As Christmas approached on SCANDAL, not everyone was in the holiday mood. At the White House, Olivia was getting increasingly frustrated by her “First Lady” duties, Quinn was worried about Huck’s whereabouts and Mellie decided to filibuster a Senate vote just before the holidays.
Let’s begin with Olivia, who was growing increasingly disillusioned with her new position, despite Fitz and Abby’s happiness that she was becoming better received by the American people. As she told Abby, she is very good at this job, she just doesn’t seem to want to do it.
On the Senate floor, Mellie decided to take a stand to support funding for Planned Parenthood. While going through the enormous funding bill line by line, she angered her fellow Senators but appealed to Olivia’s sense of justice. In fact, Olivia arranged for Susan to make an unexpected visit to the Senate floor to give Mellie a chance to leave the floor and take a bathroom break. And when she saw Olivia in the bathroom she actually thanked her for her help. Mellie admitted that she might be done, but Olivia told her “you’re the biggest bitch I know. Don’t tell me you can’t do this.” As Mellie eventually yielded the floor she received boos and cheers from those still inside the building, but she had succeeded.
Meanwhile, Huck wasn’t missing. He was babysitting Rowan, who was enjoying taunting the former B-613 operative with talk about his family. Despite being provoked, Huck backed off before he could kill Rowan. Instead, he turned the tables on the man and pointed out his own failings as a father. Jake, on the other hand, was trying to find out more about Lazarus. He confronted Franklin, who said he just wanted to bring B613 back to the way it used to be. But Jake shot and killed Franklin, just as Huck told Rowan he was going to head back to his own family.
Olivia, on the other hand, skipped out on the Cabinet Christmas dinner to visit a doctor (was she getting an abortion?). When she finally made her way back to Fitz the two of them fought over Olivia’s role. And it seems like Olivia has snapped from making amends to Fitz for letting her father go. “You’re worse than Mellie,” Fitz spat at her. So Olivia shot back “There is no us! There is no future, not anymore.” And then after more hurtful words were flung between them, Fitz lamented that they had tried. “We did,” Olivia agreed. Is the tumultuous love story of Olivia and Fitz coming to an end?
Huck dropped off Rowan at home with a cheerful “Merry Christmas”. And Jake greeted him, telling him that he knows he wasn’t Lazarus. “Welcome home, son,” Rowan said to his former employee and invited Jake in. Over at Quinn’s apartment, Charlie stopped by with a little festive tree just as she was getting in to the booze. And Olivia’s new couch arrived as Mellie enjoyed Christmas with her kids and Fitz remained alone.
In the end, Olivia sat on her new couch with a glass of wine and a bowl of popcorn. And she smiled.
SCANDAL returns with all new episodes on February 11 on ABC.