Scandal (2012–2018): Season 5, Episode 7 - Even the Devil Deserves a Second Chance - full transcript

Fitz works on his comeback with the American public and uncovers something shocking in the process. Meanwhile, Olivia focuses on hiding her personal secrets instead of tending to a new client; and Elizabeth North develops a new agenda.

My fellow Americans,

now that congress has fulfilled
its constitutional duty,

completing their fair and
thorough investigation

into my administration,

I come before you to say

how proud and humbled I
am to be your president

and to say how sorry I am

to my family, to Mellie, to my children,

to every American,

most of all, to those parents out there.

Over the last few weeks, the
news coming into your homes



raised questions from your children...

uncomfortable questions
related to my personal life...

questions on topics

you may have been forced
to answer too soon.

As your leader, as a father,

I am truly sorry for that.

I've asked the lord for forgiveness.

I ask the same of you.

And I will work tirelessly to
be worthy of that forgiveness

by focusing on making your schools better,

your healthcare more affordable,

and our country safer and more productive.

Thank you.

We've just heard the first
words from president Grant



since the end of the impeachment hearings.

Let's go right to Ashley Davidson,

who's at the White House.

Ashley, President Grant tends
to shine in moments like these.

I'd say this was no exception.

No exception indeed, Noah.

The president wants to
project that he's contrite,

but also that he's moving on,

and I think his pitch was perfect.

Let's be honest, this was a
victory for the White House,

but President Grant made
it very clear from his tone

that this is not a day to gloat.

To Congress.

May their heads one day
depart from their asses.

I can't confirm, but I have a guy

who says they were blackmailed,
the entire senate judiciary,

and the stuff on them was buried...

we're talking deep... black hole deep...

the kind of deep that no one ever finds...

the kind of deep that gets you

on the senate judiciary committee.

How'd you do it?

How the hell did you get that information

to end the impeachment?

You did something.

I don't want to lie to you.

Don't make me.

We're okay?

About what?

The wedding?

That wasn't the wedding we wanted.

We won, and now you get to date

the most eligible bachelor in the country.

That is something to celebrate.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

I saw that you're making a speech

to the chiefs of police tomorrow.

Their annual conference, yeah.

So am I.

I could give you a ride in
my motorcade if you want...

Unless you're already
going with somebody else.

No. It's just me.

Surprisingly, not
everyone wants to hang out

at the National Association
of the Chiefs of Police.

Mr. President, we have an emergency.

How in the hell did they lose a prisoner?

They didn't lose him.

He walked right out the front door.

They had paperwork for his release.

What?! How?

We're looking into that, sir.

But it was the perfect
escape. And there's more.

800 miles away, a few hours later,

paperwork for Tom Larsen
was received and processed.

Damn it, Cy.

Are you telling me Rowan
escaped from federal prison

and then just, what,

went through the supermax drive-thru

to pick up his favorite killer?

Sir...

My father escaped?

He's out?

Don't worry. We'll find them.

I'll start making calls.

I don't know how this happened,

but we'll get to the bottom of it, okay?

I promise you.

Dad?

Not so lucky.

This wine isn't very good.

Sit down.

What are you doing here?

I don't know a lot about
wine, but this is terrible.

I said sit down.

Sit down!

You know what I admire about Rowan?

He doesn't claim to be anything he's not.

He knows what he is.

He revels in it.

You...

you preach about wearing
some dumb, white hat.

You think if you feel bad for
a while and drink some wine

and take in strays, it
will wipe away the...

are you blind, Olivia,
or do you refuse to see,

or do you really not know what you are?

You're drunk and mad.

I think you should go.

He killed Elise.

Elise is dead.

My wife... she's dead.

He killed her.

Actually, it was you.

You freed Rowan.

Rowan put a bullet in her back.

Now she's dead.

So you killed her.

Oh, you didn't think about that.

Do the math.

Factor in the people your
father had killed in the past...

all those people.

Maybe estimate the dead people yet to come.

Really, Olivia?

You didn't think about the
body count you'd rack up

when you let a mass murderer
and his crazy sidekick

out of prison?!

Jake, if I had known,

if I had thought for even a second...

The woman I loved killed
the woman I used to love,

or the woman I used to love
killed the woman I love!

I can't figure it out.

