This week, we’ve got Viv, Lauriean and Keidra talking Ep. 3! What did you think of the episode?
The Shonda Rhimes School of Plot Contrivance
Vivian: Wait. Olivia has a naked Jake in her bed? Why didn’t she put him on the couch like everyone else? And holy hell cleverly placed bedsheet.
Keidra: And why would she put him on the couch? Come on, son!
Lauriean: Shonda heard me talking shit about the last episode and she came back this time to snatch my edges. “Liv, we need to talk about Jake and how he got there.” How and what does Fitz know about that? I’m literally sitting here waiting for Cy to fall out from another heart attack. He’s really had it with these two.
V: Oh shit. Huck’s on the warpath. Not that I blame him really, given that Olivia totally lied to him about her father and everything else.
LDD: Really Huck? You were going to try to kill Rowan in broad daylight? Nevermind Huck: WRITERS OF SCANDAL! REALLY? How… why… ugh. Anyway…
K: The writers of Scandal frequently operate in a world outside of basic common sense and reality.
V: I’m more surprised that Darth Huxtable didn’t see it and try and kill Huck with his mind.
K: It’s certainly not too late.
Fitz + Mellie = Hot Mess
V: And lovely with Fitz and Mellie warring while feeding Teddy. Poor Cyrus has to deal with these two like a fed up parent dealing with two bratty kids. Any bets on how much therapy Teddy’s gonna need thanks to his fucked-up parents forced to stay together because apparently his dad re-decided (after waffling more than an IHOP) to run for re-election?
I kind of like the bickering though. It’s funnier than the passive-aggressive ice thing. Like a political version of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. And really, it looks like they had a lot more fun with that because it’s better than the usual dance. But I know when I fight, it’s never as satisfying to have that icy cordial thing going — being able to hurl insults and just be honest in the contempt you feel is so much more satisfying. And neither side is pulling punches, because I think by this point the gloves are off and they’re just pissed off.
LDD: That fight between Fitz and and Mellie was so real. They are both so awful to each other, and I like that they are being written where neither one backs down from the other.
K: The thing is, you can totally see why they got married in the first place, since they are so evenly matched when it comes to fighting, I am sure they “met cute” during some kind of confrontation. And it’s interesting because if St. Olivia hadn’t come around maybe they would have found a way to have a decent, if passion-less marriage. But you know what? I think they are both awful parents. They have two other kids and we have seen those motherfuckers how many times? As soon as Teddy is old enough for boarding school he’s getting shipped out.
Rowan’s Your Daddy
LDD: Rowan is…wow. I feel like I just watched a master class in manipulation.
“There’s nothing I can do. I thought I was free but I’m not, he controls me. He still controls me. He owns me Liv. He owns me. He owns me.” I was crying real 7:52 tears when Huck said this. Looks like Rowan owns everyone. And that’s just the way he likes it.
V: I really can’t deal with the repulsion on Olivia’s face because she knew what she was dealing with when she took Huck under her wing. Rowan can’t be killed people — he’s a manipulator like his daughter. Leaving the straight razor and tape for Huck is like leaving smack and a needle for an addict. But I think that’s where Olivia got it from and Huck’s whole line of “he controls me” I’m not sure if he’s referring to Olivia also. Despite her deceptions, he still is loyal to her.
K: They are fucked up BFF’s in that way. Have you noticed there are no relationships in Liv’s life that aren’t based in some kind of deception. She is her father’s daughter after all. Even so, I think she does feel a genuine affection and loyalty to Huck, she just doesn’t know how to be in a relationship of any kind where power and manipulation is not involved. AND I LOVE THIS. I love that this kind of dark character exists on TV, in the body of a black woman. I’ve mentioned it before, in another post, but it’s so exciting to see this kind of character on TV and have it be played by a WOC.
V: And it’s nice seeing Olivia come up with some manipulation plan on the fly. At least she’s trying to take some control of things, unlike the past two episodes where it seemed like she was getting yanked along with the current. Olivia is playing all the angles, which I respect. This is where she shines really. She’s good at covering for other people, working the angles and thinking strategy for others. Pity she can’t do it for herself.
