BWW Recap: SCANDAL, The Mental State of the Union

Greetings, Gladiators. One thing is for sure, we can't ever accuse Shonda Rhimes of shying away from topical issues. When she makes a political statement, it is eloquent and it is blatant. Why would we expect anything less?

Cyrus blackmails Liv and her bare bones staff into a case prior to the State of the Union. A couple, James and Lisa Elliott, who have become the faces of gun control have been invited as the President's guests. One problem: they hate each other. Olivia, Huck and Quinn are faced with the daunting task of not only babysitting them, but making them look like a happy couple for the big speech. James is a returned POW and Lisa saved many children in a Sandy Hook-esque school shooting where she herself was shot and confined to a wheelchair. The President is determined to use them for assistance to work on gun control legislation with Congress.

Another face in the crowd Fitz could use is Mellie who is still literally and figuratively, all over the place. She is still lying at Jerry's grave, eating potato chips (wearing Uggs... ugh.) and now, the press are aware. After Fitz and Cyrus both give their pleas for her to appear at the State of the Union, it is Abby who comes in with the Hail Mary and convinces her to go. Yes, Mellie lost a child, but many people do and they needed to see Mellie standing up in front of her country and being okay. Mellie relents and goes to the speech and is a hit.

Quinn is still trying to get Huck to talk to her after the debacle with his family from last season. They come real close to having another "moment" in the bathroom until it is interrupted. I have a feeling that we have not seen the last of this twisted romance.

Jake has taken it upon himself to investigate the death of Harrison. He continually tries to keep David in his investigation, but David is going through a senate confirmation hearing to become the U.S. Attorney General.

And lastly, dear, sweet, evil Cyrus meets a truly handsome man in a bar. As suspected, he isn't all that he seems. Upon discovery that he is a prostitute, Cyrus puts a stop to their evening. However, the gentleman exits the hotel to a dark car and reports to the person who hired him: Elizabeth, the RNC chair.

But the moment of the episode was the speech itself. Fitz, a Republican, makes an impassioned speech about the 2nd Amendment and the need for new gun control legislation. It is eloquent, bipartisan and breathtaking. In other words; fictional. Regardless, his point is made with the help of Mellie and the Elliots. (Band name idea?)

It seems we're still in the setup portion of the season, which is okay since it's only episode two. Bellamy Young is inexplicably good in her scenes. From playing the grieving mother to the devoted wife to the absolute breakdown after the speech, she is remarkable. (I'm so tired of pleading for Emmys for this woman.) Is this going to lead to she and Fitz falling back in love? It certainly seems that way. And what about this little cat and mouse game Olivia and Jake are playing? Are they still trying to convince themselves (and us) that this is all for show? And it was nice to see Jon Tenney again, albeit brief, almost forget about him. I was starting to think Selina Meyer was the VP.

Olivia vs. Abby is proving to be quite interesting and I'm actually quite proud of the way Abby is handling herself. She is obviously out to prove that she is somebody outside Pope and Associates and I think she is winning that argument. And speaking of the office, is Olivia gonna staff up a little bit? Quinn and Huck are adequate but I think they're going to need to add a few people to round out their investigation team. First on the agenda, though, disinfecting the office.

What I Know:

• The RNC chair is evil. Take it as you will.

• David Rosen blackmailed a tough senator into confirming him as Attorney General. The scandal? Something about deer meat in Hawley, Pennsylvania. #myhometown

• Jake and Olivia are adorable. I don't know why she's all hung up on a politician.

What I Don't Know:

• Is Jake going to go after Charlie? I sure hope so. It's so hard to watch these two as bad guys. To me, they will always be Noel Crane and the nice guy Chris meets at a party in "Adventures in Babysitting."

• As in love with Mellie as the VP was, wouldn't he show greater concern for her well-being?

• Wouldn't someone as involved in D.C. as Olivia know exactly when the State of the Union is? She looked kind of surprised when Cyrus told her it was the next day.

Lines I Love:

• Cyrus - Sorry to be such a bastard, Liv, craving meat really brings out the worst in me.

• David - I'm about to go through a senate confirmation hearing and I don't think being a known associate of a prolific assassin is gonna be great for my chances.

• Cyrus - A broken heart is a broken heart. To take a measure is cruelty.

What did you think? Do you think the President's impassioned speech on gun control will cause controversy on the show and/or in real life? I sure hope so. Let me know here or @eponineq on Twitter.

Below, check out the promo for next week's episode titled 'Inside the Bubble':

Photo Credit: ABC

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