Scandal (2012–2018): Season 5, Episode 4 - Dog-Whistle Politics - full transcript

Olivia Pope, are you the
president's mistress?

Yes.

Previously on "Scandal"...

Olivia Pope has a certain
reputation here in Washington.

You're talking about the fact that Pope's

been linked to several powerful men?

As to their nature,

you'd have to talk to Ms. Pope about that.

Pope, got a visitor.

- The Louvre is on fire.
- Lazarus one?

Who are you working with?



How could I, prisoner 052213

at the Milford Federal Correctional...

Lazarus one is your invention, your baby.

If B613 is left for dead,

this is how you refill its coffers...

steal some paintings, set a fire,

leave a couple of charred forgeries behind,

and then sell the originals to
gangsters and oligarchs for billions.

What happened at the Louvre...
that's Lazarus one, your plan.

So either this is you working
with someone on the outside

to rebuild your empire...

My empire? Look around you.

Thanks to my daughter
and her infinite wisdom,

I am no longer in a position



to protect our Republic.

So this is Liv's fault?

Isn't it?

Eli Pope grew up an orphan on
the mean streets of Detroit,

but envisioned something more.

He worked three jobs to put
himself through college,

eventually earning his phd in paleontology.

He married Maya, a young
secretary, and they had Olivia.

They were living the American dream.

That dream was shattered

when Maya was tragically
killed in a plane crash.

Olivia was just 12 at the time.

Now a single father, Eli Pope
sent Olivia to Surval Montreaux,

an elite Swiss boarding school

whose powerful alumni include
14 current world leaders

and eight of the world's top billionaires.

He once told a colleague

that he was on a quest
to do the impossible...

raise an African-American girl

who felt fully entitled to own the world

as much as any white man.

Olivia got a little arrogant...

A little drunk on her own sense of power.

So drunk that she forgets
the most basic facts.

She forgets everything that I taught her.

Nature abhors a vacuum.

By putting me here, Olivia
has created a dangerous one.

That quest was expensive and
ultimately his downfall...

Eli Pope embezzled millions
from the Smithsonian payroll

and now serves time in federal prison.

You're a desperate man in here.

You want out. You want to regain
your power and free yourself,

and you and I both know that
you're enacting Lazarus one.

You can either tell me who
you're working with now,

or I will find them and kill them.

It's as if you've learned nothing from me.

I think I failed with you.

Did he succeed? Did he do the impossible?

Is Olivia Pope her father's success story?

Did he go too far?

Did Olivia Pope's manufactured
sense of privilege

make her feel so entitled
to that brass ring of power

that she simply took it
instead of earning it?

Or is she still questing?

Is Olivia Pope still seeking
to fulfill her father's dream?

I don't have to regain my power.

Power... true power... is never lost.

And freedom?

Boy, I am always free.

No one will ever cage me.

You always leave a trail.

It how you ended up in here.

And it's how I'm gonna find

who you're working with on the outside.

Over the next hour,

we're going to take you
inside corridors of power,

behind closed doors, and,
yes, even between the sheets,

to uncover the sometimes
thrilling, sometimes sordid,

always mysterious world of Olivia Pope.

Happy hunting.

You're early.

Hey, Quinn.

Look, it's good to see you, but I...

I know. You're waiting for Layla.

But you don't have a
date with Layla, Marcus.

You have a date with me. See?

Oh, don't worry.

Layla's real, and from her e-mails,

I think she really likes you.

She just didn't text you
to meet up tonight. I did.

- All right, what in the hell...
- You're broke, Marcus.

You're unemployed because
you screwed the mayor's wife.

You're damaged goods, but
you're charming and attractive,

and you can drive a narrative.

Plus, you know, stray dogs.

Okay. Now I see.

You're crazy. Is that it?

You're one of those crazy chicks?

I'm offering you a job.

- A job?
- A job.

Olivia Pope and associates
needs a mouthpiece.

