Was 'Scandal' Really That Scandalous?

This week on Scandal, Olivia’s brand-new client — possibly her only current client, since I really doubt she welcomed the turn coats from the first episode back — walks into a senator’s office with a bomb strapped to her chest. And because Olivia is an awesome person who walks towards things that other people run away from, she winds up not only in the room but basically being secretly in charge of the whole situation. Which puts her dangerously close to being considered a terrorist at one point, but, hey, such is the life of our favorite fixer.

But for something that should have been epic, the episode was a little scattered. Nothing too significant happened in terms of overall plot besides someone trying to break into the oval office to talk to the president about the mysterious Operation Remington. But that guy was later killed by Huck (more on that in a minute), so who knows if that plot point will even go anywhere. In the meantime, let’s check in with our favorite Scandal characters and see what we have learned this week.

Fitz

Well, his undisguised fight with Mellie in front of their son proves that the first couple are probably the worst parents on earth. Other than that, he continues to not live up to his potential as an epic character/president. Nothing new there, moving on.

Cyrus

Cyrus still has some unholy alliance going with… just about everybody it seems, and can’t get either the first lady or the president to listen to his good ideas about how to save the trainwreck of an administration. He is so much better than this tabloid stuff he has to deal with, and you know he knows it. But then, we’ve known it all along, too. Didn’t anybody develop in this episode?

David Rosen

Ah, yes, David Rosen. Well, if his trip into Cyrus’ office to throw down is any indication, dear David is ready to play at a whole new level. He even managed to shut down a Cyrus take-down with his facts about FBI promotions and firings, which all stink of cover-up. And because he said the words “DNC” and “election cycle,” Cyrus even had to listen and do what he wanted. But David also insists on being sanctimonious and holier-than-thou, so even though he’s clearly trying to up his game, my guess is Cyrus will stomp him flat soon enough. And considering he called Olivia a terrorist while she was being held hostage, we will watch that moment with glee.

Eli Pope

Eli Pope is slicker than any of us gave him credit for, and it is worrying. He’s apparently been paying off the guy who tried to talk to Fitz about Operation Remington, and when this mysterious man informs him that he doesn’t want the money anymore, Eli manages to have Huck kill him. Even though Huck came to this cabin in the middle of nowhere to kill Eli Pope. How does a person even do that? No wonder he’s the diabolical mastermind behind an evil spy organization.

Huck

Poor Huck. After finally learning who’s responsible for the mess of his life and his mind, he tracks the guy down but can’t pull the trigger. Instead, he falls off the wagon and kills someone completely different, just because that heinous person tells him to. And then has a breakdown in Olivia’s office about how Eli Pope still owns him, and it’s heartbreaking.

The Other Gladiators

The rest of Pope and Associates hasn’t had much to do lately, and I can’t even remember the last time they had more than two minutes of face time with Olivia. And if the fact that they took on a client without consulting her is any indication, that is a bad thing. If the children are left to their own devices much longer, they might start getting into real trouble.

Mellie

Drunk Mellie is the best. The absolute best. We will love her forever, even if she never returns.

Jake

Jake is alive and seems rather happy to be that way, even though he got basically used as a go-between for his one-time sort of girlfriend and his one time sort-of best friend who couldn’t talk directly because they were one-time (or many-time) lovers. Awkward. But he did get to experience Fitz’s only moment of being remotely presidential so far this season when the man managed to actually sound forceful with the “America will not negotiate with terrorists” spiel. But considering what Jake just went through, some serious therapy will be needed soon.

Olivia

Her ex who was tortured by her father is sleeping on her couch, her ex the president nearly got her killed, her father is an evil mastermind who's causing no end of trouble — and who knows what state her business is in — and she isn't sure whether or not one of her employees is going to kill her or her father or both. Yeah, Olivia's life gets more surreal all the time, and we love it. What we don’t love, though, is watching her take emotional beatings constantly. And the last 10 minutes of this episode was like one punch after another. After spending hours being held hostage/being accused of terrorism (shouldn’t those be mutually exclusive? No? Thanks, FBI), Olivia has to lie to a grieving mother to protect homeland security (which I do think was the right call), a move that then drives said mother to blow herself up. Olivia then comes back to the office to find Huck sitting at her desk, but even after he promises he’s not there to kill her, she’s freaked out that maybe he killed her father and then he’s having a breakdown about how Eli still controls him, and it is just more than she should have to deal with in one day.

Fortunately for everyone, next week’s episode looks like a return to what Pope and Associates does best: political scandal. With any luck, it will give Olivia a chance to catch her breath and be on top of everything for a while, give the gladiators some time to do what they’re really good at, and give everyone at the White House a chance to shape up and remember they’re supposed to be running the country. And I thought our real-life government was bad…

Image: ABC