Tonight on ABC Scandal starring Kerry Washington continues with another exciting episode in an all new Thursday October 15, season 5 episode 4 called, “Dog-Whistle Politics,” and we have the recap for you below. On tonight’s episode, a familiar face returns to help Huck (Guillermo Díaz) and Quinn (Katie Lowes) deal with the media uproar Olivia (Kerry Washington) is facing.
On the last episode, huge repercussions awaited Olivia and Fitz. Meanwhile, Mellie called on an old pal to secure what she wanted; and Abby demonstrated that she’s suited to working at the White House. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it, we recapped it all right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the ABC synopsis, “a familiar face returns to help Huck and Quinn deal with the media uproar Olivia is facing. Meanwhile, Jake comes across someone he never expected to see again; and Fitz learns the true value of mercy.”
Tonight’s episode of SCANDAL is going to be absolutely incredible and you won’t want to miss even a minute. We’ll be recapping it for you here so don’t forget to bookmark this place and come back.
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#Scandal begins with Jake asking Rowan who he’s working with and says he knows he’s behind the Louvre fire and is using it to rebuild B613. Rowan says thanks to Olivia he has no power. We see a news report about Eli and Maya Pope and then about Olivia being 12 when her mom died in a plane crash and her being sent to boarding school in Switzerland. The reporter says that Eli Pope said his goal was to raise and African American daughter who thought she was as fully entitled to own the world as a white man. Rowan tells Jake that Liv got arrogant and drunk on her power and forgot what he taught her.
He says by putting him there, Olivia created a dangerous vacuum. The reporter says Olivia’s dad is in jail for embezzling money. Jake tells Rowan to tell him who’s working for him or he’ll find and kill them. The reporter asks if Olivia’s manufactured sense of privilege let her take the power instead of earning it. Rowan says power is never lost if it’s true power. He says he’s always free and he will never be caged. Jake says he always leaves a trail and he’ll find it. The reporter says they’ll reveal the world of Olivia Pope.
Rowan tells Jake happy hunting. Quinn meets Marcus and says Layla isn’t coming. She says she knows he’s broke because he screwed the mayor’s wife. He asks if she’s crazy but she says she has a job for him at Olivia Pope and Associates as a mouthpiece. She says she’s a gladiator in a suit and he can be too. He says no. He says she’s flashy but he doesn’t like the way they cut corners and breaks rules. He says they lie when they don’t have to and will be out of business in six months.
Fitz rants to Liz about how they’re talking about Olivia. He says they’re doing nothing to protect her. Liz says they need to focus on things they can fix and talks about Senator Gibson. Fitz tells Abby she’s fired and Liz tells her to go wait in her office and says she’ll fix it. Jake tells Charlie they need to go to Paris and he says it will cost him. He says someone launched Lazarus 1 – the Louvre fire. He says whoever did this will come after them because of B613.
Olivia tells Fitz he can’t fire Abby and calls him an idiot. She says he’s the president and has to be smart and not emotional and says he can’t fire his press secretary in the middle of a scandal. She says Abby did exactly what she would have done and he says she’s the idiot. Olivia sighs and says she told him this is her choice to make. She says not to take that from her. She says she doesn’t need to be rescued and finds it offensive. She says give Abby her job back. He says they’re crucifying her.
She sees someone across the street taking photos of her in her apartment and she says she has to go. She snatches the drapes closed. The news special continues and there’s a 23 year old Olivia saying her dream job is the White House. The reporter says Olivia did have a seat at the table next to the man she helped get elected. Huck shows up and says no one will take photos of her from there and he rented the place. Quinn and Huck bring her a box of burner phones.
Quinn tells Olivia they’re swamped and she tried to hire Marcus Walker and he shut her down. Olivia says no and they can handle it. Then the news says they’re talking to Olivia’s 3rd grade teacher. Huck offers to kill the cable. Jake and Charlie are in Paris waiting on Elise. He introduces them but it looks like she and Jake already know each other just not under those names. Elise tells Charlie deal is off and walks away.
Mellie is flooded by press in the halls of Congress and Cyrus tells them to let her do her job. Mellie sits down with the other lady Senators and they ask her to take a seat. They tell her they know it’s her first day and says there are men who will gather, smoke cigars and not tell them anything and will vote another way. They tell her it’s not about Republicans and Democrats, it’s about too many peckers. They tell her they have their own way of doing things.
Cyrus tells Mellie he has talk show interviews lined up for her. Mellie says the women of the Senate want to impeach Fitz if she gives the go ahead. She says they want to impeach him because he broke his vows and disturbed the office of the Presidency. She says they’re mad that Olivia is getting raked over the coals but Fitz is not getting a lot of scrutiny. She says she won’t go after him for impeachment. She says she needs to act like a normal freshman Senator.
Cyrus says they need to think about this and her presidential aspirations. He says Susan Ross would be VP and would go nuts and that would be great for her. Cyrus says this is her chance and she needs to go after Fitz now and claim the White House or be a do-nothing Senator who wants to hang herself in private. The news profile says that Olivia is known as a fashion icon for her flashy shoes and purses. They talk about how she’s stayed silent and how he dad is in prison.
Quinn tells Huck that Olivia has no plan and they’re losing their clients. They find Marcus in the office and he says they need to answer the phone. Marcus says he needs the cash and he’ll take it from them while they still have it. She says they need him to speak that Olivia is so busy working she can’t address the press. Jake goes to see Elise and says to let him in. She says no. He says she always lets him in. She gives in. He says the place is nice and she says Elise is in an art dealer. He says he thought she was dead.
She says he left her at Grand Central. He says he waited an hour beyond protocol and she never showed – he thought she was dead. He sits and she asks what’s the job. He says they’re looking for stolen art pieces. He insists he thought she was dead. He says he grieved and says he loved being married to her. He says they were good together. She kisses him. Senator Gibson is playing golf when Liz shows up. She says he had to investigate him. She says consensual sex is not illegal.
He says Olivia ran his campaign and he paid her for political services. He says Fitz has had these bitches lined up his whole tenure. He says the president can talk to him in private or on the hill on live TV. Mellie shows up and Fitz shushes her. Turns out he’s playing hide and seek with Teddy. He says he can’t find him anywhere. Mellie peeks at him behind the corner and he smiles and waves at her. Mellie looks sad and says she sees nothing. He says how did we lose a whole boy. Teddy giggles from behind the curtain.
Mellie looks sad and Fitz takes her hand. She says she doesn’t want to fight anymore and says she won’t hurt him if he doesn’t hurt her. He agrees and they claps hands. She says she’s going to get her things and will pick Teddy up tomorrow. He says okay and she goes. Teddy keeps giggling. Fitz keeps looking for Teddy laughing.
The news now talks about Fitz’s career and Cyrus being his campaign manager. They show Cyrus talking about how Olivia was a miracle worker as a strategist. Cyrus told them back then that Olivia would be a household name. The news says she’s in a unique position as a black woman in the white halls of power. Marcus tells Quinn and Huck that he’s sick of all this. He says the man said she looks conniving and the woman said at least Olivia pulled herself out of the ghetto.
He rants and says Olivia went to the best boarding school in Europe. He says he wants to shift the conversation but Huck says they have to do what Olivia says. Liz tells Fitz to talk to Gibson so he doesn’t get impeached. Abby chimes in and David is there too and says a special counsel is the worst thing and says they’ll bulldoze him and Liz. Fitz agrees to meet with Gibson. Jake and Charlie set up their cameras to monitor Elise. Charlie says he’s slick for getting back with Elise.
They’re watching Elise with an illegal art dealer Yvgeney Velenkov. He’s not B613, he’s a Russian mobster. He only has part of the art. The cameras go to snow and Charlie wants to go in there now but Jake doesn’t want to blow her cover. They hear gunshots and head in anyway. She’s been shot in the shoulder and the guy is down. She says she shot him and Jake tells her to stay with him and binds her wounds. Fitz has Gibson in the Oval with Gibson and some others.
He says he knows why they’re all there. He says he’s willing to offer some things for their mercy. He offers to help Steve in his reelection campaign. Gibson tells him to sit and says they are still at foreplay. He says let’s talk about the true cost of mercy and lays out a proposal for legislative reform. They want a bunch of democratic bills rolled back. Gibson asks to talk to Fitz alone and they others including Liz, step out. Fitz says this is extortion. Gibson says he can keep equal pay.
