phenomenal campaign and so now all they have to do is allow the system to do its job in electing the next president. Olivia says to Mellie that they have already come to an agreement as to what they need to do, which is to make a concession speech that afternoon. Mellie tells her that conceding isn’t necessary anymore, that all they have to do is sit back and watch the electoral college make history.
Olivia disagrees with this tactic and points out that it wouldn’t be fair to the country or to Cyrus to follow through with it. She says that she’d be in total agreement with Mellie if it weren’t for the fact that the mystery people fixed the election and Cyrus was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Mellie replies that there isn’t anything that they can do to change any of what has happened, and Olivia asks her if she is sure about that. Mellie says that she is and then she proceeds to bring up Elizabeth, which instantly throws Olivia for a loop.
Mellie admits that she is unable to let go of her quest for the Oval, and Olivia explains to her that the electors aren’t going to magically forget that Cyrus was incarcerated and so this situation is already rigged against him. The fight wouldn’t be a fair one.
At that, Mellie sarcastically remarks on how Olivia intends to fix the situation for Cyrus because Olivia of all people would know what “fair” is. (This sounded like something of a dig.) Dismissing that predicted tactic, Mellie tells Olivia to do her best with whatever it is that she feels compelled to do, and that she will be doing the same for herself. Mellie then apologizes for going off the reservation and wishes Olivia a good day.
How do you wish her a good day after you just spat on her white hat and ran over it with a tractor-trailer?
Working to Thwart the Inevitable
Later in her dining room, Olivia introduces Cyrus to Charlie and Quinn as their next client. Their job is to remind the electors that Cyrus is not only innocent of the charges levied against him, but that he is also experienced and presidential. (Ha!)
Olivia is now going AGAINST her own candidate in order to assist Cyrus. This is hilarious.
Elsewhere, Elizabeth is already hard at work making the case for Mellie in front of the press. She and Abby are then seen debating on behalf of Mellie and Cyrus respectively, and Elizabeth’s arguments frankly are more convincing.
Olivia is next seen arriving at Cyrus’s hotel suite. When Cyrus opens the door, he is surprised to see her. Olivia offers a cautious greeting and tells him that she’s brought two suits for him, but he cuts her off to say that the suits won’t fit because he lost a lot of weight while in prison. Olivia watches him for a moment before asking if she could come in so that they can talk. Cyrus denies her and recalls what she said to him the last time that they spoke (604). She had told him then that she’d never speak to him again.
With regret etched into her face, Olivia apologies for what she said. Cyrus doesn’t sound all too forgiving about it, but he thanks her for the apology anyway and says that it’s at least “something.” He moves to dismiss her by saying that he has something to attend to and he makes to shut the door, but Olivia holds it open and asks him if he has heard of the electors who are willing to switch their votes from Mellie to him. Cyrus again tries to shut the door on her, but Olivia holds fast as she tells him that he still has a shot at the presidency. She orders him to clean up and get himself out there so that he can improve his chances.
Frustrated now, Cyrus demands that she lets go of the door as he simultaneously he works to yank it out of her hand. Olivia eventually relents and Cyrus goes on to remind her that he had begged her to listen to him, but she chose instead of leave him for dead. And now here she is at his door looking for redemption. Cyrus tells her that she doesn’t have the right to anything from him anymore and goes on to say that he is now a former death row inmate who had been charged with murder.
Olivia remarks that he’s been exonerated, and Cyrus looks at her like she’s a fool and he asks her if she truly believes that people are going to give a damn about that little detail. He tells her to leave him alone and again makes to shut the door, but Olivia holds it open to say that she can’t leave him alone. The fight for the White House isn’t yet over for him and she is determined to prove it. As she is talking, Cyrus is staring at her like she’s a mad woman. He eventually succeeds in slamming the door in her face.
I can’t even be mad. Olivia deserved that. Cyrus had begged her to listen to him and she refused. Instead she gave him some speech about how the “bill is due” and has to be paid. Then she went about the business of positioning Mellie to be one that people turned to as the next president without doing so much as looking back in Cyrus’s direction.
I understand the rationale that could be applied to the why of what she did then, but nevertheless, Olivia should just take this L like a gladiator. Cyrus is unwilling to allow her to use him to assuage her guilty conscience by setting things to rights, but you know Olivia. Dog with a bone.
Later at OPA, Olivia is meeting with Luna Vargas. She had called in as part of the offensive she has launched on behalf of Cyrus. Mrs. Vargas wants to know if Olivia believes 100% in Cyrus’s innocence and she assures her that she does. They then head out to the conference room and Mrs. Vargas is prepped for an on camera interview. Olivia is watching the preparations when she gets a call from her father.
