#hope4pope

[musesoftheminds]

Scandal 707- Winter finale

Alrighty. It’s been some time since I’ve done a review. Scandal as of recent has been focused predominantly on Quinn’s disappearance and Olivia’s endless fall and there have been some incredible reviews and analysis regarding the episodes. I’m pretty rusty but I promised that I would do one, so here it goes.

The first scene on our screen is Charlie flipping through pages of pregnant dead ladies, looking for Quinn . Huck comes in and to my surprise he doesn’t seem upset, or teetering towards his own darkness instead he’s talking about creating a spiked fidget spinner so they could use it on the person who took Quinn.

That’s it. Where’s all hands on deck in search of her? I honestly am confused by how cavalier QPA is with Quinn missing, the only one truly breaking down is Charlie. When Huck went missing everyone was on pin and needles searching for him and there was a sense of hopelessness with his case. Not the same for Quinn. Perhaps they think highly of their leader that if anyone can come back it’s Quinn. I don’t know but expected more urgency and fear.

Quinn is the perfect foil to Olivia Pope, she is the one who introduced us to Olivia’s world. And we see because of Quinn that Olivia Pope isn’t all that she portrays herself to be. In fact Lindsay Dwyer is the first person that Olivia Pope killed, so it’s rather symbolic that Quinn Perkins would be the one to shed light on this continuous cycle that we have found ourselves on. 

Olivia and Quinn have similar mannerisms, as evidenced by the above gif both of them seek the shelter of a bathroom for a moment of peace. There is a obvious disconnection between Quinn and Olivia that has been intensified with Quinn’s takeover of QPA and her personal life coming together. But the interesting thing about Quinn and Olivia dynamics is that Quinn doesn’t appear to have any animosity with Olivia, she warmly and gladly invites her back into QPA never reminding her that it’s her name on the door, she welcomes Olivia with open arms. Olivia, not so much. There’s jealously and a sense of aloofness when Olivia is around Quinn, this portray of being happy with her choices only seems magnified when someone of a personal standpoint enters her glass world and reminds her of her failures of having it all.

Back at the submarine. Jake and Olivia are discussing that once again they have no leads but as the screen pans on Quinn, I notice something shiny, it could be her watch or it could be her ring either way it’s telling. Now. why would Quinn show up for her wedding and leave her ring....ahhhh....the ring.

When  Olivia was kidnapped, in order for anyone to connect that she was taken and not simply running away she had to leave behind her most personal possession. Deux Bebe. The ring Fitz gave her all those years ago.  As we know, Quinn too leaves her ring behind. And the thing about the ring symbolism is that it’s not the ring itself but what it represents that is of value to them. Is it a coincidence or is this more. The paralleling connection between Olivia’s kidnapping to Quinn’s is remarkable to note as these little nuances continue to provide us with information that is subtle yet precise. Things are fishy around here, and for me things are becoming more murkier as we move through.

Is anyone else smelling rotten fish whenever Jake speaks? Jake attempts to give Olivia her own speech she made when looking for Huck “we don’t give up. we don’t quit.” But baby girl ain’t having it telling Jake “to be better” but honestly how can he be better when subpar is all he knows.

“I want the monster who did this. I want them here. I want them to face command .  I want them to understand who’s fight they stepped into, and then I want them finished.”

Olivia wants the monster who took Quinn held accountable and facing judgement day with herself as the

judge, juror and punisher.

But as the episode progresses Olivia begins to see that she might be the monster responsible for Quinn’s kidnapping. Will Olivia make herself accountable and face her own judgment day, that will be the question.

After voicing her list of wants to Jake he attempts to comfort Olivia who shudders at the touch and instead tells Jake to just find Quinn. Baby girl isn’t  looking for comfort especially from him.

Olivia isn’t attempting to null her guilt and ease her conscious with bastard’s mediocrity. Sexual gratification is no longer desired when Olivia finds herself in a vulnerable state, and the swine’s tool of manipulation just dropped a peg. Yes. Olivia.

