Scandal - More Cattle, Less Bull

Olivia (Kerry Washington) accepts a job from Presidential candidate Congresswoman Josephine Marcus (Lisa Kudrow) who need Olivia Pope & Associates to make sure the secret baby she gave up for adoption at the age of 16 is never brought up in the campaign. Harrison (Columbus Short), Abby (Darby Stanchfield), Quinn (Katie Lowes), and Huck (Guillermo Díaz) grab the first flight to Red Springs, Montana, to make sure none of the four people alive (other than their client) spill the beans. Meanwhile Huck and Jake (Scott Foley) continue their side-mission of looking into Rowan (Joe Morton) and his connection to President Grant (Tony Goldwyn) and what past atrocity the two are conspiring to cover-up.

With Cyrus (Jeff Perry) desperately looking for a new campaign manager for the President's reelection campaign he also has to step in and curb the Predient's impulses to go after B613 and shut them down. Neither attempt comes to a satisfactory conclusion, nor does the Republican primary debate where the Congresswoman is ambushed about her past. Although she is able to own the moment and use the events to look even more presidential, seeing her closest relationship damaged causes her to fire Olivia on the spot.


Left alone in D.C. on the eve of the correspondence dinner, Olivia decides to attend with Jake, bu the evening takes an unexpected turn with a private, and surprisingly honest, discussion with Mellie (Bellamy Young) who enlists Olivia's help to manage a campaign that will allow Fitz to run and win reelection. Olivia also has to weigh the competing offer of a less riled-up Congresswoman who decides firing the best woman for the job to win her the presidency in a moment of anger maybe wasn't the smartest move.

Although I'm glad to see the excuse to get David Rosen (Joshua Malina) into the episode, his spat with Abby and quick make up felt mostly flat. Nor do I buy the viability anyone taking Sally Langston (Kate Burton) seriously as a third party candidate. More interesting is the item Quinn returns from Montana with and the connection Huck makes between President's movements and a downed plane in Iceland that suggests Rowan used the President and the resources of B613 to kill Olivia's mother.