I’ll just come right out and say it: Huck is my least favorite character on Scandal. Obviously, this sentiment greatly affected my enjoyment of this episode which I found to be the weakest outing of the season. Of course that’s okay, because when a show is this consistently mindblowing, an off-hour is more than fine before the epic final stretch (and trust me, things will get epic).
Maybe it’s just me but I simply don’t think Huck is a compelling protagonist. Sure it was heartbreaking to discover that his family was very much alive and that he’d been programmed to forget about them, but we had to suffer through a lot of tedious lovey dovey-ness and torture scenes to get to that revelation. And who the hell thought having Guillermo Diaz obsessively repeat “seven fifty-two” for 45 minutes would make for riveting television? It drove me absolutely nuts. Thankfully we discovered that the timing was referring to the moment a homeless Huck saw his family again (we’re not sure if he recognized them) and his son offered him some change. It was a fascinating moment to be sure, but it did not redeem an otherwise mundane hour.
Even Olivia and Fitz kind of bored me in this one. Haven’t we had enough of their repetitive speeches and dramatic one-liners? I know it sounds like I’m harping on the show, but that’s only because it had an utterly magnificent run this year and I was immensely disappointed by this hiatus return. Thankfully, Shonda Rhimes has time and again proven herself to be a master artist where season finales are concerned, so I have no doubt that the final three episodes will knock our socks off. Let’s just call this a misstep and move on.
Scandalous Bits
– So baseball cap guy was Huck’s teacher. And Jake is basically Huck 2.0 (trapped in a shadowy agency he can’t escape).
– I loved Abbey’s monologue to Huck over how Olivia saved her. Quinn and Harrison’s speeches? Not so much.
– My favorite scene of the hour: Mellie telling Fitz she’s leaving him and moving across the street. Outstanding.
– Olivia telling Huck that he’s the one who saved her was an appropriately touching moment.
Quipyness
Mellie: I have had enough. You wanna shack up with Olivia Pope? Fine have at her. But the clock is ticking, and when the alarm rings, I will be standing on the front-lawn of Blair House holding a press conferences about my philandering husband who can’t keep his pants zipped and the whore who has him on a leash.
Olivia: (to Huck) You had the saddest eyes. They were sadder than mine.
Conclusion
Clumsy and far from gripping, this episode of Scandal was a real letdown.
Nad Rating
C-
What the what!? For the first time ever, I completely and whole-heartedly disagree with you on an episode of Scandal!!! A+, in my book. I loved this one! Huck is one of my favorite characters (although it did take me a while to warm up to him) and I really enjoyed his origin story. I thought it was very affecting.
I definitely agree that Fitz and Olivia need to update their dialogue. How many times has Fitz said “I love you” slowly and sexfully while looking deep into Olivia's eyes? Can we get something new here, please? Not that I don't still love them, because I do.
Haha that's the beauty of television sunbunny. I might be the only one who feels like this but I was so disappointed and uninterested in this episode. Huck just does nothing for me.
You made me laugh with Fitz “sexfully” looking into Liv's eyes. Indeed it's about time we move past this people! Nevertheless, I can't WAIT for the season's final few hours. Should be fantastic.