Episode 1.06 "The Trail"

Ah, yes.  The Trail.  The episode that made many Gladiators die-hard Olitz fans.  The episode that's worth waiting for.  The episode that gives us glimpses into how/why Olitz love each other.  From the beginning.  Day one.  It's angsty.  It's passionate.  It's sexy.  LET'S DO THIS.

I think it's kind of hilarious that at the end of 1.05, we hear Olivia say "Hi" back to Fitz.  And then at the beginning of this episode it goes straight to "Why are you here, you can't be here!"  Nothing in between?  Haha.

Not even one minute (get it?) has gone by in this episode yet there's so much to discuss!  Back to the details of his sexual contact with Amanda Tanner..."I know, her baby, it wasn't yours."  "No."  "But it could have been."  Many Gladiators take this to mean that they did have traditional sex.  Others take the next line, Fitz's offer to explain the sexual details, to mean that he was denying traditional sex and was willing to explain whatever other types of sex they had to prove to Olivia that the baby couldn't have been his/he didn't have traditional sex with her.  "Really?  You really want me to detail for you how and where and what positions Amanda Tanner and I had sex?  Would that help make you feel better?  Cuz I'll do it.  You left me, I was unhappy, she was there, one time, I made a mistake."  What do you guys think??

Right after comes one of my favorite lines "She wasn't my girlfriend and don't you ever call yourself a mistress, we both know better."  Although, um...Fitz?  You referred to Olivia as your mistress multiple times at the end of 2.08.  Not cool.  I'll let you go this time because you were upset that Olivia didn't stop you when you let her go but DON'T YOU EVER CALL HER A MISTRESS, WE BOTH KNOW BETTER.

God, there's no way I can do a blog post about this episode.  I literally want to type in the entire script.  "The problem is..."  "Your marriage.  It looks like you don't screw your wife."  BURN.

"And you're right...I would be lucky to have you."  Man, the double talk with these two starts early, huh?  

I love Fitz literally needing to remind himself to take a step back and breathe.  LOVE IT.

LOL Abby, you look deranged.  And it's not just the crazy hair.  It's how excited you are about buying a gun.

I think it's a little weird that someone from Sally Langston's campaign (Amanda Tanner) is giving the schedule of events to members of Fitz's team, but let's go with it.  I think the line "I don't care which campaign you're volunteering for I want to thank you for coming out today" is an important line.  Seemingly irrelevant.  But I think without it, it would have been harder to sell that Tanner was working for Langston's team.  Because a member of Fitz's team would have surely been giving Olivia and Cyrus a schedule of events.  

I'm gonna agree with those that say that characters like Alyssa shouldn't become regulars. I don't need precious screen time wasted on her storylines that I don't care about.

It always bothered me that Liv and Cyrus were sitting directly outside of the room when Fitz and Mellie were having an argument.  They even had the nerve to shoo other people away when they accidentally came too close to the room.  Why did Cyrus and Olivia need to hear the details of the argument?  They didn't.  

"Then we better suck it up and start acting like this isn't a dead marriage."  IS not a dead marriage.  Not WAS not.  How long has it been dead?  We may get to see in 2.11.  

I also think it's interesting that the only thing Mellie brings up during the fight is how much SHE gave up for Fitz to be President.  Literally no other discussion topics?  Not that they aren't intimate or don't talk or share things or laugh or whatever..or literally anything else?  You're upset about the perpetual resentment even though you gave everything up for Fitz to be President?  And let's be honest, you're after your own ambitions too, Mellie.

LOL "Hell, I'm half way to voting for him."

"I think you underestimate how good a politician I am."

I also love the term Hagrid Huck.  Hilarious.  And true.

"Honey, it's not necessary, we believe you."  That's it?  Your wife is accused of having an affair and you don't fight about it?  You don't talk about it?  Pretty obvious that Fitz didn't care.

*Sigh*  "I am a man in love.  With an incredible woman."  *SWOON*

Shonda really does love those elevator scenes, doesn't she?  So do we!

I think the first "one minute" scene in the hallway will always be my favorite.  The Constitution scene from 2.08 comes close, but I think I will always choose the first "one minute" scene.  If I had to choose one picture, one scene, it would be this one.  I love simplicity.  I love simple writing (clearly, from my blog, right?).  I love silences during which two people can just be comfortable in each other's presence.  There's no pressure to talk or to entertain or to impress.  Two people can just BE.  I love when he asks for one minute during which he's not the candidate and she's not the campaign fixer but during which they are JUST THEM.  So simple.  Two people just standing in front of one another in a hallway.  I love this scene.  I think it resonates with me because I personally don't need the lavish gifts or the extravagant parties or the expensive anything.  When I really love someone, it's about the simple things.  The kiss on the forehead, the tight squeeze of my hand when I'm getting emotional, knowing that someone's happiness is rooted in your own happiness, same with pain, not having to say everything, wanting to say everything.  It's just a beautiful scene. 

AND HOW GREAT IS "THE LIGHT" BY THE ALBUM LEAF???

Mellie, OF COURSE you interrupt with what you're wearing to the town hall.  By the way, I don't think Mellie's look to Fitz indicated that she knew something was up.  I really don't think she knew until Hal told her about the Constitution scene.  I think she just looked at him with a lot of disdain.  They do hate each other, after all.  They are both in an unhappy marriage.  I really think the look was just "I can't stand you."  I would put a screenshot of her face here, but I think it would just taint my favorite Scandal moment thus far.

Aw, Liv...you love the fact that Fitz wants to play the rest of the game above board, win or lose, don't ya?  Well?  Mellie doesn't love that QUITE so much.

