Scandal (2012–2018): Season 2, Episode 11 - A Criminal, a Whore, an Idiot and a Liar - full transcript

Fitz calls a press conference to show that he is able to return to his duties. And we take a look at when during his campaign, when everyone (Cyrus, Mellie and Olivia) were concerned that ...

EDISON: If that letter from
President Grant was forged,

there will be joint
Congressional hearings

and letters of impeachment.

Goodbye, Edison.

OLIVIA: Previously on Scandal...

Which one of you forged his signature?

I did.

It's a federal crime. It's treason.

SALLY: I have a sworn affidavit

saying that your husband
has failed to so much as open his eyes.

- (CELL PHONE RINGS)
- Hello.



Hi.

Hi.

Oh, hi.

"Oh, hi"?

Hello, Edison.

Olivia.

OLIVIA: What?
EDISON: What's going on?

- With us.
- Nothing.

- Nothing is going on with us?
- Edison...

This serious boyfriend that you had,
the one that you broke up with...

Look, I have a lot to do tomorrow
and I haven't had much sleep

- and I'm not in the mood to...
- The serious boyfriend.

Was it Fitzgerald Grant?

(CHUCKLES)



You're asking me if I was
in a relationship with the President.

- Yes.
- He's married.

- Yes.
- He's the President.

- Yes.
- Is this a joke? Are you kidding?

I'm waiting for you
to answer the question.

You're mad because I wouldn't let you
into the President's hospital room.

Not mad. Concerned. Wary.
Suspicious.

Don't be.

Because the President's
not your boyfriend?

You really want to stop asking me that.

I've been wracking my brain
trying to find a reason

why you'd be stupid enough to willingly
attempt to defraud the American people,

and the only reason I can come up
with for why you'd be in so deep

is because you were his mistress.

Five, that's sexist and insulting.

You'd never suggest Scooter Libby
was screwing Dick Cheney.

Four, the lengths you're going
to try to twist this into a conspiracy

are cause for concern. You should
speak to someone about that.

Three,
the President is awake and talking.

And the suggestion that he isn't
is partisan political crap

that I thought you had enough integrity
to rise above.

Two, in the past three minutes,

you've called me a criminal, a whore,
an idiot, and a liar.

So this is pretty much the last time
we'll be speaking.

So, one, who I am or am not screwing,
what I am or am not doing,

is no longer any of your damn business.

You forget how well I know you.

You, this angry?
You have something to hide.

I have been summoned to a meeting
at the White House tomorrow

with Acting President Langston

about the letter of reinstatement,
which she says is a forgery.

And she's going to tell that to the entire
Cabinet first thing in the morning.

So if there is something
that you want to tell me,

do it now
when I still have time to help you.

(BEEPS)

Cyrus?

We have a problem.

Increasing our military presence
in Asia costs money, Governor.

Which is why we'd have to shift
our defense spending...

You can't just run to daddy
and ask for the dough on this one.

(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

- Use the attack line!
- Attack line!

Go to my website, look at
my spending plans, do the math...

- Oh, no...
- Now he's giving the voters homework.

...fiscal budget, we can afford to make...

I'm sorry, Governor,
we have to move on.

I deserve a chance to respond.

You think you deserve everything,
don't you, Governor?

No... (CHUCKLES)

GOVERNOR RESTON: If we could,
back to Medicare.

No, look, look. Governor Reston...

I can't. Tell me when it's over.

You need 270 electoral college votes
to win, right?

And you've got 188 locked up
from the deep red states,

so you need a pickup of 82 votes,
most likely from a combination of

Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Colorado,
Nevada and North Carolina.

So, basically? You can't afford
to lose more than one of them.

- And if I do?
- You're toast.

Did the debate move the needle at all?

RONA: Not in your favor.

I'm sorry, Governor. Numbers don't lie.

As the individual helping
finance this little enterprise,

I'd like to start feeling
like I'm getting my money's worth.

We've still got a month left.
Plenty of time to turn things around.

That's just whistling past the graveyard.
We need to do something.

You have a suggestion?

Stack the deck.

