S04.E22: You Can't Take Command

[thewhiteowl]

 

Everything comes to a head when Olivia and the team finally make some big moves to take down Command, and Mellie’s fate is sealed as the election results are announced.

 

[CofCinci]

Huck and Quinn should kill each other. I'm done with this show.

[Spartan Girl]

So does anyone else think Fitz is once again acting like a huge hypocrite? The jury getting killed because Mellie gave Rowan the list is awful, but letting FITZ act like the high and mighty moral majority?! Shot down any planes lately?! Or smothered any people to cover the fact the election was rigged? He always seems to forget his own skeletons in the closet...

[bmoore4026]

Wow.  This episode should have been called "Pyrrhic Victory".

 

This episode made me mad.  The bad guy got beaten but everyone still lost.

 

Mellie's out, Cyrus is out (should have been fucking arrested and summarily executed), pretty sure David is out, Jake went bye-bye, and hopefully Ol' Yeller gets put down.

 

I'd never thought I'd say this but I like Fitz.  I wanna hug and kiss Fitz just like Olivia did.  Can the show just be about Fitz becoming a superhero?  His heart is tarnished, yes, but he's a candidate for sainthood compared to everyone else.

[Anela]

So does anyone else think Fitz is once again acting like a huge hypocrite? The jury getting killed because Mellie gave Rowan the list is awful, but letting FITZ act like the high and mighty moral majority?! Shot down any planes lately?! Or smothered any people to cover the fact the election was rigged? He always seems to forget his own skeletons in the closet...

Cheated on his wife, started a war to save his girlfriend. Continued on with his Presidency, when he knew that it was rigged (as you said with the smothering of the dying woman). He and Mellie had been getting along too well - I should have known they'd put a stop to it in the season finale. 

 

Aside from everything else that's bad with the show, I still cringe when it comes back to the triangle. "You're in love with him, so I'm leaving."  And then she runs to the White House, where the President had conveniently booted out his wife. Ugh. 

[silverwings]

So does anyone else think Fitz is once again acting like a huge hypocrite? The jury getting killed because Mellie gave Rowan the list is awful, but letting FITZ act like the high and mighty moral majority?! Shot down any planes lately?! Or smothered any people to cover the fact the election was rigged? He always seems to forget his own skeletons in the closet...

 

Yes, thank you! She protected his dirty deeds becoming public knowledge and he throws her out. He never had the moral high ground in that argument -> directly shooting down a plane killing 200+ people > getting blackmailed into handing over a list of names and finding out someone else killed them.

 

And Olitz, again? What happened to her anger at him getting thousands of Americans killed in a stupid war? I just can't any more. I hate them as a couple and I think I'm done with the show.  Would rather watch Sleepy Hallow next season anyways.

[PrincessTT]

So does anyone else think Fitz is once again acting like a huge hypocrite? The jury getting killed because Mellie gave Rowan the list is awful, but letting FITZ act like the high and mighty moral majority?! Shot down any planes lately?! Or smothered any people to cover the fact the election was rigged? He always seems to forget his own skeletons in the closet...

 

Not to mention his going to war and letting soldiers get killed over Olivia... 

 

Mama Pope's "did we not give you enough hugs" is probably the best line of the season. 

[janeta]

I'm glad Fitz finally kicked Mellie out. She and Cyrus will no doubt team up. We have to have more Cyrus, i like him.

[Mama No Life]

I almost didnt watch tonight bc I'm so sick of B613.  Glad I did b/c I am a huge Olitz shipper.  So even though I know it won't last and it made no sense, I will enjoy my fleeting joy while I can.

[Sheenieb]

 

So does anyone else think Fitz is once again acting like a huge hypocrite? The jury getting killed because Mellie gave Rowan the list is awful, but letting FITZ act like the high and mighty moral majority?! Shot down any planes lately?! Or smothered any people to cover the fact the election was rigged? He always seems to forget his own skeletons in the closet...

 

Oh, definitely.  He has too much nerve.  Let's not forget that he started a war to get his side piece back!  He's responsible for the death of countless soldiers, yet, he wants to clutch his pearls? Man, please.

 

Mellie is a punk for leaving.  She should've started humming "We Shall Not Be Moved"  the minute he went into his "oh, I never, speech."

 

Motherfuck, Fitz. Maya should've sent a missile straight through the White House.

[SimoneS]

I know that it will be a short lived fantasy, but I am glad that Fitz and Olivia get a moment of happiness. 

 

I am so happy that Fitz finally came to his fucking senses. Watching him support Mellie and the impossibility of her elected senator of Virginia has been even more prosperous than B613.

 

Can it be true, can B613 be truly be over? I cannot believe that we are actually free of that neverending hot mess of a story. I am sure Jake is not going any where.

