S06.E04: The Belt

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

Cyrus faces his ultimate challenge but continues to stop at nothing to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, Olivia and the gladiators uncover shocking new evidence about the night Frankie was shot.

[Anela]

I missed how Cyrus got into that cell - I walked away, wrongly thinking that he was so low that he would kill himself. Did that guy start to eat the guard? Ugh. I could have done without that. 

I had been feeling a bit bad for Cyrus, up until that point. When Liv, of all people, told him that it was time to pay his dues - !!! I hate to repeat myself, but they are all shitty people!!! 

[chick binewski]

10 minutes ago, Anela said:

I had been feeling a bit bad for Cyrus, up until that point. When Liv, of all people, told him that it was time to pay his dues - !!! I hate to repeat myself, but they are all shitty people!!! 

Seriously. I might have considered accepting that line of b/s If Liv (or Fitz or half of the other characters on the show) were actually sitting in any of the cells next to Cyrus.

This show keeps bringing the wtf. I know I'm fearful of going to jail because everybody knows the prison gangs who represent registered voters are the most bad ass gangs EVER. 

[reggiejax]

I just wonder how Cyrus is going to explain away the fact that he was in that cell when the cannibal prisoner was murdering the guard. 

Oh who am I kidding, this is Scandal, they're going to completely forget that particular bit and Cyrus will be back in the Oval, in some capacity, by the time the season ends. 

If nothing else, I am finally glad somebody called out Abby on her season long power trip. That it was Fitz was surprising. 

[Guest]

I can't stand them saying Mellie won the election- um, no you didn't. The person who won was murdered and you may have somehow connived to now be president.

Liv scolding Quinn for watching Mellie dance was ridiculous. "Show her respect?" Like you've always done, Olivia? Because I can think of about 50 things you've done to her that are far more disrespectful than watching her dance.

The fakeout scene was so over the top. I should have known it was fake from the fact that Liv was acting like a human being. Her speech about his bill being due was much more realistic- taking the moral high ground like she isn't a murderer, election stealer, cheater, etc. 

Cannibalism? We've moved to cannibalism, show? I know you go out of your way to be edgy but come on.

[Athena5217]

This show hasn't just jumped the shark--it's jumped the entire Atlantic Ocean.

Of course the vice president elect and a cannibal would be in the same prison, and Tom too! What could go wrong there?

Hey Liv, you murdered a Vice President of the U.S. Fitz murdered a judge in her hospital bed. You all deserve to rot in prison.

[Tetraneutron]

That episode was just a big placeholder. Absolutely nothing moved forward, we did nothing interesting with the characters and we didn't learn anything new about them unless you count Huck's girlfriend. I care about her as much as I care about Charlie (as a love interest; he's fine as comic relief) or as much as I care about . . . Mark? Michael? Matthew? You know, Cyrus's fake husband. Or the new FBI director, who is of course just a placeholder until Liv and Fitz are back in each other's arms.

I'm scared to say anything so I don't jinx it, but it's it great how there's been absolutely no Papa Pope? I have not missed his character at all. Even though realistically he's the first person everyone would think was behind an assassination it's been great without him. Besides that, the episode was a misfire - it's a fun political soap. A plot about prisons and torture and sadism was completely tonally off. It was too sad and bleak to be campy like everything else is.

[dr pepper]

I was wrong. After last episode i expressed amazement that anyone, let alone Cyrus, was getting punished for their crimes. But, nope that was a fakeout. Speaking of which, as soon as Cy woke up in a clean hospital, i wondered if this was a dream sequence. And when his fake husband was there, i went to about 60% certainty. Liv made it 90% and the swearing in, with everyone looking on in approval made it 95%. I actually started to waver when he got to the Whitehouse because it seemed that it was going on too long, but when Melly started talking about the decor, i knew he was waking up.

[slade3]

Unless there's some major twist that Cyrus actually did kill Vargas, or that Olivia helped Cyrus figure out how to get Tom to confess Cyrus is innocent, I don't see how anyone can root for Olivia this season.

Was that whole thing with Tom, the cannibal, and the guard straightforward? It felt convoluted to me, so I'm not sure if there's room to learn someone (Olivia? Jake? Michael?) helped Cyrus convince the cannibal to help out.

