The episode picks up right where we left off, with Olivia confronting Mellie about Jake. Olivia can’t come to grips with the decision that she’s out as chief of staff, and Jake is in. Mellie admits this is all because Olivia killed Rashad. Mellie knows that Olivia didn’t kill him for power or for a treaty. “You killed him because you thought I was a bad president,” Mellie says. Mellie tells Olivia again and again that she has to go. Olivia immediately goes into panic mode and tries to turn the narrative in her favor. But Mellie doesn’t budge. Olivia is near tears. Mellie gives Liv the opportunity to resign. If she doesn’t, then Mellie will announce to the world that she’s been fired.
Meanwhile, Rowan is teaching Quinn his ways. Quinn is ready to act while the iron is hot with Olivia, but Rowan holds back. Quinn thinks Rowan has gone soft. Hardly. Rowan suddenly turns and threatens to kill little Robin. He could do it with just the pressing of his fingers. They’re not going to take down Olivia. Just like Quinn would do anything for Robin, Rowan would do the same for Olivia. Later, Quinn confronts Rowan again. If he lets her and Robin leave, she will spare Olivia.
Jake wants full transparency with Mellie as Command and chief of staff. But Olivia isn’t going down without a fight. “You forgot one thing,” Olivia tells Jake. “You can’t take Command.” Cyrus is stunned that Mellie has kept Jake around. He killed James, for crying out loud! Cyrus tries to change Mellie’s mind, but she’s not having it.
With Jake coming in as the new chief of staff, David needs to know if there’s anything Jake and Vanessa are hiding. Jake says the only thing is that he and Vanessa have an open marriage. The man she’s having an affair with? Oh, the guy is OPA’s new client! Mellie just needs the situation taken care of ASAP.
Olivia goes to see Cyrus and tries to appeal to him. She pushes his buttons in all the right places. She unleashes the caged monster. Cyrus quickly steps in with a solution for Mellie and Jake’s problem. Vanessa denies the affair on national TV. She says it was all a sting operation. Cyrus then pays Olivia a visit and brings her a bullet. The information he has could impeach Mellie. “If there’s going to be a snake in the Oval, it might as well be me.” Cyrus’s idea was just a setup. He wants Mellie to fall.
While Mellie is getting a mammogram, Olivia walks in. She says she’s not stepping down. She’ll be holding a press conference the next day and will call for Mellie’s resignation. Mellie is left shaken to her core. When Olivia gets home, she hears a baby cooing. Quinn is there for the confrontation we’ve been waiting for. Quinn has Olivia’s confession written and ready to go. She grabs her gun and points it straight at Olivia. Too bad there are armed B613 snipers across the street. Olivia and Quinn get into a scuffle, and Olivia is grazed by a bullet. Olivia goes running to her father, and he’s actually the person who puts Olivia on the right path again.
Mellie reveals to Jake that she’ll be resigning the next day. She’ll take the heat for everything. The next day, Olivia makes her way to the press conference. She doesn’t take down Mellie. She resigns instead. Mellie wins, Cyrus loses. All is right in the world. Maybe Olivia can finally make her way back to OPA!
Quinn finally reveals to Abby and Huck that she’s alive and well. Huck’s face when Quinn walks through the door will make you cry all the tears. Anyone else feel a shift happening? After being separate for so long, all the Gladiators are going to come together. I can feel it.
HollywoodLifers, what did you think of tonight’s episode of Scandal? Let us know!