Scandal
Scandal & How To Get Away With Murder Crossover Review
Olivia Pope. Annalise Keating. Both existing in the same place, at the same time. Breathing the same air, going at each other’s throats as powerful women tend to do while accepting that they are more similar than they are different and need to support each other.
Thursday brought the epic crossover of Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder dubbed “How to Get Away With Scandal.”
First up was the Scandal episode, which picked up a few months after Liv was ousted, sorry, resigned, from the White House. After losing roughly everyone that cared about her, Liv resorted to teaching a class full of impressionable young students about “how to handle a scandal.” Seriously, that should be a new Shonda Rhimes show once Scandal takes its last bow. And also, who the hell allowed her to teach the youth?
None of the students had the answer Liv was looking for except for Annalise, sitting right up in the back row.
After class, she approached the former Chief of Staff and lured her in with these words: “Our country is in crisis. Together, we can fix it.”
It seemed Annalise knew Liv was all about “handling things,” but not aware of how many crises Liv caused herself as of late.
Liv was hesitant to join the case considering Annalise’s lengthy-rap sheet she dug up on Google (is she really judging someone?) but a brief chat with Marcus — the only person still willing to work with her because “black people have to stick together” — persuaded her. Marcus, a bigtime Annalise fan, reminded Liv that Annalise may have been accused, but who hasn’t?
That’s true, however, Liv wasn’t just accused. She’s responsible for several murders, including one that involved her pregnant best friend. Thankfully, Quinn didn’t die but the realization that Liv was capable of something so horrid simply to keep power is enough to destroy her character in the eyes of the viewers.
And while we thought the road to redemption would be long and winding, it seems as though Shonda wants us to just forgive and forget. Olivia wanting to do the right thing now doesn’t negate all the terrible things she’s done recently.
Despite being on non-speaking terms with Fitz, he was still willing to lend a hand mainly because Liv cornered him into it and because the case was the very basis for which his foundation stood — helping people punished by the disadvantages they were born into.
Given that they know some pretty important people, Liv and Fitz jointly secured Annalise a meeting with President Grant at the White House.
I have to admit, it was surreal seeing Michaela geeking out over meeting Fitz and seeing Annalise’s eyes widen as she stepped into the Oval Office since we know exaclty what happens inside these coveted rooms. These are the people you are star-struck by? The monsters, the murderers, the do-whatever-it-takes-to-stay-in-power folks? If only they knew the truth.
(ABC/Mitch Haaseth
While Mellie admitted the case had promise, the timing simply wasn’t right. Liv cleared the room to insist Mellie not to “punish her,” but she wasn’t going to back down. “You need a win while there’s still a chance for you to scrape back some influence in this town,” she told her.
I love Mellie and I’m glad she’s the first female President because she had promise but most of her time in the White House has been her trying to stick it to Liv and one up her. The back-and-forth has gotten to be a little too much.
So, Liv declared war on the President, though, it wouldn’t be the first time.
A majority of the episode saw both teams — Liv and Annalise’s vs. the White House and QPA — doing their best to sway the Supreme Court judges to rule in their favor.
Mellie does everything in her power to stop Liv, even asking Jake to leak the real reason why Liv was fired via her scorned-associates at QPA. Quinn is more than happy to oblige, although everyone seems a bit worried about her obsession with taking Liv down becoming more important than helping their clients. Do these people focus on anything but personal vendettas?
Even State’s Attorney David Rosen is siding with Liv. The case is bigger than the trivial fight between Mellie and Liv; people’s lives are actually at stake.
With word out, a showdown between Annalise and Liv occurs at the hair salon, of all places. Annalise is pissed off that Liv tried to make her out to be the bad guy when in reality, she was the one sinking the case.
Hurtful words were exchanged with Liv throwing shade at Annalise for a lack of funds and taking the Megabus to D.C. That’s petty Liv.
Michaela and Marcus, who have an undeniable attraction to each other, suggest Liv and Annalise hit up a TV interview together, which seems like a disaster waiting to happen considering how proud both of these women are.