 

She won't last long, but I like how Mellie's campaign manager out maneuvered her and Cyrus. It was a risk, but she got a temporary win.

Edited May 15, 2015 by SimoneS

[OptimisticCynic]

So after all the killing they've directly done or indirectly enabled, you mean to tell me they couldn't just kill Eli Pope?

The contrivance of that being a line they won't cross becomes more laughable each episode. I can't.

[Chaos Theory]

Fitz is an ass. Mellie made a horrible terrible mistake but Fitz is the worst kind of hypocrite. I honestly don't understand the people who think the Olivia/Fitz realationship is at all sexy. It is the worst part of the show.

I actually like the Huck and Quinn. I know it is an unpopular opinion but I hope those two crazy kids make it and maybe murder there way up and down the eastern seaboard....Spinoff!!!!

Poor David Rosen. He really is on the wrong show. That conscience of his alway fucks him over.

[Shelby]

That was really lame for a regualr episode, let alone a season finale.

The only thing that might have saved it is if Quinn shot Huck dead, then turned the gun on herself. That, and Mellie killing Fitz.

What is with Liv's affinity for boring, dorky white guys?

Even though this episode led us to believe Jake and Rowan are history, I'm sure that's not the case.

The only thing I can possibly look forward to next season is Elisabeth as Chief of Staff, however short lived that will be.

Thanks for nothing, Shonda!

[Artsda]

I really wasn't expecting that ending with Olivia and Fitz. However I'm confused, when she showed up didn't she know Fitz was still married and Mellie lived there? Was she informed before hand he had kicked Mellie out?

 

I just hope this doesn't go back and forth more, if they're going to be together. Leave them together now, not broken up with Mellie back int he white house by the 3rd episode next season. 

 

Is Jake gone? With his mission being over, is Scott done with the show?

 

Cyrus I presume will go join Mellie's team. 

 

Quinn needs to pull the trigger to put Huck and us out of his misery. 

 

Rowan still lives. Ugh. 

[reggiejax]

The biggest problem I had with B-613, and believe me there were many problems, was that the size and scope of the organization seemingly changed as the plot needed it. Within this very episode we are told that they have infiltrated all the other agencies to an amazing depth, yet when Rowan relays to Olivia that B-613 is dead, he says there were only a few agents, and we are shown all of them being killed, Rowan killing Cougar Town for the big finish. And so goes B-613. This lack of continuity regarding the Big Bad just made it hard to care. So really, what was B-613 other than an attempt to Alias-ize the show by a percentage.

 

As for the resolution of this pointless plotline, I'll take what I can get if it gets rid of Rowan, but does the Smithsonian even have $2 billion to embezzle? 

 

Loved Mellie getting the boot. All that was missing was for Fitz to say "Bye Felicia". I'd care more about Cyrus being gone, but that isn't going to last very long. 

[Happytobehere]

Not to mention his going to war and letting soldiers get killed over Olivia

Why do people always forget the lives of the Africans that was lost in Fitz's lust for his chocolate Barbie. Of I know why, because Shonda never acted as if they mattered.

I can't stand the Lizzie character and will not watch her. Her acting makes Kerry Washington look like Viola Davis. PdR limited talent worked on Arrested Development where she played a vapid, loser, but not so much as someone we are supposed to believe is competent.

Hopefully someone snuck into OPA and blew Quinn away. I have been waiting for her to be written off the show since Season One.

I want Cyrus to destroy Fitz as a final reminder to that big idiot that you never unleash you pit bull, let alone give him a reason to want to bite you.

Papa Pope will be gone for awhile as Joe Morton is on Shonda's new show. Jake will turn up on some other Shonda vehicle. She seems to really like him.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Happytobehere

[Anela]

Papa Pope will be gone for awhile as Joe Morton is on Shonda's new show. Jake will turn up on some other Shonda vehicle. She seems to really like him.

Do you mean The Catch, or the TNT show "Proof"? I've just seen that he's in the latter, this Summer.

[Eolivet]

I'll be over here in my corner, happy that Papa Pope isn't dead. I did sort of love the irony of taking down Eli Pope, doddering old paleontologist. Like getting Al Capone on a tax evasion.

 

Other than that, this episode gave me whiplash. It was so depressing for three-quarters of it -- only to have B613 decide to destroy itself in the most anticlimactic, unsatisfying way imaginable (of course B613 even makes getting rid of itself boring).

 

Huck's maybe-murder reminded me of Harrison's maybe-murder. Is it contract negotiation time for Guillermo Diaz?

 

I'll allow myself a moment to enjoy Fitz and Olivia's reunion, only because I'll look forward to seeing it again on the flashback reel in about three years when Shonda decides to kill Fitz.

