S06.E06: Extinction

[thewhiteowl]

Quote

Rowan is caught by surprise when someone from his past resurfaces, and Olivia has to make a life-changing decision about the campaign. Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal exactly what happened the night of Francisco Vargas’ assassination.

[chick binewski]

I thought Papa would pull some Kaiser Soze move when he started walking Sandra out.

Zoe Perry sounds exactly like her mother.

[Kathcart]

Goooood grief. Was that a pilot for a whole different series?

[WhosThatGirl]

Is it just me or is this show trying to be as boring as humanly possible? I'm hating this season and seeing individual stories to try and piece the story together. I don't like it. It's just so boring right now. I get that they are trying to minimize Kerry because of her pregnancy but I don't think this way is the right call. 

[J-Man]

Joe Morton is 15 years older than Tonya Pinkins.  And when she said "that was 40 years ago" -- that means she would've been around 14 or 15 at the time.

Add that to the ridiculousness of focusing on San Benito County and I'm getting more and more frustrated.

[bobbyjoe]

Last week was a Jake episode and this week was a Rowan episode.  Wow, the showrunners are reeeeeeeeally working overtime to give the fans what they want, huh?  It's like "Bad Character Showcase."  Hey, maybe next week will be an episode that's all about Tom.

[Anela]

The only surprise for me, was that he killed his girlfriend. And that he briefly seemed human. Olivia knows her father is a murderer, so I don't see where the traitor comes in - unless it's next week? (the preview cut out on me, so I don't know. What I did see, was no surprise.)

I am so tired of "big bads". They aren't creepy, they're just bullies with power and connections - and I don't see why they would want Mellie in power.

[WhosThatGirl]

7 minutes ago, bobbyjoe said:

Last week was a Jake episode and this week was a Rowan episode.  Wow, the showrunners are reeeeeeeeally working overtime to give the fans what they want, huh?  It's like "Bad Character Showcase."  Hey, maybe next week will be an episode that's all about Tom.

No! 

[slade3]

This episode makes me desperate to know when KW had her baby and when she started filming a regular schedule again. I can't take these character-focused episodes anymore.

A big problem for me with this episode is that it felt like I was watching a different show. An even bigger problem for me was that I don't understand why this organization wants Mellie to be president so badly, they're willing to kill a bunch of people. Six seasons into this show and suddenly it's very important to someone that Mellie is president? The reason better be good because the villains aren't scary, just annoying. And isn't it a huge mistake to keep the audience in the dark about a motive this long?

The most interesting reveal for me is that someone is watching Olivia and has orders to kill her at a moment's notice. The only person I can think of in the "inner circle" is Charlie. But maybe the person isn't in the inner circle, and they don't even know him/her?

I knew Sandra was a goner the minute Rowan clocked the cameras and started doing research on her. I thought he was going to kill her when he was trying to convince her to go to The Island. When he didn't, I thought she just might be safe, so I was surprised when he did shoot her.

I was also surprised when the shadowy people killed that first guy talking to Rowan. It was right out of season 4's kidnapping plot when the kidnapper was killed by one of his lackeys, so I wasn't expecting something like that to happen again.

I was surprised Rowan killed Vargas. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I thought he had rigged some kind of mechanism to make it seem as if Vargas had been shot and we'd learn that Vargas and his wife had been warned by him and were in hiding somewhere. I know Rowan has killed, and ordered the murders of, many people, but this feels like a new level. Is he not long for this world, or will we see him take off to The Island for a while?

So Alex Vargas is not involved. Does that mean he can return and flirt with Olivia some more? He was hot. /shallow.

It was sad when Rowan wanted to go to The Island. It was also sad to realize that Rowan killed Frankie Vargas to protect Olivia. I thought they did a decent job showing that he didn't want to do it. (I didn't really buy Rowan's right hand man. He was too nervous. I thought his last mission - taking the fall for the shooting - was sad, though. If the show had any intention of getting rid of Jake, Huck, Tom or Charlie, they would have used them for this job. It would have been pretty powerful, too.)

Yes, the show has been trying to say everything Rowan does is for the Republic and for Olivia, but it's going about it in such a messy way, I just end up feeling confused about everything.

