Scandal Episode 513 "The Fish Rots From the Head"

Here we are with another episode of Scandal under our belts.

Let's get into it.

Sister Wives
Mellie's book is looking like a Harry Potter novel and she couldn't be more thrilled. But there's a thorn in her side--Susan Ross is on the come up and she doesn't know how to settle that flame. Of course here comes Liv with the way, the truth and the light--Fitz must stay neutral in the primaries. He can't endorse anyone. Easier said then done, sis.

Gigolo of the United States of America (GOTUS)
Fitz has Abby running a brothel on his behalf. And she's doing it with a smile on her face.

Abby's the type that just wants clear instructions for her job. She likes order. She rarely goes rogue-- she only goes left when things get out of order and confusing (ie the David alliance she formed in season 2 during Defiance-gate). So now that they've set up a systemic operation to get Fitz laid by a plethora of women, she can function properly. It's weird to me that she's expressing interest in being chief of staff next episode because she's not a boss...but you go girl. I guess.

Fitz got these women coming up the service elevators, signing non-disclosure agreements and getting their devices confiscated. I see people on the TL applauding Fitz for his antics because he can "do whatever he wants now that he's single" but I think it's disgusting and sloppy. I'm not for it at all.

WTF IS UP WITH TOM!?!?!?!?!?

I need answers Shon Shon. It's clear to me that Tom & Cyrus are sleeping together, but I need context. It feels like this came outta no where. There's never been a stolen glance or any indication in the past that this would be. I don't like it. But if this is the story you're gonna tell, at least tell the people how Cyrus & Tom got to this point.

Sally McShady Peté Langston
Shorty don't even want to be addressed as Vice President anymore. I mean, she is OVER. YAWL.

But wait. WAIT. "Oh I didn't see you there little Cyrus Beene"

I love how she's being used on this show. She could've fallen into oblivion, never to be heard of again. But she is a force to be reckoned with and her TV show is important to the landscape of Scandal American politics.

Dance With the Devil
Gov'na Vargas is canoodling with Satan himself and he don't even know it. I feel bad for him. Fact of the matter is: Cyrus produces results.  So while I don't want the gov'na to be manipulated, I see how he can make a difference in Scandal America as POTUS. Other than Olivia, Cyrus is the best guy to get him there. It makes me wonder if any of our most beloved politicians were manipulated into office?

Cyrus so trash, he comes up with a plan to get the gov'na on Sally's show: tell the gov'na to speak w/ POTUS about his amazing Bernie Sanders-esque education bill, play both sides by telling Fitz to take his douchebag levels up 10 notches when the gov'na meets with him, act like he has no clue why the gov'na is coming to speak to POTUS and BOOM. Mission complete. Success on Cyrus' part. 

The gov'na's daughter has cancer, he really doesn't want to run for POTUS but ohhhh no. Cyrus ain't gon let a dying child stop him from getting what he wants! No siree! When Cyrus gave that sob story about his brother last night, I didn't pay attention to it. And I didn't listen this morning either. Why? Because I know bull crap when I see it. I wasn't asking anything about who Oliver was because I knew it was a bold faced lie. To be honest, when I heard the name Oliver I thought he was talking about Connor's bf on How to Get Away with Murder.

In the end, the gov'na is running for president. I have very mixed emotions about it. We'll see how it all plays out.

Case of the Week
Abby be like "Outta control Olivia Pope outta control? orrr...??" Alas, the Secret Service is in some knee deep boo boo and who else to fix it? Olivia Pope. A prostitute is dead, blah blah blah, secret service partied too hard, blah blah blah...
But wait. Did y'all catch the Fitz shade Quinn threw? Liv sure did. "Boss of the Year" was filled with sarcasm. Ya darn skippy. Fitz is the worst.

 I enjoyed the classic OPA clean up. But Quinn is so quick to check Marcus for feeling some kind of way covering up ol girl's death when she used to be Marcus! Need she be reminded how she reacted when OPA cleaned up Gideon's murder in front of her? Try some empathy and patience, sis.

I also love how Liv had little to say. She sat perched and dictated the room with a simple look. BOSS.

Pillow Talk 
What I need to stop TO-NOW is the sexcapades of Susan/David/Liz. Liz can die with the swiftness. She's pointless to me. I want Susan to be great but not at the expense of these DC losers plotting and having pillow talk. They're trying to turn her into somebody she's not and I don't like it.