Making it over to his work space, Olivia wants to know why he has called her over. Rowan says that he merely wanted to see her since it has been awhile, and he asks to show her something just as Olivia checks her watch. She indulges him a moment as he shows her some bones that he is set to affix to a dinosaur skeleton that he is putting together. He starts to explain that the final piece was something he and Sandra agreed on, but he can’t get the entire sentence out without having to first fight back emotion.
Olivia has indulged enough when she tells him that she needs to get back to work because Mrs. Vargas is waiting for her return. Rowan interrupts her by telling her to step into the box that he has drawn on the floor with tape. Olivia is at first confused by the instruction but she complies.
Speaking in a hushed tone, Rowan explains that the box is one of a few dead spots in the place that the cameras of the mystery people cannot catch. He then proceeds to beseech Olivia to quit with trying to make Cyrus president, but she explains that she is trying to give back what those people took. Rowan in turn tells her that there is no getting back anything; that once the mystery people take from you, it is gone for good. When Olivia refuses to believe this to be true and goes on to states how “they” can’t be allowed to win, Rowan tells her that “they” have already won and adds that if she is successful in her mission that these people will kill her.
Listen, I don’t know who these people are, but they certainly have Rowan shook. He truly is no longer the scariest mofo on the block.
Momentarily stunned by this information, Olivia refuses to quit and proclaims that she will win. Rowan is now frustrated by her refusal to listen and tells her that there is no winning in this situation. There is simply life and death. He goes on to state that he is still considered useful to the mystery people because of their belief that his influence will keep Olivia in check, but should she decide against his advice, she would be condemning him to death.
This revelation has Olivia wavering in her stance a bit as she stares at her father with worry in her eyes, but when she steps out of the box and ditches the hushed tones, it is clear that she isn’t going to follow Rowan’s advice despite the threats to both of their lives.
Back at OPA now, Olivia is standing closeby as Mrs. Vargas is interviewed by BNC. The broadcast is carried live and Mellie catches it in her office. Mrs. Vargas speaks kindly of Cyrus’s character and advocates for his installation as president.
[This next part is a bit out of order because it appears that the Scandal folks did some editing switcheroo or something, so I did one of my own.]
That evening at the Residence, Fitz is in bed working on some speech that he has to deliver the next day when Angela emerges from another part of the room with her own work in hand. She remarks about how she’s been fielding calls ever since Cyrus’s release and speaks to how she can’t believe that she essentially has to start all over again. Fitz says that he can only imagine what she has to deal with and tells her that he knows that she can handle it. He gives her a quick kiss and then turns back to his work.
Settling into bed, Angela asks Fitz what it was that Olivia wanted. Fitz looks up from what he is writing and barely manages a glance in her direction as he feigns innocence over her question. Angela tells him that she heard that Olivia was in the White House.
First of all, who in the gatdamn hell is snitching?! Is it you, Charlotte?
Fitzgerald keeps his response vague, stating that Olivia came by to talk. Angela says that that much is obvious. Fitz offers an apology as he tells her that he has to focus on the speech that he’s working on, but Angela isn’t letting up. She asks him if he finds it strange that Olivia who was doing everything she could to bury Cyrus is now working as his champion.
This further inquiry prompts Fitz to look up fully and watch her a moment before returning his attention to his speech. At this point, I doubt that he’s actually concentrating on what he is trying to get done. Angela has effectively taken Olivia and plopped her down in between them.
Fitz tells Angela that he hadn’t considered Olivia’s shift with regards to Cyrus. Angela then wonders if Olivia mentioned anything at all in that regard to Fitz, and he says nope.
LMAO! This man is straight up lying through his teeth. He wasn’t about to divulge that he knows more than he’s letting on about Olivia and Cyrus or even the case.
Angela is now on a fishing expedition as she looks to get confirmation from Fitz that Olivia worked at the White House when Tom served as a Secret Service agent. Fitz distractedly replies that he believes that to be the case but that he isn’t sure.
Really? Really??
Angela then asks if he knows whether Olivia and Tom kept in touch, and that if they did, their connection could explain Olivia’s behavior. Finally having enough of the interrogation, Fitz tells her that he would love to work but if he isn’t going to do that, he most assuredly doesn’t want to talk about whatever is going on in Olivia’s head.
Effectively shut down, Angela leaves Fitz be. If Fitz was paying any kind of real attention to her, he’d have noticed that Angela was asking him specific questions about Olivia and Tom, questions that would be out of the ordinary unless Angela already has something that could connect those two.
