Scandal Review: You Got Served (Season 5 Episode 5)

It’s time for some cold hard truths and more than a few lies in this week’s episode of Scandal. It seems as if everyone in our favorite fictional Washington D.C. is leading a double life, saying one thing up front before turning behind backs and closed doors with their own agendas.

The Senate has launched an official investigation into the affair between Olivia and Fitz to determine if, over the course of their dalliances, he ever committed any impeachable offenses. Over at OPA, Olivia calls in the help of fellow fixer Leo Bergen, and they decide to paint her as a woman of the people. Part of which includes going to her ex-fiance, Senator Edison Davis; he goes to bat for Olivia and publicly defends her character, but not without berating her and demanding the truth from her in private first. I honestly feel like Edison had every right to ask this of her, and while his insults were harsh, he deserved the truth.

Speaking of Olivia’s past relationships recurring theme this season has been to show us Olivia’s current relationship with Jake in stark contrast with her relationship with Fitz. While the nature of these two connections are currently on different levels, they weren’t always. It appears that Olivia is using Jake as a sort of safe haven amidst all the chaos of the “scandal” she’s gotten into with Fitz. He understands her in a way that not many people do, it’s really touching to see him simply be there for her as her friend and an honest voice of reason.

Jake: Just tell the truth Olivia. Tell your story, tell the world how you feel about him.

Meanwhile, he’s allowed to see other people too; Olivia meets Elise, Jake’s wife, when she stops by to talk to with him about her hesitations. He’s honest with her about the relationship and they’re both complete adults about it. This new dimension of their relationship is so compelling and even if they never end up together, I love seeing this side of them.

Olivia takes Jake’s advice when she takes an interview after the press find out about the ring Fitz gave her. She doesn’t paint some made up fairytale for America to fall in love with, she’s simply honest and it’s beautiful. Even as a firm believer that Olivia and Fitz shouldn’t be together, this scene is so raw and enchanting that I completely understand Olivia’s conflict over the entire situation. Olivia talks about how hard she worked for the life she’s built and the business she created. But first she expresses regret for ever even meeting Fitz, for all the damage they caused, and the people they hurt, mentioning Mellie more than once. I hope when everything settles down, something of this relationship can be salvaged; the complexities of these two women alone are enough to keep things interesting for years.

Olivia: Is the love of two people worth all of this destruction?

Mellie suffers another blow when the leaders of the investigation against Fitz kick her off the team, that is to say, they tell her that her being involved would be too distracting. The contrast between their explanations clear though when Senator Gibson, a man, tells her that she just looks like a woman scorned, while her fellow female senator, Senator Moskowitz, tells her that she will get to be a part of something else, like the defense committee. Even out of Fitz’s reach Mellie is thwarted at almost every turn, but at least she has, if not a friend in Senator Moskowitz, at least someone who sees her as an equal and acknowledges her intelligence.

Mellie: I am not some scornful woman bitching about my ex. I am a Senator and a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Senator Grant has big dreams and big goals, and she’s smart enough and ambitious enough to achieve them, but it would be a hell of a lot easier if she had a few people on her side. Cyrus looks to be an ally when the two of them stay up all night watching the news coverage on Olivia and Fitz. She even asks him to come work for her, help her climb the ranks like he did for Fitz. But when Cyrus gets a call from the White House any chance of that is dashed away.

After proving that he actually cares about Cyrus, (in an apology more genuine than any he ever offered Mellie) Fitz wins back his Chief of Staff. The committee overseeing the investigation into Fitz’s relationship with Olivia finds the information on West Angola and Olivia’s ransom video. Cyrus is apparently the only one who knew Fitz saw the video, and which makes him the one who holds the power to impeach him. His silence can be bought though with his old job, new carpet, diplomatic immunity, and the permanent dismissal of Elizabeth North.

Am I the only one who remembers Fitz telling Mellie about Olivia’s kidnapping? Or does that not matter since it was done in the hushed voices of secret balcony talks? Either way, Mellie definitely knew that Olivia was the reason behind Fitz’s actions in the war with West Angola, so I wonder if this will be addressed or if I’ll have to chalk it up to continuity errors.

Other thoughts:

• Marcus is my new favorite gladiator. His loyalty comes into question when the senators ask him to spy on Olivia, but later we see him take the opportunity to become a double agent, bringing home some pretty important information. He’s crafty and smart and I can’t get enough of him!
• I love Fitz’s lawyer, Patty Snell, she’s bold and has a delightfully clever humor. I hope we see more of her in the future.
• Casual Mellie eating brownies and drinking cocktails has me entirely heart eyes, I’d absolutely vote for this woman.
• Now that Elizabeth’s been booted from the White House will we see her take up with Mellie again, or is something entirely new in store for her?
• I still don’t know how I feel about next week’s promo, Cyrus shoving Fitz and Olivia into a wedding after what can only be days since his divorce with Mellie seems not only in poor taste, but awkward and rushed. However, I’m completely stoked for that Mellie/Olivia showdown.

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Scandal airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.