As any O.G (Original Gladiator) knows, it can be difficult to keep up with the fast-paced world of Pope & Associates. So, now that season three is in full swing, let’s break down the top 5 key moments from tonight’s episode to help us prepare for next week.
1. Mellie’s Backstory
The episode starts with a journalist and camera following Mellie through the White House as they shoot footage for an interview to help clean up Mellie’s image. Apparently, the American people are not so fond of the FLOTUS anymore which could hurt Fitz’s reelection campaign.
The filming is paralleled with flashback scenes 15 years into Fitz and Mellie’s past. Is there anything more awesome than ‘Scandal’ flashbacks?!
Not only do we get hot (REALLY HOT) Fitz and Mellie newlywed love scenes, but we also learn that Cyrus looked like a homeless version of Wolverine 15 years ago. Also, Cyrus references his “wife” in the flashback which is news to us! That bit of info was mentioned once in this episode and dropped, but I definitely want to know more about Cyrus’ past now!
Sadly, the flashbacks were also filled with some seriously troubling information. The flashbacks took place when Fitz, Mellie, and Fitz’s dad (Jerry), were planning Fitz’s campaign to become governor of California. After Fitz and Jerry get into an argument, Cyrus threatens to quit unless Mellie forces the men to get along. Naturally, Mellie attempts to protect Fitz by trying to talk some sense into Jerry, who was drunk at the time. Instead of listening, Jerry rapes Mellie while in his drunken stupor. What an intense scene, even for ‘Scandal’.
Mellie doesn’t tell Fitz that his dad raped her, but she does announce that she’s pregnant with their first child. This definitely leads me to believe that their first son, named Jerry, was actually fathered by his Grandfather. Simply crazy and disgusting.
If Big Jerry hadn’t died of a heart attack a few seasons ago, I would be praying for Huck to get ahold of him.
2. Olivia Takes on Her Mom As a Client
Olivia really drops the bomb (pun intended) on her Associates by telling them that her mom was on the airliner that crashed over 20 years ago, killing 300+ people. In Liv’s words, the purpose of opening this case is to find out if her mom was “killed specifically or used as collateral damage.”
Liv also reveals 1) that her dad is Command of B6-13, 2) that she believes he ordered the plane to be shot down, 3) President Fitzgerald Grant III shot down the plane.
3. Was Fitz’s Dad Involved With Covering Up The Real Reason Behind the Plane Crash?
As if we need more daddy issues, Quinn finds the name Fitzgerald Grant II (aka Big Jerry) on one of the documents related to the plane crash. Apparently he was the senator that spearheaded the investigation into the crash…
To add fuel to the fire that is this story, we learn in a flashback scene between Fitz and his dad that Papa Fitz did not want his son to join the Navy and fly “Black Ops missions” in the first place. From what I got out of it: Jerry basically aided in the cover-up to help protect his legacy as a politician well as that of his son. Jerry definitely has a connection to Rowan/the Operation Remington cover-up, but we have to see how this actually plays out.
In the flashback, we see Jerry telling Mellie that Fitz shot down the plane. WHAT?! She has known all this time? Between that, the rape, Olivia Pope, and all of the other B.S that Mellie has gone through, it’s really amazing that she still stands by Fitz.
3. Quinn and Charlie Sitting in a Tree, K-I-L-L-I-N-G
Charlie meets Quinn at their completely normal hang out place (the gun range) and casually mentions a secret mission he has to go on. Later that night, we see that Quinn followed him to the mission, but instead of being angry, Charlie kisses Quinn and asks her out.
Their “date” ends up being Charlie setting Quinn up by luring her into completing a kill-mission for him. Being the hungry newbie-assassin that she is, Quinn jumps on the opportunity and kills a security guard without asking any questions. The security guard just happened to be the last living witness that could’ve given Olivia more insight into what happened right before the plane crash.
Quinn doesn’t know who the man is, but she does regret killing him as soon as does it. As she tries to call Huck for help, Charlie shows Quinn the security footage of her killing the man and tells her not to make the call because she’s in B6-13 now.
If you remember from the last episode, Rowan ordered Charlie to turn Quinn, and Rowan’s plans always turn out the way he wants them to.
5. SHOCKER: Mama Pope Is Still Alive!!
Through the associates’ digging, we also find out that there actually was one person that survived the crash: a man named Omar Dresden. The agent for the flight told the team that a fire marshal delayed the flight for a short time and that Omar was taken off the plane.
At the end of the episode, we see Rowan walk to a high-security prison asking to visit with “Omar,” but when he enters the cell we see it’s Mama Pope!
*ENTER MAJOR FREAKOUT HERE*
Obviously she was the one taken off the plane, not Omar, but why did it happen? Did Rowan save her? Is she in cahoots with Rowan or has he forced her to stay hidden? Why couldn’t Olivia know that her mom has been alive all these years? Why was Cyrus’ facial hair so disgusting?! So many questions!
Other notes:
1. Fitz is having Olivia followed 24/7 by a secret agent so he can make sure she stays safe. The said agent also did some digging on Olivia and showed Fitz a picture of her father, the innocent Smithsonian curator. But, of course, Fitz knows that he’s actually Rowan, crazy leader of a super-secret government agency that kills people. This is huge because it’s the moment that Fitz makes the connection between Olivia and Rowan.
2. Sally Langston’s hubby is a closeted gay man.
3. ‘Scandal’ and ABC really failed tonight because of their lack of trigger warnings for the rape scene. We all know that the show can go to crazy places, but this is a sensitive topic and the audience should’ve had some kind of warning.
Below is the promo for next week’s episode, 3.08 “Vermont is For Lovers, Too”
‘Til next week, Gladiators!
(GIF: Scandal Moments)