You're good with the press.

You won't just be some corporate spinner.

You'll be one of us.

Look, the job is yours if you want it.

It's the best job you'll ever have.

You will change lives,
you will slay dragons,

you will love the hunt
more than you ever dreamed.

And I am not crazy.

I'm a gladiator in a suit.

That's what you are when you work at O.P.A.

You're a gladiator in a suit.

Do you want to be a gladiator in a suit?

No.

No?!

Look, that was flashy. You do flashy well.

I know because I've seen
how you do business.

The problem is, I don't
like what I've seen.

You might slay some dragons,
but the way they go down...

You cut corners. You break rules.

You think the law is a suggestion.

You're shifty, you're shady,

and you lie even when you don't have to.

That might work for you,
but it doesn't work for me.

Plus, you're hemorrhaging clients.

In less than six months,
you'll be as broke as I am,

so do I want to be a gladiator in a suit?

Hell, no.

Have you seen this garbage?

You see what they're calling her in there?

Yes.

And in every other newspaper in the world.

The morning shows?

Morning, when people's
kids are in the room.

Gave estimates on how
many men she'd slept with

and at what age she'd lost her virginity.

- Yes, sir. I saw...
- It's disgusting.

Liv's blindfolded

on her knees in front of the firing squad,

and we're doing nothing.

Well, you told me to do nothing.

Abby tied her hands!

We need to concentrate on
things we can possibly fix...

Like senator Gibson.

The republican leadership is
going to put the screws to me.

- We knew this was coming.
- But I know Gibson.

I've charmed him in the past.

Let me feel him out and see if I can...

- You're fired.
- Mr. President...

Do not talk! You are done talking.

You are fired.

Uh, sir, it's not the best time...

I want her gone by the end of the day.

Let me fix this. Go back to your office.

Do not leave this building.

Do not turn over your hard pass.

Just wait.

Where we going?

Paris.

I can't go to Paris.

Yes, you can.

I got a job. You got a lot
of contacts over there.

You're going to Paris.

Fine. It's gonna cost you.

Someone launched Lazarus one.

The Louvre fire.

That sucks.

Eh. But I have a business.

To just take off like this...

Look, you helped us take down B613,

so whoever's doing this is
your enemy as much as mine.

I'm not asking you to work for free.

I'm asking you to work for your life.

You cannot fire Abby.

You're being emotional.

Yes, I'm being emotional. I'm pissed.

What's wrong with being
emotional about this?

Ok, now you're an idiot.

Did you just call me an idiot?

We have been over this.

You're the president of the United States.

You don't get to be emotional.

You have to be smart.

And firing your Press Secretary

in the middle of a scandal is not smart.

You're a leader.

- Think like a...
- Like a leader. It's...

I know I said I would do this.

Abby went behind my back.

She betrayed you.

Abby did exactly what I would have done.

Then you're an idiot.

I told you...

This is my choice to make.

If you take that away from me...

I do not need to be rescued.

I find it offensive.

So I sit on my hands while
you act as a punching bag?

No.

You walk down the hall and
give Abby her job back.

Liv. They are crucifying you out there.

How long can you handle that?

Liv?

Oh, my God.

Liv?

I have to go.

Liv?

Olivia Pope.

Age 23 in her first year at Georgetown law.

My dream job?

The White House.

One day, I'd really love to work there.

I want to impact a national agenda

that drives America forward.

What better, more
influential place to do that

than the White House?

A few short years later,

Olivia Pope would, in fact, have a seat

at the world's most powerful table,

next to a man she helped get elected.

Is Olivia Pope a political savant?

Or a woman so ambitious
she would do anything

to get where she wanted to go?

No one is gonna be taking pictures of you

from that apartment anymore.

I rented it,

several hundred dollars above market.

You sweep the place?

All clear... no bugs, no taps, no cameras.

Burners. Month's supply.

Use a new one each day and
then ditch the old one.

