S04.E01: Randy, Red, Superfreak and Julia

[ElleBee]

I thought Fitz reached out with his pinkie and Olivia didn't, so I interpreted her smile as self-satisfaction over her show of restraint and his smile as "you got me, but we're not done yet". But since no one else seems to have seen the same, I must have fanwanked it. (Can't check because #@$*& On Demand doesn't allow for fast forwarding.)

 

Random other thoughts: I thought it was a strong premiere, though I still can't buy Quinn as any kind of bad-ass. Somehow the actress doesn't sell that role, IMO. I'm usually not the biggest Millie fan but the new eff-it attitude, the classic 1976 line, and the grave scene won me over. I also agree about the excessive fast-talking--makes my brain hurt.  

[cam3150]

 

As I read everyone's comments, both here and at TVLine, I'm realizing that I may have read that completely differently. I interpreted the pinkie miss as intentional, and that they both smiled as they walked away from each other because they were each proud of themselves that they didn't reach for the other. Thoughts?

I read it a little differently. I felt Olivia smiled because she was proud of herself for not reaching out to Fitz, and Fitz smiled because he's glad Olivia is back. I thought they both had different smiles and that it was cleverly done.

 

I read it as them both subconsciously reaching for each other (with the near finger graze) and then I read the smiles as both of them being secretly happy to themselves that they are back in each other's orbit, for Fitz more than Olivia.  Maybe it was not meant that way, maybe it was meant the way others read it. But, dang it, my broken Olitz heart needed some hope so I took the smiles to mean that they were both glad to be back in the same vicinity.  I have never quite given up on Olitz (and have NEVER, EVER warmed up to anything about Jake) so I loved that last few seconds and, yes, I may have rewound it a few times.

 

Fitz and Olivia's crazy ST was back on display in a way it has not been in a long time.  I know a lot of people tired of the Fitz and Oliva drama, and I get it. I did to in a way. But I can sense we are in store for at least some form of "will they won't they" and I'm ok with that. I imagine they "won't" until November sweeps. I personally loved S1 and S2 Olitz and this feels like S4 will take them back to that in a way.

 

It has never been more clear that Jake means nothing to Olivia other than a distraction from her reality. She is using him for one thing. He knows it and so does she. Their relationship will not last and I imagine Jake will be the one to end it. He even said as long as they are in DC, it will be always be "Fitz's turn".  He knew that as soon as they left the island, the clock would start ticking for them.

 

Over all I really liked this episode. It felt more like old school Scandal to me. I laughed (most at Mellie and her hiliarious comments) and I cried (most for Huck and at the funeral) and it was just fun.  I hope the rest of the season stays this way.

 

 

ETA: Cyrus' hair - WTF???? I mean, my word that was bad. Really, really bad. The 1980's called and wants the mullet "business in the front" style back because all that was missing from that hairstyle was the "party in the back"..  Goodness.

Edited September 26, 2014 by cam3150

[lorikauai]

Ugh ugh ugh. What I liked from this episode: everything Mellie and Cyrus calling out the show for it's never ending "will they, won't they" Olivia/Fitz drama when we all know they will. What I didn't like: everything else.

Olivia and Fitz can take a long walk off a short pier together. I have hated the pairing from episode one and it gets more repulsive each season.

Please no more Quinn/Huck sex this season show.

I may be in the minority but I actually kind of like Abby/David. They have both been hurt by Olivia's machinations but seem to be making the best of it.

[WhineandCheez]

Cyrus has lost weight you can see it in his face.  I don't buy it that Liv's Dad killed her Mom, or was that shown??  I am thinking sh'e back in the cage for another 20 years. Mellie is drinking, remember from last season?  that is why she's acting so zany, not like grief has unleashed her.  It's the booze.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Shond still trying to spin shit into gold, with Olake.

Girl, BYE!