I assume Cyrus's storyline will focus on the fact that all of his "friends" turned on him while he was imprisoned, and he may have power over them if he is made president, so he can make their lives hell. They will have to apologize, grovel and make amends. Abby was trying to save him, so she'll get some top job if Cyrus becomes president, but his friends, and husband, abandoned him. I'm usually into that type of storyline, but Cyrus isn't our leading man, and the people I'm supposed to be rooting for are the ones who turned their backs on an innocent man. To me, that's a bad road for a show to go down.

Olivia is our leading lady and, though she has been impossible to like lately, I've been hoping things would turn around and I would be able to root for her again. Even tonight, when she was on the phone with Cyrus, I started to hope that she would say, "I'll look into it." That's how open I am to trying to find a way to root for her.

I don't even need Olivia to be good. I'm generally okay with anti-heroes. But I can't even get on board with this anti-hero because she still thinks she's some kind of hero! Her conversation with Cyrus was a mistake, because it just highlighted how little right Olivia has to tell someone else they have to pay their dues.

So now I have to question the writers' decision to have Olivia jump all the way into blaming Cyrus the way she did, and then show me Cyrus's suffering for an entire episode. I get that Cyrus is an awful human being, but falsely accusing him of a crime that set him up for the death penalty is unforgivable. And the fact that Olivia went right into it because Rowan put it in her head, and then because she heard one message from a woman she didn't know, makes this plot unbelievable.

The scene with Mellie was very stupid. I didn't understand why it was wrong to watch her dance. Mellie was so unaware of her surroundings, it didn't matter. It was also a mistake to show Mellie and Olivia celebrating in between scenes of Cyrus being spit on and beaten. It's a bad sign when I'm hoping Cyrus becomes president over Mellie. Maybe he can ask Jake to be his VP and we'll learn that was Rowan's plan all along.

I've never been a fan of Quinn or Charlie, so another bad sign is that they were the most bearable characters on the show for me. I was like, "Where are Quinn and Charlie?"

I've hated Abby since season 1, but she hasn't bothered me much lately. Until last night. Wow, my hate for her returned. Her facial expressions when Fitz was yelling at her infuriated me. Who the hell does she think she is? I really don't want to watch much more of her.

Fitz and the FBI director didn't ring true for me. They're already so comfortable with each other, they're sitting in bed sharing a pen? And she's wearing his shirt? I may have a real issue with this show and its characters right now, but at least the original cast has chemistry. 

I'm also not excited about Huck having a love interest. I find he's okay when he's standing around, making observations and agreeing to handle things, but he creeps me out when he kills and when he smiles.

What I took from this episode is that I probably will not be able to watch Scandal live anymore. If I had waited to watch the episode today, I would have fast-forwarded through 90% of it and felt happier. I will watch Jake's episode live though. I'm going to assume he's the final piece of the puzzle and we learn who really killed Vargas next week, and have a better idea how the season is going to play out.

Edited February 17, 2017 by slade3

[Empress1]

Michael puzzles me, because I thought it was clear from the jump that this was a marriage of convenience and neither of them loved the other (although I do think Michael loves Ella, which is good because someone should).

Hi FNL Billy Riggins! (He was the guard.)

10 hours ago, chick binewski said:

Seriously. I might have considered accepting that line of b/s If Liv (or Fitz or half of the other characters on the show) were actually sitting in any of the cells next to Cyrus.

This show keeps bringing the wtf. I know I'm fearful of going to jail because everybody knows the prison gangs who represent registered voters are the most bad ass gangs EVER. 

I buy this. One of them said his whole family voted for Vargas. It's a big deal that a Latino was elected, and I can totally buy that people would take it as a personal insult that one of their own, who had made it to the Oval, was murdered. The Black population would tear Cyrus limb from limb had it been Obama (God forbid) who was murdered.

[Primetimer]

What if he goes to prison? Do you feel bad for him now? What if terrible things happen to him in prison? What if he was innocent the whole time? NOW do you feel bad for him? Do you?

