The President's been shot and could die. His aid—quite an important member of his campaign team—dies, and the First Lady has survived without the same fates as the other two. The Vice President sickeningly propped herself up in the wake of his shooting as if he would kick the bucket any moment, and she was ready to hop into the Presidency without batting an eyelash. This episode alternates between the past and present. Olivia and Fitz' affair after his securing the Presidency is shown. Cy and his in-the-closet relationship with James, the reporter, gets some focus. The bombing of Cytron by Doyle has Olivia terrified and tormented, Cy barely phased by it and looking at those dead (and Quinn set up for it) as being considered patriots (he's focuses on Fitz' State of the Union), and Hollis considering his deeds necessary. It appears that Sally will attain the Presidency she covets while Fitz recovers from surgery. Oh, but the shocking reveal of who the shooter was
now *this* will knock your socks off! This episode efficiently catalogues what drove Olivia out of the White House, and corresponding with her way out, in present day, it shows how she hops back to work as damage control. It appears as if everything built is crumbling before it could seriously get started. Probably the best scene has Fitz and Olivia acknowledging their deep love for each other; the sheer passion in the delivery is emotionally potent stuff. Touching the constitution, the romp on the night Fitz become President (after *four* inaugural balls) in the Oval Office, and the discussions about their affairs (heated, sometimes, and burdensome others) all highlight this insightful episode of Scandal. The Supreme Court nomination, Stephen Collins' media news host providing updates on the President, and the Vice President's potential Presidency all feature highly in the episode's development. I guess you could certainly consider this one of the series' vital episodes up until this point, as it seems to indicate that the administration hoping to change the country for the better could barely make a dent (Cy's emotional breakdown in his office and Olivia's collapsing to tears holding Fitz' jogging sweatshirt both add potency to this) leaves the viewer hanging big time on what happens next.
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