Scandal 5×16 shows the many ways to be a boss. Run a campaign. Like a boss. Eat chicken. Like a boss. Get elected. Like a boss?
An electric cyber wall? That will remain something to consider for another debate, because Hollis lost shortly after Susan Ross took both him and Mellie down with one swift kick. Scandal‘s “The Miseducation of Susan Ross” focused less on the actual debate and more on the coaching teams behind the candidates. Who can get their candidate elected with the least amount of collateral damage?
Susan ‘You Are a Prop’ Ross
Elizabeth is great at her job, but Susan does not trust her campaign advisor’s advice unless it comes with the Oval Office seal of approval. Fitz, is not in the “sitting duck” phase of his presidency, but if he hasn’t done any true presiding until this point whose to stop him from running a campaign in his ample down time? Susan has the President’s ear and support, but what she needs to work on is the hand she holds when she is on stage. David came to her side following her first debate win, but the spark in their relationship is not reigniting anytime soon.
Susan has enough relationship drama in this episode to make anyone forget that she is running for President. Olivia is sitting with the launch code to blow a hole in Susan’s campaign. Quinn and Huck, however, are not on board for a mission of this caliber and they call for backup. Abby works her magic on Fitz who confronts Olivia on behalf of Susan’s campaign. This is the best side of Fitz. Sure, it highlights his greatest flaws as the ruler of America, but it shows what he is great at when he isn’t trying to get into someone’s pants. He can negotiate on charm and charm alone. It does not pull Olivia back from the ledge entirely, but it he at least got her to think through her actions for a second.
No one can ever be certain they know what Olivia will do, so Fitz offers Susan a contingency plan — come clean. He somehow still believes that the American people have some forgiveness coins saved up from his and Mellie’s reign to offer the Oval is Susan speaks freely about Casey’s father. Fitz takes Susan into his confidence and reveals the secret to how he found himself as the President of the United States. Fitz was on a role with Susan tonight, it’s a bit off putting to see him involved in such an honest relationship at least from this point forward.
Mellie ‘Mean Tweets’ Grant
Time out. We need to talk about Miss Mellie’s campaign manager for a second. Olivia is flying off the handle. She has always been a ruthless negotiator, she plays hardball, she wins. But when she loses you mean to tell us that she turns into the worst combination of her father and her mother? Maybe it still has something to do with her being in recovery for PTSD, but this Olivia is not one that I can support any longer.
Making the trade with Vargas for dirt on Ross is one thing. Blowing up a family and using Ross’ daughter as a pawn in her plan is another. Alex Vargas revealed to Olivia that Susan Ross lied about her marriage to the deceased soldier and the truth about her daughter’s father. In jail for nearly a decade, Casey’s father is being held for drug charges and has no knowledge that Casey was his biological child. Olivia, lacking all faith in her candidate, would rather force this man to give a blood sample and announce to the media that Susan Ross is a liar than find a way to make Mellie appeal to the people.
Olivia’s burger tactic didn’t work, but maybe Mean Tweets with Jimmy Kimmel will. No one on Mellie’s staff wants to give her the time of day, let alone the chance to figure out a new course of action. Marcus has the unfortunate duty of escorting Mellie to Los Angeles for the taping, a trip that proves to be quite fruitful. Marcus finally snapped on Mellie. Not in an Olivia Pope is going to give you the run down about how things are going to be type of way, but in a blunt point of fact manner. Mellie doesn’t need a “roadmap” she needed the truth presented on a silver platter with a little bit of empathy sprinkled on top. Luckily Marcus was around while Olivia works on burning down Washington at home.
Fitz’s little pow-wow slowed her down for a second, but Olivia still managed to send a poor man who wanted nothing more than to let sleeping dogs lie to hang humself in his prison cell. Olivia’s call for Fitz at the close of the episode, after the death of Ronnie was almost worse to watch than Huck and Quinn realizing their leader was spinning out of control. Olivia admits that winning a campaign fair and square should be her top priority going forward. Going forward. Hindsight is 20/20. Now that she has Ronnie’s blood on her hands, perhaps it is time to start playing nice. There is no line with Olivia anymore and I’m starting to think that Huck is going to bail soon. I might be with him.
Frankie ‘You Can’t Sit With Us’ Vargas
Alex presented Frankie with Olivia’s dirt on Edison, but the hesitant candidate did not want to pull the trigger on a media frenzy until two sources vetted the information. Two sources eventually spoke to Alex Vargas, but Cyrus sent Tom in to complete some recon right after the story was sent into the world.
Edison ‘Like a Boss’ Davis
Does Edison want to be a boss? Yes! I mean, no! I mean… eh, who knows. It’s hard to have the right answer when Papa Pope is screaming at you and his puppet Jake is sitting there eating fried chicken.
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So, who’s the best boss? Turns out Cyrus is still unstoppable at this game. Watch out.
Watch Scandal season 5, episode 17, “Thwack!” Thursday, April 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC.
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