I know her stunt during the press conference/fake miscarriage was super sneaky and wily but honestly I respect that Mellie doesn't pretend to be someone she's not (at least for now, y'all know that Shonda tries to go from Millicent to Melody next season).  Here Mellie goes after what she wants.  The White House.  By any means necessary.  She plays with the nation's emotions and she's not ashamed.  People love to hate Mellie and I have to say I'm no exception.  At this point in the series she's cunning, true to herself and fun to watch.  And let's face it.  Bellamy brings it to EVERY SINGLE SCENE.

Is it just me or does anyone else care less and less about "the present day" scenes in this episode the more they watch it?  I couldn't give fewer shits about Gideon trying to uncover his story related to Amanda Tanner.  BACK TO THE FLASHBACKS, I SAY!  Oh, here we go.  Bus scene.

Kerry Washington has said in the past that this scene was one of the more difficult ones.  And you can see why.  So many silences between these two characters.  BUT THEY SAY EVERYTHING, DON'T THEY?  Beautiful acting.  Can you guys tell that I love Tony Goldwyn and Kerry Washington?  Yeah?  You got that?  OK, good. 

"Suddenly I'm looking down at myself and I'm...how did I get here?  Why didn't I meet you sooner?  What kind of a coward was I to marry her and not wait for you to show up?"  These lines are EVERYTHING. 

Oh, no wait.  This is everything.  LET'S BE INAPPROPRIATE, FITZ!!!!  LET'S!!!  CALL ME!

No, but seriously.  I love the line about being a coward.  Aren't we all sometimes cowards?  How many of us have made decisions that weren't 100% what we wanted?  How many times have we all been scared to do what we want or to let our guard down or to just go for it?  This line always reminds me of my constant struggle between wanting to be a kickass lawyer at a top law firm in NYC and wanting to move to South Carolina, learning to row and living on a beautiful beach with a dog and just make enough money to get buy, be a cashier, interact with friendly people and live in a town that doesn't value material goods so much.  Living in a less frantic environment sounds nice.  I love NYC, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I find myself spazzing out simply because the 234098234 people around me on the subway are spazzing out.  And that kind of stress adds up.  My dream job is to be a lawyer.  I love the law, I'd be very good at it (let's not talk about what that says about my personality).  But part of me thinks that I'd spend so much time chasing that dream.  I'd be missing out on so many things along the way.  Like having a dog.  Learning to row.  Enjoying nature.  *Sigh*  Oh, no.  I'm rambling again, aren't I?  Sorry. 

Aw man I love this episode.  I love 2.08 more.  And I love 2.11 even more.  But I've said this before and I'll say it again...I wouldn't have been able to enjoy 2.08 as much without 2.06 or 2.11 if it weren't for 2.08.  When I'm feeling blue I watch those 3 episodes in chronological order.  I've done this on more than one occasion.  That's ok, right?  Cool.

Man these silences during the bus ride are SO SEXY.  Why can't my conversations ever go like that with a hot dude?  Oh, wait.  It's never Tony Goldwyn. 

If only they had just gone in Olivia's room instead!!! But a lot of people think Olivia going to Fitz's room signifies her accepting Fitz, letting him in by committing to his room. But seriously. IT'S A POTENTIAL PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE'S ROOM!! Where's Huck when you need him to sweep rooms? Oh wait. Apparently he only does that on every third Wednesday of the month. Shonda, come on, we both know Huck's better than that. (Late season 2 reference).

This song is "No Time Outs" from the Out of Sight soundrack, by the way.  Great song.  It's not "their" song but it works for me.  You know what else works for me?  Broken lamps.  How many lamps does it take to shoot an amazing scene between Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn?  George?  Let me know!

Take off your clothes.  'Nuff said.  Is it hot in here or is it just me?

I could write an entire blog post about this scene but I'll spare you all.  Well...I'll try.

I love the shot of Tony Goldwyn on top of Kerry Washington and he whispers something incoherent and she smiles.  SO ADORABLE.  Many have said that Tony Goldwyn whispered "You're doing fine" during this scene because Kerry Washington was nervous about shooting this scene in general and in front of the cameramen, etc.  If that's true then seriously HOW CAN YOU DENY TONY GOLDWYN'S UNICORN STATUS?

Have I mentioned enough times that I LOVE THIS EPISODE?

"All they had was a tape and a voice.  They needed a voice.  They needed a girl."  "They needed Amanda Tanner."  OOOOHHHHHH.

Honestly?  Considering what was on the flash drive, I'm shocked that Billy Chambers didn't just leak the flashdrive to the press.  I know Sally Langston sites Matthew 13:24 but...clearly he truly believes that she should be POTUS.  Don't his actions that we see in the next episode come a year-ish too late?  Weird.

What's that, I hear?  The Album Leaf???  Olitz's song??  YES!!!

Let's just ignore the fact that Fitz stayed there all night (it's light outside now).  OH SHIT!  THE LIGHT BY THE ALBUM LEAF.  Hmmmm?  But yeah nothing happened they just sat in silence and reminisced about their love and how it grew throughout his campaign.  :-(  I LOVE YOU OLITZ!

"I've imagined your place a thousand times.  I like it.  It's very you."  "Yeah.  Living alone has its perks."  Can we talk about how unbelievably sad I was after this dialogue?  WE TAKE THESE THINGS FOR GRANTED IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS.  Or at least I do.  Never getting to see the apartment of the woman you love because you're POTUS?  Damn.  #firstworldproblems.  No but seriously never being able to sleep over at your beau's place?  Never being able to lounge around and stay in bed all day and just be together?  UGH IT'S APRIL 15, 2013 BUT I'M STILL SO SAD ABOUT THIS.  If you're in a relationship, please value these precious, underrated, invaluable moments that most people take for granted.  Do it for Olitz!  I realize I sound crazy, let's just go with it...

