Friday, September 26, 2014

Scandal Season 4, Ep1: Randy, Red, Superfreak, and Julia. AKA: "It's 1976 down there!"





Where on earth is Olivia Pope? Well’ she’s not OP anymore. She’s hiding as Julia Baker. Jules.Well, now we know. She’s on a beach on a tropical island. Reading Gone Girl. Because, you get it, right? She’s GONE. 

Who’s the hottie with the fab abs, wearing sunglasses, and givin’ smooches? Holy hell – it’s Jake with a beard! As he snuggles up to her, he says they have 15 minutes until the boat arrives. Well Liv..er…Jules. What are you waiting for? Use those 15 minutes and get some beard rash, girl!!! Um, you can tell they use those 15 minutes wisely. 

So, the castaways get their rations from a boat, along with a letter.
“You’ve got mail”

No return address? Who is it from? Who knows where they are? Someone does. Despite being 100 miles off the coast of Zanzibar, someone who knows how to track down people that don’t want to found has found the people that didn’t want to be found. The letter? Announces that Harrison is dead. DEAD! So THAT’s how he’s being written out. At the end of last season, he was MIA. Now, he’s Gone, girl. He’s GONE! 

After reading about Harrison, they hop a plane back to DC for “only a few days, in and out.” Liar, Liar, Liaaaaaaarrrr! Olivia walks back into OPA headquarters, only to find it all shuttered for the winter. Old newspapers thrown about. Tables and furniture covered with sheets. The only one around is Quinn. Of course, it’s Quinn. Rare, complex red wine is Olivia’s vice. Quinn found her, via the tracking the wine. Q sent the clipping. Julia….er, Olivia goes to see Huck. He takes one look at her and fires off:
Are you back for now or back for good? Are you back for now, or back for good? 

Huck dismisses her and takes his next geek squad customer. Huck you, Olivia! Later, she returns with some technology to get her to talk to him. As she calls him Huck, he snaps that Huck is dead. He’s now Randy.
“Randy the smart guy. That is who I am. Randy doesn’t hope. He goes home, plays video games, wakes up and does it all over again.”
WOW. OP broke Huck. That’s harsh, Liv. 

Abby? She’s the new White House Press Secretary. Quinn finally gets Abby to take her call and meet her, only to have Olivia come out of hiding to tell her she’s there to bury Harrison. Abby isn’t having any of it and tells her in no uncertain terms, you let down Harrison. They’re quick talkin’ and I can’t keep up! OMG. Angry girls stomp off, Quinn is dismissed, and “son of a bitch!” pretty much sums it up. 

Mellie is the drunken housewife. Bowling, Pajama pants, eating cereal out of the box. No more coiffed  haired southern belle. The death of her son has ended the Mellie we know. She’s a schlub now.  What do you expect? She lost her son, her husband is a cheater, and she’s used as a pawn. I’d drink and wear pajamas too. Oh, wait, I already do that. Back to Olivia! 

Papa Pope is enjoying his dinner when Olivia comes in and he bribes her with a vintage wine at the table. She sent her away, and wonders why she’s back. When she tells him Harrison is dead, he actually seems remorseful. He challenges her
“Ask me”
“Do you have anything to do with it? Did you have Harrison killed?”
Papa replies no, he didn’t have Harrison killed, but he did “take care” of her mother. A direct order from the President. Mother seems to have died from an illness. Olivia surprises him by saying he (Fitz) did the right thing – she was a terrorist and killed his child. While dad talks about the tremendous loss, Olivia responds “you lose people. Whatever.”

Lizzy (played Ellen’s main squeeze Portia deRossi), is arguing with Cyrus. Later, Cyrus finds out Olivia is back in town, and Abby is confronted as to why she didn’t tell Cyrus about it. How dangerous is Olivia’s return to the White House? Cyrus goes to Mr. President and tells him the news. Ms. Pope, you know, you’re former mistress, is back in town. Grant is stunned, and speechless. Asking how long she’s in town, he orders Cyrus to find out.

Back in Olivia’s apartment, she’s trying to make funeral arrangements for Harrison and is having a hard time making a decision. As the phone rings, Jake says “you’re not home”. Don’t answer it…then there’s a knock on the door and it’s someone looking for her. A woman hands her a phone, saying her boss needs to talk to her. Senator Sterling is dead, and Vaughn is on the phone. 

