Scandal: Top 8 Moments from ‘Army of One’ (Season 7 Episode 11)
Get your wine and popcorn because things are going down in Washington D.C.! Scandal Season 7 Episode 11 “Army of One” shows us how formidable Olivia Pope can be when she’s backed into a corner.
Here are our eight favorite moments from Scandal Season 7 Episode 11 “Army of One.”
1.Mellie Confronts Olivia
KERRY WASHINGTON, JEFF PERRY
No previously, on Scandal, just straight into the nitty-gritty of where Scandal Season 7 Episode 10 “The People vs. Olivia Pope” left off.
And the air is finally clearing.
The hypocrisy surrounding the motives for Rashad’s murder is infuriating. Especially since, as the series points out, when Olivia was sleeping with Fitz no one seemed to have any problem with that.
I get where Mellie is coming from. She knows that Olivia didn’t do this for any reason other than thinking that Mellie’s course of action was wrong. Having her “right-hand man” operating behind her back is a betrayal, and honestly, even if Mellie hadn’t been romantically interested in Rashad, I am sure she still would have been angry.
2. Olivia Brings Down B613’s Pool Setup by Phreaking
Olivia either has the best timing, or Jake has the worst, because watching all the B613 computers go dark is so poetic. The irony is that the method she uses sounds so ridiculous when the tech talks about it.
Googling “toy whistle phreaks” is kind of dubious as to if the method could actually bring down a computer system, but the overall meaning holds. In the end, this is such a small moment to the rest of the plot, but it’s still pretty cool.
3. Mellie Can’t Wait for Her Yearly Mammogram
Mellie is so excited about a yearly mammogram. Scandal has done a great job of folding the trials and tribulations of the first female President into the storyline without making it the storyline.
The impassioned delivery about getting a mammogram delivers and summarizes the problem very quickly. Really, did anyone think about a mammography machine in the White House?
4. Cyrus and Jake Set Up Mellie
KERRY WASHINGTON
It’s classic rock and a hard place. What happened at the end of Scandal Season 7 Episode 10 “The People v. Olivia Pope” is just the beginning. Now, not only is Olivia playing games but so is Cyrus and what he wants, is the oval.
When Cyrus became Vice President, my first thought was: “Oh Mellie, is in trouble.” Scandal is always writing subterfuge out of that office. Fitz had two of his Vice Presidents betray him before he found Susan Ross, and I had little doubt it would be the same for Mellie.
Especially, consider that Cyrus is the reason that Mellie’s original Vice President, Luna Vargas, was killed.
5. Quinn Comes Out of Hiding
Seeing Quinn come out of hiding is awesome! This is a moment I have been waiting for, and honestly, it pays off! Quinn’s past as a B613 operative comes into play as she sneaks into Liv’s apartment and leaves Robin for her to find.
Their rapid-fire conversation is also fun to watch. Katie Lowes’ performance here is stunning.
6. Olivia Takes a Bullet
This sequence is shot in such a way that it’s hard to know exactly what happens. What we do know: there are B613 snipers with their weapons trained on Olivia’s building to protect her. What else we learn: Olivia doesn’t want Quinn dead for real now that she sees that she’s alive.
So, Olivia taking a bullet for her is a surprise and it is definitely one that’s earned.
Without this moment I would start to think that Olivia was completely unredeemable. Warning and then diving in front of Quinn doesn’t make what Olivia has done right, but it’s a step in the right direction.
7. Olivia and Rowan Talk About Dinosaurs
After Olivia gets shot she goes to her father for treatment. We’ve seen some really tense moments between these two lately, and it’s a welcome change of pace to see them bonding like this. It’s a quiet moment with no posturing or motive. Rowan is comforting her and, in his own way, protecting her.
Even Rowan’s speech about the dinosaurs caring for their young felt right to the character and having him relate to the situation that way, fit the character.
8. Olivia Resigns as Chief of Staff
KERRY WASHINGTON
The last scene feels odd because it’s a move that doesn’t feel like Olivia Pope! She starts the episode determined to keep control of B613 and to get Mellie to see her error, and now she’s stepping down as Chief of Staff.
I think that Olivia did the right thing. The alternative was to burn Mellie and have Cyrus in the White House, which isn’t ideal.
However, I don’t think that Olivia is done playing her game yet, and this episode is going to take us into the Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder crossover on March 1.
What did you think of this episode of Scandal? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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Scandal airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.