I mentioned in the spec thread that I think episode 9 or 10 will see Olivia in danger, and the season will focus on "the gang" trying to keep her safe, or trying to save her. But now I think there's going to be an even bigger twist and it's going to be the reveal of who is working with this shadowy group against Olivia: Abby? Quinn? Charlie? Mellie? Fitz? Cyrus??? The story is not Rowan-is-the-assassin. I bet the story is going to pivot back to Olivia and the person she trusts who has been given the task to kill her.

From next week's promo,

Spoiler

 

with Quinn pointing her gun at Huck as Huck points his gun at Quinn, I'm going to speculate that Quinn is either "still B613" and knows why Rowan had to assassinate Vargas, therefore knows she has to protect Rowan to protect Olivia - or, she's working with the shadowy group.

I also speculated somewhere that Olivia would ask Huck to kill her father and that seems to be the case. But there's no way they'd put that in the promo if Huck succeeded. So Quinn probably breaks it all down for them, and they realize they have to now find the mole in their crew who is so close to Olivia, s/he can put a bullet in her as soon as that person gets the word.

 

[phoenics]

The moment the shadowy secret group white guy made Rowan feel like a "slave", I knew he was gonna shoot Sandra.  That's his trigger.  He HATES not being in control and he hates it on an exponential level when he feels controlled by a white man.

So I was shocked, but not surprised he killed her.  

First time I've ever felt badly for Rowan - he didn't want to kill Vargas - a bridge too far - but did it to save Sandra - but then once he realized she was truly his weakness, she had to die.  Dang.

I've been enjoying this season honestly - the previous season was really, really dull.  This season is very good, imo.  

For a moment it felt like the show had become quaint because it couldn't compare to the real life crazy and dystopian political world we have now but welp  -  they've stepped it up.

[Guest]

WTH.  Let's follow-up an episode that was completely boring and focused on one character with an even more boring episode featuring another character.  And a character that I really can't bring myself to care about at all.  

Spoiler

It looks like next week's might feature Huck, which will just be 3 for 3?  

[Mindthinkr]

I saw more of Papa Pope than I ever cared to see. Especially the bed scene focusing on his armpit. 

 

Spoiler

PS  I'm excited to see the Huck story next week!! 

Edited March 17, 2017 by Mindthinkr
Added my P.S.

[Primetimer]

Rowan/Eli Pope may be semi-retired from B613, but he's still available to help you with your love life, dinosaur questions, or career advice.

View the full article

[Ohwell]

44 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I saw more of Papa Pope than I ever cared to see. Especially the bed scene focusing on his armpit.

When I looked at that armpit I felt strangely disgusted, and I don't know why.  Lord knows I've seen enough male armpits!  : )

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

I saw more of Papa Pope than I ever cared to see. Especially the bed scene focusing on his armpit. 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

PS  I'm excited to see the Huck story next week!! 

Hairy armpits, male or female, gross me out. I didn't like that shot either.

I did like the shot of Vargas looking down at Eli right before he was killed.

Did not like the new big bad lady. I can't stand her voice. Something about her line delivery irked me.

[Artsda]

I saw Rowan at the start and started fast-forwarding. Ended up fast-forwarding the entire thing. 

They really don't care about ratings.

Edited March 17, 2017 by Artsda

[PumpkinPK]

This week was Rowan-heavy, and next week is an episode focused on stupid Huck? Shonda is just giving a giant FU to her viewers who have been loyal and are still giving this now-crappy show a chance.  Definitely not tuning in next week, and I am probably done.

[reggiejax]

Quote

The only surprise for me, was that he killed his girlfriend.

Really? I saw that coming from a mile away, and I imagined everyone else watching saw it too. That was as expected of Papa Pope as a boring monologue about power and the Oval.

This new organization, whoever they are, seem like a bunch of try hards. I know we were supposed to be impressed and scared when, in that first meeting with Papa Pope, the one bland, indistinguishable, middle-aged white guy blew the head off the other bland, indistinguishable, middle-aged white guy, but it just seemed like they went overboard to prove a point that wouldn't need to be proved if they were as big and bad as they were supposed to be. But I guess Shonda loves to shock us with out of nowhere violence whenever she can, in lieu of actually writing a good story where those same points can be made in a more nuanced fashion.

