I forgot to add, the scene where Fitz apologises to Olivia for basically breathing, what the effing hell was that? So Fitz apologises for her having an abortion without at least telling him? Also, are we supposed to believe that he never listened to Olivia? What the hell? He's being doing nothing BUT listening to her…

There were so many disturbing elements in this episode.

As an aside, Kerry having a baby might be the best thing that's ever happened to Scandal 2.0. If they push the season 6 premiere to January or February 2017, enough people might have forgotten how trashy the show has gotten and jump back on board. Well, unless Olivia Pope is still being defined by the men she takes…

I watched this episode and I agree, it wasn't horrible.

Perhaps that's why I can't feign faux-sympathy for fictional characters? Because the storylines suck?

There is never any question as to whether Olivia Pope will or will not prevail,

Does anybody think the writers realise how badly Mellie is coming off as a presidential candidate? She's awful, and in reality would finish behind Vargas and Susan.
The idea that Olivia believes that Mellie would be a great president is really hard to fathom, because there's nothing that we've seen that suggests that…

It's amazing how much an episode of Scandal improves when there's no Jake or Rowan. I watched 519 because I was told that they weren't in it. Unsurprisingly, I thought it was a decent episode without their presence stinking up the place.

Why are Jake and Olivia so scared of Rowan? This is an old coot who must be sixty if he's a day. Yet every time he tells Jake to jump, Jake says how high?

Scandal used to be like that, then Shonda went and grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory, and now all we have is one big pile of pooh, so I have trust issues.

I didn't watch the episode because I knew it was going to be horrendous judging by the promos, but I gleaned enough from various people who were frothing-at-the-mouth mad at the episode.

Girl, I saw the promos an sneak peeks and gave it a hard pass. One minute of Jake is too much, but 42 minutes? Shonda needs to stop thinking with her vag and just kill Scott Foley's character off already. And Rowan, oh God, please kill Rowan. Him and Jake are the worst characters on TV bar none.

Let me just disagree with you quickly about HOC. That is one show that's all fur and no knickers, and has nothing important to say about Washingtonian politics. It's all gloss and no substance, yet people treat it like it's actually prestige drama, when it's actually as soapy as Scandal.

That's not true, but imma let you wallow in your Fitz Hate.

Indeed…

It's not turning from the light that led her to her father's house, but the recognition of the lie that she'd ever really walked in it in the first place.

Here's the thing, Mellie's rape is also only trotted out when the plot needs it, yet reviewers don't have a problem remembering that she was raped. Does the show have to spell it out for us that Olivia hasn't been herself since she was kidnapped? Really? Because if that's true, then the Scandal audience really are as…

Because the writers are garbage and Shonda doesn't believe in writing consistent characters. They are all ciphers who are at the whim of a writers' room that depend heavily on shocking plots rather than good/consistent character development.

I think you'll find that the Fitz we first meet isn't the petulant cry-baby that Mellie is now. He was an idealistic man who wanted to serve his country anyway he could. Finding out about Defiance pretty much ruined the presidency for him.

You mean the terrorist responsible for Liv's kidnapping who Mellie and Liz colluded to take out last season because he was blackmailing Mellie? Huck injected him with something that put him into a vegetative state, so it's not like he had a natural stroke.