I am so tired of being our father's son.

But you don't get tired, do you?

You just keep going,
spreading like a plague.

How does someone as brilliant
and as accomplished as you

not know what you are, who you are?

What?

You?

We all heard that Rowan gave
up on you a long time ago,

that he'd failed, and that's why

he started training us as these sons.

But I think we got it wrong.

You just let a murderer out of prison,

not for the good of the Republic,

but because you wanted to,

because it personally served you.

And I don't see any impeachment hearings,

and I don't see a wedding
ring on that finger.

You are Rowan's greatest achievement.

You have become exactly the
woman he raised you to be...

power-hungry, entitled, dangerous.

And the beauty of it is,
you don't even know it.

You're grieving, and I'm so sorry for that.

But I want you to go...

Now!

Cyrus...

Uh, Mr. President

I've been thinking, sir,

after these impeachment hearings,

we need a plan to reset your image.

I thought you could head to Peru
for the inter-American summit.

It will get you out of
the country for a week.

You're very popular in Latin America.

It's a good, high-profile visual.

I already have a plan, Cy.

I'm thinking small.

You're thinking small?

Small, easily digestible,
bite-sized achievements...

tax credits for small business,

increased penalties for financial fraud,

funding for...

Firefighters.

Funding for firefighters,
things like that...

- small.
- Medal.

And I'm awarding

the Presidential Medal of Freedom today

to a feminist icon.

What's a better visual
for my image than that?

Let's make it a real event, push
the networks to take it live.

Hi, Liv.

Hi, Cyrus.

A client just walked into O.P.A.

Someone actually wants to hire us.

Well, that's one piece of good news.

Go.

If we find Rowan, I'll call you.

Okay.

Sir, I have been told

you called off the FBI search for Rowan.

I decided to go another way.

Another way?

Yes.

The ceremony is going to be televised live,

but everything will still
go just as we rehearsed.

Don't worry.

Besides, if there's anyone who deserves

the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, it's you.

That might be the nicest
thing anybody's ever said.

Is this what you call spin?

Mr. Holland, I have read
"Milner's brook" six times.

Your book gave me the courage
to ask a friend for help

to leave my husband.

I'm touched.

You're not alone.

A lot of women needed that book.

Would you like Frank
to sign a copy for you?

I'd be happy to.

That would... that would be amazing.

Yes, thank you.

Okay, so, we'll do a few quick interviews

in the Blue Room and then a
tiny bit of hair and makeup.

Okay. This client...

did you already start a
file, run a background check?

Is she talking? Did she tell you her story?

Old, young? Can she pay, or...

What? You let Rowan out?

- Huck...
- You let Rowan out.

- I didn't have a choice.
- He's gonna bring back B613.

No, he's not, Huck.

Rowan... Liv's father, right?

- You listen when I talk.
- I do.

Huck...

He's going to bring back B613,

and either we're all gonna die or he is.

No. We are done.

We are not going after my father.

O.P.A.is out of the spy business.

Is that clear?

The client...

Hannah Taylor. In your office.

That's all we know.
That's all she'd tell us.

She wants you.

You took that admiral down

for raping that woman in the Navy.

Amy Martin.

Right.

So, um, you help rape victims.

You get them justice.

Sometimes.

Yeah, if I can.

But, Hannah, each case is different.

In order to know if I can help,

I'd need to hear what happened.

Two years ago, I was raped.

I'm very sorry to hear that.

No one believed me when it happened.

I tried to get past it,
deal with it on my own.

I couldn't.

But then, uh...

But then?

I saw you on TV,

and I figured since you know the president,

maybe you could talk to him.

Hannah, I... are you... ?

Do you want to lobby, to
change a law of some kind?

- Because your state senator...
- No, no, no.

I-I want the president
to know that I was raped.

Okay, I understand that you're frustrated,

but we can't just go
straight to the president.

That's not how this works.

But he would want to know.

The man who raped me is
Frank Holland, the writer.

And right now he is getting the...

Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Nobel Prize winner Frank
Holland has made it his mission

to bring what he describes
as the transformative power

of the written word to millions of women

around the world who've been denied access

to education for far too long.

His impact is immeasurable,
his passion is inspiring,

and his dedication to feminism
and freedom is truly American.