Also, this organization cannot be all that impressive if their stated goal is to get Smellie elected President. Talk about aiming low.

And don't even get me started on Zoe Perry's character. From the strange manner in which she speaks (loaded with a heavy dash of what I can only call smug annoyance), to the passive-aggressive racist statements, she is just awful. And I have to say, being the daughter of two very talented actors (Jeff Perry and Laurie Metcalf) only seems to prove the old adage that talent often skips a generation. I know I am probably being very unfair to Zoe Perry. I have never seen her in anything before, so perhaps she does possess some talent. But none of it is on display here.

Edited March 17, 2017 by reggiejax

[Anela]

@reggiejax Yes, really. The monologue,  I expected. I knew they weren't going to let him off the hook. 

He didn't shoot her the first time he had a gun to her head. Although this seems to be a week of people shooting the person they love, before someone else can, on TV. I should have known they wouldn't keep her around, but to me, it would be more Pope to kill the bad guys, protect his daughter somehow, and figure out who the rest are. 

I don't really care, though. I don't know why I comment anymore. I'm not into the "tune in for a really shocking moment" or "someone will DIE" promises. I only watch when I've cleaned everything else off my DVR.

i didn't say that I thought she would live. I was surprised by WHO killed her. 

Edited March 17, 2017 by Anela

[Guest]

48 minutes ago, reggiejax said:

I know we were supposed to be impressed and scared when, in that first meeting with Papa Pope, the one bland, indistinguishable, middle-aged white guy blew the head off the other bland, indistinguishable, middle-aged white guy,

Literal LOL

[Karen885]

This is one of the worst episodes of tv I have ever seen.  Basically a character we have never seen before and has never been mentioned was the catalyst for Eli killing the president.  And then Eli killed her anyways!  Why is the safety of this random girlfriend from 40 years ago worth fixing the entire election so Mellie will win.  I do not care about any of the other people that are involved in this conspiracy that literally appeared out of nowhere this week. For a season long mystery to work I have to care about the people and motivations behind it. A big fail.  Between this week's episode and last week's episode about Jakes wife I'm close to quitting. Next week looks to be Huck heavy, I may be out.  

[reggiejax]

Quote

 

@reggiejax Yes, really. The monologue,  I expected. I knew they weren't going to let him off the hook. 

He didn't shoot her the first time he had a gun to her head. Although this seems to be a week of people shooting the person they love, before someone else can, on TV. I should have known they wouldn't keep her around, but to me, it would be more Pope to kill the bad guys, protect his daughter somehow, and figure out who the rest are. 

 

His old flame not making it to the end of the episode was so obvious from the beginning she may as well have been wearing a sign that said "Dead Meat". If nothing else, the fact that this episode was a flashback, and there was no hint of this woman in the show's "present", should have been the tip off.

I will grant that people might not have seen it coming that Eli would take her out in such an overdramatic fashion, but it didn't fool me for a minute. I've watched Scandal from the start. Shooting her in front of the sinister cabal simply to prove a point (one btw that didn't really need to be proved) is classic Papa Pope.

And while we're at it,  I simply can't go on calling them a sinister cabal or a shadowy organization any longer. For future reference, I will refer to them as the only group that could make their very existence even remotely interesting: The Lizard People.

In fact, even if they do get named, they will still be The Lizard People to me.

Makes sense, only a group as ridiculous as The Lizard People would go to all this trouble just to get Smellie Grant elected.

Edited March 17, 2017 by reggiejax

[slade3]

1 hour ago, reggiejax said:

And don't even get me started on Zoe Perry's character. From the strange manner in which she speaks (loaded with a heavy dash of what I can only call smug annoyance), to the passive-aggressive racist statements, she is just awful. And I have to say, being the daughter of two very talented actors (Jeff Perry and Laurie Metcalf) only seems to prove the old adage that talent often skips a generation. I know I am probably being very unfair to Zoe Perry. I have never seen her in anything before, so perhaps she does possess some talent. But none of it is on display here.

Maybe you're being unfair, but what you've written is true. She's awful.

 

42 minutes ago, Karen885 said:

Basically a character we have never seen before and has never been mentioned was the catalyst for Eli killing the president.  And then Eli killed her anyways!  Why is the safety of this random girlfriend from 40 years ago worth fixing the entire election so Mellie will win.