It’s funny for a women who struggles with saying her deepest desires she had no problem voicing her ‘wants ‘ when it comes to finding the person who took Quinn. If only Olivia didn’t fear what her true wants could mean to her.

As Olivia looks at Quinn on her screen she says a loud “where are you?” And interesting and perhaps foreshadowing we see Mellie giving an interview but as the screen pulls out we see Marcus and Fitz at the Grant institute with Marcus watching Mellie on the screen. Fitz is hard at work looking sexy and serious about doing whatever it is he must do. With his tie and jacket off you truly see Fitz actually putting in the effort and being functional in ways he couldn’t be at the White House. His office is bright and not with artificial lights but the natural source of light; the sun. A Stark contrast between the scene we just left with Bonnie and Clyde literally inside a vacant shallow pool with their only source of light being man-made just like their relationship versus Fitz’s office having rays of light that doesn’t require fluorescent lights being needed.

Marcus wants to seize on Mellie’s popularity and have her support their criminal justice initiative but Fitz reminds Marcus that he has only eight minutes in the White House to pick up his son, in so many words they don’t have an ally in the White House , they will have to do this on their own. And once again Olivia’s AU dream connects to reality as Olivia and Marcus struggled to get their criminal justice bill passed without an influential politicians approval but in the end of the AU Olivia learned that she didn’t need the White House to conquer her dreams instead she did it on her own and though it proved more challenging Olivia didn’t have to compromise her soul for a goal.

Another day goes by and still no Quinn. Exhausted and mentally spent Charlie goes to Olivia for answers and looks to her for the truth; that Quinn’s dead. Sad irony that the gladiators still place their trust in Olivia and Charlie needing answers goes to Olivia who couldn’t be any further from the truth or her own truth for that matter. But still they believe her. They trust her. Their blind faith in Olivia is not therapeutic for any of them. I’ve discussed this on twitter but I have a problem with how everyone projects who they want Olivia to be and because she hates failure, Olivia channels the person they envision her to be. A mother. A savior. A fighter. A legend. Anytime Olivia branched off to find her own sense of self one of the gladiators would blame her for abandoning them and Huck too would tell Olivia that he worried about her with the president, when staying with Fitz made Olivia a better person.The intention of this scene is crucial as Shonda is scraping off every projections we have placed on Olivia and starting over. And I’m here for it.

Charlie seeing the reminder on his phone that his and Quinn’s baby is due tomorrow. Is also a reminder that due day is near. Quinn’s supposed to have her baby, but she’s not here.

After comforting Charlie we see a rattled and upset  Olivia struggling to put the key in and open the door. Hello euphemism

Jake.

After talking with Abby, Cyrus is able to put two and two together about admiral Ballard and confronts him about hurting an innocent person (thus far) who’s no where near president rashad’s bombing. Jake with arrogance and aloofness remarks that accidents do happen. You see this is why I can’t stand or condone his character. How did Jake find this footage of Quinn when Huck hasn’t? Jake couldn’t even turn on a printer three seasons ago and now he’s back to being the best spy.

Jake tells Olivia that Quinn isn’t dead because the two people who want her dead are in this room.

He’s right there . Jake tells Olivia he’s worried about Curtis Pryce because there’s no telling what Quinn told him, but before Jake could dictate the dialogue, Olivia’s assistant barged in after ease dropping that Olivia is being summoned by her father.

You have to watch the episode a second time to truly see how disgusting and revolting Rowan is. Olivia tells her dad that she doesn’t have the time for him because she has to find Quinn Perkins and immediately Rowan focuses on that and tells Olivia that he has Quinn, and declares her ‘mine.’ Elated, Rowan smiles at Olivia’s shock pleased that he has the upper hand. Unknowingly Olivia bends at Rowan’s will, moving from standing over him to sitting beside him and reasoning.