Congratulations, Frank.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Hannah Taylor.

Two years ago, she was
a straight-"A" student,

double-majoring in English and comp lit.

She was the editor of the
school's literary magazine.

But the brass ring...
nabbing a coveted spot

in Professor Holland's
senior-thesis seminar.

Professor Holland was the main reason

I chose Wheeler over other schools.

I wanted to be a writer.

He was my idol.

Frank Holland... the voice of a generation

and a national treasure.

His debut novel won the National Book Award

and went on to become a best-seller.

But it was his second
book, a thousand-page tome

on gender inequality
called "Civil Barbarian,"

that catapulted him into
the literary stratosphere.

Over 300 students applied.

When I saw my name on that list,

it was like my talent became real.

That's a lot of power to give one man.

It wasn't just me.

We all worshiped him. Everyone does.

He's more than just a writer.

He's a humanitarian and a pretty great one.

He's dedicated his life to
promoting girls' education

in developing nations.

There's about a million
more women around the world

who can read because of this guy.

He's also mentored a
bunch of female authors

who've gone on to have their own success.

It's like he's God's gift
to women, but for real.

And this happened at his home?

Yes. I went there to talk about a paper.

And, then, what happened?

I passed out.

Do you think he drugged you?

He was on top of me.

I went home, and I took a shower.

Which destroyed the evidence?

And we've confirmed that Wheeler
still won't let her back in.

She's been expelled, but
they won't call it that.

They told me to take a leave of absence.

They claimed that she's
a psychological liability

and that they can't
provide that level of care.

That's cold.

You're talking about going up against

a beloved man backed by
a powerful institution.

If you do this, it won't be easy.

It can't be harder than the last two years.

I'll be back.

- Where is she going?
- To tell the president

he might have just hung
a medal on a rapist.

The White House isn't our client.

She's the president's girlfriend.

The White House is always our client.

I hate the new normal.

I brought you a signed Frank Holland.

Wow!

Thank you.

What's he like?

Exactly what you hope Frank
Holland will be like...

perfect.

You met Frank Holland.

It must have been nice.

I'm sorry about what happened with Cyrus.

I had no idea that was even...

Sally Langston offered
me an exclusive interview

about my time at the White House.

Oh.

Yeah.

So, what do you want from us?

This is why I've always liked you...

so quick, so smart.

- Just spit it out.
- I want a job...

not just any job,

a job that puts me back in
the president's inner circle,

like senior adviser, chief strategist,

or head bitch in charge.

I'll leave the semantics to you.

And Cyrus, of course.

He'll never agree to it.

I don't have to explain to you how high

Sally Langston's ratings are.

And you're a huge Sally Langston fan, huh?

A big, old Lover of Liberty, are you?

Everything in this town
runs on power, Abby.

I've got to get mine from somewhere.

It's not personal.

You know Fitzgerald Grant.

You actually know the man.

He's a person. It's personal.

I need an answer in 48
hours, or else I'll become

A lover of liberty.

A rapist?

Frank Holland, famed
feminist ally, is a rapist?

Right now it's just an accusation.

So much for easily digestible achievements.

Keep me posted.

Jake Ballard is here, Mr. President.

Send him in.

Mr. President.

Jake, any luck?

Not yet, sir.

With what?

I put Ballard on finding your father.

Oh.

Do you have any leads?

No.

And no idea who could
have helped him escape.

That's a shame.

It is.

How are you doing on locating him?

Nothing. No leads.

But I've only just gotten started.

Why now?

What?

Why do you think he escaped now?

What about now gave him
the opportunity to escape?

Good question.

I think we're better focused on next steps.

What's the plan?

What?

Maybe Jake and I should
talk in private first.

Whatever you say about my father,

you say it in front of me.

Okay.

The plan is to find your father.

And when I do, I'm going
to look him in the eye

and put a bullet in his head.

Liz North is going on "The Liberty Report"?

If we don't stop her.

She knows things, Cyrus.

I know things, too, about her.

If she's smart, she won't make a move.

I am telling you, you don't
know what she's capable of.

We need to take this seriously.

We should give her exactly what she wants,

and we should tell the president.

So Liv can take over?

I don't think so.

Get me Rosen on the phone!

What the hell is going on?

Take a seat, Elizabeth.

