‘Scandal’ Recap: ‘A Door Marked Exit’ — As Told Through Beyonce Lyrics

Heading into the midseason finale of 'Scandal,' almost everyone is dealing with their own personal hells. Olivia just found out her not-dead mom is a terrorist and her dad was in fact not the devil. Cyrus found out that his husband isn’t OK with being his play thing and seemingly not only created competition for Fitz’s next run for presidency but also effectively ended his marriage. Huck was forced to enjoy torturing Quinn, and she in turn to make up for her wrongdoings, set out on a course to kill Olivia’s father. And Harrison shuddered once more at the threat of the yet-to-be seen Adnan Salif.

“You don’t deserve my tears, I guess that’s why they ain’t there.”

After learning about her husband’s dalliance with James, the Veep lays into her husband. The hypocrisy is so thick it nearly smothers the both of them. Just last episode, she was making plans to betray her faith and put Jesus on a bus for some votes. But now, she’s got visions of the Garden of Eden with its poisonous fruit and is damning him to hell.

Daniel makes plans to move forward without her, find him a nice young bottom and maybe even an interview to tell about his time as her beard. Unfortunately, before he can get the signing bonus on what would most assuredly be a best seller, she abruptly casts him off into that afterlife with several stabs of her letter opener.

She goes through many emotions throughout the episode, but the tears never really fall. You’d think she was remorseful for her actions. But when her campaign manager tries to create a spin for the tragedy, she yells about how Daniel is currently burning in hell where he belongs. It’s starting to look like he got the easy way out, though. She is now forever indebted to the Fitz campaign as Mellie makes so clear.

“Don’t doubt yourself, trust me, you need me.”

Cyrus comes to Sally’s aid completely unprepared, but that doesn’t stop him from making the most out of the situation. He cleans up her mess better than he’s ever done anything else, so you know it’s going to unravel in the second half of the season. The pics of Daniel screwing his husband probably helped take the initial shock out of the moment also.

But still, the circus that is his life seems to finally be wearing down on our Chief of Staff. He slowly becomes resigned to his place as the Devil. And even convinces James that there are perks to having the Devil for a husband. James at first runs to David with the news that the VP’s husband’s death could have been a cover-up for a murder that was in fact committed by Cy or the Veep herself. After he is rejected (who can blame David for not wanting to walk the plank with him again?), he then tells Cy that he will stay in their marriage if he gets him the Press Secretary position.

For those keeping track, that’s Devil 2 – Good 0. Hold tight though because David’s assistant seems to have gotten whiff of Sally’s call to Cyrus immediately following her husband’s murder.

“I bet it sucks to be you right now.”

Of course, Quinn fails at killing Command. When is the last time she succeeded at something? Shen then quickly disposes of the tracking device Huck inserted into one of the newfound gaps in her mouth and the poison needle. The upside, according to Charlie, is that Command didn’t order him to kill her.

Surprisingly, Quinn returns to OPA headquarters only to be scolded by Huck. He isn’t sorry he tortured her and would rather be actively pursuing her death, but it goes against Olivia’s wishes so he isn’t. Quinn decides the hostile work environment is too much for her and goes back to Charlie, who welcomes her with open arms. It’s hard not to feel sorry for the turn Quinn’s life has taken and also secretly wish someone would put her out of her misery.

“I been on. Tell me who gon’ take me off.”

The best lines of the episode (and that’s saying something on this show) by far come from conversations between Command and Fitz. As Command was on his way to stop his wife from causing any more damage, he is pulled over by Fitz’s security team, who take him to the Pentagon for some lengthy questioning by the President. It quickly turns into a pissing match, however, with Command telling the Pres to recognize that he never had any true power to begin with.

Poor Fitz. Even when he is trying to help, he’s in the way. In order to get a rise out of the B613 leader, he talks about Olivia’s skills in bed, and Command skewers him. He won’t have his daughter become Fitz’s excuse to become a man and a route to escape his father’s shadow. He won’t have her marry a guy who has always had things handed to him and has no appreciation for hard work. “You love that she is your door marked exit,” he spews.

Fitz’s face never really changes through their exchange, so it’s hard to say if any of that truth hit him. But it is clear that there will be no family dinners with the in-laws in Vermont.

“People told me ‘bout the flames, I couldn’t see through the smoke.”

Olivia has a lot of digest. Her mother is evil. Her dad might not be good but is a lesser-evil. Quinn has been tortured by Huck and sent to kill her father. Her mother has escaped the airplane they sent her away in, leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake and now could literally be anywhere wreaking havoc on the innocents.

There were signs, right? Signs that maybe something wasn’t right about her mother, that she was in fact a terrorist without any allegiance; an evil conniving woman who sells government secrets to the highest bidder. Right?!

When Liv confronts her father at the pentagon, he finally confesses that her mother convinced him that she had a bomb on the plane and that’s why he had Fitz blow it up. Her mother pulled one over on the great Command. She made him kill hundreds of people.

Mom has also not left the country. She calls Olivia in front of the White House and promises that they will meet up soon. Who thinks Olivia is starting to wish she had gotten on that plane at the beginning of the season?

“Tell me something, where your boss at?”

Command returns to B613 headquarters thinking all to be right with the world after the Pentagon ordeal only to find Jake in his office doling out orders. See, earlier Command told the President that B613 is bigger than its leader and if you cut off the head, another will come in this place. Apparently, this gave Fitz an idea and he immediately set up Jake as the new leader. Jake of course had to leave Olivia, so that she can fully resume her mistress responsibilities.

Eli, obviously shaken by the dethronement, walks calmly out but we know this isn’t the last time we’ll see him. He’s worked too hard. And he is far too good at those monologues.

‘Scandal’ will return on Feb. 27.