Courtesy of ABC
‘The Testimony of Diego Munoz’ closed some loose ends and started some new ones.
The aftermath of Liv’s kidnapping: Liv’s (Kerry Washington) emotional state after her traumatic experience was put on the backburner during last week’s The Lawn Chair. It’s addressed now, to the point where Liv’s sitting on the floor in the dark drinking….NOT wine. Straight up liquor. That’s how you know our girl needs to talk to someone.
Just as Liv’s trying to process everything herself, the friend of Liv’s neighbor, Lois, is trying to find her. Lois’s dead body, of course, was previously covering Liv in a body bag by the kidnappers. We learn that neighbor Lois and her friend Rose (Marla Gibbs) were actually lovers, reunited after years apart since sixty years ago “it was hard enough being black, let alone black and gay.” Heartbreakingly, Rose admits that she knows Lois is dead because she can feel it. But Liv and OPA track down the body so Lois can receive a proper burial and Rose can say a proper goodbye.
Through this process and a GIANT bowl of popcorn, an appropriate sized glass of wine, and some oddly-placed flashbacks to Fitz (Tony Goldwyn)/Liv and Jake (Scott Foley)/Liv makeouts, Liv’s PTSD is apparently over. She also throws out the wine-soaked couch cushion. Thank god, it’s time for that to go.
The chortle heard around the world: Over at the White House, Fitz is trying to get his new VEEP Susan Ross (Artemis Pebdani, who wins for best name) confirmed. This seemingly easy task comes to a halt when Susan breaks out into a fit of laughter when giving a speech on the White House lawn.
Leo (Paul Adelstein) is initially hired as the fixer. After making Susan cry (seriously, Susan would be the WORST President ever, I don’t care how sincere she is. Maybe she could be the Secretary of Education or something…), Leo is fired. Leo and Abby (Darby Stanchfield) confirm what most of us already know: it’s a bad idea to work with the person you’re banging.
Liv swoops in to save the day and prep Susan for the confirmation hearings. When the Senate pushes back, Liv realizes that it’s because Fitz has not given a “mea culpa” for the elephant in the room: the West Angolan war. I loved the continuity that everyone hates Fitz because HE STARTED A THREE DAY WAR FOR NO REASON. That’s the smartest thing the fake Senate has ever done.
However, of all the insane things that happen on this show, I have to call BS that Susan would ever be confirmed as a legitimate VEEP.
The Testimony of Diego Munoz: You didn’t really think you were done with B613 did you? One hour a week, David Rosen (Joshua Malina) opens his doors to the public to hear their (mostly crazy) issues. In quite the coincidence, Huck’s ex-wife shows up with the very B613 files that David had previously color-coded! To protect his family, Huck-AKA Diego Munoz (Guillermo Diaz) initially plans to testify to David that he doesn’t remember everything, and effectively end this case before it begins. However, when being interviewed, Huck breaks down and describes the hole, and how he survived all those years by having a daily routine of pretend beach walks and furniture building (did your heart break too? As not a big fan of Huck, I was surprised how touched I was).
I seriously feel like I’m missing something related to the danger of B613 though. Does it still exist? Rowan is fishing in Canada and Jake is now an honorary member of OPA. So who is the head of B613 and why do we care anymore (that is, if we ever did)?
In any event, David chooses to move forward with the B613 investigation…someone put their white hat back on.
Other Observations:
• Outing B613 to the public is not going to end well for Huck, right? Like I’m expecting his body found at the bottom of the Potomac in the season finale.
• Most realistic scene of the episode: when Abby waits until bedtime to pick a fight with Leo.
• I would have liked to actually see Fitz grovel in front of the Senate.
• “I don’t mean that critically”-David to Huck, backpedaling when he realizes he’s verbally attacking a trained assassin.
• In real life, Paul Adelstein (who’s been on Private Practice and Scandal) and Liza Weil (of HTGAWM and Scandal) are married. I love that Shonda keeps it in the family.
Best Lines:
Susan: “Who doesn’t love a gay wedding?” Leo: “You, Susan. YOU!”
Cyrus (Jeff Perry): “You date him? Really Red, that turns you on?”
What did you think? Are you also convinced Huck’s days are numbered? Are you ready to see some more case-of-the-week fixing? Sound off below!
Scandal airs Thursdays at 9pm EST on ABC