If you missed Scandal last night, here’s the recap. This week Olivia Pope and associates are representing Washington D.C.’s finest madame. In fact, only Quinn, the eager and impressionable new-hire, is the only one unaware of who this woman is. In true-to-life fashion, she’s been exposed by one of her girls and is now on the hook, not for justice but for the list that holds the names of her clients. Not wanting to jeopardize her dual role of devoted grandma, she’s holding out and looking to Pope to keep her only ace. Just when we were convinced that Olivia only goes after the bad guys.
Meanwhile, Quinn is at the hospital watching over the President’s aide-turned-mistress, who is recovering from her suicide attempt. She happens to meet a tall, handsome stranger who seems to take an interest in Quinn and her hospitalized “friend”. But this guy isn’t interested in a date. He asks one question too many, and even Quinn can see through him. He’s with a little known news outlet and he’s gotten wind that an aide attempted suicide the day after quitting her job at the White House. Coincidence? He thinks not. After Quinn shoos him away, she realizes that he’s not the only one who’s left. The mistress has not only awakened, but has dipped out of the hospital.
The next time we catch up with Pope, she’s being served papers. She’s got to produce the madame’s list of clients in two hours. The madame is adamant about not kissing and telling. One of Pope’s fellow good guys, Stephen, tries to persuade the madame. After all, his name is on the list and he makes it clear, that he’s willing to air his dirty little secret as well. Mind you this is a secret from the public and the fiancé he proposed to at the end of last weeks premiere episode. All of his co-workers know. Pope particularly doesn’t care. She makes it clear they all have their secrets.
The bombshell in this situation is that one of the clients on this list has been hand picked by the President and is about to be appointed to the Supreme Court. He maintains his innocence with indignation at the allegations. They want him to step aside. He tells Olivia & Co. to take a hike. While Olivia is trying to avoid exposing a man who her gut tells her is innocent. She finds out that the mistress has gotten away from Quinn. Of course she’s at the only logical place she’d go-her apartment. Which has a lovely pastel pink hallway, I might add. I digress. Anyway, the mistress has summoned some courage from her hospital stay and tells Olivia, “you made me want to die. Leave me alone.” Well Olivia doesn’t take orders and is quite good at blocking a door slam. It’s then that the aide demands an apology from Olivia, very softly, of course. Olivia gives the apology, and gives Quinn more step-by-step instructions.
Back at the office, a light bulb goes off for Olivia when Abby goes on a bit too long about why a good-looking guy with wavy hair like Stephen, would use the Madame’s services. Olivia’s gut was right. The judge’s name wasn’t on the list because of what he’d done. He was on the list because of what his wife did. Turns out she used to work for the Madame. That’s right, he turned a hooker into a house wife. And while he was in school, she had paid the way-even for Georgetown. She had told him that she had a part-time job working the night shift, kind of. I always thought a judge was supposed to ask questions. Oh well. Before the credits rolled we were left wondering if the judge would forgive his pretty woman. Of course, the President tried to lay a few player moves on pope, which she tearfully resisted.
Next week we can look forward to more wardrobe changes and a plot that thickens. Scandal airs on Thursdays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