No, I'm not sitting.

I'm not doing anything you
ask until you tell me why

I was just scooped up off the
street by your jackbooted thugs.

You were detained because
I have a reasonable

good-faith belief that you were about

to publicly discuss classified information,

the disclosure of which would cause grave

and irreparable damage
to the national security

of the United States.

I didn't ask you to sit.

I said, "take a seat, Elizabeth."

So take a damn seat.

Thank you for taking the
time to see us, Mr. Holland.

Not a problem. And please, call me Frank.

What can I do for you today, Olivia?

I'm here to talk about Hannah Taylor.

She was a student of yours two years ago.

I've been teaching for
longer than I like to admit.

Many students have sat in my classroom.

I understand.

Yes. Hannah.

Incredibly talented.

I think she dropped the class, though.

I'm not sure why.

Do you remember anything else about her?

Janice?

Do you remember this girl, Hannah?

She came by the house one night.

I chatted with her a bit
while you finished a call.

Nice girl.

The plagiarism thing, right?

I bel... yes.

I asked her over to talk about an essay

I feared she had plagiarized.

Thanks, honey.

May I ask what this is about?

Has something happened to her?

Hannah says you drugged her

and had sex with her against her will.

I-I'm sorry. What?

That's insane.

Frank Holland says you plagiarized an essay

for his class.

Is that true?

Is that true?

Yes.

So you lied to me.

- No, I didn't.
- You never told me.

That's not the same thing.

Hannah, you must know how hard it is

to prosecute a rape charge.

In this situation,

a lie of omission is just that... a lie.

How do I know you didn't offer Holland sex

in exchange for dropping
the plagiarism charge?

Because I didn't.

Because I-I wouldn't.

He raped me.

You believe me. I know you do.

It doesn't matter what I believe,

just like it doesn't matter how wrong it is

that rape survivors are
held to a higher standard.

What matters is what I can prove.

So he's just gonna get away with it.

- No.
- Quinn...

He won't.

Then we'd better find some other
women that Holland assaulted.

It's the only way anyone
will believe your story.

I know this is difficult.

We're not asking you to come out publicly,

but we just want to hear
your side of the story.

Is that okay?

Is that okay?

Yes. Okay.

He said I was...

I was special, that my writing was...

... unique, powerful.

He said I could make a living as a writer.

I just needed... I just needed a mentor,

someone who could shape my writing,

take me to the next level.

And I'm guessing that someone was him.

You have to understand
how serious an allegation

of sexual assault is for
someone in my position.

My students are young.

They're impressionable.

So he invited you to his house?

Yes.

Did he make a move on you right away?

Not the first time.

It wasn't until the third time.

The second time, maybe.

It was the fourth time.

He offered me some wine.

He offered me some coffee.

I think it was iced tea.

Sometimes, when a young person
is looking for guidance,

they can become... Well, fixated
I guess would be the word.

Next thing I knew, I'm waking up,

- and he's on top of me.
- On top of me.

I tried to fight back,
but I kept passing out.

But I kept passing out.

It felt like some horrible dream.

These are children.

It is my job to be an adult,

and I take that job very seriously.

Did you tell the school what happened?

I did. They didn't do anything.

I lost my appetite, went
to the school counselor.

They said I had an eating disorder.

They said I was suicidal.

Had an anxiety disorder.

I failed the class.

He said my writing wasn't up to par.

After telling you you were a genius.

If you think you can take this guy down,

then good luck.

But that man has lived in a
bulletproof, tenured bubble

for more than 20 years.

All of these women have the same story.

Creepily.

This is a pattern... systematic, devious.

What's his poison?

I mean, rohypnol gets all the hype,

but Holland could be using Diazepam, oxy.

You need a prescription for most of those.

Or a shady doctor in your back pocket.

Either way, that means
there's a trail out there.

We find it, people.

Go.

You can't stop me from talking to Sally.

Of course I can stop you.

- On what authority?
- What does that say?

David Rosen.

It doesn't say Attorney General?

No.

Well, I thought it said Attorney General.

That's a title, not authority.

What you're trying to pull here

is an unconstitutional prior restraint.

Whoa! Unconstitutional prior restraint?

Look, I'm glad you read
your A.C.L.U. pamphlet

on the first amendment,

but this isn't a free-speech issue.

