Scandal Review: Thwack! (Season 5 Episode 17)
Scandal is full of monsters and big dogs, and on “Thwack!” it’s a game of who has the biggest teeth.
Andrew Nichols returns to stir up trouble and push the White House team to their breaking points. He’s recovered enough from his stroke to start spreading truths that will bring them all down. As the clock ticks down on his story, it becomes clear that there’s only one way to keep all of them safe.
Olivia: This time you’re not just up against Fitz and Cyrus and Mellie, you’re up against me, the bitch you left for dead.
As the conflict with Andrew puts everyone an an impasse, Olivia’s PTSD from when she was kidnapped returns with a vengeance. The way the her flashbacks are edited both with sounds and visuals does an incredible job of showing Olivia’s struggle with those memories throughout the episode.
Her traumas increase as the story moves forward until Andrew pushes her past her limit. Overcome with rage and hurt and fear, Olivia snaps and beats him to death with a chair. After all of the things he said and did, the former Vice President certainly had it coming.
Unfortunately, part of the reason that Olivia has to resort to such tactics, the reason she’s in that room alone with him in the first place is because of the deterioration of her relationship with Abby. Seeing these two fall apart is nothing short of heartbreaking. A few episodes ago Abby made the decision to become one of the monsters. She became hungry for power and now that she’s had a taste of it she never wants to live without it again.
Fitz plans to take the fall for all of them, to take responsibility for what happened. It’s a great plan and I cannot believe how far he’s come this season. He’s finally become the man that Olivia always wanted him to be, he’s behaving like a President should. Abby doesn’t see it that way, her own vision too clouded by her thirst for power.
Olivia: A leader owns what happened on his watch, a leader stands up and takes responsibility. That is not weak.
Abby’s attempt to overpower Olivia for her own gain and then seeing it backfire hurts all around. There was a time when Abby would have gone over a cliff for Olivia, but now she’s been seduced by the power of the Oval. I want Abby to have everything she wants, I want her to be able to continue playing in the big leagues once Fitz is out of office, but not at the expense of Olivia, not at the expense of her own morality.
DARBY STANCHFIELD
If Abby really wants lasting power, why does she chose to align herself so closely with Fitz? He’ll be out of the White House in under a year. Would it not have made more sense for her to align herself with Olivia and Mellie and their bid for the next eight years of political control?
Marcus offers to help Olivia but she’s so terrified of letting anyone else in she simply pushes him away. Marcus’ perspective is different from almost everyone else on the show as he hasn’t gotten down in the dirt with them yet. If he can maintain his staunch moral code, and help lift Olivia up out of the mud that would be incredibly hopeful to watch.
Instead of turning to Marcus, however, Olivia seeks out her father. She’s become more and more like he and Jake over the last several episodes. Her PTSD doesn’t stop when she kills Andrew and I’m worried about where she’s going from here.
Other thoughts:
- Alex Vargas figures out that Cyrus is cheating on his husband with Tom. I’m glad this is finally relevant, because until now, I was unsure if it was just a silent agreement that Cyrus have his ex-secret service side piece or if there’s something more sinister going on.
- Olivia’s devotion to Mellie continues to grow. Olivia kills Andrew for herself, but she’s also willing to set the world on fire to defend Mellie. I hope their partnership continues to grow.
- Lillian Foster is only briefly in this episode, but I’m glad we get to see her doing her actual job.
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 The CW.
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.