After a nearly three-month wait, Scandal’s mid-season 3 premiere launched with a bang. Multiple bangs, in fact. Read our recap for the low down!
Scandal season 3, episode 11, “Ride Sally Ride,” lives up to the episode’s title, as we learn that Sally is not resigning as Vice President but will run against him as a third party because she can’t support Fitz’s immoral road. Before the White House issues a statement, Cyrus wants to see the poll numbers so they can act accordingly. It turns out Fitz is looking them over with his new campaign manager, Olivia Pope. We cut to the Oval Office where the two are making out instead of crunching digits, and Mellie awkwardly walks in on them during their romantic moment.
Fitz is drinking after Sally’s announcement in the Oval Office and is confronted by Mellie, Cyrus, and Olivia. He tells them that he wants Andrew Nichols, the Governor of California, to be his Vice President.
Olivia Pope and Associates look into Nichols to make sure he’s a suitable candidate to run as Fitz’s new VP during the re-election campaign.
With concerns that Nichols is a playboy (he’s shallow and un-relatable, therefore un-electable), Pope interviews him on video to make him rehearse answers that feel more truthful. Despite training and positive poll results, Olivia goes to Fitz and says her gut tells her he’s not a good choice. He disagrees and they ultimately pick him as VP.
But before they make the VP announcement, Olivia tells Fitz that she should resign from his campaign because the stress over the new affair claims (described below) are too difficult to handle. She also tells him about Mellie’s list of men she should date. He closes the Oval Office door and starts making out with her, swearing that he will not lose her again. She asks why he made Jake the head of B613, and he says it’s because only Jake can keep the secrets (about the plane, Olivia’s mom, etc.) safe.
New problems. Sally’s campaign manager, Leo, raises new claims about Olivia and Fitz even though they were denied and the President named his supposed mistress earlier this season. The media is also digging into a report that Sally’s husband did not have an autopsy. Olivia wants to look into this toc turn the media’s attention away from the affair claims, but Cyrus is the one at fault here so he’s not for Ms. Pope’s idea. Leo reminds Cyrus of this problem in a private meeting.
Olivia’s team meets the person who conducted the autopsy to hopefully dig up dirt. She doesn’t have the paperwork to prove he died of cardiac arrest and comes up with a “truthful” answer about how he really died. As it turns out, Quinn and Charlie kidnapped the woman’s kid in order to make her lie about how Daniel really died. This was orchestrated by Cyrus, who called Leo to do the job.
Find a new man, Olivia. Ms. Pope and Mellie meet for lunch, and the press have cameras trained on their chat. Mellie asked for this rendezvous to present a list to Olivia made up of intelligent men she can start dating. This way, everyone stops believing that Olivia and Fitz are having an affair. Mellie tells her she has to pick one of these men, and soon.
The death of Fitz? Rowan meets with Olivia, who wants to talk to him about losing his job at B613 (or “The Smithsonian”). She says she’s sorry about what happened, but he laughs it off because he thinks she has no idea what really happened. He throws down some supposed facts which are hard for Olivia to hear concerning Fitz and Mama Pope. He also threatens this: Fitz “won’t make it until the end of his term.”
James’ monster… his husband. David is meeting with James about the tape that proves Sally killed her husband. The latter doesn’t want to do anything with it because of his new position in the White House, but James later changes his mind about protecting his husband and records Cyrus and Leo’s talk about Sally murdering her husband. David or James is Pubilus, the person who’s been leaking information to the media. James thinks his husband is a monster, and it’s almost certain that either David or James will end up dead before this is over.
Mellie’s new/old man. Andrew Nichols and Mellie used to be together – this is revealed when the two are talking the night he and Fitz announce him as VP running mate.
Also on tonight’s episode…
– Rowan meets with Leo for a new twist that we’re sure we’ll find out about in the next episode.
– Harrison has a new nemesis: A woman named Adnan Salif played by Homeland actress Nazanin Boniadi. Despite a qualm between them, they hook up in Harrison’s office.
Jake. At B613, the new head of command is meeting with Charlie. Jake tells him Quinn is not B613 and never will be.
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