Dee Davis on Scandal's love triangles and crazy-as-all-get-out plot cards
Last week on Scandal we left Olivia in a world of hurt. She is captive of an unknown enemy and no one knows where she is. But as I reviewed last week's episode in my head, the big takeaway for me was Olivia's dream. The heart of the show for me has always been what began as the love story between Olivia and Fitz and what has become the triangle between Olivia, Fitz and Jake.
What was interesting about the dream was the fact that in it, Olivia dreams of Jake rescuing her but then goes on to have her HEA with Fitz. Since happily ever after is a romance writer's endgame, I can't help but feel for her confusion. She is so enamored of the idea of the great love she has with Fitz, but at the same time is captivated by the real love she shares with Jake.
And so as we go forward, it will be interesting to see where Shonda Rhimes takes this story. Because despite all the suspense and drama of the subplots, at the end of the day we care most about Olivia. And as a diehard romantic, for me that means finding her HEA — a difficult notion in an ongoing television show. It's hard to ride off into the sunset when the very next week we have to come back to "ride" yet again.
And so we come to this week's installment ...
As an aside, the vice president is such a nice guy when he's on The Closer. What happened to him?
So we open with the president and what is clearly a conspiracy to stop him from taking any action to rescue Olivia except for the demand to instigate war with West Angola. Clearly the VP has all kinds of supporters on his side. But I have to say that this is a wildly unlikely scenario. Seems overwhelming to believe that he would, first, take this drastic a step and, second, have the clout to actually carry it off.
The scene with Mellie and the president was far more interesting. Her desire to find a path with Fitz (clearly the guy emits some serious pheromones) and his frustration at his inability to help Liv. Not to mention Mellie's reveal to Fitz that she's been, quite literally, in bed with Fitz's nemesis. (Although Mellie doesn't know anything about Andrew's latest move.)
At this point, I have to say that what to me was a credible love connection in the beginning between Olivia and Fitz seems to be turning into an obsession. Not that he doesn't love her. But he doesn't seem capable of giving her what she needs. It's going to take some work to get us back on track.
I've never been completely comfortable with Huck and his tendencies toward extreme violence. And in this case I hate that he was threatening Liz's kid. But I am glad he's doing something. Everyone else's hands seem to be tied.
Enter Jake. And again with the Helen of Troy references. But at least they're cluing in to Olivia's breadcrumbs.
Someone last week mentioned that Olivia needs to rescue herself, and though I think that it's probably not completely possible at the moment, I like the idea. Olivia's strength lies in her competency. She makes a living saving people. And now she needs to save herself. (With a little help from her peeps, of course).
The second scene with Mellie and Fitz was amazing. She has morphed into a very interesting character over the years. But now the fallout is going to be tremendous. And the show may never recover. Come on, gladiators …
Well, thank goodness for the friend of the dead lady. The gladiators are back. We finally find the ring and the not particularly helpful pinging IP address. Meanwhile, poor Cyrus is totally freaking out. Is there a more insecure powerful adviser on the planet?
Next we find out that we're talking a long-term game. Like three years. Which is three very long seasons. So hopefully there's another resolution in mind. Part of writing a good suspense plot is knowing when to cut to the chase. It's time.
But meanwhile, if we're going to continue to play the crazy-as-all-get-out plot cards, why not bring back Harrison? I really liked him. Maybe he isn't dead at all? Or maybe we could bring in his evil twin brother?
And don't you kind of want one of those clear monitors? You know the kind that you can see through from the back? Makes for easy photography. But wait, I digress …
OK, so Fitz's hands are tied, Huck is still handy with his toolbox, Olivia's location is still pinging off towers around the world, Jake is strangely silent, Ian is clearly waffling, Cyrus finally has a clue, and Olivia is making a play …
Oh, wait, Mellie is saving the day! Go, Jake and David (who I have adored since he was in Sports Night)!
But of course … now Olivia's for sale …
Seriously?
Stay tuned next week …
Are you in this with me?
Dee Davis is the bestselling author of 22 novels and five novellas. When not glued to her television screen, she can be found pounding away at her keyboard, trying to put words to one of the stories running around in her head. Find her at www.deedavis.com.