Scandal (2012–2018): Season 3, Episode 5 - More Cattle, Less Bull - full transcript

I don't think it is a matter
of the President showing leadership.

At this point, I'm more interested
in him not showing certain things.
Ripped By mstoll

A star is born.

Previously on Scandal...

At 15, Josephine Marcus walked
into a maternity ward pregnant.

But when she walked out,
there was no baby

and no birth certificate.

JAKE: Pete Foster
tattooed the Navy flight plan.

For a secret mission
called Operation Remington.

There were five of us on the ground
and one plane flying air support.

That pilot was the President.



So why does this guy go get a tattoo
saying he was the pilot?

HUCK: Maybe for the same reason
your father wanted him dead.

What the hell is this?

A reunion that is long overdue.

What?

It's just astonishing, that's all.

We're almost finished with dessert,

and you haven't once accused me
of any crimes against humanity.

(HUFFS) I think we're making progress.

No? (LAUGHS)

You know what I've learned?

I've learned that accusing you of things
means nothing.

It leads to power games and moves
and you making my friends kill people.

So instead of speaking my mind,



instead of being the brave, outspoken
girl my mother taught me to be,

I'm chewing my food,
fulfilling my contract.

And when we're done,

I'll go home and immediately
try to forget this ever happened.

Until next Sunday
when we do it all again.

How fascinating you think
that's your mother's legacy.

Being brave and outspoken.

When everything you've become,
everything you are,

is clearly because of me.

I think you mean in spite of you.

Two sides of the same coin, my dear.
Thank you.

As for making your friends kill people,

that's something Huck
brought on himself.

He leaves me alone, I'll leave him alone.

Jake, too.

They're done with dinner.
He's on his way back.

Crap. How far away is the restaurant?

Three minutes. Four with traffic.

Great. How convenient for him.

- You need to move.
- I'm moving.

- Move faster.
- Really?

- You are going to be compromised.
- I'm gonna be compromised?

I understand the stakes here.
I'm a spy, too.

- You got it yet?
- No. Where is he?

- He's in the driveway.
- What? So much for traffic.

I have to re-arm the alarm system.
(TYPING RAPIDLY)

Just wait.

I can't. He'll see the alarm's disabled.
He'll know you're there.

Damn it.

(DOOR OPENING)

(DOOR CLOSES)

(BEEPING)

Alarm system's disabled again.
You're free to go.

(WHISPERING)
Come on. Almost there.

(FAINT NOISES)

You got it yet?

Come on.

You got it?

Yeah. I got it.

- Is this the...
- The Resolute Desk. Yes.

John-John used to peek out
from that little door there.

It is something.

- Mr. Bergen...
- Leo.

You can call me Leo, Mrs. Grant.
(LAUGHS)

- Is this the original?
- Leo?

It looks like the original. My God.

Leo, I'm sure you're wondering
why we've invited you here today.

You're gonna ask me to run the
President's re-election campaign.

Yes.

We want you
and your strategic brilliance,

your unconventional thinking,
and of course,

your penchant for throwing
an elbow or two every once in a while.

(GIGGLES)

We're offering you a chance
to stand at the center

of what's going to be the best-funded,

best-organized campaign
this country's ever seen.

Top talent only, Leo. What do you say?

Perhaps this is a conversation
best had between you and me, Cyrus.

- Certainly...
- No. I am in this to win.

So don't treat me like the First Lady.

Think of me as simply
a member of the team.

In this conversation,
Fitz is not my husband.

He's our guy.

Okay.

Your guy has a few things
going for him.

He's a decorated vet,
he survived an assassination attempt,

he's great on his feet.

But he's got problems. Big problems.

Character problems,
credibility problems, penis problems.

As in, "He can't keep it in his pants."

He's also got a marriage problem.
I'm sorry, ma'am.

But he has a
his-wife-is-a-frigid-shrew problem.

All candidates have problems.
It's why people like us exist.

Yes, but I won't work for a loser.

Losers? (SCOFFS)

We're talking about a sitting president.

