Scandal Recap: No More Blood
Olivia is back home!!
I honestly thought we had another two or three episodes to go before that happened but nope! She returned to DC last night but it wasn’t without its share of hiccups. Oh and as for who bought her, I was 50% right so that counts for something, right?!
Let’s just dive right in, shall we?
NO MORE BLOOD
The deal Gus brokered with l Iran fell through thanks to a bit of wheeling and dealing on Olivia’s part. As a result the auction was back on and there was hope again for the OPA crew. Huck, more than anyone, was relieved by this though he didn’t show his emotions like Quinn did. Right before the bidding was set to start again, Jake had a conversation with Huck. He tells him to remember that he too was a part of B613, he knows how that changes a person. He knows how addictive killing can be and that they all have their vices. His? Bones. If you break a bone just right, the sound is magical. He knows that there is no other feeling like warm blood on your hands. Jake detailed a number of things that he had to do but said that person is different from the one he is now even though he is still very much capable of killing someone. The person who was a part of B613 always took it a step further. It’s a beast. It is a beast that has to be tucked away and tamed at all times. He tells Huck that he never lets his beast out and that he can’t either because if he keeps doing it, one day THAT person will overcome Huck. Huck’s reply is that Olivia tucks that person away, she is the one who centers him.
Now if you didn’t have an “awwww” moment then who are you? My heart literally broke for Huck in that moment. Jake tells him that he has to find a way to rein it in on his own. Later Quinn asks Huck not to go back to that dark place. She makes him promise that even if they don’t find Liv again that there will be no more blood. He may be Olivia’s puppy but she is his. He agrees to no more blood but his resolve is quickly tested when Elizabeth asks him for help in eliminating Andrew after prompted by Mellie. Huck tells Elizabeth he is done killing but after Russia buys Liv and they are unsure of her return once again, he changes his mind. With the VP in his home office (I believe that’s where they were) while Elizabeth watches, Huck injects something into Andrew while he is wrapped in saran wrap. We later find out that Andrew suffered a stroke and it looks like he will no longer be able to serve in the capacity of VP.
So while Huck will stick to the “no more blood” rule for the foreseeable future, he can still get the necessary job done.
ALWAYS A GLADIATOR
As I mentioned earlier, the initial deal to Iran fell through. Olivia pitted her captors and Iran against each other and it ended with a stand off. They went back to their safe house to regroup. Bidding started once again and Russia and Marie Wallace (the OPA team) both offered $2 billion which resulted in a tie. Gus then asked Olivia what she would do and of course she suggested Marie Wallace. However, she gave herself away for a brief moment and Gus decided that she would go to Russia.
When it was time for drop off, Liv’s buyer was revealed and it was none other than….. Stephen!
Once she was assured that she was safe, she took Stephen’s gun and shot Gus and then proceeded to kick him until Steven had to pull her away and reassure her that she was safe and everything was going to be okay.
I told you all! Didn’t I say it would be Stephen?! Quick history lesson for those who don’t remember him: Steven was probably the very first gladiator. He worked with Liv from the beginning. Remember the pilot episode where Liv paid for the baby in the box? The guy who was with her? That was Stephen. He had a bit of a wandering eye even though he was committed to his fiance Georgia. Stephen used to have no problem sleeping with the Medical Examiner to get the autopsy report or an ADA to find out about their client’s charges. He was a really great friend to Liv but left at the end of the first season with Georgia because he really was seeking a normal life. Though judging by Liv and Steven’s conversation, he didn’t get that.
Looks like we have Abby to thank for Olivia’s rescue. After finding out about Cyrus’s plans (more on that later), she gets in touch with Stephen who was owed a few favors from a Russian gang and they were able to save Liv.
Admittedly, I was only half right. While I thought it was Stephen who would buy her (and even initially kidnapped her), I thought it was because he had turned. I thought that somehow he was upset with Olivia or something went terribly wrong with their relationship and he wanted to make her pay. I should have know better though. Once you love Olivia, you love her forever. She needed him and without hesitation, he was there.