[Julia]

I'm a little in love with drunk fuck it Mellie. I'm more disgusted with Olivia than I was last year, which I wouldn't have believed. She got her people in the middle of a bigass dangerous mess because she couldn't keep her pants zipped - knowing exactly how dangerous the people she was playing with were - and took off to fuck in the sun when it all fell apart, leaving them unemployed and unprotected. But hey, it's unforgivable so suggest that she might have had some input into the outcome (all with the screaming and the Mr. Ed teethbaring lip quiver of mighty emotion). OK, sure. Fuck you, Olivia. 

 

Does someone who's not me understand why Quinn, who pretty much told Olivia to go die and took off at the end of last season, is the one trying to get the band together?

[fivestone]

Cyrus has lost weight you can see it in his face.  I don't buy it that Liv's Dad killed her Mom, or was that shown??  I am thinking sh'e back in the cage for another 20 years. Mellie is drinking, remember from last season?  that is why she's acting so zany, not like grief has unleashed her.  It's the booze.

 

Last season's finale showed Liv's Dad locking her Mom away, even though he told Fitz that he had killed her.

 

Mellie is drinking, but I'm sure a part of it is grief. Just as soon as she finds out that he's Fitz's son and not Jerry's (father-in-law), the kid gets torn away from her. All the time that she could have spent repairing their relationship because of the distance she put between her and him (thinking that he might have been Jerry's) - that opportunity up in flames. So sure, there is grief, because, after all, he is her son. But also for the opportunity to reboot that relationship, so to speak.

Does someone who's not me understand why Quinn, who pretty much told Olivia to go die and took off at the end of last season, is the one trying to get the band together?

 

Good, bad or ugly, OPA was the only family Quinn had left. She couldn't go back to her former life, her birth family still thought she was guilty of the bombing, and there isn't any Charlie anymore. OPA, and the skills that she learned from Huck, are all that she has. After the hurt that she went through being rejected by her family, she probably isn't willing to go through losing another one - no matter how dysfunctional and weird it is.

[Blakeston]

Mellie is drinking, but I'm sure a part of it is grief. Just as soon as she finds out that he's Fitz's son and not Jerry's (father-in-law), the kid gets torn away from her. All the time that she could have spent repairing their relationship because of the distance she put between her and him (thinking that he might have been Jerry's) - that opportunity up in flames.

 

I'm confused about one thing - was her dead son actually Fitz's?

 

I know she believes that Little Jerry was Fitz's son. After worrying for years that he was a product of the rape, she got DNA results showing that Fitz was the boy's father. But didn't we see Abby paying off the guy at the lab to lie about the results?

[Haleth]

I can completely believe Mellie falling apart after watching her son die horribly, even if she wasn't Mother of the Year. Lying on his grave broke my heart. She was rocking the crazy sweatpants lady though.

Harrison's funeral also brought tears when everyone showed up to say goodbye.

I mostly watch to see what Liv is wearing. I want that white coat. I'd also write down what she's drinking but I think I'd have to mortgage my house to afford her wines.

[Nanrad]

Personally, I don't think that Jake and Olivia's chemistry is supposed to match hers and Fitz. Their chemistry is not out of this world, but I don't find it terrible either. At the same, I don't see the chemistry between Tony and Kerry. I mean, it's there but I find it to be average.

Regarding Olake, I don't have an issue with Jake. The common reasons brought up as to why Olivia should stay away from him is: he put her in the hospital, choked her, and spied on her. Now let's put this in context: Fitz assigned Jake to spy on Olivia claiming that she was a national security risk; there's no reason why Jake would question that until he surveiled her and determined that this was a lie. He then brought it up to Fitz on an occasion or two that he believed the surveillance should be discontinued. With B613, it was a lot more complicated. He was spying on Olivia, visually, to protect the republic, but questioned that as well. In both instances, we saw Jake disagree about spying on Olivia when it became clear that she wasn't what he originally believed. One direct order was from the president, who he was also close friends with, and the other was from an organization that could've potentially had him killed for disobeying orders. Eventually, he disobeyed orders and was thrown in the hole for being insubordinate.

