Scandal (2012–2018): Season 4, Episode 19 - I'm Just a Bill - full transcript

You look good, Olivia.

Looks can be deceiving, though, can't they?

I see you have a few more locks.

That's good.

You can never be too careful, can you?

What do you want?

I have a
problem...

a rather big one, actually,

and since you're a fixer,
I thought I'd come to you.

You see, apparently
there's a group of people

who have decided that I'm a criminal.



They're building a case,
some preposterous claim

about a top-secret spy
organization called B613

that I'm supposedly
the head of.

I mean, have you ever heard
anything so ridiculous?

Anyway, I'd be happy
to shut it down myself,

but I'm just a paleontologist
at the Smithsonian

and I don't think my methods would work,

so I'm giving
you a chance...

one
chance...

to shut it down yourself.

If you can do that in the next 48 hours...

I'm not lifting a finger for you.

Tell me, who do you think
stands to lose the most

when this so-called
B613 is made public...



the quiet paleontologist collecting bones

or the man down the street

who could have pulled
the plug on it and didn't?

Who, in fact, actively participated,

put his own man at the helm,

using him to service
his own agenda...

I don't care about any of that.

I care about justice.

You say that to me now
because you're angry at me,

but think who we are talking about,

what you have done for him,
the things you've sacrificed.

Is your hatred
for me so great...

[laughs]

So great that you are
willing to tear him down, too?

Ah.

[Laughs]

I see.

Something's changed.

Did he disappoint you?

Not live up to your
very, very high standards?

Fail to meet your
expectation of perfection?

Did you learn that he's
only human after all?

[Laughing] Oh.

Do you want to dig into some Freud, baby?

[Laughs]

Are you finding that no
matter how far you run,

no matter how white the knight...

[Laughs]

That all men, in fact,
are just like your father?

Don't talk about me like you know me.

You don't know me.

It is your friends who do not know you,

but I do.

You are a
warrior...

never reckless, never naive,

too smart to let fear drive you.

Precise, quiet, calculating,

you will wait for the right time.

You will look at all the possible outcomes.

You'll understand what needs to be done.

You will pick a side

and then you will handle this situation

in the manner we both know
it needs to be handled.

You will burn it down and never look back.

Your friends don't know you.

They think you're loyal to people.

They don't know that you

would use them as kindling
for the fire if have to.

I know you.

I know that you would never
allow people to get in the way

of what is right, of
your fundamental belief

that the Republic must stand at all costs.

I know you,

because the apple does not
fall far from the tree, Olivia,

poison though it may be.

It's time for you to leave.

Thank you for the wine, Olivia.

Mmm. Excellent, as always.

[Russell groans]

Oh.

Russell, is it?

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Russell.

It's a very light sedative, really.

He'll wake up with a painful
hangover and a bit of amnesia.

- You didn't have to bring him into this at all.
- I did.

The alternative was to kill him.

Would you have preferred I go that route?

This is how to reach me.

48 hours.

I'm giving you 48 hours
to realize that I am right

and to figure out a way
to end this nonsense.

[Giggles]

Hey.

What happened?

I think we had a little
bit too much to drink.

[Giggles]

We did?

I...

You don't remember? [Giggles]

Three bottles of wine.

Okay, but you do remember the dancing?

The singing?

Oh, tell me you remember the singing,

because it was amazing.

I sang?

[Both laugh]

Come on, let's get you into bed.

[Chuckles]

Oh, go get in bed.

I'll be right there.

[Giggles]

[Breathing heavily]

48 hours to shut down the case.

And if we don't?

My father will take
matters into his own hands.

Which is why we
need to fast-track...

convene a grand jury,
start seeking indictments.

Do we have the evidence?

With Jake's testimony, yes.

I served under Rowan, killed at his behest,

inherited missions from
him when I became command.

If anyone can nail this guy, it's me.

Your father's right, though.

Taking this case public
exposes the president

to a great deal of risk.

Is everyone okay with that?

Liv?

If that's the cost of
taking down my father, yes.

All right, then. We are going after Rowan.

Let's talk strategy.

[ Camera shutter clicks ]

I know you hate the bill.