I found a computer nerd of my own,

says he can rig the election for Grant,
easy as pie.

- Very funny.
- Am I laughing?

Okay, you saying "rig the election"
on a campaign plane

is like joking that you have a bomb
in the security line at the airport.

You don't do it
unless you want to end up

having your body cavities
searched by big men with guns.

Oh, just trying to help.
We got a problem, I am a solution man.

Your solution is a felony.

Well, then, you're the fix-it gal.

Quit bitching and start pitching.

Those numbers are fatal.

(CLEARS THROAT)
What this campaign needs

is a big pointy boot
to kick it square in the ass.

I was thinking... (SIGHS)

...maybe it's time we brought in help.

- He's not going to like it.
- He will learn to like it.

- Are we talking about Jerry?
- Fitz's father? That's a...

That's brilliant, I wondered why
he wasn't on the trail.

I figured maybe his health wasn't good?

Oh, it's good.

The good Senator Fitzgerald
Thomas Grant II is gonna bury us all.

Fitz has been very clear
about his father.

He'll never agree to it.

That was then, this is 10 points down.

- No! You know better. You know...
- We are losing. We are lost!

- I can win this on my own!
- You have political capital.

You need to start spending it...

I need to point out, voices carry.

You might want to
either lower the volume

or continue this conversation in a room.

You talk to him.
He actually listens to you.

(DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

(PANTING)

Fitz. We're all concerned.

The campaign needs a spark.
Your father could be it.

I really don't want
to discuss my father right now.

Your father is a national treasure.

Self-made man, two terms as...

Governor, four-time senator. I know.

The image of him
passing on the torch to his son,

that will ignite the base.
The press loves him.

Everyone loves him.
I don't want him here.

He can help.

You need help right now.

You really think we're at that place?

We're at that place.

If I say yes,

will you stop talking about the campaign
for the next 20 minutes?

Why?

- Hmm...
- (SIGHS)

The bullet tore
through your frontal lobe.

We managed the swelling,
and with any luck,

the effects you see will be minimal.

- Effects such as...
- Dizziness, fatigue, irritability.

The symptoms we commonly
associate with concussions.

And if they're not?

Our frontal lobes
control executive function.

So, sometimes in patients we've seen
an inability to make decisions,

a shorter attention span.

We've had patients
who haven't been able to write,

- patients who suffer from aphasia...
- Aphasia?

- Speech impairment?
- Either you can't speak at all,

or if you can,
it's hard to find your words.

We'll also be on the lookout
for changes in personality.

It all depends on the patient.

That's why I want to get
our neurology team

in here pronto and see where we are.

So, when can I get back to work?

Assuming there's
no permanent damage? Three weeks.

(SIGHS)

Walking across a room
will feel like a marathon.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Am I interrupting?

Thank you, Doctor.

What is it?

I'm afraid we have
a Sally Langston problem.

The letter of reinstatement
submitted on behalf of President Grant

was entirely premature.

Regrettably, he is not
in any sort of condition

to resume the powers and
responsibilities of this office at this time.

Understanding, as always,
that our first and only duty

is to the American people,

I have prepared a document
for your signatures

declaring that we are left no choice

but to challenge President Grant's

- fitness to again assume...
- (DOOR OPENS)

Morning, everyone.

Sorry I'm late.

Are we sure this was a good idea?

He's just going to show his face,
shake a few hands,

hear 10 minutes of a briefing
and go back to bed.

And Sally disappears forever

into that political black hole
called the vice-presidency.

WOMAN: He's looking great.
MAN: Guy's a medical miracle.

Madam Vice President.
How are you today?

(BOTH LAUGHING)

That was small of me.
I need to work on that.

I need a fresh shirt.
Ask Edie to send one down for me.

Why don't we get you up to bed?

I have to get down to the Sit Room.

Fitz. You did it. You're back.

You're President.
You have nothing to prove.

Until Sally Langston puts a letter on
my desk accepting my reinstatement,

I have everything to prove.

Have I thanked you for that, by the way?

For forging my signature
and forcing me out of the hospital

before my stitches had healed to
save you from jail and keep my job?