I know I'm in the minority here but the hallway one minute scene wins.  The couch one minute scene is PAINFULLY BEAUTIFUL.  This scene really made me respect Tony Goldwyn is an actor.  The look on his face is SO PAINED.  Not sure I agree with the statement that Liv has miscarried in the past because he put his hand on her stomach.  I think that's a bit of a stretch, at least until we have more information to support that theory.

UGH SUCH GOOD ACTING!!!

Also love how Shonda Rhimes literally timed this scene with a stopwatch.  It's exactly one minute long.  And yes I timed it myself.  Hey, it was another excuse to watch this scene for the 10 millionth time. 

Also the first time I saw this episode it BROKE MY HEART when they said good-bye to each other at the end of this scene.  It felt like good-bye forever.  Spoiler alert!!!  It's not.

I will comment that it's interesting that Amanda Tanner and Billy Chambers had a master plan.  That Billy sent her in to seduce the President.  Scandalous, right??

But not more scandalous than scissors to the neck!!!  Too bad.  Gideon was kinda cute.

Episode 1.05 "Crash and Burn"

I know Fitz gave a shout out to all other 119 victims who died in the plane crash other than the Senator, but I have to point out that I HATE how the media focuses on the "important" people or celebrities or whatever during tragedies.  Nothing against Scandal or Fitz (haha), that's how things are everywhere, but it bothers me.  All 120 people deserved personal shout outs by name.  They were also somebody's mom, dad, sister, brother, kid, friend.

I LOVE when Olivia goes all gangsta on the Sudan parked outside.  The whole scene is great but I love when she slams on the hood of the car.  And I love her slow motion walk after cursing that poor guy out.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it.  I like Liv's hair better like this.  I like her hair at the end of Season 1 and throughout Season 2 better than her hair at the beginning of the series.  THERE.  I SAID IT.

Love the split call.  Little did we know that this scene would not be the LAST scene during which we get to see Olitz's chemistry purely on the phone.

Tsk tsk, Mr. President.  You let Cyrus off his leash!

But...Olivia, it turns out, is no less.  Olivia let Huck off his leash!  Olivia KNEW Huck was sober at this point, had been for a significant amount of time, knew the danger.  I understand that they needed Amanda Tanner's body, I really do, but what she did to Huck was unforgivable, it was REALLY serious.  She doesn't even know the extent of the damage STILL.  She says things here and there about helping to reel him in, etc. but she made him do something that REMINDED him of how accomplished/good/sick/satisfied he felt when doing horrible and unspeakable things to other human beings.  And that is now something that he's having a hard time giving up.  AA meetings just skimmed the surface.  Huck is in DEEP and it's Olivia's fault.  This certainly needs to be addressed more in Season 2 and I think it will be in upcoming episodes.  (If you haven't seen 2.09, stop reading).  Huck may not have killed the President, but he took care of Jenny's murderer in a future episode and his mind automatically went to disposing of bodies (Pastor Drake).  We know he had his toolbox when he caught up with Artie Hornbacher.  That can't be good...he didn't hurt him...much.

Oy, Mellie, will you ever just UNDERSTAND what Fitz is saying?  No, wait.  Will you ever just TRY TO UNDERSTAND what Fitz is saying?  He's worried that Cyrus may be too extreme when it comes to getting things done politically and instead of maybe discussing his points for that, you just ask Tom and Hal (hate you) if they'd take a bullet?  Come on, Mellie.  You graduated at the top of your class.  You're smarter than that, right?

I really like the scene of Harrison listening to the black box recording over and over and over again.  You can really see the wheels turning.

DON'T DO IT HUCK.

I never loved that David Rosen says "Okay..." after he asks Olivia Pope if she's okay (when she knows where Amanda Tanner's body is) and she responds "Not really..." while tearing up.  It wasn't an ill-intentioned "okay" on his part, but I still don't like him saying that word.

There's a booger/condensation coming out of Lori Mackelson's husband's nose when the airline admits their wrongdoing and honors his wife.  Just sayin'.

LOL William Jefferson Clinton DEFINITELY left the White House...

Here's a screenshot of the photographs of Olitz that Olivia keeps behind her desk at OPA.

Dude, Stephen.  Keep it in your pants.

And...the sexiest greeting ever.

Hi.

Hi.

Hit me up on Twitter (@scandalUS) or on Gmail/gchat (scandalUS1@gmail.com) or sound off below.  Thanks, as always, for reading!

Episode 1.04 "Enemy of the State"

I know this is going to offend some fans of Olivia, but I am pretty surprised that Olivia didn't make sure, absolute sure, with 100% certainty, that Amanda Tanner's baby was Fitz's.  She didn't do a blood test or a DNA test.  I'm not saying she shouldn't have flipped out before doing all of that.  Of course most women would at even the THOUGHT of the love of their life having gotten someone else pregnant (someone who isn't their wife and who isn't you and who is some random intern who you apparently only had sexual relations with once).  I don't blame Olivia for drinking a TON of shiraz and getting upset.  But I am surprised that when Stephen questioned her TWICE at the beginning of the episode as to whether or not the baby was SURELY Fitz's, she said she was sure TWICE.  It doesn't seem very Olivia-like.  I can see people arguing that her judgment was clouded due to her emotions.  Maybe.

This is just a side note but I think it's so gross when women touch other women's pregnancy tests with their hands...it's got another woman's pee on it, Liv!  I wouldn't even want to touch one with my own pee.  I know, I know, there are grosser things in this world...but still, I just have to point that out.  I feel much better now.

