SCANDAL Recap: It’s Good to Be Kink

Abby isn’t happy with Leo. He’s disgusting and she’s going to handle it. Of course that means Abby is going to talk Olivia into handling whatever it is. It’s a book manuscript a very racy one featuring a number of the DC elite. It’s so descriptive that Abby makes Olivia look away when she is confirming which part is Leo in the book. Olivia’s on it. She marches over to Susan Thomas’s apartment in her gorgeous pantsuit (and when did I ever think I’d say gorgeous and pantsuit in the same sentence).

Susan is almost happy to see Olivia. She knows who she is and gleefully asks if she is in trouble.
Side note: Susan Thomas is played by Lena Dunham.

Olivia fast talks Sue. She better get rid of that book and get rid of it now because according to Olivia you don’t publically humiliate someone you had consensual sex with just to make some money. If more people felt that way we’d have no more political scandals.

Something I think Olivia is going to have to learn is how “glaring” her presence is. Our dear misguided friend Sue thought it over realized Olivia was sent there by someone who could afford her and now has a new plan. She won’t publish her book but only if she gets $3 million from whoever hired Olivia. Sue’s a gal with a plan. She has a snazzy little speech to go with it. With some fast talking of her own she manages to insult Olivia, quite effectively too. Olivia used to be so awesome she could give you a contact high, now she seems weak and just sad. Sue does her own march out.

Over at the White House Mellie has her own plan. She is going to run for Senator of Virginia. She wants Leo Bergen to be her campaign manager, Abby says no way, can’t happen.

Back at OPA the team is running Sue’s profile. She was a chemistry major, worked for the EPA, was fired for insubordination last month and is very active on social media sites including Land-o-Kink. It’s pretty much exactly what you think it is. Now they just need to get a copy of the book. Sue was smart and typed it. It can’t be hacked, it needs to be stolen. Quinn and Huck make up a fake profile on Land-o-Kink and when they determine her type to be, “slightly older, 40’s, dark features, good looking, kind of sleazy” Quinn knows just who to send. Charlie.

The next morning the team read Sue’s book. It’s even too hot for Quinn in places. That is saying something considering her relationship with Charlie at times. They break down the nicknames in Sue’s book, putting very powerful faces to names. Now wouldn’t you know, the last name on the list is nicknamed, “The Doctor”. Turns out that is Rosen. Abby is beside herself. She labels Rosen disgusting. I find this very amusing as she has slept with two of the people in the book. TWO.

Olivia calls the men of Sue’s book together. As I assume most powerful men react when confronted with their dirty little secrets, they act like children. Complaining and moaning about having to come up with $175k each. My word. Pay the woman and get on with your life. Next time screw someone who has a better nicknaming process…or you know just your wife. Rosen won’t agree, he said it’s illegal, it’s extortion and they are better than that. Well, maybe he should rethink that because if they are in the book they are pretty dirty.

The main problem with this is actually Huck. Without Rose as the US Attorney, B613 won’t get taken down, Huck won’t get immunity and he can’t “go home”. He is adamant that this needs to happen. Quinn followed Huck to his meeting with Rosen, she can’t believe he would try to take down B613. It will destroy Liv. Huck then says the most ungladiator thing, “This isn’t about Liv.” No more over a cliff I see. The fact that Huck thinks he is stable enough to go home, have a wife and child running around while he does what, water the lawn, shows just how broken he is.

Abby is at home writing a resignation letter while Leo does burpees…apparently that is something that is done in the bedroom and not in the gym? I don’t know, anyway Leo says she doesn’t have to resign, this isn’t about her, it’s about him. She laughs at him. She is a woman, this is going to be about her. Her speech about how even though she is good at her job the press still comments on her appearance like that matters. If she wears lipstick she is dolled up, if she doesn’t she has let herself go. It’s one of those double standers men, especially men like Leo Bergen don’t understand.

Olivia goes out, dressed in leather and calling herself Alex. She meets Russell. He’s charming, attractive and she tells him she wants to bring him home. Only she stops in the bathroom for a second first and immediately has a flashback to that dingy awful bathroom she used when she was kept captive. She understandably freaks out and takes off out the back door of the bar sans Russell.

Huck, in an attempt to learn more about Sue, tracked down why she was really let go from the EPA. Olivia looks it over and calls Sue into the office. Her boss at the EPA heard some stories about Sue, when she told him no he fired her and then blackballed her from working anywhere else. Olivia tells her she can publish her book if she wants, but if she wants justice for what her old boss did to her then they can “get it done”.

Sue sits down with Olivia and some woman named Irene. She tells her story. Irene will type up her statement and use it to file a suit against Sue’s old boss. This will follow him wherever he goes. Olivia even set up a few job interviews for Sue.

Lizzy pays Mellie a visit. She has figured out Mellie wants to run for Senate and Lizzy says she can’t be Cyrus’s bitch anymore. Lizzy wants to help Mellie, she wants to be her campaign manager. Mellie doesn’t look opposed to that idea.

Quinn and Huck show up at Sue’s place to find one of the men from her book holding her at knifepoint. They rescue her but then Huck picks up the knife and slashes Sue’s throat. She falls to the floor while Quinn watches in horror. Huck couldn’t risk her talking someday, ruining his future. Huck apologizes to Sue’s dead body while her blood drips down his face. It’s disturbing.

At OPA Quinn tells Olivia Sue was killed. Olivia wants a full investigation but Quinn says it doesn’t matter who did this. Sue wasn’t Olivia’s client, Abby is. Abby is family, they need to keep the book (which Quinn swiped from the apartment) and remember, “Justice for Sue comes at a cost to Abby. A cost to your family.”

Huck sits down with Rosen and he looks over his immunity deal. While Rosen talks about how sad it is that Sue is dead, Huck signs every last page without a word.

Take two on Olivia trying to have a drink in a bar. Russell is there again and this time she takes him home while Jake and Fitz talk about threats to Olivia. Jake says he has nothing to report. If he spent less time drinking with Fitz and more time actually talking to Olivia…well he might know that a very attractive man named Russell is gaining ground in an area of Olivia’s life Jake and Fitz already have enough trouble sharing.

Scandal airs Thursday 9/8c on ABC