S05.E08: Rasputin

[thewhiteowl]

In the midst of Fitz negotiating a historic peace deal, Olivia must rely on her instincts when a guest of the The White House discloses powerful intel. Meanwhile, Jake uses Huck’s help to get closer to his target, and Cyrus takes matters into his own hands when he realizes he’s been shut out of the inner circle.

 

 

[KaveDweller]

Everyone on this show is a terrible, terrible person.  Except the vice president.

[nilyank]

Well Fitz upped the creep factor when he told Olivia that he had all her stuff moved into the White House and how he was going to protect her. Eeesh.

 

I wish Olivia would realize that her gut is broken and has been broken for the past few seaons.

Edited November 13, 2015 by nilyank

[SimoneS]

This is the first time that I have ever felt like Fitz has had the upper hand in his relationship with Olivia. He decided to forgive her and uses her guilt over Rowan to move her into the White House. 

 

The V.P. seems like a nice person. She can do better than David.

 

Go away, Jake, just go away!

[Free]

Well Fitz upped the creep factor when he told Olivia that he had all her stuff moved into the White House and how he was going to protect her. Eeesh.

 

I wish Olivia would realize that her gut is broken and has been broken for the past few seaons.

 

The ending felt like a horror movie with how creepy and possessive Fitz was.

[Happytobehere]

What a shift from last week when Olivia thought she was running the world. She has now been reduced to Fitz's pawn.

Rowan was right, Liv will come to regret choosing her white boys over her father.

[LeeLeePanda]

The ending felt like a horror movie with how creepy and possessive Fitz was.

I felt like gagging. Olivia looked terrified!

[Free]

I felt like gagging. Olivia looked terrified!

 

Stuck in her own 'prison' now.

[Anela]

Well Fitz upped the creep factor when he told Olivia that he had all her stuff moved into the White House and how he was going to protect her. Eeesh.

 

That was really creepy. 

[SimoneS]

Rowan was right, Liv will come to regret choosing her white boys over her father.

 

They all might be sociopaths (Olivia included), but compared to Rowan they are practically saints. Rowan is never right about anything as far as I can tell. All he ever does is give long ranting monologues because he apparently loves the sound of his own voice.

Edited November 13, 2015 by SimoneS

[Free]

All he ever does is give long ranting monologue because he apparently loves the sound of his own voice.

 

 

His droning monologues.

[Anela]

Quinn annoyed me when she told the new guy to speak faster. 

[gryphon]

I heart the VP.  She can do better than David...but it would be nice if they did get together. And if they broke up, it would be her decision.  I don't want her to get hurt. 

 

Fitz is Creepy McCreepster! 

[buttersister]

Alright, Fitz! Kudos on an entire new reason you're the worst.

 

And nice masterful gloat to Olivia (how long have you been waiting for that moment?) and to the treaty co-signer (boom!).

 

And speaking of gloating, I did it for Jake, who stayed pretty smooth telling his ex-lover/crush to fuck off.

[Artsda]

I kind of love Fitz working everything in his favor to move Olivia into the White House. She acted like she was running the show and now she's right in the spot that she let her father out to avoid. Living in the White House, with a Secret Service detail. She was so desperate to not marry Fitz, she let a serial killer out, and it did nothing. She's in the same spot, and then she didn't want to tell him because she was so scared to lose him?

 

Olivia makes no sense at all, she either doesn't want to lose him forever or she can't bear to live with him? 

 

Love Huck being one of the sons.

[Dowel Jones]

Pet peeve:  It's nu-clear, not nook-you-ler.  You're better than that, OPA. 

 

So, are we going to find all of Olivia's stuff out on the South Lawn?

[Pathetica]

I can't remember why I ever liked this show.

[WhosThatGirl]

Um, what? So, is Liv now like trapped or something and I should feel bad for her? Oh, I hate everyone on this show. Except for Susan Ross. I once again will say that the hilarious Jimmy Kimmel spoof of this show is so much more fun than the actual show. Also when I came here to post my thoughts and saw the title of this episode, I giggled because whenever I think of Rasputin, I always think of my senior year in high school history class and after we learned about him, our teacher played this song about Rasputin that just went, "Ras,ras,rasputin.." over and over.