Abby, I never liked you.  I still don't like you (and I still have nightmares about your creepy sex scenes with David).  But it would be too easy to say that I don't like you because you're starting to doubt Olivia, because you're starting to be (and will continue to be) one of the most disloyal of OPA.  It's not that.  I think your character is blah.  I am the least interested in your storylines.  I don't really care what happens to your character.  I was vaguely interested in your history with Stephen but now that's out the window.  But I am still going to say right now that you need to SIT. DOWN.  Nobody cares that you didn't get a say and that you didn't get a vote.  Olivia only takes cases she knows she can win.  SIT. DOWN.

Side note: if you haven't watched Oprah's Next Chapter with Kerry Washington, Shonda Rhimes and Judy Smith,  go do that now.  It's all over YouTube.  It's about 43 minutes.  If you can't find the link, let me know and I'll send it to you.  It's a great segment.  I'm mentioning it here, though, because at the very, very end when the credits are rolling, Darby Stanchfield says to Oprah, "Do you hate me as much as everyone else does?"  HAHAHA.  I love that Darby knows that everyone hates Abby and I love that she asked Oprah that.  Hilarious.  Oprah was too kind to admit it, but in case you're wondering, I still don't like you, Abby.  No offense to Darby.

Where does Cyrus get $10 million to offer to Amanda Tanner?  Where does he get the endless funds to pay Charlie, for both Amanda Tanner and to follow James and pay him "whatever he wants?"  Just curious.  The President's salary isn't that much and campaign funds can't be swindled like that without him getting caught.  Any thoughts?

Gladiators, I'm going to go on a limb here and say that the writers/Shonda foreshadowed the "one minute" scenes we see in 1.06 in this episode.  When Olivia cries after Amanda Tanner declares that she "wants them to burn for this," (by the way, yes, Abby, Olivia is crying.  Are you dumb?  "Is she...?"  Yes.  She is.), Huck asks Olivia what she needs.  Olivia responds "Just. one. minute."  One minute, eh (no, I'm not Canadian)?  One minute?  Not a minute or a few minutes or just a breather?  INTERESTING...

Oh.  And love you Huck for standing guard at the door while she's taking her one minute.

I love that Billy is surprised/shocked that Cyrus is looking into the background of everyone at OPA.  He's protective of Liv.  Whatever it may be, he really does consider them to be on the same team.  I find it endearing.  I know, I know, he's a killer.  BUT SO IS FITZ (indirectly).    Don't hurt me.

I find it a little hard to believe that nobody recognized Quinn Perkins' face as Lindsay Dwyer, lead suspect of killing 7 people who suddenly disappeared.  I would think that would have been all over the news and Cyrus would have seen pictures of her on TV.  He then would have recognized the picture of Quinn Perkins before him.  But I'm willing to let that go.  What I find more suspicious is that it also had to be all over the news that Lindsay Dwyer suddenly disappeared after being the lead suspect.  Wouldn't Hollis/Cyrus/God knows who have sent a Charlie or another Huck-like figure to find her?  To at least figure out what happened to her?  And then kill her?  I don't think this new identity would have saved her...do you guys?

I know, I KNOW that Billy Chambers is only helping Olivia (telling her that  Cyrus is looking into OPA) because he is in cahoots with Amanda Tanner, but still!  Matt Lescher is a great actor.  Totally believable until the end of 1.06 when all hell breaks loose!  Gotta give him credit for that!

All right, here is where I REALLY want you guys to weigh in.  Did Fitz Grant have traditional sex with Amanda Tanner?  If not, what kind of sex did he have with her?  What are your reasons (episodes, quotes, etc.) for your position?  So far, we have Cyrus telling Fitz that Amanda Tanner is pregnant, to which Fitz responds "What?"  Now...if he didn't have traditional sex with her, why would his response be inquisitive?  Because then it would definitely not be his.  Next comes "That's not my baby."  At this point, we don't know why he says this.  Type of sex or time period or just denial.  Then "OK, what do we do?  Next step.  How do we fix this?  How do we game plan this?  What's next?"  Here, it can go either way.  He still needs a plan even if he didn't have traditional sex with Amanda Tanner because he's the President and needs to prepare even if they only had some other type of sexual contact.  What do you think, Gladiators?

I go back and forth on my thoughts about Olivia "making the wrong call" as Abby accuses her of not looking out for the General's wife.  After all, the General was her client.  The General hired OPA to find his wife and kids.  The wife and kids did not hire OPA.  In the pilot, OPA stopped after clearing Sully's name and gave their evidence to the DA to figure out who killed Paige because Sully was their client.  They blackmailed politicians because Sharon Marquette was their client.  I guess they did show gray area when it came to Travis because they ultimately turned him in, but I think Sandra was the client anyway, not Travis. In this case, Abby flips out but the General's wife was not being abused (at least physically) by her husband.  She didn't love him anymore, she disagreed with his politics, she was afraid to leave him, she didn't like how he was running the country, she was scared of him, but I'm not sure that calls for OPA to step in especially when the General was the client.  This episode makes it seem like the Amanda Tanner stuff is clouding Olivia's judgment, but I'm not 100% convinced.  Of course I'm glad that the wife got out of the marriage and got to keep the kids.  I don't agree with the General's policies.  I'm just talking about what exactly is the contract between OPA and their clients.  Or is it a gray area just like everything else on this show?

OH NO MELLIE.  OH NO YOU DIDN'T.  YOU DIDN'T JUST MOVE FITZ'S HAND OFF OF YOU WHEN HE WAS TOUCHING YOUR FACE.