Well said. I think this season would be perfect for a class on how not to tell a story.

I've never watched an interview with Shonda Rhimes, or anyone from her staff, but I would love to know what they're going for with Scandal. This episode was the first time I had any real sense that Eli loves Olivia. I know he's always telling her that he loves her - and I think he loves Jake, too - but he's tried to have them both killed. Actions speak louder than words. Is he a psychopath? (And before anyone says it, I don't think it's obvious that he's supposed to be a psychopath. I think it could also be the show's premise that the government turns men into machines and they really believe they do all this for the good of the republic. I'm just not sure.)

This episode made me sad. I really loved Joe Morton when he was on SyFy's Eureka. He played a physicist on that show, and last night's episode reminded me how sweet he was when he was running around, excited about dinosaurs. To make last night's episode work, they really should have shown Eli/Rowan being geeky about his work more often over the past 3 seasons. When he was being somewhat sympathetic last night, I only felt annoyed with the show for trying to manipulate me.

That armpit shot, though, should have been edited out.

In case anyone is curious, the show's first 5 episodes were filmed last year, when KW was still pregnant. The Cyrus episode, which was originally supposed to air as 6x06, was the first episode filmed in January. I read this on Tumblr. I'm not sure how accurate this is since I thought KW looked thinner in last night's episode, which was apparently filmed while she was still pregnant - I don't remember what she looked like in the Cyrus episode.

[Layne]

13 hours ago, bobbyjoe said:

Last week was a Jake episode and this week was a Rowan episode.  Wow, the showrunners are reeeeeeeeally working overtime to give the fans what they want, huh?  It's like "Bad Character Showcase."  Hey, maybe next week will be an episode that's all about Tom.

Wasn't S6E3 a Tom-centric episode?

[Oblique Angle]

Wonder why they didn't write Kerry's pregnancy into the show? All these ponchos and capes and swing coats they have Olivia wearing are getting old. If they didn't want to have to deal with a baby in the future storylines they could've had Olivia suffer a miscarriage or stillbirth.

What was the Coolio thing all about? If Crazypants Henchwoman was trying to find a racist insult, that one was relatively weak. Rowan probably doesn't even know who Coolio is--or was.

What a copout. They set Random Day Player up to kill Vargas and but then Rowan does it himself. Won't the FBI be able to figure what direction the bullets came from? By Vargas' wounds it should be obvious that the shots came from nearby and beneath him and not from a distant parking garage.

"My wish becomes your command." Heh. Your evil Command chickens came home to roost, Eli. And yeah, you are a predator, just not an apex one, apparently.

Edited March 17, 2017 by Oblique Angle

[Emma9]

So...a whole episode devoted to creating a pointless love interest out of left field, Papa Pope shoots her and NOW HAS NO WEAKNESSES MUAHAHAHAHA.

Antagonist: 'cept your daughter.
Papa Pope: ...crap.

What? Why didn't they simply threaten Olivia to begin with, instead of going to all the expense and trouble of digging up and funding his old girlfriend? Why was she supposed to be sneaky about it, when they couldn't demand what they wanted from him until the reveal? Why didn't he realize that as soon as he killed her, Olivia would be a simple Plan B?

(Although the shot itself didn't surprise me; the only question was whether it would be that or if it would turn out the girlfriend was playing him all along.)

The most interesting reveal for me is that someone is watching Olivia and has orders to kill her at a moment's notice. The only person I can think of in the "inner circle" is Charlie.

That would actually interest me. I've been thinking since Tom came back that Cyrus's life would be so much better right now if he'd just hired Charlie again rather than relying on a henchman whose only motivation is a crush, and I doubt Charlie would've had any qualms about doing beatdowns for Cyrus while still supposedly being in Olivia's employ.

But by that same token, I doubt being the triggerman for Papa Pope's keepers would disturb him either. (And hey - one of these stupid focus episodes about him might actually be merrily/morbidly entertaining.)

Also, this organization cannot be all that impressive if their stated goal is to get Smellie elected President. Talk about aiming low.

Well, that could be the point - Vargas had enough integrity, and Cyrus has enough intelligence, that with them in charge life might be more difficult for the Shadowy Organization That's Even More Powerful And Evil Than B-Whatever Dun Dun Dun.