Yet don’t underestimate Liv. After all, she spins things for a living.
When the host brings up Liv’s firing from the White House, she tastefully addresses the gossip before diverting the attention to the real issue at hand: the ability to reform the justice system with Annalise’s case.
Still, the interview isn’t enough to sway Spivey, the swing vote. That is until Quinn comes to her senses — her QPA was supposed to be about justice, which is why she handed Liv over all the dirt that the White House dug up on Spivey to force him to vote against them.
Liv used the intel to sway Spivey and land Annalise a case in front of the Supreme Court.
Two black women can change the world. But will they?
(ABC/Mitch Haaseth)
Which brings us to the second-half of the episode, the How To Get Away With Murder portion.
I’ll start off by saying I don’t watch HTGAWM so even though the cross-over was done in a way that didn’t rely too heavily on the series plot, there were still moments where I was utterly lost.
“Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” — the title of the episode — focuses on Annalise’s class action lawsuit being brought in front of the Supreme Court, something she’d dreamt about since she was a little girl
As Annalise prepared for the case, she had to navigate some personal curveballs thrown her way, namely her mother’s arrival in D.C to support her and Liv finding out that Nate Lahey Sr., the face of her case, is actually her ex-boyfriend’s incarcerated father. When things get personal, they get messy!
Annalise is able to stay calm and composed through all of it until she gets a call from Jacqueline mere minutes before she’s to take the stand, informing her that Isaac overdosed and it was all her fault.
The call sent Annalise into a panic attack. She claimed she didn’t have it in her to appeal the courts and she’d fail and set criminal justice reform back decades.
This prompted Liv to take off her heels, kneel down next to Annalise and ask her what she needs to get back into the game.
“Vodka,” Annalise replied, which Michaela is hesitant to provide because Annalise is an alcoholic.
But Liv does not care. “Go,” she ordered as Michaela ran to Marcus, who she slept with the night before during a stake-out of the judge’s house.
While the main focus of the episode was the case, Michaela and Marcus’ relationship was compelling, especially since she’s dating Asher, who ends up being a huge Marcus-advocate. Awkward.
The cross-over may have been a standalone event, but I’m willing to bet money that after Scandal’s end, Marcus will make his way over to HTGAW. Again, I don’t know the gist of Michaela and Asher’s romance since I don’t watch the show, but I did really enjoy the scenes with her and Marcus.
Michaela brought the vodka and Liv offered it to Annalise with a warning — whatever bravery she’ll find in the bottle is already inside of her.
Annalise didn’t fall off the wagon and instead, waltzed into the courtroom with seconds to spare.
But there’s yet another problem as one of the judges was paid to throw off the case. In Annalise’s opening statements, he grilled her about how Nate could be a victim when he was responsible for the murder and tried to throw a wrench in her argument — is it about the criminal justice system or about race?
Annalise recalled Liv’s words to use her time wisely and allowed the counterarguments to be heard thus buying her some time to think strategy. She sent Michaela, who grabbed Marcus, to look up a ruling for her. The scene was intense as the fate of Annalise’s case resided in Michaela and Marcus’ ability to research quickly. At this point, Asher also picked up on the chemistry between these two, which Michaela’s friends realized in the first minute when she begged them not to tell Asher she cheated.
Michaela came through for Annalise, who then argued that it is a race problem and used the judge’s words against him. BAM!
During a post-press conference, Annalise praised Liv and Connor for helping with the case, excluding Michaela who served as her right-hand woman the whole time.
No decision was made before the episode is up, but Fitz informed the ladies that the courts could rule in their favor.
“We did good,” Liv told Annalise before they parted ways, forever changed by each others’ bravery, strength and badassery.
What did you think of the epic and long-awaited TGIT crossover?
In case you haven’t been keeping up with global news, coronavirus, COVID-19, is forcing everyone to practice the 2020 version of”conscious uncoupling” known as “social distancing.”
Many cities/states are on lockdown with bars, restaurants, and other establishments closing their doors to keep the outbreak from spreading even more than it has.
