Scandal 2.20 "A Woman Scorned" Review

Jake (Scott Foley) refuses to leave Olivia's (Kerry Washington) side as he's been ordered to watch her since he's a naval officer and his Commander in chief has ordered him to do so, but she maintains he's just stalking her. He was watching her all that time and he states it was to protect her.  She's back to her swimming now, can't say I was surprised to see Jake standing at the end of the pool, so why was she?  Cyrus (Jeff Perry) wants Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) to do what he can to appease Mellie (Bellamy Young) to stop her from going public and breaking the news of the President and his "whore" live on air.  He tries to tell her to go back cos it'll only affect her and Fitz thinks they can call her bluff cos she loves being the First Lady.  But she refuses to accept the package of becoming senator and then even President perhaps one day.  On the other hand he says he will do everything he can to ensure she doesn't get a political career of her own and make public that she was complicit in his affair and knew all about it.  But Mellie refuses to budge as does Fitz.  Cyrus wants him to go to her and talk to her but he doesn't cos he gives him the idea of exactly what Fitz must do.

Fitz orders Olivia to the Whitehouse and Jake must bring her there but they have the same old argument of not ordering her about and if he wants her he has to earn her.  Jake saying he didn't hear what was said but she raised her voice to him and nobody does that.  She wants a minute but he won't leave her side.  Then watches her as she sits in the chair.  Mellie is informed of Olivia's visit with Fitz and tells Cyrus she too has friends there, more so than he does.  Mellie refuses to give in hoping he'll come through in the final minutes.

James (Dan Bucatinsky) tells Cyrus he's been offered a TV position as interviewer and he's got a great nanny and being surprised that Cyrus lets him take the position, especially since Mellie is about to erupt on TV, didn't he get the hint.  Later they get together and he tells them their marriage is not in trouble.  Until later when Cyrus realizes James is interviewing Mellie and he wants it stopped but it's too late.

The others find out that Charlie (George Newbern) was in the baseball cap since Huck (Guillermo Diaz) recognizes his ear cos Quinn (Katie Lowes) was referring to it a lot and Harrison (Columbus Short) saying they can't ID him with his ear.  They think Cyrus could be Albatross, the mole, since Charlie's been working for him for two years now.  Olivia still calls Cyrus her friend and tells them they need to be absolutely sure Cyrus is the mole cos they already were responsible for one death. Charlie goes AWOL and they pull out all the stops to find him, including tracking him when buying cannoli every Thursday and attending a bookclub.  Where he's apparently got a girlfriend.

Knew that was only a rouse and he was after more cos Charlie and a girl doesn't exactly shout romance! They bring in Tammy (Amy Farrington) from the bookclub under the rouse of having Charlie checked our for a job and she tells them they're meeting today.  But he doesn't show up.  She recognizes David from the Grand Jury trial for the Defiance affair and she had her laptop stolen, her laptop which contained the transcripts, which Charlie stole and was only seeing her for that reason.

Charlie meanwhile has been watching Jake's recordings of Olivia and especially the one of their night together and Jake sees Charlie watching the too as he breaks into his apartment and steals his drink, eww wouldn't touch that bottle!  Funny Jake not knowing his drink's missing from there! Ha.  Cyrus asks Mellie if he could get rid of Olivia would she stop the interview.  He gets Lauren (Sharmila Devar) to call Jake and tell him Fitz wants to see him, but Jake shocks Cyrus by staying at his post cos he doesn't get called away by a secretary, only Fitz himself.  Olivia invites him in and wont believe a bad word against Cyrus, even though Huck told her he had Amanda Tanner killed and he wants her to be careful since she's seeing Fitz too.

