Courtesy of ABC
After years hanging around B613 agents, Liv (Kerry Washington) takes a page from their book and clears Jake’s (Scott Foley) name.
Let’s bitch it out…
This week was so good, it’s hard to know where to begin. But let’s start with Liv’s visit to Supermax to interrogate Tom. Tom is a bit…coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs. He’s completely “loyal” to the President, asking Liv why she left him, and letting her know that Fitz attempted suicide after she left. It’s a bit odd when the guy that MURDERED HIS SON is telling his mistress that Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) needed her around to console him post-murder. Tom sticks to his guns that Jake is the one that ordered the hit. After planting the seed that Rowan (Joe Morton) would kill Tom to clean up loose ends, Liv orders a guard to shank Tom in the ribs so he believes that day had come. She “handled him, just like my father would.” In the end, Tom confesses to Liv that her dad ordered the hit, and Jake is freed.
Meanwhile, a U.S. Senator has, well, shat himself on national TV after a homemade fetish video got leaked. So needless to say, after Cyrus (Jeff Perry) stopped laughing, the senator resigned resulting in an open seat. The administration endorses none other than Abby’s ex-husband, Chip (Michael Trucco). Sidenote-I get that Cyrus knew and didn’t tell Abby (Darby Stanchfield) on purpose, but Fitz looked genuinely surprised when he found out they were exes. Whoever writes his briefing papers should be fired. How could they not include that major conflict of interest?
After playing it cool in front of the man who beat her so much she has metal pins in her cheek, she breaks down in the woman’s room, and Liv comes over with some clean dresses and a plan. Since Abby doesn’t want to go public with her story, Liv becomes the campaign manager for Chip’s opponent, whose campaign headquarters looks like a third grade PTA meeting. Not good.
In the end, it was actually Leo Bergen (Paul Adelstein) who saves the day. He’s back to serve as Chip’s campaign manager. After Abby confesses what Chip did, Leo leaks the fact that Chip set up the diaper-wearing senator causing him to drop out of the race. For his troubles, he and Abby kiss.
One of the most interesting parts of that story line is when Abby and Liv were discussing whether she should come forward with the abuse. Abby points to all the women who came forward, and then are defined by their interactions with a man for the rest of their lives. And often vilified. “They’re Anita Hill and Monica Lewinsky. They stood up and told their story, but where are they now?”
Courtesy of ABC
Other Observations:
- During Season 1, I would have loved the Fitz/Liv phone sex scene. Now, I’m mostly just annoyed, especially as it is tied to blackmail for monitoring Jake’s caloric intake. However, one must give Fitz kudos for being in such a “giving mood.” Also, when Fitz ends the call prematurely, just after Liv unbuttons her coat, her unsatisfied flip back on the bed was hilarious.
- Listening to Tom’s viewpoint, with Liv as Helen of Troy, is a great substitution for viewers. Tom has been there from episode 1, watching from the periphery. He sees how the decisions of the three most important men in both their lives (Command, Fitz, Jake) constantly revolve around her.
- Turns out Huck’s son is just as smart as Huck (Guillermo Diaz). After playing video games anonymously online, his son tracks his IP address and meets him, recognizing Huck from old family photos.
- Cyrus is onto Michael. After realizing there’s a leak, he feeds Michael some false information that ends up coming out of Mellie’s (Bellamy Young) mouth on national news. This should get interesting…
Best Lines:
Liv and Susan (so much better being delivered on screen): “All you have to do is say yes. Say yes, Susan” “Yes” “Thank you Susan”
David (Joshua Malina): “This isn’t jailhousemingle.com”
What did you think? Do you agree it was a fantastic episode? Sound off below!
Scandal airs Thursdays at 9pm EST on ABC