Scandal - S3E5 - More Cattle, Less Bull
Previously on Scandal: ‘Say Hello to My Little Friend’
Sunday Fun Day
Liv and Rowan are having their scheduled Awkward Sunday Dinner. He’s surprised that Olivia has sat through the whole meal without accusing him of anything. She’s just doing her time, man. Accusing him of shit leads to Jake in a hole and Huck being forced to kill people. Olivia’s going to be the smart girl her mama taught her to be. As he signs for the check, Rowan points out that he finds it funny that’s her mother’s legacy when it’s clear that everything Olivia is and has is because of him. Also, Huck brought that shit on himself. If Huck leaves him alone, he’ll leave Huck alone. Jake, too. Boom.
Huck and Jake are not leaving him alone. Jake is downloading files from Rowan’s computer while Huck is warning that Rowan will be home in four minutes. Rowan does arrive home while Jake is still there, but doesn’t catch him and Jake is able to leave with the information stolen from the computer.
I Don’t Hang With Losers, Yo
Mellie and Cyrus are interviewing Leo Bergen, a potential campaign manager. Leo ain’t having it though. He wants no part of Fitz because Fitz is going to lose. Fitz looks beaten, like he needs to be laid, like he’s miserable. Also, he has a Can’t Keep His Penis In His Pants problem. Now, if you’ll excuse Leo, he has a meeting with Senator Marcus.
Meanwhile, Olivia IS meeting Josephine Marcus and after ten seconds of telling Marcus what her problems are and how she can fix them. She’s hired! Marcus clears the room and tells Olivia she doesn’t need her as a campaign manager. She needs her to help cover up the fact that she had a baby when she was 15 that only 5 people alive know about. Olivia sends her team to Red Springs, Montana to shut that shit down.
Seriously, Three First Names?
The crew arrives in Montana, the land of people with three first names like Billy Joe Lee. Huck is trying to decrypt the info they got from Rowan - which includes a video of his conversation with Fitz (that ended last week’s episode). Quinn is being shut out and Huck won’t tell her what he’s working on. Abby accepts a date with David to the White House Correspondence Dinner. Harrison is NOT impressed with their motel accommodations.
Fitz asked Rowan how many more people have to die to protect a secret no one is looking for. Rowan tells Fitz that someone IS looking. They’re working now to figure out the IP address of someone who hacked into their files on the case.
Huck is on the phone with Jake, telling him about the conversation and as a black car pulls up and men in suits instruct Jake to get into the car, he figures out that Rowan has already figured out it was him.
White Boys Can Jump
Jake wasn’t snatched by Command, it was Fitz. And they have a problem that can only be solved by one thing: hoops. That’s right, they play basketball to let out their aggressions of neither of them fucking Olivia Pope at the moment.
Olivia is waiting for the Fitz phone to ring. Her regular cell DOES ring and it’s Cyrus. He offers her a job trying to dig up dirt on Josephine Marcus. She politely declines, but calls Harrison to let him know they have company in Montana.
Harrison and team kick it into high gear, paying off all the people who know about Marcus’ secret baby. The only one not to bite is the baby daddy who is about to go on live TV and tell his story. Abby stalls Ethan and the camera crew while Huck digs up dirt that Harrison can use on Billy Joe Lee a.k.a Baby Daddy. He does and it works. Ethan calls Cyrus and tells him that they’ve been Poped.
Quinn learns that Huck told the rest of the team about her going all “Drill, baby, drill” on Billy last season. She’s grounded.
White House Down
Sally is annoyed that she’s being grounded, too. Cyrus is freezing her out of all re-election planning. Her husband is in her office and we learn that he’s pretty useless and awful. When Sally learns that Leo Bergen will be at the WHCD, she’s happy.
Mellie isn’t happy, though. Fitz is not at all concerned with re-election campaign and tells Mellie that it’s Cyrus’ job to worry about it. Not hers.
Fitz calls Rowan and tells him that it is Jake who is digging into Remington, but that Rowan better leave Jake the fuck alone. Rowan is all, “You’re not the boss of me!” and hangs up on Fitz. Poor Fitz.
Cyrus is losing his shit that Olivia is working for the enemy. As he schemes about leaking Marcus’ secret baby to Reston, Mellie is coming up with her own plot in her head.
Fitz Phone
Jake calls Huck and tells him the president has made him. They realize they’re running out of time. Huck sends Jake to their office and talks him through running a program that will get them more information on what was going on in the area when Fitz was supposedly flying that Iran mission. Olivia finds Jake there and he realizes that she’s been sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. She’s all sad because she usually vets Fitz’s jokes for the WHCD. She knows it’s dumb and tosses the phone in the trash and then leaves to have dinner with Jake.
Abby and Harrison question someone who reveals that Marcus’ sister - and assistant - is actually her daughter. When Olivia confronts her with the information, Marcus refuses to admit to it because it will ruin her sister’s life. She doesn’t want to be president that badly.
Fitz calls Cyrus to the oval office and says he wants to get rid of B613. Cyrus pulls him aside and whispers that it’s impossible and Fitz should worry about this re-election, something they can control.
October Surprise
The team is leaving Montana, but Abby is being all noncommittal with David on being back in time for the WHCD. Quinn returns some equipment that they used in Montana, but can only get store credit because the stuff is used. She eyes the gun case.
During the Democratic debate Reston tries to blindside Marcus with a question about owning up to your past. Olivia warned her this was going to happen and Marcus eventually admits to having a baby when she was 15 and giving it up for adoption. It’s really sweet.
From the White House, Fitz, Mellie, and Cyrus are watching and Cyrus declares that Marcus just won America’s heart. Mellie looks devastated, but as Cyrus blames it all on Olivia, Fitz looks impressed.
Sitting By the Phone
Olivia is downing wine in her office when the Fitz phone rings and she fishes that thing out of the garbage. He’s calling her from the bathroom. Fitz tells her what a good job she did with Marcus. She tells him she got fired. They talk about the upcoming WHCD and she helps with his jokes. He says he loves her and I melted. *sigh* Mellie is listening from the doorway.
Abby takes a call from David from her office and lies and says she’s still in Montana. But… BUSTED… David is in the hall and calls her out for lying to him before leaving.
Huck figures out that Fitz was really in Iceland when he was supposed to be with their team in Iran. Olivia calls and asks Jake to take her to the WHCD.
At the dinner, Fitz and Olivia share a look. Meanwhile, Sally corners Leo Bergen in the men’s room and asks him what he thinks of her running against Fitz. He says Fitz would clobber her in the Republican primaries. She asks what if she were an Independent… hypothetically.
Mellie Makes a Move
Olivia gets a secret look from SS Tom, which Jake notices. He tells her it’s okay to go meet with Fitz, but that’s not who wants to meet with her. It’s Mellie.
While Fitz makes his speech, we see that Mellie asked Olivia to come back and run Fitz’s re-election campaign. She admits that Fitz needs her. Her only. Fitz doesn’t know she’s asking, but oh boy will he get on board.
Later, Jake tells Olivia that he doesn’t play second fiddle to anyone, not even the president.
Abby surprises David at his apartment and we learn that the reason she didn’t go was because her ex was there. David tells her that she has to start telling him things.
Marcus asks Olivia to work for her again, but Olivia says no. Harrison is all, “What the hell?” (Quinn bought that damn gun.)
Awww, shit!
Jake goes home and finds Huck in his place. Huck tells him that Fitz was shooting down a passenger plane in Iceland and lied about being in Iran. He shows Jake the passenger list and on the list is Olivia’s mom. All of this while Olivia is at home, going through her box of Fitz swag.
Later, Jake and Huck show up at her house.
