The Union is in a rather poor state if you ask me. Olivia is firmly back in Washington,
and thankfully back to work. Most of last season we watched her sulk and mope
over Fitz, while the Gladiators did her bidding, so I was thrilled to see Liv back in her
element…. even if Cyrus had to blackmail her to do so.
This episode, her clients were James and Lisa Elliott; American heroes and the faces
of gun control. And yet, as thrilled as I was to have a throwback to when Olivia
actually “fixed” situations, the Elliott’s story wasn’t all that interesting. I was pleased
when Olivia’s solution was for them to either stay miserable or get a divorce.
Sometimes the answer is really that simple.
Quinn and Huck have reinstated themselves in Pope and Associates (wearing
matching plaid shirts). However, their creepy and very twisted lusty affair is making
it more and more difficult for them to work together. Quinn is desperate for Huck
to acknowledge her existence, while Huck acts as if nothing has occurred between
the two. After all, it’s Quinn’s nosiness and blanket disregard for boundaries that has
destroyed their relationship.
Abby continues to muddle her way through the White House, while both Cyrus and
Fitz resent the fact that she is not Olivia. (Fitz even thinks that her name is Gabby,
which I suppose is better than Red.) Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for this season being
the season of Abby but to be quite frank, she’s really not all that good at her new job.
Olivia attempts to help her out on the sly, while David has to take control of his own
confirmation as Attorney General because Abby gives up on him.
Fitz and Olivia are back to their tired ass games. As usual, Fitz can’t seem to function
without Liv’s opinions and advice. When he sees her at the State of the Union
address, he boldly clears the room in an attempt to get her to look over his speech.
(It’s all very last season, and the season before that and the one before that.) Fitz
even has the audacity to day that Liv “owes” him her opinion. Typical.
Meanwhile, Jake realizes that he has been relegated back to his position as jump
off. There’s no standing in the sun in D.C. Though he’s dignified enough to get his
own place (he doesn’t want to be a kept man), we also know that he needs space to
continue probing into Harrison’s death. Still, he’s mostly just there so that Liv can
use him for booty calls. She tells him. “If I want to summon you I will summon you.”
(Well alright then.)
Cyrus has gone and gotten himself a new boo. A tall, Ken doll-like gentleman who
I knew was too good to be true. And he was. Cyrus’ loneliness just may help bring
the Grant Administration to its knees. Republican Committee Chair Lizzie is not
playing any games, she’s determined to get the upper hand. After all, the Republican
White House is becoming more and more liberal by the day. I really appreciated
Shonda and the writers of Scandal having a dialogue about gun control, especially
given today’s current and continuous climate. Anyway, Cyrus’ new boo turns out
to be an escort, (sent by Lizzie) but that may not be enough to keep Mr. Bean away.
(Especially given the look on his face when Mr. Ken doll dropped his underwear.)
Mellie really broke my heart this episode. She’s spiraling further and further into
despair. She’s broken and something much more drastic than Abby yelling at her
is going to have to occur for her to become the OG Mellie Grant that we all came to
love. It was devastating to see her on the floor at the end of the episode, weeping
and heartbroken.
I enjoyed Scandal much more this week but I still have questions.
1. How long is Jake going to keep letting Olivia use him?
2. Are Quinn and Huck actually going to be a couple? (To be quite honest I don’t
think I could stomach that.)
3. Why is Vice President Andrew still around? His only purpose apparently is to
stand and clap. I miss Sally Langston and her foolishness.
4. What kind of nonsense is Lizzie going to drag Cyrus into ?
5. Does Mellie know Gerry’s death was not an accident?
6. Do all roads lead back to Charlie?
What questions do you all have? How did you feel about this episode?
Aramide A Tinubu has her Master’s in Film Studies from Columbia University.
She wrote her thesis on Black Girlhood and Parental Loss in Contemporary Black
American Cinema. She’s a Black Cinema geek and blogger. You can read her blog at:
www.chocolategirlinthecity.co or tweet her @midnightrami