Scandal: I Choose Jam in Vermont

President Fitz and Olivia Pope
Image from Easymemes.com

     I am always in favor of a bizarre alternate reality episode of my favorite shows. Tonight's 100th episode of Scandal delivered  a great sideways reality. This is one of those episodes where all of the characters made different choices, but still end up coming back to the same situations.  We begin with Olivia (Kerry Washington) and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) arguing about what to do with the group that fixed the election. This gang has already been indirectly responsible for the murders of Olivia's dad's girlfriend, some prison guards, President-elect Frankie Vargas (Ricardo Chavira) and his aide Jennifer, and the near-murder of Huck. This group also has manipulated Attorney General David Rosen (Josh Malina), imprisoned VP-elect Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry), and took whatever was left of White House Chief of Staff Abby Whelan's (Darby Stanchfield) dignity. Fitz wants to take action, to make his ex-wife (the other presidential candidate) Mellie into the next president. Olivia feels conflicted because eight years ago, she helped make Fitz president through lies, deception, and a faulty voting machine in Defiance, Ohio. Oliva thinks back to the night when she and the dream team voted for Fitz's future. Each member of the team was promised something for their contribution. For Mellie (Bellamy Young), it was to be the first lady, and for Olivia (having a secret affair with Fitz), it was a top job in the White House. Cyrus would become the Chief of Staff, and Verna a Supreme Court justice. Finally, the brains of the operation, oil tycoon Hollis Doyle, requested the government grant him favors as needed.

     We go back to 2010, where Olivia turns down the pact to commit voter fraud in Defiance. With this change to the timeline, Fitz loses the presidency and leaves Mellie to be with Olivia. The two are happy, marrying in a beautiful ceremony a few months later. A blushing Olivia is given away by Huck, her less socially evolved co-worker. Maid of Honor Abby makes eyes at David Rosen, and it seems like they might have an honest shot at a relationship in this world. Olivia jumps into lobbying for gun reform with Marcus and Abby  in what I suppose is a less sophisticated version of Pope and Associates in a dingy storefront.

Mellie Grant- Paste Magazine Meme

     Meanwhile, Mellie wallows and commiserates with Cyrus, who marries her to further both of their careers.  Cyrus eventually gets the idea to make Mellie run for president in the next election, but once again, it seems like he's pushing a candidate to fuel his own need for power. Did Mellie really not realize Cyrus was in love with men, or was she choosing again to look the other way? In this reality, Cyrus and James did not get married and Cyrus stayed in the closet. It's upsetting, but at least James wasn't murdered by B-613 in this reality. Speaking of those lovable secret ops, Olivia's dad (aka "Command") seems to still be in charge of the organization, but he's not ordering tons of murders in this timeline. Because Olivia is not close to the White House, her dad never came back into her life. He watches the wedding from the back of the church. Speaking of murders (which we always speak of when it comes to this show), Quinn never had to become Quinn. Since her boyfriend didn't work at the company of the voter rigging software, the building didn't blow up, and Lindsay was never wrongly blamed for the explosion. She didn't need an alternate identity or to start life over in D.C., so she makes the rounds of celebrity dating shows. I loved this twist the most!

     Instead of talking about moving to Vermont and making jam, Fitz and Olivia falter. The two had nothing to overcome except Mellie's vitriol. Still, their love wasn't smooth sailing. Olivia was still  wrapped up in her work, and Fitz was still a bit checked out, looking for the next thing. He almost got together with slutty Quinn/Lindsay (Katie Lowes)!  As the preeminent political talk show host (no Liberty report in this reality), he lacked the sexy power and authority of the president. Poor Olivia had no friends in the White House and waited all day to get a meeting with President Reston, only to be told her bill was going nowhere and their meeting was a mistake. In the end, Mellie still came to Olivia about her campaign. In this reality, there is no baby Teddy Grant, no audio of the President bedding someone in the office,  and no sniper murder of Fitz and Mellie's eldest son/brother? (still not clear), Jerry III. There is also no Olivia/Fitz /Jake love triangle. Fitz never had Jake NSA-style spy on Olivia because they are actually together. With him not being president,t there's also a lot less shady stuff (kidnapped by the VP) going on around the gang. So did Olivia and Fitz have kids? No, not yet. By the end, they agreed to buy a townhouse together in an attempt to really make their lives together as one.

     The episode ends with Olivia having a weird flashback face. She goes up to Fitz and say "I'm in." Is she in for their future? Is she in to make Mellie the next president? Is she in to bring down the organization that has even  her own menacing father scared? Is she in for a double Gettysburger? Maybe it's all of the above.