The following day, Cyrus’s estranged husband takes to the air in an interview of his own. Everyone’s eyes is on this appearance as Michael is asked about his belief in whether Cyrus killed Vargas. Michael says that he doesn’t believe that to be the case, but he goes on to state that Cyrus isn’t a good man. He lays out the many reasons why, the main one being that he is a terrible husband.
The interview is a devastating blow to Olivia’s efforts and she is quick to call Mellie to shame her for the tactic, but Mellie denies being the one responsible.
Now over at the White House, Olivia has filled Fitz in on what has happened since the last time that she was there, including her phone call with Mellie. Fitz is convinced that Mellie is lying about Michael and believes that this sort of thing is right up Mellie’s alley. (I swear, Fitz slips back into viewing Mellie a backstabber so easily. LOL!) Olivia offers her doubts about it being Mellie and states that she believes it to be someone else.
Approaching with the scotch that he poured for both of them, Fitz asks who the someone else could be. Olivia hesitates in saying more until he presses her. She accepts the offered glass and then steps into his personal space (close much?) before she finally shares that she went to see her dad yesterday. She doesn’t immediately offer more as Fitz awaits the reason for this reveal, but when pressed again, Olivia tells him about Rowan’s directive for her to stop with what she’s trying to do or the mystery people will kill him.
Fitz is quick to connect that Rowan was the one behind Michael’s appearance on TV. Sighing in frustration, he turns away from Olivia and states how easy it would be to just toss Rowan at Angela and settle the whole thing. Of course, Olivia isn’t down with that plan. When Fitz reminds her of Rowan’s guilt, she tosses in how Rowan is “weak and old and imprisoned.”
Olivia proceeds to affix him with those doe eyes of hers as she quotes back to him something he said (off screen maybe?) about how they have all done terrible things. She then recalls him to how he asked her to forgive Abby, and so now she is asking him to do the same of her father.
Olivia and these whiplash-inducing swings that she makes when it comes to Rowan. One second she wants him dead, the next she’s advocating for his life. Which is it, ma’am?
I honestly don’t see how it is that Fitzgerald is even able to entertain this woman and these requests of hers. Forgive? Fitz has forgiven Rowan for so much that even his forgiveness reserve is tapped out. This request is unfair really, especially when Rowan killing Fitz’s son in retaliation for Fitz engaging with Olivia is taken into account.
In any case, Fitz begrudgingly allows her that request as he steps away from her to go stand by the window. Olivia resumes the conversation by stating that they ought to be focused on Cyrus since they are the ones responsible for having put him in prison, and stresses that Cyrus needs them.
We next see Fitz arrive at Cyrus’s hotel room. Cyrus is surprised by his appearance, but does let him in. Fitz proceeds to draw the curtains open to let in the light as he asks Cyrus when he had last been outside. Cyrus can’t recall.
When Fitz turns back toward the room, he notes the presence of beer on the table and asks Cyrus about it.
“You drink beer now? I’m not drinking beer.” -- Fitzgerald Grant
LOL! Snob.
Fitz instead cracks open an 50-year plus old bottle of scotch for them to drink. Pouring out some for them both, Fitz hands Cyrus a glass. (I’m really surprised that Fitzgerald isn’t an alcoholic by now.) Cyrus accepts the drink and knocks it down in one fell swoop before asking for more. Fitz pours him some more and hands it to him before proceeding to ask him how it feels to be out of prison. Cyrus replies that it feels strange. Fitz remarks that he can imagine, but Cyrus is curt when he tells Fitz that he cannot in fact imagine.
Fitz inquires about the experience and Cyrus gives him some detail of his ordeal. When Cyrus mentions how he required stitches after a beatdown, Fitz attempts to lighten the mood by recalling an incident where a drunk kid hit him in the head with a rowing oar when he was in boarding school. He succeeds in getting a small chuckle out of Cyrus.
Fitz then transitions to the reason for his visit. Cyrus surmises that Fitz has come at Olivia’s request to try to convince him to fight for the Oval. Fitz offers Cyrus a sincere apology for the hand he played in the other man’s suffering, and Cyrus accepts it. Fitz goes on to recall when he offered the country to Cyrus, and he tells Cyrus that America is still waiting for him. Fitz then pulls the president card as he requests for Cyrus to accept the offer.
Cyrus is next seen standing in front of a swarm of reporters upon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (I’m sure Olivia had something to do with this location choice) and Fitz is standing off to the side in support. Cyrus looks to be in a perpetual daze of sorts, as if he is confused as to why he is even out in the open.