Thank you.

I can't show any weakness.

This is not a show of weakness.

You were shot,
you've made a miraculous recovery.

No one is expecting you to spend
five hours in a military briefing.

Sally Langston
is dancing around the fire

and she's not going to stop
until my head is on a stick!

They need to see me, not her,

being Commander-in-Chief
of the Armed Forces.

I need a clean shirt.

And that's the difference
between Governor Reston and me.

My plan provides for &2 trillion
in discretionary spending cuts...

Just say "spending cuts."

"Discretionary" confuses people.

&2 trillion in spending cuts,

which will save Americans money
and stimulate growth...

JERRY: Ah, to hell with spending cuts,

- I want my taxes lowered.
- (PEOPLE MURMURING)

We titans of industry built this nation.

We deserve to get a little relief
in these difficult economic times.

Everybody seems to forget
that the rich need help, too.

Boy, that sounded better in my head
than it did out loud, didn't it?

- (CHUCKLING) Jerry!
- (ALL LAUGHING)

We are so glad that you came.

- Anything for you.
- Aw!

- (KISSES)
- (GIGGLES)

- Good to see you, Jer.
- Yeah.

- Hello, Fitzgerald.
- Dad.

- Everybody, why don't we take a break?
- No, no, no, keep working.

I'm just furniture.

Hello.

- MAN: Good to see you, Jerry.
- Hi.

Where was I?

OLIVIA: Uh, "Save Americans money,
stimulate growth..."

Save Americans money
and stimulate growth,

while reducing the national debt
by &5 trillion over the next 10 years.

From a deficit that right now increases
by an average of &3.68 billion a day...

This isn't a funeral, son. Perk up.

You've got the looks, add the charm.

FITZ: As I was saying...

JERRY: Okay, go on.

&5 trillion from a deficit

that right now increases by an average

of &3.68 billion a day. A day.

- When I am President, I will...
- JERRY: Uh, no, no, no.

Nobody wants to hear all that math.
Here. Let me show you how it's done.

Up, up, up.

(PEOPLE MURMURING)

MAN: Welcome, sir.
JERRY: My pleasure. (SIGHS)

All right, sweetheart. Feed it to me.

(SIGHS)

OLIVIA: A lot of people think this election
is about the economy.

Mmm-hmm.

Tell us what differentiates your
economic plan from Governor Reston's.

A mother is standing
on the sidewalk, choking.

She's swallowed a penny accidently,
and it's lodged in her throat.

A man in a suit comes by,

gives her the Heimlich,

and out pops the penny.
Well, the woman says,

- (MOUTHING)
- "Gosh, Doc,

"I can't thank you enough."

And the guy in the suit said,
(CHUCKLES)

"Oh, no, I'm not a doctor.
I'm from the IRS."

Then he snatched the penny
and he ran off.

That's what's gonna happen if this guy
wins the election. Next question.

(LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

- (PEOPLE LAUGHING)
- JERRY: No, no, that's not the best part.

I come back from Nevada after
watching them test a hydrogen bomb,

and I see these bruises on my chest.
So I go to an oncologist and I say,

"Look at these bruises,
I think I've been exposed to radiation,

"what should I do?" He looks at me
and he looks at my bruises and he says,

"Nevada?" I go, "Yeah."
And he goes, "Jerry,

"that's from leaning too hard
against the craps table."

(LAUGHTER)

Verna was there. She remembers.

I was more of a poker girl.

I bet she was.

- So when do you hit Florida?
- C YRUS: Thursday.

You think you can join us, Jer?

- Hey...
- FITZ: No.

You stump in Oregon,
I'll handle Florida myself.

(LAUGHS) Son.
Oh, no, you need me in Florida.

No, I don't.

These young boys today,
they think they invented politics.

He definitely wants you in Florida...

Did I say I wanted him in Florida?

JERRY: I realize
you don't think I know anything.

But I've done more in the past 20 years
than you'll do in an entire lifetime.

You'll want me in Florida.

Unless you want to lose.
Do you want to lose, son?

(SCOFFS)

We'd be glad to have you.

So can I ask you
about your campaign strategy?

