Scandal - S2E21 - Any Questions?
Previously on Scandal “A Woman Scorned“
This episode put me through TOO MANY THINGS. So, who’s the mole? Harrison? Abby? Cyrus? Mellie? OK. Ready, Gladiators?
Jesus Forgives; Jesus Saves
Poor, poor Cyrus. He’s holding a White House press conference and skillfully dodging whether or not Fitz is a Cheater Cheater Cootie Eater. The final question? “Where’s the president?”
Cut to Cyrus outside Olivia’s apartment trying to convince Tom the secret service guy - you know, the one who isn’t a snitching bitch - to let him in. Tom only takes his orders from the president. Cyrus doesn’t give a shit if Tom takes his orders from Jesus. Jesus forgives; Jesus saves. Cyrus ain’t Jesus! Tom agrees to accept a bullshit excuse in order to cover his ass and Cyrus walks in on Olitz post-coitus and about to be re-coitus.
“GET UP!”
Girl, I Got This
As Olitz gets dressed, Olivia is in Handle Mode. She’s making plans to counter Mellie’s allegations, but Fitz tells her to calm her tits. He got this! His marriage is his problem, he made his choice, and she needs to stand down. Olivia relents.
Go, Gladiators!
The gang sits around the conference room table watching Cyrus’ press conference. David, for one, isn’t surprised that Fitz is a Cheater McCheaterpants. He stole the election, after all. However, David’s not bitter, he says. “I’m apart of the team now. Go, Gladiators!” Everyone else just side-eyes each other cause they know the mistress is Olivia.
Captain Jack Harkness!
Mellie has hired her own crisis handler and he’s being played by John Barrowman (Jack Harkness on Doctor Who/Torchwood). Not much to report here except that she has apparently found someone as fake and saccharine as she is.
Yes, The Hell You Are
Cyrus and his team meet with Fitz to determine what the president’s response will be. Fitz asks to speak with Cyrus alone and tells him he will be addressing the American people later that night and he’ll tell them he’s not seeking a second term.
Cyrus’ face is GOLDEN. His mouth was wide the hell open.
Private, Private, Extra Private
Flashback to Cyrus at the press conference and he’s basically answering every question with, “This is a private matter. This is even more private. Private private private. Extra private.”
Olivia arrives at work and is filled in on how Cyrus can’t be the mole: Charlie was after info on Defiance and Cyrus knew all about Defiance. Olivia rushes to her safe, enters the code, and pulls out the Citron card Abby stole from David.
Abby is forced to admit that she did steal it and David says it doesn’t matter. He made his choice; he’s on the team now.
Now, why Olivia would do something so stupid is beyond me, but okay.
Jake Is In Trouble With a Capital Oh Shit
Jake meets with his boss (Joe Morton) and tells him that he knows Charlie has the info on Jake and Olivia and that Charlie is working for Cyrus. Jake has permission to take care of Charlie; his boss will take care of Cyrus. Jake is also chastised for failing in his mission to “get between the president and Olivia” and not telling that the president spent the night at her place.
What Do You Want?
Sally Langston rubs it in Cyrus’ face that Fitz is a Cheater in Chief. Cut to the gang realizing that Sally Langston is the last plausible person left with access to the kind of information that was leaked that they haven’t looked into. They decide to do just that.
Harrison speaks with Olivia alone and basically tells her that he knows she’s the presidents mistress and right now, she’s HIS client. He wants to know what she wants so he can handle it.
Olivia refuses to confirm his accusation and instructs him to focus on Langston.
Obviously, we’re supposed to think Olivia doesn’t trust Harrison here and that he could possibly be the mole. No! Not my boo!
Are You Stupid?
Cyrus and James argue in Cyrus’ office. James insists that he didn’t know what Mellie was going to say. He caught a career break and he took it. And then Cyrus goes ballistic. He asks James if he’s stupid. Doesn’t he realize that Mellie got him that interview because she wanted to stick it to Fitz AND Cyrus at the same time? Because, really, who the fuck is James? Look at his doughy face! WHY would America want to see him on TV?
I’m not even kidding. Cyrus said those things and left poor James a crying mess.
Hello, Cyrus
Cyrus meets with Olivia on a park bench. He tells her she needs to talk Fitz out of not running for re-election. It’s not really what he wants. Olivia says she has to let Fitz make his own decisions. Cyrus tells her to go away; she’s breaking his heart. As Olivia walks away, Joe Morton approaches. “Hello, Cyrus.”
Oh, shit!
What follows is a lot of cryptic talk, but here’s what we know for sure:
- Joe Morton wants Cyrus to use the tape of Olivia and Jake to break up Olitz; Cyrus ain’t about that life
- Cyrus didn’t know that Charlie was apart of B613. Joe Morton tells him to never contact Charlie again
- Whatever B613 is, Joe Morton maintains that their priority is The Republic
- Joe Morton gives zero fucks
Hi.
Fitz calls Olivia for a little naughty talk. She wants to help with his statement, but he refuses her. Jake calls Olivia and comes off super stalkerish, but I still love him. He tells Olivia he’s not a bad guy. “You’re not a good guy.” “Neither is he.”
Mellie knows Fitz will give a speech that night because she knows Fitz. She tasks her handler with getting a copy of his remarks. She wants to know where Fitz’s head is before she uses her trump card. He manages to get a draft of the speech from a source in THE MOST UNSECURE WHITE HOUSE EVER. Mellie is stunned Fitz will not run again. Handler prompts her to, once again, give up the mistress. When she won’t, he realizes it’s because she doesn’t want Fitz to hate her and she knows that in doing so, it will really kill all chance of their marriage working. He can handle a lot of things, but he can’t make her husband love her.