[Dee]

3 hours ago, Karen885 said:

This is one of the worst episodes of tv I have ever seen.  Basically a character we have never seen before and has never been mentioned was the catalyst for Eli killing the president.  And then Eli killed her anyways!  Why is the safety of this random girlfriend from 40 years ago worth fixing the entire election so Mellie

And why would the bad guys use Sandra as their primary pawn when Olivia is infinitely more accessible and provides them more leverage with Rowan?

Edited March 17, 2017 by Dee

[PsychoDrone]

This episode showed that Shonda doesn't think highly of forensics, the audience's intelligence, or she just doesn't let it get in the way of the story she is trying to tell.  In How to Get Away With Murder, she wanted the audience to believe the coroner wouldn't notice broken ribs on the Wes.  In this episode, she shows us that Fitz law enforcement agencies are incompetent or don't let things like evidence lead the investigation.  There was a ton of it.  Did the bullets from Eli's gun match the caliber used in the high-powered rifle?  Doubtful.  Did anyone check the trajectory of the wounds to Vargas?  They would EASILY show they came from below, not from a distance.  What about the Secret Service agent drugged and stuffed in the grate?  What about the cop that was killed?  All of this would have come out in the investigation.  Of course, Shonda couldn't show an investigation because it would have "ruined" this big reveal.  The whole thing was done horribly and I couldn't suspend disbelief on it at all.

I was surprised that Eli shot his old flame.  Although, I shouldn't have been.  As others have said, it really was predictable.

Edited March 17, 2017 by PsychoDrone

[Feline Queen]

6 hours ago, Empress1 said:

Did not like the new big bad lady. I can't stand her voice. Something about her line delivery irked me.

She's the daughter of Jeff Perry and Lauri Metcalf (from Roseanne)

[Moxie Cat]

1 hour ago, Emma9 said:

Why didn't they simply threaten Olivia to begin with, instead of going to all the expense and trouble of digging up and funding his old girlfriend?

Yeah, I doubt that Eli would have shot Olivia. Plus, he should have been aware of Liv as his other liability, given that long discussion he had with Sandra in the kitchen.

The pregnancy scenes have been driving me nuts - mainly because I know that Shonda reworked the storyline in the eps they shot in 2017 (due to our election) and I'm always trying to guess what was part of the original plan and what wasn't. Given that the Cyrus-jail ep was clearly 2017/post-baby, was the original plan for Cyrus to remain prez longer because Shonda figured Hillary would win and didn't want her prez to be a woman too? 

Edited March 17, 2017 by Moxie Cat
Because it's Shonda, not Shinda

[reggiejax]

Quote

By Vargas' wounds it should be obvious that the shots came from nearby and beneath him and not from a distant parking garage.

Not to mention Eli used a handgun, whereas the anonymous henchman (so anonymous I didn't realize he was the initial suspect who Jake got to confess, not to mention wet his pants) used a rifle. Well he didn't use it to shoot Vargas, but the world is meant to think he, or rather Tom, actually used a rifle.

Edited March 17, 2017 by reggiejax

[slade3]

4 minutes ago, Moxie Cat said:

The pregnancy scenes have been driving me nuts - mainly because I know that Shonda reworked the storyline in the eps they shot in 2017 (due to our election) and I'm always trying to guess what was part of the original plan and what wasn't. Given that the Cyrus-jail ep was clearly 2017/post-baby, was the original plan for Cyrus to remain prez longer because Shonda figured Hillary would win and didn't want her prez to be a woman too? 

I really wish I knew why the Cyrus episode was moved up, and what has changed. I know the original subplot was that Russia had rigged the election to mess with the US government, but that was changed after the news that Putin really did mess with the US election. I doubt this new organization has been well thought out since they're probably last minute stand-ins for the original Russia story line.

In another article I read in EW, Shonda said they decided to change the storyline to be less dark (paraphrasing) since people are feeling a certain way about the real US election. I don't know what that means since the season so far is dark. Maybe she's going for a redemption arc for Eli?

19 minutes ago, reggiejax said:

Not to mention Eli used a handgun, whereas the anonymous henchman (so anonymous I didn't realize he was the initial suspect who Jake got to confess, not to mention wet his pants) used a rifle.