Now, when Olivia was out in the hospital, she tripped and fell as Jake was trying to grab her in order to calm her. She was very panicked, which resulted in her accident. Jake didn't put his hands on her. The one time he did, I wouldn't even call that domestic abuse or anything similar and connecting it to a romantic dispute gone wrong. Jake choked her because she put the country in national risk, which resulted in Fitz's son dying (and/or was that he church explosion as well?) she compromised national security and Jake was reacting to that--I believe his reaction would have been the same if it had been a man.

People are well within their rights to disagree, but I feel as if Jake's actions have been misrepresented as if he's using her face as a punching bag whenever he's mad.

When comparing those two, I prefer Jake because Olivia and Fitz are toxic for another. Fitz sexually assualted her in an elevator, which cannot be excused with being drunk. He treated her like a whore in the ep they had sex in the closet. He supposedly doesn't love or care about his wife anymore, but blew a gasket when he found out that Mellie was having an affair on the side, and then gave Olivia the figurative slap of "I'm talking to my wife!" He misled Jake to thinking he was spying on Olivia was national security purposes when it was only to keep an eye on his former mistress--violating her privacy. I believe Fitz even denied to do a favor for Olivia because he was jealous of Jake.

Most of the criticisms against Jake are professional acts treated as personal behavior, where as most of Fitz's acts is a result of personal behavior. That is why I consider Fitz worse for her.

Jake's "whiny" nature doesn't compare to Fitz being an absentee dad all because his mistress didn't believe in him, and then becoming a drunk because of it. Fitz had become clueless as to who his kids had become.

I can't believe I forgot this one as well: Fitz revealing the affair between him and Olivia through Tom so he could supposedly free her when it was really about him wanting to get his dick wet without Mellie being able to blackmail him. He took away Olivia's agency and also put her career/livelihood at great risk without even talking to her about it. Then, he later on bragged about knowing how she tasted to her father.

I know that some don't prefer either (Edison was even a candidate, but he worked my last nerve), but as I said, when comparing just those two, Fitz is really the worst option for her. Even though she's not in love with Jake, he doesn't come with all of that drama, hasn't manipulated her, and he didn't undercut her agency.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Nanrad

[Mama No Life]

Wonder why they made Jessica Tuck (the senator) look so much older?

Does the First Family really hang out on that balcony like Fitz and Mellie did? You'd think the press (or at least rags like the National Enquirer) would have more long-focus shots of them in their casual moments (which would probably still be stage-managed by their WH handlers).

I don't mind Jake but he needs to do more than be Olivia's living sex toy. It would seem he's killed both of his careers so what's he going to do now that she's returned to work? Lobbying? Consulting?

Still loathe Fitz. I guess he arranged to be at the Capitol when Liv was there so he could see her? Geez, you heartsick fool, let it go. How much more loss of life and destruction does there need to be for the sake of your genitalia?

Actually he told Cyrus he was going to the Hill that day earlier in the episode to gladhand.... Edited September 26, 2014 by Mama No Life

[Primetimer]

They pull her back in. Well, actually she jumps back in.

Read the story

[shelley1234]

Last season's finale showed Liv's Dad locking her Mom away, even though he told Fitz that he had killed her.

 

 

Yep, she was in the bunker placed there by dad....of course she was....BECAUSE IT'S BLACK ALIAS.  

 

I swear last season if I was JJ Abrams I would have sent Shonda a bill for royalties.  

[lorikauai]

I always thought Olivia was most attracted to Fitz and Jake when they were abusive to her as screwed up as that is. They are both horrible for her but that's exactly why she wants them.

[jjj]

cam3150, I agree with you.  The smiles of Fitz and Olivia were the smiles of two people thrilled to be near each other again, and getting quite a rush from it. 

 

ElleBee, if you want to seen the almost-finger-brushing, go to the recap (linked above), which has that snippet in video.  She barely moves, but does, and if you look closely, you can see the spark between them. ;)

Edited September 26, 2014 by jjj

[mwell345]

 

Wonder why they made Jessica Tuck (the senator) look so much older?

