Scandal recap: Episode 4 – “Say Hello to My Little Friend”

Scandal recap: Episode 4 – “Say Hello to My Little Friend”

The episode begins with members of Pope & Associates attempting a return to “normal life.” Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) wanted to join forces with Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) on catching her father, Eli Pope (Joe Morton). Olivia promptly responded by telling Jake she would return to her quiet father-daughter dinners, and that she didn’t know anything about Operation Remington or Jake Ballard.

Huck (Guillermo Diaz) returned to Alcoholics Anonymous meaning to talk about his killings. He told the crowd about getting his bottle from someone, and how holding the “whiskey” felt so good, even though he wanted to stop. His speaking was interrupted by Quinn Perkins’s (Lindsay Dwyer) cell phone going off. I’m getting the feeling that Quinn is not only interested in killing (like Huck explicitly states later in the episode) but is also interested in Huck.

Lastly, our redheaded friend, Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) returned to her off-and-on partner, David Rosen (Joshua Malina). I don’t think either character really wants each other, but rather they want the comfort of someone else. The fling is reminiscent of Olivia’s scandalous relations with the President in Seasons 1 and 2.

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The client that Pope & Associates represented was Senator Richard Myers (guest star Patrick Fabian), who is involved in a Brett Favre/Anthony Weiner-esque sexting scandal, the only difference being that Senator Myers was charged for the murder of “Desiree.” After having multiple women stand trial as past picture recipients in his first jury trial, Olivia decided to have a man who was close to Desiree take the stand. When the jury still had a negative image of Senator Myers, she convinced his wife to stand trial. The plan was to have her admit to the sexting to keep him out out of jail, despite her presumed disdain towards her husband. After telling the truth, the judge acquitted Senator Myers of the murder. Only after did Olivia realize that the Senator was actually unknowingly covering for his wife’s homicide.

One of the last relevant scenes is Olivia returning home to find Jake waiting on her couch. Jake asked how her day went, and she began to break down, until quickly returning to stasis. I’m also beginning to realize that what would seem like struggling in the viewer’s eyes is actually thriving by Olivia. Time and time again she drags her unsettled inner struggles to stay on task as a successful lawyer, evident multiple times through the series’ run so far. The only problem is that at some point, this baggage (debt at the firm, unresolved feelings for the president, a father who teaches people how to kill, etc.) is going to crush her. Specifically, her response to Jake of “I’m about to scream” not only foreshadows to a time presumably later in the show when she can’t handle her daily tasks, but to the fact that if she does release her pain, she will have given up professionally and personally her effort to succeed.

Potential Stories for Next Episode

  • Democratic presidential front-runner Josephine Marcus’s (guest star Lisa Kudrow) alleged abortion when she was 15.
  • President Grant’s (Tony Goldwyn) role as the pilot in the Remington operation.
  • Eli Pope and President Grant’s cliffhanger before their discussion.
  • Jake and Huck’s potential revenge plots against Eli Pope.

Memorable Quotes

Quinn:

“You (Huck) drank whiskey (killed someone) and it felt good, didn’t it?”

Huck to Quinn:

“All these questions (about killing) have answers, but you don’t want to know them.”

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Scandal Season 3 recap: Episode 4 – “Say Hello to My Little Friend” — Randy Holmes/ABC