‘Scandal’ Recap: I’m Just A Bill
Now I knew when Papa Pope came back Scandal was about to be 1000 but even I wasn’t ready for last night’s episode.
The ending of last night’s Scandal stopped me in my tracks. I had assumed it was coming but because it hadn’t happened before, I thought maybe I was wrong. For those of who didn’t watch, there was a major death and I was not ready. However, we’ll get to that in a second – we have a few more things to discuss first.
PAPA POPE IS BACK
The episode started with Rowan pouring two glasses of wine in Liv’s apartment with a gun strapped to his back. You know, just in case Olivia tries something like the last time they saw each other. Daughter be damned, Rowan has to take care of himself. He proceeds to tell Liv thatshe has 48 hours to shut this whole B613 crusade down before he brings down the hammer and wrecks shop. He reminds her that taking him down will bring everything down. Everything including her beloved Fitz. Does she really hate him enough that she will jeopardize Fitz as well? While he notices the change in her, he still doesn’t think that she will allow that to happen and trusts that she will do the right thing, Of course it wouldn’t be a Rowan scene if he didn’t leave her with a good sermon. This one being about how the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and how he knows her better than anyone else. He makes sure to drink a bit of his wine before he leaves. Oh and did I mention that he has dear old Russell drugged and bound on the floor? No? Oops, sorry about that. When Rowan leaves, Liv tries to act like they got drunk and he blacked out – you can tell Russell doesn’t quite believe that but we’ll get back to him in a minute.
But let me just state for the record that I missed Papa Pope. Yes he is ruthless and a cold-hearted bastard but damnit! That man can deliver a good sermon whenever the mood hits and I am here for it. When I see Rowan, I automatically know that a good read is waiting just around the river bend. That man has quotables for DAYS.
NOT JUST A DOORMAT
The White House is trying to pass a new bill, the “Brandon Bill” – one that proposes to keep the police force in check in light of the Brandon Parker tragedy. Fitz and Co. are having a hard time getting all of the needed votes for this to pass and it looks like it will be a tie because of Virginia’ s vacant Senate seat. This is where Vice President Susan Ross comes in. She will have to cast the deciding vote (seeing as it’s her past seat that is vacant). Cyrus goes to her and then automatically assumes that she will just cast yes. Ummm, no boo. Susan says that she cannot vote on something she has not read so everyone will have to wait so that she may have an informed opinion. She is serious about helping the country and is probably the only one in The White House who doesn’t have her own personal agenda and worried about power plays. She spends countless hours reading this 1200 page document, effectively holding up the decision as everyone else has already cast a vote.
The problem with the bill she says is that it is basically just a bunch of suggestions. There is no actual plan in place to enforce the bill. She refuses to cast the winning vote until every one of her questions are answered which we know is working Cyrus’s last nerve. Despite his earlier threats of not “feeding the pigeon”, she wears Cy, Mellie and David down before Fitz has to storm in and get the answers he needs. “You are a fetus in the world of Washington politics!” he tells Susan, reminding her that she has no real power. However, that’s technically not true. She does have some power and she stands up to Fitz without the slightest regret. Soon, she has convinced Fitz to rework the bill so they can have real change which truth be told is the first time I think I have seen Fitz doing any real political work since this show started.
This just goes to show that all of them underestimated Susan. She is not some doormat and is very sharp. She quickly told Mellie she knew about the plan for her to run for her old Senate seat. No one told her, she just knew as it made the most sense. She believes Mellie will make a great President. So after Fitz pulls the bill from the floor, in order to not get any backlash and questions about the process, Mellie announces her Senate run. So all in all, everyone in The White House is momentarily happy. Keyword here is “momentarily”.
THE RACE FOR MAYOR
OPA has a new case and it is none other than Marcus Walker. Remember him? The activist who fought to get Brandon Parker justice? He is now running for Mayor, but he has been sleeping with the current mayor’s wife, Natalie. The OPA team show up to the mayor’s house to find Natalie in the bedroom dead and Marcus sitting on the couch in a daze. Now let me stop you before you start: while he is definitely foul for sleeping with a married woman, he is not a murderer. They were having sex when they heard someone show up. They initially though it was the Mayor coming back home so he hid in a small closet. It wasn’t the Mayor but three masked men who came in and stabbed Natalie five times while Marcus could do nothing but watch.
OPA goes to their Plan B which is to clean up the scene, move the body out, and erase any trace of Marcus being there. Let me just say that Huckleberry Quinn thrived in this moment. Did you see the glee that washed over Quinn’s face when Huck allowed her the “honor” of deciding how exactly they would clean it up and move the body? Whew, Quinn didn’t lie when she told Huck that she was basically his puppy. Anyway, Natalie is now declared “missing” and the mayor does a press conference asking for any information on his wife’s whereabouts.