I know the drill.

What?

So, here's the thing...

between the press and our clients,

we're kind of swamped at the office.

Quinn, the last thing we need is
another person in our business.

Okay, but I tried to hire Marcus Walker

- to help out, who you like...
- Quinn.

He shut me down anyway. I...

- look, I just really think we need someone.
- No.

Whatever's going down, you two
should be able to handle it.

- Understood?
- Understood.

Coming up, we talk

to Olivia Pope's third-grade teacher.

I can kill the cable altogether.

Don't bother.

She's late.

It's France. There's no such thing.

- You sure she's got art contacts?
- Yeah, this is her thing.

If someone's selling stolen
paintings, she'll find them,

and then she can pose as the buyer.

Mm-hmm. And she's good?

Yeah, she's good.

She's got more kills than
you and me put together.

She's legend.

Oh, and she's hot. Like sexy hot.

- I've been working on her for years.
- What's her name?

Hello, Charlie.

Elise.

I'd like to introduce you to... Jake.

Elise is a nice name.

And French... that's a good way to go.

It's Jake?

That's what you're calling yourself?

Well, Jake...

Deal's off.

Au revoir, Charlie.

The senator has no comment at this time

other than that she is looking forward

to serving the good people of Virginia

as their junior senator.

In fact, right now,

she has a senate women's
caucus meeting to get to,

so if you could all
just let her do her job.

Hello, ladies. I'm sorry I'm late.

The press caught me in the rotunda.

But I wanted to say how
honored I am to be here,

and I will work hard.

Where were you on the agenda...

equal pay? Reproductive rights?

That's not why we asked you here.

Oh.

Then why are we meeting?

Senator Grant, how about you take a seat?

Mellie, I know this is your first day,

so let me tell you how
the senate really works.

A bunch of men are going
to gather somewhere,

and they will have cigars,
and they will have scotch,

and they will make themselves a deal.

What the deal is, we won't know.

There will just be some votes...

votes we've probably
worked our asses off on

for God only knows how long

that'll suddenly go a different way.

But this is a bipartisan caucus.

Why would you work together?

This isn't about Republicans and Democrats.

It's about peckers... too many peckers.

The men have their own way of doing things,

so we started having ours.

Good news.

I've lined up interviews on
every afternoon talk show.

"Why afternoon?" You ask.

Because aggrieved women love
their afternoon talk shows.

More cheating bastards
get raked over the coals

on those comfy couches than...

They want to impeach him.

What?

Fitz.

The women of the senate...

all the women of the senate...

want to impeach him.

But only if I give the go-ahead.

They want to impeach a
man for having an affair?

They want to impeach a man

for having an affair that
everyone just shrugs about

because a man having an
affair is a daily occurrence.

They want to impeach a man
because all we ever hear

is how women are controlled
by their hormones,

but what is more hormonal

than man who can't keep
it in his damn pants?

They want to impeach a man
because he broke his vows

and disturbed the office of the presidency

and distracted the country with his libido,

and the only person that
gets raked over the coals

is the woman he screwed.

That's why.

But that's... that's, um...

He's a man.

Cyrus!

It doesn't matter anyway
because I am not doing it.

You're not going to have him impeached?

- Of course not.
- Hold on.

- Mellie, let's talk about this.
- No.

Fitz put himself in the cross hairs.

That merits a conversation.

If I went after him, it
would look vindictive.

Or righteous.

I'm a freshman senator.

I need to keep a low profile,

start out where other
freshman senators start out.

On some do-nothing subcommittee
in the capitol basement?

I do not want to impeach my husband.

No.

What you really want is the oval.

So let's not be too hasty

because this doesn't have
to be about your husband.

This can be about your country,
about the greater good,

- about a leader who deceived the American people.
- Cyrus...

and let's not forget Susan Ross.

If Fitz gets impeached,
Susan Ross becomes president,

and we all know how that turns out.