 

Thank you!  I thought that was her, but wasn't sure.  I remember her from her One Life to Live days. 

Edited September 26, 2014 by mwell345

[Happytobehere]

When comparing those two, I prefer Jake because Olivia and Fitz are toxic for another. Fitz ssexually assualted her in an elevator, which cannot be excused with being drunk. He treated her like a whore in the ep they had sex in the closet. He supposedly doesn't love or care about his wife anymore, but blows a gasket whe he finds out that Mellie is having an affair on the side, and then gave her the figurative slap of "I'm talking to my wife!" He misled Jake to thinking he was spying on Olivia was national security purposes when it was only to keep an eye on his former mistress--violating her privacy. I believe Fitz even denied to do a favor for Olivia because he was jealous of Jake.

Most of the criticisms against Jake are professional acts treated as personal behavior, where as most of Fitz's acts is a result of personal behavior. That is why I consider Fitz worse for her...I can't believe I forgot this one as well: Fitz revealing the affair between him and Olivia through Tom so he could supposedly free her when it was really about him wanting to get his dick wet without Mellie being able to blackmail him. He took away Olivia's agency and also put her career/livelihood at great risk without even taking to her about it. Then, he later on bragged about knowing how she tasted to her father... when comparing just hose two, Fitz is really the wrist option for her. Even though she's not in love with Jake, he doesn't come with all of that drama, hasn't manipulated her, and he didn't undercut her agency.

Exactly. Maybe Jake isn't this all-consuming, passionate love she is supposed to have with Fitz. If your love is toxic and destroys you and everyone in its midst when ignited, then your love needs to be left behind. Even if she does not end up with Jake, her relationship with him enables her to be able to move on to a healthy and happy relationship with the man she should truly be with. A man who let me be real clear WAS NOT, IS NOT, AND WILL NEVER BE FITZ. FITZ is a taker and a user even if her neither wants nor means to be and as such, his love for Oliva will never be functional outside of how she benefits Fitz.

[KaveDweller]

Scott was a major character on Felicity and as a result Jen got a minor role.  JJ Abrams has often said that he never would have auditioned Jen for the role of Sydney Bristow if Scott hadn't really encouraged him to and then she blew them away. 

 

She didn't get the part on Felicity through Scott, she met him while she was on that show.  And I've always heard JJ Abrams say he had Jen in mind when he wrote the role.  There's a story on one of the Alias DVD commentaries where JJ says that he was at their wedding and kept thinking about how he wanted to write something for Jennifer because he thought she was so great.  Maybe that wouldn't have happened if she wasn't with Scott (because he wouldn't know her as well), but I don't think it was his word that got her the audition.

 

But anyway, I actually like Scott Foley as Jake.  I even like him with Olivia.  He's done some crappy things to her, but I think he's a better match than Fitz.  If they actually introduced a decent guy for Oliva to date I'd probably like him better than Jake though.

 

I was really happy to see Abby having success working at the white house, I just hope they don't have her leave to go back to OPA.

Edited September 26, 2014 by KaveDweller

[jenrising]

I was coming around on Jake until this episode. That sex talk just... no. Nope. It was gross and desperate and I can't really even explain why, but it really... ewwwww.

[Oblique Angle]

But didn't we see Abby paying off the guy at the lab to lie about the results?

I thought she paid him to lie to Leo about the results if they didn't come back as Fitz. I believe OPA knew the actual results and that Fitz was indeed the kid's father.

[XtremeOne1]

It was nice to have Olivia be tough and not whiny and weak. That made this episode for me. After seeing her as a pathetic shell of her former self for a whole season, it's just nice to see her be a badass again.

 

Who killed Harrison? I can't remember.

Edited September 27, 2014 by XtremeOne1

[Nanrad]

Jen, I laughed during the sex talk. I mean, if she's not interested in Jake romantically, why else is she keeping him around?

