A knock in the middle of the night, a bottle of Cereza, a pregnancy test, and an army. That’s how Enemy Of The State, last night’s episode of Scandal, kicked off. Who wouldn’t need a glass of wine in the middle of the night when you’re representing the woman who was having an affair with the same married man you were having an affair with? But there’s no time for glass number two. It’s off to the office to meet with a dictator whose wife and daughter have been kidnapped. Impeccably dressed and fluent in Spanish, Olivia takes the case.
She visits former mentor Cyrus’ home to discuss the indiscretions of the president. “Did he take precautions?” Cyrus asks, ‘Did he take them with you.’ Then he warns her, “We’re not friends anymore. Don’t come here again.” Now that the welcome mat has been officially rolled up for Olivia, she meets with Amanda who has officially come undone. She turns down an offer of $10 million with, “I’m not going away…I want him to burn for this.” Olivia needs a minute and so do I. This was a consensual relationship and she was aware that there was a first lady, not Olivia and any other side chicks, but definitely a first lady.
Back at the White House, Cyrus has hired an outside team to investigate Olivia and her staff. The results? Abbi was married to the son of a governor who beat her black and blue, before being rescued by Olivia. Harrison worked for a private investment company that went down for insider trading. He was represented pro bono by Olivia. Huck was CIA, and they still have his back. Or maybe he has enough info on them that they don’t want him investigated. Quinn, the new hire, didn’t even exist until 2008. And Olivia Pope-clean as a whistle. They don’t know Olivia had an affair with the President and Cyrus intends to keep it that way.
At a women’s shelter across town, the dictator’s wife seems relieved. That was no kidnapping, it was an escape route. She doesn’t love him anymore, he’s not the man he used to be. We’ve all been there. Olivia returns her to her husband trying to play it like she worked things out with the kidnappers. After being called out by her staff, she tries to help the wife escape only to watch the dictator their daughter from her arms. Quick on her feet, Olivia reminds him that if he takes the kids, his wife will get a book deal and be the face of scorned wives international, and a hero to millions. That changes things. He returns the kids and works out visitation. Who says tyrants are unreasonable?
A similar conversation takes place at the Oval Office. Cyrus tells the President he should resign or he’ll be impeached and end up with a book deal that no one will read, sex tape leaked, wife gone, and interviewing with Barbara Walters. The President decides to ask the first lady (without confessing, of course) how she would feel if all of this ended one day. Her mouth said “what’s wrong” but her expression read, “As if…” Once the President realizes his wife will not support the downsizing of his dreams or power he goes back to Cyrus with a few scenarios of his own. The ooh, ahhs on that sex tape could be anybody. He’s not resigning.
Cyrus scurries over to Olivia’s office to declare war on Olivia Pope. While Olivia prepares her staff for what’s next, Amanda gets an unexpected visitor. A ninja puts some Jackie Chan moves on Amanda and carries her out of her apartment caveman style. Turns out she goes away quite easily.
Scandal airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on ABC. What did you think of this week’s episode?