It wasn't an A.C.L.U. pamphlet.

It was the first year of law school,

and it is a free-speech issue.

- You went to law school?
- Yes.

Where? Town and Country University?

No, Stanford. You?

We could go back and forth
all day about who went where,

but that doesn't change the fact

that disclosure of confidential information

on live, national television...

Exactly what confidential information

do you think I'm going to disclose?

That's confidential.

This is insane.

No one disrespects you more than me,

but even I can't believe that you're stupid

and reckless enough to use some bogus claim

of national security to stop me

from doing an interview

just because what I might say
could embarrass the president.

I think you overestimate me.

Also, I know you leaked the footage

of Olivia and the president.

That's not some bogus
national security claim.

That's a fact.

It's Cyrus, isn't it?

- What?
- This. This isn't you.

You're a weaselly, little
troll, and I don't like you,

and I don't respect you,
and I think you're pathetic.

Is there a point here...

But you believe in the law.

I believe you believe in the law.

And instead of following the law,

you're just doing the
bidding of that sweaty,

red-faced monster who stole my job.

That man is contemptible.

This is contemptible.

I'm gonna stand up,

and I'm gonna walk toward the door,

and I'm gonna go give
that interview with Sally,

and you're not gonna stop me.

I'm sorry...

- Say it again?
- I let her go.

See? I thought you said, "I let her go."

There's no legal basis to hold her.

That's your job!

Your job is to find a
legal basis to hold her!

That is not my job.

My job is to prosecute
on behalf of justice.

That's what it says on the seal
of the Department of Justice.

I'm not gonna detain, arrest, charge,

or seek an injunction
against Elizabeth North

because of something she
might say in an interview.

It's an unconstitutional prior
restraint on free speech,

and I'm not gonna do it.

If you want to stop her from talking,

you'll have to find another
way, because I let her go.

Liv... I looked into Janice Holland.

And?

Uh, she has a prescription for oxycodone...

pain management, long-term.

He steals the drugs from his wife.

All right. We're here.
So what's this about?

The fact that you rape women,

and not just Hannah Taylor,
but dozens of others,

going back as far as I can tell

throughout your entire academic career.

What the hell are you talking about?

Sorry, but your husband has
been stealing your oxycodone

and using it to drug his female students

and rape them for years.

That's... that's nothing
but a malicious lie.

I'm sorry, but it isn't.

Frank's a rapist, Janice.

- You can't...
- Don't talk to my wife that way.

- Shut up, Frank.
- Jannie...

Not another word.

You knew.

Did you give him the drugs

because you knew what
he would do with them?

I graduated college in 1973.

Do you know how many women in this country

had a college degree in 1973?

- I don't.
- 8.5%.

People were surprised I'd even want to.

My father said I was
pretending to be a man.

My mother said she hoped
I wouldn't scare off

a good husband.

I'm sorry.

Oh, don't be. It was the times.

If you were single, you
couldn't get a credit card

or even rent an apartment
without your father

cosigning the lease.

Only 40 years ago,

but it was another world back then...

a world Frank helped change.

Do you have any idea what
it was like to meet a man

like that in 1973, someone
who took my intellect

as seriously as any man's,
someone who marched,

who made it his life's work to help women?

Your husband is not helping women.

Do you know how many women writers

have careers because of him,

how many little girls around the world

who have been taught to read
because of his foundation?

So if he raped a few
of them here and there,

that's all right with you?

One thing's been true since time began...

young women are going to throw
themselves at their professors.

No one's ever come forward
to accuse Frank of anything.

There's never been any evidence.

I'm sorry, Ms. Pope. I really am.

But my husband's created quite a legacy,

and it's my job to protect it.

She looked me in the eye and defended him,

knowing that he drugged
and raped all those girls.

It's so...

It's disgusting. I should revoke his medal.

You can't do that. Optics.

The press would say you're overreacting,

publicly condemning a
feminist hero without proof.

There's nothing... nothing to be done.

He has all the power.

I'm sorry.

Mr. President,

we have a situation with Elizabeth North.

What about her?

She's going to go on Sally Langston,

and she is going to let freedom ring.

She's gonna talk about everything.

Can you get an injunction?