And here we start to see Mellie's ambitious side.  She characterizes this all ending as "catastrophic."  Really, Mellie?  ESPECIALLY when your husband is talking about how he can make better/more changes if this all ended?  He's talking about DOING MORE GOOD and your response is that it would be catastrophic just because you don't want to give up your stint as a speech-giving, bun-wearing, pearl-ridden First Lady?  Let me tell you something, Mellie.  YA GONNA GET PUKED ON.

DID SHE REALLY JUST MOVE HIS HAND AWAY?

Mellie, you don't love Fitz the way Liv does.  Liv would have NEVER responded that way.  SIT. DOWN.

LOL I'm a little surprised that Fitz's little speech about Amanda Tanner being the real problem, and then Olivia Pope being the problem because Amanda Tanner is just a kid didn't convince Cyrus to hire Charlie for Olivia Pope, haha.  I know we wouldn't have a show, then, but still...if you REALLY want to get rid of the problem...but then Fitz would go ape shit, so that's not an option, haha.  Juuuuuuust kidding, everyone.

Quinn, you LIED to a reporter DESPITE Harrison's advice to you.  But I guess it didn't ultimately matter because Gideon went splat at the end of 1.06...

I'm a little surprised that Liv didn't keep Amanda Tanner at the office of OPA once she told Cyrus about 20/20, knew he was digging into their pasts, etc.  But then we wouldn't have had the ending we did...

Hit up the comments to discuss or find me on Twitter (@scandalUS) or on Gmail/gchat (scandalus1@gmail.com)

Episode 1.03 "Hell Hath No Fury"

Note: Gideon, I don't think you're a great reporter.  I mean, you smartly pieced things together in 1.06, but before that, you were a two-bit blogger.  The up side?  My mom thinks you're cute...awkward.

Why is Shonda Rhimes obsessed with actors/resses from Gilmore Girls?  Amanda Tanner, Britta Kagen, Hollis Doyle...is she a 7th Heaven fan too?  I know she loves Cougar Town, so don't be surprised if you see Courteney Cox on future episodes...

It's a little weird that Olivia Pope keeps offering her DC abode as a safe house.  Abby (as we see in 1.06 crazily baking and talking about buying a gun), Amanda Tanner, Quinn Perkins...why doesn't she put people up in a nice hotel?  I know she says she only does that for clients that "need to be kept out of the public eye."  But still...it's a little weird.  Might as well keep them at the office of OPA, then.

Betsy Beers talks about Columbus Short's swag/charm and how they started using that more and more. In 1.02, he went around and confronted powerful DC politicians about their sexual affairs.  In this episode, he acts as a decoy to reporters for Sandra and Travis.  Gotta love the charm.

Ah yes, the first spotting of the NAVY t-shirt.  NAVY sweatshirt still to come!

Apparently 2.11 is going to be another flashback episode, with flashbacks between Fitz and Mellie.  I wonder if we'll get to see her reveal to Fitz that she knows about his affair with Olivia.  In this episode, it's clear that she knows/knew.  I wonder how that conversation went...

LOLOL I LOVE the exchange between Olivia and Gideon about his story re: blooming cherry blossoms.  So sassy!

Note: Shonda Rhimes graduated from Dartmouth College.  She always has a Dartmouth shout out, usually via a t-shirt.  The famous grey Dartmouth t-shirt with the hole in the neck in Grey's Anatomy that Meredith wears and in this episode, a Dartmouth t-shirt that David is wearing when Olivia offers him a coffee that he knows isn't free.

Ugh, the scene with Helen crying when Olivia is offering her a settlement for the rape case makes me cringe every time.  I know she wasn't actually raped and that she was getting justice for her friend, but still.  I cringe on behalf of her friend.  All of the details she mentioned were true to her friend.  Rape is disgusting.  Ugh.

"Olivia will be there?"  LOL Fitz, is that really the only thing you took away from Cyrus telling you that a 5 minute meeting with Amanda Tanner will make that whole mess go away?  LOVE IT.  

I will agree, that life is easier for cynics, but you know what?  I'm thankful every day that I'm not a cynic.  That I'm a believer.  That I'm an optimist.  People who oppose me may call themselves realists and me an idealist, but if there's one thing I believe with 100% certainty it's that you have to be true to yourself.  If, to me, that's believing, then that's what it is.  It helps me sleep at night.  Being true to who I am.

I am going to mention again here that I wish we'd had more insight into the plan between Amanda and Billy.  Billy admits that Olivia is the best.  The fixer.  He knows that Amanda is Olivia's client.  What was their plan?  I guess it doesn't matter now but I'm still curious.  I doubt it's going to come up now (I'll discuss more in 1.07 why I think the Amanda Tanner/Cyrus/Billy storyline is done) and I don't want them to bring it up now because it would detract from much more interesting and intriguing storylines.  I am okay with it being done, but it would have been nice to see early in Season 1.

It is important for fans to recognize that when 1.03 was written, Shonda was not sure if Fitz had sexual contact with Amanda Tanner.  She admitted multiple times that she changed her mind about it on a daily basis..they did, they didn't, they did, they didn't.  When Cyrus accuses Olivia of being behind the anonymous sex tape (CD?) mailed to him, Tony Goldwyn had to play it ambiguously because Shonda hadn't made up her mind yet.  He couldn't come out and DEFINITIVELY say that it was 100% not Olivia because the girl on the sex tape is Olivia because that wasn't certain at that time.  He still defends Olivia and says that it wasn't her, that she WOULDN'T do this.  A lot of fans ask why he wouldn't just tell Cyrus that it was Olivia...this is why.

