SCANDAL Recap: Inside the Bubble

Cyrus and his hair runs into Michael the Hooker (I’m pretty sure that’s his government name) at a local restaurant. Michael assures him he isn’t stalking Cyrus. I refuse to believe that Cyrus is naïve enough to think running into someone you recently had all but naked in your bed is a coincidence.

Mellie, wearing yoga pants instead of sweats and eating an apple instead of fried chicken, baby steps, puts her grief on hold for a moment when she sees a story on the news about a bride who may or may not have pushed her husband off a cliff. Now I know the Gladiators are all, “over a cliff” but this is not what they mean.

Rosen is loving being Attorney General, well he appears to love being able to stand in the Oval Office with the President on the “inside of the bubble”.

Olivia meanwhile stops by to visit her Dad, because that seems like something she would want to do. He does for once though say something I am not mad at. Basically reentry is a bitch. She is back from her island “vacation” and it’s hard to readjust. Then he goes and insists that Olivia bring Jake with her for dinner tomorrow. Really? The head of B613 and the former head of B613, the guy that’s doing your daughter, a relationship that started because you tasked him with following her, a relationship you tried to manipulate and then tortured him over. Think he’ll just want to stop by for dinner?

Abby calls Olivia to let her know that an old college friend is looking for her. Catherine thought Abby still worked at OPA. Olivia is cold with Abby and tells her she will handle it, just stay out of her job. Abby deserved it for last week. Next thing we know Quinn, Huck and Olivia are at Catherine’s home. Her daughter, Katelyn is missing. Olivia is going to find her.

Back at OPA Olivia calls Jake to ask him to dinner, he is all Yes until he hears the with whom part. Then he is all No. He brings up the torture, because he’s got some sense, and says Olivia isn’t his girlfriend so he won’t be going to a “dinner with the parent”. Before he hangs up he said, “Call me later if you want me to do that thing to you.” That “thing” could be brushing her hair or reading a chapter of War and Peace and I wouldn’t care. I want him to do any little thing he pleases. I’ve gotten off track.

Jake has found Charlie. He surprises Charlie and knocks him out.

Mellie is still hung up on the Killer Bride story. So hung up she skips cemetery time to focus on the “news” story.

At the office Quinn and company are running through the specifics of Katelyn’s life in an attempt to figure out where she might be. It’s all pretty standard stuff, however hearing Huck read off Instagram hashtags is hilarious. “Hashtag bad bitch contest.” After the reading of the hashtags they find a charge to a hotel and think they may have found Katelyn.

In a badly lit cement room Charlie is naked, tied up and on a piece of industrial plastic. Jake is calm and scary. Charlie however is a pro, he says you don’t need to cut him – it won’t make him talk anyway – there is only one thing he wants. Then he will answer Jake’s questions about how Harrison died or who did it.

RNC Lizzy is watching while Rosen presents the gun control law argument to a few judges. He’s very eloquent but Judge Sparks still says he can’t agree with the law and Lizzy looks pleased.

Catherine is at OPA with Olivia when Quinn calls, they found Katelyn at the Taft Hotel. Olivia relays this information to Catherine who seems relieved. Catherine says she will take it from here.

Quinn goes to leave when Jake calls; apparently Quinn for the whole evening is the one thing Charlie wants in order to talk. Quinn won’t do it but Jake reminds her he took her in when she had nowhere so she reluctantly agrees. Charlie keeps calling her Robin and it appears he had a whole fantasy about how this would go down. Quinn is less than amused and when he reaches out she takes him down. Poor Charlie he got his ass handed to him by Jake and now Quinn. Quinn! For Shame Carlie. For Shame! He tries to save face by telling her at least he wants her, no one else does.

Over at the White House Mellie has become obsessed with the Killer Bride story. So obsessed she wants to fly in Park Rangers from Yosemite and have a meeting with them to discuss the case. Abby thinks this is crazy and tries to tell Cyrus but wouldn’t you know Michael the Hooker calls and Cyrus and his hair have to take that call. Can you really just call the Chief of Staff for the President of the United States? Is that something I can do? Just call up his office? Anyway, not important. What is important is that Michael the Hooker is good or maybe Cyrus is lonely. Cyrus seems quite charmed.

In the Oval Office Rosen meets with Fitz, they are going lose the gun control battle. Fitz just wants his term to mean something; he gave up too much to be here. “If I’m not going to be some soccer dad in Vermont…” Sad. Very sad. Rosen, who wants to stay very much “in the bubble”, takes matters into his own hands. He goes and accesses his scary B613 files. I’m a little disappointed in Rosen. He always did the right thing and I’m not going to debate whether gun control is or isn’t the right thing but he never would have done this kind of blackmailing in the past. First of all he used to talk a lot of shit about Olivia when she did something shady. Secondly he is using the B613 files for what he considers good but not for justice. They were given to him so he could get justice.