[buttersister]

I'd watch the Cy and Mellie Show. Not sure I'm watching American Hypocrites, though. I didn't think it possible for me to loathe Fitz more, but congrats, dude, you hypocritical Piece Of The Ultimate Shit.

 

Bye, Jake, not sure you're happier to be walking away than bleeding to death on a conference table, but there you go.

[Happytobehere]

Do you mean The Catch, or the TNT show "Proof"? I've just seen that he's in the latter, this Summer.

I don't know the name, but I saw it advertised as part of ABC's fall schedule. I don't plan to watch, just know he is on it.

[bmoore4026]

What is with Liv's affinity for boring, dorky white guys?

 

Because this: https://youtu.be/z6JCCayPG7k?t=2m

[bobbyjoe]

I have a hard time believing either Mellie or Cyrus would go that quietly.  Particularly Cyrus, who has enough dirt to blackmail Fitz for twenty more presidencies.  I was so hoping that scene would turn and it would be Mellie or Cyrus putting Fitz back in his place with a "no, you sit down and shut up, here's how it's gonna be" speech.

 

Khandi Alexander deserves her own series just for her line readings tonight.  If I wrote Scandal fan fiction, I'd write a story where Mama Pope quickly assassinates every character on the show (besides maybe Mellie) and then becomes the star of the series.

[crowswork]

I was hoping someone would tell Mellie that her 'contributor' killed her son and have her whip out her little 'Nancy Reagan nightstand gun' and blow him away on national TV>

[tpplay]

Fitz taking the moral high ground?  Are you fucking kidding me?  This finale made me sick.

 

That. Is. All.

[Daisy]

1: Mellie did not know that Eli whatever I call myself Pope killed her son

2: Why would Mellie assume passing the names would mean automatic death? It could be easily blackmail? 

3: So why would the man who shot down a plane of 200 civilians, started a war for one woman, killed a woman to keep his presidency, have the unmitigated gall to be all "everything is in a box to the left?" with Mellie? Had she known, she wouldn't have done it. 

 

 You can not have Mellie all "lean left" at the fact that she had to go to Springfield and talk about her dead son, and then have her meet the man who killed said son for Fitz who just had to be President legally. and didn't have the guts or whatever to kill him when he had the chance. 

 

oh just piss the hell off, Fitz. Piss. off. 

 

Mama Pope's "did we not hug you enough?" cracked me up. as well as "hand me the pen, baby."  Stop wanting to be the sun, Olivia. You suck at it. 

 

i have to say, no one ever thought of just going to the smithsonian and killing Eli? at all? I just feel that everyone wanted the guy to rot in jail. 

 

I hope Huck dies. over him 

Hope Quinn dies. over her. 

Hope Jake dies. over him

Hope the balcony falls killing Olivia and Fitz. over them. then Susan Ross can be president. that should be cool.  

[tpplay]

Oh.  And Cyrus?  Needed to be fired 2 seasons ago.  And murders people.  And I'm sorry - learned nothing at all I guess from the so-called love of his life being murdered - except I guess he learned you could threaten to do that to the loves of other people's lives.

 

He's a scumbag. 

Edited May 15, 2015 by tpplay

[Chicago Redshirt]

To be partially devil's advocate:

 

Remington (at least as it's been described to us) is not all that sinful. Fitz was a Navy pilot who was given a lawful order to shoot down a plane. Unbeknownst to him and the people who gave that order, it was based on bad intel and so 200 people died. I honestly don't think it would take a fixer on the level of Olivia Pope to put that in a non-scandalous light. 

 

Whereas Mellie's deciding to give the list of a grand jury because of blackmail to her and Fitz doesn't seem like it is as innocent as Mellie would have you believe. It takes some head-in-the-sand logic to think that this strange, brazen person who not only knows about her screwing Andrew and Olivia screwing Fitz but also about a top secret military operation from 15-20? years ago is going to use a list of grand jurors  to invite them all to tea at his place. (I'm assuming the real reason that Rowan used her was just because he wanted more dirt on her, because obviously he could find out who the grand jurors were on his own).

 

Mellie had a lot of time carrying the idiot ball, from going along with Rowan's plans to not telling Fitz about Rowan's plans, to confessing (apparently) all to Lizzie North to actually packing up her stuff when Fitz told her to get out.

 

Watching him support Mellie and the impossibility of her elected senator of Virginia has been even more prosperous than B613.

 

I don't see why it would be impossible. She's got money, name recognition, and the support of the president. 

 

However I'm confused, when she showed up didn't she know Fitz was still married and Mellie lived there? Was she informed before hand he had kicked Mellie out?

 

There was a line about how Charlotte (presumably the President's secretary or some such) was very informative. So she may have gone because Jake prompted her to get what was owed, and while she was waiting heard from Charlotte that Mellie got das boot.