“Quinn Perkins. The one person who can take you down. The one person that knows about your new assassination. hobbies. The one person that you would never kill.  Your recking. I have Quinn Perkins. Your down fall and the key to my freedom.

Checkmate.

I win. You lose”

For those crying about Olivia being evil and dark this is the root and seed of her issues. Rowan once again playing mind games with Olivia just so he could punish and control her once again.  I am truly flabbergasted with how callous and manipulative he is though not surprised, once again Rowan extracts Olivia’s truth and turns it into a weakness, and afterwards he has the audacity to tell Olivia that it’s “a fair trade” how can he justify his  four months of fear to Olivia’s lifetime of it. This man cried to Fitz about wanting his daughter back yet when he had the chance he help her he turned his back, almost eerily similar to his candor with Olivia’s kidnapping.

Which tells me, Rowan doesn’t love Olivia or anyone for that matter. This is all just a game to him, and he once again is pulling the strings . And like many I do believe Rowan had a role to play with Olivia’s kidnapping.

Interesting things to note: 1. How does Rowan know about the bombing and Quinn having intel on Olivia. 2. “Your her child’s godmother” 3. “I win. You lose” Jake said those same words to Olivia and now their father is using them. Foreshadowing of their interconnectedness and how Jake might still be working with dad. Possibly 4. Olivia’s distaste for Rowan’s wine. Is their horrid connection coming to an end? Please be a hell yes.

Once again wanting to be the hero in Olivia Pope’s eyes, Jake goes to see Rowan who remarks that Jake is pathetic for crawling to Olivia with his tail between his legs. Jake is gnat that won’t go away. Jake begins with empty threats about him needing to leave and not to underestimate Olivia. Has anyone noticed the common pattern with admirable Ballard , when people get too close to Olivia he warns them that she’s not the person they use to know. First it was Fitz, then he had a moment with Mellie and now Rowan. Jake is going rogue he’s no longer listening to Olivia’s orders because she’s no longer command, that’s why he killed Curtis and used Olivia’s assistant which I doubt Olivia knows is an assassin to kill him. This is still survival of the fittest and Jake is acting on self preservation.

 By the way does anyone think Cyrus is going to lay down and not come for Jake after finding out Jake killed Curtis and instead of appearing remorseful, Jake emphasized that Curtis was snitch and a rat. Cyrus hasn’t forgotten James who was a journalist and also one of Jake’s victims.

Cyrus, when you come for jake.

Needing help with how to remain untouched by Rowan, Olivia goes to the one person who shows just how impotent he truly is . Shonda, heard our cries and delivered Maya to us.

Maya is screaming Olivia Pope season 2 with them creamy silk pajamas and her apartment is also similar to Olivia’s style before she lost the light . Interesting that Olivia styled her mama’s apartment with such brightness and light meanwhile her apartment looks like the ninth circle of hell. But like all mama’s they know their child and she’s able to read Olivia like a book; had Quinn not threatened Olivia with the truth she would have been rescued by now but because she’s a liability and a threat Olivia’s uncertain of saving her. But Quinn isn’t just a threat to Olivia’s professional world, but her personal one as well. When Olivia looks at Quinn, she sees the person she was supposed to be, the life she was supposed to have and she’s angry. Quinn is starting a family and being a boss all while remaining true to her self and her values and most of all she’s happy. Quinn dying would mean that Olivia doesn’t have to look at herself and be reminded that she’s failed to capitalize on her hopes and dreams.

Maya, sees that what Olivia is asking for is her permission to let Quinn die. Maya grants Olivia her permission to kill Quinn but even she too wants to know what’s in it for her by helping Olivia. Damn. Poor Olivia.

But Maya’s right though, that’s how she remained unscathed by Rowan when he threatened to kill Dominic (Maya’s lover) Maya let the clock run out and chose to let Dominic die then submit to Rowan showing that nothing and no one can trap her, she is the power that Rowan preaches about.