I really like how the girl working at the lab said she didn't need to be charmed by Harrison/flirted with in order to get justice for one of the many rape kits that will otherwise be sitting there for years.  I really liked that.  Way to go, girl!  Not every woman appeals to that!

Epitome of Scandal Pace = Quinn asking Gideon out for drinks.  I also love Huck's "you're weird...weird is good."  <3 you, Huck.  FREE HUCK!  (sorry, getting ahead of myself)

Travis to Sandra, "You told me, you always said I should fix my mistakes, so I took care of it, I handled it."  I'm sorry, but this INFURIATES me.  I'm pretty sure that's NOT what parents mean when they tell you to take responsibility for your actions.  To pay a girl off for raping her.  SICK.

OK, I know what I said previously, but yeah, it's a little slimy that Billy is hitting on Olivia while he's planning with a pregnant Amanda Tanner...

"You can't leave your own State Dinner."  "Watch me."  I LOVE THAT LINE.  Damnit, Cyrus, you're one of my favorites, but YOU KEPT US FROM A HOT PRESENT-DAY OLITZ SCENE WHICH PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN SET TO THE LIGHT BY THE ALBUM LEAF.

I want to remind fans here to let Season 1 be what it is.  Especially the early episodes.  Enjoy them for what they are.  But don't expect continuity on everything.  Cyrus lying to both Fitz and Liv to stop them from seeing each other during the State Dinner will not come out/be relevant/matter.  Cyrus calling live a whore and any aftermath from that has come and gone.  They're back to being friends again.  The same goes for the lack of continuity between Verna/Keating being the first nomination, the timeline due to ABC using the same sign from the election during multiple scenes and it mattering that it was Cyrus who actually killed Amanda Tanner and not Billy (my opinion, more on that during 1.07).  I also think we can assume that Billy Chambers is dead (again, more on that later).

YES!  And Sandra turns her son, Travis, in to the cops.  Nice!

I guess Amanda Tanner and Billy Chambers were going to wait until after Fitz had to resign to let it be known that the baby wasn't Fitz's?  That makes sense.  Evidence of an affair alone (which did happen, Fitz did have sexual contact with Amanda Tanner) is enough to at least put a President resigning on the table.  

As usual, contact me on Twitter (@scandalUS) or via Gmail (scandalus1@gmail.com) or here to talk!  Would love to hear from you guys!

Episode 1.02 "Dirty Little Secrets"

I have to say that I enjoy that Shonda Rhimes now says the "previously on Scandal..." statement at the beginning of each episode after a short recap.  She is now consistently that voice.  At the beginning of the series, she wasn't.  I think it's cool to have her do it and not necessarily one of the show's main actors.

Stephen, you're smarter than that.  You just have your face toward the car as David Rosen is driving past?  Come on, Desmond...err...Stephen.

Watching Quinn keep saying that she can do more than just buy coffee and babysit AT / watching her look up to OP so much really counters her current behavior (constantly questioning Huck and OP about their involvement with her new identity/disappearance).  She used to be such a believer ("gladiators in suits") but now she's questioning everything.  STOP ASKING QUESTIONS, QUINN, YOU'RE ALIVE!

Oh, Gideon, you're so sneaky.  But not sneaky enough.  You smell like a reporter.

I actually really enjoy the dynamic between Billy Chambers and Olivia Pope.  I liked the scene during which he calls Morris to make an appointment so that Olivia can get into the White House and I like how he asks what happened and points out that Liv is one of them, etc.  Of course he goes to her to fix Keating because she's the best.  I even enjoyed him semi-asking her out for barbecue during 1.06 and the harmless flirting during the State Dinner...yes, yes, I know he was with Amanda Tanner...all I'm saying is that I enjoy their dynamic.  I think it's entertaining, witty and harmless.  In a lot of ways, they think similarly - trying to get their candidate on top (get your minds out of the gutter!).  Don't worry, I'm still an Olitz die-hard.

I pointed this out on Twitter but I want to point it out again.  In this episode, Olivia says "Tell the President I'm busy," when she's in the White House because she doesn't want to see Fitz.  Fast forward to 2.08 when Olivia is also avoiding Fitz and she tells him "I'm busy" in the hallway before he says he misses her, etc.

I LOVE the relationship between Huck and Olivia.  It's adorable.  Something that I really appreciated when I rewatched Season 1 (which time, you ask) is during this episode when David comes to get Sharon Marquette and he's about to touch Olivia with his pointer finger and Huck goes "DO. NOT. TOUCH. HER." in a really adorable/protective way.  LOVE THAT.

I think the Mellie scenes in this episode are also a result of a lack of continuity given that Bellamy's role was later expanded.  The swift kiss between Fitz and Mellie "You look fantastic" and her suggestion to bring Olivia on to help with the snag in Keating's nomination were a liiiiittle too friendly.  Notice how in episode 1.07 when Mellie says "You know what I always say, if you have a problem, get Olivia Pope on it," with SO much disdain.  That's more of the Mellie we know and love (well, sort of.  I love Mellie and I think Bellamy Young brings it for EVERY scene she does but am Olitz for life).

"Why do men do it?"  "Honestly? To never have the conversation we're having right now."  HAHAHA I think this conversation is hilarious between Harrison and Abby.  He does make a fair point in that I do think a lot of men probably perceive buying dinner/drinks as paying for sex.  Gross.  Moving on.