One thing I liked about what Fitz said to her in the episode (only thing, actually) is to never lie to the American people. I love Susan for her integrity and her firm stance on her morals and values. And I'll be damned if these coons and bafoons taint her. I'm not with it.

let me shout this right quick: HOW ABOUT Y'ALL NIGGAS RUN FOR PRESIDENT, THEN!? INSTEAD OF TRYING TO TARNISH THESE WELL-MEANING, HARD WORKING, CARING POLITICIANS! I MEAN, CYRUS AND LIZ ESPECIALLY MAKE ME SICK. LIZ IS A PISS POOR VERSION OF CYRUS. YOU THINK YOU CAN HANG IN THE GAME BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHATCHU DOING, SIS. SIT DOWN.

Meanwhile at OPA
Quinn and Huck are sitting around shooting the sh*t ain't doing sh*t when Quinn brings up the idea that Liv is bored...which I agree with. Huck brushes it off saying she's getting her life spying on Jake. True too, but she ain't getting her life, that's for sure. The biggest mystery with Olivia Carolyn Pope is this: WHAT DOES SHE WANT? Does she want to run the country? Does she want to operate her own business? Does she want both? Does she want to be someone's partner/girlfriend/wife? PERO LIKE WHAT IS IT, SIS? It's time to answer this question, Shonda. Olivia's pushing 40, she should be clear about what she wants out of life.

The Real Love Triangle
Mellie loves showing up announced. I think she be doing that on purpose. She nosy as hell and she wanna know what Fitz is up to now that he's not shacking up with Liv anymore. Now that I think about it, she probably used Teddy as a way in...just like she did when she had that little TV interview in 307. Teddy wasn't supposed to be with Fitz for another 2 days. Then Fitz dumb self gonna accept his son when he knows he has another woman in the residence. Teddy saw that! Mellie hit him with a "See, whatchu NOT gon do..." and I LIVED!!! He is so careless and sloppy. I was so pissed he did that. Not to mention, he found out that his exes are secretly working together from one of his bedfellows post-coitus. When will this man get burned, Jesus?

THAT MUSTARD YELLOW DRESS LIV HAD ON

Jake and Olivia
First and foremost, that "scene" was disturbing, creepy & vomit-inducing. However, I think I'm starting to get the point here. It's gross, but I might see where this is going. Bear with me as I type through it.

 Liv is going to be forced to explicitly express what she wants. She had the experience being Fitz's mistress for many years and it was turmoil for her. Despite the many times he suggested giving it all up for her, she continued to torture herself by having a man she couldn't. She was being self-destructive. Now, Jake is getting married or whatever and probably running for president. Will she repeat the pattern or change direction? Will she continue to torture herself by being with a man she only really uses for a release and intel? She's going to have to make a conscious decision here. 
Also, what's very clear to me is that Jake got bomb D. I'm not gonna argue that. I'm sure he makes her toes curl and her eyes roll to the back of her head. He knows how to scratch her itch every single time & he never misses. He's reliable D.  And I think the same is true for Jake. The way he said "I need you" was very sexual in nature--it wasn't said like he needed Liv's love. He needs her sex.  Jake literally wants Liv to be his fluffer.  Fitz, on the other hand, is the love of her life.  He scoffed at the suggestion that she was his fluffer. Her experience with him is probably something she believes she doesn't deserve because it's so powerful, life-changing and intense. Hence why you can count on one hand how many times Olitz had sex in the present day before season 5 began. Their love and connection is special & rare. Jake and Oliva's however? Not. I think Shonda is trying to make a distinction here that Jake and Olivia are not the same/will never be the same as Oliva & Fitz. Olivia is going to have to take control of her life and snatch the reins from her father and Jake's hands.

Olitz Confrontation: "Make Fitzgerald Grant Great Again"
Somebody put that on a shirt, eh? With Olivia Pope's face. Then pay me. 

I didn't tweet throughout the entirety of this conversation b/c I didn't want to miss a moment of it. At the end, I tweeted that I hated them. I really do. They make me feel things and it's so annoying. They didn't have the same spark or synergy in this scene that they used to...which threw me off! I'm so used to this chemistry igniting anytime they're in a room together--whether they love or hate each other. But it wasn't there. It bothered me. I couldn't put my finger on it last night but that's it. That's why I hated them.

