Scandal Chat: Season 4, Episode 6

VO: Honestly with this episode I’m so looking forward to Abby tearing Fitz a new one. She’s probably been working up to that for awhile and I know someone needs to call Fitz out on his bullshit.

KC: I think she was totally looking for a reason to come at him, you know? She’s known for awhile that he ain’t shit and the line between Liv and boss and Liv as BFF has been erased. She’s been emboldened.

VO: The opening scene with Summer Breeze — first off, every time I hear that song, I think of the Type O Negative version which is decidedly less peppy. And the sex scene — I couldn’t tell who was who and just got really disoriented and couldn’t tell the difference between the two of them, but I suppose that was the whole point of the scene. And if we take the whole thing about Olivia with curly hair not being honest with herself — is that scene all about her not being honest about both Fitz and Jake?

KC: I think so. I think for the first time Olivia is really seeing that she’s torn about her love between the two of them. Like there was a long time where I think Olivia saw Fitz as her endgame and I think that isn’t her sure thing anymore. This thrills me.

VO: Oh me too. I think that her subconscious is finally believing what she’s been saying. Abby stayed over at Olivia’s? Maybe not working together is good for them both so they can be friends like in law school.

KC: Oh yes, I like the shift in their relationship. And I remember us saying last season how strange it was that Olivia had no girlfriends. It didn’t ring true. Now I feel like Olivia is more of a person, more three dimension, that she has an actual friend that she is not fucking. I do miss her relationship with Huck though.

VO: HOLY SHIT MELLIE CLEANED HERSELF UP!

I love how fried chicken is Fitz and Mellie’s code phrase now for “You’re fucked up.”

KC: Isn’t fried chicken the code for everyone being fucked up? I am so fascinated by the split between real life history and Scandalverse history, especially that Reagan er “Cooper” is the split point.

VO: Cooper as Reagan. I find it fascinating the parallel universe history of Scandal also. Apparently they’re not going the John Hinkley Jr. route and instead pulling out B613, which will be interesting to see where things meet and diverge.

KC: So like who is Fitz? Is he GWB? Because…er…

VO: WAIT HOW CAN A BULLET REMAIN IN SOMEONE’S BRAIN AND NOT KILL THEM?

KC: I think I’ve heard that happen before…still I don’t trust Scandal for science accuracy.

VO: Cyrus’ boy toy really is young. And boy is Cyrus making him a kept man. But why is he still wearing his wedding ring?

KC: That man is still mourning. Also, he is becoming less and less attractive with each episode. (Boytoy not Cy) As evil as Cy is and can be it’s clear that he’s lonely and devastated still and needs someone to just be there. And Mandy McConicea is working that vulnerability like a stripper pole.

VO: I still feel bad for Portia’s hair.

KC: It’s a national tragedy

VO: The worst part is that when I see her not in her role, the girl has a fantastic haircut that is so sexy and amazing.

Mandy McConicea is gonna be dead isn’t he?

KC: It won’t be long now. The fact that Abby would confront Fitz like that proves that she cares more about Olivia, LOVES Olivia more than Fitz does. But also it proves that she’s willing to go after the truth fearlessly, I think in a way that Olivia used to be able to do instinctively in S1 and has forgotten to do since. The student is becoming the master, as I had hoped/anticipated. I still kind of wish Abby had full on taken over as a fixer, but I like her role in the White House because she is garnering more power even though no one remembers her name. At some point, she’ll use it.

VO: GET HIM ABBY. GET HIM. Abby is more of a friend and loves Olivia more than Fitz ever will. She’s advocating for Liv, she’s being brave and I totally applaud her for that. ABBY’S POWER OF OBSERVATION! She did the greatest read ever. I love Abby so much right now. Because that’s what friends do for each other — they advocate and protect each other. Forget the love triangle, I want to see more of Abby trying to help Olivia.

What is Huck playing? That’s the question on my mind. I know the angle he’s working and he’s gonna end up in trouble if he keeps hanging with his son like that.