Olivia is still at the White House, this time in Abby’s office as she and Abby watch the conference. A reporter starts things off by asking Cyrus if he is ready to serve as president. The following is Cyrus’s response. I transcribed in full because I thought it was the most brilliant thing ever uttered by Cyrus Beene.
“I don’t deserve to be President. You don’t spend a decade in Washington without committing a few sins. I’d committed more than a few, so when I was thrown into prison, it made sense. When my friends abandoned me and my husband left me, that made sense. It all made sense. So what if I hadn’t killed Frankie? I lied. I pursued my own agenda. I let my daughter down.
“Prison, then? A treason charge? It was...it was almost a relief because I knew I was unworthy. Except three days ago, I was released, cleared, told, ‘Go out there, Cy. Tell them you deserve to be President.’ But I know I don’t. Strangely enough, that’s what finally convinced me to come here because nobody deserves to be President. Certainly not the people who most often try to be President. Except for Frankie. He was different. The people saw it. It’s why he won. And maybe it’s why we lost him.
“In his absence, I offer you something far more meager--my flaws and my service. Frankie Vargas loved this country. He embodied the best of our values--diversity, humility, kindness. Unworthy as I am, his hopes have become my compass. And that’s why I’m here--to make you a promise. If chosen to serve as your President, I will strive to honor Frankie’s legacy, to become worthy of the office that was rightfully his.” -- Cyrus Beene
Whoa, I don’t know who wrote this speech, but bravo. And Jeff Perry with the delivery was nothing short of masterful.
Could this ordeal have fundamentally changed Cyrus Beene? Is his present state of his temporary? I’m not sure, but it feels as if there has been a seismic shift.
As all of this is unfolding, Rowan appears to be having something of a mild panic attack because Olivia has clearly failed to heed his advice.
No Stopping the Train
Later that evening, Mellie enters her office to meet Elizabeth and….THE MYSTERY PEOPLE!
Mr. Android is playing with her office golf equipment and Ponytail has perched herself in Mellie’s chair at her desk. Mellie immediately recognizes the pair thanks to Olivia.
Shutting the door to her office, Mellie demands to know what Liz is doing, and Liz tells her that they believed that it was time that Mellie met her benefactors. As they are speaking, Mr. Android chooses that moment to introduce himself to Mellie as “Theodore Peus” and says that he is glad to finally meet her.
OMG, I HATE HIS VOICE!! Why does he sound like he’s got an autotune implant in his throat?
Mellie does not turn to look at him as he speaks, choosing instead to continue addressing Elizabeth. She tells Liz that she has no intention of working with these people, but Liz cuts her off to inform her that Mr. Android and Ponytail have already secured the votes necessary to make her President. Mellie is confused by what she means exactly and Mr. Android chimes in to say that electors are human beings who will cave to one's demands if you push the right buttons.
Ah, yes. The same tactic that they used on Sandra, Rowan and Abby.
Mellie is flabbergasted that they’d threaten the electors. Liz brushes this off as harmless arm twisting and says that what’s important is that Mellie’s about to be President.
Well, what do you know. I guess after conspiring to have Olivia kidnapped in order to control Fitzgerald some years back, working with people who killed the President-elect should come as no surprise when it comes to Elizabeth North.
Mellie demands to have whatever they did undone and makes it clear that she doesn’t want to win the presidency in this manner, buuuuut didn’t Olivia warn her? Certainly Olivia shared with her that they wanted her as President for a reason, right? But Mellie being Mellie, she instead ignored Olivia’s warnings.
Mellie proceeds to ask all of them to leave her office, but not a one of them budges. When she asks them if they had heard what she said, Ponytail looks to Mr. Android and they share some silent communication before Ponytail gets up and wanders over to the area where Mr. Android had been playing golf.
Mr. Android asks Mellie if she has ever heard of the Trojan War, and despite Mellie’s disinterest in the story, he goes on to explain how the Greeks snuck into enemy territory using a wood horse. (Check your Greek mythology, people.)
At this point, Mellie calls out for her assistant, but Ponytail informs her that Rachel has gone off for a walk. Mr. Android goes on to inform Mellie that she is that horse in the story, their way into the White House. He states that she will be the President, but it would be they who are in charge because she fears them.
Mellie steps closer to Mr. Android at this statement to tick off a number of things for him. The first was that she fears no one, and the second is that he will never step foot inside her White House. Elizabeth attempts to interrupt to calm things down, but Mellie silences her as she tells Mr. Android her third thing, which is that she’ll make it her mission to see that he is tried and hung for Vargas’s murder.
