Shonda Rhimes’ book is titled Year of Yes. Well, the latest Scandal‘s installment, the show’s fall finale, was, in my humble opinion, the “Episode of Yes,” for all the right reasons.
To begin with, the absence of the case of the week, as I’ve been saying, works like a charm when it comes to making room for other meaty storylines to grow legs. Since there is no revolving doors ushering in new faces with problems to fix, the main characters all get the chance to further navigate their own dramas, which is where the heart of Scandal lays after all. From day one, the audience fell in love with the flawed, heroes of Scandal; we’ve seem them rise, fall, and in every dire situation thinkable, and last night, they got the time they deserved.
Following her “First Girlfriend” duties and after basically being confined to the White House, Liv is experiencing the tedium Mellie had warned her about. The Olivia we know and adore seems to be fading, relegated to protocol, fake smiles, chit chat, and phony photo ops. Two episodes ago, she was calling the shots; now, she is mere human decoration.
In the meantime, the former FLOTUS, now Junior Senator Mellie Grant, attempts to shut down the government in an effort to protect Planned Parenthood’s funding. This was the PERFECT choice for an arc, and one that is relevant and current. Mellie throws a filibuster that halts everyone’s planned holidays. She also uses a dossier to make a point regarding all the activities in the funding bill that are not at risk of losing money, yet they are not as pivotal as affordable reproductive health. Aside from the opposition and being an outsider at the Senate, Mellie faces a huge problem: biology. According to the law, she can’t leave the room, not even to use the restroom, which in other words mean she can potentially disgrace herself in front of the country, or would be forced to cave. However, help comes from Olivia via Susan Ross, who as President of the Senate, makes an entrance and asks a question, providing Mellie enough time to relieve her bladder.
Later on, Liv and Mellie have a brief, yet heartwarming one on one, where, surprisingly, Olivia encourages Mellie to keep fighting the good fight. A fight that she wins, nonetheless. The entire arc is fitting, relevant, and speaks to who these women are not only by showing them in action, but mostly, showcasing what they are capable of. Mellie and Liv are not arm candy; they are not defined by their ties to Fitz, and they shouldn’t be. These are skilled women who can make a difference. No male necessary. I applaud the writers here.
After her talk with Mellie, Olivia misses an “important” dinner with Fitz, and gets an abortion instead, which was a shocker for all the reasons imaginable. As a consequence, when she gets back to her brand new jail, the White House, an irate Fitz confronts her as she looks for the hooch that Mellie had left for her (this was also a lovely wink). At the end of the day, Olitz finally faces the music; their relationship has reached a boiling point. Olivia is miserable. She is not herself, and as she states, they have no future. I don’t say this lightly: that was a break-up done right.
Meanwhile, the episode’s B-plot centers on Huck, who still holds Rowan captive, as the two of them engage in mind games. Painful truths of all kind are revealed, the past is stirred, and one thing is clear: both men have failed at parenthood. They have lost their souls for a “cause” I am not sure they even remember well. It’s fitting, it’s poignant, and it’s a bit of a quiet showdown, almost until the end, that strikes the right notes. Again, after many episodes that had been all over the place, this week’s Scandal offers everything the show desperately needed and was true to its DNA.
Elsewhere, Jake intercepts Tom and Russel (!!!), and has a talk with Olivia’s former friend with benefits/Daddy Dearest’s lackey, who is now part of Lazarus One. Their interaction comes to an end when Jake puts a bullet in between Russel’s eyes and avenges Elise’s death. I will sound like a broken record here, but this version of Jake is the BEST. Just like it is the case for Mellie and Liv, Jake doing what he does best is incredibly enjoyable.
As far as the other characters go, David, Susan, and Liz seem to be in a very interesting love triangle that cannot end well, Charlie cheers up a lonely Quinn, and Jake pays a visit to Rowan, whose life was spared by Huck. Fitz has a pity fest, and Olivia has a glass of wine, popcorn, and her couch back.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was the ideal Scandal episode and a perfect fall finale. The stakes are now high. The characters are left at interesting intersections. The wins did overpower the losses. Scandal delivered, and what a pleasure it was to have witnessed it.
[Photo credit: Scott Everett White/ABC]
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