View the full article

[Good Queen Jane]

So what FEDERAL crime did the cannibal commit that put him in a FEDERAL prison? Drugs, assassinations, hate crimes, voter fraud (loved the outraged voter gang, hee) I can understand, but killing and eating family members, no matter how horrific, is not a FEDERAL crime punishable in a FEDERAL  prison. 

And why does Abby care whether Cyrus gets the death penalty? She pushed him out as Chief of Staff and never showed any concern for him before. So why would she go behind Fitz's back to make sure he doesn't get executed?

And why do I care about any of this anyway?

[Guest]

Just now, Good Queen Jane said:

So what FEDERAL crime did the cannibal commit that put him in a FEDERAL prison? Drugs, assassinations, hate crimes, voter fraud (loved the outraged voter gang, hee) I can understand, but killing and eating family members, no matter how horrific, is not a FEDERAL crime punishable in a FEDERAL  prison. 

And why does Abby care whether Cyrus gets the death penalty? She pushed him out as Chief of Staff and never showed any concern for him before. So why would she go behind Fitz's back to make sure he doesn't get executed?

And why do I care about any of this anyway?

I think by the end of last season, Fitz was so checked out of everything but his bedroom game that she started just running a lot of things. She probably doesn't even realize she was purposely going behind his back as much as just doing what she'd been doing for the last year or so of the Scandal universe.

[ravmeltt]

I'm upset with myself that I felt even a little bit sorry for him, but I couldn't help it. He looked so pitiful. And what was worse, when Olivia shut him down, I cringed. I think she could have at least listened to him. They did get along before and were sort of "friends" so I think she was too harsh on him. But seems like he's getting back up again. Like nothing can keep that wicked man down. lol

[ravmeltt]

  7 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

So what FEDERAL crime did the cannibal commit that put him in a FEDERAL prison? Drugs, assassinations, hate crimes, voter fraud (loved the outraged voter gang, hee) I can understand, but killing and eating family members, no matter how horrific, is not a FEDERAL crime punishable in a FEDERAL  prison. 

And why does Abby care whether Cyrus gets the death penalty? She pushed him out as Chief of Staff and never showed any concern for him before. So why would she go behind Fitz's back to make sure he doesn't get executed?

And why do I care about any of this anyway?

I think by the end of last season, Fitz was so checked out of everything but his bedroom game that she started just running a lot of things. She probably doesn't even realize she was purposely going behind his back as much as just doing what she'd been doing for the last year or so of the Scandal universe.

You're so right Good Queen. What's up with Fitz? He needs to get his act together. All this bedroom hopping. I wonder if he is ever going to get back with Olivia. Seems that ship has sailed to me. I can't ever see them back together again.
And yes Abby was busy running things but she should have discussed the death penalty thing with Fitz. Although I can't believe Fitz would push for the death penalty. He and Cyrus were once friends too. I can't see how he could hate him that much to wish the death penalty on him. Olivia too.

[ravmeltt]

Unless there's some major twist that Cyrus actually did kill Vargas, or that Olivia helped Cyrus figure out how to get Tom to confess Cyrus is innocent, I don't see how anyone can root for Olivia this season.

Was that whole thing with Tom, the cannibal, and the guard straightforward? It felt convoluted to me, so I'm not sure if there's room to learn someone (Olivia? Jake? Michael?) helped Cyrus convince the cannibal to help out.

I assume Cyrus's storyline will focus on the fact that all of his "friends" turned on him while he was imprisoned, and he may have power over them if he is made president, so he can make their lives hell. They will have to apologize, grovel and make amends. Abby was trying to save him, so she'll get some top job if Cyrus becomes president, but his friends, and husband, abandoned him. I'm usually into that type of storyline, but Cyrus isn't our leading man, and the people I'm supposed to be rooting for are the ones who turned their backs on an innocent man. To me, that's a bad road for a show to go down.

Olivia is our leading lady and, though she has been impossible to like lately, I've been hoping things would turn around and I would be able to root for her again. Even tonight, when she was on the phone with Cyrus, I started to hope that she would say, "I'll look into it." That's how open I am to trying to find a way to root for her.

I don't even need Olivia to be good. I'm generally okay with anti-heroes. But I can't even get on board with this anti-hero because she still thinks she's some kind of hero! Her conversation with Cyrus was a mistake, because it just highlighted how little right Olivia has to tell someone else they have to pay their dues.

