S05.E10: It's Hard Out Here For A General

[Black Knight]

When this episode started with Rowan almost immediately launching into one of his monologues, I groaned mightily - I hate, hate, hate DaddyPope's monologues, so this was like the worst possible way to start off the spring season of Scandal. Luckily, I think that was actually the lowest point. There were a lot of other things I didn't like about this episode, but did I mention how much I hate DaddyPope's monologues? There's only a couple of things I hate more (Huck torturing/murdering/having icky sex with Quinn, Olitz being schmoopy romantic) and neither of those were in this episode, so everything else was still an improvement. The one thing I did like about Rowan is that he reinforced what a useless president Fitz is. Between that and what Olivia said in the mid-season finale, it's official show canon: Fitz is a terrible president.

 

Abby officially proves herself to be the smartest woman on the show: I loved her "Ew" at the image of being romantically involved with Fitz. Unlike Olivia and even my favorite, Mellie, she didn't need to get into the relationship, much less spend years being off/on with Fitz, to know what a horrendously awful thing that would be.

 

That was a sightly dull episode but I liked the reveal of Jake being the culprit and this exchange between Liv' and Mellie at the end : 

- It's very smart.
- Thank you.

- And well-written.
- I wrote it myself.

- And a total bore.
- There was a ghostwriter.

 

Bellamy Young delivery was awesome and really funny.

I know! I rewound her last line several times. Her crestfallen face was just so hilarious.

 

And I can forgive everything that was awful about this episode for Olivia and Mellie teaming up by the end. Yes, yes, yes!

 

That's a ridiculous go around.  Jake lied right to Fitz's face. He's been seeing her, interacting with her, and even if to say "get out of my apartment' which she did say at some point in the episode. That's Jake talking to her. 

 

Jake knew what Fitz was asking. Jake's not stupid and he lied because he wouldn't suit his own agenda.

 

So what? Fitz doesn't have the right to an answer. Jake giving him a halfway-truthful answer - it's true enough that he and Olivia are not really talking (it was all superficial until their fight later, they're just fucking) - was more than Fitz had a right to expect. I don't mind that sort of technical hair-splitting when it's in response to a question that really shouldn't be asked in the first place, because in my view the questioner deserves whatever s/he gets. Mind your own business, Fitz.

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

Scandal Faces The Aftermath
So Liv and Fitz really did break up, and apparently haven't even spoken in six months. That leaves a void in both of their lives, and Jake and Rowan waltz right in.

[txhorns79]

When this episode started with Rowan almost immediately launching into one of his monologues, I groaned mightily - I hate, hate, hate DaddyPope's monologues, so this was like the worst possible way to start off the spring season of Scandal. Luckily, I think that was actually the lowest point. There were a lot of other things I didn't like about this episode, but did I mention how much I hate DaddyPope's monologues?

 

I get tired of them as well.  The show is too reliant on them, and there's a point where you almost want the characters to just leave the room, play with their phones, or just look bored, because they have heard all his crap before.  Except I guess we now have the image of Rowan's "son" having sex with his daughter to contend with. 

[Eolivet]

(I noticed for the first time, this show is using Sally's bits like Meredith's monologue on Grey's Anatomy. I love Sally, but I don't think it works quite as well here.)

 

I thought this episode was great, actually. I thought it was an effort to paint Olivia more as a white hat again against the black hats of Jake and her father. I found it to be a very interesting contrast -- Olivia, her father's actual child, has a heart along with her ambition and is unwilling to do "whatever it takes." There is a limit to her treachery. Jake is the child her father wants Olivia to be: the one created in his own image. It's noble power ("I will bend the laws if it's best for the country") vs. selfish power ("I am the law and the country is better off for it").

 

It was why I liked the contrast at the end: Jake/Rowan took power through murder, while Olivia is taking a route that's more above board: get the first woman elected president, and make herself indispensable to Mellie. Get back into the Oval office and become the power behind the power (much like Cyrus). Do I believe she'll do some underhanded things in order to get Mellie there? Yes. But it won't be murder.

 

Olivia has now seen the two extremes: ornamental first lady with Fitz or amoral power monger with Jake. I want this to end with Olivia tearing them both down: the arcane establishment and the radical secret organization. I think (or I hope) this was Olivia becoming the hero of the story again. She still wants power, but she's willing to work within the confines of the system (mostly) to get it. She is the happy medium, and I really hope this ends with her choosing herself (and a great [mostly] scandal-free career).

