Olivia and the team continue to investigate Catherine's case, but she's distracted by a gut feeling that Jake's in trouble, and Fitz demands a confession from his son's killer on "Scandal" Season 4, Episode 5, "The Key." Here's a recap:
It's late-night Washington, D.C. President President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn)
is staying up late in the Oval Office, drinking, to avoid Mellie who is drinking in their residence. Fitz is frustrated that they don't have a confession yet from Jake, who was accused of killing the president's son in last week's episode.
Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is alone in her apartment, leaving yet another message on her boyfriend Jake's (Scott Foley) cell phone, when her father (Joe Morton) pays her a late-night visit. Olivia has a feeling that something bad has happened and she should be saving Jake instead of drinking wine. Papa Pope's poker face gives no clue that he ordered Jake's disappearance.
Olivia's instincts are right on target. Jake's under interrogation in bowels of the Pentagon. He's not answering questions, is refusing food and water, and is waiting for the president. Fitz arrives and demands that Jake sign a full confession. Jake maintains that he didn't kill Fitz's son. Jake realizes that he's under suspicion because of Fitz's jealousy.
Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) tells Olivia about evidence that Jake murdered Fitz's son Jerry, Harrison and Cyrus's husband. Olivia is too savvy to believe everything she's told, so she confronts Papa Pope. He says he set up Jake to woo Olivia and get her away from Fitz (correct!). Papa Pope says Jake killed Fitz's son Jerry to make Olivia happy by ensuring a Fitzgerald election win (incorrect!). Olivia doesn't trust her father's story, but the seeds of doubt have been planted.
We're revisiting the storyline about Catherine, Olivia's old college friend who is in jail, accused of killing her own daughter Caitlin. This part was so confusing and flew past so fast that I had to rewind the DRV to catch it all: Olivia's suspicion is centering on Dan Kubiac, formerly a dirty D.C. cop who now works security at Jerry's (Catherine's husband) law firm. While Olivia and Quinn do surveillance on Kubiac's apartment, they see him kill Faith, the dead Caitlin's best friend. Quinn decides that Kubiac was looking for a key that Caitlin gave Faith before Caitlin died. Quinn realizes that Faith must have swallowed key before she died, so Quinn visits the body at coroner's, cuts into the girl's stomach and pulls out key. Good job! And, ewwww.
We finally get back to the storyline involving Huck (Guillermo Diaz) and the wife and son he abandoned to keep them safe from B316 assassins. His wife, Kim, is furious that Huck keeps spying on the family and doesn't believe his wild (but true) story about spies and assassins. Huck says he'll stop stalking them if he can see his son, so Kim asks him to return that night. When Huck arrives he discovers that Kim has arranged for a psychiatrist to talk to Huck, and there won't be any father-son reunion. Huck is so devastated that I'm afraid of what he might do.
Fitz misses his daily appointment to go to his son's grave with Mellie (Bellamy Young). She tears into him and accuses him of being with Olivia instead of with her. Fitz screams back that he wasn't having a nooner; he was trying to get a confession out of their son's killer. He's instantly sorry for having blurted out this information, but in a chilling scene, Mellie goes glassy-eyed and says that now young Jerry's death has meaning. "He died for us. He died so we could stay in this house for four more years," she said. Fitz is appalled. "Stop talking," he barks. "Until you can become the Mellie I recognize, stop talking. Take the scotch, take the chips, and drink and eat and be merry, and get the hell out of my office, and never, ever mention my son to me ever again." So, while it seemed for awhile that these two had reached an understanding -- although a shaky one based on pity and Scotch -- the detente is over.
Attorney General David Rosen David Rosen (Joshua Malina) confesses to his former girlfriend and White House communications officer Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) that his political win came about because he used the B316 files to blackmail a judge. Win! But, the judge later committed suicide. Hey, it's what Olivia would have done, but he's being eaten alive by guilt. "Why are we all trying to be Olivia Pope?" Rosen wails.
That sends Abby charging over to Olivia's apartment to yell at her for ruining a good man like David. "You are poison, and everyone who touches you pays the price," Abby hisses. Then she realizes that Olivia is on the edge of hysteria. Olivia is beginning to believe that maybe Jake is guilty. Abby pulls her old friend into a comforting hug. It's nice to see that the ice wall has melted between these two longtime friends.
The episode ends with Mellie stepping into a shower that may represent the beginning of her recovery. Fitz brutally punches Jake over and over, as Jake goads him on by reminding Fitz that he's made love to Olivia. It's almost as if Jake wants Fitz to kill him.
Final thoughts:
We're five episodes into this season, and I have to admit that I'm not loving it. All of our couples are being kept apart – Olivia and Fitz, Olivia and Jake, Abby and David, Huck and Quinn. Where's the sexy?
This whole Catherine-dead daughter plot is confusing and boring. But I used to feel that way about B613, and now that plotline is paying off.
I hope Abby recovers from being shrew soon.
Last week, did you notice that one of the president's daughter's sex partners worked at Gettysburger's? He even wore a cute Civil War uniform. Do the girls who work there have to wear bonnets and aprons?
I'm glad the show is spending so much time showing how the Grant family copes – or doesn't – with Jerry's death. From Mellie's breakdown to daughter Karen's acting out sexually, their reactions have rung true and hopefully will continue to ripple through the rest of the season.
Quotes:
"He needs a less constitutional kind of encouragement." Cyrus, talking about Jake's interrogation.
"In what context are we normal?" Olivia, feeling uncomfortable discussing her love life with her father.
What's that tune?
In the show's most bizarre moment, Jake and Fitz sing "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" together during Jake's questioning.