If you’ve found yourself self-quarantined at home on the couch to prevent the spread of germs, you’ll likely be looking for things to keep yourself occupied.
Many shows have shuttered production with daytime and late-night talk shows going sans audiences or completely dark for the remainder of the month.
And this means it’s the perfect time to binge-watch those shows you’ve been putting off.
Here are some shows to watch during your self-quarantine.
Scandal
What the world needs now is a fixer who could tell us all how to get out of this mess. Since that’s not possible, we have the next best thing in Olivia Pope, DC’s fixer and right-hand to the President, who is also in a torrid love affair with him. It’s political, dramatic, and sexy as hell to this day.
Timeless
Don’t you wish we could all travel back to a time before the coronavirus? Same. Maybe if we had a time machine like Lucy, Wyatt, and Rufus, we totally could. But alas, we’ll have to settle for watching their journey through key historical moments as they attempt to stop Rittenhouse from destroying the world.
Locke & Key
Think Harry Potter meets Narnia. Netflix’s new fantasy thriller finds a family moving into a mansion following their father’s death where they learn that it’s filled with secret keys that open up portals to other dimensions. You never know where you’ll end up, but it’ll make you forget you’re curled up on your couch amidst a toilet-paper shortage.
Mr. Robot
Elliot works as a cybersecurity engineer by day and doubles as a vigilante hacker by night. When he’s recruited by a mysterious underground organization, he’s forced to do things that make him question his personal beliefs, his morals, and most importantly, what’s real and what isn’t.
Financial burdens (like the fact that you spent all your money stocking up on canned goods and paper towels) plague three suburban moms who are tired of always playing “catch up.” They decide to take matters into their own hands and rob a grocery store. Soon, they find themselves trying to navigate a world of crime that has absolutely no rules. As they try to survive, their actions will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Stranger Things
You’ve already heard of Stranger Things, and if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s high time you do. The series takes place in 1980s Indiana and follows a group of young friends who become privy to supernatural happening within the government.
Grey’s Anatomy
There’s no better time than during a quarantine to watch all 16 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. Honestly, when else are you going to have the time? All you need to know is that it’s a medical drama, there’s a doctor named McDreamy, and Shonda Rhimes is the boss babe behind it.
The Good Place
The Good Place is a stroke of comedic genius mixed with some of the most insightful and wholesome storytelling of our generation. It’s also the only series that had the perfect series finale (fight me, but after coronavirus cause there’s a no-touching ban). Eleanor Shellstrop is shocked to find herself in the Good Place following her death and immediately realizes she’s there by mistake. No one is prepared for her hilarious afterlife antics as she hides from architect Michael and her new friends while trying to become a better version of herself.
Don’t be deterred by the plot — a young Latina woman learns she’s pregnant after she’s accidentally artificially inseminated. The series weaves together the best parts of a telenovela while adding heart, feshed-out characters, strong female leads, irresistible love interests, and family at the forefront of every storyline.
Love is Blind
In the reality TV vein, Netflix delivered the world’s newest obsession. It’s a social experiment that many claim prepared our generation for dating throughout “social distancing.” Love is Blind forces a handful of contestants to meet people while isolated in pods. Once they find their “soulmate,” they propose to them without meeting face-to-face and a few weeks later, walk down the aisle.
YOU
If you’re not familiar with Joe Goldberg, you’re missing out. YOU is a suspenseful thriller that digs into the mind of an obsessed serial killer and follows his romantic relationships.
Game of Thrones
Similarly to Greys Anatomy, when else are you going to find the time to watch all of Game of Thrones? This is the perfect time to dig into a pop culture phenomenon so you know what “winter is coming” means the next time someone mentions it.
The Marvelous Ms. Maisel
If there’s anyone that can cheer you up and put a smile on your face, it’s Ms. Maisel. Set in the late 1950s, Miriam aka “Midge” breaks the rules and pursues a career in stand-up comedy. While it’s unheard of for women of her class to pursue a career, it’s even more unheard of a woman succeeding in such an industry. But leave it to Midge to prove everyone wrong and do it with flair and style!
