Scandal – The Decision

By: Nicole Dintelman

Last week on Scandal Abby (Darby Stanchfield) confessed to Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) that she was in cahoots with those that were behind getting Cyrus (Jeff Perry) arrested for the assassination of Frankie Vargas (Ricardo Chavira). Huck (Guillermo Diaz) was also missing and had been shot. Olivia (Kerry Washington) was understandably upset with Abby but with Fitz’s urging seemed to forgive her by the end of the episode once Huck was found and it appeared like he was going to be okay.

This week’s episode, which is also the 100th episode of the series, picks up with Olivia, Fitz,and Jake (Scott Foley) in the Oval arguing about whether or not they should do whatever it takes to get Cyrus out of prison. He did not attempt to kill Frankie after all, that was all on Olivia’s father. Fitz absolutely wants to get Cyrus out, it’s the right thing to do he says, but Jake and Olivia think they should do nothing. Fitz tells them he’s doing it and they can decide to help him or not but it’s happening. Well, he is still the President and he can do what he wants apparently. Jake brings up the fact that if Olivia had not helped rig the election for Fitz to win in the first place that everyone’s life would probably be entirely different.

That leads Olivia down a path of memory lane of what life might have been had she said “no” when she was asked if they should sway the votes in Defiance. Of course, Fitz loses the election without the vote sway so Olivia leaves the campaign trail and Fitz and Mellie (Bellamy Young) go back home to California. Olivia is doing her usual “white hat” work and she’s working with Marcus Walker (Cornelius Smith Jr.) to try and get a bill passed. David Rosen (Joshua Malina) is also helping out providing legal advice.

Fitz shows up at Olivia’s door in D.C. and tells her that he’s left Mellie and wants her to marry him. She tells him he should have called first as she is headed out on a date and then lets the elevator doors close. #BoyBye! However, the doors reopen and she jumps in his arms and that’s that.

Cyrus has been dating reporter James Novak (Dan Bucatinsky), but ends things when James wants to make their relationship more significant. Mellie runs into Cyrus and is distraught because she found out that Fitz and Olivia are getting married. Cy tells her that she is fabulous and one day someone is going to see that. She then does something super surprising; she kisses him! Since Cyrus is still “in the closet” when this memory episode is taking place, he goes with it.

Olivia and Fitz’s pretend wedding was absolutely beautiful. A scruffy haired beared Huck walked Olivia down the aisle and didn’t want to let go when the minister asked: “who presents this woman…” Olivia had to nudge him and tell him it was ok to let go. It was very protective and very Huck. At this point, let’s just admit that all of us wish this wedding was real and not a fantasy in Olivia’s mind she was imagining right now.

Next thing we know Cyrus and Mellie have also gotten married. We didn’t see that one coming, but once it happened we did see Cy wanting Mellie to run for President. Cyrus wants to get a reporter to get out the news about Mellie’s candidacy, but Mellie took it upon herself to call someone…James Novak. Cyrus sends Mellie to get their wedding album and when she is coming back she overhears James and Cyrus talking and realized that he was only with her to get to the White House. We’re wondering how she didn’t already know that.

Abby and Huck are still working with Liv, but Quinn (Katie Lowes) is a contestant named Lindsey on a dating show themed like “The Bachelor” that gives out crowns instead of roses. Such an interesting role for her character to be playing. Fitz is on a talk show, kind of like what Sally Langston (Kate Burton) does in the present day. His role on his show causes riffs in the marriage between him and Olivia. He thinks that she doesn’t see him the same, but really it’s he doesn’t see himself the same.

Cyrus wants Mellie to leak pictures of Sally Langston’s husband with another man. It’s rather interesting that he would want her to do this. Of course, Mellie is against this. She said that Cyrus of all people should not want to pursue this tactic. Cyrus goes behind her back and does it anyway. He has Olivia’s father (Joe Morton) digging up dirt even after Mellie wanted him to fire him. Of course, he won’t do that. Cyrus wants to win and he will do it at any cost.

Lindsay, A.K.A. Quinn, appears on Fitz’s talk show, which is supposed to be about political topics, to promote the fact she’s going to be the next “Bachelorette.” She ends up in Fitz’s dressing room and wants to have a little one on one time with the former Presidential candidate. Thankfully, Fitz stops it before it goes any further than kissing.

Abby drops by Olivia’s office and brings her divorce papers. It’s okay, everyone has permission to let out a long audible awe. They give us a wedding and then they take it away! The papers do not come without a lecture. Abby tells Olivia that she never really gave the marriage a chance. They still live in Olivia’s apartment, they never bought a house and never did anything on their own. Fitz decided to do the show because he was looking for the love and attention that he wasn’t getting from her.

Later that day Olivia got a visit from Mellie, who was still reeling from Cyrus going behind her back and releasing the photos after she told him not to. Mellie didn’t really let Olivia get a word in, she just wanted to apologize for Defiance. She understood why she said no to swaying the votes. She saved Fitz and now he was free, but Mellie said she felt trapped. It makes us wonder if present day Mellie feels trapped or if she feels free now that she’s no longer with Fitz. Mellie has gotten the raw end of the deal a lot, even when she tries to do the right thing.

Fitz tries to talk about Sally Langston’s husband living a lie, pretending, on his show but is unable to and gets up and walks out. He goes home to find Olivia on the couch and again Olivia doesn’t get to speak. He told her he lost the election because he didn’t want to win. “I didn’t ever think I wanted anything – not until I met you,” Fitz told her. Man, he sure can be romantic when he wants to be. He tells her he still wanted her if she would still have him. She gets up and hands him the manilla envelope and we’re all thinking that it’s the divorce papers and screaming “NO!” When he opens the envelope it’s a real estate listing for a brownstone in Georgetown. Olivia is finally ready for them to get a place of their own.

Back to the present, Olivia has made her decision on whether she will help Fitz get Cyrus out of prison and races to the Presidential bedroom in the White House. She finds him on the balcony where she’s found him so many times before. “Did you make a decision?” he asks her. “I’m in.” She replies. We’re thinking that this decision might have more to do with her feelings for Fitz than her desire to clear Cyrus’s name, but we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out.