Dee Davis on 'Scandal': What the heck is Foxtail?

So I spent most of this week with a new litany. "Please not Jake." "Please not Jake." "Please not Jake!" Although I will say that TPTB rarely ever hear my pleas. Or listen to them. So my stomach is clenched as I wait for the opening credits.

According to the scuttle, this episode, First Lady Sings the Blues, seems on its face to mean that this episode is going to center on bumps in Mellie's road to election. But as much as I love to watch Mellie self-destruct, that's not the issue I care about. So I'll hold my breath and wait for Quinn to open the door to OPA …

And showtime …

Oh man …

Thank GOD!

Gladiators are in motion. Of course we're not out of the woods yet. We can't risk the ER. Too dangerous what with evil daddy, dude out there. Charlie's on the job, though. Now we need a doctor and a safe house. Meanwhile, as promised … Mellie on the campaign trail.

Liz (really? Liv and Liz? Couldn't we have found a name slightly more different?) Now the ex-VP is on the smear Mellie job. And of course she's got just the bully pulpit to do it. Mellie's not a happy camper.

Jake is touch and go. Foreign doc finally arrives. Olivia is sweating it big-time. And doctor doesn't seem to be much help. Do you think we trust this guy? "Many, many surgeries" doesn't bode well. Tit for tat is what the man wants. Help my friend and I'll help yours. This could come back to bite us. But Jake has a chance, which makes me very very happy. As well as all the gladiators. Including "scared man with glasses" (lovely depiction of David).

So now Olivia's on the job, trying to help a renegade Russian. Who isn't exactly what they expected. Makes me think of Helen Mirren in Red. A gifted sniper and a hungry kid willing to murder whomever she was asked to do. Was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her — except it wasn't. She had a perfect American life, which worked because the world changed until a day or so ago when her past reared its ugly head. Putin set the restart button.

Cut to Mellie in trouble. After all, in the country's eyes she's sleeping with the president. She wants to go toe to toe with Sally. So they turn to Abby, who points out that they need to show that they're living separate lies. So she calls David — who is a little busy. But it is legal for a first lady to run for Senate when her husband is president.

Uh oh, Jake's lung is compromised. We need blood. This is definitely something that Quinn and Charlie can handle. But shouldn't they have asked what type? David uses his phone to call in the answers for cable news. Meanwhile, Olivia is trying to help our assassin grandma. Huck is on it. Jake is hanging in.

And Daddy dearest isn't buying that Jake is dead. Olivia didn't call. No vengeance sworn. So Rowan sends his man to finish the job. I surely hope Olivia finds out his duplicity soon. Sleeping with him now would just be, well, ick.

Man, I don't want to see her taken in. Surely she'll figure it out. She's pretty damn smart. Meanwhile, back to our grandma operative (played, incidentally, by Rondi Reed, Mike's mom on Mike and Molly). Olivia does an Olivia on Mary's handler. But our guy isn't interested in selling out. Traitors die. And he's not going to be one of them. And if Mary doesn't get with the program, she just might suffer that fate.

(And a snarky moment, can I just say that her earrings do not go with her outfit?) But despite her lack of fashion sense, she's seen the proverbial light and can't swallow the idea of killing anyone else.

Abby is at the top of her game. Cyrus is the man. And Abby thinks he's the one to go toe to toe with Sally. And Rowan isn't playing around. He wants Jake to die and Olivia to play ball or there will be hell to pay for everyone. Could we have a man changing sides? Would follow true to the Olivia mojo. But then the love triangle would be a really weird rectangle. So maybe not. Still, it would be a cool development.

Cyrus isn't interested in defending Mellie. But Fitz isn't giving him a chance. Cyrus doesn't get the idea of loyalty when there's no personal payoff. Cut to Sally's show. Sally throws the motherhood card, but Cyrus is ready. And he comes at her with both barrels blazing. Sally tries again. But Cyrus is ready for that. Payment in fried chicken (sign me up) being one of his attacks. So Sally comes at Cyrus from left field. Talking about eyes and windows to the soul and Cyrus wanting to be the senator instead of Mellie. Uh oh … Sally might just score here. But, no … Cyrus plays the misogyny card. Sally folds.

We don't fall for the ploy, at least not in the moment. Huck insists they need to go on the offensive. Olivia sees one stone, two birds. They go to Mary's handler, painting a target on Jake's back. But I'm worried that we've got an enemy in the house … And we do. Uh oh. And it doesn't look like he's feeling turncoat.

Still, being an eternal optimist, I'm going to keep a positive thought. At least until the end of the episode. Oh please, oh please, oh please …

Here we go. But we've bought another minute. But our friend isn't a friend. Come on, guys, pay attention! And now he knows the plan. Definitely some solid suspense here. But it turns out that Mellie's conflict of interest, or at least the perceived one, is hurting the president. Abby suggests they sell the idea that the president and Mellie are splitsville. Win/win. But Mellie isn't buying.

So Fitz is on the phone. To talk about Mellie not winning. Olivia and I are on the same wavelength here. WHAT? Meanwhile, Fitz uses his spidey sense and realizes something is up, but Liv isn't in a sharing mood. But really Liv's other boyfriends need to remember that her first loyalty is to Fitz. (Which isn't a reason for Jake to die, btw.)

Jerk dude is listening as Olivia pours her heart out to Jake. And the respirator is keeping Jake from saving his own life. Meanwhile, Huck has really bad news. Things are going really south with our Russian problem. Olivia finds Mary and grandkids dead. Single shots to the head. Rowan and his men. And Russian dude is dead in the trunk. I truly want Rowan to die. A wonderfully gruesome ending. But I guess that isn't happening. So I'm going to concentrate on Jake. (I know, one note, think bigger. But sometimes a character just grabs our hearts and won't let it go. Ya know?)

OK, heading to the bathroom to retrieve tissues just in case. And then wait for the final scenes …

Russian doctor is out of there. And David doesn't want to let the testimony go. Olivia tries to enlighten him as to the fact that there is no winning. None at all. Olivia is going to give in. Call it off and keep her friends alive. The group falls in with Olivia's plan. Which isn't any kind of happy ending. But at least Jake gets to go to the hospital.

Mellie has a new plan. Embrace her marriage and run for election anyway. And it appears to be working. Cyrus is not a happy camper. And he has a point. Franklin is now in Olivia's house. Ew … But it seems that Rowan has called off the dogs with regard to Jake. Big ICK Factor here for me. But maybe if we're lucky, she's about to nail his ass. YES! This is Scandal the way I like it.

Nobody puts Olivia in the corner … nobody! And thank you, Shonda. Jake lives, at least for now. I'm breathing easier. And wondering what the heck Foxtail might be. Two more episodes left!

See you next week!

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.