Scandal Review: Red, Red Wine

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Scandal doesn't really ever disappoint, does it? Even in episodes that are a little slower than others and meant to deliver tons of background, the energy is high and the revelations are jaw-dropping. 

"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" gave us a glimpse into the history between Eli and Olivia Pope and left Huck dangling over the edge of the cliff.

Repairing the Damage

Can you imagine finding out your father, whom you believe to be a curator for a museum - an academic - is really the head of a super top secret super-assassin training school? Putting the pieces of that together on your own after the ramblings of a maybe mentally ill homeless man you befriended in the subway rattles on about Wonderland and a paper company?

I guess we know where Olivia's gut comes into play. She knew something was off about what she was hearing and she pushed until she got the truth. That truth?

Eli Pope is a scary, scary dude.

The way he went from cheery to eerie at the dinner table with his "you don't ask me questions" bit was enough to make me feel like saying "yes, sir!" right here in my living room. The man just does not play around and will do whatever it takes to protect B613, no matter who he has to kill or what he has to do. 

Seeing Olivia's history with her dad was great because so much about Olivia Pope was explained tonight. 

He taught her to love red wine! Did he teach her to pair it with popcorn? 

Her dad has probably ruined every relationship she's ever had because no one is good enough for his daughter. He created a situation where Edison would have a car crash so that Olivia would break off their engagement. An engagement she only accepted in order to use Edison's position as leverage for getting Huck back from B613, but still. She could have been happy with him. Maybe. At the very least he current predicament might not be so...predicament-y.

Eli Pope loves his daughter. He released Jake for her in part because Fitz declared he'd had an affair with Jeannine but mostly because Olivia agreed to have dinner with him again. The little moment when Eli and Olivia were playing hardball on the phone and she offered dinners and he took it "under advisement"? The subtle change on Joe Morton's face was just enough to show that underneath that super-spy-assassin exterior, Eli Pope might be a human after all. 

It's not the first time he's traded with his daughter, and the revelation of their first trade will have repercussions for the foreseeable future. 

Huck knows that Olivia's father is "Command." Huck and Olivia's relationship has been one of the most honest and comfortable of the series so far. How does this revelation change things for the two of them? It'll be interesting to watch, that's for sure.

As will Quinn's continued downward spiral. 

She's sort of high on her own power right now. She knows she can do all of these things and so she wants to do them. She's like a toddler, really. And Huck is trying to corral her as best he can.

Huck: Quinn, I know I've taught you lots of things but you should try to be less like me. You should be less like me. And more like Liv. | permalink

But if Huck goes off the rails and Quinn goes off the rails, who will reign them both back in? Olivia?

She's got her hands a little bit full with Jake right now. And Fitz. And here's where things get super fun. 

Now we've got a definite love triangle on our hands. A bonafide love triangle. 

She loves Fitz. But she asked for Fitz' help securing Jake's return because she obviously cares for Jake, too.

She asked her lover for help retrieving her other lover from her super-spy father. The look on her face when she saw Jake outside her doorway was not the same look she's had when she's looked at Huck after a similar incident.

There was a different kind of love in her eyes when she looked at Jake. A lover's-love. And Fitz knows she slept with Jake and she asked Fitz for help with Jake and he lied TO THE WORLD for her to make it happen. But he loves her and she loves him. But Jake loves her and she obviously feels something for him.

So no, this isn't awkward at all. Nope. Not one bit. 

What did you think of "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?" Are you glad Jake's back? What do you think will happen now that Huck knows Command's identity? Check out our Scandal quotes page and add your own to the collection! 

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Review

Editor Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 (174 Votes)

Miranda Wicker was a Staff Writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in 2017. Follow her on Twitter.

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Scandal Season 3 Episode 2 Quotes

Fitz: Somewhere, in another life, another reality, we are married and we have four kids, and we live in Vermont, and I'm the mayor--
Olivia: And I make jam.
Fitz: And you make jam.

Fitz: Something happens and you're the one I want to talk to.
Olivia: You don't want to talk to me.
Fitz: I only want to talk to you.