Well, B613 had a good run. Now that Huck’s focusing on himself and David Rosen’s rocking a white hat, B613 is on the brink of being exposed. It’s the one lie that could dismantle everything in the Scandal universe, the one truth that if told, could make everything fall apart so fast. B613 is so far outside of the law, and all the characters are so entrenched, it’s hard to imagine what would happen if the truth came out. Something so extreme, it would probably require the clean-up muscle of one Olivia Pope.
Of course, it’s difficult to imagine how Olivia and Jake will be together forever, standing in the sun, with him locked up for life. It’s hard to worry too much about the consequences of Huck testifying to David Rosen over his B613 trauma when history suggests that very little will change, that the people running the country will face few life-altering punishments. Though his monologue about life in the cave did inspire tears, Huck’s willingness to open up is purely selfish — and can you blame him? With memories of his wedding day and son’s birth knocking around his dark, emotionally desolate mind, who wouldn’t cave in? At the end of it all, when Huck kisses his wife, I’m happy for him. I’m tired of the Huck who thinks only of Olivia, who’s tortured because he doesn’t know how else to be. He deserves something else in his life besides Quinn and a thirst for murder.
But to be sure, the rest of Scandal is fucked.
This week, Olivia got back in the game for real: she helped Abby get freshman Senator Susan Ross voted in by Congress as the new Vice President, after Ross went full Howard Dean in a press conference. There was a twinge of feminism in Abby’s big pitch to Liv, and there was a whole lot of it when Abby fired her naysaying boyfriend, Leo, beforehand. What’s that idiom — if you want to get something done, ask a woman? “You could use something good,” Abby tells Liv after bringing her a salad — um, where’s the Gettysburger? — and Abby is exactly right.
Liv is on the brink of good and evil right now, and she could very easily go to the dark side (how Huck of her). I found her mission to find her neighbor Lois, a casualty of Liv’s own kidnapping, heartening albeit emotionally exhausting and complicated for the sake of complication. Liv knows how she died, and instead of being honest with her companion Rose, she goes to great lengths to track down Lois’ body and come up with a peaceful story to ease Rose’s mind. “That was 60 years ago, it was hard enough being black, let alone black and gay,” Rose tells Liv of her relationship with Lois.
Susan Ross as the VP seemed like a dumb move at first, but now that Olivia, Abby, and Leo are done with her crash course in message subversion, I can feel already that it will backfire and somehow she will become President instead of Mellie. But then again, doesn’t Mellie know that it’s practically impossible for a First Lady to rebound to the Oval immediately following her husband’s term? I mean, even Hillary gives America some Clinton-less breathing room. Frankly, I find it even more laughable that they all think America will vote for another Republican after Fitz’s shitshow in office. Going blue next time. For the time being, I’m happy to see more of Artemis Pebdani on Scandal; she brings warmth to Ross, even in the face of awkwardness.
Fitz, meanwhile, is less likable than ever. He acted like a petulant child this week at the mere notion that he owes Congress an apology for, you know, going to war over his sidepiece. Fitz has become The Worst. Every week I hope Olivia runs away with Jake and never eats jam again. A girl can dream, right?