I think it's a little weird that we didn't see more flashbacks or interactions between Amanda Tanner and Billy Chambers about their plan.  The history of the dog and the suicide.  His reaction when she was thinking about backing out.  How he convinced her to seduce the President in the first place.  What their plan was about the pregnancy (knowing fully well that it wasn't the President's), etc.  I know most Gladiators say that they're glad the Amanda Tanner storyline is over (more on that when I go over 1.07) but I think a little more detail here would have been nice.

A shout out to Sprinkles Cupcakes here.  They're mainly based in California (I don't even really like cupcakes all that much, but let me tell you, these are DELICIOUS - possibly the best cupcakes I've ever had).  Olivia delivered Sprinkles Cupcakes to Morris (she ended up not needing to because the President put her back on the list).  I thought this scene was cute because it showed Liv's knowledge of minor details like the type of cupcakes Morris likes from her days in the White House.  I also love when he says "of course, I don't know what kind of cupcakes you gave him [the President]."  Hilarious.

Olivia to Stacey: "But you have to tell him.  [looks at Fitz]  Because if he finds out from someone who isn't you, it's going to break his heart."  SO SAD.  Why did you have to lie, Fitz?  Why?

I did not see the Mrs. Patrick Keating = Stacey prostitute thing coming.  It was interesting that Keating's reaction was about the nomination "You have cost us everything that matters in this world," rather than a more disgusted/off-putting response given that his wife slept with countless other men and got paid for it throughout their relationship.

LOL and this is definitely my favorite of the men that Harrison goes after with their prostitute requests:

I thought it was really smart how Liv used the power in the room so that Keating could get the nomination and so that Sharon could get away and stop being a madam.  Everybody won.  Awesome.

The "But Liv?  She's the love of my life" scene didn't have as big an effect on me as it did after seeing later episodes.  I think I needed the flashbacks/more back story between the two of them to fully understand and appreciate what that meant.  What Liv meant/s to Fitz.

I wonder if the Scandal writers knew at this point who Quinn Perkins was.  I'm assuming not.  But they ended up writing fit nicely with what she was saying to Amanda Tanner about being in trouble once and that people were...and it would have been nice to have someone help her.  I know her statements were vague, but it worked.

If I haven't mentioned this already, my advice is to enjoy Season 1 for what it is.  There are going to be holes, a lack of continuity, and inconsistencies given they didn't necessarily know where the show was going.  And after all, the Scandal family is human.  Yes, Keating is mentioned as Fitz's FIRST Supreme Court nominee in this episode, which we know to be false -- his first was Verna, but I think the writers just decided to go with the Verna plot because it was more interesting and was a part of the larger conspiracy that is taking shape in Season 2...worth an inconsistency for a plot in one episode (Keating).

As always, feel free to contact me on Twitter (@scandalUS), via email/gchat (scandalUS1@gmail.com) or here to talk Scandal!  Thanks for reading!

Episode 1.01 "Sweet Baby"

Hi, everyone!  Like a lot of other Gladiators, I give the Scandal writers a little give when it comes to the first few episodes of this series.  They've come a long way from where they first started, and I think most of us can agree that at this point, the Scandal writers have really found their stride.  The show gets better with every episode (I honestly don't know how...I didn't think there could be a better Olitz episode after "The Trail" and then came "Happy Birthday, Mr. President."  I didn't think I could be more shocked after "Happy Birthday, Mr. President," and then came "Blown Away," during which I was speechless and actually needed the commercial breaks to regroup).  The conspiracies, the voter rigging...it's just all so great!  It really keeps me on my toes when watching the episodes and I love (as we Gladiators do) dissecting every aspect of the series and making connections.  That being said, I'll still talk about all of the episodes.  If you're a new Gladiator, definitely stick with it (...and ignore my previous mention of voter rigging, haha)!

Scandal Pace - I love that Katie Lowes (and all of the characters now) talk so fast.  First, it allows for more content during the ~43 minutes of each episode and second, I relate to it really well.  I talk extremely fast because I think extremely fast (sometimes I run out of breath before finishing a sentence, semi-embarrassing).  I think life is fast-paced and I find the fast dialogue endearing and exciting and it makes me pay extremely close attention while watching Scandal (even with closed captioning).  I love the Scandal Revealed Podcast during which Katie Lowes talks about Scandal pace.  (If you haven't checked them out, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? - you can find them on iTunes, ~20 minutes per podcast.  They start right before season 2 and continue after each episode with Betsy Beers talking to one of the wonderful, brilliant, gifted, talented, etc. members of the Scandal family).  I love that Shonda Rhimes loved Katie Lowes during her audition because of Katie Lowes' natural Scandal pace.  I love that Shonda Rhimes literally timed Katie Lowes with a stopwatch and said "you did it 20 seconds faster last time, I think you can go faster" -- literally with a stopwatch in hand.  I love that after the hiatus, most of the actors needed some warming up before getting back to full Scandal pace.

Gladiator in a Suit - I'm not completely in love with the whole "gladiator in a suit" scene with Harrison and Quinn, but I DO love that fans call themselves Gladiators.  LOVE THAT.

The Olivia Pope strut - We first get a glimpse of this for a mere second right after Olivia goes all bad ass with Stephen in the first couple minutes of this episode.  White trench coat and all.  LOVE IT.

Katie Lowes - You guys will see that I'll talk (read: rave) about each of the actors.  I LOVE the "deer in the headlights" look that Quinn has during the first few episodes.  Nobody will give her any details and she kind of just looks around, lost.  I think it's hysterical and GREAT acting by Katie Lowes.