Elizabeth makes one more attempt at calming things down, but she doesn’t get to complete her sentence before Ponytail takes the golf club that Mr. Android was playing with earlier and bashes Elizabeth in the head with it!!!!
HO MY GOD!
Blood splatters all over Mellie as Elizabeth falls to the floor. Shocked out of her mind, Mellie watches as Ponytail whacks Elizabeth over and over and over. Mr. Android dispassionately watches on as the violence is inflicted.
As Mellie stares in horror at Elizabeth’s lifeless body, Mr. Android mimics Mellie’s earlier list by telling her that one, she is now afraid of them. Secondly, Ponytail will serve as her chief of staff now that Elizabeth has become “unavailable.” And the third thing is that should Mellie alert the authorities or cede the presidency to Cyrus, they will kill her children.
Well, shit.
Once they receive Mellie’s terrified agreement, they leave her alone with Elizabeth’s brain spilling from her cracked skull.
Damn, yo. While I have thought it was time to par down the number of characters on this show and Elizabeth being one of the few who was on my list, this was such a terrible way to go. YIKES! What’s to happen with her daughter? How will they explain this death to her? Sad.
Over at the Residence, Fitz is seen removing his tie as Angela comes charging into the room. (Sigh, I’m already tired of her.) She hands Fitz the warrant that she intends to submit in order to have Olivia arrested. Caught off guard by this, Fitz looks up from the document to ask of the justification for such a thing, and Angela says that her team was able to find a bank account associated with Olivia that was used to pay Tom Larsen a large amount of money.
Fitz quickly sifts through the paperwork and says that he is sure that what Angela has found isn’t what it seems. Angela doesn’t have the same faith as he does as she goes on to say that this money makes it look as if Olivia paid Tom to lie about Cyrus in order to get her candidate into the White House.
Angela goes on to say that she came there to tell him what she’s about to do because she knows that he and Olivia have history. Sighing, Fitz wanders away from her as she says that she wanted him to understand that her hands are tied and that she has no choice but to bring Olivia in. At that, Fitz accuses her of having made Olivia her target from the beginning and says that she has blinders on.
Wait.
Fitzgerald is accusing someone else of having blinders on when it comes to Olivia?
Let me fix my face right quick.
Angela takes immediate offense to what he’s implying and makes him state outright what it is that he is accusing her off, and Fitz goes on to say that Angela’s targeting of Olivia isn’t about truth or justice but about something else.
Chile…
Incensed, Angela tells Fitz, “Boy, I am the director of the FBI, not some chick that got dissed at prom.” She goes on to say that she is filing the warrant and Olivia is going to have to answer her questions. She then adds that she hopes that Fitz can respect how she does her job, and caps it off by saying that she hopes to see him later.
See him later? Girl, not after you just called him a “boy” and vowed to go after Olivia.
I can’t even blame Angela for going off, but I also can’t blame Fitz for being suspicious of her motives. Angela hasn’t exactly exuded warm and fuzzy feels when it comes to Olivia.
Granted Angela has no idea that Fitz knows more than he is letting on, she was poking around in an area that has felled savvier individuals. She seems to have no idea that she stepped into a hornet’s nest when she started in on Fitz with those questions about Olivia. That’s just not a topic that will win you any points, especially not when you’re leveling accusations at her.
BUT Angela wouldn’t be doing her job if she didn’t pursue all evidence that comes to light. Funny how she wasn’t this great at unearthing evidence when she had to early in the investigation, but I digress...
Back over at Mellie’s office, Olivia hurries in and then comes to an abrupt stop when she sees the state that Mellie is in. She then turns to the right and catches sight of Elizabeth’s body and is horrified. Mellie is in shock as she explains that she didn’t want to say what happened over the phone. She starts to rambling really fast about how she tried not to move but did as Olivia looks at the body and then back at Mellie as if in disbelief of what she is seeing.
Olivia finally interrupts Mellie to ask her what happened, and Mellie explains in a whisper that Ponytail killed Elizabeth. She goes on to say that Ponytail is now her chief of staff and that the electors have been bribed or threatened by Mr. Android, so that means that she’s about to be the next President just as they dreamed… “except the nightmare version.”
Olivia attempts to assure Mellie (and maybe even herself) that there was a way out of this, that they could follow the money and publicly expose the electors, but Mellie cuts her off by explaining that if they catch her doing that that they will kill Olivia. She goes on to point out that these people killed Elizabeth and they killed the President. Who’s a fixer or an elector or a child when these people can kill the President, Mellie asks. Then she freaks out further over them possibly going after Karen and Teddy. Mellie tells Olivia that her “proper channels” of resolving this isn’t going to work because these people don’t care!