What you have to ask yourself
is whether you're willing

to give up the senate for it.

Because come mid-terms, I'll make sure

you don't have a dime
in your campaign coffers.

I'm pleased to hear that, Senator.

Jenson's in. There's only
three holdouts, people.

- Man: Yeah!
- [Applause]

Watching the senate floor
where they're gathering to vote

on sweeping and historic legislation.

The so-called "Brandon
Bill" rose from the ashes

of Brandon Parker's fatal shooting

by former police officer Jeffrey Newton.

Who's left of the holdouts?

Hobart, Wexler, Peters.

Wexler's not budging.

Leak that Wexler caved.

But Wexler didn't cave.

Mr. Beene
just said...

Leak that he's in.

Hobart and Peters hate Wexler.

They'll never check with him,

and neither of those two
want to be the last holdout.

Do it. Make the call.

BNC can now safely report

that the Brandon Bill
will pass the senate today.

Yes! Yes!

- [Applause]
- Well done, everyone.

[Light laughter]

Uh!

Prep a big bill signing
event for this afternoon.

Huge!

Rose garden, tons of cops...
in uniform behind the president.

And the victims' families.

I want Brandon's father there.

It's a great day for the country, Cy.

Not so bad for us, either.

Now we get the black vote.

Imagine it if you can...
black people voting republican!

Naming their kids after Fitzgerald Grant,

putting his picture on
the dining room wall.

The democrats won't know what hit them.

That's gross.

I know, Red.

I know.

We'll have more once voting begins

for what's shaping up to
be a truly historic day

for the Grant administration.

But until then, let's return
you to your local affiliates.

Well, folks, she baked her way
into the national spotlight.

We'll meet the local Baker
who's taking top prize

at the national cupcake
show in just a moment.

But first, let's go
live to Patricia Waters,

who's covering the D.C. mayoral race.

Patricia, what can you tell us?

Things seem to be really heating up

between incumbent D.C. Mayor Verrano

and his challenger, local
activist Marcus Walker.

Walker is now leading the
three-term mayor by nine points.

I think it's safe to say

that Marcus Walker is
feeling pretty good right now.

[Doorbell rings]

[Knocking on door]

Marcus?

I don't get it.

Have you even spoken to
Marcus since Brandon Parker?

And why did he call us
to the mayor's house?

Huck: No one's here, the
door's unlocked... not good.

Marcus?

Marcus: Up here.

I tried to stop the
bleeding, but there was...

there was so much blood.

I'm gonna need you to stay right there.

Wait a minute. Is that who I think it is?

The mayor's wife? Yes.

All right Marcus tell us what happend.

We were here in the bed,

and we heard someone come in the back door.

Figured it was her husband.

- You said he went in early.
- He did.

Now he's home. Go in there.

Marcus, please.

Marcus: So I hid.

Over there.

I could see through the door,

through the reflection in the mirror.

I could see everything.

What did you see?

H-hey, baby. Did you forget something?

I wasn't
ahhh!

[Screams]

Ahh!

Oh, my God! [Screams]

She barely had a
chance to scream...

it all happened so fast.

Next thing I know,

two more dudes in masks come rushing in.

Man: Damn. You snapped her neck.

You were supposed to make it look like...

What the hell? She bit my hand.

Stab her anyway.

Got on my last nerve.

You happy now?

I count five
stab wounds...

used something with a clip point like a...

Hunting knife?

What happened next?

Get the diamonds.

Hey, don't forget to grab the necklace.

Man: Okay! Okay, let's go!

I count three different sets
of shoe prints on the carpet.

Also Marcus doesn't have a scratch on him.

The mayor's wife would have fought back.

So he's telling the truth.

So option "a"...
we call the police,

represent him till his
defense attorney arrives,

ask the cops to be discreet?

No, we can't ask the cops
for anything right now.

Marcus isn't exactly popular with the DCPD.

They're not gonna help.

- So then it's option "b."
- Can we do option "b"?

Huck: We can do option "b."

Marcus: What's option "b"?

Goodbye, homicidal burglary.
Hello, missing person.

Ah, this never happened,
you were never here.

