S05.E07: Even The Devil Deserves A Second Chance

[Dale Griffin]

DollEyes, on 07 Nov 2015 - 2:40 PM, said:

 Loved Jake & Cyrus calling Liv on her shit. Same with Mellie & Sally in past episodes. They have done plenty of bad things in their lives, but so have Liv & Fitz and not only do they not get called on it even remotely as much as they should, Liv played dirty to save Fitz's sorry ass again, in more ways than one. As for Elise's death, she may not have been a good person nor there long enough to matter, but IMO Jake loved her in his own way, basically she's dead because of Liv & Jake had every right to put her on blast for it. Olitz's relationship/impending wedding reminds me of that line from The Birdcage, that the conservative senator told his daughter when he tried to get her to leave her fiancé's house because he didn't want to get caught in the home of a same-sex couple: "I realize that you want to get married, but how many lives do you have to ruin to do it?"

Seriously.  I don't see why this couple is so loved!  Is there any relationship on TV more destructive than Fitz and Olivia?  I can't name a single one!  They're not only destructive to each other, but to so many other people!

 

I do give Shonda credit, though.  I wonder if she's read the criticisms at how little they get called on their shit and is trying to address and fix that this season?

[lovinbob]

I find Portia de Rossi to be the opposite of sexy, and I agree with those who found the scene with David to be chemistry-free.

Ugh, I've never understood her appeal.

[dr pepper]

Rosen and Liz? I kept hoping it would be a dream sequence.

[tomatoflyer]

I've always found Jake kind of pointless...but I loved his speech to Liv. It was so great to see the blinders off and for the first time, to really see Liv for what she is. She talks a good talk, everyone around her believes it, even Liv herself. She wants to be a good person, but she isn't one actually. Then I paused the TV and when I resume watching...they're kissing? And from Liv's POV this man just greatly insulted her and she just allows it? OK then.

I feel like Scandal does the same plot all the time. It's so boring. Sometimes it feels like shows cover certain hot topics just to give themselves a pat on the back.

I think one thing that frustrates me about this show is the fact every time something interesting is set up to happen, they take it back. That playbook is getting really tired. It's all smoke and mirrors.

I enjoyed the flirting between Susan and David. Not between Lizzie and David since she's just using him. And somehow he's too dumb to know it.

I did LOL at Liv saying her and Fitz are a real couple with a real relationship. If that's a real relationship, I'm glad I'm single.

[xander874]

Love Olivia getting a dress down but all I could see when Jake was telling her off was him standing over a dying James trying to justify what he did. Rowan is 300 times worse but it still made me shake my head.

David and Lizzie came out of nowhere considering I don't think they've interacted at all before. Still glad David is getting a story even if it is some skeevy love triangle.

Also glad to see the Gladiators gladiating. Although I feel the older-powerful-man-is-really-a-creepy-predator story has been done many times on this show. Or maybe it's just that everyone on this show is creepy.

[DollEyes]

 

Love Olivia getting a dress down but all I could see when Jake was telling her off was him standing over a dying James trying to justify what he did. Rowan is 300 times worse but it still made me shake my head.

 

  Not me. Jake did a horrible thing by killing James, but Liv and/or Fitz have done just as bad or worse and constantly get away with it, especially in this episode, in which Fitz & Company celebrated his non-impeachment with champagne. And all it took was blackmail & getting Roman out of jail, both courtesy of Liv, who didn't let Rowan's track record stop her. Liv would free Satan from Hell if it meant saving Fitz's sorry ass. Jake & Cyrus aren't saints by a long shot, but when both of them read Liv for filth, I cheered because they were right & deep down inside, Liv not only knew it, the last scene when Liv took over for Fitz proved it. As far as I'm concerned, the more Olitz gets their faces cracked, separately or together, the better, no matter who does it.

Edited November 8, 2015 by DollEyes

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Scandal Has Whip Appeal
Liv's new role in the White House seems to be less Michelle Obama and more Karl Rove, to Cyrus's dismay.

[LydiaMoon1]

I thought Jake's speech was dumb. He's a hypocrite - or is the audience supposed to forget that he was in F906 for years, was briefly Command, and killed Cyrus's husband to save his ass? In other words, of all the characters who can claim to be no different from Rowan, Jake is the one for whom that's the most true.

 

So did I, no matter how predisposed I am to loving any scene free of obsequious Olivia-worship, this one just didn’t work for me.  I just can’t get into one mass murderer complaining about another mass murderer to someone who inspires mass murder and/or covers up for people who commit mass murder.  It just doesn’t flow.  I had the same problem with my favorite soap opera years back, before it got cancelled.  When writers make every character gray (or big, steaming POS like most characters are on Scandal), there’s no one left to deliver a righteous smackdown. I suppose Susan Ross still could, but she’s clueless to most of the shenanigan that have gone down. So, in the end, I was meh on both Jake and Cyrus’s conversations with Olivia.  Jake’s a pot calling a kettle black and Cyrus is just mad that Olivia is the puppet-master he always wanted to be.

Edited November 10, 2015 by LydiaMoon1

[Anna Yolei]

Liv: "I'll never understand how women stand behind these kinds of men."

Me: "Bitch, are you serious?! Have you met YOU?!!"

That has to be one of the most incredibly unaware, self involved lines ever penned on this show.

I just can't even.

[scruffy73]

There are very few "angels" left on this show. Susan Ross, David Rosen, Abby and New OPA guy are the only people that can actually wear a white hat on occasion. However, only Susan is the one who is still untainted by any plots Olivia may have roped them into.

I loved that the "Shonda Twist" this episode was Olivia realizing that Cyrus was right and instead of shying away from her new found power, embraces it. Of course, this is probably going to backfire when she makes the wrong decision. Cyrus will be waiting in the wings for it to happen. Also at some point Fitz will eventually find out that Olivia and Mellie are responsible for setting her father free. Mellie will probably get over Fitz's rage but it is pretty damning for Olivia.

As much as I love Scott Foley, there is zero reason for Jake to be on this show. Also these people have short memories which is completely inappropriate at times. Jake killed James. Jake also worked for B6BlahBlahBlah. Jake and his "wife" were both "not nice" people as a job. This sort of thing happens when you're in that position and they need to own it.

I feel the same way about that as I did about Cyrus when he was upset about James' death when he once placed a hit out on him which he called off at the last minute.

Sally Langston can sit on her high horse but she whacked her gay husband at one point and she seems to have completely forgotten about that as has everyone else.

While Lizzie may be ambitious, she is no where on the level of any of these people. She has never rigged an election or killed people to protect herself.

Finally, poor Susan. I can see her discovering what's going on with Lizzie and David but I really wish they weren't going in that direction with her. She'd be a formidable opponent for Mellie as President in the future since all we've heard about her is how squeaky clean she is. Taking down someone with no skeletons in their closet isn't easy for these people.

Nope, Lizzie is just as bad. She was with the VP Andrew getting Olivia kidnapped so Fitz would go to war with West Angola. Remember she got Hucked up when they were trying to find Liv.

Speaking of, has her back healed or is David pretending that he doesn't see that Huck took a cheese grater to her back? Or are supposed to have forgotten that happened?