Srta_Parker

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – Olivia is feeling more and more frustrated as she takes on “First Lady” type responsibilities at the White House. Meanwhile, Mellie proves just how powerful she can be and Jake and Huck continue the hunt for Rowan on the winter finale of “Scandal,” THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Scandal” stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, Guillermo Diaz as Huck, Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan, Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins, Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Grant, Jeff Perry as Cyrus, Bellamy Young as First Lady Mellie Grant, Joshua Malina as David Rosen, Scott Foley as Jake Ballard, Portia De Rossi as Elizabeth North and Cornelius Smith Jr as Marcus Walker.

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was written by Mark Wilding and directed by Tom Verica.

The series is created by Shonda Rhimes (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “How to Get Away with Murder”). Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “How to Get Away with Murder”), Mark Wilding and Tom Verica are executive producers. “Scandal” is produced by ABC Studios.

Romantic In Denial

TFTNT!

Srta_Parker

Two more days to the winter finale!!

drunkalice

I'm speechless, this was possibly the best episode of Scandal ever aired.

Romantic In Denial

I knew it!! She left and I'm glad she did because she was losing herself in all the BS. Her face when that woman was asking about a cookie recipe - priceless!! Besides, their relationship was totally based on them getting away with something illicit. Olivia said the words some of us were thinking - "There is no Vermont, there is no jam - there is no us!!" And Olivia got a new sofa!!! Yes!! That's got to be one of the most sympbolic moments of the episode.

LOVED Mellie's filibuster. Good for her and good for the VP coming in to help out. "You're in my chair." OMG - I laughed so hard when she said that!! Loved that Mellie ignored lady senator who decided to congratulate her only after she succeeded. Mellie was awesome in this episode.

Speaking of Susan, I just knew he would give her the bracelet that Liz so ungraciously refused. Glad she noticed it and that Susan confirmed who gave it to her.

I felt bad for Quinn when she was left alone but when there was that knock at her door, I knew it would be Charlie. Weird relationship but they do actually care for each other.

I'm not going to comment on the Huck-Rowan-Jake-Russell scenes. Curious to what everyone else thinks of them.

All in all - this was an awesome episode. Totally agree with drunkalice!!!!

~Janice~

Liv having an abortion was completely unexpected Jake and Huck both had an opportunity to eliminate Command but didn't I actually like Vice President Susan and David Rosen Wonder if Liv and Jake will reconnect now.

Butterfly85

I thought this episode was boring like all of S5 has been. I knew Rowan wouldn't die and that Huck would do nothing to him (even though his monologue to Rowan was brutal) Russell being the one doing Lazurus One was lackluster and dumb, I find it so ridiculous that Jake would chill with Rowan on Christmas after Rowan's 977 attempts to kill Jake and framing him last season, the Liz/David/Susan triangle is one of the most laughable triangles ever (IE he just met both of them and it's a rushed attempt to give them a purpose. I could care less about all three of them. Wll I kind of like Susan but I just don't care about this) I liked Mellie's scenes. Liv's abortion was just them throwing anything at the wall to see what sticks which they have been doing for a while but Fitz is an awful father so like I always said, he would treat Liv like Mellie 2.0 and would treat their kids the same. This season and the Olitz argument was just alot of things about Olitz I've been saying for years. Abusive, manipulative, seeing Liv as property, Liv not wanting a normal relationship, suffocating her, only wanting Fitz cause he was unavailable, etc. Their toxic to themselves and others, and the whole season she has been trying to run from Fitz always running to Jake to beg for an out. He was the one that sent her to him last season and had to keep pushing her back there. So unsuprisingly, that isn't what Liv really wanted. She didn't make a choice, never did.

Srta_Parker

She make a choice in the finale of season 4. She didn´t stick with it, that´s another thing. Also she decide to say yes to the reporter and also she make the choice to release his father to not marry Fitz. All were made decidions taken by her. The problem is that she doesn´t want to take responsability for what she did.

Love the fight scene. It was their first real conversation in a long time. But that doesn´t erase the fact that Shonda has ruined Olivia´s character because it seems that she wants to make Scandal Mellie´s show not Olivia´s.

I know that they always had a toxic relationship but it always has survived because of the love they have for each other that has been shown all this season. And after what Olivia did, releasing her father to not marry Fitz and not telling Fitz about her pregnancy I want them apart. Olivia doesn´t deserves Fitz love. But we all know this isn´t over. It´s Shondaland and she will never break them up for good. So, I hope that this time if Olivia wants him back that she fights for him hard and win his forgiveness. Because I´m team Fitz here, I´m not team Olivia anymore.

~Pj~

I maybe in a minority but I liked the episode. Some parts I could bs d done without but the crux of it Liv-Mellie and Fitz were good.
Mellie was awesome taking her stand was a ballsy move on her part, glad it worked out in the end. Hated the fact that Fitz thought it was all about him and assumed Lov was ignoring him as she wasn't nodding her head along with him.