So now I have to question the writers' decision to have Olivia jump all the way into blaming Cyrus the way she did, and then show me Cyrus's suffering for an entire episode. I get that Cyrus is an awful human being, but falsely accusing him of a crime that set him up for the death penalty is unforgivable. And the fact that Olivia went right into it because Rowan put it in her head, and then because she heard one message from a woman she didn't know, makes this plot unbelievable.

The scene with Mellie was very stupid. I didn't understand why it was wrong to watch her dance. Mellie was so unaware of her surroundings, it didn't matter. It was also a mistake to show Mellie and Olivia celebrating in between scenes of Cyrus being spit on and beaten. It's a bad sign when I'm hoping Cyrus becomes president over Mellie. Maybe he can ask Jake to be his VP and we'll learn that was Rowan's plan all along.

I've never been a fan of Quinn or Charlie, so another bad sign is that they were the most bearable characters on the show for me. I was like, "Where are Quinn and Charlie?"

I've hated Abby since season 1, but she hasn't bothered me much lately. Until last night. Wow, my hate for her returned. Her facial expressions when Fitz was yelling at her infuriated me. Who the hell does she think she is? I really don't want to watch much more of her.

Fitz and the FBI director didn't ring true for me. They're already so comfortable with each other, they're sitting in bed sharing a pen? And she's wearing his shirt? I may have a real issue with this show and its characters right now, but at least the original cast has chemistry. 

I'm also not excited about Huck having a love interest. I find he's okay when he's standing around, making observations and agreeing to handle things, but he creeps me out when he kills and when he smiles.

What I took from this episode is that I probably will not be able to watch Scandal live anymore. If I had waited to watch the episode today, I would have fast-forwarded through 90% of it and felt happier. I will watch Jake's episode live though. I'm going to assume he's the final piece of the puzzle and we learn who really killed Vargas next week, and have a better idea how the season is going to play out.

Well said Slade. I agree with everything you said. Everything! Well except the hatred of Abby. I don't hate her. I'm not impressed with her decision though. Olivia I'm beginning to dislike so the writers better turn this around real quick. She's the protagonist and so is Fitz, so if I begin disliking them, that's troubling. And I dislike Fitz for actually wanting the death penalty for Cyrus. He was his friend. Asking for the death penalty for a friend is a bit much. And who is this woman he's sleeping with. I don't buy that relationship one bit. No chemistry. What's up with that. Anyhow good post Slade.

[ravmeltt]

That episode was just a big placeholder. Absolutely nothing moved forward, we did nothing interesting with the characters and we didn't learn anything new about them unless you count Huck's girlfriend. I care about her as much as I care about Charlie (as a love interest; he's fine as comic relief) or as much as I care about . . . Mark? Michael? Matthew? You know, Cyrus's fake husband. Or the new FBI director, who is of course just a placeholder until Liv and Fitz are back in each other's arms.

I'm scared to say anything so I don't jinx it, but it's it great how there's been absolutely no Papa Pope? I have not missed his character at all. Even though realistically he's the first person everyone would think was behind an assassination it's been great without him. Besides that, the episode was a misfire - it's a fun political soap. A plot about prisons and torture and sadism was completely tonally off. It was too sad and bleak to be campy like everything else is.

I'm wondering. Did I miss something? When did Huck get a girlfriend? Who is she? Where did she come from? To me she just appeared in this episode but I don't remember ever seeing her before.

[byrd]

9 hours ago, Tetraneutron said:

That episode was just a big placeholder. Absolutely nothing moved forward, we did nothing interesting with the characters and we didn't learn anything new about them unless you count Huck's girlfriend. I care about her as much as I care about Charlie (as a love interest; he's fine as comic relief) or as much as I care about . . . Mark? Michael? Matthew? You know, Cyrus's fake husband. Or the new FBI director, who is of course just a placeholder until Liv and Fitz are back in each other's arms.

I'm scared to say anything so I don't jinx it, but it's it great how there's been absolutely no Papa Pope? I have not missed his character at all. Even though realistically he's the first person everyone would think was behind an assassination it's been great without him. Besides that, the episode was a misfire - it's a fun political soap. A plot about prisons and torture and sadism was completely tonally off. It was too sad and bleak to be campy like everything else is.

