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Scandal (Season 3)
(http://i.imgur.com/P58MzKH.png)
Episodes
Episode 1: It's Handled (http://www.hulu.com/watch/540113#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 2: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (http://www.hulu.com/watch/543089#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 3: Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington (http://www.hulu.com/watch/545827#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 4: Say Hello to My Little Friend (http://www.hulu.com/watch/548829#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 5: More Cattle, Less Bull (http://www.hulu.com/watch/552431#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 6: Icarus (http://www.hulu.com/watch/555939#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 7: Everything's Coming up Mellie (http://www.hulu.com/watch/558825#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 8: Vermont Is for Lovers, Too (http://www.hulu.com/watch/562144#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 9: Yolo (http://www.hulu.com/watch/568115#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 10: A Door Marked Exit (http://www.hulu.com/watch/571175#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 11: Ride, Sally, Ride (http://www.hulu.com/watch/601160#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 12: We Do Not Touch the First Ladies (http://www.hulu.com/watch/605027#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 13: No Sun On the Horizon (http://www.hulu.com/watch/607855#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 14: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (http://www.hulu.com/watch/611064#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 15: Mama Said Knock You Out (http://www.hulu.com/watch/613711#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 16: The Fluffer (http://www.hulu.com/watch/617077#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 17: Flesh and Blood (http://www.hulu.com/watch/620434#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
Episode 18: The Price of Free and Fair Election (http://www.hulu.com/watch/623506#play-queued-show-by-original_premiere_date-asc)
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Added Episode 1: It's Handled
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It's Handled
(http://i.imgur.com/cTZ9poD.gif)
It's awesome that I only had to wait a few weeks from the end of Season 2 (http://pennycan.createaforum.com/dvd's-blu-rays/scandal-(season-2-2012)/msg22938/#msg22938) to jump into the premiere for Season 3. I don't think I would have been able to wait much longer, especially after the cliffhanger to end the season. I really like the idea of Joe Morton playing the role of Olivia's father and his scene with her at the start of the episode was ELECTRIC. The guy is a great actor and he's gonna get a lot of these types of scenes in Scandal.....until he's assassinated. Trust me, it's coming.
I was wonder who could have possibly been the one to leak Olivia's name to press as the "mistress" of POTUS. I did a face-palm when I realized that it wsa POTUS himself. Why didn't I see that coming? It was so damn obvious!! The cliffhanger for this episode has me very intriqued. What exactly did Cyrus read in that Top Secret file about POTUS and Jake's mission in the Navy? Stay tuned........
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Added Episode 2: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
(http://i.imgur.com/cTZ9poD.gif)
Another slamming good episode that revolves more or less around why Olivia and her father are at odds and why they haven't spoken in years. Even though I was expecting to see this episode pick up from the last episode and getting full disclosure on exactly what was and is in the Remington file, I was more than okay with them delaying it a bit and hearing more about their dynamic. It was also somewhat of a continuation of Huck's origin and how Olivia took on Huck as her special case. All said and done, she learns that her father was 'Commander' and runs the B613 Program and is the one responsible for kidnapping and torturing Huck. You can imagine Huck's reaction to the news finding out that Olivia knew all along. How's this going to affect their relationship now? Will he walk away? Disappear? Who knows. Another expertly written episode full of twist and turns.
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Added Episode 3: Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington
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Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington
(http://i.imgur.com/cTZ9poD.gif)
What an exciting episode! The set up was great with regards to the mother hiring Olivia Pope and her team to look into the Son's murder only to find out that she has strapped on a Bomb Vest and stormed Capitol Hill, holding people hostage, threatening to get answers that have been denied her. Even I was unsure of her Son's ties to terrorism. The twist that finally give us was good. After seeing his recruitment video, I suspected that he was being forced at gunpoint to play the part of recruiter. But to find out that he was CIA and that the Feds that killed him was their f*ck up and their cover-up and why they kept silent (to protect the lives of others currently posing as terrorist) was something I didn't see coming.
What is tragic is that the mother can never know this and that she has to go on thinking that her only son is a terrorist and a traitor for the sake of the country. How horrible is that? Is it no wonder that she doesn't take this news well and decides to blow herself up? That is tragic. The other half of the episode involved Huck tracking down Eli Pope with the intent to kill him. Seems like Eli still has Huck under his thumb. The only way he can save himself is if Eli dies and clearly he can't pull the trigger. My money is on Olivia doing just that in order to save Huck and give him back his life once and for all.