Wait, what? That was the guy from the episode with the FBI director? I don't even remember why Jake interrogated him. Who was he again?

[PepSinger]

This was the worst episode of Scandal ever. I love Joe Morton, but this episode made absolutely no sense. Like others have said, the fucking trajectory of the bullet would've immediately shown that Vargas was shot from underneath. Why would I care about this random woman from Rowan's past? Why can't Zoe Perry act? Why wouldn't the group have targeted Olivia in the first place? This episode had an "Idiot Plot" where if the characters did what made sense, the story would be over.

Edited March 18, 2017 by PepSinger

[Ohwell]

I did laugh at the "oh shit!" look on Joe Morton's face when Vargas looked down at him after being shot.  

[jschoolgirl]

1 hour ago, Feline Goddess said:

She's the daughter of Jeff Perry and Lauri Metcalf (from Roseanne)

I was annoyed by the very 80s-looking blouse she was wearing.

[Moxie Cat]

1 hour ago, slade3 said:

I know the original subplot was that Russia had rigged the election to mess with the US government, but that was changed after the news that Putin really did mess with the US election.

Ah, thanks for the info!  That makes sense given the developments over the summer with Manafort, but even Shonda couldn't have guessed Russia would still be a major story in 2017. So Cy was still the fall guy, but it would have been dragged out more? I can see that. The "Cy is president - no, wait!" storyline did feel rushed to me.

[Black Knight]

I remember Shonda saying something about tossing out all the White House storylines they'd planned because she thinks people depressed by the Trump administration, cutting down on or avoiding news, do not want to watch those right now on Scandal. I can see that, but replacing those plots with the new version of B-whatever was not the direction to go. She would've been better off going back to Scandal of the Week - you know, the original concept of the show - with Olivia's team.

An entire episode of PapaPope - oy. I did laugh uproariously watching him run around in tunnels shooting Vargas himself. He only has one minion left? If he only has one minion left (and now not even that), why would the New Mysterious Shadowy Organization have turned to him to throw the election, anyway? As head of B-whatever, he had power. Now he has so little power he couldn't just tell these people to pound sand and then have them thrown into holes and/or murdered, which he would've done in a second when he was running B-whatever. So it just really made no sense. Rowan never did the dirty work himself; that's what his minions were for. Also, if he's so powerless now, then why was there that whole storyline last season where it was soooooo dangerous for Jake to get out and stand in the sun?

I really could have lived without so much of Vargas's brains on the floor. This isn't Walking Dead.

Also, since when is Liv so affectionate with Rowan? The last major interaction they had was the aforementioned conflict over Jake. Now she's all hugs?

Also, this:

Rowan to a visiting Liv: I don't have time for play-acting.

*immediately begins play-acting*

Nothing ever gets that guy to NOT launch into a monologue.

I don't mind Zoe Perry that much - her screen time's been too minimal for me to mind - but her resemblance to Sasha Alexander throws me. When she first popped up I had to take a long stare at the TV before deciding it definitely wasn't SA and that I surely would've heard about it had SA decided to join Scandal.

[dr pepper]

Ok, i'm just going to jot some things down as i watch this episode.

1. Rowan Pope gets a package. He does not treat it as a possible bomb. I don't care how much he expected it, the caliber of his enemies requires a great deal more caution than he's shown. I think the writers flubbed this.

2. Rowan switches to bubbly science nerd mode. Apparently in addition to being Mycroft Holmes, Machiavelli, John Gotti, and Svengali all rolled into one, there's a good bit of Stephen J Gould in there as well. How does he ever find time for his cover job?

3. Meet Sandra. Rowan has a semi girlfriend from way back, with strong chemistry. Another glitch; the writers seem to have forgotten who he was married to. This woman should have died years ago in a freak accident, possibly by falling on to a triceratops horn.

4. Oh hey, here's Olivia back for more humiliation thinly disguised as advice. What we have here an emotional form of incest. She might as well be moaning, "oh hurt me Daddy!".

5. Oh yeah, "everything you love is a weakness". Maybe that's what's going to happen with Rowan and his globe hopping paleontologist.