Agreed:

I have to say , I am not feeling Fitz new love interest the FBI Director. I am not feeling any BLACK WOMAN with Fitz unless it's Olivia Pope. There is absolutely no chemistry or substitute for that relationship.  Now , I am not sure where Shonda and her team are heading with all of this, but rethink this one please, not working for me !   

Edited February 17, 2017 by byrd

[slade3]

8 minutes ago, ravmeltt said:

Well said Slade. I agree with everything you said. Everything! Well except the hatred of Abby. I don't hate her. I'm not impressed with her decision though. Olivia I'm beginning to dislike so the writers better turn this around real quick. She's the protagonist and so is Fitz, so if I begin disliking them, that's troubling. And I dislike Fitz for actually wanting the death penalty for Cyrus. He was his friend. Asking for the death penalty for a friend is a bit much. And who is this woman he's sleeping with. I don't buy that relationship one bit. No chemistry. What's up with that. Anyhow good post Slade.

Thanks! I agree about asking for the death penalty for a friend. This group has behaved so badly, the idea that they're outraged by Cyrus assassinating his running mate rings false. Cyrus killed a young woman Fitz slept with in season 1. Olivia killed Fitz's ex-VP. Fitz killed a Supreme Court judge. Tom killed Fitz's son.

12 minutes ago, ravmeltt said:

I'm wondering. Did I miss something? When did Huck get a girlfriend? Who is she? Where did she come from? To me she just appeared in this episode but I don't remember ever seeing her before.

Huck's girlfriend worked on the Vargas campaign. She was friends with the young woman who left the voicemail about Cyrus killing Vargas, and who was later killed in the cabin explosion.

[Feline Queen]

I don't get the plot point of Tom getting $2 million for confessing to Vargas' assassination. He can't spend it if he's in prison. I know fan fic authors who adhere to the basic principals of logic better than some of the professional writers. 

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, Feline Goddess said:

I don't get the plot point of Tom getting $2 million for confessing to Vargas' assassination. He can't spend it if he's in prison. I know fan fic authors who adhere to the basic principals of logic better than some of the professional writers. 

Tom is kind of dumb.  Also, he murdered the president's son and was out in about 2 years.  Maybe he doesn't realize that every murder is like that? 

[fredthebasil]

Billy Riggins!!!!! It was driving me crazy who that guard was the whole time. I mean, not enough to actually look it up or anything, but still.

[phoenics]

8 hours ago, byrd said:

Agreed:

I have to say , I am not feeling Fitz new love interest the FBI Director. I am not feeling any BLACK WOMAN with Fitz unless it's Olivia Pope. There is absolutely no chemistry or substitute for that relationship.  Now , I am not sure where Shonda and her team are heading with all of this, but rethink this one please, not working for me !   

So Fitz can date white chicks and that's okay?  What's wrong with him dating another sista?  Or are you saying only Olivia is allowed to be a black woman with Fitz?  I mean - I don't see a ton of chemistry with Fitz and the FBI director - but I didn't see any with the other women he dated either - I'm not even an Olitz fan and the chemistry he has with Liv is fire - so I get that... just don't get what you mean?

[Sidney]

KW's speed talking is really grating.

[KaveDweller]

7 hours ago, Feline Goddess said:

I don't get the plot point of Tom getting $2 million for confessing to Vargas' assassination. He can't spend it if he's in prison. I know fan fic authors who adhere to the basic principals of logic better than some of the professional writers. 

I totally missed that he got $2 million. When did they reveal that?

Usually on TV when someone gets paid to confess to a crime they didn't commit, the money goes to a loved one or family member. Maybe Tom has a kid we don't know about or something.

[Proteus]

I guess we're supposed to forget that Cyrus had people murderd to make Frankie look like a hero to get him into the Presidential race. That's why I can never feel sorry for him.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Proteus said:

I guess we're supposed to forget that Cyrus had people murderd to make Frankie look like a hero to get him into the Presidential race. That's why I can never feel sorry for him.