Mama knows best. And in this situation Olivia is bound to lose. There’s no winner; either she saves Quinn and gives Rowan the upper hand or she remains firm and loses the remaining piece of her soul by choosing to let her friend die instead of saving her.

Feeling the overwhelming weight on her shoulders Olivia is crying in her bed, she pats herself on the chest, the way a mother comforts their child when upset but that is the thing - Olivia’s utterly alone.  ultimately Olivia made her bed and now she must lie in it literally and figuratively speaking. The physical act has Olivia trembling as she wrestles with consequences of her actions.

In a formal room of the White House in the lightest blouse we’ve seen Olivia wear in some time there seems to be a sense of calmness to Olivia, there’s finally natural light in the space she’s occupying. The door opens and Olivia closes her eyes to prepare herself for Mellie and their charade. Olivia gives Mellie her notes and she attempts to leave but Mellie stops her, speaking to Olivia’s need to be wanted, moving towards Olivia, Mellie talks about the sacrifices of President Rashad’s death and that she’s here signing this treaty because of Olivia.

This highlights to the me why I could never stand mellivia and why neither should you. This pretense of feminism is infuriating and Mellie seeing that her key to freedom is leaving uses Olivia’s own words against her in order to convince her to stay. The stark contrast between their clothes and height. Mellie’s wearing the power colors (dark&red )as she towers over Olivia who’s now suddenly seems so small and fragile.

Mellie calls Olivia ‘the champion’ the same word Rowan said to Fitz when describing Olivia. Mellie has the nerve to tell Olivia that they need to be worthy of their sacrifices.

What sacrifices have you made? The one’s where you used your husband’s father raping you as leverage? when you freed your son’s killer so that you could blackmail Olivia to work for you? or when you used the token black girl as your mule to carry you to the finish line. Fuck you Mellie .

Mellie feeling empowered tells Olivia this is only the beginning for them and for some reason I can’t tell whether Olivia was repeating Mellie’s statement flabbergasted or whether she’s simply playing her role of hyping Mellie up. I don’t know.

A member of the Lena Dunham feminism, Mellie makes Olivia repeat after her that they need to be worthy of their sacrifices and that there can’t be nothing , no one and no man standing in our way.  As Olivia repeats those words it’s only when Olivia gets to the no man part that she looks away from Mellie and towards the ground. Hasn’t a man already come between them. Even though Fitz wasn’t seen much this episode, his presence is felt throughout it and certainly at this moment where Olivia no longer seems as tethered to the white house and this way of living. 

Waiting for the time to run out, Olivia goes to Rowan and of course she enters the red door but we don’t see Olivia opening or closing the door instead we are moved immediately to the living room where impatiently Rowan points a gun at Olivia in the same manner that Olivia did to him.

I thought jake removed all of Rowan’s toys and guns so how in the hell does Rowan have one pointed at Olivia! You see this is what I’m talking about , y’all think I’m supposed to believe that super spy was the only one who found Quinn’s footage when his incompetent ass can’t even remove firearms from Rowan’s house? Olivia’s not surprised by seeing the gun pointed at her, she’s use to Jake being a disappointment.

The chess match begins as Olivia and Rowan make threats towards one another. Unable to kill Olivia, Olivia puts a bounty on Rowan’s head; in 20 minutes he’ll be dead if he doesn’t hand Quinn over . But Rowan counters that letting Quinn die is worse than death for Olivia as her soul will be gone forever .  And this is where the true conversation begins.

“ you think Quinn and I are BFFs that I’ll let this cloud my judgment . Or that mini Quinn  She’s caring is a little person I’m already in love with. That I just can’t handle the idea of them both dying . You think there’s a soft chewy center in here . You do think that! You gave me a dead mother. A life in boarding. then you told me everything I knew was a lie. You took away the only man I ever truly loved . You killed his son. and you have consistently erased my hopes; my dreams, my ambitions. You made me in your image.”

