Scandal season 5, episode 18, “Till Death Do Us Part,” makes you question how much you are willing to accept for the sake of the narrative.

Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and the newest TGIT addition, The Catch all require an audience member to turn off the logical side of their brain and engage in the suspension of disbelief.

A slew of natural disasters, plane crashes, and ferry accidents just happen to plague a hospital in Seattle. A woman working for a private investigative firm just happens to be working and simultaneously conning a con artist. The White House just happens to be run by people who cannot exercise power in a way that benefits anyone. Ok, that last one might be closer to reality than the other storylines, but it still leaves the audience with a series of unanswerable questions week after week.

Seasons 1-4 of Scandal were fun and tense and enjoyable for exactly that reason. The world was so unbelievable and, forgive me, scandalous that I took great enjoyment watching the administration and OPA nearly lose control. The series existed on the ledge of chaos. Season 5 tapped the universe just enough to send it into chaos. There is no structure, no camaraderie. All that is left is blind allegiance to various parties and the sense that these people need to grab on to anyone and anything only to have it ripped away without notice.

Naturally, my focus shifted in season 5 from passive enjoyment to contemplating the deeper issues the major characters struggle to carry. Most of the supporting players had their storylines loosely tied up in order to give focus to Liv, Fitz, Mellie, and company. Huck gave into the realization that he needs to move on from his family. Quinn is existing in a space of unnerving loyalty and concern about Olivia with no real side drama. Fitz basically gave up as President. These characters have settled into their roles in the background for once and given the viewer a chance to feel that they are alright for now. Cyrus is content running a campaign with some low stakes drama on the side, Elizabeth is running Susan’s show with a bit of love troubles. These stories are nothing huge or earth-rattling, but enough to keep them in focus as the season carries on.

What does that leave us with? Olivia finally addressing her aggression, anxiety, and fear after being kidnapped, auctioned, and thrown back into her life. Or so I thought. “Thwack!”, arguably Scandal’s most compelling episode this season, left Olivia standing over a dead body that her own two hands, and a steel chair, created. “Till Death Do Us Part,” I assumed, would pick up with Olivia either recognizing the need to reevaluate her life through her retreat back home, or dwell a little longer in her post-mortem grief. The episode delivered neither.

That is not to say I walked away from 5×18 empty handed. The story of Jake Ballard, or Pete Harris, offered insight to the shadow world Eli played in during Olivia’s upbringing. The lines between “work” and home must have blurred in some ways, since Olivia is the spitting image of her father in more ways than she realizes. In fact it is Jake who recognizes the same empty smile, the tricks to pull information out of him, and, against his better judgement, still gives in to the dominant pull the Pope family has over him.

Why? The same reason that Olivia finds solace in Jake’s company — they need each other to see that they can be more than Eli’s proteges. They play well off each other since they represent the two ends of the Command spectrum. Olivia expects loyalty from her team and unconsciously leads with the expectation that OPA will follow her to the ends of the Earth to pay back an unspoken debt. Jake holds the debt. The endgame of Eli’s mission for now seems to be getting Edison and Jake in the Oval Office. Like Jake in this scenario we cannot ask any questions. We just accept that Command always knows what he is doing and that the plan will serve some great unknown purpose.

Speaking of Command, there was some insight to the creation of Jake Ballard in the episode. Orientation into B613 is just as you would expect it to be — a perfect mix of psychological manipulation and physical action. Jake’s story as an insubordinate Navy seaman threatened with dishonorable discharge and a prison sentence turned B613 agent was a welcomed layer to his character. Jake’s step away from his past left his abusive father with two bullets in his chest. The cost of burying the life of Pete Harris was a debt to a new father and a life with no agency. A life that he is just starting to figure out is not as comforting as it seemed all those years ago. Feeling that power over a father again might be something that Jake seeks out sooner rather than later.

Perhaps in time a day will come when Olivia can step out of her father’s shadow. I, for one, will welcome that day with open arms and a see it as a great reward for the long game in the series’ narrative. Until then let’s let the President play Best Man instead of the leader of a nation and add another level of depth to Jake whose issues with submission may never be dealt with again. No questions, no disappointment when the answers don’t arrive. For now, Jake is married off, Olivia is making moves on warfront against her father, and season 5 is coming to a close at a snail’s pace rather than the seemingly standard out of control speeding fall out of events.

Stray Observations:

• I’m not convinced that Jake is working out enough to make up for all the food he eats at Papa Pope’s house.
• For someone who can see five steps ahead of everyone, Papa Pope is oblivious to his daughter and surrogate son getting a little action.
• Didn’t we already look into Vanessa? Liv needs to reassess her plan of action.

Watch Scandal season 5, episode 19, “Buckle Up,” Thursday, April 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC.