‘Scandal’ Recap: Olivia Gets The Surprise Of Her Life

Plus, the grossest scene in 'Scandal' history comes courtesy of a very unlikely character. After last week's mom-revealing, Mellie-violating, Quinn-enlisting episode of Scandal, you'd think the Nov. 21 hour might take a breather, focusing on some lighter crises in the life of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington). Then you'd remember we're talking about freaking Scandal. This week's episode cranked 'it' up to 11, bringing more life-shattering secrets to light, and setting the stage for a mother-daughter reunion of Shonda proportions.

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Reading Time: 3 minutes
November 22, 2013 1:15AM EST
Scandal Season 3 Episode 8
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC

‘Scandal’: 6 Biggest, Craziest Moments

1. Maya eats her damn wrist. I’m not even exaggerating, I almost had to stop eating while Mama Pope ripped the flesh off her wrist with her teeth to ensure a longer captivity. (I say “almost” because I would never actually stop.) But seriously, we barely know anything about this woman yet, other than she’s alive and she’s not afraid to eat her own self. What a horrible first impression this is turning out to be.

2. James cheats. First of all, Dianne Sawyer would never step out on her husband. But I guess that’s what separates her from “a James Novak,” because Cyrus’ bespectacled hubby totally nailed Mr. Sally Langston this week! In his defense, it was pure hate sex, as James figured out that Cyrus and Mellie had set him up. Still, the humping happened, the photos were taken and we left Cyrus weeping in bed, looking like a naked turtle.

3. Fitz also cheats. The basis for this one isn’t that shocking — Mellie knows Fitz is a no-good slut, so meeting up with Olivia for a quickie is old news — but the where was worth noting: Fitz brought Liv up to see a house he had built for them. It was their Barbie dream house, complete with a fireplace, a rug and the perfect Motown slow jam to accompany all the thrusting.

4. Josie pulls out. I’m going to miss Lisa Kudrow like the deserts miss the rain, but with everything else going on in Scandal-ville right now, I was OK with Josie pulling out of the race. It turns out her sister/daughter faked a break-in to frame Reston’s team, but instead of throwing Candace under the bus, she took the fall herself. I do hope we see her again someday.

5. Quinn gets caught. I know Quinn can be pretty dense all of the time, but how long did she think she could go before someone figured out she killed that security guard? Unsurprisingly, hacker-extraordinaire Huck was the one who cracked her, though the question remains: What’s he going to do now that he knows?

6. Olivia meets her mom. In the final moments of the episode — actually much sooner in the season than I expected — Olivia and her mom came face to face for the first time in decades. It’s a rare thing to see Olivia get so freaked out she can’t even speak, and this was definitely one of those moments. Cherish it.

HollywoodLifers, what was your favorite part of this week’s Scandal? Drop a comment with your thoughts, hopes, fears — anything.

— Andy Swift

More ‘Scandal’:

  1. ‘Scandal’ Recap: Olivia & Mellie’s Family Histories Reveal New Twists
  2. Kerry Washington’s Pregnancy Will Not Be Part Of ‘Scandal’
  3. A ‘Scandal’ Scandal: Why Olivia Should Never Take Fitz Back