Charlie Ain’t Stupid
Charlie arrives at his favorite bakery and places an order. When he notices the usual girl isn’t working the counter, he takes his bag in the bathroom and uses the black light he conveniently carries with him to discover there’s some kind of substance all over the bag and his hands. He leaves in a rush. The girl behind the counter calls Jake who’s in a van. “He knows.” As Charlie walks through the streets he wipes his hands on people. They’re no longer tracking Charlie, but a bunch of strangers.
Charlie calls Cyrus from outside The White House and wants in. Cyrus is all, “Who you?”
David Has The Worst.Break.Ever.
By hacking into Sally Langston’s daughter’s email account, the gang is somehow able to get to Sally’s account and realize she can’t be the mole. Someone used her account to leak info, but while she was on TV as the president addressed the nation. The gang is frustrated. Harrison flips a chair. Olivia suggests everyone take a break for an hour to calm down.
OK, so this is the mystery movie equivalent of the house of murder suspects coming up with some stupid reason to split up and search the premises. You just know some shit is going to happen.
Everyone leaves, but David stays behind to watch more of the press conference. When the gang returns, Charlie is holding David at gunpoint. “How was your break? Mine sucked.”
Charlie insists he comes in peace. He wants to hire Olivia.
I Want a Life, Too
Charlie says that B613 has turned on him, and he needs their help. He’ll give up the mole if Olivia gets the deal for him that she got for Huck. Obviously, there was a deal, right? Command wanted Huck dead, but Huck is alive and working for Olivia in plain sight, not being hunted. Olivia insists she didn’t make a deal for Huck. Then how is he free? No one knows. Huck says he will get the name out of Charlie using his B613 methods. Ruh roh.
If Things Get Messy
Cyrus learns that Fitz never filed his paperwork to run for re-election. They’ve been sitting on his desk for months.
Olivia gives Harrison two folders. A brown one containing names of people who own them a favor and a black sealed folder with some serious shit that is only to be used if things get messy. Harrison says she means “if your name comes out.” Olivia reminds him that she’s not his client. If things get messy, carry on without her.
Thanks For the Doughnut, Man
Charlie is tied to a chair and eating a doughnut. He gave up the name to Huck and now Huck is going to shoot him in the head… well, he was until Quinn brings her nosy ass in. She convinces Huck to let Charlie go.
Funny how Charlie was resigned to his fate until Quinn showed up and then he was all, “You should listen to her, man.”
It Matters
Olivia confronts Fitz. He never had any intention of running again because he doesn’t think he deserves to be president. He believes all the awful things his father said about him and he doubts himself because of what they did to him with Defiance. She urges him to run again.
The Big Reveal
As Fitz addresses the American people, Olivia and Cyrus watch from the sidelines. At the office, Harrison reveals to the rest of the gang that the Citron card is gone. David says he found Charlie in the conference room earlier and there’s no telling how long he’d been there. He must have taken the card. Huck and Quinn admit that they let Charlie go, which means the mole now has the card.
Meanwhile, Fitz addresses the press and says his marriage is no one else’s business. He also announces his intentions to seek a second term. Cyrus thanks Olivia. Harrison calls Olivia and reveals the mole is…
Billy Chambers!
A man enters a limo and hands over the card to Billy. And that man is…
David Rosen!
Fitz asks the press, “Now… any questions?”
While I loved the reveal, I feel a bit let down. Is David’s betrayal really all that shocking? Pope and Associates ruined his life. Not only that, he fell in love with a woman who helped ruin his life. So, not really that surprised that he went in for a little payback and the emotional betrayal isn’t really there because he wasn’t truly a part of the team.
What is surprising is his willingness to work with Billy Chambers (more on his ass in a minute). Billy Chambers killed the journalist Quinn slept with and David knows that. Has he gone so far off the path that he’d get his revenge by getting in bed with a murderer? Even though the episode tried like hell to make Harrison the red herring, it was clear that David was going to be involved from the moment Olivia not only opened the safe in front of him, but did so while blatantly typing the code. The quick shot of David definitely eyeing that didn’t help matters.
Billy Chambers being alive is shocking, but also a bit cheap. Sure, shame on us for believing what was implied in season one: Charlie killed Billy and made it look like a suicide after he followed Billy onto that elevator, but again, this reveal lacked the emotional punch that would have been delivered had Albatross been someone we gave two shits about.
It would seem that B613 and what Billy is up to are connected, but not necessarily in allegiance. If B613 is truly about protecting The Republic, why would they want to prove/expose election rigging? Then again, Joe Morton seems hellbent on exposing Olitz’s affair.
Even though everyone believed Billy was dead, are we really expected to believe that V.P. Langston didn’t change her email passwords? Hell, you get fired from McDonald’s and they’re changing the passcodes there. One would think that with matters of national security, they’d have been more careful. Remember: When Billy left, they didn’t expect him to die. The veep went on national TV and announced him a liar and a traitor. You’d think she’d have changed her access THEN.
Finally, does this mean that David was in on the murder of the girl who had the flash drive? That’s what started this whole storyline. There are lots of questions. I wonder how many answers we’ll get in next week’s season finale.
Scandal is another show that I have yet to watch an episode of. Do you know where I could find any online viewings of Season 1?