“You wear your hat. I’ll wear mine.”
Oh dear. If this is a permanent new direction for the show I might be switching to Elementary. After a relatively promising first season, Scandal appears to be taking off in decidedly the wrong direction.
First off, Desmond is gone. DESMOND IS GONE. This is not good, people. Why on earth would they do this? After all the struggles he had committing to his fiancĂ©e last season, he’s just ridden off into the sunset with her? And what about his relationship (or lack thereof) with Abby? Writers, what are you doing to me!?
Next, we have a major focus on Quinn, or Lindsay, apparently. Although I did come to hate her less and less as last season went on, I still don’t like her. If this season’s main storyline is going to be all about her, I’m going to be very disappointed. And what was with that horrible reveal at the end? Of course it was Olivia subsidizing Quinn in her new life. Who else could it have been? Don’t insult our intelligence.
Mellie is pregnant. It looks like Olivia’s plan of popularity by baby is working for Fitz. He and Liv haven’t been speaking over the summer. I guess they were waiting for the cameras to come back. Their conversation on the phone was pretty good, but there was definitely something missing by not seeing them together.
Bellamy Young is at her unlikable best in this ep. I’ve never liked Young in anything but in this show, I love her. Or rather, I love to hate her. I gasped when Mellie used her fluff piece with Kimberly Mitchell to attempt to box her hubby into going to war. She provides such a great contrast to Olivia. Both are the great woman behind the great man, but Mellie does what she does purely for selfish reasons. She isn’t concerned about Fitz. Liv, on the other hand, only wants to help him and last season even destroyed her own happiness to keep him in office.
This episode was pretty darn bad, but the writers can fix this. This season can be decent! More Mellie, less Quindsay, more White House drama, fewer clients. And for the love of God, bring back Desmond and get the will they or won’t they thing going with Abby again. There, I fixed your show. Now send me my check please.
Bits and Pieces:
It looks like Stephen’s departure has made Abby even grumpier. This week, it’s Quinn she doesn’t like. Is there anything the woman does like?
Huck’s murder by proxy of Billy Chambers has gone either unnoticed or uncommented upon. Great continuity, writers. Who doesn’t love when the first episode of a new season almost completely ignores the major plot points of last season’s finale?
Likewise, no one has seemed to notice and/or care that it was Cyrus who had Amanda killed.
Are Mellie and Cyrus working together? Now there’s a duo I would not want to cross.
Olivia is dressed all in white, sitting on her beautiful white sofa and drinking red wine. That would so be a disaster if it were me.
Quotes:
“I am working, Mellie.”
“You’re staring out the window.”
“Because you are here.”
These two remind me of that old SNL sketch, “The Couple who should be Divorced.”
“How could they think I built a bomb? You know me. I can’t operate the cappuccino machine.”
Well, those are complicated.
“Well look at you. Plumped out and pleased as a deer tick on a prized bull.”
I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t be able to smile through someone comparing me to a tick.
“No one elected you! You’re not the president! You don’t weigh in on foreign policy. Your opinion doesn’t matter. You are the first lady. Your job is to plant gardens and decorate rooms and let them blog about your clothes. You’re ornamental, not functional. So don’t come into the Oval and try to use your brain, because no one cares.”
Man, he resents her. But wouldn’t you?
“Defense can try it twice. It never works...”
“Motion granted.”
“...Except when it does.”
“What happened today wasn’t sparring. It was me putting on boxing gloves and getting stomped on by Godzilla before I even entered the ring.”
Poor David. Hopefully whoever Olivia called to fix the trial will be able to keep him away from her.
Two out of four new identity fairies and I’m being generous
That is a great review, you wrote, sunbunny! What a read! I laughed and nod my head with every paragraph. Like "Why Desmond isn't there?" Nod! "Of course it was Olivia who set her up with new identity!" Nod! or "Why couldn't they leave Lindsay in prison?" Nod. (Okey, you actually haven't said that but it was implied).
ReplyDeleteI was so looking forward to second season and it was a disappointing start. Oh, well.... We'll see...
Man, this show has so many plot twists per episode, I always watch each episode twice just to catch all the little details. Olivia is such a great, entertaining character, she might be my favorite character on TV right now along with Fiona Gallagher from Shameless.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've also appreciated about this show (and all of Shonda Rhimes' shows for that matter) is that they really pay attention to the music, and always seem to have great songs that add to the mood of the show, rather than distract. A great example in this episode was "Tied Knots" by The Album Leaf, which plays when Olivia watches the Kimberly Mitchell interview and talks to Fitz - I thought the song did a great job of heightening the moment there...again it's the attention to detail that puts this show above others.
darci - I'm HORRIBLE at listening to songs during shows and even worse at identifying them. I remember the music from Grey's always being awesome, but I really don't pay attention in Scandal! I should probably start. The only time I ever notice is when they're distracting or intrusive.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Olivia's too. She's a tough, smart, and strong woman, and there just aren't enough of those on TV! Plus, she has my favorite wardrobe of a TV character ever. If only I lived in a place cold enough to merit owning all those coats...
Great review! I was certainly not as caught up in this episode as I had been in the final two of last season. And, I agree that dropped plot points are frustrating.
ReplyDeleteI'm not thrilled about the whole Olivia saving Lindsay thing. I guess my big problem is why would she do it? Something tells me the answer to that question will annoy me.