You can still be a critical thinker and see how Olivia and Fitz work within, and form a crucial part of, the emotional politics of the show; I don't think it's just fan service. But don't confuse uncritical anger (i.e. thinking people who do not share your opinion must be animals) with intellectual superiority.

There are a few ways to view the motivations behind Mellie's established pattern of choosing secrets or lies over other available options: the decisions are either pure power plays, or noble selfless sacrifices, or some byproduct of trauma, or some combination thereof. The one Mellie invokes the most (not just with…

If you want to say that all the major characters on the show have done terrible things, I'd understand that. But I'd hardly say that Mellie is exempt from that list—she's accrued enough secrets, lies, treasonous acts, and bad decisions that have inadvertently resulted in the death of other people, all of her own…

The White House certainly seems to do that to people on this show. Although, it's also true that Abby's never really been the boss, you know? I mean she worked for Olivia, and her job as press secretary seems pretty thankless. So it was interesting that what she said to Liz was, essentially, that she wanted "equality"…

It was so different to be given insight into what Olivia had been feeling. Between that and choosing to speak at the end, she had actual character development.

You really think that if Olivia had just lied as she always has, the writers would have then freed us from the same patterns we've seen for the past four seasons? Especially when the episode was "treading water" (to use Gwen's phrase) as much as it was until the last 30 seconds?

But that kinda discounts Olivia's perspective; I thought the idea from the sort of lovely, quiet scene in the motel on shame was that she felt trapped in a cycle of shame and lies centered around a pretty big area of her life. She wanted to reclaim agency and break that cycle. Of course, whether or not the media,…

So, in this case, freedom would be Olivia running away again, lying, or staying ashamed?

Yeah, only Liz and Abby working together came with the pretty significant price of Abby basically betraying Liv, both by assuming to know her mind completely without speaking to her and by joining with the person who just destroyed Liv's privacy. I need Olivia to have some better friends.

To clarify a plot point: The US government/CIA received intel that there was a dirty bomb on a plane and ordered Fitz (at the time a special ops navy pilot) to shoot it down—it wasn't a shadow government that did that. The US government then covered it up when they realized their intel had been faulty.

Olivia certainly deserves better than Mellie; Mellie has called her a whore to her face. Let's not romanticize that relationship. Whatever you think of Olivia and Fitz; the messiness and contradictions of that relationship help refocus Scandal its strengths: politics of emotions, emotional politics, political…

Yes, making Lizzie Chief of Staff is absolutely ridiculous for the reasons you outlined; I'm thinking that decision will come back to haunt Fitz.

I just re-watched the first few minutes of the episode and I'd have to take back the nice things I've said about it trying to move back into the vein of political drama if it turns out Lizzie was actually working with Rowan and in season 5 they bring B613 back through her. That would be a nightmare.

Right, Fitz had nothing to do with it; however, it would still end up damaging his presidency.

I guess the fact that Big Jerry took it upon himself to cover Remington up when he was a senator could also pose a problem if someone tries to pin that on Fitz. But yes, I'm with you: anything but B613.

By toxic, I just mean hurtful to one or both of them—like when the hurt begins to exceed the happiness.

Annie, It's also sort of judgmental to assume that anyone who disagrees with you and likes Olivia and Fitz is therefore a shipper or uncritical thinker. I like them in part because in seasons 1 and 2, they added a change of pace and emotional stakes and depth to the storytelling, so I think Scandal is a better show…

I don't think Mellie, or Cyrus for that matter, could use Defiance since it would implicate them. I guess only the war could impeach him? Although, in the real world, presidents have mislead the country about the reasons for going to war (ahem, W) and not been impeached for it. But Scandal tracks about as far from the…

I think the real cliffhanger is what genre/core identity will Scandal return with next season? Will rearranging all of its main relationships, as this episode began to do, reset it enough to return it to being a soapy political melodrama next fall? I'm totally on board if I get to see plot lines (if they are…

Um, no. I was saying it was inconsistent to give so many of the horrible episodes we've had this season higher grades than this one. Also, you might want to read my below response where I agree with what you are saying.