KC: I thought it was strangely sweet. This is the first time in a long time that Huck has displayed that sliver of human-ness that made him a popular character at the beginning. I missed that in him and … I dunno, I feel like they’ve really pushed the character into weird directions like he went from a trained killer to having PTSD to being possibly on the Asperger’s spectrum but they’ve depicted it in a weird, and not entirely accurate way, and I dunno. I am rambling but, I feel like his character was short changed for awhile and now maybe he’s back.

VO: And apparently Quinn is the only one with sense right now. I want to know what’s in the damn locker also.

KC: Why is Quinn the most reasonable and level-headed character in this show that actually gets shit done? I like it, but that too came out of nowhere. I kind of want to see a show about her now.

VO: Think about it as she learned a lot the summer Liv was gone. Cutting open bodies, using the Internet to find Liv, it’s like B613 was her rumspringa and she’s bringing everything together into something less annoying.

Bitsy is totally a consummate politician. I love her.

KC: Bitsy is about to give Mellie Mel HER LIFE. And she gave me mine too. Mellie needs a friend and mentor. so I approve this.

VO: Cyrus, I’m telling you your boy toy is not someone I’d trust. And his warning to Abby I think was a favor to be honest.

KC: Cyrus is not making the best decisions right now. I dunno if would trust his advice either,

VO: Poor Abby. I can’t believe Olivia would throw over Abby for that eyebrow-less baby otter. And if my husband called my best friend a bitch, I think he’d be sleeping on the couch or watching as I set his video games on fire. At least Liv called him out on it And please, we all know Fitz. We know he’s useless. Besides, knowing someone doesn’t mean that you necessarily want to be with them.

KC: Olivia didn’t do enough and honestly that is what bugs me. She’s said and done unbelievably cruel things and she always comes short of fully calling him out. Like she is afraid to hurt his little man feels.

VO: He’s one of her blind spots. I think she’s slowly realizing that, but it’s not perfect right now. Fitz coming close to calling Olivia a bitch is amazing.

KC: And she lets him. SMH

VO: Mellie vs. Lizzie would be interesting as hell because it’s a game of manners and such.

KC: I like “good luck with your funeral!” so awkward.

VO: Carnahan and murder charge, that’s the old Olivia Pope that I love and miss.

KC: She has those moments where she’s back and she seems like her old take-charge self but then when she’s around Fitz she just turns into a dumbass.

VO: Not surprising though — he’s always been her weak point. Bitsy, I love that because it’s a remind of the powerful women who have gone nameless and unrecognized because of their gender. Bitsy’s anger and bitterness I feel for — that frustrated agony of knowing that you’ve been held back for a something as stupid as gender.

KC: It’s so weird because in flashbacks it’s clear that Melle was really trying to resist what she eventually became. I love Bitsy’s anger and I am so excited for Mellie to get some of it.

VO: Rowan and wine — I find that fascinating in light of the whole New York Times thinkpiece about red wine and women on television. Honesty, it makes me wonder about his background — did he have a father? He obviously didn’t come from money given how hard he has been on Olivia to be better than everyone else and he’s clearly self taught by the line about red wine but didn’t learn Scotch. Is there something Jay Gatsby about him?

KC: Red wine until recently has been very masculinized, very gendered, so it’s interesting to see how now it’s become Power Booze for Women. Wine knowledge has a LOT of class/education connotations too. People become well-versed in wine knowledge to sound like an expert when ordering, it’s the kind of thing that Fitz probably wouldn’t be taught or seek to learn. He’s wealthy but NOT a thinker.

VO: But he knows his whiskey and scotch. Maybe he was taught by Big Jerry that Scotch and whiskey are a man’s drink? I almost want to do a discussion about alcohol and societal expectations based on booze now as like a historical perspective.