Scandal took its final bow tonight.
After everyone aired out their dirty laundry in front of a Senate of white males, you’d think there’d be more consequences. My consensus at the very end was that it was all too easy.
If dismantling B613 were as easy as telling everyone it existed, why the hell didn’t we do this sooner?
Was it really as simple as having Papa Pope come through and wave it all away?
We were so worried about what would happen to our core cast but in actuality, Scandal had more happy endings than I ever imagined was possible.
It turns out, even if you do really terrible things like poisoning someone with a throw pillow, you can stand in the sun.
Okay, that’s a lie — Cyrus didn’t actually stand in the sun. I was pretty shocked to realize that Cyrus’ murder count was still at a big, fat zero by the series finale. Yes, he’s ordered other people to kill in his name, but like Jake said, he’s never actually done the deed himself.
I don’t think there’s such a thing as a successful series finale. Hear me out — someone is always going to be upset, someone is always going to be disappointed. You just can’t win. However, I wasn’t exactly blown away by how this groundbreaking series ended.
When Liv and company concluded that they were going to come clean about everything, the only person I really wanted a happy ending for was David Rosen. In all of this, David was the only good guy; the only White Hat.
His face-off with Jake was, arguably, the best moment of the season finale. Rosen literally uttered “you’re the bitch” to Jake, which, let’s be honest, is something we’ve all thought once or twice before. And he made it out alive. Who knew that all it took to change Jake’s mind about being this villainous, mass murderer was David Rosen ponying up and telling it like he saw it.
Also, who else cheered Rosen on when he said he was the USA’s bitch? You tell ’em, Rosen.
Of course, since Jake didn’t kill Rosen, Cyrus took the reigns. And we all saw it coming from a mile away. How did David Rosen not see it? How did Abbie not catch onto the fact that Cyrus texted him he wanted to confess? Since when does Cyrus do anything that’s essentially good in nature?
I kept yelling “don’t drink it” when Rosen took the drink from Cyrus. A bit of advice — if you’re having drinks with a sworn enemy, check to see if they drink their drink first before you guzzle down yours.
David went from hero to idiot in a matter of minutes and it’s unfortunate. I was really rooting for him and Abbie to live a full and happy life together. They both deserved it.
Many people are, understandably, upset with Rosen’s demise. Yet, there’s something so authentic about the only good guy getting taken out. It’s authentic because, in the real world, the good guys rarely win. Still, we all really wanted to see a bullet go right through Cyrus’ little frowny forehead. And how great would it have been if Rosen was the one that put it there?
Also, is anyone else upset Rosen not getting a proper funeral? We dedicated a whole episode to Quinn’s faux funeral, but Rosen just gets the sympathy of his girlfriend Abbie? The Attorney General of the United States? That’s bogus.
Sadly, the man that really deserved to die actually walked away from it all. But that is punishment in itself. For Cyrus, losing the Presidency is a worse fate than death. It’s all he ever wanted; it’s why he did all the heinous things that he did.
He may not have ended up in Supermax like Jake, but his punishment is a life unfulfilled. It’s the realization that no matter what, he will never be at the top.
I mentioned that I was surprised with my realization that Cyrus never actually killed anyone. It’s probably because he’s such a big talker. He would always talk himself up to be this big monster but in reality, the minute he had to kill someone without his henchman around, it completely broke him. He couldn’t even handle being that monster he was so proud of for all these seasons. Oh, Cy, you’re a fraud!
The scariest part is that Liv is completely unfazed by all the vile stuff she’s done. Let that sink in. Cyrus killed one, morally good person, and it was the death of him. Liv’s done some questionable things and doesn’t feel an ounce of remorse for it. She’s still strutting about D.C in her white coat, not a care in the world.
She’s free of the White House, of the Oval’s control over her… for now.