- No.
- Honey.

Why aren't you
digging up dirt on Reston?

We've had a clean campaign so far.

Fitz wants to keep it that way.
I think it's admirable.

Well, I think it's weak.

If you want to win the presidency,
you have to attack. Be strong.

- Finish off your competition.
- You know this from experience?

MELLIE: Fitz...

No, Dad's giving me advice.

I'm just wondering if it's from his vast
experience running for President.

Oh, wait, you never ran, did you?

Because men who get caught
sleeping with prostitutes

don't get to be leader of the free world.

Right?

- Who wants coffee?
- FITZ: What was her name, Charity?

No, it was Hope.

Hard to forget that name.

You really kept hope alive,
didn't you, Dad?

- Fitz...
- No, Hope is alive.

- Mom's dead, though.
- VERNA: Enough!

(FITZ SIGHS)

Jerry, I'm so sorry.

It's fine. We have all had a long day.
Hmm?

And I think I'm going to turn in.

(KISSES)

(CHUCKLES AND KISSES)

(SOFTLY) We'll talk about this
in the morning.

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

(SIGHS AND MUTTERS)

(CLEARS THROAT)

You didn't wait for me.

It's late. We can talk in the morning.

We could go to your room. Talk there.

Or...

...not talk.
- Fitz. You're drunk.

And you're sad. You should get to bed.

- I'm trying to get to bed.
- Stop it.

- Come on.
- Really. No, no.

If you want to talk, we can talk.

We can get a cup of coffee,
you can sober up but...

- (CHUCKLES)
- (GRUNTS)

- FITZ: Come on.
- (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

Fitzgerald.

- (HEAD THUDS)
- Oh.

Um...

I'm sorry.

Sorry.

(SIGHS)

Mellie...

I want to apologize. For Fitz.

That's not like him.

But he has had too much to drink

and he has always
had problems with his father and I just...

He respects you. He needs you.

We both do.

And I just don't want
what happened here tonight...

I'm so sorry. I am.

I know how you must feel
and I am so sorry.

It's okay. Really. I'm fine.

You don't have to apologize to me.

I don't know what he'd do without you.

I don't know
what I would do without you.

(EXHALES)

The trouble with precision airstrikes
is they're not precise.

There's too much collateral damage.

Again, I think we should
have a SEAL team go in

and either capture or kill...

Kinyazi.

The East Sudan leader.

Send in a SEAL team
to capture or kill Kinyazi.

Yes, exactly.

- Thank you all.
- ALL: Mr. President.

There's no such thing
as a clean campaign.

- (SIGHS)
- It's an oxymoron.

(CONTINUES TALKING
INDISTINCTLY)

There's still time to call Hollis.
We don't have to put up with this.

So we rig an election instead, Cyrus?

I'm just saying, it's an option.

I'm kidding.

(DOOR OPENS)

My son and I have had a talk.

We're gonna need oppo on Reston.
Everything. SAT scores,

parking tickets.
If he didn't put the seat down once,

- we wanna hear about it.
- Sir, with all due respect...

As I said before, we've been running
a clean campaign since the primary.

Well, now I'm telling you to get me
some dirt that we can pin on Reston.

- Sir, we don't work for you.
- We work for the Governor.

(SCOFFS)

Do we bring pillows
to a knife fight, son?

No, sir.

Do we wanna run a real campaign?

- Yes, sir.
- JERRY: There you go.

Do what he says.

- Harrison Wright, Abby Whelan.
- Pleasure's all mine. Hi.

- Hi.
- Listen, Liv, we gotta make this quick.

I've got a meeting
with the parole officer in half an hour.

(DOOR OPENS)

Oh, God!

Oh!

I think he's coming over here.

I'm Huck.

I brought you all here to dig up
some dirt on the Reston campaign.

Disgruntled ex-girlfriends,
old co-workers, whatever we can find.

The dirtier, the better.

HARRISON: So, this is politics, huh?

OLIVIA: What about
Mrs. Reston's accounts?

HUCK: Clean.

ABB Y: So have you known
the Restons a long time?