Marcus is picked up by the police and taken to the station because they found emails from him to Natalie, threatening her. Here is when Marcus really sees what Olivia Pope is all about. Liv walks in and asks if he has been arrested. When the police captain confirms that he wasn’t, she tears into his ass! Let’s revisit that scene here:
That was vintage Olivia Pope right there! I love it! That pep in her step was back too and did you see that look Marcus gave Olivia when she was walking down the steps and then that smirk? Child, please. He didn’t know Liv had it like that. For a split second, I don’t know if he wanted to work with her, take her for drinks or something else. The something else looked to be on his mind for a split second too if you catch my drift. In any case, I think he really admires her now too. Let’s face it: Olivia Pope is a major bad-ass.
Huckleberry Quinn found that the Mayor’s people planted the emails in Marcus’s inbox to frame him. They figure out that the killer was the Mayor’s longtime personal driver. Liv tells Marcus that he is going to have to choose: justice or his career. He can’t have both. He picks his career and they meet with the mayor as Liv tells him that he will drop out of the race and give Marcus the seat and a glowing endorsement. In exchange, the truth about Natalie’s murder will not come to light. They all agree but as he is leaving out of the limo to speak to the press, he says “The bitch got what was coming to her.”
He resigns, and Marcus takes the podium only to change the script and tell the press that Natalie is not missing, but dead. He tells the police everything he knows and walks away with Olivia. He knows that his political career is over before it really began. He did the right thing though, and Olivia reminds him of that. For his conscience, for closure and for justice; he did the right thing. Something tells me that this is not the last we will see of Marcus. Either Liv will find a way to get him elected after all or he may end up being a part of Liv’s team. Marcus was really impressed by the Gladiators and has a new respect for Liv so I wouldn’t be surprised if any of that happens.
But I do have several questions: what did they actually do with the body? Did Marcus know and did he tell the police? Did he even tell the police what Liv, Quinn and Huck really did? And if so, how are they not in trouble for being an accessory after the fact for hiding the body? I mean, yes these questions are inconsequential but I still need to know!
ONE LESS GLADIATOR
After dealing with Marcus’s case, Liv gets home to find her father waiting for her. He is there to give his final warning because time is up and things are about to go DOWN. She says that she is not stopping the B613 takedown because he was right about her, she won’t let a person stop her from doing what she knows is right. Papa Pope actually admits that he is proud of her even if they are on opposite sides. He is proud because for once she is not letting her feelings for Fitz dictate her actions. However, war has been declared. Everyone should be afraid. Everyone needs to be watching their backs.
Shortly after, Jake walks into the OPA office looking for Liv, he got a text from her. He is immediately attacked by a masked man and they begin to fight. At one moment when Jake has the upper hand, he pulls the man’s mask to reveal that it is Russell! I knew that damn Russell couldn’t be trusted! I mean we kind of knew that when Papa Pope emerged on the side of him last episode. They tried to play it off with this episode when Rowan drugged him but I wasn’t falling for that. And that he wants to talk hell about he wants more with Liv? Get the hell out of here!
Sorry I got sidetracked. Back to what I was saying.
When Jake is momentarily caught off guard after recognizing Russell, Russell stabs him. Jake goes down and Russell is a little disappointed, he says “Rowan always went on and on about how special you are.” He told Jake that he’s going to try again and that he should put up a fight. He stabs Jake REPEATEDLY and Liv’s floor starts to pool with blood.
RUSSELL KILLED JAKE!
I don’t see how he can NOT be dead so I am pretty safe in calling his demise right now. This is a Shonda Rhimes show though so there is a possibility that he may indeed still be alive but I’m not buying it. I think it was his time. Honestly, his role on this show has run its course in my opinion so I am not surprised. We all know that since I am a ride or die #Olitz member I never even tried to give Jake a chance, no matter how many times he did try to earn it, so my opinion is really biased at this point.
So in the end, Russell is working with Rowan and doing all of his dirty work. Not that this is important right now but Liv is having the absolute worst luck in men. I mean, goddamn! The love of her life is unavailable because well, he is married AND the President of The United States. Her side piece is half B613/half Gladiator and frankly isn’t doing much for her like Fitz can so she is confused and friend zoned him. And now what was supposed to be easy with Russell just got REALLY complicated.
There are two more episodes until the season finale and Scandal is about to take it up several notches. I feel it in my spirit. This showdown between the Gladiators and B613 is going to be a bloodbath. A lot of people are going to be taken down in the process and this will most definitely spread into The White House. For one, if Jake really is dead then the whole case is effectively dismissed from a legal standpoint. He was going to be the nail in the coffin which is why I feel Rowan decided he had to go first.
Well I don’t know much about what is coming up in the story line but what I do know is that I don’t have enough wine. Between Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal – I need to keep PLENTY in stock for the next couple of weeks.
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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