Scandal Review: Pencils Down (Season 5 Episode 15)
This episode of Scandal is filled with debate prep and competition as the race for the show’s next president heats up. While this episode reads mostly as a filler episode for this season, it still comes off as quite enjoyable and a couple of plot points finally come to a head.
Jake and Rowan’s secret plan is finally revealed, and while it at least makes sense now, it took a frustratingly long time for something that isn’t that much of a revelation. The two of them are using his fiance’s money to fund a presidential campaign for Edison Davis, democratic Senator/Olivia’s ex-fiance. This plot has been long and drawn out all season, and while I’m certainly glad to see Edison back in the mix I don’t think all this subterfuge was completely necessary.
Olivia: You’re getting into bed with a monster.
Edison: Correction, I’m getting into bed with a monster’s father.
Olivia tries to warn him about the dangers of being aligned with her father and he throws it back in her face. Which gives her all the motivation she needs to turn on him, along with Jake and Rowan. There is an interesting turn around with Jake and Olivia’s twisted sex game when she pulls him into a bathroom, arouses him to uncomfortable levels, and leaves with the promise of winning this game between the three of them. These scenes still don’t peak my interest and continue to leave me a little uncomfortable, but seeing Liv be the one on top puts me a little more at ease.
The subplot of the double timing David Rosen also reaches it’s climax when Abby accidentally spills the beans to Susan during casual conversation. Susan handles the news admirably and with a few words of honesty from the White House’s resident cheater she gets the courage to break up with David before he can do any lasting damage to her heart. It’s incredibly brave of her and while it hurts to see such a good person in pain it’s wonderful to see another dimension of this character as she becomes a more complex person.
Aside from Susan’s courage my personal favorite part of this episode is how well it highlighted Olivia and Mellie as a team. They fight, they disagree, they certainly have their own share of problems with each other, but at the end of the day they are still able to put all of that aside and trust each other and work together. Olivia believes Mellie will make a great president and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her in that oval office. Mellie is a very prideful person who knows she’s smarter than most people but she has trouble being relatable, but she takes herself down a peg and listens to Olivia and trusts Olivia to help her win this race.
Other thoughts:
- Cyrus has some competition as the leader of the Vargas campaign. His brother, Alex, has run and won all of his previous campaigns for political office. Both Cyrus and Alex seem like the kind of men who will do anything to get their way. Will they be able to put aside their differences and work as a team? Or will they tear apart the campaign of a genuinely good man in their own selfish quests for power?
- Susan still doesn’t know that it was Elizabeth that David was cheating with, but when Elizabeth finds out that Susan knows the two of them share a moment over David being an ass. Is Elizabeth’s emotion in this scene real? Part of me wants to say yes given the way she reacted when David broke up with her, but it’s entirely possible that this is a play to keep herself in Susan’s good graces.
- Sally Langston’s Liberty Report is always an interesting perspective to see within the show and I can’t wait to see her host the debate next week.
- What kind of dirt did Alex give Olivia on Susan? Is it going to be worth selling out Edison?
What did you think of this episode of Scandal? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Scandal airs Thursday at 9/8c on ABC.
Samantha Coley
Samantha (she/her) is a social media specialist by day and a sci-fi junkie by night. As a freelance writer and podcaster, she also enjoys live-tweeting, blogging, good music, and better television. Her current favorite television shows include Star Trek (yes, all of them), Riverdale, and Stranger Things and there will always be a place in her heart for Battlestar Galactica, Leverage, and The West Wing.