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

Cy.

We have a problem with the Brandon Bill.

It's senator Rogers, sir.

Her office
called...

she went into labor this morning.

- A week early?
- A week early.

- We moved up the vote.
- A week early.

[Sighs]

Without Rogers, do we still win this?

Without Rogers, it's
a tie... 49 to 49,

courtesy of Virginia's empty senate seat.

Should I reach out to
the vice president, sir?

Get her out there on the floor, Cy.

We need this bill to pass.

That's what she's there for.

T-I-O-N.
Asphyxiation.

That is correct.

[Applause]

Which means if the next
word is spelled correctly,

Violet Lee will be our champion speller.

So, here to read that next word
is our very special guest judge,

Vice President Susan Ross.

- [Applause]
- Hello, children.

The next word
will be...

I need a moment, ma'am.

[Whispering]

I'm not leaving until the bee is over,

until the last word has been spelled.

[Whispering]

I'm sorry, honey. Here we go.

The next word will be "onomatopoeia."

Onomatopoeia.

O-n-o...

m-a-t...

o-p... o...

e...i...

a?

Ono... that is
correct, Violet!

You win!

- [Applause]
- Congratulations.

And please, everybody, keep reading.

- [ Camera shutter clicking]
- Cy: We have a tie in the senate.

Today's your big day!

To vote on the Brandon Bill.

[Sighs]

To vote "yes" on the Brandon Bill.

But I haven't read it, not
since it was first proposed,

not the final draft.

It is very much like the previous drafts.

Well, I'll have to read it first.

Susan. [Chuckles]

The bill is 1,200 pages long.

Then I better get cracking.

Ho, no, no.

They've already begun voting.

Then they're gonna have to wait.

I won't vote on something
I haven't read, Cyrus.

And I don't think the American
people would want me to.

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

What should we do with the body?

Dealer's choice.

Really? Thanks, Huck.

No problem.

I think we go old
school on this one...

classic fluff and fold?

Less blood, easy roll out. Works for me.

♪ I'm your boogie
man, that's what I am ♪

♪ I'm here to do whatever I can ♪

♪ Be it early morning, late afternoon ♪

♪ Or at midnight, it's never too soon ♪

♪ Oh, yeah♪

♪ I'm your boogie man,
I'm your boogie man ♪

♪ Turn me on♪

♪ I'm your boogie man,
I'm your boogie man ♪

♪ I'll do what you want♪

♪ I'm your boogie man,
I'm your boogie man ♪

♪ Turn me on♪

♪ I'm your boogie man,
I'm your boogie man ♪

♪ I'll do what you want♪

♪ I'm your boogie
man, that's what I am ♪

♪ I'm here to do whatever I can ♪

♪ Be it early morning, late afternoon ♪

♪ Or at midnight, it's never too soon ♪

This is what you do?

This is your job?

I call you, and you pack
up a dead body for me?

I know this is hard for you.

Prison is harder.

You think I'm hypocrite?

I think you're a man.

An attractive one,

whose political power is skyrocketing.

No. For sleeping with white woman.

I know I gave you a lot of grief.

Don't tell me you weren't
a little surprised.

The mayor's wife is upstairs
lying in a pool of blood

while my team erases
evidence of a crime scene.

I'd say it takes a lot to surprise me

because this is my job.

This is what I do.

You call me, and I save your life.

Now you know what I'm about.

♪ I'm your boogie man♪

♪ whoo!♪

Carol.

Is the vice president
considering voting "no"

on the Brandon Bill?

The vice president fully supports

the president's initiatives
on police reform.

- Peter.
- Then why isn't she voting?

She is voting. She is preparing to vote.

What does that mean? "Preparing to vote"?

It means that these things
can take a little time, Peter.

There can be delays.
It's not unprecedented.

Vice president Cheney had to
return from the Middle East

to break a tie on a budget bill.

Is vice president Ross in the Middle East?

[Laughter]

Are we done?

All good?

- Maybe I was reading too quickly.
- You weren't.

But I don't understand page 337. See that?

Page 337. [Muttering]

Yes, it's tricky.

We always knew that would
be a hurdle, but overall...