Cyrus goes to David Rosen and asks him to be the next attorney general. He then goes to Abby and they fight. She tells him that B613 and those damn files were more important than her, more important than them. 

Olivia Pope goes into mode to find the senator isn’t dead. Call an ambulance, and she’s off to save Senator Vaughn. 

Back at the house….it’s Jake’s turn. His turn involves kissing. Heading South. SOUTH. He tells her,  Olivia’s turn involves no talking. His turn is worshiping her. Until she can’t shut up. She just can’t shut up! Ugh. She goes on her Olivia rant about the senator’s rape, the whole he said/she said debate, the injustice. The whole you don’t work here anymore is going right out the window, and he gives her a lecture! 


“I’m the one you like to ride. I’m the one that makes you moan. I’m the one that reaches you in places HE (Fitz) can’t touch.” 

wow! WOW! Go Jake! I need a cold shower!! Did he just throw the smack down against Fitz saying he’s bigger and better and can make Liv scream louder? Me thinks he did. Jake. Badass Alpha.

He said/she said debate back at OPA. Olivia goes to the senator and finds – she’s lying. When Vaughn has trouble answering mock questions, Olivia calls her on her lies and says “When a man grabs you, and puts his hands on you, you do not forget it.”  She’s giving her a moment, and then coming back in to hear the truth. Quinn notices that all the women who look for Sterling look the same. Brown hair/brown eyes. Nothing like Senator Vaugh, but exactly like her secretary. So who really hurt the senator…nope, not Vaughn. She takes the blame for her assistant as she thinks that she would be more believable. Vaughn’s secretary overhears her stating out that she knew what Sterling might do, but used her to get the equal pay bill that she wanted passed. 

Cyrus tells Fitz that he knows how things are going to end – they’ve seen the movie a hundred times. Olivia and Fitz get into the same room, and what happens. They combust. Except, they don’t see each other. 

Olivia goes to Harrison’s funeral. Quinn is there, and so is Jake. Olivia tells Quinn that he just had us. As in the OPA “us”. Abby and Huck join in, and the gang’s all back. Huck looks across at them and says “we say goodbye now” and you know he’s not just talking about farewell to Harrison. Huck is the first to turn and go, then Quinn, then Abby. And it’s just Olivia and Jake. He’s her support as she breaks down and mourns the loss of her friend. Papa Pope, always in the shadows, looks on and Jake sees him.  

Mellie is seen in a bathrobe and Uggs, visiting her son’s grave. Gotta feel for her. Later, Mellie is on the balcony of their bedroom, drinking and pondering what would happen if she went over the railing. Break an ankle? Die? She’s not going to try to kill herself. Tells Fitz she’s not him. He admits he had a bad night. One bad night. Don’t bring it up, bring it up again. Millie spouts off the multiple bad nights: Dead kid, missing mistress, her rape, Fitz’s attempted suicide. He admits that Olivia is not missing. Mellie pushes that he needs to tell her when she sees him. Monitoring him is not something that she’s going to do anymore. When he comes home all hot and bothered pretending that he’s a family man, she’s not going to be there for him. “When you see her, you will tell me.” She needs some warning. She’s not turned on by him, and oh yah, one of the other things she doesn’t do any more is wax. 

“It’s 1976 down there!”

Damn Mellie -  you’ rock. That has to be one of the best lines ever.

David Rosen is officially announced as Attorney General. Lizzy and Cyrus chat again. Senator Sterling and Vaughn square off about that equal pay bill. Kate Warner – Vaughn’s assistant, takes Olivia’s advice and talks about the incident that lead to her hospitalization. As their spokesperson, Olivia states that Kate chose to stand up to be a hero to the next girl who thinks that she doesn’t have a chance to stand up for her in the workplace. Mentions equal pay. And just like that, Olivia Pope has sealed the deal on that equal pay bill. 

Annnnnd. See’s Fitz while walking out of the courthouse. Keep walking. Keep walking. Ignore him. Keep walking. And we’re clear! 

Whew. OP is back. 

This season:
Booty call Jake.
Huck and Quinn and some sexy times
Abby “red” has a new do and it’s awesome!




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