Thursday’s new episode of Scandal season 5 found Olivia coming clean to the world about her undying love for Fitz.
Scandal 5×05 offered up quite a few big developments as Olivia continued to deal with the backlash from admitting she had slept with the president. All of tonight’s big changes were welcomed, most notably Olivia finally sharing her relationship with the world.
A surprise guest
Olivia Pope & Associates hires a fiery Leo to help them deal with the media’s coverage of the affair. The braintrust decides to market her as a “woman of the people.” First step: She needs to not wear 1%-er clothing. Leo also wants her eating less-fancy food, but he doesn’t have to worry about that:
"Where is her food" ~Leo~ Hello @adelsteinPaul!
"You mean her wine & popcorn?" ~Huck~
OMG – Hilarious!
#Scandal pic.twitter.com/AlPn7axQYW
— Scandal (@ScandalABC) October 23, 2015
They also need to get someone in front of the cameras who can say good things about her… like Edison, her old fiancée from season 2.
When Olivia goes to see him, Edison isn’t initially interested in helping her improve her image. First, he wants something in return: Olivia has to admit that she used him, and that she was “an idiot, a whore, and a liar.” Ouch.
Luckily Olivia admits to those accusations, so Edison agrees to a televised interview. In it, he says lots of positive things about his old lover.
Edison and Olivia in Scandal season 2
Olivia comes clean
Edison helps put a bandage on the situation, but it’s quickly torn off when Mellie tells the media that Fitz gave Olivia a ring. This revelation breaks the “woman you can relate to” image Leo was trying to build for Ms. Pope. So, Leo decides to go for a different plan: Olivia is in loveeeeeeee.
Leo wants the lady of the hour to do an interview and just let it all out. It’s a good idea, but as Olivia admits to Jake, she’s hesitant about sharing all the details with the masses. Once she does, there’s no turning back. “Just tell the truth, Olivia,” Jake advises. “Tell the world how you really feel about him.”
At the TV interview, Olivia opens up like Jake suggests: Yes, she’s in love with him, but she wishes they never met, because now all of her friends and family have been dragged into this.
Olivia then spends several minutes explaining why she stayed with him. “I had to follow my own advice and stand in my truth,” she says. “Don’t ask me to fall out of love with Fitz because if I could, I would.”
The heart wants what it wants.
It was a beautiful moment — and one that’s been a long time coming on this show. For the first time, Olivia came clean to the world about the relationship this show has focused on. This wouldn’t have been a bad series finale!
Things were looking good until David learns that the committee received the highly secretive tape on West Angola, which reveals that Fitz went to war for the sake of his darn girlfriend. Going to war for your mistress is an impeachable offense, so this obviously presents Fitz with a tough situation.
Funnily, Olivia breaks the news about the tapes to Fitz while they make love. It’s doubtful it gave Fitz the biggest hard-on, but he needed to know it, and why not while he gets off? If he’s going to get some horrific news that threatens his legacy, he should at least be able to enjoy some old school pleasure simultaneously, I guess.
After he has sex with his future wife, Fitz goes back to business. It’s time to call in an old friend to help save his career.
Cyrus and Mellie
Cyrus and Mellie!
Love their heart to hearts!
#Scandal pic.twitter.com/rAGYGZkhHJ
— Scandal (@ScandalABC) October 23, 2015
At the beginning of the episode Cyrus is going crazy in his apartment, obsessing over the latest developments about the affair like he’s watching an episode of How to Get Away with Murder. Mellie later checks in on him and the two become best friends, bonding over their love of watching a sinking ship (Fitz). They also bond over being rejected: He by Fitz and she by the committee trying to impeach him.
This is the new dream team! These are the two rejects who at least have each other.
… Or… not!
At the end of the episode Fitz calls Cyrus into the Oval and asks that he come back to work at the White House. He needs help defending the West Angola tapes, and Cyrus is the only man who can help. “I could use you right now […] I want you on my team,” the President says.
But Cyrus, despite really missing working with his “son” (as he put it last week), puts Fitz through the ringer because he knows this has to do with saving him from the inevitable war revelation.
Cyrus enters a serious, long-winded speech. In short, he feels like their relationship is one-sided: Cyrus loves Fitz, but Fitz doesn’t love Cyrus. So why should he bother helping? “I do not need this. I do not need you. Not anymore,” Cyrus tells him.
He begins walking out of the Oval Office when Fitz replies with a long-winded speech of his own. In it, he reveals he does remember their history together, including a story about Cyrus’ mother, Helen.
Fitz then offers a teary apology.
Okay, so Cyrus is sold. His son does love him! Before agreeing to the new job, he makes a few demands: He must be made Chief of Staff, Elizabeth North has to be fired, and Fitz must offer a non-revokable Presidential pardon.
Fitz agrees to all of the demands, and the two partners get back to work.
Next week
It’s time for a wedding and the big committee hearing! This is going to be one eventful episode…
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