I actually had forgotten! Last season was such a mess that I've apparently blocked out important plot points. :)

[slade3]

As much as this show is driving me crazy only 4 episodes in, I'm disappointed the next episode isn't until March 9th.

[Marley]

I hate Cyrus so I don't even care if he's innocent I'd love to see him killed.

Abby sucks too like I'm so sick of her running around yelling at ppl. I'm glad Fitz told her to back off. Abby can leave too pls.

I think Jake killed Vargas becass Papa Pope told him to. I keep remembering how he was absent after Vargas left. Shonda loves the actor tho so maybe it was just Papa Pope then. Hmm..

Not sure what's wrong with watching someone dance? Should I have been looking away all these years lol. Mellie needs to chill with celebrating so quickly tho.

[Emma9]

Every Single Person In The World turning against Cyrus might have painted the picture they wanted, but it makes no sense in practice. Where were the desperate-for-publicity lawyers lining up to represent him? Same goes for whoever the real fixers are in DC now that Liv's lost interest in anyone whose last name isn't Grant. Mr. Easily Bribable Guard should have been inundated by reporters who'd pay buckets to get smuggled in for an interview. There are probably a good number of key Democrats who'd try to get him off, guilty or not, just in hopes of avoiding the president being a Republican instead. And what about the Secret Service? If Cy's theoretically innocent until proven guilty, don't they still have some obligation to his welfare?

Speaking of which, as soon as Cy woke up in a clean hospital, i wondered if this was a dream sequence. And when his fake husband was there, i went to about 60% certainty. Liv made it 90% and the swearing in, with everyone looking on in approval made it 95%. I actually started to waver when he got to the Whitehouse because it seemed that it was going on too long, but when Melly started talking about the decor, i knew he was waking up.

Same, more or less. I was actually more certain it was a dream sequence when he first woke up, but then when it seemed like he wasn't lucid when Liv was speaking to him, I started thinking that she was sincere about stepping aside, but that he'd sustained permanent brain damage so it wasn't going to matter. After that didn't turn out to be the case, I almost believed it might be reality.

So what FEDERAL crime did the cannibal commit that put him in a FEDERAL prison?

Maybe he crossed state lines between committing various of his crimes? That's how Criminal Minds picks up a lot of its cases, but I'm not sure whether it applies to incarceration as well as investigation.

[Oblique Angle]

While it was great to see Cyrus go through the humiliation of the prison intake process (and later get an old-fashioned beatdown), I don't think it begins to pay for all the evil he's done--even if it does turn out he really wasn't behind the assassination.

AFAIC, Mellie should never try to twerk, ever. Never ever. In fact she should probably never try to dance period unless it's a waltz or something.

Director Webster has gorgeous skin.

It seems unlikely to me that Cryus and Tom would be put in the same prison. Whatever, I don't see how Tom having lied about Cyrus automatically makes Cyrus innocent.

Oh, Fitz. You are such a cliché. But I guess Angela is a grown-ass woman and can handle being used in your special "abuse of POTUS power" and "no, I don't have a Black woman fetish" ways.

Poor Michael and poor Ella. I'm glad he finally got wise about Cyrus and is also willing and able to be the good parent Ella wouldn't otherwise have.
 

Quote

This show hasn't just jumped the shark--it's jumped the entire Atlantic Ocean.

!!! And it may be about to jump into another dimension since this one might not be able to contain all the absurdities. I think this show is on the verge of becoming science fiction. Bad sci-fi, but still...

[Feline Queen]

13 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I totally missed that he got $2 million. When did they reveal that?

Usually on TV when someone gets paid to confess to a crime they didn't commit, the money goes to a loved one or family member. Maybe Tom has a kid we don't know about or something.

The gladiators found out about the payment during their investigation and they accessed his bank account. And yes, usually when someone takes 'fall' money it's because they make the sacrifice so their family can have it. Tom doesn't seem to have anyone who'd be a recipient. Maybe, as someone else suggested, he figured he'd be out fairly quickly and could spend it at that point.  

[watch2much]

I'd actually like to Cyrus as avenger against all these people.  Abby's expression when the President asked her if she understood showed she'd be on board to join Cyrus.  When Cyrus was telling the guard how to get power it was the old, calculating, back stabbing Cyrus.  The show needs some kind of focus and that would supply it.

