Scandal Recap: The Truth and The Sun and… Whatever.

This week’s Scandal opens with the Isley Brothers’ “Summer Breeze” playing as Olivia has a nightmare about swimming in an Olympic-sized pool, interspersed with scenes of her having sex with Fitz. Or is it Jake? Or is it Fitz? Or is it Jake’s Stubble? Papa Pope kills all the drama by appearing at the end of the pool and yelling, “Wake up, Olivia!” THANK YOU. Because that dream was really creepy.

Having witnessed the breathless, tragic aftermath of Liv’s dream, Abby decides the best course of action is to bumrush Fitz in the Oval Office because this is Scandal and on this show, the Oval Office is about as important as the front desk at the DMV. Abby wants to talk about why Fitz won’t let Olivia see Jake. Fitz gets all President-ish and warns, “There’s an edge to this cliff, Gabby, and you are dancing very close to it.”  He called her the wrong name on purpose, so he totally means business. Undeterred, Abby drops the bomb—Olivia has been waking up screaming from nightmares, which causes Fitz to waver. Abby then literally runs from the Oval Office.

Fitz, being the Fitz that he is, decides it’s imperative that he pay a visit to Liv’s apartment. She opens the door and they share weepy eyes and then Fitz refers to Abby as a “bitch” for cornering him and also asks for wine. Liv doesn’t share her wine and she doesn’t appreciate Fitz calling Abby a “bitch” so she launches into a speech on respecting women in power and feminism and...whatever, she just wants to see Jake. Fitz says, hell no, because Jake killed his son. Liv says he didn’t, she knows Jake like she knows Fitz and there’s no way he could’ve done that. This pisses Fitz off. “You don’t know him like you know me,” he snarls, not once, but twice. “Why are you being such a…” He stops but Liv finishes for him, “Bitch?” —Fitz gets the mopey eyes but says nothing. He leaves and Liv guzzles a huge goblet of wine.

Later, Papa Pope and Fitz are bonding over scotch. Papa Pope asks for Jake back because he wants to “discipline his own dog.” But Fitz argues that he wants Jake to be executed in front of the entire world for murdering his son. Papa Pope starts talking about how strong Fitz is because he like, totally never thinks with his emotions and makes solid, sound, tough decisions. Um, what is Fitz’s degree in again? Clearly not Reverse Psychology.

Totally manipulated by Papa Pope, Fitz basically kidnaps Liv and takes her to see Jake for her last goodbye. Poor bloody Jake tells her to listen to him carefully and proceeds to give her his offshore account number so that she can give his money to his mother. Liv totally has a photographic memory because she memorizes it after hearing it just once. Jake knows his word doesn’t mean anything to Olivia because he realizes in the end she’s not going to choose him, and that, for some unearthly reason, is okay with him. What? How is that okay? Seriously, Jake? Jake and his bloody eye looks away from Olivia as Fitz monitors their visit from behind the prison chamber glass.

Later, Jake is in the Cell of Death with Papa Pope. Papa Pope tells Jake that he gave him his “greatest treasure” on a platter, all Jake had to do was respect him but he couldn’t do that, so now he must die. Not sure how to feel about Liv being referred to as Papa Pope’s “greatest treasure” but, okay. Papa Pope brags about having played Fitz like a fiddle and reminds Jake and his bloody eye that, “You can’t take Command, Command takes you.” Jake and his bloody eye blink their understanding.

Back at the White House Fitz is talking to Olivia and says they’re ruined because “too much has happened”... and yeah. He says they don’t have a chance. Olivia takes this as an opportunity to threaten Fitz, saying that if Fitz gives Jake to Papa Pope, there is no hope. Um, but didn’t Fitz just say the same thing? Fitz asks, “Are you saying there is hope?” Olivia just blinks and heaves so Fitz again, asks if there is hope. Olivia says there is hope. I really hope this is the last time they use the word “hope” on this show. 

Oh, and in the totally crazy Sub-Plot of the Week, Liv gets played by the man who tried to assassinate dead President Cooper back in the 80s and there’s lots of talk about the “truth” and the “sun” and how the truth will always shine… and whatever. Also, Mellie is about to make her triumphant return after being inspired by dead President Cooper’s feisty martini-drinking, weed-smoking, country-running widow, Bitsy. Seriously, we need more Bitsy; she had the best line of the episode: “There’s a joint in my purse and it’s not going to smoke itself”.  Hee. Also, Abby apparently has no name in this episode, since Fitz calls her either “bitch” or “Gabby” the whole time and Cyrus repeatedly refers to her as “Red” when he’s yelling at her to find out where “the leak” is coming from, because sleeping with Evil Ken Doll has turned Cyrus into a total idiot this season.

In the end of the episode montage, Al Green sings “Love & Happiness” as Cyrus courtesy of Abby, finally realizes he’s been played. Evil Ken Doll is totally going to die now. Huck has been playing video games this whole time with his kid and still hates Quinn despite the fact that her hair was really cute this episode. Quinn hits pay dirt with the blue locker she opens with the key from the dead girl's stomach and realizes “they’ve” been tracking Olivia, and Fitz decides to move Jake and his bloody eye to Super Max instead of giving him to Papa Pope, because you know, there’s hope. Olivia is swimming in the Olympic Pool again, all alone, when Papa Pope shows up demanding to know if she muddled in the whole Fitz-Jake affair. She lets him know she has powers he’ll “never have” and it’s clear she’s talking about her hoo-ha. Take that Papa Pope. Or actually, don’t because that would be weird, gross and also illegal.

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