The Horrible truth and acknowledgment of their relationship. The first step of recovery is acknowledging and as a start Olivia acknowledged the psychological damage Rowan has put her through since she was a child. Rowan made Olivia motherless and then sent her off to boarding school, her childhood ended. And then Rowan taunts Olivia that he’s the only man she will ever have and to never pick anyone over him again. Finally Rowan strips Olivia of her remaining freedom by continuously putting a wedge between her and the only man she has ever truly loved.  To make Fitz hate her and ruin their love, Rowan kills Fitz’s son; what love can survive that?

I’ve said it many times that Olivia loves Fitz because she choose him. He wasn’t created and orchestrated to seduce her. Fitz is real, not some manufactured b613 toy pulled from the assembly line. So I appreciated Olivia admitting to Rowan and herself that Fitz is the only man she’s ever truly loved and still loves to this day. Olivia has yet to even begin working through the Fitz of it all but this moment of acceptance is a good start for me.

 Rowan has infiltrated his way into every aspect of Olivia’s life, her professional, her personal, and her sexual life.  We are reminded that Olivia is a victim of her environment, how can we hate her when she’s tried so hard to prove herself unlike him that she finally succumbed to what she perceives is her fate.

Has anyone taken note that Olivia is recreating the same moments that Rowan committed to her. 

Olivia has played a role in almost all of her gladiators relationships not working. She broke up Abby and David,  she manipulated Mellie into breaking up with Marcus. Rowan took away the only man she’s ever loved, Olivia controls their relationships the same way Rowan controls hers. If she can’t have love then neither can they.

Olivia has shot down a plane killing a President and innocent civilians, mirroring Fitz shooting down a plane that was supposed to have her mother in it.

Olivia, has finally killed a child on her orders. She killed Yasmeen because it suited her agenda the same way Rowan killed Jerry in order to break up Olivia and Fitz.

Quinn mentioned that she has a witness who knows Olivia bombed President Rashad’s plane so if and when that witness comes out will Olivia kill him/her the same way Rowan killed Harrison?

I don’t believe Quinn is dead though her dying wouldn’t be the worse thing for Olivia as there it would be a real and tangible consequence for Olivia’s own grave yard of bodies .

With Olivia unleashing some of the weight she’s carried all these years we see the predisposed patterns that has influenced and motivated Olivia to this way of living and thinking. 

Olivia still kept her and Rowan’s picture on her table in her apartment yet Rowan has no pictures of Olivia or of anyone hanging on his walls or tables. It’s time for Olivia to move on with her life and she has to let Rowan go and not just figuratively speaking because she tried that and it didn’t work. No. Rowan must die so Olivia can live. 

The empty threats are exchanged until Rowan walks away and we hear a gun shot followed by what sounds like Quinn begging for mercy and then a couple more shots. Olivia jumps shocked, surprised that Rowan actually shot Quinn she trembles with fear as she clinches her stomach from the straight shot to her gut. Olivia mourns and with a matter of seconds she turns cold as she faces Rowan. 

I’m terribly sad to see the show I love go and the characters who I’ve connected with leave my screen. However I’m excited for when this show returns, the trajectory of this story is clear as it moves to the finale stages.

I’m highly optimistic for Olivia and her pursuit of happiness. The finale scene was dark and brutal but the beauty is that Olivia can learn from this and create the life she wants and the people she wants in it.  I will always have hope for Pope and so should you.

Enjoy your holidays with family and friends.

Until next time ,

Muse.

[katrinapavela]

Ahh man, y’all went into the archives 😢. Liv is now a person who doesn’t want to be affected by anyone who’d make her dive into her dustbin for her phone. But I have hope. #Hope4Pope (@musesoftheminds )

                       Olitz Phone Call (Scandal #305): How Do I…Liv?