The theme of the episode was truths and women. We saw from the opening that Liv turned into a shell of herself. She was no longer the fixer for others. She was the in house fixer, organiser. Just like her face perked up at the beginning when she was asked about problem do did mine. Until, it was about a biscuit.

Will say I enjoyed their fight/break up. The first semi honest conversation they have had. I may not be fan of Fitz in any way but does have some points but so did Olivia. There problem is that all their truths are blurred and misguided. For some reason I enjoyed the fact that Fitz realised that this is s conversation he has had before. He saw Mellie and the resentment she has had for him. 'I could've done something. Been something. ' Fitz is issue is that Liv has and she doesn't want to get rid that.

drunkalice

I rolled my eyes at them, and it's rich because Jake's sl was the one that interested me the most so far. But all I cared about was the women here! That's the magic of the episode. For years my friends and I have been like, can't Scandal be about its women? And finally it was! The one thing that didn't sit well was the fact that Abby didn't understand what was going on with Liv.

I'm inclined to think they won't. I expect Jake to apologize for thinking she indirectly killed Elise, I guess, but I have a feeling they can never be romantic or even friends anymore. I wish to God he'd move on.

Me too! I see trouble though

I think the key word here is 'father'. It's like his being a father figure and literally a father in Olivia's case (and one who "at least loved her" at that) is tying their hands here. They can hate him all they want but ultimately they won't want him dead. I sort of expect Rowan to be redeemed and then killed by some other B613 "ungrateful son".
Also, Jake's motivation was totally Elise. Once he found out Russell did it, this motivation didn't stand anymore.

I hated that he told her she's "worse than Mellie". Granted, Olivia isn't spotless in this. But Fitz can be such a self-righteous jerk, always ready to place the blame on someone else and play the victim in just about any given situation.

She definitely only wanted the pros and no con. She only wanted to be with her lover, run the world, enjoy her power and that was it. But, no matter how unfair it is, everyone has to give up part of themselves to be at the White House. That's just the way it works. Olivia wanted to play that game with rules she'd only apply for herself and of course it couldn't work.
Still, Fitz shouldn't have forced her to move there. They should have that conversation waaay before.

I have to disagree here. First off, of the last three episodes Mellie was only heavily featured in this one: She wasn't at all in 5x07 and she only had a scene in 5x08. I'd hardly call it a way to make a Mellie show. Second thing, I think this episode was about two women taking the wheel of their lives after stepping out of the same man's shadow, which would allow them to "be something, do something" (even Fitz had to quote his ex wife).
Olivia sure as hell should/could have told Fitz she was pregnant before getting an abortion (if I were an Olitz shipper I'd be devastated), but her abortion certainly speaks volumes about where she is rn, and where she wants to be. It's no coincidence that the scene had Rowan's speach about a family's ties in its background (we know from Jake she's become exactly like her father after all). She has a Shonda predecessor here, Cristina Yang. Though at least Cristina told her husband about the baby!
Mellie, on the other hand, after devoting her life to Fitz's career and after doing whatever her staff suggested she'd do to become a senator, took a decision that was only her own and literally stood all day to fight for it. It was brilliant, the best material her character was ever given.
I don't believe this is the end of Olitz, but I do believe this may be the beginning of a more female-driven era of Scandal. At least I hope it will be.

I'm quite sure they'll be back together when he leaves the White House. Or even before, who knows with Shonda. The important thing is that they finally told each other all they possibly could, because the amount of stuff left unspoken was really ridiculous.
Or maybe there are two secrets still, the baby and the fact that Fitz was actually sending Jake to kill Rowan.

Yup, they were both right and wrong, the both of them.

I found the symbolism to be also great. When on earth had Olivia ever worn red? And florals?? And the parallels with Mellie were spot on (Christmas decs, the dinners, the hooch, Fitz recalling what Mellie said like you pointed out).

I'll tell you I liked this episode so much I'm tempted to pretend it was a series finale and dump the show before Shonda finds new ways to ruin it.

Butterfly85

Just like with Olitz, I don't expect Olake to ever be done either. That spark will always be there as long as he's on the show. I expect her to go running to Jake again when the show returns. The whole show is mostly predictable. I also think she will tell him about her abortion since he's the only one she opens up to. I understand Rowan is the closest thing Jake has had to a father but after EVERYTHING Rowan has done to him I still find it insane he would spend Christmas with him.

Srta_Parker

I agree. Olake isn´t over yet like Olitz isn´t over. As you say this show is predictable so she´ll use Jake until she wanted to get back with Fitz.

~Janice~

Wonder who the father of the baby was, could have been Jake, Fitz or even Russell It was strange Jake would go with Rowan to spend the holiday. I'm surprised Huck didn't put an end to him which makes me wonder if the vendetta against Rowan is over for Huck and Jake

Srta_Parker

Who knows. This show rarely explains how many time has passed.

drunkalice

I think it was definitely Fitz's. She doesn't seem to have slept with anybody else since last year's finale.