I've tried every legal means
to stop her, sir, but I can't.

However, you can detain her.

On what grounds?

National security.

I'm not gonna do that.

Okay.

Then you should talk to her directly.

- I fired her.
- He fired her.

So call her.

Do what you do best.

Put some Fitzgerald Grant on her.

Flatter her. Charm her.

You won a country. You can take Liz North.

You can make her your friend.

And if that doesn't work,
put the fear of God into her.

Either way, she'll listen to you.

I'll prepare to discredit
her, to take her down,

but my recommendation is that you call her.

Because if Liz north starts talking,

we're dead in the water.

I'll take it under advisement.

Cyrus is probably right.

I need to stop Liz from
going on Sally's show.

Huh.

What?

You want to know what I would do?

Yes, of course.

I'd let her go on the air.
I wouldn't stop her at all.

In fact, I'd encourage it.

Encourage Liz North to give the interview?

She could say anything.

Yes. Yes, she could.

Tonight on "The Liberty
Report," Elizabeth North.

Let freedom ring.

And now your host, Sally Langston.

Welcome to "The Liberty Report."

Thanks for having me, Sally.

Sources tell me, Elizabeth, that,

seeing scandal upon
scandal led to your leaving

the White House in protest.

I hear you're mad, Liz...

madder than a mule
munching on bumblebees...

as well you should be,
being the patriot you are.

It's true, Sally. I am mad.

Please don't be mad.

I am mad that I just
watched my fellow citizens'

time and money be wasted
on a fruitless quest

to drag a good man's name through the mud.

I-I'm sorry?

As are the American people, Sally.

I for one think senators
Moskowitz and Gibson

have some explaining to do.

Because we're all just
people at the end of the day,

and I know for a fact that
President Grant is a good man...

a great man who simply
happened to fall in love.

Well, my producers are telling me

it's past time for a commercial break.

That was...

Unexpected.

"I know for a fact that
President Grant is a good man...

a great man who simply
happened to fall in love."

Brilliant.

So, how'd you play it with her?

"Be nice to us or we audit the
living bejesus out of you"?

Or did you go for the jugular...

"do what we say or your daughter
ends up at public school"?

I gave her a job.

You gave her a job?

Susan Ross doesn't know it yet,

but Liz is gonna be her new chief of staff.

What is that?

Your laptop.

My laptop. Why do you have my laptop?

When you were picked up,

some agents also took your laptop.

Unbelievable.

I'm assuming this comes with an apology.

An apology?

You have a lot of nerve coming in here,

lecturing me with that sanctimonious tone

about exercising your
first amendment rights,

and then you go on TV
and defend the president

because he gives you a
job... and not just any job,

a job working for Susan Ross,

who is actually a good person, unlike you.

- Doesn't sound like an apology.
- It isn't.

And don't wait for one,
because it's not coming.

The only thing I'm sorry
about is that for a second,

I thought you were
slightly a less loathsome

and manipulative creature than you are.

You don't like me, do you?

I wasn't trying to be subtle.

I don't like you.

You don't like me.

Oh, I don't like you.

I don't like anything about you.

I don't like your blond hair.

I don't like how tall you are.

I don't like your cold
and haughty demeanor.

Everything about you feels
alpine and pointy and wrong.

No, I don't like you.

No?

No.

Nothing?

Nothing.

You like me, don't you?

Yes.

Say it.

I like you.

Take a seat, Rosen.

I'm not asking.

I said take a seat.

I'm not wearing any panties.

Madame vice president.

At ease, Amber. At ease.

Is the Attorney General in?

He is, but he's in a meeting right now.

I can wait.

I'll tell him you're here.

No. I don't want to interrupt. I'll wait.

It's weird to wait, isn't it?

I'm feeling weird waiting.

I'm not gonna wait. I think maybe I'll go.

I'll wait for five minutes, then go.

I'm going to go now.

These are wine coolers.

Yes.

Can you make sure he gets them?

Absolutely.

I will never understand

how women stand behind these kinds of men.

How about we call a press conference,

let Hannah tell her own story?

With no proof?

It's he said, she said.

But she's telling the truth.

Or slandering a national icon.

The media will tear Hannah apart.

The university.

We expose them for covering up for Holland.

They're not. They don't have to.

