SCANDAL Recap: Honor They Father

Scandal is a twisty show and I’m not always sure how the best way to recap it is – this week we are going to take it one story at a time:

The Case of B613 vs The US Attorney General
“If you don’t testify I can’t protect you.” Not a good threat to level at Jake. David uses Quinn, Huck and Charlie to round up people who worked for Jake when he was Command. This is David’s grand plan, coerce other agents to testify and then use that to coerce Jake to testify. I wonder who is left if David keeps offering immunity to every single past B613 agent.

David puts the agents in a safe house and leaves them to be guarded by Charlie. He leaves them alone for one moment and (you see where this is going, right) he comes back to find them dead and Jake standing in the living room. Epic fight ensues and Jake gets away. When Quinn and Huck get there Charlie wants them to go after Jake. Huck sides with Charlie, forcing a hesitant Quinn to go along with them.

Huck, Quinn, Charlie and Rosen looking like a sad knock off Breakfast Club meet on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to discuss Jake. Can I ask a question here? What is the deal with the steps of the Lincoln Memorial? All shows set in DC make a point to have their characters sit on those steps, day or night to discuss their issues. Why is that? Is that a thing people actually do, because I doubt it. Back to the point…they are done. No more case now that Jake has threatened Liv. “She is family.”

Rosen, sitting alone in his office, suddenly realizes what he needs to do. He needs to testify himself, he saw Jake kill a few people. As Rosen is walking out to his car with his assistant Holly Jake shows up. His assistant pulls a gun on Jake while Jake tells Rosen he didn’t kill anyone, it was all his assistant Holly. She is B613, like working for Rowan B613. Jake manages to shoot her before she can get a shot off.

Well what do you know, Jake wasn’t bad at all. He was never out, he was never against the team. Something Liv knew all along, so when Huck tells her what they almost did to Jake she is pissed.

The First Lady and Her Family
Lizzy is visiting with Mellie’s half-sister in order to vet her in preparation for Mellie’s Senate run. Harmony is “50 Shades of Angry” according to Lizzy. I never get tired of people using the 50 shades reference…oh no wait…yes I do. Give it a rest people. Anyway, the damage she could do to Mellie’s campaign is frightening, to Lizzy. So what do they do? Invite her to visit the White House. Great plan.

Harmony sits down to dinner with Mellie and Fitz. It deteriorates quickly. “You think you are better than me?” “I am better than you…I wasn’t raised by that home wrecking whore you call a Mother.” Fitz has enough and shuts it down, but not in a good way, in a way that causes Harmony to leave dinner in a huff. Mellie, drunk on her Daddy’s hooch, calls out Fitz for not playing First Lady at dinner. He should have made Harmony feel welcome, “dissolved the tension”. Something he does the next morning. He pulls Harmony aside and tells her Mellie is jealous of her. He is convincing and Harmony hugs Mellie before leaving. Guess that is done – which is too bad – I wanted to know what exactly Harmony had on Mellie.

The Congressman with the Gun in the State of Delaware
Case of the week is a Congressman whose father is accused of killing the math teacher who had an affair with said Congressman’s little sister. A sister who hung herself when things went south in the “relationship”. That was 15 years ago and now he is scheduled to be executed. The Congressman wants Olivia to prove his Dad didn’t murder anyone…even though he confessed. Olivia meets with the Congressman’s father who tells the same story he always has…he did it, end of story. Olivia doesn’t buy it, she thinks he is innocent. She puts her Gladiators on it.

Was it one of the other students the teacher slept with? Strike one. Was it the ex-wife? Strike two. Maybe it was the Congressman? Yep, that’s the one. He did it and can’t stand the idea of his Dad dying for something he did. His father won’t let him confess – he is adamant, but Olivia talks fast and convincingly, and the Congressman confesses.

Dangerous Liaisons
Olivia is still sleeping with Russell. He’s very convincing about why they should continue their fun. Now this would fine, we would be happy for Olivia, except wouldn’t you know Russell shows up one night and he has Rowen with him. Rowen is back and he does not look happy. He never looks happy but you get my point.

Scandal airs Thursday 9/8c on ABC