The woman's gonna eat her own head

and set herself on fire at the same time,

after which the country will
desperately want someone

who's the polar opposite of Susan.

Someone stately. Someone with gravitas.

Someone who's a true leader.

You, Senator.

This is it.

Your chance.

Either you go after your husband now

and claim the White House for your own,

or you do nothing and end up being

that sad little well-meaning
freshman senator,

sitting on that do-nothing subcommittee,

publicly grinning at the world,

privately wanting to hang yourself.

Known around town as a fashion icon

for her expensive shoes and flashy purses,

Olivia Pope isn't someone
who goes unnoticed.

The articulate, often outspoken Olivia Pope

remains silent.

It is fair to wonder if the apple

didn't fall too far from the tree.

Her father is incarcerated.

champion of Brandon Parker
and other urban causes.

Is Olivia Pope that good or simply lucky?

She was always very aggressive.

Some might say arrogant.

- Her father's incarcerated!
- Simply lucky.

Liv has no plan.

Meanwhile, our client roster

is getting gobbled up by the other firms.

Cream?

What are you doing here?

Where do you guys keep the cream?

Seriously?

I changed my mind.

I accept the job.

I'm ready to gladiate
in a suit or whatever.

- We're not hiring.
- Perkins told me something different.

Phone's been ringing off
the hook since I got here.

- Anybody gonna answer that?
- You have to leave.

- He doesn't know what he's talking about.
- Liv said that we had...

Liv said for me to handle things.

That's what I'm doing. It's handled.

Everything I said earlier still holds,

but I need the cash,

and I might as well take it from you guys

while you still have it to offer.

So, when do you want me out
there facing the reporters?

All we need is to keep our clients.

So our strategy is, it's business as usual

at Olivia Pope and associates.

Olivia is working.

She's so busy taking
care of her many clients

that she's too busy to
address the media, et cetera.

You get the drift?

No.

- Let me in.
- No.

We're gonna stand here.

I'm gonna say "let me in" a few more times.

You're gonna say "no" a few more times.

And you're gonna give me
a look you always give

when you want me to know how mad you are,

but eventually, we both know
you're going to let me in

because you always let me in.

Nice. Elise does well.

She's an art dealer. She has to.

What? You thought I couldn't
handle business on my own?

I thought you were dead.

I was at Grand Central Station, Jake.

I was at Grand Central Station.

You were nowhere. I was there, Jake.

- You were not there.
- I was late.

I was late, but I was there.

I waited!

Protocol lets me have 25 minutes.

I gave you an hour.

I got there!

You left me!

You left me behind.

You should have trusted I would make it.

You should have waited.

Look...

Elise...

I don't need an apology.

You're here about the job.

What's the job?

We're on the trail of
some stolen art pieces.

I need you to put out some feelers.

Find out who's selling, make a buy.

We put a GPS chip in the cash
and track them to their boss.

Exactly.

I really thought you were dead.

25 minutes no-show is
one thing, but an hour?

I thought you were dead. I thought...

I grieved.

I really loved being married to you.

We were good together.

Liz!

Senator.

I have to investigate him, Liz.

We're all Republicans... Family.

We can find a way to work this out.

I'd sure like to, but I sure can't.

We're talking about sex
between consenting adults.

Unfortunate, yes. Illegal? Absolutely not.

The woman ran his campaign,
worked in his White House.

She had access to things.
He paid her for things.

So don't try and give
me your talking points

like I'm some senior citizen
drooling away in my la-z-boy

watching cable news from sunup to sundown.

His whole administration
he's had these bitches

- lined up like planes on a Jetway.
- Senator.

Are you telling me this woman

isn't pulling his strings
like a marionette?

There are legitimate questions.

Now, the president can
answer them in person,

or he can come up to the Hill

and answer them under
oath on live television.

I'm here to get some of my things.

What are you doing?

Don't shush me, and don't
tell me it's not a good time.

I have a right to be here whenever I...

what?