I honestly would not have minded if Stephen came back. With Abby at The White House and Harrison dead, a semblance of the original team would have been nice especially to help Olivia during this time. One thing is for sure: Liv has no shortage of people that are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect her. Like Abby said; Once a Gladiator, Always a Gladiator.
After Stephen puts her on a plane back home; Jake, Quinn, and Huck are there to take her back to her apartment. The hallway carries a sense of eeriness for Liv now and Huck has installed many locks to her door. He even promises to be back the next day to install a high quality security system. Quinn cleaned the couch, though the red wine stain is there, and the kitchen. Jake planned on staying with her but Liv is still in shock and wants to be by herself.
I’M ON MY OWN
Shortly after the team leaves, there is a knock on the door. It is Fitz; he had to check on her himself. She lets him in and he asks her if she was harmed. What he wanted to know was if she was raped. She told him that she wasn’t but she found out that there are things worse than rape.
Liv is pissed that he would go to war for her. She feels that all she has sacrificed and done for him to be a great President was jeopardized when he sent thousands of people to West Angola. He should not have done that. She was taken because of him and when given an ultimatum, he chooses the wrong option. Fitz maintains that he had to get her back which we know is true. There is no way Fitz would have been able to survive if Liv was killed. He wouldn’t have been able to fully function in the capacity needed to serve as the President. Even when they are not together, we see how much he relies on her to help center him.
Granted, that’s the least of Olivia’s problems right now. She wholeheartedly disagrees and berates him for his decision and before making him leave, throws the ring that she always wears on her index finger at him.
I knew it! I knew it! I have been telling people for a while that the ring had some major significance. Olivia never went anywhere without it. I always thought that either it was her mother’s or Fitz gave it to her. Turns out FItz gave it to her. What I want to know is when? So Shonda when are we going to get that flashback scene of the proposal and all that jazz? I’ll wait, I am patient.
All my Fitz fandom aside though, it’s a rough time to be on #teamolitz. We all know my thoughts on these two and how I STAN for them, however, I think both us and #Olake members need to be realistic and realize that Liv really is alone. In the end, Olivia might very well ride off into the sunset without any of them and we know how much it pains me to think of Liv without Fitz being there. She was right when she told Fitz that she is on her own. She is and honestly has been for a while. All jokes aside, I really need for Liv to find herself again. (I’ll tuck in my hope for #oneminute scenes for a while, well for the next couple episodes at least.)
PAPA POPE
Now I am still convinced that Papa Pope had some hand in this. I think he worked with Andrew to have her taken. Most of you will still disagree but what other answer is there? We still haven’t found out how Andrew was able to pull this off. There is absolutely no way he came up with this genius plan by himself. There is no way that he had the resources to find such skilled people do this. I still think Papa Pope may behind it and this scene from last night confirmed it for me. He refused to help his daughter. In his world, he doesn’t have a daughter.
Papa Pope basically said fishing is more important then saving Olivia’s life. Well hell!
Sidenote: Liv was only gone for about a week? I was SURE it was a couple weeks in Gladiator time. Apparently I was wrong.
Perhaps one of the most important things I didn’t mention in detail was that Cyrus was willing to let Olivia die. They had a plan for extraction for Liv when the drop off would happen but the CIA was convinced the probability of success was low. However, Fitz still wanted to go with the extraction plan. Cyrus goes behind his back and authorizes the CIA to eliminate the threat i.e. Olivia if an extraction is not probable. This is why Abby had to get in contact with Stephen. After learning what Cyrus planned to do behind Fitz’s back, she hatched a plan of her own. Cy was ready to launch the missile at Olivia too until he realized he knew the man that bought her. Towards the end of the episode, Cyrus basically asks Abby not to tell anyone of what he was planning to do.
Damnit Cyrus!! That’s not right.
No new Scandal episode next week so no review until the 6th and that episode promises to be the most powerful episode yet.
Check out the preview here:
Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.
You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.
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