Unfortunately, I can’t even say Liv and Fitz’s ending was satisfactory. I’ve always envisioned their final scene to be in Vermont making jam. Even if that was hinted at, I would have liked to see it come to fruition. I will give the writers props for using their theme music one last time and having their final interaction consist of that elusive “hi” exchange. However, for a show that’s known for scandalous sex scenes, their last hook-up was seriously lacking. Give me the passion of Liv and Fitz from season one just one last time, goddamnit!
Thankfully, coming clean about election rigging and B613 didn’t cost them their credibility or strip them from any of their accomplishments while they were in President’s seat. Heck, Mellie even got to remain in office, signed a gun-control bill as promised to Lonnie Mencken (may he RIP) and did it all with Marcus by her side. It wasn’t really made obvious, but I’m going to just pretend he earned the title of her Chief of Staff/ Mister (the male form of mistress… let’s make it happen, people!).
Mellie’s Presidential portrait was stunning, Fitz’ was encompassing of all the worried looks he cast through the Oval Office window but Liv’s, that was really something. Yes, Liv had a portrait hanging in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian… which also means (I’ll give you a minute), she became President. I’d like to think those two girls were her daughters with Fitz but it’s subjective. They never uttered “look at mom, a black woman securing her spot in history,” so we’ll never really know, will we? We don’t even know if she stayed with Fitz, if they got married, if they even had kids.
Part of me wishes Shonda gave me a concrete answer to these lingering questions, but part of me likes how elusive it was. I feel like Olivia’s character was kind of like that; she was supposed to be the good guy, but she never fully was, yet we still rooted for her. The anti-hero who meant well but couldn’t stay committed to it in a corrupt town.
Speaking of more definitive endings, the rest of the characters really needed them. What happened to Abbie after Rosen died? She was stunning in the morgue moment, talking all about getting revenge, but what happened after? Did she remain at QPA? Did QPA even exist? All we know is that Charlie was a free man and he rode off into the sunset with Quinn and little Robin, which yes, is adorable, but is that all? I can’t just accept that these two gave up a life of crime and torture to just drive their daughter to soccer practice.
Quinn and Charlie’s wedding during a conjugal visit was so heartwarming. Their love is so pure and unique. At one point, I was pretty impressed with the fact that everyone, even some cold-blooded killers, will find their perfect match. And after everything, Liv stood by Quinn’s side just like it was always supposed to happen! Ugh, full-circles are kind of my jam!
And what happened with Huck? Did he ever find peace? What about his kid?
And Papa Pope? Besides hosting wine dinners with his daughter, was he still running a secret B613? You can’t tell me he just GAVE UP Command after giving Jake the speech that you can’t take Command. If so, what was the point of that impassioned speech?
And how did he get off scot-free after walking into the Senate and declaring himself the mastermind of everything? He just told them the truth and then said “pin this on Jake,” and all the snickering white men were like “for sure, dude.”
None of it made sense, although, I have to give him credit for the line that asserted himself, a black man, responsible for holding up this nation, a white man’s nation, for the past 30-years. That was brilliant. “I make America great.” Can you say that one more time for Prez Trump back there?
If I was Jake, I’d be raising hell right now. Of all the people that committed crimes, he’s the only one that ended up in jail? Yeah, he deserves it but not any more than Cyrus or Rowan. In fact, Jakes little showdown with Rosen actually brought him into the light. He didn’t shoot Rosen because he realized he was right. What was he doing all of this for? For Cyrus? He didn’t even like him! Sadly, he was too far gone.
However, Jake is the only one of out that group that can handle jail time. Cyrus obviously didn’t do well there. Huck could handle it, but he’s definitely got more emotional stuff to deal with. Jake is the only one who would make it out unscathed and actually treat it like a vacation. I’m also glad that Liv didn’t let him go into it thinking no one cared about him; she always cared, that’s why he got wrapped up in this mess in the first place.
After his testimony — being unable to answer how many people he’s killed while working for B613 and freaking out about having to speak in front of 15 people — I’m going to say Huck is my spirit animal.
Other Thoughts
- It was great that they brought back Sally Langston for her Lovers of Liberty Report, but I wish they would have made her pay for killing her husband. We haven’t forgotten, Sally.