Cy, I don't care about his problems.
I care about optics. How he looks.

The man looks unhappy.
He looks beleaguered.

He looks like he hasn't had a good,

ma'am, I apologize,
screw in a long time.

He looks like a loser.

Your guy's heart isn't in it.

He's gonna lose.

Don't get me wrong.
I appreciate the big show.

The invitation to the Oval Office.

But as hallowed as this office is,

right now, it smells like desperation.
Like losing.

It smells like Nixon in '74 in here.

(HUFFS) I don't do losers.

(CHUCKLES) Besides,
we all know I'm really only here

because you destroyed
your relationship with Olivia Pope.

Thank you for the offer,

but I'm due on the Hill to meet
with Josie Marcus in 20 minutes.

So best of luck.

You don't need branding,
Congresswoman.

You seem to have a very strong grasp
on who you are and what you believe in.

I don't need my ass kissed, Ms. Pope.

You don't need branding.
You need discipline.

You need gravitas.
You do not feel presidential.

I do not trust you
with the nuclear codes.

You're charming
but you're easily flustered.

You're fresh but you're inexperienced.

You feel like a high schooler
visiting college for the weekend.

I can change that.

I can help you push the undecideds
in your party

off the fence and into your camp.

Thank you, Ms. Pope.
That's all the time we have.

Oh, she's hired.

Josie, we have
more candidates to consider.

- Leo Bergen's outside waiting...
- Send him home, then.

And can you clear the room?
I need a moment alone with Ms. Pope.

Sorry, Candi. You, too.

My little sister. She's very protective.

Now, truth is I don't really need
much of a campaign manager.

Then why did you just hire me?

Because you fix problems,
and I've got a big one.

I had a baby at 15.

Gave it up and never looked back.

How many people know?

My mother, God rest her,
she covered her tracks.

Candi doesn't even know.

But I'd say there are about

five other people back in Red Springs
who could talk if they wanted to.

You were a teenager who made a
difficult choice in a difficult situation.

We can spin this any number of ways

to galvanize your base
and solidify female support.

No.

That baby is a grown woman now.

She is out there somewhere
living her life.

And she deserves her privacy.

I'm not gonna use this for political gain.
Okay? Not now, not ever.

- Congresswoman...
- Did you hear me?

You heard my problem.
Now go ahead and fix it.

I'm gonna need you all on the
next flight to Red Springs, Montana.

ABBY: The sex is great.

Most guys would be happy
with twice in one morning.

(LOWERED VOICE)
I wasn't trying to sneak out, David.

I didn't want to wake you up.

It's just gonna take a while. He's got
everything seriously encrypted.

- Who are you talking to?
- It's nobody.

The Correspondents' Dinner?
Yeah, I guess. No, I'll go.

(HAWK CRIES)

Why are we stopping?

Sadly, we're here.

HARRISON: I thought
we booked the suite.

QUINN: (SIGHS) This is the suite.

Let's just find these people,
shut it down and get out of dodge.

Aside from Josie's mother,
who died years ago,

there were five other people
who knew she was pregnant.

The doctor who delivered the baby,
the nurse who assisted him,

her high school best friend,
her cousin...

- Don't forget the baby daddy.
- Billy Joe Lee.

Seriously? Billy Joe Lee?
Three first names?

Okay, Abby, let's just start
with the doctor.

- What about me?
- Baby Huck it.

Help him track down the nurse.

(DOOR OPENS)

Huck?

I almost didn't know
where to look for you.

Someone I haven't seen in 20 years.
Then it struck me.

You're exactly where I left you.

Standing in the shadows.
Pulling my strings.

You act like this is personal.

Oh, it's personal to me.

What you did to Pete Foster...

- Pete Foster committed suicide.
- Don't lie to me.

You've wanted him dead
from the beginning

and you finally got your way.

So who's next?

Who else has to die to protect a secret
that no one on this planet is looking for?

As we speak,
our computer specialists are tracing

the IP address that accessed

these files on Pete Foster
from the Navy's server.