 

As for the resolution of this pointless plotline, I'll take what I can get if it gets rid of Rowan, but does the Smithsonian even have $2 billion to embezzle?

 

No one says they had to give the entire $2 billion to frame Rowan for embezzlement. Just enough that  he would be doing some hard time. I'm pretty sure that it would not be DC cops who would arrest him either -- the Feds would be the likely choice to go after him since the Smithsonian is federally funded. Google says that it's been funded at between $615 and $820 million for each of the last 10 fiscal years. http://www.si.edu/Content/Pdf/About/10-Year-Appropriation-History.pdf

 

So it would be a stretch for a single person to have embezzled even $100 million without notice. But something like $1 million would be totally feasible.

[tpplay]

As pointed out by the AV Club's brilliant review of this horrifying bad finale at 

 

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/scandal-you-cant-take-command-219474 

 

All the grand jurors are on the bus.  You need to know their names?  Because - - - ?  Did Huck check their drivers licenses before shooting them?

 

Oh, and - how exactly do you shoot a bus load of people with all of them still remaining in their seats?  "Everybody close your eyes?"

 

Just bad.  Beyond bad.  Insultingly bad.  S must be laughing so heartily and evilly on her way to the bank.

[SimoneS]

Everything about Huck has been preposterous from the start so having him commit those unbelievable murders on the bus is consistent if nothing else.

 

I just hope that next season the show goes back to its original themes of romance, relationships, and political intrigue and stops trying to be Alias.

[mwell345]

I skipped the last couple of episodes and wavered on the finale.  But I read somewhere that at least one main character would be killed, and I was so hoping it would be Huck. Would have settled for Quinn, though.

 

So Huck kills 12 people, walks down the aisle of the bus, blood splattered, then apparently cleans himself up and goes running to Olivia, screaming "something happened". 

 

Papa needs a list of names from Mellie, when all he really needed was the time and location of the bus.

 

And when did Fitz become the moral backbone of the show?  All full of self righteousness?  The guy who sends soldiers into battle to save his side piece, who kills a Supreme Court justice to protect his fake election....ugh, spare me.  And spare me from the lovebirds.  They disgust me.

 

Embezzlement?  Like that charge will last.   Yeah, congrats Olivia, that will send Pops away for what, 8 months? 

 

I already see the opening episode for next season.  Olivia is happily making jam in the White House kitchen, while Fitz fawns all over her. Abby hands out copies of Olivia's jam recipe to the press corps.   Meanwhile, Jake is lurking outside the White House gates and across town, in her Senate office, Mellie and Cyrus plot their revenge.  Because that was a smart move Fitz - exile the two people that can tear you down.

 

Will Olivia stop making jam in order to save his presidency from Mellie and Cy?  Gee, I can't wait.

[Eolivet]

Whereas Mellie's deciding to give the list of a grand jury because of blackmail to her and Fitz doesn't seem like it is as innocent as Mellie would have you believe. It takes some head-in-the-sand logic to think that this strange, brazen person who not only knows about her screwing Andrew and Olivia screwing Fitz but also about a top secret military operation from 15-20? years ago is going to use a list of grand jurors  to invite them all to tea at his place. (I'm assuming the real reason that Rowan used her was just because he wanted more dirt on her, because obviously he could find out who the grand jurors were on his own).

 

Mellie had a lot of time carrying the idiot ball, from going along with Rowan's plans to not telling Fitz about Rowan's plans, to confessing (apparently) all to Lizzie North to actually packing up her stuff when Fitz told her to get out.

 

Really good points. Fitz has seemed like throughout the series, he's been painted that bad things are OK if it's for a noble purpose. Remington was following orders, killing Verna was for the good of the republic, ordering the soldiers was for love of Olivia. Mellie's bad deed was for her own selfish gain (she wanted to be Senator and didn't want her other bad deeds exposed). Again, not necessarily how I see it, but I wonder if that's how Shonda wanted us to see it.

 

Also, when Fitz presented Mellie with the evidence, she was like "Yeah...and...?" I wondered if we were supposed to believe he would think this was particularly bad because of his experience with Defiance. Come to think of it, I wonder (and wish this was made clearer) if this was just massive amounts of projecting originating from Defiance, like "People who benefit from help to win elections are the worst ever!!!"

 

I like to think the show wants us to believe had Mellie come to Fitz (not Elizabeth), and confessed what had happened and she was responsible and how awful she felt (as we saw when it happened), he may have been more understanding. Or even if she'd acted sickened and disgusted when presented with the evidence. (as Fitz was when presented with Defiance). Instead, she was "But I did it for us, so it's fine!"

 

Again, I totally understand why people would see Fitz as a hypocrite (my eyebrows raised pretty high when he threw Mellie out and fired Cyrus) but I wonder if Shonda just wanted us to see this as some bizarre mixture of Remington and Defiance redux, without the remorse that went with either of them. And given that both Mellie and Cyrus were involved with Defiance, maybe this was just a bridge too far for him.

