SCANDAL Recap: The Fluffer

Small stories first from this weeks Scandal, shall we?

Reston is feeding off of the fighting going on between Sally and Fitz. His numbers keep climbing so Olivia purposes they work together to take him down. She figures the best way to do that is through his wife. The wife that is in prison. Olivia sends Leo and Abby in there to talk to her. Leo shows her the case file from Pope & Associates. The case file that shows Reston knowing his wife was having an affair and premeditating the murder. Later when Reston comes to visit her she shows him the file and he doesn’t deny it. Instead he says he is about to be the most powerful man in all the land and when that happens if she doesn’t fall in line he will ship her off to a mental ward to rot. He’s a peach. He’s also an idiot apparently because Abby taped the whole exchange and leaks the video to the press. Leo seems impressed and a little in awe of Abby. So much for Reston being President.

At some point during the back and forth between Sally and Fitz’s campaign Fitz’s mistress comes out with a new book. You know the aid that took the blame for being Fitz’s mistress when really she wasn’t. The book is titled, “Taken for Granted: My Time as the Presidential Mistress” by Jeannine Locke. It’s a pretty good sized book for someone that is writing a work of complete fiction. And her timing is something else, isn’t it? Olivia is pissed. Didn’t Jeannine get $2 million a few months ago to take the fall for this? In an interview Jeannine refers to the President’s size as, “Definitely a baguette.” Well that’s a new one. That’s like asking a guy if he is more of a Rolo or a King Size Snickers. Come on. In retaliation Cyrus leaks the story of how Sally’s daughter got an abortion.

Olivia specifically told him not to leak that story but he didn’t listen. When she confronts him about it he said he isn’t the only one not taking her advice. Fitz is basically interviewing for a new VP. He’s still upset Mellie slept with Andrew and he wants Andrew gone. Why does no one let Liv do things her own way? She’s supposed to be the best. They all freely admit it but then they do whatever they feel is best in the heat of the moment. And lest we forget Olivia didn’t want Andrew on the ticket at all. She said something was off but Fitz wouldn’t listen. Now it’s too late.

Olivia finds Fitz is in the Oval Office meeting with a Senator, vetting her for the VP position. The job Olivia said must remain Andrew’s if they want to win. Olivia comes in with a National Security excuse and cuts the meeting short. She calls Fitz out. He says, sounding like a tantrum throwing child, you don’t tell me what to do. Yeah, she kind of does. She wants to know what he needs, not what he wants. Olivia asks him what she is supposed to be today. Is she his cheerleader? His nanny? His bodyguard or maybe she is his fluffer. He insists he doesn’t love Mellie, he’s all but indifferent to her but he feels betrayed all the same. He says he needs Andrew to stop screwing his wife. Olivia says she will handle it and walks out.

Olivia meets with Andrew. She gets right to the point and asks if he wants to be VP or screw Mellie. He gets ready to walk out but Liv fast talks him and explains how she will ruin him if he picks Mellie. He might be okay teaching political science in some nothing town but Mellie isn’t that woman. She is more of a “big dog” kind of gal. He insults her and calls her an emotional assassin before admitting his love for Mellie. Olivia tells him that’s nice and if that is the case chose Mellie but she bets he will chose power, love be damned.

And sadly for Mellie he does chose power. She stops him in the hall later and he basically tells her they have to be just friends. This is ridiculous since at the beginning of the episode he professed his undying love for her in the same hallway. Mellie marches into the Oval Office and in front of everyone slaps Fitz and screams, “You take everything from me!” She isn’t wrong and it is a hell of a slap.

The majority of the rest of the episode is dedicated to Olivia taking down B613. She meets with her Dad and he explains how the budget for B613 works. She puts Huck on the task of doing some computer hacking. Huck isn’t too happy that Olivia is working with her Father. I have to agree with the crazy unstable face licking assassin on this one. Olivia tells him they all have to do things they don’t want to do.

That night Olivia’s phone rings while she is in bed. Its Jake calling, he is outside her door and he has been drinking. She goes to the door but tells him she isn’t letting him in. He says he misses her. She counters with you kill my friends. She tells him he sounds like B613. Jake says he wishes she would have stood in the sun with him. She can’t let him in though and hangs up. He pounds on the door and then says the saddest thing ever, “I asked you to save me and you said no.” before getting in the elevator and leaving. They are having this conversation via phone through a door and it is still one of the most personal things in this episode. It’s a great scene.

The next day at the office Huck says the codes her Dad gave her came up empty. She confronts him and he insists Jake must have moved the money. Per her father the only way to get to the money now is to get the new codes from Jake. Back at the office Huck explains how he can get into B613’s business if they can get this device he hands Liv on Jakes phone for 30 seconds. She asks how she is supposed to do that and he says she will find a way. Olivia is not amused. Huck says it is her turn to do something she doesn’t want to do. Now when Huck does something he doesn’t want to do someone dies. Olivia gets to literally do Jake Ballard. That poor poor overworked woman. Olivia lets herself into Jakes apartment. Jake no shirt, bare feet and a fire arm is working for me. He asks her why she is there, grabs her and asks, “Is this what you want?” before kissing her. Considering Kerry Washington is pregnant this whole above the waist sex scene isn’t bad. There is even cuddling afterwards. Before falling asleep Jake again says he has missed her. Olivia Pope used sex as a weapon against Jake Ballard. For shame. She slips out of his arms and puts the device Huck gave her on Jake’s phone. She then brings it back for Huck.

Let me switch stories for a quick second. Mama Pope meets with Clare. She is the one that forged the papers that helped get Adnan back into the US. Mama Pope hires Clare to do some more papers for them so that when the deed they are planning is done they will be good to go. Clare takes that information and is going to meet with Harrison to give him the details in exchange for their protection. However when he gets to her Clare is dead.

Meanwhile Olivia is having dinner with her Father when her Mother shows up. She warns Olivia to find herself another line of work. What she does is too dangerous. Harrison calls to say Clare is dead. Olivia’s Mom tells her she hopes Olivia learned her lesson before leaving.

In their hotel room Mama Pope takes delivery of a bomb, a very nasty bomb. Charlie and Poor Quinn are watching this exchange from their surveillance van while Jake watches his video feed from his office. Jake tells them to just watch and not engage even though Poor Quinn desperately wants to go in there and retrieve the bomb.

This is where the stories come together. Olivia is in her office lamenting why she didn’t get on the plane when her Father wanted her to disappear all those months ago. Abby tells her Olivia Pope would say, “You don’t get to run. You’re a Gladiator. Gladiators don’t run, they fight. They slay dragons, they wipe off the blood and they stitch their wounds and live to fight another day. You don’t get to run.”

That’s all Olivia needs to hear. Rosen, Abby, Harrison and Olivia watch as Huck does his thing on the computer. A moment later Huck pulls the plug on B613. The power goes out, the phones no longer work, etc…They are completely down and Quinn and Charlie lose Olivia’s Mom and Adnan. That’s right, they lost the bomb which is not good on so many levels but mainly Adnan said, “Campaign trail or White House?” before they lost their video feed.

The episode ends at the office where Olivia is proposing a toast to her team for helping her step back into the light. Jake walks in and grabs Olivia around her neck throwing her up against the glass door while pointing a gun at Huck to keep him at bay. He asks her what she did. She actually says she has no idea what he is talking about and when he responds, “You killed the President.” she is silent.

So there you go. We have two episodes left. That’s it. Just two episodes before the end of the season.

Scandal airs Thursday 10/9c on ABC