Someone is looking.

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

You got something?

HUCK: Surveillance footage
of a meeting

between Command and PO TUS.

Sounds like they were
talking about Remington.

So the President's in on it?

Why the hell would they say he
flew that mission when he didn't?

Maybe because
he was doing something else.

Something they wanted to cover up.

Also, Command knows
someone's digging.

- He doesn't know who.
- Yeah, I think he does.

Jake Ballard? Get in the car.

I have a phone. It works.
I even answer it sometimes.

Maybe I wanted to get in your head.

I got to play in a game
with LeBron James.

Perk of the gig. But like everyone else,
he took it easy on me.

That was never a problem with you.

It's been a while.

Oh, I'm sure it has.

Here we go. Ready?

(BOTH GRUNTING)

- Ah, come on.
- Should've fouled me.

- I don't play dirty.
- Oh, you changed your game?

(LAUGHS)

FITZ: That's game.

Uh, no. Nice try. It's win by two.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

(BOTH GRUNTING)

(PANTING)

I thought you didn't play dirty.
(GRUNTS)

When in Rome, right?

What the hell does that mean?

You tell me, sir.

(LOWERED VOICE) You were
supposed to watch her. Remember?

That's it. You lied to me.

(SCOFFS)

I'm not talking about Olivia.

(DRIBBLING BALL)

(CELL PHONE VIBRATING)

- Hello?
- C YRUS: How would you like a job?

Been there, done that. No, thanks.

Not that. A smaller job.

We're looking for dirt on Josie Marcus.

I've got a kid running the show
out in Montana...

(SCOFFS)
But he's in over his head.

Josie Marcus? The Congresswoman?

Right now she's great for us.

She's killing in the Democratic debates,

landing some punches on Reston
before he wins the nomination.

But if she were to win this thing...

It'd be Fitz against a woman.

You want the job?

(CHUCKLES)

I think it's a bad idea for me to
work for the White House right now.

Can't blame me for trying.

Harrison?
You've got company in Montana.

White House has got a team down here.

Oh, the doctor was a dead end.
He died two weeks ago.

Here's the addresses for these three.

The last one, the nurse,

she retired 16 years ago,
bought an RV, she's off the grid.

- I could run her through the...
- I'll find her.

Have you seen the way
he's been treating me lately?

He's completely freezing me out.

You went all, "Drill, baby, drill," on him.

Yeah, he told us. You're grounded.
Let's go.

Can I help you folks?

You were best friends with
Josephine Marcus in high school.

Is that right?

Hell, yeah, I'm Josie's cousin.
Who's asking?

Me and Josie. High school sweethearts.
You got that right.

You had a baby with Josie.
We're here to see that never gets out.

Now hold on a minute.

I'm afraid I don't know
what you're talking about.

That right there is a whole can of worms
that don't really need to be re-opened.

Our point exactly, Billy Joe!

Oh, I am so relieved to hear
we're all on the same page.

There's 10 grand in this case.
All yours, no questions asked.

We just need you to keep a tight lid
on that can of worms.

We want you to keep on
being Josie's friend,

just like you said,
by keeping the past in the past.

Take the money.
Start a college fund for your kids.

I'm beginning to see your point there.
(CHUCKLES)

You could buy your own thoroughbred.

No way. I couldn't live with myself.

What do you do for a living, Billy Joe?

Cement plant, foreman.

With this cash,
you could cut your hours in half.

Work four days a week.

I'm not good with idle time.

Cement plant. You wear a suit to work?
It must get awful dusty.

Speaking of work, I best be going.

Cyrus' bitch-boy.

Go stall them.

I've got something, sir.

Something that's gonna
cream this cream puff.

Just tell me what you got.

An interview with the baby daddy.
About to go live in a few minutes.

There's hope for you yet, Ethan.

Are you lost, loser?

(LOWERED VOICE) Huck, I need dirt
on Billy Joe Lee and I need it fast.