I wonder where Teddy is.

You can't find him?

I've looked everywhere.

Have you looked... Over here?

Not yet.

Well, I don't see anything!

Wow!

Where could he be?

How do we lose a whole boy?

I don't want us to fight anymore.

If you don't hurt me, I won't hurt you.

Okay?

Okay.

Okay.

I'm gonna get my things.

I'll pick him up tomorrow.

Okay.

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

In his first run at the White House,

governor Fitzgerald
Grant's presidential hopes

were stopped dead

after a humiliating defeat
in the Iowa caucuses.

Campaign manager and future
chief of staff Cyrus Beene

was desperate.

Not just desperate... we were broke!

The consultants... the
dozens of beltway bandits

earning 40 grand a month...

they'd all failed to
provide a winning strategy.

Frankly, Olivia Pope
was the only strategist

I could afford at the time.

I also knew she'd be great.

I had no idea she'd be a miracle worker.

A miracle worker, indeed.

In three weeks, Olivia Pope
turned a fourth-place candidate

into the winner of the
south Carolina primary.

Keep an eye on her.

She'll be a household name, Mark my words.

Thus Olivia Pope is in a unique
position of being a black woman

in a world dominated by white men.

But being an outsider is something Pope...

sorry.

I can't watch any more.

It's the same crap over and over.

I was in line at the
grocery store this morning.

There was a couple in front
of me... white, mid-60s.

The wife's looking at a picture of Liv

on the cover of some tabloid

and the husband's going on and on

about how angry Liv looks,

how he totally believes she
took advantage of the president

because she looks
conniving and power-hungry,

but the wife... God bless
her... defended Olivia

by saying, "she must be pretty sharp

if she pulled herself up by her bootstraps

and made it out of the ghetto."

Liv went to one of the most
expensive boarding schools

in Europe!

So you're not here for the money.

I'm here to help a sister out
who helped me when I needed it.

Well, what's your suggestion?

We call the press out.

Make the public aware of what
they're really being sold.

We shift the conversation away from Olivia

to the reporting of Olivia.

Olivia's name is on that door.

Stick to the plan.

Gladiators don't ask questions.

That's gonna take some getting used to.

If you don't sit down with Senator Gibson,

the judiciary committee is going
to launch an investigation.

This was the smart strategy?

They mercilessly attack Olivia,

and I have to stop my own
party from investigating me.

Remind me... what was the dumb strategy?

The one where you've
already been impeached.

The fact that Gibson
is willing to negotiate

means this is working.

You're only here because
firing you right now

would add fuel to the scandal.

Do you really think talking
to me is your best move?

It won't just be the senate, sir.

If congress investigates you,

I'll be forced to appoint
a special counsel.

A special counsel can run wild.

No one tells them what to do.
They'll bulldoze you and Liv.

Set the meeting with Gibson.

Feed's up.

I got to hand it to you, boss.

You got game.

What are you talking about?

Oh, I'm just saying.

Your girlfriend back home
chooses another dude.

It's all up in your face.

So you hop across the Atlantic

and slide back in with a
hottie who hates your guts.

Impressive. You're an idiot.

Why is this so grainy?

I-I don't know if I'm the
guy to be giving advice here.

You're not.

Bonjour.

- Zoom in.
- Got it.

Running QR-15 facial recognition.

He brought the painting.

Yevgeny Valenkov. Based in St. Petersburg.

Affiliated with the Semion
Mogilevich Syndicate.

I don't understand. This guy isn't B613.

What are they saying?

He's got a Delacroix in the case

and a Renoir in a warehouse.

- That's it?
- That's it.

Where are all the other paintings?

What's going on?

I-I can't get it back.

What's he saying? He
wants to see the money.

We got to get in there now, boss.

No, if... if we go in now, we're blown.

She knows what she's doing.

- Can you get the feed?
- I'm trying!

Elise?

You're gonna be okay, Eise.