[mwell345]

 

Well Fitz upped the creep factor when he told Olivia that he had all her stuff moved into the White House and how he was going to protect her. Eeesh.

 

Yeah, but I liked it because it added a new twist.   I imagine this is the only direction they could go with the story because you can't have Fitz and Olivia living happily ever after.  So now we have creepy Fitz - still can't stand him, but I sort of like where this might go.

 

Be careful what you wish for Ms. Pope!

 

But Fitz can stop with the moral outrage over Olivia freeing her father.  He killed a Supreme Court justice. 

 

And I could watch Jake tell Olivia off all day long.   My, my, she is quite the Mini-President, isn't she?

Edited November 13, 2015 by mwell345

[FlowerofCarnage]

Oh Liv,to quote the great O-ren Ishii,"you didn't think it would be easy, did you?" Fitz is punishing you for what you did by taking away all that you value the most; your freedom to come and go as you please and your career.

[Chaos Theory]

I am not sure I like this show anymore. I have a bit of an OU of likeing Quinn especially her season 2 story arc. I actually liked her downward spiral and the very early B613 stuff before it got too self involved and overblown. I like the show when it mixes between dark and overly blown soap opera and right now it is too overblown for my taste plus it focuses way to much on Olivia/Fitz which was always the least interesting thing about the show.

I did like the Olivia and Fitz scenes during the episode where "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" played. I think that is the relationship in a nutshell. What they actually say to each other is meaningless. All they are is random Looks and pretty songs in each other's ears and then big creepy gestures of revenge masking as love.

I think I am done.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[Empress1]

So Liv isn't ready to get married but she's not ready to be done? What does she want?

 

At this point my favorite parts of the show are the ones where Jake tells Liv about herself. Also the music - Donny Hathaway's "A Song for You" is one of my favorite songs of all time.

[SimoneS]

So Liv isn't ready to get married but she's not ready to be done? What does she want?

 

To date and maybe live together like many normal people do. I actually don't see anything wrong with this. However, she always has had the upper hand in that relationship with Fitz and has been able to dictate its terms. Now it is Fitz' turn. I am enjoying this because it is different.

 

Jake is only railing against Olivia because she did not pick him. If she had, he would be excusing her behavior just like Fitz.

 

More on Rowan, I get Fitz and Jake's obsession with Olivia. They are in love with her. Rowan is her father. His obsession with controlling her is perverse. He needs to go get a life and leave her alone.

[ChicksDigScars]

This show has sooooo jumped the shark. The President of the United States kicks his wife to the curb a year after they mourned the loss of a child, moves his slam piece in, and she assumes First Lady duties and makes decisions on running the world? Oh, and "America falls in love with Olivia Pope?" Are you kidding me? No POTUS would ever survive that. I can't even watch this. My eyes are rolling too far into my head with every scene. I'm not asking for 100% realism, especially in Shondaland, but this is just beyond laughable. 

 

And two weeks in a row with just ONE short Mellie scene? This show suffers without Bellamy Young. And I do need Scott Foley to keep me interested, as well. 

 

 

 

I am not sure I like this show anymore.....I like the show when it mixes between dark and overly blown soap opera and right now it is too overblown for my taste plus it focuses way to much on Olivia/Fitz which was always the least interesting thing about the show.

 

I think I am done.

 

THIS. And yeah. Me too. The fact that I started playing Scrabble on my I-Pad during Scandal says a lot. I need to investigate what else is on and tell ABC goodbye after Grey's on Thursday nights. 

Edited November 13, 2015 by ChicksDigScars

[reggiejax]

She was so desperate to not marry Fitz, she let a serial killer out, and it did nothing.

 

 

Rowan is technically a mass murderer, not a serial killer.

 

To date and maybe live together like many normal people do.

 

 

But they are not normal people. And that’s even before you take into account that Fitz is President and Liv is a powerful Washington operative. The mere facts of who they are as individuals (two completely fucked up people) precludes normalcy. Any expectation of “normal”, usually expressed as Vermont and jam, is a pipe dream at best.