Turns out Huck is still creepy. He enters Olivia’s apartment and wakes her up to show her a sex tape he found while doing background on Katelyn. The video is of Catherine and Katelyn’s boyfriend. Well that’s not good. There is also a voicemail, turns out the fight that caused Katelyn to run away was actually about the sex tape. Katelyn said she was telling her Dad what had happened which would cause Catherine to lose all of the fancy fancy money her marriage provides her with. Olivia immediately calls the hotel to warn Katelyn since she sent Catherine there but the police are there. She races out of the house and to the morgue where she finds Catherine identifying Katelyn’s body. Two shots to the chest.

Olivia pulls Catherine aside and asks, forcefully, “What the hell did you do!” Catherine insists she had nothing to do with Katelyn’s death.

Back in the cement box Charlie is droning on and on while Quinn pretends not to listen. Charlie says he is lonely and Quinn insists she isn’t lonely, she has people. Then she does what anyone would do while lying on a cement floor with an ex who happens to also be a paid killer – kiss. Before it can go too far Jake opens the door, times up.

When Abby sees the news about Katelyn she rushes over to Olivia’s apartment. Olivia says she can’t discuss the case with Abby. It wouldn’t be ethical. Abby scoffs at, “the rigger of elections” having ethics but Olivia is steadfast in her cold shoulder. Abby storms off.

Olivia heads over to visit Jake; he won’t open the door more than a crack though and when questioned says he is working. That seems suspect to Olivia as Jake doesn’t have a job. She momentarily wants to know if he has a woman in there with him but he says he wouldn’t answer even if she insisted on knowing. Do you know why? She and Jake aren’t dating, in fact as Jake lays it out, “…because you’re in love with another man. You come here to have sex, great sex, but just sex, right?” Well Olivia has had enough, she can’t understand why Jake is picking a fight with her but since he is, and he won’t go to dinner with her she is done. Jake is badass and doesn’t even respond. He just shuts the door. The look of shock on Olivia’s face is priceless. Poor Olivia Pope.

So remember how I said Rosen grabbed a scary B613 file? Well he just happens to have it in hand when he runs into the stubborn judge that is going to kill the gun control law. Back at the White House Rosen, still very much “in the bubble” is greeted at the Oval Office with champagne and lots of cheers. The gun control law passed the 4th Circuit of judges.

Catherine stops by OPA to tell Olivia again how she did not kill her daughter. Olivia seems to believe her, for now, so she and Huck are trying to come up with other suspects when Quinn gets there. She was gone for 24 hours and neither of them noticed. Well that is just not okay with Quinn, she is pissed. I can’t blame her. For three months she checked in on Huck every day, she checked in on Abby at the White House and she tracked Olivia down on her island. “That is how Harrison died, because we weren’t vigilant. We didn’t pay attention.”

Mellie has actually called a meeting to discuss the Killer Bride story. She has not only called in the park rangers she has the head of NASA there, among other people. She has a power point presentation and everything. Fitz shows up and everything. This cannot end well and it doesn’t. The park ranger speaks up; witnesses came forward this morning and cleared the wife. The case is closed. You can visibly see Mellie crumble before Abby ushers her out of the room.

Cyrus comes upon Michael the Hooker at a bar. Michael makes a compelling argument for paying for sex and Cyrus (and his hair) smile.

Abby is about to get her moment “in the bubble” when Fitz offers her a glass of scotch in the Oval Office and thanks her for handling Mellie and ask Abby how Olivia is doing. Abby says Olivia is doing good. She leaves out the part where she and Olivia are barely speaking.

Surprising Olivia, Jake calls her and says he’s in; he’d love to have dinner with Command. The video he is looking at of Secret Agent Service Man Tom injecting Jerry with the drug/virus that killed him is probably what changed his mind.

Things are starting to unravel elsewhere as Mellie is back to full out depression/sadness and Rosen hears that Judge Sparks (whom he blackmailed) has committed suicide.

At the most awkward uncomfortable family dinner ever Command tries to make a little small talk. Olivia’s phone interrupts the feeble attempt and she excuses herself. As soon as she gets up Command thanks him for keeping Olivia safe while they were gone. Jake doesn’t seem impressed by the thanks and instead wanders, out loud, why Command had Harrison killed. Did he find out it was Command that had Jerry killed? Jake tells him he has however long it takes to pack, but he is done. No more Command. He can disappear or he can stay and Jake will show Olivia proof that Command killed Harrison, one of her best friends. Command isn’t amused.

The next morning Cyrus and his hair are saying goodbye to $2500.00 and Michael the Hooker. Cyrus is smiling but $2500.00? Come on. Michael the Hooker makes his next stop RNC Lizzy to report that things are going according to plan.

And Jake watches as Command goes about his day as if Jake hadn’t threatened him the night before.

What did you think?

Scandal airs 9/8c on ABC