Olivia Pope's gut - I love that Olivia Pope believes and trusts her gut (at least at first) because I'm the same way.  I hate that as time goes on her judgment gets clouded by her feelings because that's EXACTLY what happens to me.  She sees what she wants to see when it comes to love/Fitz.  She believes what she wants to believe.  In other aspects of her life, she's logical, factual, trusts her instincts.  But in that one aspect, everything gets thrown out the window.  Still, I love this scene and I even love (if you guys got a dime for every time I used that word) how nobody else really gets a say.  I think it's hilarious.

General badass behavior - Olivia threatening David, Abby threatening Wally, etc.  Badass!

Oh yeah, Olivia, Fitz "needs your services."  GET IT!

You guys will see that I'm a huge Olitz fan.  But I also absolutely adore Fitz and Olivia individually.  Did I mention that I love Fitz?  I love everything about him.  His voice, his demeanor, the way he looks at Liv, the sexy silences between them, how he gets passionate when it comes to his feelings about Liv (even when it manifests itself in yelling at Mellie), when he lays down the law presidentially, when he's proud of himself..the list goes on.  But I take MAJOR ISSUE with him lying to Olivia about having sexual contact (we'll get to those details later) with Amanda Tanner.  I'm a big believer in the idea that he did so because he was heartbroken that Liv left him and that he called Amanda Tanner "sweet baby" because he wanted to believe that he was with Liv, that he was imagining that he was with Liv and he was trying to deal with her leaving him.  I give him somewhat of a pass because he was heartbroken and after all Liv is the one who left (as we saw in 2.08).  I do not think there is any excuse for him lying to her about it, though.  I really don't.  Olivia found out the hard way, and as she states later in the series to Keating's wife, "if he hears it from someone else, it will break his heart."  It should have come from Fitz and not inadvertently from AT/Quinn.  He straight up lied TO HER FACE.  Not cool.  "I never, I would never, no."  LIES!  But I still love you, Fitz.  (Inherent contradictions, right, ladies?  We root for everything we hate every Thursday night).

I am going to be honest here and say that I did not pick up on the "there's only one woman I love" the first time I saw this episode.  Immediately after, Cyrus talks about how things are better between Fitz and Mellie (he really is blind-sighted when it comes to White House relationships), and so I didn't pick up on the Fitz-Olivia hidden meaning.  Did you guys?  It obviously made much more sense later on.  TRICKY.  Shonda Rhimes is so tricky.

LOL I think the following screenshot is hilarious.  I love when Olivia calls and asks Fitz to look at the camera because she has a feeling AT might be telling the truth.  His expression is hysterical.

Am I the only one who is sad (I'm over it now, but was at the beginning of the season) about Henry Ian Cusick's departure from the show?  I would take him over Abby ANY DAY.  Also, I was intrigued by their backstory - she was clearly lusting after him.  In 1.06 we even see Olivia suggest him for Abby.  I've heard that originally he was going to be a love interest for Olivia, but once Shonda/Betsy discovered the Fitz/Olivia chemistry, they threw Stephen/Olivia out the window.  His role was obviously diminished then, and they couldn't promise him prominent story lines.  Apparently the departure was amicable on both sides, but I do miss him.  Plus I always loved him on Lost!

HAHAHA I love the line "show me" in response to "deep-dish sausage and mushroom."  (scene where OPA obtains video for Sully's alibi)  Why?  Because that is TOTALLY something that I would say.

I LOVE Olivia's face when she looks at Fitz and he knows that she knows the truth about AT.

Keep Olivia's mini-monologue in perspective, especially when viewing 2.08.  "Because you were married, because you said you wanted to be a better man, because you wanted to dedicate yourself to your marriage, etc., etc."  ...well?  That's not exactly what Fitz meant when he said it, now, was it, Liv? We see that in 2.08.  He says those words, but that wasn't the context.  I love how the writers brought those words back, though.

And shame on Fitz for never telling Cyrus about Olivia.  Why do you think that was?  I still would love to know what Olivia told Cyrus when she left the White House and how Fitz/Cyrus dealt with it especially if Fitz didn't tell Cyrus the truth about their relationship.

Liv needs to replay what she says to Sully to herself.  So hypocritical.  Telling him to be true to who he is?  That who he loves shouldn't be a secret?  Grow a pair, Liv.

I'll say that I do think that Harrison and Quinn would make a cute couple, but I'm hoping they don't go down that road because I'm not a fan of inter-office relationships only because they usually lead to different combinations/permutations of relationships.  Couples switch or someone in the office dates everybody and I don't need to see all that.

Side notes: 

1. I wonder what Olivia told Cyrus re: why she left the White House...he didn't know about Olitz and she was his prodigy...Gladiators, what do you think?  The first time we see them talk is when he tells her that Fitz needs a favor and she responds that she doesn't work for him anymore.
2. Olivia initiates seeing the President "I need to see him" (re: AT case).  Definitely go back and re-watch season 1 after finishing the current episodes through 2.09.  Shonda and Betsy recommended it and it's a great idea.  You'll see characters (Mellie!) differently and you'll notice/pick up on things to keep in mind for future episodes.  Remember, though, to give the writers a little leeway with the first few episodes of the first season.  In this case, Olivia is the one who left the White House (2.08) but now she is initiating contact with the President.  Cyrus is saying that it's not possible (strange, I think this is simply the writers not knowing where they're going yet).  Now, Cyrus would of course make that kind of time for Olivia despite Fitz's "busy schedule."
3. Mellie asking Olivia if she's dating.  I'm not convinced that this was vindictive only because at this point, Shonda and Betsy weren't planning on having Mellie be a main character of the show. She wasn't even guaranteed to be in more episodes.  It can be explained/viewed that way by the writers now, but I don't think it was meant to be seen as vicious.

As always, contact me on Twitter @scandalUS, via email scandalUS1@gmail.com or comment here!