Xtreme, I believe that liv's father killed him. Harrison had figured out that liv's mom didn't kill Fitz's son, Rowan did.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Nanrad

[Happytobehere]

I thought she paid him to lie to Leo about the results if they didn't come back as Fitz. I believe OPA knew the actual results and that Fitz was indeed the kid's father.

I just did the rewatch and I intially thought what you did, but the sequence is 1) the DNA guy says the genetics are not a paternal match, 2) Abby shows a big wad of money and says the genetics is a match, the DNA guy now agrees the genetics match, 3) Leo picks up the envelope and reads that it is a match, meaning Fitz is the dad. 4) the results are then given to Mellie as well. I took this to mean Big Jerry and not Fitz was the real father.

Edited because stupid autocorrect thought Fot made more sense than Fitz. What the hell is a Fot! Damned autocorrect.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Happytobehere

[Anna Yolei]

But Fitz tried to kill himself?  Whoa.  But...is it wrong I'm disappointed he didn't?

Only if it's wrong to wonder who he'll blame next week for failing at that.

You know, like every other aspect of his life.

[BeaVee]

Oh Mellie - you broke my heart lying on your son's grave.  The rest though?  You made me laugh in what was a very lackluster episode to come back with. 

 

Now, I want to see Mellie find out that her son died because the dim bulb she's married to pissed off his mistresses father.  I want Tom to tell her that he killed her son thinking that she's too crazy to understand.  I want her to respond by killing them all.  Yes, it will never happen, but that's what I want. 

 

I'll be really pissed if we find out Mellie was the one who saved Futz from offing himself.  She has to know the only reason he would do that is because his blow-up doll was off blowing someone else and not that he was responsible for his son's death (see:  blow-up doll again). 

 

I guess I'll record from now on and just watch the Mellie scenes.  To paraphrase Cyrus - we all know how this movie is going to play out.  No need to watch.

[Turtle]

Mellie is drinking, remember from last season?  that is why she's acting so zany, not like grief has unleashed her.  It's the booze.​

 

 

I think the booze is a part of her grief, as is the whole "who gives a fuck?" attitude.  They're symptoms of her grief, not just for her dead son, but for the son she never really got close to, for what must be starting to seem like a pretty pointless life, for a loveless marriage, and for everything just be totally screwed up despite (because of??) her trying so hard to keep it all together and on plan.  Mellie is most assuredly broken.  But the actress did a great job portraying all of that, and I enjoyed watching it.  She and Fitz both seem to have reach a point of detante, as far as their marriage goes, which is interesting, and almost seems to have made them closer.  

 

Weirdly, Liv is the thing I like least about this show, followed by Huck. 

[morgan459]

I just did the rewatch and I intially thought what you did, but the sequence is 1) the DNA guy says the genetics are not a paternal match, 2) Abby shows a big wad of money and says the genetics is a match, the DNA guy now agrees the genetics match, 3) Leo picks up the envelope and reads that it is a match, meaning Fitz is the dad. 4) the results are then given to Mellie as well. I took this to mean Big Jerry and not Fitz was the real father.

Edited because stupid autocorrect thought Fot made more sense than Fitz. What the hell is a Fot! Damned autocorrect.

Right, but the DNA that was given to the lab tech wasn't Fitz's at all, it belonged to Maya's dead lover. The OPA goal there was just to get Leo and Sally a DNA test saying that Fitz was Jerry's father. The lab results that Mellie received (which said that Fitz was the father) were from a second, separate, test. Olivia offered Mellie the chance for an actual test--I think, memory's hazy--during the Defiance campaign stop. 

 

The whole sequence was, like many things during the run-up to the 3rd season finale, really rushed and unclear. 

Edited September 27, 2014 by morgan459

[Blakeston]

Right, but the DNA that was given to the lab tech wasn't Fitz's at all, it belonged to Maya's dead lover. The OPA goal there was just to get Leo and Sally a DNA test saying that Fitz was Jerry's father. The lab results that Mellie received (which said that Fitz was the father) were from a second, separate, test. Olivia offered Mellie the chance for an actual test--I think, memory's hazy--during the Defiance campaign stop. 

