Scandal Season 7 Episode 7: Something Borrowed Review

If you would like to read my review of last week’s episode, click here.

Synopsis: The first half of the final season ends with shocking revelations and jaw-dropping events. (TVGuide)

Writers: Mark Fish

Director: Sharat Raju

Rating: TV-14

Running Time: 43 mins

“Something Borrowed”starts off with showing us what happened to Quinn. She’s kidnapped from the elevator moments before she makes it to the office. We didn’t expect she’d run right?  At QPA, Charlie and Huck are discussing ways to torture Quinn’s captors (with some modified fidget spinners to get that reference in) when Abby comes in with some info on a dead pregnant woman who was found.

At the Oval, Mellie is prepping the treaty, but she’s more concerned about Olivia’s friend. And Olivia is just as concerned, she wants Jake using every resource possible to find Quinn so that Command can deal with her captors. Marcus and Fitz watch Mellie talk on TV about the treaty giving Marcus the idea of bringing Mellie and her political capital onto something that matters, like their justice reform, but Fitz knows he’s no longer in the inner circle.

Olivia arrives home where she finds Charlie sitting in front of her door. He can’t bring himself to go and see if the body is Quinn. That’s true love right there. Olivia is sure it isn’t her because Quinn is strong, but Charlie is still losing it. Right after he leaves, Olivia breaks down too. She can’t handle what’s going on. Charlie decides to make it over to Germantown and check the body, and thankfully it isn’t her.

Cyrus pulls Abby aside and assures her that Fenton won’t be a problem, but he’s scarred from the experience. She reveals that the information that Fenton was connected to someone on the tarmac came from Jake. Cyrus immediately confronts Jake and explains that in his shady business there are no assumptions, only absolute certainties.

Jake goes to Olivia and discusses the current situation. She’s still not doing well and even starts questioning if they are the monsters. Is this her redemption arc FINALLY? But before she can see the light, she’s called away to a meeting with Rowan. She is not amused and is ready to leave, but he reveals that he has Quinn. It’s his reckoning and he will trade Quinn for his freedom and his bones. He wins, she loses. She brings this to Jake, she sees it as a bluff, but Jake isn’t as convinced.

Marcus sets up a meeting with Mellie to ask that they work together for Fitz’s institute. He wants to accomplish something worthwhile, but Mellie isn’t interested because she wants to create her own legacy outside the shadow of her ex-husband. I think he didn’t explain his pitch well enough, he definitely didn’t mean the emotions she perceived.

David Rosen arrives at QPA with a list of Jane Does for the team to sort through to rule them out. Abby is thankful, but wants to focus on the person present in front of her. Rosen is too shaken up by everything and decides to leave though. And thus we have tension. Jake confronts Rowan and threatens him with crossing Olivia, but he says bring it. Olivia knows her father is smart and now he’s holding all the cards thanks to Jake.

Meanwhile, Olivia goes to meet her mom, who is living a life of luxury for everything she has done. Olivia explains the situation to her mom and that Rowan is holding Quinn ransom for his freedom and dinosaur “bones.” Her mom questions why she would help, but before Olivia leaves in disgust, she says that the only way to beat her dad is to let Quinn die because that is what Command does.

One of Olivia Pope’s employees meets with Curtis Pryce about information on the assassination of President Rashad and immediately after the meeting she calls Jake. “It’s done.” Jake you snake, what game is this? The next morning the news is reporting that Curtis Pryce has gone missing and Jake finds that’s oddly satisfying. Abby questions that David isn’t all-in on their situation, but he doesn’t want to lose her from the dangerous world she lives in.

When Fitz comes to the White House to pick up Teddy, he is greeted by Mellie who wants to talk about working with his institute. Why the change of heart all of a sudden. Olivia sits down with Jake and discusses if Quinn is worth giving Command back to her father. He explains that she can’t have everything like she hoped. This is Highlander, there can only be one Command. Olivia or Rowan, one must die.

The next day is a monumental one as Mellie has a press conference on peace in the Middle East. While she will be praised for this accomplishment, Mellie gives a Scandal-style monologue to Olivia about how she is the real reason that the world is better off. “Nothing, no one, no man standing in our way.” Is this more redemption for Olivia? We can hope so.

Olivia meets up with Rowan who immediately asks “Perkins’ life or my freedom?” and pulls a gun on his daughter. He won’t kill her, but Olivia wouldn’t be able to live knowing Quinn and her baby’s blood would be on her hands. She explains that Command needs to remove their problem and right now Olivia is his problem. He puts the gun to her head and she tempts him to pull it, but he can’t bring himself to do it.

The episode ends with Olivia calling headquarters and places a kill order on ‘Eli Pope’ giving him twenty minutes to convince her otherwise. He threatens to kill Quinn, but she says if Quinn and her baby have to die for the greater good then so be it. He can’t handle how Rowan-esque she has become and he storms off into another room and shoots his gun. We hear Quinn scream and he shoots a second time. Olivia stands, shocked and paralyzed in the house with Rowan asking the simple question, “Do you want to see the body?”

Questions

• Is Quinn dead?
• Is Rowan working alone or did he plan this with Quinn? Is Fitz still involved?
• Will Abby and David stay together for the remainder of the season?
• How will Mellie work with Fitz’s institute?
• Will Fenton question more about what happened to him?
• Will Cyrus become a thorn in Jake and B613’s side?
• How will Charlie and Huck react to learning Rowan was Quinn’s kidnapper?

Overall, this was an alright mid-season finale. It did have the occasional fun monologue, but the story dragged a bit with the subplots being a little underwhelming. The main story of Quinn’s kidnapping was a bit choppy in its structure for this episode as it jumped from character to character dealing with their feelings on the situation.

As a mid-season finale it seemed like the writers felt forced to tie up the Curtis Pryce story while also having a way to have a Mama Pope cameo and still feature Fitz and Marcus, who have next to no reason to be around still. It’s a little hard to believe that a show would kill off a pregnant main character, but Shonda has surprised us before on all three of her shows and this is the perfect way to make Scandal go out with a bang in its final season. In eight long weeks we will know the truth.

Score: 7.5/10

What did you think of “Something Borrowed”? What did you think of the mid-season finale? Let me know in the comments below!

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Dylan Phillips