Whew. Mellie is scared shitless.
As Olivia orders Mellie to breathe, Jake strolls in with a bag in hand. (Who alerted him? Olivia? And if Olivia, how’d he know to be prepared if Olivia hadn’t known why Mellie called her over?)
Olivia promises that they will get Mellie out of there, but for the moment, she has to go. In a childlike voice, Mellie asks Olivia not to go. Olivia tells her that Jake is now there to take care of her, and then Olivia goes rushing out of the office.
Left with Jake, Mellie stares over at the corpse in her office. Jake orders her to look at him instead, but Mellie is having a hard time looking away. When she finally does, she apologizes for the mess she has caused and claims responsibility for what has happened.
Before she can speak further, Jake interrupts her to tell her that as her VP, he is responsible for cleaning up her political messes and taking the political bullets for her. It is his duty, so she isn’t to apologize to him for anything. (Ever the soldier dedicated to a cause.) He is incredibly delicate with Mellie as he talks her past her panic and into changing out of her soiled clothing.
This is the first time in all of these seasons that Mellie and Jake have shared any scene together, and it remarkably didn’t piss me off.
Also, Bellamy Young this scene! Yes, mama!! She did the damn thing.
For those who have been keeping up with Scandal over the years, do you remember how Shonda had once considered making Jake VP when Fitz was running for reelection in S3? Well, it looks like she got him in there as an attachment to a different Grant. This one character and his fiddy eleven jobs….
And to those that I’ve seen advocating for Mellie to be paired up with Jake, your dislike of Mellie far surpasses mine. Even I am not that cruel.
Back to the White House, Olivia steps into the Oval and calls out to Fitz to alert him to her presence. (I suspect that he must have called her over before she stopped by the Capitol to answer Mellie’s summon.) Fitz informs Olivia of Angela’s intent to arrest her after Angela came across the money that Olivia paid Tom.
Pause. Fitzgerald doesn’t actually know that Olivia doesn’t own that account?? It appears that that bit of information hasn’t yet been shared with him, and even so, he was certain in that moment with Angela that there was an explanation for it. So certain that Olivia didn’t do as Angela speculated. That’s some serious faith.
Also, if Angela knows about this account, that must mean that Mr. Android and Ponytail have deemed Olivia expendable. The existence of the account was to ensure that Olivia stayed in line, and since she wasn’t doing that, the account is now known.
As Fitz speaks on, Olivia makes her way further into the room and over to the window opposite the one that Fitz is standing in front of. She appears to be processing not only what he is telling her but also what she had just witnessed and heard from Mellie. Fitz shares his belief that Angela’s quest against Olivia has turned personal which doesn’t help he and Olivia in their own quest to take down the mystery people. He says that he is willing to ask Angela for her resignation if necessary and adds that he’d rather it not come to that, but he’ll do whatever is necessary to put an end to this.
Olivia’s lack of response leads Fitz to ask if she had heard anything that he had just said. She turns away from the window then as he approaches and tells her that Angela was in the process of filing a warrant. Olivia sees this as a good thing, which perplexes him. She goes on to tell him that the mystery people have bought the electors for Mellie, and that the only way that she sees to stop them now is to make it so that the electors can’t vote for Mellie. Mellie can be removed as an option should Olivia as Mellie’s campaign manager be arrested for framing Cyrus for murder.
Um, what? What Olivia is suggesting is allowing herself to be arrested for TREASON in order to thwart Mr. Android and Ponytail. From the way she sees it, doing this will give the electors enough cause to not vote for Mellie. The plan is rather shortsighted because she is placing her faith in people who may have been given enough incentive by the mystery people to vote for Mellie regardless.
Unable to understand this plan, Fitz tells Olivia that they have another option. He asks why she thinks he would allow her to go down for this when Rowan is guilty of carrying out the actual deed. Olivia states that arresting Rowan won’t solve the problem, but Fitz counters that it will because it would give the FBI a “head on a spike.”
Actually, y’all are both wrong.
While Fitz’s solution would solve the Angela problem, it does nothing to derail Mr. Android and Ponytail. As for Olivia’s plan, it is foolhardy for the reasons stated above. Her being arrested won’t necessarily throw the mystery people off course.
All episode, this is the first and only time that Fitz loses his cool. He is passionately unequivocal in stating that his intention of not allowing Olivia to go to prison for life for something that she didn’t do. Of course, Olivia has to rage back, and she tells him that she isn’t asking for his permission to do this and that he doesn’t tell her what to do.