Hey.

Elise.

I shot him.

You shot him.

You're gonna be okay.

You hear me?

Stay with me, Elise.

This was your father?

Yep, back when he was a congressman.

Had the whole place in stitches.

That's hilarious.

Now, gentlemen...

We all know why I asked you here.

I made a mistake...

Betrayed the people's trust...

And, in doing so, created a situation

where you can either support
me and risk looking like fools

or throw me under the bus and
help the democrats hang me.

But as it's me who put
you in this position,

I'm willing to offer some things
in exchange for your mercy.

Now, Steve, I know you have a tight race

coming up in November.

I'm prepared to stump hard on your behalf

and put my whole machine behind
your fundraising efforts.

The president's also prepared

to back the infrastructure bill, senator.

Even though there's way too much pork

going to your cronies
there in Wyoming, Arnie.

Liz will finalize all the details.

Now, unfortunately, I do
have a country to run,

so as much as I'd like to stay...

Sit, Mr. President.

This has been fun.

But as far as I'm concerned,

we're still at the foreplay
stage of the evening.

The fun stuff still lies ahead.

So have yourself a seat

and let's start talking
about the true cost of mercy.

This is preposterous.

Well, we'll roll them back in increments.

That way there will be
less media attention.

Equal pay? The Brandon bill?

Those were huge legislative
achievements, senator.

For the democrats. Not for us.

No. Absolutely not.

Gentlemen, can we have the room, please?

That means you, too, Liz.

Stanley, this isn't politics.

This is extortion.

All right, how about this?

How about I give you equal pay? Hmm?

I'll let you keep that.

Arnie only put that in there, I think,

'cause his wife is driving him bonkers.

So that's yours.

But in return for that favor, though,

I must insist you give us the Brandon bill.

Stan, listen to me... whatever you
have to do to kill those provisions...

executive order...

I'm not gonna do that.

I'm afraid you don't have a choice.

You know, I've had
dalliances, Mr. President.

We all have.

Your problem is, you got caught.

And that's why it's you on
your knees in front of me

instead of the reverse.

Kill the Brandon bill.

You made a lot of enemies for us

with the law and order
community passing that thing.

If you could find a way of quashing it,

that would make all the difference.

Let me think about it.

Oh, and, sir?

Next time you decide to
go outside your marriage,

choose yourself a girl

who's a little more palatable to the base.

What is that supposed to mean?

Full roll-back on the Brandon bill,

or we start pursuing impeachment.

Sir.

Friends say Pope's post-college years

were typical of an urban 20-something...

scraping by, having fun, and
hustling to make her mark.

Those hard times faded, though,

once Pope began dating older men.

No doubt drawn to her youth and beauty,

the men shared not just the
fact that they were older,

but they were powerful.

Pope was even once engaged

to senate majority leader Edison Davis.

Senator Davis' office refused
comment for this piece.

One thing that is certain is
that with each new relationship,

Pope's profile increased

along with the power of
the subsequent suitor.

Knowing this, is it any wonder
that Pope would set her sights

on the powerful man on the planet?

What?

I need to talk to you.

About the Brandon bill.

Did you know that there's
a porn version of us?

Actually three, I think.

Yeah.

- Liv...
- And a lot of people,

a lot of anonymous Internet people,

cowards who won't use their names,

apparently want to have me killed.

Also raped.

How come whenever a woman does
something that people don't like

the only way these men on the Internet

know how to express themselves
is by threatening rape?

Listen. Turn off the computer, Liv.

No, seriously.

I have...

At least 1,000 threats of rape here,

just on this one site,

from guys who are mad
that I had the audacity

to be born female and black.

Olivia...

Turn off the computer.

Do you think if I told them I own a gun

and that I've shot someone,
they'd threaten to rape me?

Do you think if I told them

I've survived being kidnapped and tortured,

they would get that their
weak little misspellings

barely make me blink?