 

But Fitz can stop with the moral outrage over Olivia freeing her father.  He killed a Supreme Court justice.

 

Indeed he killed Verna, there is no denying that. Though I am still unclear as to whether or not anyone else is aware of that fact.

 

But as bad as Fitz is, I don’t think it is outrageous for him to hate the man who killed his son, who in Fitz mind was a completely innocent bystander to all these shenanigans. And I don’t think we can expect him to look at it from a dispassionate, clinical viewpoint where he thinks “Well Liv got her villainous father, the bastard who murdered my son, out of jail. But I smothered a dying woman, so let’s call it even. What’s for dinner?”. Frankly, it is the rare person who could be evenhanded about something like that.

 

Now of course, we the audience, as disconnected third party observers, are free to keep a running total of the various misdeeds of the characters and rank them in order of evilness. The characters themselves no doubt do it as well. But I don’t think we can expect any type of objectivity from them on this matter. So Fitz, despite his many awful acts, is going to hate on Rowan and anybody that so much as looks in his direction.

 

So if he holds it against Liv, I for one have no problem with that. Though it seems he is not doing that. In any case, next week it will all be forgotten.

 

This show has sooooo jumped the shark. The President of the United States kicks his wife to the curb a year after they mourned the loss of a child, moves his slam piece in, and she assumes First Lady duties and makes decisions on running the world? Oh, and "American falls in love with Olivia Pope?" Are you kidding me? No POTUS would ever survive that. I can't even watch this. My eyes are rolling too fan back into my head. I'm not asking for 100% realism, especially in Shondaland, but this is just beyond laughable

 

This show has never been in the same universe as reality. In fact, more and more they have little use for the reality they have created. For me, it was the soap opera ridiculousness, at levels not seen since Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter was threatening to destroy Blake and Denver Carrington on a weekly basis, which kept me interested. But as of late, the show really just seems to be an excuse to showcase two things: Shonda Rhimes personal agenda and Kerry Washington’s bad acting. I have no problem with the first, it is Shonda's show after all. But the second grows more and more tiresome. Though I will give Kerry Washington credit, she has managed to add a third facial expression to her limited repertoire. The first two, exaggerated sneer and sniveling crying face, have now been joined by a third, condescending smirk. This was on full display during Jake’s first verbal smackdown of Liv. Still, three facial expressions is not much to build a character on. And it has come to the point where I couldn’t give a fuck about Liv or what happens to her, good or bad.

Edited November 13, 2015 by reggiejax

[arty]

So how do Olivia & Fitz come back from this?? How do they go on to make jam and possibly babies in Vermont after Fitz has effectively become her jailer? They've wronged each other in many ways that we've seen, but somehow this one seems the most egregious in my eyes. It seems, dare I say it, abusive.

 

I've been enjoying paying attention to the color of Olivia's outfits this season. I especially loved in this ep that Olivia wore a white coat to visit the defector in the hospital & give him a chance to gain asylum. But underneath it was the mostly black and grey outfit that she wore for her tete-a-tete in the Oval with Jake. And the preview shows her wearing red at a White House cocktail party. Might as well be a scarlet A.

Edited November 13, 2015 by arty

[DollEyes]

This show just gets crazier & crazier. When Fitz & Cyrus are in the same room & Cyrus is the sane one, you know things are bad. Like Cyrus said, just because Liv was right about one thing, that doesn't mean she's right about Rowan, aka the guy responsible for Jerry Jr.'s death, which should be reason alone for anyone never to trust him again, especially Liv and/or Fitz.  Knowing Rowan's track record with the truth, if his protesting his innocence this time was just another long con, I not only wouldn't be surprised, when he reveals his true colors again, I'll be saying "I told you so" the whole time.

 

Three cheers for Jake! By summoning Jake to the Oval Office, Liv brought Jake's latest smackdown on herself, just like the last ones. As for her clapping back about Jake's acts of violence, she didn't seem to have a problem with them when they were for her benefit. Liv's calling Jake's understandable anger at her just sour grapes about her choosing Fitz, as if Elise's death had nothing to do with it, proves just how self-absorbed/Fitz-obsessed she really is. Jake's saying that he used to think that Liv was too good for him until he realized that he's too good for her was spot-on.