Edited February 15, 2016 by Eolivet

[Meliss]

I think what happened is that the Writers decided to take certain politicized topics and create shows around them.

For instance, the last season finale appeared to be about women's reproductive rights. In order for Mellie to have the filibuster she had to be in this exact position in the Senate. Then in order for Olivia to have an abortion, she would have to be with Fitz in his world & then decide it was not what she wanted.

This episode was about how normal it is for high ranking government Officials to have secured emails on their home computers. The Writers created a story line to highlight those ideas, instead of following a story line that makes any sense.

There are still a couple of story lines that are purely for the sake of entertaining the audience(i.e. what is really behind Jake's alliance with Rowan & with Olivia teaming up with Mellie).

Otherwise the last few episodes have felt hurried as in we need to cut through a lot of story line without any of the real emotions characters may need to process in order to make our points about current social issues.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Meliss

[hatchetgirl]

How can Mellie and Olivia work together without either of them looking so stupid? Olivia was the president's mistress and took the place of first lady and then within 6 mos they are going to step out to the world and work together? The credibility questions alone are mind boggling!

[wanderingstar]

Olivia and Jake are hot together. That is all.

[ChicksDigScars]

During the "winter hiatus," I cleansed my pallet by binging West Wing so that I could see what a REAL fake POTUS and his staff are like. Hell, March 5 can't come soon enough so I can watch Frank Underwood again, and remember what real fake corruption looks like, too.

 

This? Is sooo bad. Scott Foley's pretty and Bellamy Young's awesome, can't save this ish.

[Oblique Angle]

I didn't get around to watching this episode until yesterday and I'm almost wishing I hadn't bothered. I guess the average guy wouldn't want to follow the POTUS into a woman's love life so maybe Olivia's options are limited. But Jake? Again? Ugh.

 

Ditto comments upthread, I could live without ever hearing another Rowan harangue again. At this point I think SR's is still writing them in because she knows how much so many viewers hate them now.

 

I'm still holding onto hope that the show is in some kind of extended dream sequence but I can't figure out what would've been the logical place for it to have started. Definitely before the beginning of this season though.

[Happytobehere]

That's a ridiculous go around.  Jake lied right to Fitz's face. He's been seeing her, interacting with her, and even if to say "get out of my apartment' which she did say at some point in the episode. That's Jake talking to her. 

 

Jake knew what Fitz was asking. Jake's not stupid and he lied because he wouldn't suit his own agenda.

No it s not. If Fitz doesn't have the guts to ask the question you say he really wants to know, he is unworthy of the answer you say he wants to hear. He asked a question, he received an answer to the question he asked. Fitz being a rich, spoiled, nothing doesn't entitle him to answers to questions he didn't ask.

[Happytobehere]

(I noticed for the first time, this show is using Sally's bits like Meredith's monologue on Grey's Anatomy. I love Sally, but I don't think it works quite as well here.)

 

I thought this episode was great, actually. I thought it was an effort to paint Olivia more as a white hat again against the black hats of Jake and her father. I found it to be a very interesting contrast -- Olivia, her father's actual child, has a heart along with her ambition and is unwilling to do "whatever it takes." There is a limit to her treachery. Jake is the child her father wants Olivia to be: the one created in his own image. It's noble power ("I will bend the laws if it's best for the country") vs. selfish power ("I am the law and the country is better off for it").

 

It was why I liked the contrast at the end: Jake/Rowan took power through murder, while Olivia is taking a route that's more above board: get the first woman elected president, and make herself indispensable to Mellie. Get back into the Oval office and become the power behind the power (much like Cyrus). Do I believe she'll do some underhanded things in order to get Mellie there? Yes. But it won't be murder.

 

Olivia has now seen the two extremes: ornamental first lady with Fitz or amoral power monger with Jake. I want this to end with Olivia tearing them both down: the arcane establishment and the radical secret organization. I think (or I hope) this was Olivia becoming the hero of the story again. She still wants power, but she's willing to work within the confines of the system (mostly) to get it. She is the happy medium, and I really hope this ends with her choosing herself (and a great [mostly] scandal-free career).

I could agree in theory, if Olivia hadn't once again shown that she does not wear the white hat when she took Daddy's advice and allowed the murder of an innocent man and the destruction of a woman's career go uncorrected as she got herself a piece of the Power Pie.

[Eolivet]

Fair enough. I suppose she draws the line at "committing murder," but can rationalize "condoning murder."

 

She's become like a mob boss, in a way: family over all. Doing right, up to the point where it interferes with her family.