The funding mechanisms
are really confusing.

There aren't any restriction on the grants

to local and state police departments.

And I have a question
on racial bias training,

- which I support, but...
- We don't have time for questions.

Well, I have to vote. I have questions.

You can ask questions after the vote.

Well, after the vote, my
questions won't matter.

Your questions don't matter right now

because we don't have time for questions.

After the vote...

We can sit up all night
in the oval in our sweats

and drink coffee and eat ramen noodles

and highlight and ask
questions, but right now,

we have the entire country waiting for us.

Right now we don't have time for questions.

Right now...

You need to vote.

If I vote right now, I have to vote "no."

You said you have some questions.

What are your questions?

I need to speak with someone from justice.

I'm not a lawyer, but I just don't see

how some of this is gonna
work... funding, training.

Also, on page 544, there's a section

on the appointment of
independent prosecutors

in cases of police-related...

Your job is to make the vice
president feel listened to,

appreciated, respected,
part of the process,

but you don't give her anything, okay?

Feelings are not real things.

You don't actually give
her anything in the bill.

- Okay.
- Not a crumb,

not a whiff of a crumb.

She's pigeon at a great national monument,

and she is begging.

And you'll think,

"if I just give her this
little bit, she'll go away.

Please go away. Please, please, go away."

But she will not go away.

If you give her something,

she she will only waddle up
closer and more aggressive

and she will not stop no
matter how much you give her.

And then... and then, she will
crap on your beautiful monument.

All over it... 25
pounds a year of crap.

The vice president will do that?

The average pigeon.

But you see the point, yes?

Do not feed the pigeon.

Do not feed the pigeon.

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

Verrano: If anyone knows
the whereabouts of my wife

or has any information at
all that could help us

in our search for her,
please let us know.

I think it's working.

Her life could depend on it.

You've been watching live
coverage of Mayor Verrano,

whose wife, Natalie,
went missing.

Although Mrs. Verrano's
disappearance...

You're keeping
busy... that's good.

Metropolitan police...

I'm assuming that's yours somehow.

Have ruled out foul play.

How was the rest of the
meeting this morning?

Good.

I'm getting together with Rosen later today

to work on my testimony.

You want to come?

Please tell me you're not
here to check up on me.

I'm not here to check up on you, Liv.

Hm. I can handle this.

I know.

I know you. I know you can handle this.

I also know what this is,

who this involves, what this means.

I'm here to tell you that I'm
here if you need something,

if you get scared or
nervous, which you should...

we all should.

I'm here.

You can call on me.

[Cellphone rings]

What?

I'll be right there.

I have to go.

My client was arrested.

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

Marcus: I told you I didn't send
the mayor's wife any e-mails.

Stop talking. Is he under arrest?

No.

Then you can't keep him.

This is an illegal
detention, and we're leaving.

They were asking me
about threatening e-mails

- they say I sent to Natalie.
- We'll talk about it at my office.

- I didn't send her any e-mails.
- At my office.

Captain.

Do you see this man standing here?

Yes.

Wrong answer.

You do not see him standing here

because if you did
see him standing here,

then I would want to know how he got here.

was he arrested? Were you arrested?

- No.
- Ah.

He wasn't.

Well, then why was he taken off the street,

put in a patrol car, and
brought to a police station?

Because that sounds like an arrest.

Except an arrest would mean that
you read him his Miranda rights.

And you didn't read him his Miranda rights.

Did they read you your Miranda rights?

No.

You didn't read him his Miranda rights.

So now I'm confused. Are you confused?

Well, I'm not here,
but I would be if I was.

Do you see the kinds of
questions I would have

if he was here?

And I probably wouldn't be
the only one with questions.

I think the United States
Department of Justice,

which is already
investigating your department

because of the Brandon Parker shooting,

would have questions, too.

So, I don't think he's here.

And I don't think anybody
is ever going to think

that he was here.

And if it ever gets out that he was here,

if it ever turns up on the
news or online or anywhere ever,

that Marcus Walker,
candidate for mayor, was here,

then I'm going to ask my questions,

and I will get answers,
because I am someone

who gets answers to my questions.