[Good Queen Jane]

I know that for Shonda children are just a plot contrivance, but I couldn't help but wonder whether Little Teddy, America's Baby, would be going with Mellie or staying with Fitz. Not that it matters. Dead Jerry has had far more mentions on this show than Live Jerry ever did.

[LydiaMoon1]

Wow.  This episode should have been called "Pyrrhic Victory".

For real.  All of this death and destruction just so Olivia can win a pissing contest against her Dad.  UGH!

 

And really, Fitz. Moral Outrage from you?  Righteous Indignation? The guy who, when placed in the exact same position as Mellie, murdered Verna in her hospital bed with his own two hands.  He needs to GTFOH.

 

Yeah, Jake. Whatever.  Just leave already.

 

And Huck killed a busload of people to protect his family?  Really?  ‘Cause I seem to remember that it was made perfectly clear to him from the beginning that the way to keep his family safe was to keep his mouth shut and to keep pretending to be dead. RME

 

And Olivia’s mother was absolutely right in everything she said, except for using the work “uppity” to describe Olivia. That was unnecessary and offensive. Olivia has every right to aspire to whatever heights her opportunities and abilities can take her. What she doesn’t have the right to do is (just like her Mama said), cause all these problems so that she can “fix” them.  What was the purpose of bringing down Hydra, er, umm, B6 whatever? If the Agents of Shield, er, umm the CIA, wanted to get rid of them they would have.  Who asked her and her band of psychotic misfits to blunder in and interfere?

 

 

I'll be over here in my corner, happy that Papa Pope isn't dead. I did sort of love the irony of taking down Eli Pope, doddering old paleontologist. Like getting Al Capone on a tax evasion.

You won't be alone. I'm right there with you glad that he's not dead and hoping to see him again sometime in the future.  I have no doubt that he’ll be running his prison inside of 6 months and have a whole new cadre of operatives to run. Even so, I do hope Shonda has finally decided to move on from Alias-lite.  I've had quite enough of murder and torture. I hope she's going back to original formula Scandal, cause this past season wasn't worth 2 cents. 

 

Overall, the finale was MEH.  it just leaves me in the same place I was before the whole season started: hating Olivia and Fitz, separately and together.

Edited May 15, 2015 by LydiaMoon1

[Shermie]

Everyone on this show is a terrible person.

I don't see why someone couldn't just kill Papa Pope randomly; it's not,like the guy is in hiding. They could run him over, shoot him, whatever, and make it look like a random crime or accident. They do it all the time.

And I would have liked it if they showed where Quinn and Huck were from the outside and then we hear a gunshot. Followed by a second one. Did she shoot him? Twice? Or did she also kill herself? Or did he shoot her? That's a cliffhanger.

[Chicago Redshirt]

That's another thing that makes me think that Rowan just for whatever reason wanted additional leverage on Mellie. We're told that Command somehow co-opted Huck, and tasked him to kill all the grand jurors (and the court stenographer, I guess). So in addition to being able to get one of his infinite-when-the-plot-demands-it minions who are equally skilled at hacking, murder, and infiltration to get him the list, he could do something along the lines of what he did -- just follow Rosen and his daughter to figure out where the grand jurors were.

 

Maybe this is giving him enough credit, but maybe he wanted to cause the rift between Fitz and Mellie so that his daughter could get the undeserving boy that she for some reason wants.

[I-Kare]

Whether Fitz killed a plane full of people because he was following orders or not, it does not negate the fact that he knowingly killed hundreds of people. Mellie had no clue what Rowan was going to do with the list. I think it's a stretch to say she should have known this guy was going to kill whoever was on it. I could list dozens of things he could have been planning that have nothing to do with murder. I doubt if Mellie jumped to "OMG HE'S GOING TO KILL ALL THESE PEOPLE! Welp, here you go." 

 

And I still think it would have been a better storyline for Mellie to have found out Rowan was responsible for Jerry's death and then killed him. Hey, that would have been okay right? Because then Fitz would have benefited...oh right, he already benefited from her handing over the list.. 

[ChicksDigScars]

Papa Pope will be gone for awhile as Joe Morton is on Shonda's new show. Jake will turn up on some other Shonda vehicle. She seems to really like him.

Do you mean The Catch, or the TNT show "Proof"? I've just seen that he's in the latter, this Summer.

 

I just saw him on that new Netflix show, Grace and Frankie. I found him much more palatable as a gay hair dresser that consoles Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.  Much less scenery was chewed in this portrayal. In fact, it was a bit more work getting past President Josiah Bartlett smooching the Executive ADA Jack McCoy.  LOL. 