 

The whole sequence was, like many things during the run-up to the 3rd season finale, really rushed and unclear. 

 

Ah, okay. It makes sense that there were two different tests.

The whole thing really was confusing. How did Leo and Sally plan on getting Fitz's DNA? (I know they got Little Jerry's from that girl who wanted to get into Harvard.) And how did OPA end up switching it with Maya's dead lover's?

[morgan459]

Ah, okay. It makes sense that there were two different tests.

The whole thing really was confusing. How did Leo and Sally plan on getting Fitz's DNA? (I know they got Little Jerry's from that girl who wanted to get into Harvard.) And how did OPA end up switching it with Maya's dead lover's?

Eli shot and killed Dominic at OPA earlier that day (they were trying to use Dominic to locate Maya and she wouldn't play along), so his body was just hanging out in the conference room or whatever. Leo called Eli to ask if Eli could get him a DNA sample from Fitz (Eli had been supporting Sally's campaign). Eli was standing with Olivia when Leo called, so he told her what was going on. Abby then went and did the DNA switch while Olivia confronted Mellie about the whole situation. 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

To the person wondering who killed Harrison, I recall it being Tom.

Pretty sure he was the one pointing a gun at Harrison, at the behest of Daddy Pope.

[cali1981]

To the person wondering who killed Harrison, I recall it being Tom.

Pretty sure he was the one pointing a gun at Harrison, at the behest of Daddy Pope.

It was Tom but I don't think that you saw him actually pointing it.  Rather he was shown attaching a silencer to the gun so you knew that Harrison was a goner.

Edited September 27, 2014 by cali1981

[jjj]

I binge-watched the last two seasons over the summer, but all the details are such a blur.  Thanks to all who are explaining who is who and who offed or maybe offed who and the apparently many sources of various DNA for that paternity test. 

[FozzyBear]

I recently listened to Aisha Tyler interview Scott Foley on her podcast and he was fascinating. I've had a small issue with the actor since he was married to Jennifer Garner (I always thought he was jealous of her success), but I could never deny how attractive I find him. I was sorry his character on Scandal hit Olivia Pope and wish that had never happened, otherwise I'd be rooting for him to be her main lover. Now, I'm just ignoring that unfortunate part of their past and hoping they find an interesting thing for Jake to do in DC.

I always read it differently. I always felt like Jennifer Gardner used Scott Foley to jump start her own career and then dumped him once alias took off. Of course I can't stand her as an actress (I honestly think she may be the least talented famous actress of her generation) and her completely wooden delivery stopped me from watching Alias.

Anyway I'm rooting for Jake. I like him and Olivia together and I think he could be a cool character if they just let B613 fade into nothing and put him in the Pentagon or something.

[jjj]

I can't get past James walking up to three perfectly nice people and shooting them in the face.  And shooting James so he would die slowly (though Jake did stay and tell him why he had to die slowly and agonizingly in the street, so that kind of makes up for it, mkay?).  Are we supposed to be forgetting that? 

[marceline]

All the talk about the pinkies and the smile is just bringing home to me how little I care about Olitz as a couple. The only thing I got out of that scene was how ridiculous they are. These people are so immature that they can't even bump into each other after two months and just have an "I'm sorry about Harrison" conversation. Anybody there who knows the both of them would have to wonder why the president walked right past someone who was a member of his staff with no acknowledgement and yet at the same time they walked so close to each other to touch. The whole thing looked like an amateur brush pass from "The Americans." Any member of the press would've looked at that and immediately sensed something was up. I looked at that and my only thought was "Grow the hell up, you two."

[Julia]

Yeah, that. I loved Mellie calmly telling Fitz that she's way too far past caring to pretend to believe that the death of his son or anything else that's happened made him grow up. I don't know if the word is enjoyed, but she really seemed to be liberated by being able to shut him up and tell him that she thoroughly expects him to go back to being just as shabby as ever as soon as he's given a chance. Which he will be. 