Am I someone who gets
answers to my questions?

- Yes.
- See?

So, let me ask you this question again.

Do you see this man standing here?

Right answer.

Tell me something, Huck.

Marcus' e-mail was definitely hacked.

Someone sent 29 messages from his account,

threatening Natalie the
night before she died.

Marcus: Someone hacked my e-mail?

Someone who's clearly
not a fan of spell check.

Whoever it was used keylogging software

to crack Marcus' encrypted keystrokes.

But we don't know who it is?

Oh, we know exactly who.

The I.P. Address is linked
to the mayor's office.

Marcus: Mayor Verrano?

The mayor had his own wife killed?

Olivia: We have to be 100%
sure, because if it is the mayor

and he's trying to frame you for it,

Verrano's coming for you, Marcus.

This is first-degree
murder we're talking about.

So I need you to think back on this morning

and give me something.

Anything.

What did you see? What did you hear?

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

There were three of them.

One of them had a hunting
knife, the other two had guns.

Focus. Marcus, what did they say?

Snapped her neck.

No!

Man: Damn, Mickey, you snapped her neck?

They called him Mickey.

What?

The guy who killed Natalie,
that's what they called him.

That's his name.

Look into Verrano's acquaintances.

Check into everyone on his
payroll, past and present.

If there's a Mickey in the mayor's circle,

I want to know about him.

So, local and state police departments

will now be required to collect
and report data on arrests

so we can track racial
disparities, correct?

Correct. You didn't go to law school?

No.

And local and state police
departments will now be required

to conduct racial bias training, correct?

Correct. You're sure?

About law school? Yes.

- Not even, like, a semester?
- No.

And local and state police
departments will now be required

to use independent special prosecutors

in the investigation

of police-involved fatalities, correct?

That is also correct.

So, I have a question.

How do we enforce it?

What?

Any of it, all of it.

Everything in this bill.

Well, it's a law.

Those are all requirements under the law.

They're mandatory.

Which means there has to
be a way to enforce them,

or they're not mandatory, right?

If say to Casey, "clean your room,"

which I usually don't say

because Casey is really
good about that...

but if I do, and she
said, "no," which again,

she wouldn't...
but if she did,

and I don't have any way to
make her clean her room,

then I'm really not
saying, lean your room."

I'm asking her to clean her room.

It's a request, not a requirement.

Yeah, I'm sorry. Who's Casey?

My daughter. She's 10.

The federal government
spends $4 billion a year

in various grants to state
and local police departments.

Why don't we condition that money

on doing the things in this bill?

Because if we do that,

the things in this bill
will actually get done.

If we don't, this whole
bill is a bunch of requests.

Do you see that?

I see that.

I have another question.

The timing could be perfect.

The Brandon Bill will have just passed.

But the press will still
be talking about the bill.

You don't think that I will be a sidebar?

With the 24-hour news cycle,
you'll be the cherry on top.

Hey, there, Champ. How'd it go?

I fed the pigeon.

[Sighs] Oh!

[Sighs]

Tell me you found Mickey.

Quinn: We found a bunch of Michaels
a McCallister, a McGrath...

lots of Irish last names,

but we couldn't put any of
them near the mayor's house

at the time of murder.

- Damn it.
- I'll keep looking.

So the hit on this Niang fellow.

It's all spelled out in
this briefcase they gave you

when you first became command.

It was one of several missions
he provided briefs for, yes.

But you had access to information

about other missions...
missions that happened

before you joined B613.

Yes, as command, you're made aware

of every operation, past and present.

I see. So if I were to
mention Operation Remington,

you'd be familiar with that?

That's in there
in the files?

It's mentioned in a footnote.

I have no idea what it is.

I'm just being thorough here.

No, sure.

Anyway, you're familiar with Remington?

Uh, it happened before
I joined B613, but yes.

So it happened when Rowan was command.

That's right.

But you knew what it
was. You knew its purpose.

Yes.

Yeah.

And what was that purpose?

I should remind
you, Jake...

you're protected by the terms
of your immunity agreement.

Nothing you say
or admit to...

To bring down a civilian airliner.