 

Echoing ALL the above comments on the hypocrisy that is Fitzgerald Grant. And Jesus Christ, the fucking President of the United States, standing on the balcony of the fucking WHITE HOUSE, making out with a woman who is NOT his wife?  How many news organizations,  world wide,  would have that shot on their front pages, bottom crawls, and lead stories the next day? In Shondaland, zoom lenses and paparazzi must only exit within B-613? Who gives a shit because it's soooo sexy and romantic?  Vomit. Tony Goldwyn's manager has GOT to stop pitching scripts. 

 

This has been a rough, frustrating year for anyone who likes Patrick Dempsey and Scott Foley. 

[Guest]

I think Shonda had no end game in mind for B613 so she just decided to end it, logic ignored.  There were so many plot holes and inconsistencies (starting with how did Eli become command and order them to shoot a plane if there was no B613 until that happened?).  But the story line was awful, so she just pulled the plug.

 

She's done this on Grey's when things get too far off track - just a "burn it down" season finale to try to let her rebuild the next year. It's had mixed results.  I think that's what she was going for.  The show works best when Olivia is fixing problems, Fitz and Mellie are not best friends, and there is no super secret spy organization ruling the world.

 

Quinn, I've had mixed feelings on you, but if you kill Huck, I will forever be in your debt.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Whether Fitz killed a plane full of people because he was following orders or not, it does not negate the fact that he knowingly killed hundreds of people. Mellie had no clue what Rowan was going to do with the list. I think it's a stretch to say she should have known this guy was going to kill whoever was on it. I could list dozens of things he could have been planning that have nothing to do with murder. I doubt if Mellie jumped to "OMG HE'S GOING TO KILL ALL THESE PEOPLE! Welp, here you go." 

 

And I still think it would have been a better storyline for Mellie to have found out Rowan was responsible for Jerry's death and then killed him. Hey, that would have been okay right? Because then Fitz would have benefited...oh right, he already benefited from her handing over the list.. 

I honestly cannot think of a legitimate and innocent purpose that "Damascus" could have had for asking for the list of people sitting on a currently running grand jury. Pretty much the best case scenario was that he was going to bribe/blackmail/threaten one or more of them, as he did Mellie. 

 

Even accepting for argument's sake that there are numerous less-innocuous-than-murder-threats-blackmail possibilities for why "Damascus" wanted the list, it seems to me that someone as worldly and educated as Mellie, a self-proclaimed political monster and if memory serves an attorney, would at least have to have it cross her mind that murder and bribe/blackmail/threatened violence are among the possibilities. Mellie would have to know that there's a reason that grand juries meet in secret -- to protect the members from threats and corruption.

 

Killing hundreds of innocent people to avoid a major terrorist incident is the sort of morality that I think a lot of people, if not most people, would accept as a necessary evil. That's what Fitz and his chain of command thought they were doing. 

[Oblique Angle]

the fucking President of the United States, standing on the balcony of the fucking WHITE HOUSE, making out with a woman who is NOT his wife?  How many news organizations,  world wide,  would have that shot on their front pages, bottom crawls, and lead stories the next day? In Shondaland, zoom lenses and paparazzi must only exit within B-613? Who gives a shit because it's soooo sexy and romantic?  Vomit.

That was precisely my reaction. It took me completely out of the show (which thankfully was nearly over at that point) and left me fairly disgusted. I thought it was pure Olitz fanservice and a raspberry blown at all viewers who find Fitz and Olivia's so-called romance repugnant.

 

I know ABC wouldn't dare cancel this show but I wonder if there was a question at some point from SR's or KW's end whether Scandal would return for another season. This episode in many ways seemed like show finale to me. They only left one real cliffhanger (whether Quinn will kill Huck) and that balcony scene read as "...and they lived happily ever after" to me. Whatever, I'm not sure I'll be back next season. This show just feels so insulting, especially if you're not ride or die for Olitz.

[I-Kare]

I honestly cannot think of a legitimate and innocent purpose that "Damascus" could have had for asking for the list of people sitting on a currently running grand jury. Pretty much the best case scenario was that he was going to bribe/blackmail/threaten one or more of them, as he did Mellie. 

 

Even accepting for argument's sake that there are numerous less-innocuous-than-murder-threats-blackmail possibilities for why "Damascus" wanted the list, it seems to me that someone as worldly and educated as Mellie, a self-proclaimed political monster and if memory serves an attorney, would at least have to have it cross her mind that murder and bribe/blackmail/threatened violence are among the possibilities. Mellie would have to know that there's a reason that grand juries meet in secret -- to protect the members from threats and corruption.

 

Killing hundreds of innocent people to avoid a major terrorist incident is the sort of morality that I think a lot of people, if not most people, would accept as a necessary evil. That's what Fitz and his chain of command thought they were doing. 