[Haleth]

I just hope we're done with all the B316 nonsense and get back to original recipe Scandal.  The show was more fun when it was more of a case of the week drama than some super secret government conspiracy thriller.  Shonda isn't up to writing something that deep.

[Cementhead]

It's probably completely obvious and I am missing it but who are they referring to with Superfreak? I assume it's Quinn? I don't get the reference though,I got the rest of it.  And Huck in the baby blue oxford with the 'Hi, My Name is Randy' name tag is still keeping me snickering 2 days later, hee.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Cementhead

[Julia]

It's probably completely obvious and I am missing it but who are they referring to with Superfreak?

 

Abby called Quinn that in the park. I guess Quinn wasn't as discreet as she should have been about the whole being wildly turned on by sociopaths torturing people thing.

[shelley1234]

She didn't get the part on Felicity through Scott, she met him while she was on that show.  And I've always heard JJ Abrams say he had Jen in mind when he wrote the role.  There's a story on one of the Alias DVD commentaries where JJ says that he was at their wedding and kept thinking about how he wanted to write something for Jennifer because he thought she was so great.  Maybe that wouldn't have happened if she wasn't with Scott (because he wouldn't know her as well), but I don't think it was his word that got her the audition.

 

But anyway, I actually like Scott Foley as Jake.  I even like him with Olivia.  He's done some crappy things to her, but I think he's a better match than Fitz.  If they actually introduced a decent guy for Oliva to date I'd probably like him better than Jake though.

 

I was really happy to see Abby having success working at the white house, I just hope they don't have her leave to go back to OPA.

 

That's not the story as JJ Abrams tells it on one of the Felicity dvds, but I'm already way off topic, so I'll leave it here.  

[Cementhead]

 

Abby called Quinn that in the park. I guess Quinn wasn't as discreet as she should have been about the whole being wildly turned on by sociopaths torturing people thing.

Thank you, Julia!  It's been driving me a little crazy.  So thanks.

[Nanrad]

"I can't get past [Jake] walking up to three perfectly nice people and shooting them in the face. And shooting James so he would die slowly (though Jake did stay and tell him why he had to die slowly and agonizingly in the street, so that kind of makes up for it, mkay?). Are we supposed to be forgetting that? "

I don't we're supposed to be forgetting that, I haven't. Criminal or upstanding citizen, B613 will look to protect itself by any means necessary. David was kept alive because he could serve a purpose for Jake and he only needed one of them. The others would've been superfluous and they knew too much. Keep in mind that James was living on numbered days regardless. Doesn't make it right: debatable on what right means within this context.

Jake's job is to protect the republic and sometimes killing (innocents) is one of the answers. It's unfortunate, but it's also one of the reasons that Jake wanted out.

[Julia]

Jake's job is to protect the republic and sometimes killing (innocents) is one of the answers. It's unfortunate, but it's also one of the reasons that Jake wanted out.

 

I think Jake's job was to protect a rogue extraconstitutional agency within the government which regularly commits treason, suborns perjury, sells government to the highest bidder, murders people, and put an unelected president in the White House by framing innocents, killing inconvenient witnesses and slaughtering whistleblowers. Granted, within the parameters of Olivia's moral compass that's practically the same thing. 

[Guest Accused Dingo]

Abby called Quinn that in the park. I guess Quinn wasn't as discreet as she should have been about the whole being wildly turned on by sociopaths torturing people thing.

But what do you expect from her really? If anyone is an innocent in all this it is Quinn...oh sorry....Lindsay Dwyer. Suddenly she is a mass bomber and her family (and probably home town) has abandoned her. All she has is OPA. Huck becomes her teacher and probably best friend and then when she wants to know more about what he does because she is good at it; instead of telling her why it is not a good idea he leaves her out in the cold for Charlie to take in and mess with her mind. Then she gets tortured by Huck. I can see all this really affecting a person and yes pleasure and pain for some people are really hard to define.

