Courtesy of ABC
Scandal continues with the high octane action: an oval office intruder, a Congressional hostage situation, and a CIA/FBI cover up. We’re pulling no punches.
Let’s bitch it out…
The case of the week begins strangely as Olivia (Kerry Washington) gets a walk-in client, Mary (Cynthia Stevenson), who retains OPA for a “family matter” before running off to a meeting on the Hill. Baby Huck (aka Katie Lowes’ Quinn) gets suspicious when she realizes that Mary’s son was killed by the FBI and the retainer check Mary dropped off is for the exact amount the woman had in her checking account. Uh oh, this doesn’t sound like someone who’s planning for retirement. So Liv rushes to the Capitol and discovers the woman has a bomb strapped to her chest (it was easy to sew, just needed to modify a standard jumper pattern!). Mary has friends: her useless Congressman and his staff are now hostages and this angry mother wants a copy of her son’s classified FBI file so that she can finally know what really happened to him. Oh, and she wants Olivia to help.
This seems like the perfect platform for Olivia’s awesomeness. I’m surprised it’s taken three years before Scandal puts her into the role of hostage negotiator. And so, it’s Pope & Associates to the rescue! This is Scandal, after all: on this show, when in doubt, there is always a conspiracy theory. The time sensitive nature of Mary’s demands means that there is lots of drama – including FBI impersonators and David Rosen (Joshua Malina) blackmailing Jeff Perry’s Cyrus (Side Note: is it me or is David acting like a dick when he says he’d show up for Olivia’s funeral?).
In the end, Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) drops the news to Liv that Mary’s son was in fact an undercover CIA agent when he was accidentally killed by the FBI. Unfortunately, Liv can’t tell Mary because the 57 agents that her son recruited are currently undercover and would be in jeopardy. As a result Liv is forced to tell Mary her worst nightmare: that her son was a terrorist. Liv and the Congressman are set free, but before the FBI can arrest her, Mary slams the door and blows herself up.
Overall it’s a fun change of pace, though this episode does have a few eyebrow raising moments. Example: since when does the President conduct a tactical hostage rescue operation? I’m no expert, but it doesn’t seem like he’d be that involved, especially before he knew that Olivia was there.
Courtesy of ABC
Meanwhile, a man is apprehended trying to enter the oval office (it’s a REALLY busy day in DC). He says he needs to talk to POTUS about Operation Remington. Once Cyrus sees his file, he orders that the man be released (can Cyrus just do that?) and informs Liv’s dad Eli (Side Note: he has so many names – Rowan, Eli, Command…we’ll go with Eli), who goes to the man’s house, gives him money, and handcuffs him to the table. Why? Because this entire day, Huck (Guillermo Diaz) has been following Eli (Joe Morton). He’s been stalking him ever since he found out he was Command at B613. Instead of killing Eli (who knew he was being tailed all day), Eli gives him a “present”: the man inside. Who Huck promptly murders and stages it like a suicide. Whoa. So who was this mysterious man and what did he know about Operation Remington? Did Huck just kill him because he was dying to do what he was trained to do? Is he addicted?
Other Observations:
- Jake (Scott Foley) is back and doing more than slumping at the door! The episode opens with him in Olivia’s bed (squee), but not in the good way (boo). Still recovering from his injuries, he tries to help Olivia with the case of the week (by talking to Fitz, who continues to act like a jealous tween: “I’m sorry but you’ll have to tell her you couldn’t save the day”). After seeing Huck sucked back into Eli’s trap, Olivia is very concerned about why Eli let Jake go in the first place (because she and POTUS met his demands, right?).
- Mellie (Bellamy Young) wins the award for the World’s Worst Mother. Cramming food down her baby’s throat so he’ll know to call her “mama” instead of the nanny when the press comes by? Nice!
- Why is Liv shocked that Huck researched her dad? He just found out he’s Command at B613 last episode. It’s the natural next step. Come on Liv!
Best Lines:
- Cyrus (to Fitz): “We will all do our level best to not blow her up, but you are not calling Olivia”
- Darby Stanchfield’s Abby (trying to help Quinn hack into the FBI database): “Did you try sending a virus worm to the viral or IP thingy?” Quinn: “Do you even know what you’re saying?”
- Drunk Mellie to Fitz (on why she’s happy Olivia’s still alive): “She’s the strings that – need be – I will pull to make my puppet husband dance”
- Mellie and Fitz, acting like every married couple ever: “Shut up.” “YOU shut up!”
What did you think of the hostage crisis? Are you excited to learn more about Operation Remington? Did you enjoy drunk Mellie discussing Olivia the Martyr as much as I did? Sound off below!
Scandal airs Thursdays at 10pm EST on ABC