He says he has to give them the Brandon bill. Fitz says he won’t do it. Gibson says they’ve all had dalliances but he got caught and is now on his knees. He says he made a lot of enemies passing it and quashing it will make all the difference. Fitz says to let him think about it. Gibson says he should choose a girl who’s palatable to the base when he cheats next time. Fitz asks what that means. Gibson says the Brandon bill or impeachment. Did Gibson just tell him to sleep with a white woman next time?
The news profile continues and says that Olivia’s post-college years were typical then she started dating older and powerful men and says she was engaged once to Senate Majority leader Edison Davis. They said each relationship was with a progressively more powerful man so it makes sense she’d set her sights on the most powerful man on the planet. Fitz calls Liv to talk about the Brandon bill and she says internet people want her raped and killed and there are porn parodies about them.
He tells her to turn off the computer. She says there are at least 1000 rape threats against her on one website. She says their weak misspellings don’t make her blink. He tells her to turn off the computer no or he’ll walk through the reporters outside her place and turn it off for her. She sighs. She shuts her laptop and cries. She says she’s fine but she’s losing it but just a little bit. She says she’s fine. In Paris, Jake brings flowers to Elise at the hospital.
She says it’s just a flesh wound and he says he’s sorry he got her involved in it. She says she never showed up to Grand Central and there’s no forever for them. He asks her to come back to the states with him. Cyrus tells Mellie she needs to wield the power and Mellie says she will look like a vindictive harpie. She says taking the high road is the smart play. She asks why Cyrus is so hell bent on revenge and says he and Fitz were friends and colleagues. Cyrus says he devoted 14 years of his life to them.
He says Fitz kicked him in the teeth and didn’t look back. Mellie says she can walk away with some dignity. Cyrus says the difference between them was that she never loved him and says he would have died for that man and loved him like a son. He says that rips a hole inside you and says Mellie’s child is dead and she can visit his grave but his child is down the road and he can’t see him or protect him. He says he’s not there to shelter him or remove the obstacles in his path.
He tells Mellie her child is safe in the ground where all the bad things are past. Cyrus says turn on the news and the bad things for his child are just getting started. Mellie tells him to get out before she has him tossed out. He says he quits and leaves. The news profile talks about impeachment and says Fitz may face charges if he broke the law. Marcus comes out of OPA and the press surrounds him and asks why she won’t defend herself. They says she’s usually so well spoken.
Marcus says what they mean is that she’s well spoken for a black woman. Quinn says he went off script and he says this is war and there is no script. He says he took a punch because he had to and that’s how he gladiates. Huck and Quinn also go on the offensive as Marcus directs them. He says they’re shading her using coded language and says it’s dog whistle politics. He says it’s bigotry coded in language. They read off the synonyms that are coded to mean very specific things about women of color.
Huck, Quinn and Marcus toast their efforts. Marcus asks who will tell Olivia that he works there now. Huck says he will since Olivia doesn’t like to yell at him since he’s damaged. Fitz comes to Abby and says Olivia told him he can’t fire her because she did what she would do. Abby says she learned from the best. He shows her Gibson’s request and she says the Brandon bill is his legacy. She says if he wants to avoid impeachment, it’s smart to give it up. Fitz says they don’t work for Olivia.
He says their playbook is the Constitution. He says it’s about the right thing not the smart thing. Olivia smiles as the news reports show Huck, Quinn and Marcus on the news. The news breaks in and says the President is on the move. He’s in her neighborhood and gets out at her building. He walks in past the press as the news says he’s visiting the woman with whom he’s been having an affair. She smiles as she waits for the elevator. She asks what the hell he’s doing. He says the right thing.
He says he’s taking his girlfriend on a date. He tells the Secret Service guys to look away while he makes out with his girlfriend. They kiss. They walk out of her apartment and the news says it’s a bold move as if he’s daring the world to come between them. The news report wonders if she’ll become the first lady or the first lady to take down a sitting president. Mellie meets with the other Senatorial ladies and says let’s impeach him.
THE END!
