Scandal Season 4, EP 21: A Few Good Women...aka: Papa Pope the Matchmaker

Jake lives!!!!

Jake asks what happened to Olivia’s friend that used his chest as a cutting board.  She's handling it, she says. You know what that means…

Actually, Huckleberry Quinn are on the task. Special manicures and other torture methods.  Olivia walks in and tells Russell he doesn't get to die, and HQ will do things to him that are worse than death. They get creative about getting him to talk about Foxtail, and find out where command is located. You know those two are enjoying their adventures in meat carving. 

The VP is on tour and meets naval officer Amy. She notices something and asks her about her sleeping quarters and wants to see them. When she gets her alone, she questions her about her bruises, then takes her from there, and gets in the face of Fitz and Cyrus about female being raped in the military. She removed her from duty. And the boys tell her to put her back.   

“You stole a United States servicewoman!” Fitz and Cyrus claim she has to go back, and that it’s “not our place” to prosecute military crimes. Susan isn’t having it. At all. She calls them on their bullshit and says they don’t care about the rape of women in service. 

Hmm…another one of Shonda’s topics, methinks. 

Susan calls on Olivia to help, and when Liv meets gal-pal Abby to get some info, Abs is deflecting. Wants to know about her and Jakey shacking up, and the hot guy with the abs (she means Russell). Olivia talks to David Rosen about the ins-and-outs of military crimes, and then Mellie gets on board but only after some taking to. 

Mellie refuses to go to Springfield since the last time she was there, her son died. Lizzy talks her into going to improve her ratings. She uses the military rape as a way to get people to pay attention to her talking and her causes, and not her fledgling senate run.  

Amy spills the beans – it was an Admiral. The case goes to military court, and the JAG lawyer dude prosecuting is as green as a bean, and doesn’t have a clue about questioning a senior officer. Olivia has to pass him notes in court to help direct the questions. Virgil Punkett? Why not name him Jethro Clampett? When the navy refuses to turn over security records to determine the Admiral’s location (he claims he wasn’t there), Liv calls her head-honcho honey to make a call and get the files. Helps to have friends in high places. In the end, the Admiral was outed online, he confessed, all is right with the world. If only that were real life…

Just like in real life, you have dudes like Virgil Punkett that aren’t real. The real Punkett was dead, the imposter hucking drugged Huck, and set Russ free. But not before Jake and Russell basically share a beer and some good times...I don't know what that was all about.

Mellie, hot off her motivating speech, is whisked off to meet a high-rolling donor. Freaking freak it’s Papa Pope! Overheard…. “Operation Foxtail” is Mellie! EEEK!


Finally, you can’t leave out this quote: Jake talking to Olivia about how Papa Pope set her up to meet both Jake and Russell…
 

“A guy runs into you in a public place. It seems random, casual, he flirts a little ... he says all the right things. It's all just enough to pique your interest. We both came off the same assembly line. The only difference is, I'm in love with you.”

JAKE!

Season finale next week. Who will be killed off? What is up with Papa and Mellie? Where did Russell go and what is he up to now? Olivia needs to pick a side – I’m on Team JAKE!

Apologies for typos today -- I'm off to my happy place! Disneyland!