It seems like every Olitz phone call is better than the last. How do these two people make talking on the phone so amazing? I’ve never tackled their phone calls before because they usually convey so much subtext and cornucopia of emotion that…#iCant. I tried with the most devastating of all Olitz phone calls from Top of the Hour (216), but I was like,

.

I never tried again. In any case, here I am with a phone call that had a lot less pain. This one was full of squeeeeee and I melted a little bit. I just have a few comments, so let’s jump in.

Location and Blocking

I try to notice what the directors and the actors are trying to convey with costume, setting and blocking (body positioning within the setting) because it often adds an additional layer of meaning beyond the words that are spoken. In this scene, our lovers are in different locales. Fitz is in his pyjamas. He probably couldn’t go to bed without telling Olivia how proud he is of her, after watching her work on TV with Josie Marcus. He’s in the inner sanctum of his chambers:  the bathroom. It’s a place that symbolises privacy, where one can be free from intrusion. During the conversation, at times we can see his image reflected in two of the mirrors. And indeed he does reflect on how he feels about his identity as President in the wake of #mistressgate.  Lastly, Fitz is leaning up against a wall at the start of the call and then leaning on the countertop . Why? Because he needs support. He needs Olivia’s support. By the end of that scene, Fitz is standing up straight.

Olivia’s in her office, having just sucked down a glass of red wine. It’s not enough to assuage what she’s feeling because what she’s feeling isn’t just about her being fired by Josie Marcus. It’s so much more, which is why she stills herself for a moment as she embraces that realization. Homegirl could have gone home and had that glass of vino. So why did she go back to the office? She wasn’t doing any work. The answer rings out from a wired basket on the floor. Olivia dives into the rubbish to pull out the antidote for what she’s feeling: the FitzFone. Or, rather, the person on the other end of that phone. She stays on the floor of her office for the duration of the call, despite the fact the phone isn’t tethered to anything but her heart.  She’s in a position of surrender to her feelings for Fitz because his love (and all of what the means) grounds her.  I think the other reason why this scene takes place in Olivia’s office is because she does go into strategy mode with Fitz, but it’s less Olivia PopeÔ and more Livvie.

The conversation

Olivia : “Hi.”

Fitz: “That was well done—the debate, Josie. Smart.”

Subtext: That’s my girl! I was bursting with pride, even though you are working with the enemy. I support you even when you make things difficult for me professionally because I’m here for you in every way. You make me better because you challenge me to be better.  

Olivia: “I got fired. She fired me.”

Fitz: “She’s an idiot.”

Olivia:  “You’re calling me.”

Earlier in the episode, we saw Olivia waiting for him to call, watching for him. Not breathing because she was waiting for him. Her whole life is him, and the security that his need for her provides. She depends on it because he’s embedded in her DNA at this point. Side note: this is why I can’t tolerate people who say, ‘why doesn’t Fitz leave Olivia alone, with his old married, 3 kids-havin’ ass’. Does she look like she wants to be left alone? 

When Jake was snooping in OPA earlier in the episode, Olivia told him that she was waiting for Fitz’s call. Wating for him to confirm that he does indeed still need her. She said it out loud, and realized that it sounded kinda stupid, even if it is the truth. Jake was judging her a bit and she felt silly. Plus, I always feel like Olivia tries to protect her relationship with Fitz by not letting anyone know the true extent to which they belong to one another. So, I could understand why she threw away the FitzFone in that moment.

Fitz: “I’m calling you. I’m hiding from Mellie. I’m in the bathroom.”

Olivia: “I just dug the phone out of the trash.”

Fitz doesn’t flinch when she says that. He takes a breath like that’s typical Olivia. She doesn’t flinch when Fitz tells her he’s hiding from Mellie. They know the circumstances and their need to connect pushes through all that. No matter what, they will find a way to each other.

Olivia: “How are you? Are you freaking out about the White House Correspondents Dinner?”

