‘Scandal’ Recap: ‘Like Father, Like Daughter’

It was a good episode and I’m happy to say it. This week’s Scandal finally starting to remind me of season 2 and how much I enjoyed that show. So I’ll continue to be guardedly optimistic.  In the meantime, let’s discuss Karen Grant’s knowledge of Urban Dictionary, Olivia and Fitz picking right back up in their tangled web, Rowan remaining a puppetmaster from hell, and Jake needing a coffin.  Also, Quinn didn’t irritate me this week, so that should be on record too.

Karen Grant, “Eiffel Towering,” and Urban Dictionary

After managing to get Karen out of the party safely without any of the other kids recording it for TMZ, Karen realizes that the ticking time bomb of her sextape is out there. Basically, Karen made Olivia’s blood pressure enter the “calm down, you are close to stroking out” level.  Everyone in the Grant family is obviously still reeling over Jerry’s death, but Karen wins the “too far” award.  Grief makes you do funny things, but if I have to look up what she’s doing on Urban Dictionary at the age of 14, the wheels have come off the bus. Even Olivia Pope is disturbed by that sex tape, and Ms. Pope has SEEN some freaky ish.

Karen comes clean to Fitz about everything that happened, well, so to speak, because what she really needs to do is bathe in bleach and have a long talk with her spiritual advisor, but I digress. Fitz comes very close to slapping the dirty out of Karen, but Olivia saves her yet again and sends her to be decontainimated. And then Fitz bans Karen to her room. Sir, you’ve missed the boat on punishment here. What’s interesting is Olivia’s familiarity with being a “grieving teenage girl with daddy issues,” because she’s still that girl, she’s just better at impulse control.

Of course, Fitz asks Olivia to recover the sextape and she is back in action, working on behalf of the Grant family, cleaning up Karen’s mess. Upon figuring out who has the sextape and finagling a way to get the tape back from Karen’s suitor, Olivia has to deal with his parents. These “sonsabitches” have the audacity to blackmail Fitz for 2.5 million dollars for ownership of the tape. Disgusting but not unheard of, right?  Olivia even gets Fitz to agree to the price to secure Karen’s clean slate future.  Here’s where the parents go wrong: they piss Olivia off with their greed. When they ask for $500,000 more “so the world will never find out that the President’s daughter is a dirty little slut,” you see the light switch go on for The Real Olivia Pope. Olivia Pope remembered how to breath fire, and it was glorious.  I almost wanted to give these terrible parents some Neosporin and bandaids for their burns Olivia gave them, but they’re awful so I wish infected wounds upon them.

Olivia and Fitz, please just use your words, and your tongues

The long awaited showdown of my two idiots finally happens and they still have more chemistry in one embrace than all the Gettysburgers’ dinners that just keep happening. Anyway, while Olivia is fixing the sextape fiasco, she finally tells Fitz that she needed time away, alone, to deal with everything that happened concerning her mother and Jerry. Yup, she initially lies to his face, but when Fitz kisses her later, she confesses that she disappeared with Jake. Fitz backs up off her like she rolled around with a skunk and heads directly to the brown liquor. He’s back to being all in his feelings because he’s Fitz. He has zero right to be upset with Olivia to be with Jake, but I get it. We’ve also been here before with these two on the outs, so it’s nothing new. I just savor the crackling chemistry between these two when I can.

From Smellie Mellie to Mama Mellie

Fuck It Mellie is still in full swing, Fruit Loops included, until she realizes that Olivia is back in the White House.  Also, Mellie forgot that she can easily be erased when put her hand on Olivia’s arm, it’s cool though, because Olivia reminded her with a fair warning sign.  Should Mellie do it again, Olivia doesn’t have to give her a warning, she can just break every bone in her hand touching her.

Mellie lays into Fitz for bringing Olivia into “her house” (or the people’s house, whatever.) and for having Olivia around her family again.  Mellie should have just stuck with keeping her mouth full of potato chips, because Fitz has had enough of her.  He FINALLY fires back with, “I have dealt with drunk Mellie, bad-hygiene Mellie… no, wait, I got it: Smelly Mellie. I have dealt with drunk Mellie, and smelly Mellie, and screw-everything-to-hell Mellie, and crybaby Mellie and eat-everything-that-is-not-nailed-down Mellie, and I have not complained. But I will not put up with whatever righteous, history-rewriting Mellie you have going on right here, right now. ” And here’s the thing, he’s not wrong. Fitz is by no means a saint, but he’s also not Satan (er, Rowan) either.  He’s been holding everything together while Mellie continues to spiral after losing Jerry. Also, let’s not forget that Mellie wasn’t a saint prior to jerry dying either. She’s consistently demonstrated that her children are pawns in her power play. Teddy’s entire conception, induced birth, and presence was for show. Karen caught Mellie on her knees with “Uncle Andrew.” Mellie knew about Fitz and Olivia and condoned it. She does get a zinger in on Fitz with “A sextape? She takes after her daddy then, ” but I’m still calling Fitz the winner of this round.

Mellie later goes to Karen is actually a parent to her, with no agenda, and it was lovely to see. It just a mom trying to help her daughter navigate her grief under the scrutiny of world. This is why Mellie is the best written character, because she gets to have depth and is allowed to evolve. It would be nice to this across the board, with Olivia especially because she’s gotta be tired of these circles too.

RIP Jake and Tom

Jake continues to run around putting the pieces of Jerry’s death together, threatening David Rosen to stand up to B613, and convince Tom to flip on Rowan.  Except Jake revealed everything he knows about Jerry’s death to Rowan, so Rowan is now dedicated to erasing Jake from Washington DC. It’s a worthy cause in my opinion, but that’s just me. Honestly, I want Jake to get his ass beat for all the stunts he’s pulled, but Rowan pinning Jerry’s murder on him isn’t fair. Jake’s done enough on his own to warrant this beating. Also, I’m not here for this being round 2 of Olivia “rescuing Jake from the hole.” It’s only a matter of time before Olivia calls her lover to get her sidepiece rescued again.  As for Tom? I hope his life insurance is paid up. Fitz knows he murdered his son, and Rowan knows he tried to flip on him. It’s over, Rover. Sidenote: Rowan needs a mustache to twirl.

One last final highlight: Cyrus’s words to a jealous Abby

“There are things that happen in this White House with this particular president that you will NEVER, EVER know about. Some of those things, many of those things, will involve Olivia Pope. Several of those things WILL make it hard for you to do your job and you are a patriot and you are a fighter and you will soldier on. And as for feeling small, I don’t do that to you. I suspect that jealousy does that to you. My advice on that is this: you are not Olivia. You will never be Olivia and hating Olivia for your own shortcomings will not change that fact. Also, have you ever stopped to think about what it must be like to actually BE Olivia Pope? Doesn’t seem like much fun.”

All the truth in this read right here.