K: Eh, I don’t think she wants to do it for herself.
White Hats Represent
LDD: David going in on Cy gave me life everLASTING. He’s the only true white hat on this show and to see him stand up to the likes of Cy was immensely satisfying.
V: Play the white hat card with David. You know he hates shit like this. And it works perfectly, given that he’s gone to Cyrus to talk. I feel like watching this confrontation is like watching the boy scouts take on the Illuminati. At least Rosen is smart enough to dig up information to play cards with Cy. It’s almost like he got some brains after his downfall. But I like David — he’s like the moral center that unfortunately gets slammed by power.
And he’s totally right on Olivia being an adrenaline junkie. I mean, given her whole “I want messy, complicated love” speech, I don’t think she’s happy being content. She may think she wants it, but in reality? She’d probably poison Fitz if she actually was a housewife making jam in Vermont.
K: Yes, and I kinda feel her on that. It’s funny because someone I know stopped watching Scandal in part because of David’s downfall, because she hated that a moral person was being screwed over so badly. That did suck but I actually think he’s come away understanding the game and how to play it in DC. He’s a true white hat, but he also knows how to get the job done while still being morally upright.
Drunk Mellie Fan Club
V: #teamMellie. Holy shit I like a woman who drinks some crazy ass hooch. She’s just such a lovely southern belle that will DESTORY you Fitz. Whoever decided to give her the Julia Sugarbaker speeches totally deserves a box of chocolates. Team Mellie. She’s crazy enough to do everything that she’s saying and Fitz knows it too. Really, I think Mellie needs a good lay from an attentive boytoy.
But she’s also on the mark about Olivia being Fitz’ greatest weakness while alive. Did you see how he wanted to dive through the TV set when she showed up in the window with the lasers on her? Fitz is a man with terrible judgment when it comes to Olivia.
K: I am full on #teamdrunkmellie. What I like about her is that in another life she’d be the awesome drunk friend who will also tell you about yourself. She’s not super tactical. She operates on emotion, mostly, and isn’t nearly as on the ball as she thinks she is manipulation wise. But that bitch knows how to retaliate.
LDD: Look. I know everyone is #teammellie, and Fitz can act the donkey. However I was feeling some kind of way about her little “make my puppet husband dance” speech. I like how Fitz sat there looking at her, unbothered. He’s probably thinking, “Bitch, I killed a judge, I can dig a hole for you right next to her if you keep talking that talk.”
K: One day she’s gonna push him too hard and he’s gonna try to take her out. But I have this weird feeling that one day soon Liv and Mellie are gonna be on the same side, with Fitz on the other end one day.
Good Jake/Bad Jake
LDD: I’mma need Olivia to stop asking so many damn questions of Jake and just bang him out already. First: It will make ME feel better, as I’m living vicariously through her. Second, dude has been tortured for who knows how long, he’s Kool and The Gang now, but wait until that PTSD kicks in. Third, if he REALLY was on a mission and knew about it, do you really think he’d say, “Damn! Ya got me. Guess I’ll just go back to Wonderland and play spades with the guys.” C’mon Liv, come ON.
K: WORD!!!!! I don’t trust Jake as far as I can spit but she needs to hit that posthaste.
V: And Jake trying to pretend things are normal. How adorable. It’s just kind of creepy and insane. Good lord, all those phones going berserk is just giving me a headache. And who’s the he? Fitz or Rowan? But the answer could come down to the same thing — love for Olivia and allowing her to have what she wants back. She wanted Huck, she got Huck back. She wanted Jake out, she got Jake.
Coming Up Next…
LDD: Lisa Kudrow will be in episode 4. I wonder if its just for one shot, or if there will be a longer story arc. Or, does she have a hand in Operation Remington? Hrrmmm…
V: You know what? I’m kind of excited that we’re getting a case of the week next week. One of the things I really enjoyed about Scandal was how they interweaved the case of the week (which wasn’t related to Fitz or the white house) with the whole tortured psyche of Olivia Pope. I liked watching her lecture herself with other clients. But that’s just me.
K: It’s not just you. I’m glad they’re going back to the case of the week format too, because the long-term arcs are getting borderline clusterfuck-y and we need a break.