Scandal Episode 518: Til Death Do Us Part

I don't have any notes for this.  I'm just gon write and y'all just gon have to follow with me.

I'm gon label this episode: The Jake Episode. 
We've had flashbacks/backstory on every major character so far--it was a matter of time before we got to Jake.  I'm just glad we finally got this Jake sh*t out the way. 

In the beginning, we see young Jake Pete on the porch playing with his war toys while his mom & dad fight inside about his sister.  Jake Pete's daddy is a disgusting perv that rapes his daughter.  Smh.

Right at this moment, I knew that this episode was gonna tug at my heart strings for Jake...because of course he didn't get to this place of f*ckedupdom without going through some serious boo boo. 

[SIDEBAR: Rest in Power, Prince.  I know you're turning it up with Jesus nem.  Thank you for your music, your artistry, your unapologetic being, and the incredible gifs!]

*takes a deep breath. exhales* Back to Scandal.
Olivia hasn't taken a shower in a couple of weeks & her hair is flourishing all over her pillow but Jake calls it "a mess".  But this is the woman you want to be with.

My guy, do you realize that when you are with a natural sista, THAT is what you will wake up to?  You lucky Liv don't wear scarves to bed.  You'd probably be traumatized, Jake Pete.

Anyways, Rowan comes in to tell Liv that they've moved up Jake & Vanessa's wedding.  Liv's reaction can be interpreted 2 ways:
1) Jealousy--She wants Jake all to herself.
2) Curiosity--What on God's green earth would cause Rowan & Jake to move up the wedding?  Because as with anything involving Rowan, it's never simple.
I'm a person who watches the show as tethered to the floor as possible.  I use facts provided in the episode--and shoom the entire series--to come to the conclusion that it was the latter (#2).  Common sense, people.

In a flashback, we learn of Jake Ballard's basic ass real name--Pete Harris.  Just another average, mediocre white guy...which brings me to Rowan's obsession with making Jake to be unlike Olivia.  HE IS MEDIOCRE!!! Always has, always will be.  And Rowan's working like an Uncle Tom to get Jake to be great when his privilege already makes room for him to do so!  Also, why is he mad b/c Olivia gave up the WH?  That's her choice.  How DARE you call her mediocre.  At least she had it...something Jake can't say & probably won't ever be able to say.

Basically that whole exchange between Jake & Rowan when they first met was blackmail.  Jake is rough round the edges, Rowan was going to dust him off and protect him from being discharged from the Navy by forcing him to join B613.  Yada yada yada, Jake gets choked, yada yada yada. Then we're back to present day.
Liv is up & going for a run.  This pleases Jake & Rowan because "she's coming around".  Truth is, she ain't running to exercise, she's running to meet up with Quinn & Huck.  I guess Marcus didn't get called in to work that day.

They gotta figure out what Rowan & Jake are up to and why they're pushing up the wedding like this.  Turns out, Jake & Vanessa are having a huge wedding with mad people...they've been in Vogue magazine & alldat...and I'm like

I don't know who the real life chief of the NSA is...so how in the hot hell is Jake & Vanessa so popular?  Then Huck figures it out--this is all Rowan's doing.  He's marketing them and drawing attention to them for a higher purpose.  When Huck & Quinn report these findings to Liv, she's like aight bet.  She's gonna figure out the 411--she's going to use herself b/c she is Jake's greatest weakness. 

I know there are 2 distinct interpretations of this episode.  From here on out, my interpretation will be expressed.  I believe it is the right interpretation.

Now that Olivia's gone through Rowan's red doors, she's exploiting herself to survive...yet again (last time she went through the red doors when she was kidnapped, she put herself up for auction--now she's putting her vagina up for auction to save not only herself, but Jake from the wiles of the enemy (Rowan)).   She's a fixer, she can't help but fix people then destroy them then fix them again.  This is what has been shown time & time again to be the case with Olivia when it comes to Jake.  This is not a love fest.  Olivia does not love Jake.  SHE HAS NEVER SAID THOSE 3 WORDS TO HIM.  I'm not quite sure how people can make this inference.  When Olivia loves someone, as hard as it is for her to say it, she says it.  She's said it to Fitz & hell, she even said it to Edison (Shoutout to Marshé lol).  The fact of the matter is she's obsessed with fixing Jake and using him as a portable penis.  Dassit.

It's the night of the engagement party at the WH...

*wtf was up with that!?* Jake & Vanessa are ready to go but Jake has to go check on Liv first.

Liv is sitting in her childhood bedroom having a breakdown b/c "she can't go back into that WH where she just killed a man" lmbo.  Mmkay, sis.  Jake is falling for the crocodile tears and implores Vanessa to go to the party ahead of him.  Vanessa is not with the sh*ts.  Who shows up to their own engagement party without their significant other!?  Jake's being an idiot over "that girl" and Vanessa needs him to get it together.