Miss Whelan, say hello
to Jamie Roberts of KMTU.

Jamie, nice to meet you.
I could give you an exclusive.

White House attempts to
meddle in Democratic primary.

It'll go national, guaranteed.

No, that's not what this is.

Hotel. He has a standing hotel date
at the Broken Spoke Inn

going back over two years.

Billy Joe. (LAUGHS)

Your wife know
about the Broken Spoke?

(STAMMERING)

- Hmm?
- Hey...

Was she a good kisser?
You really want to ask me that?

(LAUGHS) Well, I don't kiss and tell.

But I will tell you
what a fine job she's done

representing this district
up over in Congress there.

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

- ETHAN: Sir?
- (EXHALES SHARPLY)

Sir, please say something.

(EXHALES)

I can hear you breathing, sir.

- Yes. I am breathing, Ethan.
- (GASPS)

I am breathing very deeply

because I am trying my very best
not to have another heart attack.

I'm so sorry.

She has people here.

Who?

We got Poped, sir.

Leo Bergen turned down the job.

Of course he did.
Because they cut me out.

I told you I needed to be there, Mara.

Who's Leo Bergen?

This will not stand.

If Cyrus Beene thinks
he can cut me out of this campaign

the way he did the last one...

Easy does it, Sal.

Daniel Douglas,
don't you have somewhere to be?

I gotta go cart the German Chancellor's
hubby round the golf course.

Last time, the fool lost two dozen balls
and I got sunburned looking for 'em.

I assume Bergen is attending
the Correspondents' Dinner?

Why?

Never you mind.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

We lost Leo Bergen.
You should give him a call.

I have bigger problems to deal with.

- Fitz.
- And so do you, Mellie.

It's Cyrus' job to worry
about my re-election, not yours.

Leave it alone.

FITZ: Jake Ballard. He's the one
digging into Remington, right?

As always, the less I share,
the better for us both.

You need to lay off Captain Ballard.
Are we clear?

(LAUGHS) You do not give me orders.

That changes,
starting right here, right now.

I have never answered
to any holder of your office.

- Don't test me.
- No, Mr. President.

It is you who should not test me.

C YRUS: I gave her a world-class
education in the dark arts!

I turned her into a frigging Trident II.

And now she's out there,
locked and loaded in enemy hands.

(EXHALES) So, let's think.
First things first.

We leak the baby to Reston
before the debate.

Granted, there's no proof,

but you and I both know all too well
rumors can do just as much damage.

So we let it slip and Reston
takes care of the dirty work.

(SIGHS) Doesn't help us
with the long-term problem

of finding a campaign manager
with half a brain but...

First things first.

First things first.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)
I got made.

- By Command?
- By the President.

We need to figure out
where he really was

because he sure as hell
wasn't flying cover on that mission.

He's hiding something. Something big.

- He was there the next day?
- Yeah.

I met him on the carrier in
the Persian Gulf during debriefing.

Ten hours after Remington.

That narrows it down.
But pinpointing Grant's exact location

on that day in 1991

means hacking into Naval archives,
going through base logs,

fleet movements,
cross referencing ocean currents.

I can't send an e-mail without
crashing this motel's DSL.

(GASPS) Look,
if Fitz knows we're on to him,

then Rowan knows.
He's gonna send agents after us.

We're running out of time.

I have a program that could help,
but it's on my office computer.

What exactly is this program
supposed to do?

Because it's not doing it.

If you did what I told you,
it should be accessing

the Navy missions
flown by the President.

You mean the stuff
they would've erased?

Were you even in B-613?
Maybe we should search by plane type.

- It is searching by plane type. And date.
- Oh, hold on.

- (BEEPING)
- A list just came up.

Okay. Um... How do you print?

What are you doing here?

I went by your place
and you weren't there.

It's late.
I know all your people are out of town...

(CHUCKLES)
So I was worried.

Oh.

I'm fine. I just, uh... I forgot my phone.

Your phone is in your hand.

You forgot your secret Fitz phone.