I'm still on the ship and I still have hope, but I think it's a testament to how phenomenal Kerry and Tony are as these characters that they can ebb and flow so naturally & evoke these very real feelings from me! Only other couple that could do that on a show I watched religiously was Derwin and Melanie on The Game (Tia and Pooch are bomb actors as well). I love when I can watch something & really believe the actors...and it's not like "Oh, I'm watching [insert actor's name here] play such and such character". Because I'm an actor, I think I can detech truth in storytelling pretty well. And let me tell you, Kerry & Tony are pretty darn good actors.

Liv walked into that Oval office and it reminded me of when she walked in for the first time the night of Fitz's inaugural ball...and the way she touched the desk...and stood on the seal...it was very poignant and reminiscent. I had a FLASHBACK!

whew!
Anyways, the way they greeted each other was...it stabbed me in the heart! It started off generic like how you speak to an old friend from high school you haven't spoken to since you graduated. But then Olivia broke a little and genuinely admitted how good it was to see him. Then I sobbed.

It softened Fitz cold ass up too. Notice his body language was very closed (arms crossed) when he came into the Oval...he was anticipating Liv coming in w/ jealous fire. But she didn't. She approached him as someone very concerned about his well being. But his stupid ass took it as jealousy.

Liv had to read him for filth and to be honest, I'm glad she did. It's what he needed to hear and from the exact person he needed to hear it from. Had it been anybody else, it wouldn't have gotten through to him as sharply. She didn't have to call his shenanigans "transgressions"....(I like the word "shenanigans" better)...because that turned him up--he started to feel slut shamed (lol). But she had to be very clear she ain't here to put him down or judge him but to build him up...like she's been doing from day one. If for nothing else, you can count on a black woman to hold you down, tell it like it is, and get you in line.
Listen, Liv and Mellie know how to hit Fitz where it hurts. Notice anytime they mention him being Big Jerry, he gathers himself together so quick? It's hilarious. When she asked if his shenanigans were a "Grant Family Tradition" this was me

The fact of the matter is both Olivia and Fitz have turned into their fathers. Until they learn how to heal and deal with their fathers respectively (dead or alive) they will be toxic. I think they're on their way to moving on with their lives without their fathers looming large over them.

I'm glad Liv got Fitz together. She said everything I would've said #onhere. But since she said it, I don't have to write it.

In Conclusion
I laced most of my predictions in to the blog post but one thing I wanted to comment further on is Jake's extra curricular activities. His sudden engagement and secretive nature suggests to me that he is indeed running for president...probably on the democratic side. Jake is reminding me of trump *caps snatched*--a man with no actual political experience trying to run for president. BYYYYEEEEEE.

Please, dear God and Shonda, don't let Olivia slip back into the mistress role. Yes black women, just like every other human being, are complicated and problematic HOWEVER after all Olivia's been through, I'd like to believe that she's learned and has grown from being a mistress. And I mean, is it really worth it when she don't love the nigga? I've never heard Olivia say the words "I love you" to Jake. I meaaannnn....come on. She can get single D.

Also, I can't remember the last time a major character was killed off. Honestly Shonda, it's time for you to do like George R. R. Martin and the writers of Game of Thrones and start killing people. First on the list: Jake and Liz. I promise we won't miss them and your story will thrive.

Now for the elephant in the room: Scandal's ratings are dropping. Nobody wants to admit that the show fell off in a major way. People haven't watched either because they're upset Olitz broke up for the 50 millionth time or they can't stand Olivia's back and forth between Jake and Fitz. Listen, Scandal isn't the greatest show of all time but I still, for whatever reason, believe in the main story Shonda's telling (a DC fixer's messy personal life) and I am a Kerry Washington fan. Unless she kills off Olivia Pope, I'm gon watch til the wheels fall off. For those of you who say HTGAWM is "better" than Scandal, just to give a comparison, their ratings were the lowest of all the TGIT shows. And HTGAWM is a phenomenal show (although I can't figure out for the life of me why the hell Michaela and Connor slept with each other). Also if I'm correct, Grey's Anatomy went through a season/season and a half slump but now they have the highest ratings of all the TGIT shows. Ratings drops happen. We gon be alright. Besides, Season 6 is on the way!

What did you guys think of the episode? Comment below!

-Candyce