New Show Recap: Scandal, 3×03, “Say Hello to My Little Friend”

I’m filling in for Moretta this week!

This week’s episode opens with Jake going back to his apartment (at Olivia’s suggestion). He asks if Fitz knows who her father is. It’s obvious that Fitz does not. He asks how Fitz could protect her, and she says that her father wouldn’t hurt her. He reminds her how dear old dad threw him in a hole and then watched him get repeatedly tortured. “Olivia, your father would slit your throat and drink your blood if it served the Republic!” Olivia is scared and doesn’t want to be involved. She will “be a good girl,” not get into trouble, and go to Sunday dinner.

David and Abby are dating. She’s still noncommittal. He has a murder case coming up. She gets a phone call from work; it’s a new client.

Back at the office, Harrison is happy that they have a client because the electric bill is getting paid. It’s come to this? Soon he’ll be pulling Quinn’s laptop cord when she’s doing her recreational hacking to save pennies on the bill. It looks like Olivia cannot afford to go by her gut anymore. Her gut is not paying the bills. The gladiators are going to take what they can get for the time being.

Huck is back in AA, talking about falling off the wagon. Quinn is watching and is caught when her phone goes off.

James is trying to coax a quote for his story from Cyrus. Cyrus refuses repeatedly.

The Senator, “perving sexting pervy perv” client, AKA Redwood Johnson is on trial for murdering a young woman who he was sexting. Anthony Weiner, AKA Carlos Danger, must be very uncomfortable right now. His wife, Shelly, pleads that her husband made a mistake, and we all deserve a second chance.

Olivia is speaking in front of the courthouse, Abby looks away enough to see that Rosen is pissed. He knows what to expect when he sees Pope and Associates on the same case. His chances of winning the case just dropped dramatically. He’s the Charlie Brown of Scandal.

One by one, young women are on the stand in court, reading the sexts from the Senator. “Squeeze them, until they hit you in the face… I don’t even know what that means.” I don’t think that anyone does. The jury has already mentally convicted him.

Back at the White House, Congresswoman Josephine Marcus of Montana is on the news trashing the president and his shenanigans. Mellie schemes with Cyrus to regain political ground and Fitz is dismayed to read in the newspaper that Navy pilot Peter Foster is dead.

Back at the Pope and Associates office, the case isn’t going well, so Olivia decides that they’re going to dig up dirt on the murdered young woman.

“Are we really going to…” “Slut shame a dead girl? All aboard.” Sarcastic Abby is a lot more likable than Judgey Sarcastic Abby. I guess dark eyeliner does wonders for a personality.

The media (and the courtroom) explodes with news of the deceased’s many sugar daddies and Rosen is objecting up a storm. He knows that it’s over, and once again it’s thanks to Olivia.

Mellie is holding a press conference. When she’s asked about Rep. Marcus, she smiles and feeds them a line about female solidarity across party lines. She then bitches about her as she walks away and realizes that her mic is still on. Oops.

Quinn tries to talk to Huck, and he shrugs her off and tells her that he’s doing everything he can to appear normal. “Friends don’t follow friends.” He walks into the parking lot and Jake is there. He says that he wants to talk as they draw guns on each other. Jake wants to compare notes so that they can take down Rowan. Huck says it’s not going to happen and to stay away from him and Liv.

Cyrus is yelling at Mellie because her mistake has propelled Rep. Marcus into a presidential candidate. Oops again.

Yet another young woman is on TV.  She’s getting sexts from Senator Pervy Perv. During the trial. He tries to lie. The crew isn’t having it. It’s pretty obvious by now that he’s addicted to sexting.

Fitz reads up on Foster and crashes the funeral. He tells Foster’s sister that her brother was a hero and he arranged a hero’s funeral in Arlington for him. Hm. Someone looks very guilty. Huck is watching.

James is pissed at Cyrus because he is being scooped on the funeral coverage on Instagram. Cyrus didn’t even know about it. He has a convo on his favorite Bench of Secrets with Rowan about it and Jake is listening.

Olivia is watching the news. Her career slippage is being discussed. She’s not happy.

Harrison and Abby walk in and tell her that Shelly has disappeared. Abby offers for them to work for a few months for free (?!) if money’s a problem. Harrison doesn’t respond to that offer. Gingham doesn’t come cheap.

Jake walks in, he wants to talk about Rowan and Foster. Olivia wants to bury her head in the sand and kicks him out. Huck is listening. He realizes that Foster is the man whose wrists he slit last week. Yikes.

Cyrus is yelling at Mellie (again) that Rep. Foster is gaining popularity thanks to her faux pas. Fitz defends her, because “we all make mistakes.” Looks like he’s doing serious thinking about a big mistake that he’s made. Cyrus scares some rookie into digging dirt on Rep. Marcus.

Abby enters David’s office. He’s not amused at the gladiators’ antics. She wants lunch. He gives an ultimatum, in or out.

The crew is searching for Shelly. Huck, of course, finds her, and Olivia takes off. They have a one-on-one in her hotel room (over wine, what else) and Shelly laments over her marriage. She’s humiliated and disgusted by her husband. She won’t lie. Olivia tells her that she doesn’t have to. Back in court, Shelly provides her husband an alibi. She also makes it clear to a perplexed Rosen that she doesn’t love or respect her husband. She finds him despicable, but she doesn’t think that he should go to jail over something that he’s not guilty of.

Huck is investigating Foster’s files. Quinn butts in AGAIN. He pushes him to discuss his “whiskey problem.”

Olivia answers the door. It’s Jake. She wants him to leave, until she hears Huck’s voice beside him.

Inside her apartment, they show her their intel on Operation Remington. Jake reveals that Fitz was the pilot. Foster pretended to be.

The Senator laments to Olivia that his wife hates him. Olivia offers platitudes. He says that he’s guilty, and that his wife lied for him. Shelly was out that night. Olivia is shocked. She’s put two and two together; the Senator has not. He’s acquitted. Olivia confronts Shelly on the way out of court. She knows that Shelly committed the murder. She responds that “we all deserve a second chance” and walks away.

Cyrus advises Fitz not to look back. It’s an election year. He wants him to leave the past in the past. Yeah, because that always works so well on this show.

Quinn confronts Huck. They start bickering like a married couple. He knows that her concern over him is really more of an interest because she’s crossed over to the dark side. He tells her to stop while she still can. She doesn’t argue.

Rosen gets a call from Abby. She’s sexted him. She wants to come upstairs. Looks like they’re a couple again.

Olivia is on the couch with Jake drinking from the largest wine glass that I’ve ever seen. She’s terrified about Rowan. He consoles/makes out with her. Fitz calls. He wants to chat, but Jake interrupts with “More wine, Olivia?” HA. Fitz says goodbye. She looks meaningfully at Jake.

Fitz is in the car on the way to meet someone. He struts down the walkway with his Secret Service agents with a definite presidential swagger. He’s not playing around. He bursts in on Rowan, demanding a “reunion.” It looks like the presidential balls are back.