 

  Once again, when it comes to Liv, Fitz proves that he's the creepiest creep who ever creeped. By freeing Rowan from prison, Liv has basically become a prisoner herself, which serves her right, as far as I'm concerned.  

Edited November 13, 2015 by DollEyes

[whatsatool]

Once we have a first gentleman in the White House, then the rules for First Lady will change.

[Chaos Theory]

I think there is a major disconnect between what Olivia wants and what Fitz wants. Neither is wrong mind you. Fitz is a traditional guy and wants to come home and have Olivia there pregnant with his slippers and a house full of kids. That isn't a problem if both partners want that but the thought of that sickens Olivia to the extent that she would let a mass murder out of prison to avoid it. What Olivia wants is to sleep in Fitz's bed and the go to work at OPA and have people admire her for the success she earnened. I think she does love Fitz but she doesn't want him to upend her life or to be what defines it.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[Empress1]

I've been enjoying paying attention to the color of Olivia's outfits this season. I especially loved in this ep that Olivia wore a white coat to visit the defector in the hospital & give him a chance to gain asylum. 

That white coat was gorgeous. I love winter white coats.

[Primetimer]

Liv prepares to tell Fitz that she freed Rowan, but doesn't think he'll be able to forgive her actions.

Read the story

[swimmyfish]

The end of the episode was very disturbing. It seemed to me like Olivia was upset that Fitz hadn't broken up with her because of Rowan, and that was before realizing that Fitz had gone full crazy stalker and effectively kidnapped her. However, I kind of like the overtly disturbing twist to their relationship; it's nice the show isn't pretending anymore that this relationship is anything other than hideous.

 

I would, however, like, some explanation of Liv's attitude toward Rowan. Two episodes ago she hung up on him in the hospital, not at all concerned that someone had just tried to kill him, but now she's worried about him? Or is that just a cover so that she wouldn't have to admit to Fitz that she freed a the killer of his son just so she wouldn't have to marry him? It doesn't make a ton of sense either way, but I'd just like to know is supposed to be the truth.

 

Jake looked very fine in that suit walking through the White House. Maybe Susan Ross could stop pining for David Rosen and instead get aboard the Jake train unneccessarily phalic metaphor and all?

 

Also, while I don't like either Liz or Cyrus, it's interesting that both are so neutered in their positions right now; I wonder if the two of them are going to (briefly) be teaming up in the future in an effort to regain some of their power?

[Good Queen Jane]

So is Tom dead? I could have sworn I heard him moaning and taking breaths when Jake rolled him over. And as Jake himself proved, a few mortal wounds don't mean anything on this show.

[OldWiseOne]

I can't remember why I ever liked this show.

Ditto.

 

Jake is only railing against Olivia because she did not pick him. If she had, he would be excusing her behavior just like Fitz.

I think it's because she did not pick him but still expected him to be at her beck and call as her support until he told her off in the last ep.

[swimmyfish]

Indeed he killed Verna, there is no denying that. Though I am still unclear as to whether or not anyone else is aware of that fact.

 

I believe Liv & Cyrus know that he killed Verna; in the Season 4 episode featuring the debate between Fitz, Sally Langston, and Harold Abbot, Liv and Cyrus have a (really forced) laughing fit about how all the candidates are murderers.

[reggiejax]

I believe Liv & Cyrus know that he killed Verna; in the Season 4 episode featuring the debate between Fitz, Sally Langston, and Harold Abbot, Liv and Cyrus have a (really forced) laughing fit about how all the candidates are murderers.

Now that you mention it, I do remember Liv making that remark. But was there a moment where Fitz admitted he had done so, or are we supposed to assume it happened off-screen?

[marny]

Why on earth would Olivia care that someone is trying to kill Rowen??? Just a little while ago, SHE was trying to kill him. She's been wanting him dead for YEARS. And suddenly, his potential death is a problem for her? Did I miss something? Garbage. It's all nonsensical garbage.