It’s interesting how they described Jake as a dog. I don’t think Rowan sees people as people, but as pawns in his game. I love how he’s playing Fitz like a fiddle. and you know he noticed the knuckles. I’m not sure what yet, which amuses me. But I like it when Rowan plays the angles. He’s supposed to be a master manipulator and he played Fitz like a fiddle.

KC: No one knows what game Rowan is playing but we all know Fitz is being played.

VO: Huck’s eye is not on the ball. I suspect he’s playing with his son. And I feel for Quinn because she’s still chasing down this case.

KC: He’s totally playing the game with his son but you know like I said before I think maybe this is the beginning of Huck becoming a real person again. His mind isn’t on the job but making a connection with another human. I just HOPE it doesn’t lead to his family being in danger.

VO: You know they’re going to put his family in danger, because this is SCANDAL!

Poor Rosen and his slow blink of having played straight into Olivia’s hand. I felt like I was watching Charlie Brown as he ran toward the football and Lucy pulled it away.

KC: David “womp womp” Rosen. The Tim Cook of Scandal.

VO: I know Jake shot a dude in the face, but I feel like he’s just a better man overall than Fitz, especially with Olivia. I just don’t understand why Olivia doesn’t choose him, because I would’ve stayed on the island with him instead of coming back to this cluster fuck.

KC: I am mostly team jake because Scott Foley is hotter and I hate Fitz. I wish Olivia would go all Kelly Taylor and choose herself, but that won’t happen. I mostly want her to save Jake’s life and then get some much-needed therapy.

VO: Bitsy and Mellie drinking martinis is just fun. I want to listen to Bitsy talking. Mellie is now all “TEACH ME YOUR WAYS OBI WAN BITSY!”

KC: I hope she is a recurring character but at the very least she is putting a much needed fire under Mellie’s ass.

VO: Holy shit the case of the week. I suddenly want to start singing Everybody’s Got the Right from Assassins.

KC: That was some old school Scandal twistiness. And well done too.

VO: Rosen’s “EAT IT SUCCCKKKKAAA” is probably my favorite line from this episode, even though I dearly love Abby’s speech.

KC: That was a little Josh Malina coming into David Rosen, which happens sometimes, and it’s fun.

VO: Wow. Rowan is scary old school dad. Joe Morton’s playing all the angles with this and I love this speech about manipulating Fitz to get what he wanted.

“You and I are ruined,” and Fitz goes blaming everyone else instead of taking culpability for their actions. I’m also really creeped out by Fitz and Olivia talking about Jake like he’s a rag doll. But I’ve always been uncomfortable with that with Olivia — she’s told her dad that he has to give her Huck back, or give her Jake back. Which makes me feel like she has a hard time seeing people as people, but more as cases to rescue, things to take care of.

Maybe not Abby, but this is probably why Abby and her have such a complicated friendship. Abby refuses to be shoved in that box.

KC: Though for a while she was more than OK with being a loyal, unquestioning gladiator and Olivia’s employee. It took Liv leaving for Abby to snap out of it completely.

I don’t even want to talk about Fitz and his bullshit speech. Olivia is back to being his door marked exit. He doesn’t even see her as real. She’s just a fantasy life for him.

VO: Oh lord Mellie. I feel like that’s a dangerous action in what she does.

KC: I root for Mellie still but the writers keep her losing 🙁

VO: And ABBY IS THE FUCKING QUEEN. ALL HAIL ABBY!

KC: Abby wins “most improved character” for sure. With Quinn (so far) as a close second. Whoda thunk it?

VO: And Rowan is surprised Olivia crossed him? I feel like he taught her everything.

KC: I am not cool with her basically using her golden cooch as a bargaining chip, but, you do what you have to.

VO: You know what that line reminds me of? This lady:

“There are two kinds of women in this world: there are women who work hard and stress out about doing the right thing, and then there are women who are cool. You can either be a Cleopatra, or you can be an Eleanor Roosevelt. I’d rather be Cleopatra.”

KC: Yeah but Cleopatra offed herself, so…