That I would welcome the chance

to take out a little bit of PTSD

on the next man who put his hands on me?

You think they'd still want to...

turn off the computer now,

or I will come over there,

walk through all the reporters
outside your building,

and turn it off for you.

I'm fine.

I'm just...

I'm losing it, but only a little bit.

I'm fine.

How's that arm?

Flesh wound.

You've seen me take worse.

I'm sorry for getting you involved in this.

If I knew you'd get hurt...

I never showed up at grand central station.

We're spies.

There's no forever for us.

We both knew that.

And what about now?

What about now?

Come back to the states with me.

Those senators came to you!

They're deferring to you.

They're bowing down. What
should that tell you?

That's it time to come
out from behind the throne

and wield some power
that's got your name on it!

I won't do it, Cyrus.

As much as I want to, there's no way

that I come out of this
looking like anything more

than a vindictive harpy.

The smart play...

the smart play is to take the high road.

You know that.

What that man did to you...

What he did to us...

Is on completely different levels.

Cyrus, come on.

He was my husband.

You were just colleagues, friends.

Why are so hell-bent on revenge?

Let it go already.

C-colleagues.

Friends.

Mellie, I devoted my life to him, to you,

to the Grant cause.

The last 14 years have been...

He kicked in the teeth
and didn't even look back,

and I'm supposed to just it go?

I guess that's the difference
between me and you, Cy.

When my heart is broken,

I can get up and dust myself off

and walk away with some dignity.

Dignity's a good visual.

That's... that's what you
think the difference is?

Between you and me? No, no.

There difference between you and me

is that your heart was never broken

because you never loved him.

You needed him, used
him, coexisted with him,

but you did not love him!

I would have died for that man.

I loved him as my son...

As my child...

As my soul.

That does not end. That never ends.

It just rips a hole inside
of you that never closes.

Your child is dead!

You can visit his grave, bring him flowers.

You know exactly where
he is and what he is.

My child is breathing and talking

right down the block from me
at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,

but I can't see him.

I don't know how he is or what he needs

or if he's even okay.

He's surrounded by vultures

who want to pick the flesh from his bones,

but he doesn't know it.

And I do.

And I'm not there to
shelter him from the storms,

to pick up after him, to remove
the obstacles in his path.

Your child is safe in the ground

where everything bad has already happened.

But my child... my soul...

all you have to do is turn on the news

to see that the bad things for him

are just getting started.

Get out...

Before I have you thrown out.

Oh, no need, no need.

I quit.

reason, high crimes and misdemeanors.

These are the charges for impeachment,

according to our constitution.

Just which of them, if any,
will president Grant face?

Within minutes of Ms. Pope's declaration,

pundits began postulating how, and if,

Grant broke the law with his affair.

Are you gonna respond to allegations?

Where is Olivia Pope?

When's she coming out of hiding?

Just tell us why she won't defend herself

as passionately as she defends her clients.

She's usually so well-spoken.

"For a black woman."

"She's usually so well-spoken
for a black woman."

Isn't that what you meant?

I say that because I've been
looking at the last 72 hours

of your station's news coverage,

and when you're not suggesting

that Olivia Pope is an angry black woman,

you're implying she's a homewrecker

who slept her way to the top.

What the hell was that?

- Gladiating.
- You did the exact opposite of what I asked.

You can only dodge so long.

At some point, you have to throw a punch.

You went off-script.

This... Is... War.

There is no script.

You can choose the battle,

but if you send me out,
I'm fighting my way.

I don't play. I don't hide.

I don't hold back or look for exits,

and I sure as hell don't lean
on the ropes and take it.

I swing because that's me.

That's who I am. That is how I gladiate.

They're gonna try to confuse you.

They will bring up your past
criminal record to rattle you.

When you get stuck or
don't know what to say,

just accuse them of playing
dog-whistle politics.

Now, Quinn Perkins wasn't always your name.

