Thursday's long-awaited Scandal Season 4 Episode 1 answered the question fans of the compelling Shonda Rhimes drama been wondering all summer long:
Just where in the world is Olivia Pope?
Let’s start with the answer: Liv "Julia Baker" has been living with Jake for the past two months on an island “off the coast of Zanzibar.” The quiet life involved a lot of reading (Gone Girl FTW!) and such seclusion that supplies were delivered by boat.
But then a letter arrives that confirms Harrison has been found dead.
Liv promises Jake that they’ll only head back to DC for a “few days” in order for her to plan Harrison’s funeral, as viewers head over to the capital and find the Gladiators living new lives.
- Huck now goes by “Randy," working as a clerk at an electronics store; he isn't speaking to Quinn.
- Abby is the White House press secretary, where she must deal with talk about “Fitz 2.0″ and "Crazy Mellie," as Twitter has dubbed the First Lady, who is going around in Uggs, Fruit Colored O’s and day-old shirts. She's in a bad place.
- At the closed-down OPA office, a calm Quinn tells Live that she was tracked down due to her affection for “rare, complex” wines.
So that's where we are. But where are we going?
Nowhere positive at first, as Huck wants nothing to do with Liv and Abby blames her for Harrison’s death.
Jake checks in on David, who has done nothing with the B613 files given to him, considering his color-coding system revealed them to either be "Scary, Very Scary or Wait for Someone to Come Kill You Scary." Gotta love it.
Olivia then goes to see her dad, who invites her to freely ask him about any role he had in Harrison’s death, despite playing innocent.
"I did however take care of your mother," he half-lies, obeying an order from Fitz, lest the country might learn that the President’s mistress’ mother murdered the First Son. (NOTE: How awesome is Scandal?!?)
Back at Olivia’s apartment that evening, her funeral planning is interrupted by a visit from a young woman named Kate, the aide to Senator Vaughn.
She claims that Senator Sterling tried to rape her and that she sent him soaring over a railing (though not to his death) while fighting off the unwanted advance. Liv eventually decides to represent Kate.
Over at The White House Cyrus is fending off attacks from “Lizzie Bear,” the new Republican National Committed head (hello, Portia De Rossi!), who says the party is getting impatient with Fitz’s polices and “across the aisle” antics, most notably the idea of nominating a Democratic Attorney General.
Cyrus responds by asking David Rosen to consider the gig instead, prompting Rosen to suggest to Abby that she spilled about him possessing the B613 files and that Cy is out to buy his silence.
Abby is irritating by the asserting and then complains that David’s obsession with the B613 files blew up their relationship. She tells him to get himself "some power" and actually "use it" if he wants to "change the world."
Upon learning Liv is in town, Fitz asks Cyrus if she's staying, which leads to a sigh and the quote of the night: "You want to pretend we all don’t know how this movie ends?"
At the funeral, the Gladiators reunite, while Jake spots Rowan playing spy.
In the second-to-last scene, we head to the White House balcony and Mellie joking about how she couldn’t leap to her death if she wanted to, telling Fitz: “I’m not gonna try to kill myself. I’m not you."
Whoa there! Turns out, at some point after Jerry’s death, Fitz “had one bad night” where he looked to end it all. He orders his wife to never bring that up again.
Finally, we close with Jake telling Olivia about flight plan back to the island when it becomes obvious this plan will never be realized.
“Are we Gladiators or are we bitches?” is what Liv says Harrison would state in this setting.
And during a closing montage, Fitz nominates David for Attorney General... Liv gives an impressive presser on behalf of Kate and, as they pass by each other in a rotunda, Liv and Fitz reach pinkies at each other but miss... though both appear satisfied that a mutual effort was made.
What a Scandal Season 4 premiere, huh?!? But did you expect anything less?
Visit TV Fanatic to watch Scandal online and sound off on the opener now!
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