(SIGHS) Olivia.

The White House
Correspondents' Dinner is Saturday.

I haven't missed a dinner in...

(SIGHS) You know I vet his jokes?

Used to. Every year. There's an art to it.

You can't be too funny.

You have to sort of walk this line
between presidential and...

This year, I got my invitation
and I'm just...

You're waiting for the phone to ring.

Because maybe he needs you
to vet his jokes.

Oh...

Hmm.

(LAUGHS)

(CLEARS THROAT)

- (LAUGHS)
- (CHUCKLES)

Come on. I'll buy you a burger.

(HANDS SLAP)

(CHUCKLES)

Come on.

(CHUCKLES)

This our nurse?

QUINN: Yeah.

- Hey, I found her.
- Grounded.

I don't know why you people
won't let that family be.

That other boy
already tried to talk to me.

- That other...
- The one with the dark hair

and the slick suit.
Looked like some kind of a mannequin.

I told him to get lost.

Oh, no, we aren't...

Y'all are all talking about
an abandoned baby.

That baby wasn't abandoned.

- No?
- 'Course not.

That family took care of it.
Like families do around here. (HUFFS)

That baby didn't go nowhere.
It stayed right here in Red Springs.

Louise wouldn't have it any other way.

Louise?

Josephine's mama.

(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

Can I speak to you alone?

Could we have a minute, everyone?

(DOOR CLOSES)

You didn't put the baby up for adoption.

Your mother decided
to take care of the problem

the best way she knew how.
Keep it in the family.

Raise Candace as your sister
instead of your daughter.

Hmm.

When I got pregnant,
we moved away for a while

so no one would ask questions.

Then when the baby came,
the nurse changed the birth certificate

and Candi became my sister.
Bing-bang-boom. Just like that.

- She doesn't know.
- It would devastate her.

My mother was her mother
in every way that matters.

It only took my team a day to dig this up.

And the people you're up against,
Reston, the White House,

the only way for you to stop them
from destroying you with this

is to address it head on.

And then what?

I'm supposed to sit back
and watch them rip apart my family?

How bad do you want to be president?

I never planned
for a life in the public eye.

I had a career in the military
and I was fine with that.

Then my husband died
in that stupid war

and I happened to voice my outrage.

I didn't expect people to listen to me.

And I certainly didn't
expect people to vote for me.

But they did and now you're here.

And tonight you're standing
in front of the nation

and saying you want to be
the first female president.

You don't get to do that without
making your personal life fair game.

Coming after me is fair.

Coming after me.
Yeah, I signed up for that.

But Candi, my sister, off limits.

How bad do I want it?

Not that bad.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

You asked for me, sir?

Sit.

Sir, if this is about
the Josie Marcus thing...

How do I get rid of B-613?
I want them gone.

Sir...

(BREATHES UNEVENLY)

(WHISPERING)
Don't ever say that again.

That is impossible, Mr. President.

(LOWERED VOICE)
Nothing's impossible.

What if we eliminated their budget?

A few years ago, this guy at the OMB

comes across a very, very strange
line item in the federal budget.

It's been there for years,
but no one's ever mentioned it

until this one person,
this one man points it out.

- And what happened?
- He committed suicide.

That's how they took care of it,

and that's how they'll take care of us
if they start to see us as enemies.

Only in your case, it won't be suicide.
(SIGHS)

It'll be a Ione gunman on a grassy knoll.

Just ask Kennedy.

This is something
you can't control, Mr. President.

What you can control
is winning re-election.

That's what I'm focused on.

And if you're smart,
you'll focus on that, too.

DAVID: A couple more days, huh?

Unfortunately.

So sorry to miss
the Correspondents' Dinner.

Now I'm gonna have to talk to people
from work all night.

You ever tried to party
with bureaucrats?

Help me.

I'll call you when I get back.

- (SIGHS) You got issues.
- What?

You got issues. I'm just saying.

Whatever. Let's just get out of here.

Where's Quinn?

Hardware store. Returning some stuff.