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Added Episode 4: Say Hello to My Little Friend
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Say Hello to My Little Friend
(http://i.imgur.com/mzsSogL.gif)
A somewhat mediocre episode that was saved in the finale scene with POTUS barging into Eli Pope's office for their first face to face encounter. That's the cliffhanger and one I can't wait to see play out next week. But everything else in this episode was just okay. Always cool to see Melora Hardin in anything as well as Lisa Kudrow. I think the reason why this episode didn't do much for me is because it was ripped from the headlines using the whole Anthony Wiener scandal to flesh out it's plot. It's like the writers couldn't think of anything original to use and just decided to use something that happened a month back. Here's hoping that next week delivers in a big way.
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Added Episode 5: More Cattle, Less Bull
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More Cattle, Less Bull
(http://i.imgur.com/SW1TShG.gif)
Well, the "secret" has finally been uncovered by Huck and Jake about Fitz (POTUS). The big cover-up has to do with him shooting down a 747 with over 300 people on board and one of the passengers is Olivia Pope's own mother. Now it's just a question of who ordered Fitz to shoot down the plane on behalf of the US Government. Eli Pope? Or someone else? I like how Cyrus was able to suggest that the reason why JFK was assassinated had to do with him threatening to take away the funds for Eli's black ops project. It was subtle, but it does make you go 'ah'. Nice bit of writing. I like that Olivia was given the choice of two Presidential campaigns to run. My guess is that she ends up running Josie Marcus' (Lisa Kudrow) ticket, especially in light of the news about what Fitz may or may not have done regarding the 747.
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Added Episode 6: Icarus
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Icarus
(http://i.imgur.com/PavQhZ0.gif)
Of course we don't get any chance about Fitz and his involvement with the Plane Crash and Olivia's mother. I really wasn't expecting anything, but it would have been nice to get something....a crumb if you will that would take us into next weeks episode. Am I the only one that doesn't even think that Olivia's mother is DOA? I think it the plane crash was used as a cover to hide her for some type of Black Ops. The entire family seems to run in the same circles so I don't think it's completely out of character that she is in fact working for the Government in a Classified Mission of some sort.
I liked the scenes with Lisa Kudrow, especially her on-air TV interview where the claws come out. No matter how hard she tries to come across, she will ALWAYS be Phoebe to me. There were moments where I saw the character coming out. Not a bad thing. I actually liked seeing Phoebe coming out. The scene with Jake and his informant was a scene taking directly from The Sting. Chick. Bag. Alleyway. Gun. Bullet. It was literally like watching The Sting.....also a good thing too.
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Added Episode 7: Everything's Coming up Mellie
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Everything's Coming up Mellie
(http://i.imgur.com/cTZ9poD.gif)
I called it! Olivia's mother lives!! Normally I would say this was a big reveal, but I've suspected it for some time now. But what I really want to know is.....why. But this episode is really about Mellie and how she became the person she is now. Controlling. Manipulative. Cunning. I think the bigger reveal here was of course her being **** by Fitz father and then later on implying that she is pregnant, leading Fitz to believe he of course is the father. But the BIG part of the episode is Quinn being manipulated by Charlie into killing a Security Guard all for the sole purpose of blackmailing her into B-613, the same Organization that trained Huck, Jake and Charlie, run by Olivia's father Eli. You getting all this? Anyway, really curious to see how Quinn is going to get out of this one. My guess, Huck is gonna have to save the day. Good casting choice in bringing in Khandi Alexander to play Olivia's mother.
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Added Episode 8: Vermont Is for Lovers, Too
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Vermont Is for Lovers, Too
(http://i.imgur.com/SW1TShG.gif)
Solid episode. But's the final 5 minutes where all the good sh*t goes down. Olvia's mother escapes from captivity and finds her on the street. Huck discovers that Quinn was behind the murder of the security guard and is hinted at that he will torture her to get the truth out of her as to who she is working for. And Cyrus' plan of getting incriminating evidence against Vice President Sally's husband blows up in his face when his own husband actually goes through with the deed. If one cliffhanger doesn't work, there is always a multitude of cliffhangers to chose from that hook you into waiting for next weeks episode.
