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...

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