Liv's listening from behind the door as Rowan basically tells Jake he doesn't have a choice...he's going to marry Vanessa ASAP & he better not get mad about it.  So basically Liv came to stir the pot so she can mess up Jake & Vanessa's relationship & get intel on Jake & Rowan's shenanigans.  Olivia Pope--> Life Ruiner.

When Olivia's men decided to stand on the Truman balcony and talk about Olivia...

I'm just so sick of em.   This is why you don't sleep witcha man's homies.  They gon sit around & talk about cha!

After the party is the after party in Rowan's living room...where Olivia is fake drunk waiting for Jake to come home.  The entire time she was "drunk" I was giving her serious side-eye b/c she never took a sip from the bottle and she was talking a little too focused & direct for me.  So here this heffer go, asking all these questions of Jake in the name of being drunk.  Jake calls her bluff that she ain't really drunk then things get interesting...

They start shouting at each other about God knows what--something about Jake don't really love Vanessa, whether or not Liv wants to get married, Jake reveals Rowan is pushing for Jake to be on Edison's ticket VP. 

Which I knew.

Then Olivia walks away to go into her room after denying Jake an answer as to whether or not she loves him or something idc...but after feeling "hot & bothered", she meets him in the hallway & they get busy.  It was a fun time--I can enjoy an Olake scene if I want to.  Made me cringe a little b/c at the time, I was frustrated as to why Olivia was so dedicated to this cause!  Like, she was really selling this to Jake & he was drinking it up.  She was pretty convincing too...had the brother thinking she wanted to be with him...when she never actually said those words...she would just walk up & kiss him.  It threw me, temporarily...but then I had to remind myself of the convo she had with Quinn & Huck at the side of the road--she was less than thrilled to be the answer to solving this Jake & Rowan riddle but Olivia's gotta do what Olivia's gotta do, I guess.

One time for Olivia's natural hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Throughout the episode we got glimpses of Jake's journey through B613 recruitment...and he really got treated like a dog, man.  Poor guy.  Beat to a pulp then thrown in the hole for a month.  I guess it was supposed to show his resilience or whatever.  Then when he gets out the hole, Rowan proceeds to verbally taunt him about his family--how his father preferred his little sister over his mother and how his sister hung herself...and Jake broke down...I felt bad y'all. 

I may not like the dude, but seeing anybody have to live through that kind of family dynamics gains my sympathy...it was just horrible!  And Rowan is scum for using it to building him into the monster he wanted him to be.

So Jake comes into Liv's room like "I don't want to be with her...I want to be with you. Do you want to be with me? Check yes or no" Liv checks "maybe" then kisses him.  So he takes it as a yes.  They're back at OPA coming up with a master plan to stop Rowan.  He's gonna dump Vanessa at the alter.  It looks like Jake & Olivia are finally gonna be a couple...even Huck had to look at Liv like ARE YOU SHORE?

Olivia proclaims that it's finally her time to be happy and at first I took that to mean she was gonna be happy with Jake! But on second watch, I noticed her smirk when Huck walked away...like she was finally gonna take down her father.

To her, it's all about taking down her daddy.  She believes her happiness is connected to outsmarting Rowan.  Girl...the answer is

Your happiness is within.  Can't wait until you discover that. 
It's the wedding day.  Liv's chillin in the back of the church when Rowan plops his fiery behind down next to her to tell her he knows what she's up to (WHO TOLD HIM?? HUCK!?) and that if she don't tell Jake that he's going to marry Vanessa, Rowan was gonna slit Jake's throat. 

It's that serious?  k.
Liv gets spooked and decides to listen to her father b/c she'd rather Jake be alive.  How do you get rid of a man who loves you but you don't love him back? You tell him the truth.  & boyyyy was it a harsh truth!  She really gutted him.  Here were some of my favorites:
"I can't be with you.  It's not even just that. I can't. I don't want to" JESUS
"You're not good enough for me" AHA!
"You were never an option for me" MY GOD
"You're someone to toy with. A Yo-Yo. A booty call. A sidepiece" asdfghjklqwertyuiopzxcvbnm
"You're wrong. & pathetic"

 "I'm in love with Fitz. I don't love you Jake. I love him."

"Fitz is who I choose. He is who I'll always choose"

Basically every line in this monologue is gold.  I love it so much. & she finally told him the truth.  HOWEVER, I did feel bad for Jake b/c he knew it was true & it hurt him.  Again, no matter how trash he is, it surprised me how him being hurt bothered me.  Dah welp.  He married Vanessa.  All is right in the world...for now.

That's it in a nutshell.  Liv wasn't jealous b/c she loved Jake, she's an adrenaline junkie who wants to destroy the world then save it.  That's all.
It's gonna be Abby v. Liv next week.  I'm excited!
What did you guys think?

-Candyce