HARRISON: Talk to me.
What haven't they uncovered?

He was a rager who crashed his car
into a tree after a Christmas party.

- Excellent.
- HARRISON: The only witness is a loyal.

- And there's no public record, so...
- So, dead intel.

- Abby?
- He was a manwhore. With a temper.

OLIVIA: How bad?

He had a bevy of Pi-Phi's
at his beck and call.

Lots of them are still bitter about
his less-than-chivalrous dating style.

But then he met Joan and mellowed out.

Stayed true, as far as I can tell.

- When did he meet Joan?
- '87.

Around the same time he quit drinking.

You know, perhaps we need
more experienced

and house-trained people on this.

- Sir, these people...
- No more excuses.

If we don't get something on Reston,

something that sticks, we may just as
well pull all of our ads, pack up camp.

Fitzgerald can't pull this off on his own.
You know it and I know it.

We put all the lipstick
we can on this pig.

It's time to pony up
and seriously consider all the options.

- There are no options, Hollis.
- Yes, there are.

I'm not saying I agree with it.

But we should discuss it.

Election rigging is not an option.

I'm talking about
doing a patriotic thing here.

You're not serious.

I may be a son of a bitch, but Fitz is
clean as a whistle. Am I right, Cyrus?

He's the real deal.

A patriot,

a believer.

How rare is that?
How often does that come along?

Once in a generation. If you're lucky.

I'm just saying this is our chance
to put a man with integrity

inside that big White House.

So you want to do this because
Fitz is so good? Really?

Doesn't matter why I wanna do it.
Matters why you'd want to.

What are we talking about?

Nothing.

Pull up a chair, Mellie.

Let's have a discussion.

Fitz is out on his feet. He's weak,
has trouble concentrating, plain as day.

Him presiding over a national security
crisis. It's damn near treason.

- He's nixed the airstrikes.
- Oh, he's what?

Do I bring him before Congress?

Expose his unfitness
to the American people?

No. No. You do nothing.

You just let him hang himself
with his own lasso.

Mulish pridefulness
about proving himself

has always been
that boy's Achilles' heel.

Going back to him and his daddy.

All you got to do is lay back
and be set to step in

once he crashes and burns.

RONA: Your dad is helping.

The numbers
are giving you good news. Although...

Although?

You're still seven points down overall.

(GROANS)

Come on!
How was this not fixed earlier? You!

You have done this before, right?

This is not your first time
plugging in a microphone?

We did hire someone
who knows how to do this job, right?

Governor! That's Jason.

And he's almost done fixing the
sound system. He just needs a minute.

This is a town hall forum,

you've got people
spread all around the room.

And I cannot hear what they are saying.

What's the point of a debate prep
if I can't debate?

Everyone, good work,
but let's call it a night.

Go home, get some sleep,
we'll start here again at 7:00 a.m.

Not you.

Those people are working
their butts off for you.

Then we need better people!

Or we need a better candidate.

Screw you.

I'm getting killed in these debates.
I lose votes in these debates.

I need to be prepared!

Which is what we were doing
when you started yelling at people.

I am yelling
because no one is doing their job!

- Your job is to make sure I win.
- Good!

I was worried you thought my job

is to get felt up in elevators
by my drunken candidate.

I'm sorry about that.
You know I'm sorry about that.

- Do you even want this?
- What?

- Do you even want to be President?
- Obviously.

- Is it obvious?
- I'm running.

You're running
like you're being chased.

You're not running like
you want to cross a finish line first.

And so I'm asking you, do you want it?

Or are you just wasting everyone's time

and money and energy
and faith and hopes and dreams?

- I want it.
- Why?

- Liv...
- Why do you want to be the President?

- Okay, Olivia.
- Why?

I don't know what you want me to say!

That's your problem.

You're always trying to say
what you think everyone wants to hear.

Be what you think
everyone wants you to be.

And I should have caught it before.
I would have if we weren't...

(OLIVIA SIGHS)

I know you.
Because you let me know you.

But America has no idea who you are

because you've never let them
know who you are.

Nobody can tell you how to do that.
I can't fix that,

because I'm not running for President,
neither is Cyrus.

