Scandal: Where the Sun Don’t Shine Review

Yes, many Scandal spoilers are ahead so beware… 

January 29? I have to wait until January 29 to find out who took Olivia friggin’ Pope? Recently, I have found myself disappointed with Olivia: stringing Jake along, trusting her despicable father constantly, continuously going back to Fitz after he treats her terribly.

Not to say she doesn’t have her kick ass, “I’m Olivia Pope moments,” but they are overpowered by how overcome she is by Fitz’s presence or how she’s agreed again to a Sunday night dinner with her dad. But Scandal‘s latest episode, “Where the Sun Don’t Shine,” was all Olivia Pope being powerful, courageous, and owning it! By the end of the episode, Olivia has declared she’s done talking about her dad and that she’s not choosing either of her men. She’s choosing herself. You go girl!

Of course, blasting Stevie Wonder can inspire anyone in the moment. I think Liv’s visit with her mother also kicked her back into gear. Mama Pope had no sweet talk for Liv but rather compared her to her father, which put Liv into full on Pope mode. Hate to say it, but… thanks Mama Pope!

While this is going on, Rowan appears to think we are in Gotham city and plays Joker. He uses playing cards with the faces of B613 members as a way of notifying the assassins on who needs to be taken out. Both Quinn and Jake are on that list… but, I think they are safe for now. 

Another large part of the episode focuses on the release of those rather revealing photos of Cyrus and Michael. Olivia threatening Elizabeth with the knowledge of her affair with the Vice President doesn’t sway her at all and the photos are released as the White House scrambled on what to do about it. When Olivia sits both Michael and Cy down to tell them that marriage will be the best way to solve this because America loves a love story, Cy is hesitant while Michael readily agrees. Ultimately Cyrus says he couldn’t do that to James, but Michael looks so hurt that I’m thinking he has stronger feelings for Cy than I thought. Take that Elizabeth! Your spy has a heart and it’s falling for Cy.

While Huck is trying to fix the situation with his son and sort of wife, Quinn is out looking for more answers on the Kubiak/Elizabeth/Vice President/Caitlin/Photos of Liv problem. When Quinn realizes Andrew is way more involved in the situation in West Angola and that he possibly helped stage that terrorist attack, things really begin to unravel from there. 

Shonda Cues:

Good music: Yes when good music is playing and I mean really good music is playing, it’s safe to say you are about to be taken out of that blissful mood in about 1 minute’s time. Just like at the start of the season with Marvin Gaye playing while Olivia and Jake were on the beach, Olivia then got that clipping about Harrision, ultimately sending her back to the place she was running from. Then tonight when one of my favorite moments in Scandal history happened with Jake and Olivia dancing shamelessly to Stevie Wonder in her living room, that sweet, sweet moment was doused with a Pope sized glass of wine. 

The two scene mash up: When two scenes are being cut together, each shot almost seamlessly flowing into the next…that means trouble. Andrew and Fitz seem to be having a decent conversation and Olivia and Jake are dancing, standing in their metaphorical sun. But when Jake leaves the room for maybe 20 seconds and Andrew’s voice is growing more intense, his conversation becoming more cryptic…next thing we know, Olivia has been taken from her apartment and Andrew may have arranged the whole thing.

Red wine: So delicious it looks in those deep set glasses, yet so threatening when Papa Pope decides to pour himself a glass after breaking into Olivia’s apartment. Not to mention the fact that when Jake saw the red wine poured over the couch, his first thought wasn’t, “Silly, Liv. She spilled her wine all over the white couch!”  It was, “Someone took her.” That’s right Jake, you know her well. Liv does not mess with her spirits.

What I definitely didn’t see coming… 

• Cyrus took the deal and decides to marry Michael! After Olivia’s outstanding pep talk with Cyrus, he’s done being a “bitch baby”, as Liv called it. He takes back his resignation and does a live interview preaching his love for his new fiancé.

• Olivia shooting Rowan…or, attempting to. Rowan tested Liv by putting his gun on the table, which she takes and pulls the trigger. Rowan was terrifying enough with a gun in his hand, but his words will slice you like a dagger. Who needs a weapon when you’ve got Rowan slaying it just by his frightening, loquacious monologues?

• The last scene, of course. The final moments of last night’s episode were so well done, it hurts that we have to wait over two months to know the result. I got so distracted with this foreboding feeling I had when Jake goes to get a blanket from the bedroom. I was barely focused on what Andrew was saying in the coinciding scene until Jake comes back in the living room to find Olivia isn’t there. That’s when Andrew’s words become the most striking and shattering pieces of information in tonight’s episode. Right then, in that moment, he was threatening the President of the United States with his one weakness.

Is anyone remembering the tagline at the start of this season? Well now it really strikes a chord…                                

Where on earth is Olivia Pope?

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