Edited to add: Also, So tired of OPA always being wrong at first, and then right. They're always going off half-cocked before actually doing their jobs, resulting in accusing wrong people of murder, calling truthful people liars, and denying asylum prematurely. If they were good at their jobs, they'd maybe get things right the first time for a change.

Edited November 13, 2015 by marny

[Ohwell]

Rowan is technically a mass murderer, not a serial killer.

 

THIS.  Cracked me up.

 

Jake did look mighty fine in that suit.  Olivia is a fool.

[bmoore4026]

Free, on 12 Nov 2015 - 10:10 PM, said:

Stuck in her own 'prison' now.

 

Few people know they're in  a gilded cage until the doors slam shut. 

 

Also, it's been said before but it bears repeating, things could be so much simpler on this show if people just sat town and explained themselves, without the need of secret rooms and handcuffs.  You could still have drama, couldn't you?  Because, at this, point, I really do want the super mutants from the Fallout games to show up and take over Washington and, maybe, make either Mellie or Sally their queen.  That would be interesting.

[KaveDweller]

Now that you mention it, I do remember Liv making that remark. But was there a moment where Fitz admitted he had done so, or are we supposed to assume it happened off-screen?

 

I can't remember the details,  but I am almost positive I remember a scene with Olivia finding out. Fitz told her when he was pissed at her about something, a couple of seasons ago. 

 

Rowan is technically a mass murderer, not a serial killer.

 

He might actually be a serial mass murderer.  I stopped keeping track though, because he just sucks either way.

[diggle]

"You and I will be together now. And you will be safe. And protected."

He sounded like Kathy Bates in "Misery."

[lovinbob]

Quinn annoyed me when she told the new guy to speak faster. 

On a show full of unlikable, annoying characters, Quinn is my least favorite. She is just not believable as a badass.

I did like the Olivia and Fitz scenes during the episode where "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" played. I think that is the relationship in a nutshell. What they actually say to each other is meaningless. All they are is random Looks and pretty songs in each other's ears and then big creepy gestures of revenge masking as love.

I think I am done.

 

I've given up on this show and only watched it because I keep forgetting to cancel it from my DVR, and I needed to distract myself from a personal problem. So the scene with Liv and Fitz and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" just made me laugh. The posing! Fitz's furrowed brow!

 

When is Cyrus going to learn to read the room before he starts running at the mouth with plans for the President?

[Schmoopy]

The opening shot of Fitz walking down that hallway made me laugh, as I am convinced that was Fitz doing his best imitation Olivia Pope superiority strut.

[Black Knight]

This show just gets crazier & crazier. When Fitz & Cyrus are in the same room & Cyrus is the sane one, you know things are bad. Like Cyrus said, just because Liv was right about one thing, that doesn't mean she's right about Rowan, aka the guy responsible for Jerry Jr.'s death, which should be reason alone for anyone never to trust him again, especially Liv and/or Fitz.

I think Fitz knows that perfectly well. He just has no intention of letting Cyrus in on what he's really up to with Olivia and Rowan. I guess, quite contrary to what he told Cyrus, he hasn't actually forgiven him. Same as how he hasn't forgiven Olivia for releasing Rowan but he's acting like he has. Cyrus really should have remembered what he told Mellie a few episodes ago when he got her to walk away from the deal that she and Fitz had made, that Fitz is a politician, he'll say whatever he has to in order to sway someone. Fitz worked Cyrus a couple of weeks ago, with that speech about Cyrus's mother, exactly the way he worked Mellie, and Cyrus fell for it hook, line and sinker and unlike Mellie, he didn't have someone there to snap him back to reality and make him remember that Fitz is a smarmy user.

 

I did like the Olivia and Fitz scenes during the episode where "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" played. I think that is the relationship in a nutshell. What they actually say to each other is meaningless.