Before you started working for Ms. Pope,

you were known as Lindsay Dwyer.

The "Molotov Mistress."

That's what you were going for, right, Dan?

But why would you bring that up now

when we're supposed to be talking about...

Olivia Pope doesn't fit with
the slutty-mistress stereotype.

So instead of representing her as she is...

a formidable, passionate advocate...

you take the easy route, shading her,

using all manner of coded language.

There's a name for that,
Claire, and it's...

Dog-whistle politics.

That's your buzzword.
That's your talking point.

Dog-whistle politics.

Yeah, okay, but what exactly is that?

It's racism, sexism,
anti-semitism, misogyny.

It's bigotry in the form of
a language so coded that...

Only the person it's
targeting is insulted by it,

- like a dog whistle.
- It lets them get away with it.

- Are you accusing me of using offensive language?
- Yes.

On this network alone, Olivia Pope

has been described as lucky...

sassy, ambitious...

well-spoken, well-mannered, articulate...

shrill, calculating,
overconfident, secretive...

urban, hot-blooded...

known to use thug politics...

arrogant, a siren.

Words like these mean nothing
to the general public,

which is why the media...

and I'm including you in there, Claire...

can get away with using them.

But when women of color, like Ms. Pope,

hear that kind of coded language,

they know exactly what you're getting at.

Well, that's all the time we have tonight.

Would you like to add
anything else before you go?

Dog-whistle politics.

Yes.

You've said that a few times now.

So...

Who's gonna tell Olivia I work here now?

I will.

I'm damaged.

She doesn't like to yell at me.

Mr. President.

Abby.

Liv said I can't fire you

because you did exactly what she would do.

Do you always do what Liv would do?

Well...

I learned from her playbook, so...

I don't know. I guess so.

Just look at the first page.

It's a summary.

Sir, the Brandon bill is your legacy.

Yeah.

What would Liv do about that?

If you have any hope of
avoiding impeachment,

I'm sorry, but you have to
give Gibson what he wants.

That's what Liv would do?

That's the smart move, yes.

Abby.

Sir?

It's Olivia's job as a fixer to be smart...

To be practical and unemotional.

She makes the the smart move.

In her office, the smart move
is the only move that counts,

but you know what?

We don't work for Liv.

I'm president of the United States.

We work for the American people.

The playbook is the constitution.

In my office, it's not
about doing the smart thing.

It's about doing the right thing.

Dog-whistle politics.

We interrupt this broadcast
with some breaking news.

Dog-whistle politics. The president's
motorcade was seen leaving the White House

roughly eight minutes ago

and is currently traveling
down Wisconsin Avenue.

White House sources tell us

no outing was planned for the evening,

so president Fitzgerald Grant

appears to be taking an unscheduled ride

in the presidential limousine.

We are unsure where exactly
the president is headed.

What are you doing?

But he's clearly not visiting
the Capitol or the Pentagon.

The motorcade now making its
way through a residential area.

Don't you dare.

Don't you dare. That is, in
fact, the same neighborhood

where the president's mistress,

former communications director
Olivia Pope, currently resides.

And I'm being told that this
is Olivia Pope's building.

For those of you just tuning in now,

the president of the United States

appears to be visiting the woman

with whom he's been having an affair.

What the hell are you doing?

What the hell are you doing?

The right thing.

I'm taking my girlfriend on a date.

Guys, look away,

cause I'm gonna make out
with my girlfriend now.

Fitz.

Fitz. Fitz!

An unprecedented sight.

President Grant escorting
his reputed mistress,

Olivia Pope.

A bold move, as if he's daring the world

to come between them.

Olivia... Reputed... Daring...

Will Olivia Pope become our next first lady

or the first lady to take
down a sitting president?

It's late, Mellie.

I know. I take it you've seen the news.

That's why I called you here...

because I wanted to talk to you...

About impeaching my husband.

I'm Francesca Hunter,

and tonight, we are,
as always, on the hunt.