(SIGHS)

These are used.

Actually, they're improved.

That router's now pulling
300 megabits per second

and the shielding on the cable...

I can offer you store credit.

What a thrilling compromise.

(SIGHS)

With Governor Reston
still leading in the polls,

upstart Congresswoman Josie Marcus

hopes to gain momentum in this next
Democratic primary debate,

answering questions
submitted by ordinary Americans.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

(LOWERED VOICE)
It's going to happen. Tonight.

You're gonna get ambushed.

I know how they operate.
I know Cyrus Beene.

(LOWERED VOICE) I'm not running
against the White House.

No. But they're running against you.

When the trap is sprung,
acknowledge it without hesitation.

Note that you were exercising choice.

And restate your support
for access to contraception.

Then insist that the privacy of the
child you gave up be fully respected.

Like I said before,
I'm not admitting to anything.

WOMAN: Please welcome to the stage,

the candidates
for the Democratic nomination

for president of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

(SPEAKING INAUDIBLY)

Governor, the recent revelation of
President Grant's marital infidelity

is considered by many
to be a moral failing.

Do you think it should disqualify him
from seeking re-election?

Question is nothing
but unadulterated liberal bias.

Really, who the hell
is running this thing?

Don't sweat it.
We're getting to the good stuff.

...whatever moral authority
he once may have claimed

has been wholly compromised.

(LOWERED VOICE)
She looks good, right? Strong.

...these are qualities
that we look for in a president.

As everyone knows,
I have publicly and forthrightly

taken personal responsibility
for my past actions.

Regrettably, I'm afraid
the same can't be said

for one of my opponents
here this evening.

Say goodbye, Annie Oakley.

Congresswoman Marcus,

anything you'd care to share with
the American people at this time?

I...

- (MURMURING)
- I...

What's she doing?
What's the matter with her?

Congresswoman Marcus?

(CLICKS TONGUE)

I think what
Governor Reston is trying to say is

I had a baby.

Thirty years ago,
I was 15 and I had a baby.

I made a mistake.

I was young and stupid

and uh, he was a boy with a nice smile
and a shiny yellow pickup truck

and I thought I was in love.

I don't know if any of you remember
what you were like when you were 15,

but I was not ready to be a mother.

I knew that and my mother knew that.

And she did what she thought was right.

She really did the best she could.

So she helped me
keep the baby a secret.

And when the time came,
she helped me say goodbye

and put her up for adoption.

It wasn't the perfect choice,

but it was my choice.

It was a choice we made,

so that baby could have a better life
than the one I could give her.

And I can tell you this,

that a day hasn't gone by
in the past 30 years

that I haven't thought
about that baby girl

and the choice I made for her

and hope to God it was the right choice.

So that's it. There you have it.
That's the truth, folks.

Are you gonna buzz me or something?
I must be out of time.

(CHUCKLES)

- (VOICES CONTINUE ON TV)
- Oh, my God.

She just won America's hearts.

Olivia Pope.
The gift that keeps on giving.

(TV CHATTER
CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)

(APPLAUSE)

(APPLAUSE CONTINUES)

(VOICE BREAKING)
You were 15? Thirty years ago?

Candace... (SIGHS)

You handled that beautifully.

I just destroyed the most
important relationship in my life.

I'm glad you found that beautiful.

You're fired.

(EXHALES)

(PHONE RINGS)

(RINGING)

(EXHALES)

(RUSTLING)

Hi.

That was well done.
The debate, Josie. Smart.

I got fired. She fired me.

FITZ: She's an idiot.

You're calling me.

I'm calling you.

I'm hiding from Mellie in the bathroom.

I just dug the phone out of the trash.
(LAUGHS)

(CHUCKLES)

(CHUCKLES)
Oh, how are you?

Are you freaking out about the
White House Correspondents' Dinner?

I am freaking out about the
White House Correspondents' Dinner.

- Who's vetting yourjokes?
- Me.

You can't vet your jokes.
You're not funny.

I know that. Wait. I'm funny.