Neither is your father. So who are you?

And why do you want to be President?

Mellie came to me,
I tried to stop it, but he's Fitz.

He'll look okay on TV, but...

- What?
- The man is supposed to be

in the hospital and instead,
he's been working all day.

I don't think he'll last on his feet
more than 30 seconds.

You have to shut this down.

(DOOR CLOSES)

I hear someone is being stubborn.

Cyrus sent you.

It might not be wise to answer
questions on live TV in your condition.

It might not be wise,
but that's what I'm going to do.

You mind telling me why?

What you said, I'm stubborn.

(EXHALES)

(CHUCKLES)

You almost died.

- Yes.
- Don't do it again.

Okay.

(KISSES)

(OLIVIA SIGHS)

You can't do this press conference.
You're not strong enough. Not yet.

I'm doing the press conference.

Tell me why.
Tell me why it's so important to you.

(FITZ GROANS SOFTLY)

This is my office.

I'm the President.

They can shoot me if they want to.
But I'm not going anywhere.

Because the people of this country
elected me to this office.

And the people deserve to see me
and to know that I'm in charge.

- (KNOCKING ON DOOR)
- (DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

Well?

He's doing the press conference. Live.

And he's going to take questions.

- And it's going to be great.
- And it's going to be great.

(SIGHS)

Reston's narrative is that
he was an angry young man

until meeting his wife, Joan,

who turned him into the upstanding
public servant he is today.

Turns out, it wasn't love that fixed him.
It was Prozac.

Hmm.

But this isn't Reston's.

We pulled it from his trash.

His doctors hide it
under a bunch of fake names,

but they all lead back
to Samuel Montrose Reston.

Fluoxetine,

- 60 milligrams a day.
- For the past 20 years.

That's a pretty heavy habit.

OLIVIA: My suggestion,
if we choose to go forward with this,

is to leak rumors
of prescription drug abuse

to the press before the final debate.
It'll take over the news cycle,

and prevent Reston
from being able to prepare properly.

That's a fine suggestion, honey.
But that's not what we're gonna do.

We're gonna sit on it
until the debate itself

then you're gonna work it
into one of your answers

and blindside Reston

and send him
up a creek without a paddle,

and demolish him in the process.

OLIVIA: Ahh.
JERRY: (CHUCKLES) Huh?

If you need a rest
or don't know the answer to a question,

take a sip of water.
This is a press conference.

This is a town hall style debate.

Real Americans with real questions
looking to you for real answers.

Put them at ease.
This isn't about military strategy,

it's about convincing
the American people

that their Commander-in-Chief
is not just back,

but up to the job.

So I wait for a question
about the military.

That's when you drop the bomb.

We give them a choice between a
candidate who's flown combat missions

and a candidate
who takes anti-depressants.

Got it?

Got it?

Fitz.

I got it.

Good. Now show them...

...who you are.

(CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING)

At 5:00 this evening,
Eastern Standard Time,

a U.S. Navy SEAL team
parachuted into East Sudan

and captured its president,
Nijam Kinyazi.

GOVERNOR RESTON:
The Governor is posturing, Carl.

He wants you to believe that he's
trustworthy, that he's his father.

He's not his father. His father
was a self-made man. The Governor,

he was made on
a boarding school assembly line.

He can't relate to you.

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

FITZ: Yes, Carol?

What were the casualties?

- None on our side.
- CAROL: And theirs?

I don't have numbers for you yet
but I'm told there were several,

all non-civilian.

Yeah, Peter.

PETER: Having just survived
an assassination attempt,

is there any concern about PTSD
or impaired brain functioning

that could affect your judgment?

(SHUTTERS CLICKING)

(REPORTERS MURMURING)

Oh, boy.

MODERATOR: The next question
is for Governor Grant.

And it's from Jessica Moran.

- Jessica.
- JESSICA: Governor Grant.

Hi, Jessica.

As the mother of an 18-year-old boy
who's about to enlist in the Army,

why should I trust you
as our next Commander-in-Chief?

This is it.

People talk about the lack of patriotism
in our country.

