I’ve been very candid about my thoughts on Scandal’s final season so there’s little point in reiterating its most obvious and weakest problem (irredeemable characters). However, my issues with Robin go far beyond being unable to root for anyone; the midseason premiere is simply a horrendous hour of television in almost every way.
One of the first rules of TV is if you don’t see a body, then don’t believe they’re dead. Robin repeatedly tries to convince viewers that Quinn is gone for good, but I’m not buying it. It still seems awfully suspicious, especially since the death scene happened off-screen. For now, it looks like Quinn and Rowan are working together to teach Liv a lesson and bring her out of the dark side. Whether or not it’s working is up for debate, but what isn’t debatable is that seeing Miss Pope in the White Hat again is outrageous. The nerve of that woman to put that on after everything she’s done!
Ultimately, the show fails to prove why it needs to exist anymore. There no longer is a sense of realism in any scene, and characters seem to simply exist without any purpose. Much like the quote I chose above (“there is no perspective”), episodes in this final season are devoid of any meaning whatsoever, and the ruthlessness of every subplot is beyond frustrating (when they’re not nauseating). Luckily, the show is about to close its curtains for good. Let’s hope I can make it through the second half of this atrocious season because if I have to listen to Olivia screaming “I have amazing friends” one more time, I might as well hire Huck or Charlie to let me out of my misery.
Scandalous Bits
– Did anyone really miss Scandal during its winter break? Genuinely curious.
– It was admittedly amusing to hear Olivia call Fitz a child.
– The montage of Olivia opening the bottle of whiskey and staring at a blank screen while Huck attends an AAA meeting is some of the worst editing I’ve ever seen. Good lord, my eyes!
– Still love Abby and David. I can’t believe they didn’t manage to ruin these two.
– Always hated the musical choices on this show, and while one can argue that’s more of a subjective stance, the song selection in this episode in particular felt so completely out of place. If the horrible writing didn’t take me out of the scene (any scene), the music most certainly did.
– Let’s talk about how weird it was to see the entire gang put Quinn’s ashes in bullets then shootings them off-screen in the middle of the woods. Is there a hidden meaning behind any of this? Please let me know in the comments if I’m missing anything.
– I included Olivia’s “speech” in the quotes section below because I thought it was the single most hilarious thing I have ever heard. That was a eulogy, guys. For real.
– Mellie had one scene in this episode. Not cool.
– I’m glad Glackland broke up with Cyrus. The torture he went through (thanks, Charlie) is absolutely inexcusable.
– Abby and David finding a USB flash drive is quite intriguing. Evidence that Olivia blew up Rashad’s plane, perhaps?
– Anyone else thought Quinn was going to walk in on Charlie choking Rowan? Also: Rowan, please die already.
Quipyness
Charlie: Quinn deserved more than this. She died a warrior. She would want to go out like one.
Olivia: I tried to write something, something hopeful, something that would help make sense of this, get perspective on this loss. But there is no perspective. It doesn’t make sense. There’s no silver lining, no hope. No good comes from this. Quinn’s—Quinn’s death is awful. That’s all I can think of to say. It’s just awful. I’m sorry.
Cyrus: Just admit, Fenton! Admit you are no better than me.
Glackland: The difference between us, Cyrus? Is if I ever thought someone was trying to buy me with a painting, I never would’ve allowed it.
Conclusion
One of the worst episodes of the year. Is it the series finale already?
Chris Rating
D
Thank you for writing this; it couldn’t have been easy. I tried but I couldn’t keep my eyes on the screen. It was just so tedious, boring, unlikable and everything in between. How could I loved so much (remember the brilliance of season two?) devolve into such a horrifying mess? Pathetic. I don’t even want to finish these last episodes but I’m just curious to see how Shonda will end things.
Also, did Shonda approve this episode? Because I refuse to believe she let this air! NO ONE buys Quinn’s death. Do they think we’re idiots?
Perfectly stated. It’s such a shame that something so great turned into a pathetic mess like this. I’m honestly just in it out of curiosity at this point and I can’t wait till it’s over for good!
You perfectly summed up my feelings about this episode and Scandal at this point.
Olivia putting back on the White Hat felt so out of place. Shows how much her time away from it has changed her.
Abby and David are the only bit of light in the midst of this show’s messy darkness. I hope they remain that way for the rest of the series.
I’m sick and tired of POV episodes like the one they plan to air after Robin. Let’s stop it. They only slow things down on the show when they should be moving along towards dramatic payoff.
PERFECTLY stated Justin regarding next week’s episode! I actually forgot to add that into the bits because I rolled my eyes so hard when I saw the promo. This show in particular has done the POV episode MULTIPLE times already. Absolutely insane!
Glad I’m not the only one who agrees this show has gone nuts. Thanks for commenting!