The system is set up to
silence women like Hannah

and protect men like Holland.

It's not a cover-up.

It's a burial through bureaucracy.

Find out where Frank Holland is right now.

"In the spring, the calves would come,

writhing wet and new
from their mothers' wombs

like affirmations of the year to be.

And in their time of need,

she would help the jerseys labor,

pressing their sweaty flanks
with her farm-hardened hands

and reaching deep within their innards

to free the blood-slicked life inside

and to draw out those
fresh and blameless souls

to pant and struggle on
the frost-tinged stillness

of a Montana... Dawn.

And she would lay her body beside them

as their mothers licked them clean,

smelling of sweet straw
and the tang of birth,

thinking, 'we are alive, alive, alive.'"

What the hell do you think you're doing?

You inspired me.

You keep saying feminists love Frank.

I'm a feminist. I don't love Frank.

Turns out the women's movement
has a pretty great legacy, too.

I've decided it's my job to protect it.

Frank has got to go.

A dramatic scene here today
that even Frank Holland

could not and certainly
would not have written.

22 women coming forward

to claim they were
victims of sexual assault.

At first standing silent,
the women began to recount

chillingly similar stories of being drugged

and then raped by their esteemed professor.

Has led the college to
cut ties with Holland,

who just this week received the
presidential medal of freedom.

So far, the White House has yet
to comment on this situation.

Just the woman I wanted to see.

Heading back to the office or
just out for a victory lap?

I have somewhere to be.

Surely you've got a
minute for an old friend.

Or maybe I'm not your friend anymore,

because if I was, I would
have gotten a headsup

about Lizzie North's new job.

There was a problem. It was
handled. Everything worked out.

Yes, there was a problem.

It was handled, and
everything worked out for you.

Cyrus... I know. I can have an ego.

I can be competitive, vindictive.

Look, I was the guy behind the guy.

But, then, lately, I'd started to believe

that I'd become the guy behind
the girl behind the guy,

which I don't like, which I hate.

You know I hate that.

Cyrus, I'm not trying to replace you.

You're not trying to take my place.

I know that. I know that now.

Let me finish, because it's
about to get really good.

I mean, here's why you are so brilliant...

you didn't have to give up your career.

You moved into the White House.

You are not saddled with
any of the prisoner duties

that come with being first lady.

You come an go as you
please and... wait for it...

I'm not the guy behind
the girl behind the guy.

I'm the guy behind the girl.

Fitz isn't even in the picture.

Cyrus... he's happy. He's content.

He was never meant to be happy.

Happy, content men don't run the world,

which is why he is not running the world.

He does whatever you say, without question.

You have pulled off a clean, bloodless coup

in the United States of America,
and no one is the wiser.

That is one for the history books.

I know this is difficult for you,

because you seem to be so unfamiliar

with how humans behave,

but Cyrus, Fitz and I together...

we have an actual relationship.

This is what a couple looks like.

You have the oval.

This is what power looks like.

He's not the president anymore, Olivia.

You are.

Hey. I thought you were
going back to the office.

I changed my mind.

Everything okay?

Yeah.

Well, I am buried in work.

This country never sleeps.

I just got off the phone
with the state department.

Germany and Japan don't want
Turkey at the G20 meeting.

If Turkey comes, they won't come.

Also, the democrats refuse to negotiate

with the Republicans

on key parts of the spending bill.

The governors of Nevada and California

are about to start some kind of civil war

over the healthcare of illegal immigrants.

Basically, nobody wants to come

to anybody else's slumber party.

Then there's your father.

What about him?

That man is nowhere.

I don't think we're ever gonna find him.

Sorry, Liv, but it looks like
he's disappeared for good.

You should remind Germany and Japan

that this is your party, not theirs.

You are the host, not them.

They attend or they get no vote.

Yes, that's good.

And tell the speaker
you're gonna meet with her

and the most senior house members.

- I already have a meeting...
- You have a meeting scheduled

with the congressional
progressive caucus this week.

Cancel it. That's too
many cooks in the kitchen.

It should just be you, the speaker,

and the minority whip.

- That's it.
- All right.

I'll have Charlotte set it up right now.

And have David Rosen call
the governor of Nevada.

Maybe he doesn't want to be re-elected.

Maybe he wants to be investigated.