You're funny but you're not funny.

And you're funny?

I'm funnier than you.

But...

I feel... (SIGHS)

Ashamed.

Like, I don't have the right to
make jokes because I am the joke.

"The guy who can't keep it in his pants."
Like my father. You know?

(FITZ SIGHS)

Dive in. Own it. Mock your image.

You start out strong. Something like,

"I see a lot of familiar faces here tonight,
including one or two

"who, inexplicably, haven't been
accused of sleeping with me."

(CHUCKLES) That's good.

Laugh at yourself.

It will make it impossible for them
to laugh at you.

I love you.

Okay.

What about I say something
to the press

about how much they've
hammered me? Something like...

"You're welcome."

(CHUCKLES) Exactly.

All right, uh, so we
have to say something about Sally.

Let me see,
they wrote me a bunch of jokes,

you tell me which ones you like best...

(LAUGHS)

(CHUCKLING)
I'm definitely not saying that.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

(CLEARS THROAT)
Hey.

I might lose you,
there's barely any reception up here.

DAVID: Still in Montana, huh?

Yeah, looks like I might be here
another 24 hours.

That's too bad.

Funny, I've only been to Montana once

but I seem to remember it
looking a lot different from this.

- More cattle, less bull.
- Checking up on me now?

If you didn't want to go,
why didn't you just say so

instead of lying to me again?

- David...
- What?

Come on. Let's hear your excuse.
What is it this time?

I'm sorry.

So am I.

(FOOTSTEPS DEPART)

I've narrowed the President's location
to a 100-mile radius

where he could've made it back in time
to meet you at your Naval base,

- post-mission.
- And?

Iceland.

Iceland?

What was he doing there
that he needed a cover for?

I don't know.

Check what aircraft carriers might have
been off the coast of Iceland that day.

(CELL PHONE CHIMES)

JAKE: Hey.

OLIVIA: Take me to
the Correspondents' Dinner.

- (CHUCKLES) No.
- Take me.

Please.

Okay.

Okay.

I'll pick you up at 6:00.

Ah, that's good. That Liv's got you.
That you're going.

She needs this.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS
AND LAUGHTER)

You okay?

- So far so good.
- Okay, good.

Now we must find our table.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

- Right here.
- Oh, good.

We're the only ones here.

Okay. When can we sit?

This flask belonged to my
great grand-daddy. You see that nick?

This baby stopped a Yankee bullet
from ripping right through his heart.

(LOCK CLICKS)

Madam Vice President, is the
ladies' room packed as usual?

That's not fair. Please feel free.

I'm not here to urinate. I need to talk.

What can I do you for?

What if I were to run for
president of the United States?

- Hypothetically, of course.
- (URINAL FLUSHES)

- (ZIPS PANTS)
- Hypothetically? You'd get clobbered.

Sluttiness aside, Grant's still
a sitting president from your own party,

who to anyone's knowledge
has not done anything illegal.

Grant would kill you
in the Republican primary.

I'm not talking about the primaries.

What if I were to run
as an independent?

You want to run for
president of the United States

as a third party candidate?

Hypothetically.

So good to see you. Thanks.

Nice to meet you.

(LAUGHING)
(CHUCKLES)

Ahh.

Go.

(DOOR BEEPS)

Olivia, thank you so much for coming.

FITZ: Thank you. Thank you.

I can't tell you
how much I relish this opportunity

to finally say something to you all
that has been long, long overdue.

You're welcome.

(LAUGHTER)

I like your new boyfriend. Is he married?

No, wait... Just... I'm sorry.
That was below the...

I am sorry.

Please. Stay. Sit. Hear me out.

(LAUGHTER)

FITZ: I see many
familiar faces here tonight,

including a few who, inexplicably,

haven't been accused
of sleeping with me.

(LAUGHTER)

I'd like you to come back
and run Fitz's re-election campaign.

What?

Do you remember what it was like
four years ago, Liv?

What we were like?

Fresh and young and full of ideas

and now, four years later, my God,
look at us.