[thewhiteowl]

Interestingly, I thought Cy was guilty because Cy thought he was! Good job there show! 

[nara]

On 2/16/2017 at 11:39 PM, reggiejax said:

I just wonder how Cyrus is going to explain away the fact that he was in that cell when the cannibal prisoner was murdering the guard. 

Oh who am I kidding, this is Scandal, they're going to completely forget that particular bit and Cyrus will be back in the Oval, in some capacity, by the time the season ends. 

I think he could say that the cannibal overpowered the guard, came and forced the guard to open his door and then Tom's door. Cannibal was then planning to kill guard and then Cyrus and Tom. The fact that he was lying on the ground next to Tom would work in his favor. It would look like the cannibal forced both of them to lie on the ground.

On 2/17/2017 at 4:32 AM, slade3 said:

Olivia is our leading lady and, though she has been impossible to like lately, I've been hoping things would turn around and I would be able to root for her again. Even tonight, when she was on the phone with Cyrus, I started to hope that she would say, "I'll look into it." That's how open I am to trying to find a way to root for her.

I've hated Abby since season 1, but she hasn't bothered me much lately. Until last night. Wow, my hate for her returned. Her facial expressions when Fitz was yelling at her infuriated me. Who the hell does she think she is? I really don't want to watch much more of her.

I agree, Olivia has been insufferable this season. She should have been sure before running to Fitz,but she was so focused on winning that she sent an innocent man to jail and threw the country into chaos.

I interpreted Abby's expression as "WTF are you talking about?" As in, "We discussed this and you told me to stop the death penalty, so why are you saying the opposite now?" I'm probably wrong, but I guess we shall see,.

 

On 2/17/2017 at 9:28 AM, Empress1 said:

Hi FNL Billy Riggins! (He was the guard.)

Thank you! I was wondering who that was.

On 2/17/2017 at 9:40 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

So what FEDERAL crime did the cannibal commit that put him in a FEDERAL prison? Drugs, assassinations, hate crimes, voter fraud (loved the outraged voter gang, hee) I can understand, but killing and eating family members, no matter how horrific, is not a FEDERAL crime punishable in a FEDERAL  prison. 

And why does Abby care whether Cyrus gets the death penalty? She pushed him out as Chief of Staff and never showed any concern for him before. So why would she go behind Fitz's back to make sure he doesn't get executed?

And why do I care about any of this anyway?

Do we know for sure that he was being truthful about being a cannibal? He choked both the guard and Tom and didn't bite either one I think. Perhaps he was just messing with Cyrus and committed some sort of federal crime.  Of course, on TV they just throw everyone into prison together. I remember watching a show with a coed prison...

Abby may have doubts about Cyrus's guilt. She knows that this lot includes quite a few murderers and miscreants with motives. 

23 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I totally missed that he got $2 million. When did they reveal that?

Usually on TV when someone gets paid to confess to a crime they didn't commit, the money goes to a loved one or family member. Maybe Tom has a kid we don't know about or something.

If Jake is the one who paid him, maybe he promised a plea bargain or outright presidential pardon too for turning on Cyrus.

13 hours ago, Emma9 said:

Every Single Person In The World turning against Cyrus might have painted the picture they wanted, but it makes no sense in practice. Where were the desperate-for-publicity lawyers lining up to represent him? Same goes for whoever the real fixers are in DC now that Liv's lost interest in anyone whose last name isn't Grant. Mr. Easily Bribable Guard should have been inundated by reporters who'd pay buckets to get smuggled in for an interview. There are probably a good number of key Democrats who'd try to get him off, guilty or not, just in hopes of avoiding the president being a Republican instead. And what about the Secret Service? If Cy's theoretically innocent until proven guilty, don't they still have some obligation to his welfare?

He would definitely have a dream team defending him. What became of that rival fixer who went on to work with the VP and date Abby? Honestly, I cannot remember.  He would have taken on Cyrus, especially if Abby asked him.