Olivia is still running off at the jib while making for the exit when Fitz’s shouted question stops her in place. He wonders if she can’t see why he’s against this, and goes on to say that he could lose her forever.
Having claimed down a bit, Fitz reiterates that Rowan is guilty and Olivia counters by saying that Rowan will die in prison if Mr. Android believes him to be a threat. Fitz is taken aback by this and he concludes that Olivia throwing herself onto the funeral pyre all boils down to her trying to protect Rowan. Instead of answering him directly, Olivia threatens that if Fitz arrests her father or stops her from taking the fall for this, he will also lose her forever.
You know what, y’all are annoying me with this stupid ass argument. What are y’all even talking about right now?
If Fitz lets her take the fall, he won’t ever see Olivia again, and if he doesn’t let her take the fall or if he makes a move against Rowan, he also won’t ever see her again. So this is a lose-lose sitch either way?
Y’all on some bullshit. And when I say y’all, I mean Olivia.
Seeing that there was no way that he was going to win this argument, Fitz concludes that this then was their goodbye, and Olivia says that she guesses so. Just as she makes it to the door, Fitz remarks that Olivia is always right (lies!) and the smartest person in the room (more lies!) until that very moment (bingo!). He begs her not to go through with her plan, but she doesn’t listen. She apologies to him and then disappears.
What’s up with these apologies that come right before the one apologizing sets off to do something really freaking stupid?
A Shift in Course
The next we see, it is the day that the electoral college votes are to be revealed to the public. Over at Cyrus’s hotel room, Olivia is pouring herself some scotch as she says to Cyrus that the White House could still be his. She then asks him if he has anything stronger than the scotch. (Ha! Liquid courage won’t erase your foolishness, Liv.)
Cyrus wants to know what the hell it is that she is intending to do, and she replies that she is doing what’s necessary to keep Mr. Android and Ponytail out of the White House. She tells him that if she goes down, then so will Mellie and so will the mystery people. As Olivia takes another sip of her drink, Cyrus is shaking his head at the soundness of this plan.
When Olivia sets her empty glass on the coffee table, she says to Cyrus that he has sacrificed enough in this situation and now it was her turn to do the same. Cyrus tells her that he can’t let her go with it, but she tells him that he doesn’t have a choice.
Goodness. The guilt Olivia is harboring over her role in putting Cyrus in prison is so large that you could see it from Mars. Even with the light of day, she still fails to see the pitfalls of this plan of hers. She really is invested in martyring herself.
Over at the White House, we see Angela come charging into the Oval and she is in a fury! She has just found out from the Deputy Bureau Chief of the FBI that not only is Olivia not being arrested, but that this chief will be taking over the investigation and reporting all findings directly to Fitz. (Is this even allowed!?) When Angela concludes the obvious that Fitz is the one behind this, he says that he did this in lieu of sending her to Omaha or asking for her resignation.
When I tell y’all that I. AM.CACKLING! Who does this?! And to their so-called girlfriend? If Angela had any doubt about Fitz’s feelings for Olivia prior to that moment, this move made things perfectly clear.
Angela goes on to say that what she was doing was business and that this move by him is him interfering with a federal investigation. Fitz in turn tells her that she’s wrong on that account and reveals to her that they already have a suspect in custody.
Flashing over to Rowan’s work space, there are FBI agents everywhere! Soon Olivia shows up and calls out for her father, but before she can make it over to him, agents stop her in her tracks. Olivia says to the one agent that said agent will step aside and explain to her why they have her father the paleontologist in handcuff or the agent will have to explain it to the President when he accepts the woman’s resignation.
In the most bored voice ever, the agent says to Olivia, “Ma’am, these orders came from the White House.”
I bet that wasn’t what Olivia expected to hear. After all, she had adequately threatened Fitz, right? Arrest her father and he loses her forever. Blah blah blah.
Olivia watches helplessly as agents escort Rowan out. She attempts to follow, but she is immediately blocked.
Elsewhere, the votes of the electoral college are being announced on TV. Mellie is in her office downing hooch, David is in his office with Ponytail and pretending like he doesn’t know that she’s a lunatic, and Abby is with Cyrus as the results are read. Every announced vote is going to Mellie.
Abby shakes her head at the outcome and apologizes to Cyrus. He asks her what it is that she has to be sorry about and she replies that she is sorry for all of it.
While the results are coming in, Mellie cannot derive any joy from it. Similar to her what happened with her in the alternative universe (610), Mellie finds herself trapped in a situation that she could have avoided. She appears to still be in shock as she stares at her reflection in the mirror and catches sight of some of Elizabeth’s blood under her chin.