Rowan gave an order to shoot
down a civilian airliner?

Yes.

I see.

With how many people aboard?

329.

And the pilot that obeyed that order

to shoot down the
plane... who was that?

Do you have name?

Why?

Because he could testify against Rowan.

I need the name, Jake. This is big.

His name was Fitzgerald Grant.

The president?

Yes.

[Elevator bell dings]

It's me.

[Sighs]

Come in.

Hey.

Are you coming in?

I'm not a heavy drinker, and
I never sing or lose time.

And there's a whole piece
of our last evening together

that's just gone.

Will you please just come in?

I came over because you
called and sounded upset,

and I wanted to make sure you were okay.

[Sighs]

And you are beautiful
and very sexy...

incredibly... Sexy.

And a lot of fun
believe me,

I've enjoyed every minute
of our time together,

but this whole Alex thing is, uh...

I'm looking for something more stable.

So...

My life is very... Complicated.

And I want it to not
be complicated.

And I'm with you, when I'm Alex,

nothing is complicated.

I want that.

I need that.

Will you please come in?

Olivia

Not Olivia.

[Chuckles softly]

Alex.

Alex.

[Moans]

[Moans]

[Laughs]

[knock on door]

How's it going in here?

Mrs. Grant! You're a lawyer.

In fact, didn't you do better
in law school than your husband?

Weren't you first in your class?

- I read that somewhere.
- [Chuckles]

Come in. Sit down.

Maybe you can answer my questions.

[Laughs]

I'd be happy to... and I'm sure
your questions are spot-on...

but, Susan, we are running out of time.

The country needs this bill now.

The president needs this bill now.

And you need this bill now.

So you can announce your senate run.

Who told you that?

No one. I just assumed.

I mean, let's be honest,

that's the real reason I'm here, right?

So you can take my senate
seat and then not have to worry

about a competitive V.P.
When you run for president.

[Chuckles]

It's a genius plan.

You'd make an excellent
president, Mrs. Grant.

[Exhales sharply]

So, what do you think of the bill?

Because for the life of me,
I cannot wrap my head around

the section on federal oversight.

Can you?

I...

Have to confess that I have not read it...

In its entirety.

Oh.

[Sighs]

Well, you should.

Mm.

'Cause you'll get
questions. Once you announce.

So, do you think that I will
be able to announce soon?

Hard to say.

Oh.

I mean, at this point, I
could be here all night.

I was gonna order dinner. You hungry?

Mnh.

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

Quinn: The mayor kills his
wife and can't be touched.

He's got the whole
city in his pocket...

cops, unions, judges.

- No sign of anyone named Mickey.
- [Television playing in background]

There's always another move.

[Sighs] I think my next move's to throw up.

- Stop.
- I'm not really gonna...

No, the TV. Pause it.

Go back.

What is it?

Natalie fought the guys, right?

See the bandage?

Oh, my God.

We've been looking for
Mickey. Mickey isn't his name.

Wait... why do
you say that?

Oh. Ohh.

What?

Wait, why isn't
that his... oh.

Wow. I see. The ears.

- The ears.
- The ears.

- So big.
- So very big.

Mickey's a nickname.

That's our guy.

Quinn: Marvin Helmsley O'Connor.

"Mickey" to his friends.

Huck: Been mayor Verrano's personal driver

for the past 13 years.

Also a longtime associate
of the Burnham crime family.

Something the mayor doesn't
exactly like to advertise.

I hacked into the GPS
of Mickey's town car...

he was parked outside the mayor's house

at the time of the murder.

Quinn: Also hacked
his cellphone...

one call right before the
murder, one call right after.

And a $20,000 deposit

appeared in his offshore
account the next day.

He breaks in, fakes a robbery,
kills his boss's cheating wife,

and collects 20 grand.

Hell of a tip.

So, that's it? We can nail this guy?

Put Verrano away?

With that evidence? No.

To put Verrano away would require

- either forensic evidence...
- Which we cleaned up.

Or witness testimony.

That's you, Marcus.

You have to testify if
what you want is justice

for Natalie Verrano's death.

