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Thursday 8 August 2013

Scandal 2.6 "Spies Like US" Review

                                              
A man hurriedly gives an envelope to the mail and when out of sight, he takes out his gun and shoots himself.  The envelope has Olivia's (Kerry Washington) name and address on it.  Olivia listens to the conversation between Abby (Darby Stanchfield) and David (Josh Malina) and wants it handled.  He asks Abby if she wants a drawer here.  Huck (Guillermo Diaz) is with Becky (Susan Pourfar) and he takes photos of her ID, credit cards etc.  Cyrus (Jeff Perry) reads the article James (Dan Bucatinsky) has written on Hollis (Gregg Henry) and he realizes it's a quote straight from Cyrus when he wasn't well.

In the envelope Olivia finds a cheque and a sheet of music, which Huck finds is a coded message containing names of a CIA team, the B613 and lead by Crosby the dead man.  He killed himself in public so Huck would know it was a hit.  But it contains his real name and asking her to protect them.  It means if they have his real name then he must leave and go into hiding, but Olivia is adamant she doesn't want him to leave.  She can help and he gives her 24 hours.  They find the name of a hacker named Sarnoff (Ron Ostrow) and he has done such things in the past.  There are other clients he could be working with and Olivia needs their names.

Sarnoff's lawyer, Barry (Richard Gilliand) is found and Sarnoff talks to Olivia via computer and he tells her they are all spies who have killed in the name of their country and people need to know.  Olivia wants the other five spies brought in as Sarnoff doesn't have the info yet, he's bluffing.  But one of them will give him the info.  Huck sends out a message over the radio for them to come home.

Harrison sees Olivia in her office and asks her what he can do for her, he will do anything cos she sat with him in his cell.  She says it was "my job" but he doesn't want to be seen as her job.  She tells him to break up Abby and David but she can't say why and that Abby was beaten so he has to use tact.  Yeah that was tactful.  Harrison pays off David's ex, Teresa (Jennifer Sommerfield) to make it look like he beat her too, which is a sore subject for Abby.  She finds photos of his ex all bruised and he tells her she fell down the stairs, he didn't touch her.  She then finds one of herself.  David tells her he investigated her before they even were together, but she refuses to give him the benefit of the doubt.  You know what don't care.  Abby rushes in so gung ho, she's meant to see the signs by now isn't she, of abuse and potential abusers since she's been through it herself.  Especially cos of her job and how quick she is to judge others.

Everyone vies for Stephen's office and Olivia doesn't want any of them to have it.  Harrison telling her she's been saving it as is for some reason.  What, she was expecting him back.  Cyrus feigns crying in order for James to not write anymore on Hollis cos his job is in jeopardy and will hurt the President.  After Hollis pays him a visit and tells him to call off James, his wife or whatever they call each other.  Cyrus adding "the things I have to do."  Well we all know about those since last season.

Olivia has Quinn (Katie Lowes) monitor their calls and what they talk about when Huck has planted surveillance cameras in the conference room.  Each of them have made a new life for themselves and want to keep it that way!  Olivia threatens Sarnoff's lawyer that they will come after him cos he knows where Sarnoff is but he claims ignorance.  He does have a bank account which he gives Olivia and this matches a call made by Dr Melvin Feen (Sam Anderson). No big surprise, I suspected it was him from the outset.  There's a stand off as they all pull their spare guns on one another and Harrison must talk them down.  The Swiss bank account numbers match the call he made for a patient's prescription.  Charlie (George Newbern) wants to shoot him but Huck talks him down cos they all have lives now.  But Maggie (Sarah Aldrich) shoots him instead and they clear up the room.

Olivia tries to console Abby who goes on about trusting her and she lets her carry on.  Edison (Norm Lewis) pays her a visit and she cries as they kiss.  The tension is meant to be building up with Olivia doing anything and everything to protect her people, here Abby but it just isn't like Olivia to be that manipulative, and this conspiracy is kind of dragging, what with James having to be muzzled by Cyrus and Abby kept from David, it really is just a way to make us stay tuned without giving away much of anything.

Harrison telling Olivia he's her gladiator.  Oh she has many of them around.  Abby saying she relies on her gut but really seems that's not working here as far as David is concerned.   Her gut was all wrong about him, she sees a couple of photos and cos Teresa gave her a sob story with tears, she couldn't see past the lies as her own life mirrors the same, or so she thought.  Clearly she hasn't moved past her abuse even if it looks as if she has.  She's meant to be an investigator.   This story was more about Huck too and it appears for a moment that Olivia's perfect team is unravelling.  Quinn gets her own office and Charlie calls someone saying he may as well hang around whilst he's back and conduct some business.  So who did he call and will he be used to take out someone involved with Hollis and Cytron?




1 comment:

amanda said...

I'm watching this very late in the day on Sky Demand/catch up in the UK. I really got into it in series 1 but now into series 2 & Olivias all cloak & dagger breaking up Abbeys nice relationship & using her past abuse against her (she told Harrison to use that ie the abuse not to use tact) meanwhile Cyrus is worried for James, both because of what Hollis might do? What kill them? So why not just have Hollis sorted out if hes the bad guy???? Can't really accept all the Olivia sneakiness & back stabbing so may not make it till end of series 2 never mind series 3. Pity.