So The Prez is obsessed! I thought linking Jake to Fitz was a stroke of genius really. It makes perfect sense that the President can’t get Liv off his mind and has creepily hired someone to watch her every move. The fact that Jake is falling for Liv (he is right?) and she’s being completely exploited on every level makes the storyline all the more fascinating. Seriously this has to be the most twisted love triangle of all time and I can’t wait to see where it goes next now that Jake lied to Fitz about Liv seeing someone.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a case of the week and this one was a doozy. It’s always satisfying to witness just how great Liv is at her job and I loved watching her navigate the senator’s marriage and ordeal. The remarkable thing about this case is that Liv got to do some therapy of her own particularly in that astonishing monologue (which you can read in its glorious entirety below) as she tore into the ramifications of having an affair.
And finally, pretty chilling reveal with the CIA director being our mole. Kurt Fuller just exudes menace so he’s a perfect fit for the role. I love how the world of Scandal keeps getting more and more complicated. It’s become a beautiful web of deceit and sinister machinations.
Scandalous Bits
– A lot of fun guest stars in this one from previous ABC fame. The brothers were played by Eric Mabius of Ugly Betty and Eric Winter from Brother & Sisters.
– Abby and David having quickies in the office (and in the car) made me laugh. I love these two.
– Really unsettling sequence with Jake watching Olivia and calling to cheer her up. Glad to see he’s not a complete perv with him turning off the camera as she undressed.
– Abby scaring off the first pretend wife was a powerful moment for the character.
– Loved Abby and Harrison quizzing Will and the pretend-wife on how to play out their “marriage.”
– Predictable twist with Will sleeping with bro’s wife.Weird how Liv didn’t catch it sooner.
– Kerry Washington’s delivery of “SHUT THIS DOWN” was epic.
– Electric look between Fitz and Liv at the gala. Followed by his jealousy of her as she giggled on the phone like a schoolgirl.
– Cyrus screwing over Mellie was immensely satisfying. These two are just nuts.
Quipyness
Fitz: I didn’t count on the isolation. It makes you do things. Color outside the lines.
Eric: He needs a wife.
Quinn: We do that?
Olivia: Gay, I could work with. Gay I could get elected. Gay I could take all the way, give me ten years and I can make a President.
Olivia: When it comes to Fitz, Mellie is her own worst enemy.
Olivia: You have nothing. You have a pile of secrets and lies, and you’re calling it love. And in the meantime you’re letting your whole life pass you by while they raise children and celebrate anniversaries and grow old together. You’re frozen in time. You’re holding your breath. You’re a statue waiting for something that’s never going to happen. Living for stolen moments in hotel hallways and coat closets and you keep telling yourself they all add up to something real because in your mind they have to but they don’t. They won’t. They never will. Because stolen moments aren’t a life. So you have nothing. You have no one. End it now.
Must Download Tune
I’m Not The One by Bettye LaVette
Conclusion
Another week, another brilliant hour of Scandal.
Nad Rating
A-
Yay! It is weird that Jake is watching Olivia's mood and then calling to fix it. I can see you're in a bad mood, because I have cameras covering every inch of your apartment…
Abby warning off wifey #1 was great, but didn't she care about wifey #2?
Looking forward to the Jake/Liv/Fitz triangle. Fitz is gonna go BALLISTIC when he finds out.