If you don't, I can work
out a deal with the mayor,

leverage the threat of your testimony

to get him to drop out of the race.

- You'll win.
- Let me get this straight.

I hire you, and you tell me to go on record

saying I was sleeping with Verrano's wife.

I didn't know you got paid
to ruin people's careers.

Justice or your career.

I can only get you one.

So, what do you want?

You're going to go first.

You're going to announce that
you will finish out your term,

but that you are pulling out of the race.

You're going to endorse
Marcus Walker for mayor.

And then you will say that
you're going to make it

your personal crusade to
find your missing wife,

and then you will
disappear from public life.

You will express your
sympathies to Mayor Verrano.

You will tell him how sorry you are

that he leaves the campaign
under these circumstances,

and then you will humbly
accept his endorsement.

And that's it.

You will both keep it short and simple.

You will answer no questions.

We will return to this car and drive away.

Do you have any questions?

That bitch got what was coming to her.

Remember that.

As I've said, this is the
hardest day of my life.

But I'm comforted knowing
that the city that I love

is gonna be in good
hands with Marcus Walker.

Thank you for your support.

[Applause]

Thank you, Mayor Verrano.

My whole life has been about justice.

Fighting for what's right.

Dr. King said a lie cannot live forever.

I've tried to expose those lies.

I've tried to live the truth.

I want to do that as
your mayor, but I can't.

Because this is a lie.

The mayor's wife is
not missing. She's dead.

- [Indistinct shouting]
- He killed her.

Just a minute! He killed her because
I was having an affair with her.

- [Crowd shouting indistinctly]
- I'm sorry.

I am a sinner.

But he is a murderer. That is the truth.

- And this...
- Man: Mr. Mayor!

This is a lie.

[Indistinct shouting]

It's been 24 hours and we still don't know

which way the senate's going to go

on the Brandon Bill because the final vote

is being held up by Vice
President Susan Ross.

[Door opens]

Fitz: Susan.

Mr. President.

Your time's up.

But, sir, I have one more question.

No more time. No more questions.

You have managed to stall this bill

and run everybody out of this room,

but you're not gonna run me out.

You are the vice president, Susan.

I know that, sir.

You don't know anything.

You just got here.

You are a fetus in the
world of Washington politics.

You can't possibly understand what it takes

to push a bill like this through congress.

The endless debate.

The compromises. The back-room dealings.

And I will not allow you to de-rail it.

I will not allow you to
waste one more second.

We need this bill now.

To elevate the standard of
police conduct in this country,

and to make sure that what
happened to Brandon Parker

never happens to anyone ever again.

Do you have a problem with that, Susan?

- No, sir, I don't, but...
- Good.

Then get up to The Hill and
vote the way you're supposed to.

I understand, sir.

Good.

I understand what my role
is supposed to be.

But I was clear with you on
the person you were getting

when you asked me to take this job.

I am not here to advance my own agenda.

I am not here staring into the oval office

imagining myself with
my feet up on your desk.

And I am not here to be your lap dog.

The only reason I am here is
to help you make real change.

But this bill, it's not about real change.

Have you read it?

Because I understand the
importance of compromise,

but that's all this bill is.

Thousands of tiny compromises

that have rendered it entirely useless.

Unenforceable.

I'm not the one wasting your time here.

This bill is wasting your time.

This bill is wasting America's time.

So, we keep the Reese amendment.

- Just sections two and four.
- What about six?

- Increasing the stop and search threshold?
- What's going on here?

- We'll never get it through.
- They'll never read this far.

What is going on here?
Are we making progress?

Are we ready to vote, Susan?

- We're pulling the bill, Cy.
- What?

Susan was right. It's
1,200 pages of nothing.

We're making it better, Mr. Beene.

We're gonna get it right this time.

You're gonna get killed in the press,

is what you're gonna get.

Not if we give them
something else to write about.

[ Camera shutter clicking ]

[Cheers and applause]

Thank you! Thank you, Mr. President!

And thank you, people of
the great state of Virginia!

[All cheer]

It is with great humility
that I stand before you,

asking to represent you
in the senate today.

From James Monroe
to Susan Ross,

Virginia has put forth some
of our nation's finest leaders.