6. Oops, play time's over. While acting as lab supervisor for some eager grad students, Rowan lets his guard down so thoroughly he's actually shocked to discover spy cameras.

7. So *now* he checks out his old friend. And her mysterious benefactor.

8. And then goes back into mysterious warning mode, freaking out Olivia without giving her any usable information.

9. I refuse to feel any sympathy for Rowan. I don't want a storyline in which Olivia and crew must ally with him against this new conspiracy. Surprise us Shonda, just shoot him, already! Ok, i kind of like that he met his match but it's really too late.

10. "I've got you." Oh, please, just kill her too, i refuse to take on another source of anxiety.

11. Another Pet and Daddy confrontation. She starts out sure she's won this one, but leaves crying.

12. Yup, Rowan gets Rowaned.

13. No exit plan? Why do people continue to be so loyal to him?

14. Rowan is making something. I have no idea what it is.

15. Wait is he installing a trapdoor under Vargas? No, just a gunport. So why did he send his man out to snipe?

16. Oh, it was in case Rowan couldn't do his own dirty work. Is he showing pangs of conscience. Again, too late for me to care.

17. Ah, he does do his own dirty work, the sniper is just to distract people while he gets away. Almost away, anyway.

18. But how does he expect the bullets from a silenced pistol at short range to pass for long range rifle bullets?

19. Hey, Sandra's safe! So now should be when Rowan springs a trap of his own. But of course, she's not actually safe. I'm half expecting him to kill her himself.

20. Oh. He did. But why didn't he immediately shoot the conspirators?

21. But the conspirators dare him to do the same with Olivia. He concedes. For now.

22. Time to lie and bluster at Olivia while walling away his feelings. I wonder at what point the young dino hunter became a sociopath. No i don't, i refuse to be intrigued over Rowan's backstory.

[Decider]

4 hours ago, Feline Goddess said:

She's the daughter of Jeff Perry and Lauri Metcalf (from Roseanne)

THAT'S why that character sounded so much like Laurie Metcalf to me!  I didn't even know she and Jeff Perry had ever been married.  The more you know...

[Vyk]

On ‎3‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 5:17 AM, phoenics said:

The moment the shadowy secret group white guy made Rowan feel like a "slave", I knew he was gonna shoot Sandra.  That's his trigger.  He HATES not being in control and he hates it on an exponential level when he feels controlled by a white man.

So I was shocked, but not surprised he killed her.  

First time I've ever felt badly for Rowan - he didn't want to kill Vargas - a bridge too far - but did it to save Sandra - but then once he realized she was truly his weakness, she had to die.  Dang.

I've been enjoying this season honestly - the previous season was really, really dull.  This season is very good, imo.

I feel like you and I are the only two who are.  I'm not going to whine about what the show was.  I'm just going to enjoy it for what it is.

It was at least refreshing to see Rowan (or is it Eli?  Seriously, which one does he go by?) not in control, for once, and instead be under someone's thumb.  And it was actually shocking to see that there are still human elements in him.  Elements into which he clearly wants to tap again, but old parts of his past keep forcing him to throw aside.  I did feel for him at the end, and I can't believe I'm saying this -- as it's going to obviously be a UO -- but I hope he does find a way to bring the hammer down on Larry Sullivan (how surprising to see XR from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command getting work!) and Zoe Perry's characters.  If not he, then Olivia.

Poor Sandra.  An innocent who unknowingly ended up being connected to the wrong person.  She should've just gone to Zanzibar.

Edited March 21, 2017 by Vyk

[slade3]

9 hours ago, dr pepper said:

1. Rowan Pope gets a package. He does not treat it as a possible bomb. I don't care how much he expected it, the caliber of his enemies requires a great deal more caution than he's shown. I think the writers flubbed this.

I keep asking myself why Olivia still lives in her apartment. It's a fabulous apartment, but just about everyone has broken into it. In season 2, Jake routinely went in to refresh his spy equipment, not to mention remove it just before Huck did his sweeps. And then Rowan sent someone in to kill Olivia in the episode she slept with Jake for the first time. Olivia's kidnappers got in there and set up cameras, and then kidnapped her. I would also think she'd live in a doorman building. In the season 2 finale, we do see a man sitting by the front door, but why doesn't he ever let her know when various people are coming upstairs.