They're wrong,
and your son is proof of that.

Now, as for whether you should trust
me as Commander-in-Chief...

Say it.

(CHUCKLES)

What I should say
is that I've served in the military,

and I've flown combat missions

and the courage that I exhibited
makes me fit to lead this country.

That's what I should say

because my pollsters
and aides and advisors

tell me that's what you want to hear.

What's he doing?

But the truth is, Jessica,

those years I spent in the Navy...

It wasn't courage I felt, it was fear.

Fear that I'd crash.

Fear that the life that I wanted to live

would end in a ball of flames
a million miles from home.

It literally made me sick.

Now, does that mean I am not fit
to be Commander-in-Chief?

No.

In fact, I've never felt more ready.
Weakness is our strength.

It's what makes us human.
It's where our compassion comes from.

I don't believe this.

Our humility. All qualities that make
for a great Commander-in-Chief.

You can't have someone protect you
if they don't know what you're afraid of.

I know what you're afraid of.
I know what your son's afraid of.

Why? Because I'm afraid of it, too.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDS)

JESSICA: Thank you.

- Works for me.
- Grant the Protector.

Pull the file on Reston's stint
as Baltimore DA.

- We're painting him as soft on crime.
- Yeah.

FITZ: Good night.

You knocked it out of the park, sir.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

(JERRY LAUGHS)

So that's how you're gonna
win this thing, huh?

By taking out a hanky and crying?

She teed it up for you and you whiffed.

(FITZ SCOFFS)

I know that I have won
fewer elections than you.

But not because you are better
than me, because you are not.

You're a petty man. You're an
underhanded man. You're a small man.

And I don't want to be you.
Not now, not ever.

You're gonna lose this election,

and it's gonna be the end
of this so-called career of yours.

You're not cut out to lead.

You never were.

And I may be petty,
or whatever else you want to call me,

but I'm a winner.

And that is something you will never be.

(JERRY CHUCKLES)

Mr. President, if I could have a word.

You're gonna need to move this stuff
out of here, Sally.

Of course. I'll send someone right away.

What do you need?

I just wanted to congratulate you
on Kinyazi.

I didn't think a SEAL team
was the way to go. I was wrong.

These things don't always break
your way. This time it did.

I also wanted to give you this.

It's a copy of my letter
accepting your reinstatement.

When I questioned your readiness
to serve,

I was just thinking about our country,
where it would leave us,

how it would make us look to the world.

I wasn't rooting for you to fail or die.

The truth is, your getting shot

was the scariest thing
that ever happened to me.

I haven't slept a night
during this whole time.

It is not easy being President.

Thank you, Sally.

You are welcome, Mr. President.

I've got my boy sleeping
with his phone under his pillow.

One call from me, this election is ours.

- No.
- DO YLE: If we don't use him,

we're gonna lose this thing.

Or maybe you thought
that little math girlie was wrong

about how everything's
gonna shake out in Ohio?

I can't believe
we're having this conversation.

VERNA: Olivia. Let's be practical.

- What do you want?
- What?

- What do you want out of this?
- I don't know what...

Verna here is gonna be
a Supreme Court Justice

first time there's a vacancy.
Cyrus is gonna be Chief of Staff.

Mellie, well, First Lady.

And what are you, Hollis?

I'm the guy everyone sitting here
owes a favor to.

Olivia. You need to think
about your future.

And decide. What do you want?

- It has to be unanimous.
- Cyrus...

No, the only way we trust each other
is if everybody's ass is on the line.

If it's not unanimous, we don't do it.

Then we don't do it.

(OLIVIA SIGHS)

Governor?

Fitz? Are you all right?

My father had a heart attack
and died 20 minutes ago.

It was a very nice funeral.

I liked what you said about your father.

It was a lie.

The story about the dog
he got me for my 10th birthday,

I made it up.

Because you can't get up
at your father's funeral

and tell the story about how
you sat outside his office door

on your 10th birthday and listened
to him bang his secretary.

(GRUNTS)

(EXHALES)

I'm not sad.

I'm relieved.

I'm free.

