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Scandal: Crash and Burn

“Oh, here we go.”

This week presented standard Scandal fare. Relatively boring case of the week, increasing drama in the Amanda arc, and smoldering looks between our romantic leads.

Lori Mackelson was a decently sympathetic client, but the story of the week just didn’t click for me. Possibly because there are no stakes, in the parlance of Screenwriting 101. The team is trying to save her reputation, her legacy, but she’s dead. There’s nothing they can really do to help. She will still be dead. The twist was good, however. Very tragic. One poor woman is responsible for the deaths of one hundred and twenty people, just because she cut a corner at work. I’m glad they didn’t go the whole corporate conspiracy route. It’s been done. A lot.

More and more, the reason I continue to watch this show is the season long arc, not the cases of the week. They’re pretty dull. The White House part is like The West Wing, if everyone was sleeping with each other, and minus the political stuff. Yeah, okay, it’s nothing like The West Wing. It’s still amazing in that wonderful guilty pleasure kind of way. It’s the kind of show you want to watch on a rainy night with a big glass of wine.

Amanda’s dead. Actually dead, which surprised me. I thought for sure she had just been kidnapped. Olivia assumes Fitz had Amanda killed. It’s a decent supposition, since he’s the one who stands the most to gain from her death, but isn’t she supposed to be in love with Fitz? I always thought love meant never assuming the person you love is a murderer. Olivia eventually comes around to the fact that it was probably Cyrus, but she still blames Fitz, which doesn’t seem exactly fair to me.

The scene where Fitz attempted to leave to see Olivia was hilarious. Sadly, it’s not in the quotes section, because that was already too long and I couldn’t just pick out one or two lines. I loved Fitz negotiating with his Secret Service about how many sharpshooters would cover him if he left. I’ve never considered how difficult it must be for a president to get out when he wants to. Makes having an affair with anyone not in the White House a right pain in the ass.

Bits and Pieces:

Quinn needs to be on Valium. That girl is wound too damn tight.

Huck is terrifying. But still cuddly. Like a Carebear with fangs. Name that BtVS episode!

VP Sally Langston is played by Kate Burton, who played Meredith’s mom on Grey’s Anatomy. Jeff Perry played Meredith’s dad. Also, Kate Burton is Richard Burton’s daughter. Yes, that Richard Burton.

The blackmail note was just a video of Nixon resigning. I think that’s really elegant.

Quotes:

“You tell your boy, you talk into that little radio in your sleeve and you tell the president I know. I know what he did to her. I know!”

“If you didn’t kill her, we both know who did. Tell me I’m wrong. You let a pit bull off his leash, he mauls a baby, no one blames the dog. You let Cyrus off his leash. That’s on you.”
Good line, but can we not hate on pit bulls please?

“One hundred and twenty innocent Americans, children, mommies, and daddies and best friends and husbands and wives died in that plane crash yesterday. That’s sad. We lost one of the few sane and worthy members of the Senate yesterday. That’s sad. Four navy SEALs died in Afghanistan, and that doesn’t even touch Sudan, Congo, northern Mexico. That’s sad. But the disturbed girl who made it her life’s mission to take down this administration, the one who was happily, no, gleefully, carrying your illegitimate bastard child, she’s no longer with us? Well, I’m sorry if I’m not sitting shiva.”
They keep giving Jeff Perry long sarcastic monologues, and he makes them amazing every time.

“Where’s McKinley? I was just getting used to seeing his judgey face every morning.”
“He’s being restored. His judgey face got flaky.”

“Personal belongings on her body, no sign of foul play, slashed her wrists
a month ago. Cops want to rule it a suicide. Coroner wants to rule it a suicide.”
“So it’s going to be ruled a suicide?”
“Yep. So who do you think killed her?”
I really like the scenes between Olivia and David. They have great chemistry, in a non-sexy way. They just play off each other well.

two out of four judgey, flaky president faces

3 comments:

  1. Huck is terrifying. But still cuddly. Like a Carebear with fangs. Name that BtVS episode! "Halloween"! Gee, what a surprise that I know that one, huh? :) And I agree -- Huck is terrifying and cuddly at the same time, which is a neat trick to pull off. What a fascinating character.

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  2. Joshua Malina, who plays David, was a regular on The West Wing. His character here is so similar to the one he played there that I keep expecting other cast members from that show to pop up in the White House.

    I am enjoying the fact that all of Olivia's associates are such dark people. Huck is terrifying, yet so sad. Not an easy thing to pull off. His monologue to Charlie was creepy; yet, somehow, he made it all sound logical and sane. Wow!

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  3. I totally forgot Joshua Malina was on West Wing! Maybe Scandal will do a crossover with Parks & Rec so Rob Lowe will show up!

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