I've also had the same feeling about Rowan's house. How it's so accessible. Why hasn't someone tried to assassinate him? All that time everyone was searching for him, why didn't they just ring his doorbell?

[Dowel Jones]

On 3/17/2017 at 2:27 PM, PsychoDrone said:

This episode showed that Shonda doesn't think highly of forensics, the audience's intelligence,

My guess is that the story will be that the Bigger Bad conveniently hacked into the FBI database, changed all the evidence reports, substituted the right bullets, etc., to fall in line with their intended story.  OPA does it all the time, right?

11 hours ago, slade3 said:

I keep asking myself why Olivia still lives in her apartment.

I had to laugh at the scene where the door has five deadbolts on it, but none of them are set, and she just opens it without even checking who's outside.

11 hours ago, slade3 said:

Why hasn't someone tried to assassinate him?

You.  Can't.  Take.  Command!

[healthnut]

Quote

On 3/17/2017 at 4:27 PM, PsychoDrone said:

This episode showed that Shonda doesn't think highly of forensics, the audience's intelligence, or she just doesn't let it get in the way of the story she is trying to tell.  In How to Get Away With Murder, she wanted the audience to believe the coroner wouldn't notice broken ribs on the Wes.  In this episode, she shows us that Fitz law enforcement agencies are incompetent or don't let things like evidence lead the investigation.  There was a ton of it.  Did the bullets from Eli's gun match the caliber used in the high-powered rifle?  Doubtful.  Did anyone check the trajectory of the wounds to Vargas?  They would EASILY show they came from below, not from a distance.  What about the Secret Service agent drugged and stuffed in the grate?  What about the cop that was killed?  All of this would have come out in the investigation.  Of course, Shonda couldn't show an investigation because it would have "ruined" this big reveal.  The whole thing was done horribly and I couldn't suspend disbelief on it at all.

Exactly! This was a whole new level of bad writing. Did she go to the Lee Daniels school of bad writing over the summer? I also agree that this whole season has been like HTGAWM and the writers try to reveal pieces at a time but It's done in way that's apparent they have no real direction. 

[Moxie Cat]

23 hours ago, Black Knight said:

She would've been better off going back to Scandal of the Week - you know, the original concept of the show - with Olivia's team.

I miss this Scandal. I loved the early eps where the team worked together to clean up murders or play the media, and the White House was a background secondary plot. It was more fun.

[dr pepper]

7 hours ago, Moxie Cat said:

I miss this Scandal. I loved the early eps where the team worked together to clean up murders or play the media, and the White House was a background secondary plot. It was more fun.

This!

[Happytobehere]

The ridiculousness of this episode proves that Scandal should not have been renewed for another season.  It was bad enough that B613 was an impossible agency, now we get the even more impossible, blatantly racist agency that makes B613 look like a joke.

And as per usual, Olivia remains the absolute worst.

[cali1981]

Geez, this show has gotten more batshit crazy that ever.  The best scene was after Eli shot Sandra to "liberate" himself and he launched into one of his classic Shakespearean soliloquies about his power only to have shady short haircut guy and his vicious henchwoman tell him "Whatever Eli and. oh, by the way we'll kill Liv if you don't do our bidding".  Seeing Eli get throttled that way was satisfying.  So let's see if the all powerful "Control" can work his way out this one and protect Liv.  Arrogant guy and nasty girl may have a few 9mm slugs in their future. 

[dr pepper]

Except of course, there's still at least one more level above them in their SSC (Shadowy Secretive Cabal).

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

 

She's the daughter of Jeff Perry and Lauri Metcalf (from Roseanne)

THAT'S why that character sounded so much like Laurie Metcalf to me!  I didn't even know she and Jeff Perry had ever been married.  The more you know...

 

She totally and completely sounds like Laurie Metcalf.  However....When I want to cast a female super villan, Laurie Metcalf is not my go-to person.  That's as bad as casting one of those Valley Girl-sounding actresses.

This was the stupidest episode of TV I have EVER seen. It was horrible in every way and manner.

[Tara Ariano]

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

Ask Scandal's Once And Future Secret Agent

Rowan/Eli Pope may be semi-retired from B613, but he's still available to help you with your love life, dinosaur questions, or career advice.