 

That's exactly what I said though. There are dozens of reasons up to and not including murder that the list could have been used for. It's not beyond the realm of possibilities that Mellie (in the words you describe her as) would think those were going not happen, not murder. 

 

And no matter what the reason for killing the people on the plane, my one and only point still stands: he knowingly did it. 

Edited May 15, 2015 by I-Kare

[bobbyjoe]

And I still think it would have been a better storyline for Mellie to have found out Rowan was responsible for Jerry's death and then killed him.

 

How much more satisfying-- and genuinely surprising, something this show, despite it patting itself on the back all the time about it, rarely is-- would it have been if Rowan had cornered Mellie in her office about the blackmail, Mellie had put two-and-two together and realized who he was, and immediately plunged a letter opener into Papa Pope's throat? And the earlier it happens in the finale, the better.

 

The rest of the episode could have been a fun puzzle of "how do we get rid of this body, in the White House, when Mellie is just about to win and is under intense media scrutiny?".   If Shonda so wanted Mellie and Cyrus out of the White House, make it that Cyrus and Mellie's coverup this time put Fitz in such a tight place and a close call that he has no choice but to kick them out in case the murder gets discovered.

 

Rowan needed to die.  And Mellie needs a good empowerment moment.  Shonda failed on both those, and many accounts in this episode.

Edited May 15, 2015 by bobbyjoe

[Eolivet]

I also believe the show has presented that Fitz's bad deeds mostly affected him (of the characters we know in the show) -- and were they exposed, he would be the one to suffer most. But if Mellie and Cyrus' bad deeds were exposed? He would also be the one to suffer most. The First Lady handing over a list of names to a benefactor who contributed a large sum of money to her campaign and suddenly 16 people are dead? People killed and arrested, all to protect the knowledge of a secret organization operating under his administration's nose? It's Defiance on steroids.

 

What I wish the show had focused on is "I am the President. You can't do these things behind my back, because if any of this gets out, who's going to be blamed for it? Hint: Not either of you" as opposed to "You conspired with Jerry's killer, how dare you?!"

 

One is a legitimate argument -- the other is emotional garbage (though honestly, I think Cyrus was fired for putting Olivia in jail.) Naturally, the show went with emotional garbage -- but I do think they had a legitimate argument. If they had presented it that way, maybe Fitz doesn't come off looking as hypocritical as he did.

[Spartan Girl]

My sentiments exactly about Fitz knowing blowing up that plane.  And not only that, he KNOWINGLY started a war for Olivia, knowing that people would die.  Even worse, he was blackmailed exactly like Mellie, except like other people have said, Mellie didn't automatically jump to the conclusion that people were going to die.  But he didn't seem to show a lot of remorse afterward either, now did he?!

 

How much more satisfying-- and genuinely surprising, something this show, despite it patting itself on the back all the time about it, rarely is-- would it have been if Rowan had cornered Mellie in her office about the blackmail, Mellie had put two-and-two together and realized who he was, and immediately plunged a letter opener into Papa Pope's throat? And the earlier it happens in the finale, the better.

 

 

Damn, I would have loved that.

 

Fuck this show and fuck Fitz.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Spartan Girl

[DollEyes]

 

Everyone on this show is a terrible person.

 

  Not David. He forced Olivia and Jake to sign those confessions to protect Abby from Cyrus, who, to put it mildly, is a terrible person. Cyrus deserved to catch Hell for his threatening David and the head of the CIA, but not from Fitz, who's done just as bad if not worse. Mellie and Cyrus have done plenty of nasty shit, most of which was for Fitz, so while they definitely deserved to be put on blast, Fitz wasn't the one to do it because they know where all the bodies are buried, figuratively and literally.

 

 

I never thought I'd say this, but I like Fitz. I wanna hug and kiss him just like Olivia did. Can the show just be about Fitz becoming a superhero? His heart is tarnished, but he's a candidate for sainthood compared to everyone else.

 

  I totally disagree. Fitz is no superhero by a long shot because true heroes wouldn't deliberately risk/sacrifice the lives of countless innocent people just for his sidepiece, whether it's Remington, Angola or Defiance. Fitz may consider that an acceptable risk for Olivia's sake, but the victims' families not only wouldn't if they knew the truth, they'd want his privates on a platter and rightfully so. Even at his worst, David is much closer to sainthood than Fitz will ever be. Fitz is neither superhero nor saint, as far as I'm concerned.

 

  Disgusting is the kindest word for the latest Olitz reunion. Too much innocent blood has been shed here and abroad in the name of their so-called "twu wuv" for me to ever root for them. About Olitz's thinking "[they] can do whatever [they] want" now, Meredith & Derek used to feel that way and look how they turned out.  As for their kiss on the WH balcony, it would have been perfect if the very last shot of that scene faded to black & white, there was a close-up & a shutter click, they were photographed and it made the cover of the Washington Post the next day, courtesy of Mellie & Cyrus. 