Meanwhile over at the Residence, Olivia bursts in like a hurricane and goes off on Fitz about him arresting Rowan after she told him not to. (So he can’t tell her what to do, but she can tell him what to do?) Olivia then goes off on a tangent about how Fitz must find it hard to believe that if she had to make a choice between himself and her father, that Fitzgerald would end up the loser.
Sigh. Olivia, what in the actual…
What is she talking about now? Did I somehow miss where Fitz asked her to make such a choice between her and Rowan now or ever?
Fitz meanwhile is entirely unfazed by her fire-breathing as he calmly adjusts his position on the sofa and asks Olivia if she would like to stop yelling at him. Thrown off by this, Olivia turns towards the television just as Fitz uses the remote to turn it on. On the screen appears a live video feed of Rowan sitting alone in the Oval Office. Olivia takes a step towards the television at the sight and she appears to be visibly glad to be setting eyes on her dad.
Fitz explains to her that while she saw the FBI take Rowan into custody, they actually took him into his custody. He tells her that Rowan is now safe from the mystery people, so that leaves them free to focus on taking down Mr. Android and Ponytail together without having to worry about Rowan’s life.
Do y’all realize what Fitzgerald just did here? Not only did he explicitly ignore Olivia’s silly directives, he found a way to neutralize Angela AND secure Rowan from the threat of death. This in turn effectively kills Olivia’s shitty plan and leaves her free to work with him in taking these people down. Oh, and he doesn’t lose Olivia. At least, not for now.
What this move by him also does is make clear that the choice has never been about him or Rowan. That was a ridiculous on Olivia’s part, especially since they aren’t even romantically linked at the moment. Him stating that he would lose her forever wasn’t about them as an entity but rather about the value he places on her presence in his life, no matter the capacity.
Olivia’s continued relationship with her father despite all that he has done to her continues to baffle me. Intellectually, I suppose I get it. Your parent is your parent and sometimes they are all you have, but I’d like to see Olivia get to a place mentally where she isn’t swinging from one extreme to the next when it comes to him or drawing lines in the sand that requires those who love her to accept her father or lose her. It’s an incredibly selfish thing to request of anyone, especially when you take into account the many ways by which Rowan has caused them all harm. If she’s not careful, she’s going to end up alone in a box with Rowan’s decaying body as her sole company.
Anyway, now that she has successfully made herself look like fool, Olivia turns back towards Fitz and finally lets out a relieved sigh. She then joins him on the sofa and the two of them are staring at each other. One can only guess at what is going through Olivia’s mind in that moment, but if the expression on her face, the tears in her eyes and the lyrics of this song are any indication, I’d say that she can’t believe that Fitzgerald is real. He just pulled a boss ass move that she definitely didn’t see coming and she’s speechless.
Olivia is staring at him with what looks to be a mix of gratitude and some love and maybe even a bit of apology. (The song overlaying this scene is Diana Ross’s version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”) On his part, Fitz is staring back and just waits to see what it is that she is about to do.
Suddenly (and at the apex of the song), Olivia pulls him towards her and kisses him! HO MY GOD!! Fitz obviously wasn’t expecting THIS, but he settles into it anyway because why the hell not? And even though I wanted to drop kick Olivia for her stubbornness, this was me at this very moment:
Is Angela officially cancelled then? Because if not… ¡Escandalo! What is officially cancelled though is the moratorium on Olivia’s vagina. Hallelujer!
The episode ends with the Senate announcement of Mellie winning the presidency playing over the scene of Olivia leading Fitz into his bedroom so that her body can thank him properly.
I’m resisting the urge to attribute more to this moment than what we have been given in this episode. At the very least, Olivia is grabbing onto a lifeline and holding on with both hands. Her stress level was through the roof much of the episode, so her succumbing to the overwhelming emotions that she was feeling right then isn’t at all surprising.
And all I can say to that is: relieve that stress, girl! Relieve it all over that room!!! There’s the wall, the floor, the shower and the bed. Just make sure that those sheet were changed first, okay? And when y’all finally come up for air, you can try to make sense of whatever TF just happened and what it means, if anything.
So what did y’all think of the episode? How is Mellie going to deal with the fact that she won the presidency by such illegitimate means? Do you feel that the ordeal that Cyrus has gone through has changed him? Do you think the same is possible with Rowan when he lost Sandra? Did Fitz make the right move in saving Rowan? Will Fitz come to regret demoting Angela? What of this reunion of sorts with Olitz? What do you think is happening?
Be sure to leave your comments down below or share them with me on Twitter. As always, I thank you for reading this recap/review of Scandal episode 611! See you next week!!