Fitz: “I am freaking out about the White House Correspondents Dinner.”

There’s so much lightness and relief and joy in her voice. It’s a rarity. He’s just made everything better for her, if even for a moment, by calling her. What a stark contrast to the angst that usually pervades their calls, even the ones where she’s offering advice (notice who gives and who takes direction in their calls). Even the White Hat’s Off (201) phone call where Olivia eventually gives him advice about East Sudan and he lovingly replies, “I hate you,” had an entirely different feel to it. Indeed, they were in a different place in their relationship at that time.

Also notice how she knows exactly why he’s calling. Fitz needs her, and she knows that. She likes it. In fact, she depends on it. She asks him so that he doesn’t have to ask her.

Olivia: “Who’s vetting your jokes?”

Fitz: “Me.”

Olivia: “You can’t vet your jokes. You’re not funny.”

Fitz: “I know that. Wait…I think I’m funny.”

Olivia: “You’re funny, but you’re not funny.”

Fitz: “And you’re funny?”

Olivia: “I’m funnier than you!”

This is some couple shit right here. Completely natural. Completely at ease. Completely them. Gahhhhh.

 [pregnant pause as things get really real.]

Fitz:” I…I feel like…ashamed. Like, I don’t have the right to make jokes because I am the joke. The guy who can’t keep it in his pants. Like my father, you know. “

Olivia: “Dive in. Own it. Mock your image. You start out strong, something like…’I see a lot of familiar faces here tonight, including one or two who ,inexplicably, haven’t been accused of sleeping with me.’”

Fitz: [laughs] “That’s good.”

That’s because she’s funnier than you, like she said ^_^. But anyway, she’s made him feel better because they are in this together and they always have been. Even after ish got real at the end of White Hat’s Back On (222), I maintained since then that mistressgate would require Fitz and Olivia to work together since the situation is so intimately about them. So far, season three has proven that to be true. This is another example of them navigating the emotional pitfalls of that bomb together.   

Olivia: “Laugh at yourself. It’ll make it impossible for them to laugh at you.”

Fitz: ”I love you.”

Gawd. How many different ways can this man say ‘I love you’ and have it convey so many different emotions? It’s a thank you.  It’s a ‘you complete me, you do realize that right?’ It’s an exhalation because he can’t breathe without her, and he just needs to say it out loud.

Olivia’s  face returns that ‘I love you’ in an ‘I know it. And you know it. But I can’t make this wait any harder for myself, or you, by saying it. I’m trying so hard to fight the urge to be close to you given the circumstances. Your love threatens to overwhelm me, but I’ve got to keep at least one bollard of defense up because we both know that now’s not the time.’ And the other best part is that Fitz can feel all of that over the phone. So, he moves on. They are not on different pages about their situation. I maintain that.

Fitz:  “OK, what about… I say something to the press about how much they hammer me. Something like—“

Olivia: “‘You’re welcome’.”

Fitz: “Exactly. OK, so we have to say something about Sally. Let’s see, they wrote me a bunch of jokes. You tell me which ones you like best…[waits for Olivia to finish whatever she’s saying, then laughs] I’m definitely not saying that.” 

Finishing each other’s sentences as usual!

This? This whole exchange? This is what Mellie should be doing. This is the stuff of partnership and intimacy. But it’s been made abundantly clear that Fitz has nothing for Mellie but a sense of obligation, while he bides his time. And Mellie, listening in on the whole thing, knows this to be true. She’s been receiving confirmation after confirmation in that last two years. She gets it now, but what will she do with it? Well, we saw that later in the Mellivia scene at the WHCD. Typical Mellie fashion, she uses it to her advantage.

Stay tuned for the Mellivia piece coming up this evening (GMT/EST).

[flowersintheseweeds]

Even the bird is anxiously waiting.......

[flowersintheseweeds]

Totally not spending my planning hour watching live feed of a chimney....

totally not.....