Half the battles of
the civil war were fought

- right here in this great state.
- How'd it go?

Fine. It's what you'd expect.

- You told them everything?
- [Scoffs]

Yeah, the affair, the murder,
the hiding in the closet.

All of it.

Well, the hard part is over.

What you did took courage.

You should be proud of that.

I helped a lot of people through my work.

Would've helped even more as mayor.

I love my work. I am my work.

In 30 seconds, all that gets overshadowed

by a tabloid story.

And I become political poison forever.

I am done.

[Scoffs]

You did the right thing.

Yeah, sure. For Natalie.

For my conscience. I guess I had to.

And, hey, no regrets, right?

I mean, I get to tell
people I did the right thing.

That's something.

That's more than something.

That's everything.

That's what saves you in the end.

You do the wrong thing, then you're done.

Not at first.

It only feels like a misstep
at first, a compromise,

a concession to reality,
a bad move well-played.

But at some point, you're
only going in that direction.

By the time you realize how
far down that path you are,

you're lost.

Everything is unrecognizable.

You are unrecognizable to yourself.

You find yourself doing things
you never thought you'd do

in ways you never thought you'd do them

to save things you're not even sure

you want to save, but you can't help it.

That's when you're done.

You are not done.

You did the right thing here.

[Sighs]

I know it hurt.

I know it hurt to do it now.

But...

You know, "the time is
always right to do right."

[Camera shutters clicking]

Man: Mr. Walker! Mr. Walker!

Woman: Mr. Walker! Mr. Walker!

Mr. Walker! Mr. Walker!

[ Camera shutters clicking ]

♪ The final curtain

♪ all of my friends, let
me make it real clear ♪

So, have you decided to take my case?

Am I one of your clients now?

♪ ...of which I'm
trying to be certain ♪

You're right.

You do know me.

I looked at all possible outcomes.

I understand what needs to be done.

And I picked a side.

But not yours.

Hmm.

I won't do it.

I'm not stopping the case against B613.

You're not?

This case is good.

It's right.

Huck, Jake, all of the people
you've hurt and tormented

over the years, they want justice.

They deserve justice.

And that's the only
way the Republic stands.

Justice is, in fact, the
point of the Republic.

And I may care about him...

Mm.

But as you said, I
will never allow a person

to get in the way of what
I know to be right.

Rosen: Tomorrow, the world
as we know it changes.

For the better.

And it's all because
each of us in this room

decided to do not what is
easy, but what is right.

Someone a lot smarter, a lot wiser,

most likely a lot pithier than me

said that everyone always
knows the right thing to do.

The harder, more difficult
part is actually doing it.

Rowan: That's my girl.

Excuse me?

Picking a side. Burning it down.

Using Fitz as kindling.

That's new. That's a surprise.

But a good one. Look at what you've become.

The woman I've always hoped you would be.

Standing on your own two feet,

doing what you feel in your soul is right.

Choosing to be a warrior
instead of merely a person.

No longer running after
that man to shine his boots.

I'm proud of you.

Surprised. But proud.

I'm not helping you.

I won't save you.

I will come after you.

We may be on different sides,

but at least you've
become a worthy opponent.

Bravo, Olivia. Bravo.

So, Huck. Quinn.

Jake. Liv.

Here's to doing what's right.

I'm not celebrating, but,
to you, I am drinking.

Here's to wearing the white hat.

♪ My way♪

No one dies. No blood.

You find another way to shut this down.

If that is your expectation,

then you won't be very proud
of me when this is all over.

♪ Then he has not♪

Liv, I got your text.

♪ To say the things♪

Liv?

♪ He truly feels♪

[both grunting]

♪ And not the words of one who kneels ♪

♪ Oh, let the record show♪

♪ that I surely took some blows ♪

♪ And did it my way♪

♪ oh, yeah♪

I know you.

[Grunting]

[Gasps]

- I'm disappointed.
- [Groans]

Rowan always went on and on
about how special you were.

You were the golden boy.

You're not even making this a challenge.

I'm gonna go again.

You try this time. Okay?

[Both grunting]