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Added Episode 9: Yolo
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Yolo
(http://i.imgur.com/cTZ9poD.gif)
Holy crap! Best. Episode. Ever! Sh*t man, the writers knocked it out of the park....again. Blackmail! Torture! Murder! Talk about a triple play and a very memorable one at that. Where to start? I guess Quinn and Huck is a good place to start with. The whole torture scene, even though we really don't see anything, was still very uncomfortable to watch because of the implied / impending torture that was coming. I think it also had to do with Quinn's terrified screaming. I'm never gonna get the sound of that out of my head. The blackmail plan to keep Sally in line was great, especially when she called Cyrus' bluff and sent him on his way. I thought the little dance that Cyrus and James was very amusing, each not wanting to admit they knew what the other person was up to. As for Olivia Pope's mother, I kinda already knew that she was in fact a terrorist and that Eli was protecting Olivia from her. So, the reveal at the end wasn't a shock for me.
But what did shock me was when Sally called Cyrus on the phone and the camera pulled back to reveal her standing over her dead husband's body. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that she killed him because of the photos that Cyrus' handed to her as proof of his infidelity. Getting back to Quinn, I also wasn't all that surprised at the reveal that she was let go by Huck, so that she could keep her cover and get even closer to Eli to kill him. But will it be too late to stop her from doing just that now that Olivia knows the truth about both her parents? Very entertaining episode!!! More more more!!!
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Added Episode 10: A Door Marked Exit
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A Door Marked Exit
(http://i.imgur.com/mzsSogL.gif)
Scandal has a habit of using very fast edits with overlapping dialogue sequences that don't match up with what's happening on screen at the moment. Throw in the rapid-fire speeches and it can become somewhat hard to follow. But nothing can top the first 5 minutes which was an onslaught of everything I just described. Even with the subtitles on, I STILL couldn't keep track of what was being said. I got it piecemeal. Yikes. As for the rest of the episode, it was just 'okay' for me. You would think that an episode showing a White House conspiracy as they hide the fact that Madame Vice President killed her husband and then make it look like a heart attack would primed to be an epic one. It wasn't. There was one moment though that gave me a smile when it was playing out and that was Eli's monologue / rant directed at President Grant. It's what I'm calling the "you're just a boy" rant. It was awesome that he put the President in his place. Joe Morton for the win!! The other good thing was the revelation that Jake is now the head of B613, meaning that Eli no longer has the power anymore.
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Added Episode 11: Ride, Sally, Ride
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Ride, Sally, Ride
(http://i.imgur.com/mzsSogL.gif)
Really glad that Scandal is back, but damn it, the 3 month hiatus crippled the momentum the show was on. They couldn't have pulled a worst time to go off the air then when they did. The episode wasn't bad, but I did have trouble at times maintaining my interest because as I said, the momentum was gone. Now we have to start up again. Hopefully we can ride out the rest of the season with no more breaks. Looks like they may be giving Mellie a big arc with what appears to be a former lover of hers stepping into the role of Vice President. I wonder how cheatin' Fritz will respond to this. My guess....not favorably.
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Added Episode 12: We Do Not Touch the First Ladies
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We Do Not Touch the First Ladies
(http://i.imgur.com/SW1TShG.gif)
Couple of great twist at the end. I would have never guessed that Tom, the head of Secret Service for the POTUS was in fact working for B613. Now it makes sense when back in Season 1 he told POTUS about the ceiling cameras. The other twist is that we see who the 'Big Donor' is for POTUS campaign re-election. None other than Olivia's fugitive mother. As for Quinn, I really hope they do something with the story they have tasked her to do. Right now I'm a bit disappointed with the fact that they set up something big with her and yet nothing is really happening. It's like they are blowing a huge opportunity here.
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Added Episode 13: No Sun On the Horizon
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No Sun On the Horizon
(http://i.imgur.com/SW1TShG.gif)
So, for a week leading up to this episode, it has been teased that their would be an assassination during the Presidential Debate and their were three "targets". But it was clear that the target was none other than Sally. The entire episode leading up to this pivotal moment was fun. It was juicy watching Sally going into meltdown mode and her hellbent on confessing in front of a live audience that she was the one that murdered her husband, it's only natural to assume that the puppet masters would take her out before she could tell the truth, thus "saving" America.
Well, it never happens. Not a single shot is fired during the debate because Fitz is the one that saves her by purposely throwing the debate. Oh, there's still an assassination. But it comes in the final scene elsewhere and it's a whopper when it's revealed that Jake is the trigger man and he's already taken out two targets. The final shot is reserved for either James or David. But who gets it? Ack! Can't wait till the next episode! Sigh.