Edited May 16, 2015 by DollEyes

[ZaldamoWilder]

Echoing ALL the above comments on the hypocrisy that is Fitzgerald Grant. And Jesus Christ, the fucking President of the United States, standing on the balcony of the fucking WHITE HOUSE, making out with a woman who is NOT his wife?  How many news organizations,  world wide,  would have that shot on their front pages, bottom crawls, and lead stories the next day? In Shondaland, zoom lenses and paparazzi must only exit within B-613? Who gives a shit because it's soooo sexy and romantic?  Vomit. Tony Goldwyn's manager has GOT to stop pitching scripts. 

 

Get outta my head.  All I could think was yeah, nobody's gonna spot you guys standing in the floodlight glare of the most surveill'ed patio in western civilization.  Keep tonguing it up.    It's not just a conflict anymore Shonda, Olivia is actually judgment-impaired level stupid.  I happen to know, for a fact, Shonda, that any woman who can avoid getting anything on a 100% wool pearl white Vivienne Westwood trenchcoat clearly has more sense than God gave a billygoat.  Please stop it.  At the very least I need the shit to be a little bit plausible.  A little bit Shonda.

 

1: Mellie did not know that Eli whatever I call myself Pope killed her son

2: Why would Mellie assume passing the names would mean automatic death? It could be easily blackmail? 

3: So why would the man who shot down a plane of 200 civilians, started a war for one woman, killed a woman to keep his presidency, have the unmitigated gall to be all "everything is in a box to the left?" with Mellie? Had she known, she wouldn't have done it. 

 

You can not have Mellie all "lean left" at the fact that she had to go to Springfield and talk about her dead son, and then have her meet the man who killed said son for Fitz who just had to be President legally. and didn't have the guts or whatever to kill him when he had the chance. 

 

oh just piss the hell off, Fitz. Piss. off. 

 

The whole thing was wrong in my spirit.   I'm rewriting it in my head:

 

Fitz:  Get out of MY HOUSE!

Mellie {{walking up on him penitentiary style}}:  That's where you're mistaken Fitzgerald.  This became my house, the day your daddy raped me and I raised his child.  Let us know where to send your things.  {{micdrop}}.  

 

Damn you Shonda.

[Primetimer]

Rowan blackmails Mellie into giving him a very important list that actually turns out not to be so important after all.

Read the story

[JenE4]

I liked the finale because it set up the potential to reverse everything I disliked about this season. Yet, on the other hand it's like Season 4? lolz! j/k! as my teenager would say, However, with Shonda, it's possible half of the cliffhangers will be reversed by the time Season 5 starts. But, summarizing the potential happily-for-me-as-a-viewer-yet-not-necessarily-happily-for-the-character-ever-after endings:
1.B613/Rowan/Papa Pope: I'm not neccessarily buying it's going down that easily, yet the storyline has a lot of fan complaints, so possibly so.
2.Liv and Fitz: I'm an Olitiz shipper. I just think the characters have always been at their best when they're together. I don't like the mopey messes they've both been this past season. I even love Mellie more when she's alternating between ruing their relationship and using it to her advantage.
3.Fitz and Mellie: I really disliked their "strong partnership" out of nowhere storyline they had going on this season. It was just such bullshit the way they said how they've always been #1 best friends and supportive no matter what. No you haven't! We've watched this show! It was kind of funny how Mellie gave her big speech about how unwavering their support to one another was, and next day, Yeah, um, Mellie, hit the road! That's what I've come to expect from these two: What have you done for me lately? (Literally, within the last 10 minutes!)
4.Mellie and Cyrus: I'm assuming Cy will go work for Mellie and the two of them will plot their vengeance on and/or plan to get back into the good graces of Fitz--probably both. This is how I love these two characters the most, too, when they work together to manipulate Fitz.
5.Huck and Quinn: Please let it be a murder-suicide! Yes, Huck has gone too far off the deep end and has creeped out many fans (me included) as not someone we can root for anymore. Yet, Quinn's too far gone in my book, too. I suppose if this was a mercy killing and then she could kill no more than once per season when it was absolutely critical, I'd be okay with it. But, PLEASE kill Huck, Shonda!
6.Jake: Come on, Jake? Really? No, Olivia, you go be with Fitz. Ok. I know this was also a long-time fan request, but making it Jake's decision for Olivia to go be with Fitz was just bullshit. I choose me! Unless one of you decides to give up the chase. Then I'll choose the other one!

[Ohwell]

I'm just glad Jake got the fuck out.  I hope he goes off somewhere far away from this B613 crap.

 

I assume fine Russell is dead, which is a shame.