SO everyone, all the gladiators know Olivia is seeing Fitz except for David it seems as they all walk out of the office when the interview is on leaving David by himself when he asks, "I wonder who he's banging." Jake asks Olivia what her relationship is with Fitz but she doesn't answer, then kisses him to show him he doesn't have anything to answer for and to throw him off the scent but he's not budging.  Fitz decides to take  positive action and go after what he wants, turning up at Olivia's and sending Jake away.  He tells her he wants his marriage over and has decided he loves her and wants her.  They both wait for Mellie's interview and for the clock to strike 9 as does Mellie.  Thought she'd get a last minute reprieve did she?

SO the interview goes ahead, Cyrus can't stop it and Fitz and Olivia get together.  Thought someone would be outside their window watching the way the camera panned out, well someone could be watching, I mean she didn't even close the blinds rt curtains or anything!  Jake meets with the mysterious man (Joe Morton) from B-613 again.

It was only a matter of time before Mellie would erupt as the entire season's been building up to it, ever since she found about Fitz and Olivia and it would be pretty naive to think it wouldn't happen.  She doesn't really care if she's committing political suicide for herself or anyone else cos at the end of the day she's a woman and a woman scorned as in the title.  She didn't even care about how her children would react or would take the news.  Then again she's not really a proper mother.

Then there was the love triangle, Fitz making goo goo eyes at Olivia still and still thinking she'd be at his beck and call, which she ended up being, woman, thought you'd have more sense than that, cos just where is that 'relationship' heading.  Though she's right to be angry at Jake cos she's in the position of being followed, stalked, being the Vic, she knows now what it's like when she does the same for her clients.  It's the nature of her job.  Though Jake can only defend himself by saying he's protecting and following orders, he's really following two sets of orders and has two 'bosses.'  I was going to say masters but that doesn't seem to be the right word.  But man, if I was in Olivia's shoes I'd take Jake anyday over Fitz, cos how many times is he gonna have Fitz treat her like he does for one thing and then leave him, come back again when he calls and on and on...he does act like a child at times, throwing temper tantrums and the like and in that respect he and Mellie do make a fine pair.  Olivia is just using Jake and seems she'll bed the first man that comes along, cos clearly that night with Jake meant nothing to her and she can so easily blow him off for, that's right, Fitz again!

Fitz thinks he's earned Olivia by throwing away his marriage and they get together once  more but Olivia just doesn't seem to move forward and is always running two steps behind and straight into his arms.  What kind of a sacrifice was that, his marriage was already over anyway, how did that spell out "earning" Olivia?  Just seems to be getting his own way again.

Oh, oh does Jake figure out who Charlie is working for really, that his 'boss' is using Charlie to watch everything Jake is doing cos Charlie wouldn't be doing all this off his own bat.  What would Cyrus have done to get Olivia out of the way anyway, seriously I don't believe he would have killed her, but he knows about Defiance and so can't be the mole and wouldn't have got Charlie to steal the laptop for him.  Though one postscript about Cyrus, he was going to have James killed before he entered the courtroom for the Grand Jury debacle, so he shouldn't be underestimated.  Though who knows what Charlie will do with the Jake/Olivia footage, give it to his 'true' master.  So it can be used against Jake.

Two things: one Mellie kind of put Olivia and Fitz into each others arms by wanting him to "get over her and fall asleep again" when she invited her to that political do and secondly she mentions that whole speech about marriage and how happy it can seem in episode 18 and here it kind of comes back to bite her.  Fitz wants no pat of her and that in some way is her own fault too.

David is in the dark about Olivia and Fitz but when did Abby (Darby Stanchfield) and Quinn find out since Harrison and Huck wouldn't have told them.  Also Olivia already suspected Cyrus killed Amanda Tanner or at least had her killed and yet she doesn't believe she needs protecting from him cos he's "my friend."  A very dangerous friend to have; or to use Cyrus's own word with Mellie, "frenemy."  Why did Olivia lie to Jake about her and Fitz of course he knows there's something there, he saw them at the hospital and really he would not ask him to protect anyone in the way he wants Olivia protected by him.  Wonder when the fireworks will really explode as when Fitz finds out about Olivia and Jake.  What the fireworks already have...