And you're right on about the Democrats. No way they would have abandoned Cyrus so completely. If I remember correctly, Mellie and Fitz each collaborated with the people who murdered their son in order to achieve some common goal.  And look at all the other strange bedfellows Scandal politics has brought together!  The Dems would have found a way to cautiously distance themselves from Cyrus in public, while still having behind the scene connections in case he can be proven not guilty.  Think of the field day they could have with playing him as a victim of Republican misdeeds. And there is no direct evidence against him--no paper trail of him asking or paying Tom, no evidence of what made Frank mad at him, etc.--right? 

10 hours ago, Oblique Angle said:

Director Webster has gorgeous skin.

Oh, Fitz. You are such a cliché. But I guess Angela is a grown-ass woman and can handle being used in your special "abuse of POTUS power" and "no, I don't have a Black woman fetish" ways.

She really does have great skin.

I get the impression that Angela is just sleeping with him because she knows she can have more influence over him a la Olivia. I also thought that bringing up Abby's demand was not accidentally done. She deliberately ratted out Abby after having sex with Fitz because she either knew that Abby had lied or she thought bed would be the best place to change the president's mind.

************

I really liked this Cyrus-focused episode. The multiple fake outs had me going. Cyrus being double-crossed by the guard, who found something that the prisoners wanted--to beat up Cyrus. Cyrus being double-crossed by Elizabeth. The fake suicide plan. The final attack on the guard.

When Cyrus "awoke" in the hospital, I thought it was another fake out and that he and Michael pretended to fight so that Cyrus would trick the guard into letting him in the garden and getting him beaten so that he would be sent to the hospital wing or an outside hospital. I thought that he gave Elizabeth the letter knowing she would betray him and take it to Michael. Then, they would use the beating to get him granted house arrest. Of course,  that idea turned out to be wrong within a minute of my coming up with it.

[Dowel Jones]

Someone please tell me that wasn't Clarence Thomas doing a cameo as the judge swearing Cyrus in during the dream sequence? 

For a maximum security guard, that guy inexplicably managed to get caught by the serial killer.  I guess that's why they did it off camera.

I wonder just how the prison staff explained Cyrus's injuries.  He's in solitary.  Who beat him up?

On 2/17/2017 at 7:40 AM, Good Queen Jane said:

So what FEDERAL crime did the cannibal commit that put him in a FEDERAL prison?

He lied on his income taxes. 

[slade3]

On ‎2‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 10:56 PM, nara said:

I interpreted Abby's expression as "WTF are you talking about?" As in, "We discussed this and you told me to stop the death penalty, so why are you saying the opposite now?" I'm probably wrong, but I guess we shall see,.

I didn't remember that Fitz told her to do it. Her expression makes more sense now.

[Good Queen Jane]

There was nothing in the show that Fitz did order Abby to do it. In fact, the show did everything it could to indicate that Fitz didn't know. Which probably means that it will turn out as Nara said, because there's nothing Shonda likes more that a good misdirection.

[nara]

22 hours ago, slade3 said:

I didn't remember that Fitz told her to do it. Her expression makes more sense now.

 

4 hours ago, Good Queen Jane said:

There was nothing in the show that Fitz did order Abby to do it. In fact, the show did everything it could to indicate that Fitz didn't know. Which probably means that it will turn out as Nara said, because there's nothing Shonda likes more that a good misdirection.

Yes. To clarify, I wasn't saying that we saw him tell her, just that I thought that had happened offscreen. 

[slade3]

3 hours ago, nara said:

 

Yes. To clarify, I wasn't saying that we saw him tell her, just that I thought that had happened offscreen. 

 

8 hours ago, Good Queen Jane said:

There was nothing in the show that Fitz did order Abby to do it. In fact, the show did everything it could to indicate that Fitz didn't know. Which probably means that it will turn out as Nara said, because there's nothing Shonda likes more that a good misdirection.

Thanks for the clarification. I never give my full attention to Fitz and Abby scenes, so I easily read your post as a reminder of something that I wasn't paying attention to. Now I see what you meant.

[Layne]

On February 17, 2017 at 0:24 PM, Feline Goddess said:

I don't get the plot point of Tom getting $2 million for confessing to Vargas' assassination. He can't spend it if he's in prison. I know fan fic authors who adhere to the basic principals of logic better than some of the professional writers. 

Who paid him the $2 million?

[Feline Queen]

I don't think that was revealed.