- Why was Doyle back? Did he even know why he was back? He didn’t even contribute anything aside from pleading every amendment!
- Also, who knew Tom was still alive?
- I know America technically did away with B613, but given that the Senate didn’t think twice about Rosen getting a heart attack at Cyrus’ home, I wonder if America is even ready to govern themselves. Like, come on guys, read between the lines!
- Charlie’s name is Bernard!
Overall, OG #Gladiators deserved better, but in the end, what’s done is done. It was never about the ending, it was always about the journey. And I’ll say, it was one hell of a journey over the cliff.
It’s been a pleasure, Scandal lovers, but things are officially handled.
And my red wine? Well, I’m completely out.
This was the final episode before the SERIES FINALE of Scandal and honestly, I don’t know how it’s all going to end.
From the looks of it, it’s going to involve all of them standing in the sun and finally owning up to all the crimes and sins they’ve committed.
All of them together, over a cliff, stripped of their legacy, their credibility, everything.
It’s a hard pill to swallow for people like Mellie who are currently “on top of the world” or Fitz who has “survived” the Presidency, but it’s a long time coming.
They were all running around with absolutely no rules to follow. There was no punishment for anything that they did, no checks and balances. They needed to be stopped.
We’ve always thought of Olivia and friends as heroes, but they have never been better than the other guys. They have never been better than Jake or Cyrus. at times, they’ve been even worse because they PRETEND to be good. Heck, they truly believe it.
They always say the truth will set you free and that’s the case here. They exhausted all their other options and honestly, there’s nothing they can do without incriminating themselves first.
And the source of everything is B613. If they take down the organization, they stand a chance at bringing down Cyrus and Jake with them. What did they expect playing with a grenade? Liv went nuclear and didn’t look back.
And honestly, that’s what makes her so powerful till this day, she isn’t afraid to pull the trigger and blow everything up, even if it means blowing herself up.
The only problem is that B613 is such a top-secret, they literally don’t have anything to prove its existence.
That’s where Sally Langston and the Liberty Report come into play. They want America do it for them and rope Sally into it. She’s more than eager to exploit everything, however, she doesn’t realize when she helps take them down, she’s always implicating herself.
Remember season one when Sally killed her gay husband and called Cyrus to cover it up?
She’s hiding behind this holier than thou persona when in reality, she’s just as bad as they are.
There were moments where it felt like Shonda was setting it up for a spin-off for the next generation in the White House, one that isn’t so corrupt.
Moral of the story, this is bigger than all of us… all of them.
The White hat is going to the people — they owe them that much.
But are the people ready for this truth bomb? Or will the truth inflict far more damage and even evoke disasterous results?
I really wish this wasn’t the penultimate episode. There is so much story left to be told, how did we waste one whole episode on Jake killing Vanessa? Honestly.
Other Thoughts
- Will Charlie come out of this unscathed?
- What the hell was Jake’s convo with Rowan all about? Why did he even go to him? To get “daddy’s” permission? And what was Rowan whining about him still being Command? He definitely didn’t act like Command when Liv was in charge. He was even scared of her.
- I really thought this would finally be the moment Jake killed Rowan but still nope. Will Liv and friend incriminate Rowan or will he be the only one that gets off scot-free? If he does, he’ll likely take over B613 again.
- Seeing QPA go through all of their sins? Yeah, we’ve done some stuff.
- Who knew Sally’s show was getting such legit ratings it was still on air?
- Liv and Fitz will likely never get Vermont but maybe their whole journey was in itself Vermont. They found their way back to each other and that’s all that matters.
- Maybe, after they come clean, they can all run off to the island where Liv and Jake spent some truly blissful moments?
- Someone has to die — will it be Cyrus? Jake? Rowan? Liv?
- Definitely Lonnie. He is a dead man walking.
Sound-off. How do you think this all ends? What is actually right for this country?
Do any of them deserve happy endings? I say if anyone does, it is David.
How are they going to wrap this all up in one-hour?
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