Scandal: Top 10 Moments From ‘Air Force Two’ (Season 7 Episode 13)
Has everyone caught their breath yet? Scandal Season 7 Episode 13 “Air Force Two” is the tensest episode of the season so far. It also makes use of the ensemble, and we finally get to see Mellie act like a President.
Here are our top ten moments from Scandal Season 7 Episode 13 “Air Force Two.”
1. Olivia Visits Her Mom
The second Mama Pope shows up you just know that something is going to go down. This is the tensest episode since Scandal Season 6 Episode 18 “Mercy,” and Olivia and Maia are…eating French food.
The thing about this visit is that Olivia feels much lighter when she’s not Command or Chief of Staff. It’s the kind of Olivia that I love to see, the kind that started to come back to the surface with Scandal Season 7 Episode 12 “Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself.”
She’s proud of her accomplishment, and we don’t see the entire conversation, but it feels like the kind of moment that Olivia needed.
2. Abby Freaks Out About David Proposing
DARBY STANCHFIELD, JOSHUA MALINA
I’m not entirely sure how I feel about David and Abby being together again, but I have to say Darby Stanchfield’s reaction to the possibility of David proposing is amazing.
It’s the kind of character development that Scandal needs this late in the game that doesn’t change the character too much.
3. “It’s Not My Birthday”
Maya Pope’s evolution in this episode is terrific. Going from playing along with Olivia’s game to asking why Olivia is here. She draws on the Supreme Court case mentioned in “Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself” before she reminds us all that she was a spy:
Hell, I had so many aliases back then, I couldn’t remember which was which. So I just let you tell me and went with it!
It feels like such a quintessential Maya Pope moment.
4. Mellie Calls Fitz and Doesn’t Ask for Advice
Why is this awesome? Because Mellie is a capable woman! We haven’t really gotten to see much of her as President in this season. Although we had some great moments with her and Olivia early in the season, I have been dying to see Mellie in power.
So the fact that she calls Fitz, but doesn’t ask for advice feels like a testament to her strength. Mellie needs to know that she can make a tough call.
Plus, even though we haven’t seen much of Mellie being President in the day-to-day doings of her office, somewhere in the universe, they must be comparing her to Fitz.
5. Cyrus’s Speech
COURTNEY COMER, PAUL ROOT, JOSHUA MALINA
It’s such a tense moment when the F-15s are outside the window and they’re not sure what’s happening on the ground. Cyrus’s speech is very heartfelt and hard to argue with. His points are poignant and touching, and it’s hard not to just sit there, watch, and get enthralled.
Considering that they’re in a plane and they can’t actually do anything. It’s not a rally cry, but it’s as comforting as it can be when these passengers have no control.
6. Olivia Accuses Her Mother of Hijacking the Plane
Seeing Olivia cry over the people who forced her out of the White House is definitely a touching scene, but Maia Pope painting it like it shouldn’t bother is the picture of a sociopath.
But notice, she never admits to hijacking the plane.
7. Mellie Makes a Tough Call
The entire sequence of Mellie deciding that she may have to make the call, QPA cracking the malware, and the plane shifting in the air is intense. The way it’s edited and woven together with the orchestral music is epic and terrifying, but it manages to have some great character moments before it cuts away for the final act.
Plus, it avoids the sigh of relief moment by cutting away before the plane responds.
8. David Gets Abby
JOSHUA MALINA
So, after all of that, David is not proposing, and he breaks it to her in the sweetest way possible. She talks about how he knows her and her idiosyncrasies ending with:
“I know you Abby, I wouldn’t propose to you unless I wanted to lose you.”
We can all breathe a sigh of relief right now that Abby and David’s relationship isn’t changing too much.
9. Olivia Sends Mama Pope to Paris
Olivia says goodbye to her mother by sending her to Paris. Maya Pope’s moment of elation is brief as she realizes that Olivia is saying goodbye. It’s heartbreaking as she line disconnects and she sits in the chair.
It is sad that this is likely the last time we will see Khandi Alexander, but it’s also been a good run. Maya and Olivia will definitely live on in the twisted mother/daughter hall of fame.
10. The Insurrection Begins
Cyrus Beane, the cheeky bugger, is staging an insurrection against Mellie, and the only person who figured it out is Liv!
And to this I say, has everyone forgotten Scandal Season 6 Episodes 15 and 16 “Tick Tock” and “Transfer of Power?”
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.