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Added Episode 14: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
(http://i.imgur.com/SW1TShG.gif)
I knew it would be James to take the fatal bullet in the end. It was really the only option that would make "sense" in the world of Scandal. Since this was James' swan song episode, we get a lot of flashback scenes involving Cyrus and James and their history in how they met, started dating and eventually coming out to the public. They way it's presented was a nice set up to the most gut wrenching scene that plays at the very end. When the episode opens, we see Jake shooting and killing James as he tries to run away. But we see at the end of the episode that Jake purposely made a "mess" of it by not killing him right away, that it had to look like an armature did it. Just a very cold and calculating way to do this and even more cold to just Jake sitting along side James as he bleeds out in the middle of the street. Cyrus' emotional breakdown at the end was also gut wrenching. Elsewhere, a nice twist involving Huck and Quinn as they kiss. Yeah, did not see that coming at all either.
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Added Episode 15: Mama Said Knock You Out
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Mama Said Knock You Out
(http://i.imgur.com/cTZ9poD.gif)
Loved that Mellie got caught with her pants down, er.....dress off that is. Now she can't throw stones at Olivia anymore. Loved that Jake pretty much put Fitz in his place as to who really runs the country. The fact that it took place in the Oval Office made it priceless. The fact that Fitz didn't have any kind of comeback made it all the more sweeter. Loved that Cyrus went after Jake, calling him out as being behind the murder of James. I was amazed that shortly after this incident, he tells the President that Jake was just "doing his job", which to me sounds like he has forgiven him....somewhat. Not what I was expecting to hear. Loved that Fitz finds out that his wife is cheating on him. Loved that he punched out his running mate. Loved the scene between Quinn and Huck. This is going to be a series of come-on's between the two until they finally hook up.I love this episode. I love Scandal.
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Added Episode 16: The Fluffer
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The Fluffer
(http://i.imgur.com/SfhcoSn.gif)
I know I just watched The Fluffer, but other than the last 5 minutes of the episode, I didn't remember much as there wasn't anything all that memorable happening. But with that said, the final 5 minutes is worth talking about. You have Mellie slapping the sh*t out of Fitz when she learns that he has effectively ended her affair with his running mate. And there is Olivia literally shutting down B613, but in the process, allowing her crazy terrorist mother to escape with a bomb intended for the President. Overall, this was an average one at best.
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Added Episode 17: Flesh and Blood
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Flesh and Blood
(http://i.imgur.com/PavQhZ0.gif)
Quinn and Huck are the best "couple" since Joanie and Chachi! ;D Seriously, their sex scene in the underground parking spot was insanely hot. I want Quinn for myself! Always have. Anyway, a great episode with a great performance from Joe Morton, which led me to believe that his time was coming to an end. With him working out of Liv's office, I knew it wasn't going to end well. As see as Maya Pope walked into the office, I knew it was over. Now, he may have not died on the spot, but he is bleeding out and I think he will hang out for another episode and have some sort of deathbed scene in which he tells Olivia some secret that she needs to know. What that is, I have no idea. Can't wait to see how this all plays out.
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Added Episode 18: The Price of Free and Fair Election
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The Price of Free and Fair Election
(http://i.imgur.com/cTZ9poD.gif)
Watching The Price of Free and Fair Election was the equivalent of watching a Heavyweight Title Fight. You'er excited to see it starts because you think it's going to go one way and suddenly the Champ is rocked and now it's anyone game and the outcome isn't so easily ascertained. This episode is the epitome of what makes Scandal what is it: Awesome! I've said all season long that the MVP award goes to Papa Pope. The character is rich with back story and is played to perfection by Joe Morgan who is simply....Awesome! It turns out that his story goes a whole lot deeper, one that I didn't see coming at all. Turns out that he manipulated a lot of chess pieces on the board to get back what he always said he would do and that was to reclaim B613 and make the Prez pay...one way or another.
When it's revealed that he had Little Jerry (Prez' son) killed, just so that he could do a favor for the Prez by killing Maya Pope (which he doesn't), it just goes to show that Papa Pope really is the most powerful man on the planet. Not only did he play him, Olivia and Harrison...he played every fan of the show and it was....Awesome! Another big twist was revealing that he also has a man on the inside of the White House and it's the Head of Security as he was the one to actually kill the kid.
Nice twist having Huck find his old family, who have obviously thought him to be dead. It was awesome to see Jasika Nicole return as his widowed wife. I hope that she will have a recurring role on the show because I miss her since Fringe went dark. Only "disappointment" for me is that this season was only 18 episodes long. What happened to the customary 22 episodes? Now the long, long wait for the next season begins.....