TWV's All Inclusive Guide To "Scandal"

Like any other drama television series, Scandal is a show that you have to follow and pay close attention to for things to add up and start to make sense. Secrets were established in season 1 of the hit thriller, but they begin to unfold in season 2, which is why this episode has been so anticipated. If you thought intense, then Season 2 will blow you away.

Here’s a brief recap of what’s been going on.

The Basics: (Its safe to read this part if you’re new to the show or have missed a few episodes).

Olivia Pope is a professional “fixer” that dedicates her life to making problems disappear. She is also the former White House Communications Director, who resigned her position due to complications of her affair with President (Fitzgerald Grant) of the United States. Her crisis management team includes (Huck, Abby, Harrison and Quinn who’s real name is Lindsay, but that’s another story).

In-depth Details: (If you’re not caught up on the episodes, this is a DEFINITE SPOILER skip to page 3 to avoid).

It all goes back to when President Grant was elected (“All Roads Lead to Fitz”). The selective group of mastermind conspirators includes Olivia Pope, the first lady of the U.S. (Mellie Grant), the Supreme Court Justice (Verna Thornton), oil company owner Hollis Doyle, and the President’s best friend and Chief of Staff (Cyrus Beene). The secret group has gone great lengths to benefit themselves politically; for example, they sabotaged the VP’s Supreme Court Justice’s reputation to get Verna Thornton the bench. However, the biggest secret that they’re hiding is they rigged voting polls in a small town in Ohio with a memory card to get President Grant in office.

Quinn’s ex-boyfriend, Jesse Tyler was an employee at Hollis Doyle’s computer tech company (Cytron), until he leaked information to a reporter about Doyle’s illegal activities. Because of blackmail, Doyle bombed the building leaving Tyler and five other employees for dead.

Doyle covered himself by linking the crime to Quinn, who left an angry voicemail on Tyler’s phone threatening to kill him. To cover Doyle’s secret and protect the rest of the group, Olivia Pope and Huck (who was formerly involved with the CIA as a trained killer), kidnapped and transferred Quinn on Justice Thornton’s jet to a D.C. hotel and gave her a new identity. Later, Quinn puts two and two together and discovers the truth. David Rosen (Assistant U.S. Attorney, who often bends the law for Pope & Associates and had a blossoming relationship with Abby) and James (who is a Times reporter and Cyrus Beene’s husband) are working together to figure out what they’re hiding.

The biggest surprise on the show thus far comes in episode “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” when President Grant is shot multiple times. It turns out that Huck’s girlfriend Becky, who he met at an Alcoholics Anonymous session, set him up by luring him into the hotel room where the crime took place.

VP Langston wastes no time and she decides to take President Grant’s place while he is hospitalized. Pope then sets out to find Becky so she can protect her close friend and associate from getting punished, but before she can, Justice Thornton gives Huck’s name to temporary “President” Langston (who blackmails her to either step down from the bench or Langston would tell the media that she’s been lying about having terminal cancer).  Huck is arrested and charged with the Patriot Act. Hollis Doyle is the informant to sabotaging Justice Thornton.

Now that you’re caught up with the background information, we can recap  “One for the Dog.” (Spoiler alert!)

So now the biggest question is who is the mastermind behind the attempted assassination of the President? Justice Thornton calls a meeting with the secret circle, excluding Hollis Doyle, who is the topic. Justice Thornton questions Hollis Doyle’s loyalty, and she brings up the fact that he keeps two phones and locks one of them in his desk drawer. In the meantime, Harrison and Abby retrieve the suspicious phone, and find only one number in the phone log (they assume that it is Becky’s number).

“My sources in the White House tell Hollis practically lives in the Oval now that Sally Langston is acting President. He has done nothing but benefited from Fitz’ absence… Hollis Doyle has been out for nothing but brute power. He has lied for it, he has cheated for it, he’s killed for it and I’ve gathered you here tonight because I believe that he is the one who tried to assassinate the President of the United States of America,” says Justice Thornton.

Later Olivia’s new (old) boyfriend, Senator Edison Davis, receives a confidential letter of reinstatement from the President (who’s still in critical condition)? Olivia was just finding out the news herself. When Olivia arrives at the hospital with lifted spirits, she is let down when she finds out that the President is still unconscious.

The first lady was actually the person who wrote and signed the letter with the intent to kick “President” VP Sally Langston out of her husband’s office. However, “President” Langston knows that Mellie Grant is up to something and she does not believe that President Grant is awake. After realizing how much trouble the first lady had caused, Olivia, Mellie and Cyrus decided to fully commit to the lie by informing the press and returning back to work at the White House. They even go as far to fake transfer President Grant to Camp David.

Meanwhile, Huck is still in enhanced, brutal interrogation in the Pentagon. He still hasn’t cracked, but he tells the men that he will talk if he can speak to the U.S. Attorney (David Rosen). He asks David if the President is still alive and warns them that if he is, then he is still in great danger. David Rosen then assures Olivia that he knows where Huck is and that President Grant is still a target. Olivia Pope visits “President” Langston and suggests that she releases Huck, so he can help capture the actual killer, which is Becky. (Fun fact: #FreeHuck was a Twitter topic during the episode). Fortunately “President” Langston agrees and Huck is freed.

Hollis Doyle is now fed up, so he calls Becky to finish the job. Becky sets out to assassinate the President once and for all, but as she is setting up the equipment across from the hospital, Huck appears and has her at gunpoint with authorities behind him. Huck’s name is cleared and Becky is arrested.

Near the end of the episode, Quinn confronts Olivia about everything that happened to her, and just when Olivia agrees to speak and possibly reveal the conspirators’ secret, she gets a call. Cyrus tells her that someone wants to speak with her; it turns out to be the President. A miracle really did happen.

You can get caught up on Season 1 of Scandal on Netflix and watch Season 2 on ABC’s website. You won’t be disappointed.