Scandal - S4E19 - I’m Just a Bill

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Previously on Scandal, ‘Honor Thy Father’

Brandon Bill

The Grant administration is rallying to get the votes for the Brandon Bill, which will make cameras on police officers mandatory and overhaul racial discrimination in police departments. They manage to get the votes they need thanks to a little press fake-out suggested by Lizzie. Cyrus celebrates the idea of getting the black vote for a Republican president. Abby calls him gross. Cyrus is like, “Have you met me? Duh.”

Unfortunately for Fitz, one of the senators with an affirmative vote goes into labor a week early. They need Susan, the VP, to vote for the bill and Fitz sends Cyrus to get it done. Even though voting has already begun, Susan insists on reading all 1,200 pages of the bill before she votes. And then she has questions, lots of them, and wonders if she could speak to someone from the Justice Department who can address her concerns. Cyrus damn near has another heart attack, but he puts David Rosen on the case.

David is super impressed by Susan’s diligence and ends up being a bust. So, Mellie tries to appeal to Susan, who already knows Mellie suggested her for VP so Mellie could run for her Senate seat. She’s cool with it, but she’s still not cool with the bill. And she doesn’t think Mellie should be either.

The big gun is brought in and Fitz tries intimidation and insults to get Susan to vote, but she stands firm. Cyrus comes in to find Fitz and Susan with their sleeves up, working to revise the bill. This bill, Susan says, will work. Cyrus says they need something else to distract the press. That means it’s the perfect time for Mellie to announce her run for Senate!

Activist Marcus

Activist Marcus is running for mayor and apparently winning. That’s why it’s particularly bad when he calls OPA to help him deal with the dead body of the mayor’s wife, who he was sleeping with. He says they thought her husband was home early so he hid in the closet. While there, he watched as three men in masks killed her, grabbed some jewelry, and left. He chooses the Pope Platinum Package of services which involves Huck and Quinn breaking the dead woman’s bones so they can fit her in a suitcase while Olivia sits with Marcus on the stairs. I must say, this was done MUCH better on The Americans.

Huck and Quinn wipe up the crime scene including getting all the blood out of the carpet, but Olivia still had to throw out that couch cushion, huh? Okay.

Marcus expects Olivia to judge him for being a hypocrite: he laid into her for the doing the work of The Man and here is he banging The Man. Nope. Olivia doesn’t judge. She saves lives and that’s it.

Marcus is really getting the most of out his Pope Platinum Package when the police bring him in for questioning without actually arresting him. Olivia popes all over the damn place and stomps out with her client. Turns out, they brought him in because there were threatening emails sent from him to the mayor’s wife, who’s now “missing.” Huck does his magic and discovers Marcus’ account was hacked by someone close to the mayor.

Marcus remembers that one of the masked men was called Mickey, and after witnessing the mayor’s driver with a bandage on his hand, the team figures out he was one of the masked men - Mickey is a nickname because he has big-ass ears. I suppose Dumbo would have been too obvious.

Marcus is given a choice: he can tell the truth and they can get the mayor and his driver arrested, OR he can use what he knows to blackmail the mayor into dropping out the race. Justice or career, Marcus? Which will it be?

Marcus picks his career, at first. But at the press conference, after the mayor drops out of the race citing his wife’s disappearance, Marcus tells the truth. Guess he didn’t appreciate it when the mayor said to him, “The bitch had it coming,” upon being confronted.

Later, Olivia applauds Marcus for doing the right thing because once you start doing the wrong thing, it’s a slippery slope and the next thing you know your black ass is being sold on the dark net.

Papa Pope Pontificates and B613 Blah Blah Blah

Papa Pope sits up in Olivia’s living room, sipping wine like he doesn’t have a damn gun in his waistband. He gives her 48 hours to shut down the B613 case, citing the president’s downfall if she doesn’t. But Olivia is still shitty with Fitz, which daddy can read all over her face and he reminds her that no matter how white the knight, all men are just men, including Fitz.

Russell Franklin Franklin Russell has been drugged and bound on Olivia’s floor. Papa Pope did that so they could chat in peace. After he leaves, Olivia has to release Franklin Russell Russell Franklin and pretend that he passed out because they drank too much wine.

At the Down With B613 Team Meeting, everyone agrees they are still on board, even if it means shining a light on Fitz’s dirty deeds.

Jake checks on Olivia at OPA while she’s working the Marcus case. He wants to make sure she knows he’s there if she needs him. She doesn’t deserve you, Jake!

David, Jake, and Liv meet to go over Jake’s testimony. The subject of B613 operations comes up, including Operation Remington. David is stunned to learn that Rowan ordered a civilian plane shot down. Who was the pilot? You can totally see David making career decisions when he hears Fitz’s name.

Olivia is all fucked up over the fact that she’s about to proceed with this at the expense of raggedy-ass Fitz. So she drinks some wine and calls Russell Franklin Franklin Russell over for some sex. And I smooth fast-forwarded through all of it.

David gives Team Down With B613 a rousing speech. They toast to wearing white hats.

Papa Pope wants to know what Olivia has decided. She tells him to kick rocks in flip flops. He’s proud of her for finally becoming a worthy opponent, but warns her she won’t like what happens next.

I damn sure didn’t like what happened next: Jake arrives at OPA because Olivia texted him. He’s attacked by a man in a mask. They fight, and Jake rips off the mask. It’s Franklin Russell Russell Franklin! He stabs Jake and tells him he’s disappointed Jake wasn’t more of a challenge, considering how much Rowan would talk about him. Then he stabs Jake some more.

So, does Papa Pope just a file named Agents For My Daughter to Fuck?

P.S. Fuck this show.