Funny. Halfway through this episode, I kept wondering why it felt so standalone-ish and unexciting in a year that’s probably one of my all-time favorites TV seasons. And then, the final ten minutes happened and I found myself as speechless as Olivia was in the episode’s closing moments. Oh Scandal you’ve done it again.
Let’s start with that ending: Olivia is battered and helpless in a hospital room after discovering the truth about Jake who orders her to lie, seconds before Fitz arrives and buries himself into her neck. It’s dark and so very disturbing. I’ve been wondering for a while now how Shonda was ever planning on reuniting Liv and Fitz after this year’s blowout, and let’s just say she found the perfect manner of doing so. Those final moments felt like the ultimate satisfying climax in a string of carefully-constructed (and mightily suspenseful) developments. Bravo.
How great was Quinn this week? I honestly can’t believe they managed to make the newbie likeable. I was sure I’d hate her forever but she’s become remarkably astute and resourceful. I was impressed by her detective skills and the way she handled the security guard to locate a shivering Huck trapped in a freakin’ box. She really is becoming a “gladiator in a suit” and the evolution has been a surprising joy to watch.
Who else can’t stand Fitz anymore? Maybe that’s the point but he’s become especially aggravating. I genuinely felt sorry for Mellie as Fitz dressed her down after their interview. Thankfully, he somewhat redeemed himself when he called Cyrus to confess Verna’s murder. I definitely didn’t see that coming and I’m pleased we’re referencing such a polarizing event that hasn’t been given as much attention as I would have liked. Mr. Prez is a murderer after all.
Sadly, if you hadn’t heard, Scandal is off for three weeks for yet another hiatus (the final one this year). That’s a cruel turn of events that nonetheless has me extremely pumped for the remainder of the season. I have a feeling the show really plans on going out with a bang and if Shonda has proven anything on Grey’s Anatomy, it’s that she’s an utter genius when it comes to season finales.
Scandalous Bits
– Excellent teaser with Jake hiding the bugs in Liv’s apartment only to return them after Huck and Quinn were gone.
– Did Fitz tell Cyrus not to give up on love? Hilarious.
– Nice touch of foreshadowing: Jake stumbling a bit when Olivia asked how he knows that she’s never used her kitchen.
– Poor Olivia watching Fitz and Mellie’s interview on TV. They actually were pretty charming together – particularly in the way they described how they first met and how Fitz struggled to pick her up.
– I felt like shouting at Olivia through the TV screen when Jake sneakily turned off her phone.
– Who else is tired of Cyrus and James? It feels like they’re arguing every episode over the same things.
– It was hard to watch Fitz reveal the true story of how he met Mellie (breeding, prostitution). Of course, Mellie fired back with an incredible “pretending is reality” monologue only to receive an apology from Fitz over how messed up she was. The entire thing was a masterpiece and one of the best things Scandal‘s ever done.
– Nominee for scene of the year: the epic sequence in which Olivia wakes up in Jake’s arms and discovers the cameras. From the glass breaking to Jake pushing her on the floor and showing her the killer in her house. It’s a marvelous moment, soaked with tension that culminates with the reveal of Olivia’s wound.
– Ah, so Cyrus’s guy (Charlie Brown) is the mysterious assailant who beat up Huck. But who killed Molly?
– Seriously the ending gave me chills. Creepier than any horror movie I’ve ever seen.
– Does this episode have the best name or what?
Quipyness
Jake: It’s what regular people drink.
Olivia: I’m regular people.
Jake: No. You’re special. And fancy.
James: What do you want me to say when they ask me what our issues are? That it really gets under my skin when he does things like steal the covers and leaves dirty dishes in the sink? And he – rigs national elections!
Cyrus: You had a choice, James. You could have put me in prison. You could have brought down The White House. You could have chosen justice. You chose love. You chose me. You chose our life. You chose yourself. You chose your own happiness. And that’s not sitting so well with you now.
Quinn: I sat outside here for an hour and watched three ladies enter with two gentleman, each of whom departed with a spring in his step and probably $200 poorer. So I suggest you go ahead and let darling take a look at the damn security cams.
Mellie: Pretending is what’s real.
Fitz: What?
Mellie: Every married couple alive pretends. They pretend they don’t hate their in-laws or their husband’s stupid jokes or their wife’s laugh or that they don’t actually love one of their children more than the others. Marriage is, well, it’s almost all pretend. For everyone. That’s the reality. That’s what’s real. Buying into the delusion that there’s any other way to live together, to get through an entire life together, that’s, well that’s the fantasy. That’s pretending.
Abby: Hit and run my ass.
Conclusion
While the first half of this hour wasn’t immediately jaw-dropping, the rest of the episode undoubtedly set the stage for an epic final stretch.
Nad Rating
A-
This was the most boring episode of the season for me :s
Ahh! Loved it. And Fitz isn't annoying me at all. Now that he's off the scotch and back to loving Liv, I'm a happy camper. Olivitz forever!!!!