Edited September 28, 2014 by Accused Dingo

[Nanrad]

"I think Jake's job was to protect a rogue extraconstitutional agency within the government which regularly commits treason, suborns perjury, sells government to the highest bidder, murders people, and put an unelected president in the White House by framing innocents, killing inconvenient witnesses and slaughtering whistleblowers. Granted, within the parameters of Olivia's moral compass that's practically the same thing."

Did B613 put Fitz in office? I'm honestly unsure, it thought it was Olivia and co, and then they fought to keep him in office for whatever reason.

[FozzyBear]

Not that Jake killing people isn't a completely legitimate reason to hate the character, I guess I have a tendency not to take murder that seriously on Scandle. If I stopped talking to every character on Scandle who's murdered someone there wouldn't be anyone left. So I guess it's about which murder annoyes me on a personal level. Jake likes beer and burgers and we could hang. Fitz makes me want to stab myself with a butter knife so I don't have to listen to him talk anymore. So, yeah, character judgment in Shondraland.

[Catherinewriter]

"It's 1976 down there." Best line I've heard all week.

Absolutely! It was one of the funniest and raunchiest lines that I've ever heard on a primetime network show. I was surprised that it got by the network suits."

Cali, perhaps they didn't get it. Heh heh

[Happytobehere]

Right, but the DNA that was given to the lab tech wasn't Fitz's at all, it belonged to Maya's dead lover. The OPA goal there was just to get Leo and Sally a DNA test saying that Fitz was Jerry's father. The lab results that Mellie received (which said that Fitz was the father) were from a second, separate, test. Olivia offered Mellie the chance for an actual test--I think, memory's hazy--during the Defiance campaign stop. 

 

The whole sequence was, like many things during the run-up to the 3rd season finale, really rushed and unclear.

Sad part is for all the drama, the truth ends up being irrelevant because the kid is dead. Even if Big Jerry was the dad, I would hope that even cry-baby Fitz would not have held that against Mellie or the kid. However, this is Fitzgerald Everything That Goes Wrong In My Life Is Somebody Else's Fault Grant, so you never know.

[windsprints]

But Fitz tried to kill himself?

 

Raise your hand if you think his "one bad night" when he attempted suicide will be tied to Olivia in some way. Either her leaving pushed him over the edge or he found out/figured out that Jerry was killed by Olivia's parents and he felt guilty.

 

Overall I enjoyed the premiere. I hope David is more in the fold this season and I'd like to see Abby stick around the WH for at least a little while to mix things up a bit. 

Please let them fix Cyrus' hair ASAP, that was awful.

[DollEyes]

Shond, still trying to spin shit into gold, with Olake.

 

  At least with Jake, there's a much better chance of shit becoming gold than it ever will with Fitz, who has been nothing but shitty in every aspect of his life, especially with Olivia. Jake has shed innocent blood, which is wrong, to say the least, but innocents have died, however inadvertently and indirectly, because of Olitz, including Jerry Jr.  Jake's no saint by a long shot, but when it comes to Liv, Fitz is more toxic than Chernobyl and Three Mile Island combined, as far as I'm concerned.

 

I was coming around on Jake until this episode. That sex talk was just...no. It was gross and desperate and I can't really explain it, but it really...ewwww.

 

  I totally disagree. Jake's sex talk with Liv showed much more respect for her than Fitz's sex talk about her to her father in "A Door Marked 'Exit'." IMO, if Fitz really loves Liv as much as he thinks he does,  then that would've been the first thing he said to Rowan in that episode, instead of disrespecting her. Fitz's attempt to provoke Rowan backfired big time and I loved every moment of it.

 

  Besides David, Jake and Sen Sterling's victim, the only character who had my sympathy in this episode was Mellie. Gladiators are a dime a dozen; Mellie lost her flesh and blood. Who his bio dad was is beside the point to me. Mellie's no saint either, but she has suffered more than enough for her sins, especially losing her son. Between Mellie's sloppiness, the "1976" line and the scene at Jerry Jr.'s grave, Bellamy Young was definitely this episode's MVP.

Edited October 1, 2014 by DollEyes