I get your point completely on the macro level, and for the most part that scene worked fine for me as it was. However, there was one very important point on the micro level I did want to know, which I'm denied knowing because of the way they did the scene: Did Liv tell Fitz that she released Rowan only because she was worried he'd be killed, or did she also own up to not wanting to get married? Given the ending, Fitz obviously knows that Liv did it because she didn't want to get married, but did she tell him that or did he figure it out on his own? I mean, it's not that hard to figure out, but it's Fitz we're talking about - he never figured out that Olivia released Rowan, whereas Abby knew in a second.

 

I was delighted by the end. Wonderfully creepy. I hate romantic Olitz and it looks like we're finally done with all that nonsense. Fitz is punishing Olivia in exactly the worst way - however, Olivia will figure her way out of this prison. And my guess is that it's going to involve teaming up with Mellie after all, if for no other reason than because it'll annoy the ever loving fuck out of Fitz. Thank goodness because, as someone said upthread, two episodes in a row with just one short Mellie scene is terrible.

 

And Olivia, seriously, knock off what you're doing with Jake. I agree with the poster upthread who said Jake's problem isn't that Olivia chose Fitz, it's the way she kept communicating with Jake after that, sending all kinds of mixed signals. Things like how she called him before the wedding, like she was hoping for a grand gesture where he'd interrupt the wedding and carry her off. But of course Olivia says that Jake's problem is that she chose Fitz, because she wants to believe that's his problem. She picked Fitz, but she's not ready to be done with Jake, either. She doesn't want him to move on, she wants him to be there waiting for when she's done with Fitz. But Jake's not letting her treat him like a doormat. Good for him. But now that Fitz has ensured that Olivia will want nothing more than to get away from him, I expect Olivia and Jake will be in bed sooner rather than later. It is, after all, something else she can do to annoy the ever loving fuck out of Fitz. If we thought Fitz vs. Mellie was war, Olivia vs. Fitz will be WWIII.

[Spig]

In my headcanon, this is happening in the same universe as The Good Wife -- Fitz is the only circumstance I can think of in which Peter Florrick looks like a viable presidential candidate. "All Fitz's awfulness, plus he's slightly more charismatic!" will be his platform.

[CofCinci]

Everyone on this show is a terrible, terrible person. Except the vice president.

That's pretty much the synopsis of every episode this season. I heart that Veep. Why can't she end up on a tropical island with Jake?

Jake, I am loving this new cold shoulder you've been giving to Olivia. If Shonda doesn't spin Jake off or write a new series for the actor, I'm just going to assume that Jake and Olivia are end game.

[PrincessTT]

When Liv confessed about getting her father out of jail, I wonder how much of Mellie's part in it she included. Freeing Tom was on Mellie and not on Liv. 

 

Now that you mention it, I do remember Liv making that remark. But was there a moment where Fitz admitted he had done so, or are we supposed to assume it happened off-screen?

 

 

I can't remember the details,  but I am almost positive I remember a scene with Olivia finding out. Fitz told her when he was pissed at her about something, a couple of seasons ago. 

 

Cyrus told her about it at the end of season 2, just before he showed Fitz the Liv/Jake sex tape...

 

 

The whole scene is one of my favourites, I laugh everytime I watch it. 

 

I can't remember if Liv and Fitz have ever had a conversation about it though. 

[thewhiteowl]

The opening shot of Fitz walking down that hallway made me laugh, as I am convinced that was Fitz doing his best imitation Olivia Pope superiority strut.

 

 All he needed was a purse.

[Mama No Life]

I am now officially hate watching this show.  I guess that's one of the stages of disconnecting from shows?   Surely just turning it off is next right?  I'm almost there....soooooo close!

[WhosThatGirl]

Jake, I am loving this new cold shoulder you've been giving to Olivia. If Shonda doesn't spin Jake off or write a new series for the actor, I'm just going to assume that Jake and Olivia are end game.

 

Shonda does seem to like Scott Foley. He was on Greys for a bit of time and then when he was killed off, he ended up on this show. However, I don't know if I want Scott on another Shonda show. I love him ever since Felicity, but I don't know. I do know Shonda seems to like him so should Jake ever really die dead on the show, I think Shonda might have him appear on another one of her shows, it wouldn't be surprising.