Congress has stalled everything
we've tried to push through,

approvals are in free-fall,
people want change,

and, of course, that's exactly
what the Democrats are running on,

but that's...
(BREATHES DEEPLY)

I'm not even worried about all that,
anyone can fix that.

That's not why he needs you.

Mellie...

He needs you, Olivia.

He is tired and broken and...

It isn't the job.

It's doing the job without you.

He's not alive when you're not here.

He can't breathe when you're not here.

He doesn't have the will to run,
much less win, when you're not here,

because you... (GASPS)

(EXHALES)

You're everything to him, Liv.

He needs you.

So I need you.

Come back.

Come back to us.

(LAUGHTER)

As you all know,
I'm running for re-election.

Thank you.

And out on the campaign trail,
at every step of the way,

the First Lady will be by my side.

(APPLAUSE)

And, believe me, I mean by my side.

(LAUGHTER)

(VOICE BREAKING)
Does he know what you're asking me?

No. No.

But he'll get on board.

(CHUCKLES)

Of course he'll get on board.

You and I,

we've always wanted
the same thing, Liv.

For him to be the man
we both know he can be.

And after what we did, we owe him this.

A chance to run on his own steam.
And win.

(DOOR CLOSES)

I thought I'd surprise you tonight.

I thought I'd just put on this dress
and come over.

Only I wasn't able to get out of my car.

I wanted to go with you tonight.
I wasn't lying about that part.

I just... I couldn't.

I wanted to surprise you. So, surprise.

I saw your ex-husband at the dinner.
Why didn't you tell me he'd be there?

I'm sorry.

Don't be sorry.
Just start telling me things.

That's what normal people do.

Not that we're normal people.

(LAUGHS)

JAKE: You go ahead. I'll get a taxi.

OLIVIA: What?

I wasn't your date tonight.
I was your excuse so you could see him.

And I knew you needed to, so here I am.
But dinner's over. And I'm done.

Jake...

I don't play second fiddle to anyone,
even the President.

Good night, Olivia.

(CELL PHONE CHIMES)

Harrison? What are you doing
in the office this late?

Candace and I talked all day yesterday
and we're still a long way from okay,

but that's not why I'm here.

I hated what I had to do
up on that stage.

And I resent the hell out of you
for being right about how to deal with it.

But having that weight
off my shoulders,

it's been freeing.

What can we do for you, Josie?

I think I can still win this thing,
and I want you by my side when I do.

As much as I appreciate the offer, Josie,

I don't think
I'm the right person for the job.

I respectfully disagree.

So please, just sleep on it.

And if you wake up tomorrow

and you feel the same way,
then tell me no.

Okay.

- What the hell are you doing?
- (DOOR CLOSES)

(KEYS JANGLE)

(EXHALES)

HUCK: How was the dinner?

Did it make Liv happy?

She's happy, yeah,
but not 'cause of me.

I thought I sent you home.

I came back.
Because I think I figured something out.

The reason why Fitz was in Iceland.

The reason he lied about being in Iran
during Operation Remington.

I think I figured out what the cover-up is.

Tell me, Huck.

Huck, what was Fitz doing in Iceland?

There was a plane crash that day,

a couple of hundred miles
off the coast of Iceland.

A 747 carrying 329 passengers.

They attributed it to mechanical failure,

but a fisherman
reported flares in the sky.

None of which I was able to confirm

because all of the satellite footage
of those coordinates have been erased.

You're suggesting...

The President shot it down
on behalf of the U.S. Government.

Why? I don't know. But that's what
the evidence is telling me.

JAKE: And by evidence
you mean these two coincidences?

The location of the crash
and the missing satellite footage?

Two things make a coincidence.

Three things make a conspiracy.

- What's the third thing?
- (HUCK EXHALES)

The passenger list.

Fifth name from the top.

"Maya Lewis."

She never took her husband's name.

What was her husband's name?

Pope.

No.

Liv's mom.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

What?
Ripped By mstoll