- (WOOD CLATTERS)
- (GRUNTS)

And I want it, Liv.

I want to win this election.

I'm going to win it.

It's mine.

Do you think
I'll make a good President?

I think you'll make a great President.

Put down the axe. Put it down.

Come here.

(STIFLED CRYING)

(SOBBING)

I'm changing my locks.

I wanted to talk to you
and I didn't want to wait in the hall.

We're done talking.

I've been thinking about this.
Everything.

And you were right.

It was sexist to suggest you were
in a relationship with the President.

I was wrong to think
there was a conspiracy,

that someone forged
the President's signature.

I'm sorry. I was wrong.

You forget that I know you too well.

And so I know
when you are lying, Edison.

I love you.

I'm in love with you.
And I don't care what you've done,

who you've loved, I don't care.

And if you'll have me,
I would very much like to marry you.

You were incredible today.
I've never seen anything like it.

That press conference was flawless,
struck just the right tone.

Presidential. Strong.
Everything back to normal.

I was worried, I have to admit,

I was very worried.
Something like this happens,

a shooting or an accident...

You remember Senator Hutchins?
He was in that car accident,

now he's a quadriplegic
and his poor wife,

she has to change his diapers.

I can't even imagine...

Your life can change in an instant.

We were lucky. You're back.
You're you.

That is...

To have our life
go back to the way it was

is a gift.

Everything's good. I'm grateful.
I'm so grateful.

And honestly?

Your approval rating
has never been higher.

You can have anything you want
right now.

Anything. We should think about that.

We should take advantage
of this moment. Politically.

But we have to be smart about it.

What do you think? What do you want?

If you could have anything?

I want a divorce.

You're telling me that even though
there are 120 million people

voting in this thing,
all we care about is Ohio?

Our problem isn't Ohio. Our problem
is Franklin, Summit, and Defiance.

You're right.
Take out those three counties

and this election is a statistical
dead heat. It could go either way.

Painting Reston as soft on crime
has been a godsend.

There isn't any crime in Defiance?

I just do the math.

I don't know
how you can even consider...

It isn't my idea. Hollis...

Hollis is your guy.

Hollis is Fitz's guy.

Let's not play innocent here.

Fitz is clean, Fitz walks on water,

Fitz makes the fishes and the loaves.

And people like Hollis
and me and you...

(SCOFFS)

Don't roll your eyes.
You're one of us, Olivia.

We march behind him,
we sing his happy tune.

And then we pick up our hatchets

and we chop up the Judases
into bloody little pieces

and dance around their corpses
because that is our job.

That is what we do.
We take care of Fitz.

And we don't do it because
we are believers, which we are.

We don't do it for the rush
or the high or the power,

which we are most certainly junkies for.

We do it because Fitz can't.
He can't do it.

If he could do it,
we wouldn't worship at his altar.

People like Fitz,
they go down in history.

- People like us, we create the history.
- (BREATHING HEAVILY)

We run this world. So he can lead it.

In order to lead it,
the people have to elect him, Cyrus.

The people have to find him worthy.

That's what I'm trying to tell you.
The way this world works,

the people is you and me and Hollis
and Mellie and Verna.

- We are the people.
- Cy...

No. It comes down
to two questions, Olivia.

Does he deserve to be President?

And if you believe he does,
do you think he can win it on his own?

If you can say yes to both,

then we'll never discuss election rigging

ever again.

Do you think
I'll make a good President?

- He's the real deal.
- Once in a generation.

You're gonna lose this election.

FITZ: ... think I'll make
a good President?

Fitzgerald can't pull this off on his own.

I want to win this election.

- What do you want?
- It's mine.

MELLIE: Think about your future.

I'm going to win it.

- I'm a winner.
- I want to win this election.

JERRY: And that is something
you will never be.

It's mine.

C YRUS: It's a finite number of people,
Mellie, that's all I'm saying.

MELLIE: Cyrus, we are all working
as hard as we can work.

C YRUS: I know. I know that.
So we tell him that...

Yes.

Yes?

So you're...

In.

(BEEPS)

(CLEARS THROAT)

It's a go.
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