Well, that was a roller coaster ride from start to finish. With sexual protocol, to cancer, to marriage — this week’s Scandal had it all!
There are many, many fans who have been frustrated with Fitz. Some for a season, some for several. Some slightly irritated, and some extremely. I have to admit, I am a Fitz enthusiast. I have and will stand by my troubled and childish pick for President. But “The Fish Rots From the Head” tested my faith, to the extreme. You can only watch a man neglect his job in favor of his… impulses for so long. What if the United States was suddenly under attack? What if aliens chose the exact moment he was busy making sexy eyes at a random reporter to reveal themselves and deem the human race unsuitable for survival, due to moral irresponsibility? Most of this episode I spent rolling my eyes at Fitzgerald Grant III, which was the perfect primer for Olivia’s long-awaited tongue lashing.
Hi there, I’m Abby Whelan
Oh, beautiful Abby. The work wife spent this week wrangling every “liaison” the President took a fancy to. Having given up on any sense coming from Fitz, she simply adapted and developed rules and regulations for the visitors to the residence. I have accepted that Fitz has some sexual commitment issues, and so with Lillian Foster it was easy to write off as a painful rebound. It’s hard not to see him as Olivia does, okay?! But my little heart was shattered over and over as he fixed his gaze on each new woman with a look we only ever used to see reserved for Liv.
Then there was that awful business with adorable little Teddy seeing one of his father’s scarlet ladies… I think it was particularly hard to watch because the children have always been such a priority for him, and this shows just how far he’s fallen. Because, despite my love, I’ll be honest for a second here: since the beginning of his first term, he hasn’t ever been the most focused President. Which was fine, since the White House is made up of plenty of people whose job it is to support the Oval Office and run the country. But there is only one person who can be the Grant father.
This is what Olivia tells Fitz in the promised face-off, which was great, but definitely quieter and less intense than I suppose I was expecting. Not to say Liv didn’t bring the heat, she did, and Fitz should be licking his wounds for a while. Seeing the two characters in a very different head space than the last time they met was probably the most interesting part about it, though. It feels the closest to “moving on” that perhaps we’ve ever seen them, which is new and not unwelcome, at least for now.
He said that I could be President
There may have been surprises this week, but I knew we could count on good old Cyrus to be consistently scheming. Having finally met his chosen candidate for the next election in person, Governor Francisco Vargas, he proceeds to sweet-talk the man into visiting the President. This is more than a nicety; it’s an attempt to connive him into an appearance on Sally Langston’s show. Line of the episode goes to Vargas, though, when presented with the idea – “I’m not going on her show. She’s crazy.” A little breath of realistic fresh air on Scandal can be lovely sometimes. Of course, Cyrus succeeds, and the President’s brash manner (impatient to return to his other business, no doubt) motivates Vargas to talk to Sally on air.
Cyrus’s plans become even more devious when he learns Vargas’s daughter is suffering from cancer, and he spins Vargas a beautiful tale of his brother being hit by a car and sending him on his destiny to college a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Vargas is understandably touched, and announces at the end of the episode he intends to run for President of the United States. Well played, old man. Well played.
What are you up to, Jake?
In Huck’s words, Jake continued acting very shady this week. As we saw in the preview, Olivia followed him on a date, and was joined by Abby (who was no doubt relieved to have a break from the President’s social calendar). We learn that his new love is named Vanessa, and that she is practically perfect in every way: intelligent, funny, well-bred. Not emotionally compromised at all, Liv insists he is playing an angle, and that she will figure it out. Her plans get put on hold when Jake, not creepily at all, appears in her bedroom and uses words and some fingers to confess he still has feelings for her. At first, it seems as though Liv will just give in and accept his advances, but our girl holds strong and demands an explanation, which pretty much makes Jake run for the door. She and viewers are left confused and unsatisfied, a bad combination.
Liv, of course, has another angle to play herself, and shows up at Rowan’s house for Sunday dinner. She finds Rowan, Jake, and Vanessa about to start celebrating, and Jake informs her he and Vanessa are getting married.
… What?
