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‘Scandal’ recap: Season 3, Episode 3, ‘Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington’ – Metro US

‘Scandal’ recap: Season 3, Episode 3, ‘Mrs. Smith Goes to Washington’

Olivia and Jake realize they'll never be free. Cheers! Credit: ABC Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and Jake Ballard (Scott Foley) realize they’ll never be free. Cheers!
Credit: ABC

Instead of providing answers, this week’s “Scandal” episode posed many questions. 1) What is Operation Remington? 2) Why was Captain Jake Ballard freed? 3) How did a woman wearing a bomb get into the Capitol?

Seriously, 4) Was the bomb made completely of arts and crafts? No, really, 5) Did the guards just think she was fat?

OK,a mother named Mary hired Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) to handle a “private family matter,” but Olivia is suspicious and tracks Mary to a congressman’soffice, where she has her finger on the trigger of a bomb because she thinks her son was assassinated by the government: We’re quickly thrown into themain storyline of this week’s episode,alternately titled, “If Momma Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy.”

Mary demands to see her son’s classified file. Instead President Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) orders the police to shoot her. It’s upsetting because we think he would care aboutthis woman, but then again, he did kill that old lady with cancer: 6) You think I won’t mention this in every recap?

Mary approaches a window: The SWAT team has their shot. But Olivia gets wise, yanks Mary back, raises the blinds and stands in the window staring at the shooters. Fitz, watching a video feed of the proceedings, sees that his One True Love is also in the danger room,and momentarilyappears as if he might metamorphoseinto the Incredible Hulk. 7) Dear writers, maybe one time he could rip his shirt into pieces/off with only his bulging muscles?

Meanwhile/earlier,Huck (Guillermo Diaz) had told Olivia that he needs time to process what he learned last week about her father being in command of B613, the CIA organization that turned him into an assassin.But in fact, he’s stalking daddy and is totally going to kill him. 8) But wouldn’t that just prove he is what daddy created?

Also, a guybroke free fromaWhite Housetour, shouting “Operation Remington,” but Cyrus demands he be released because,we discover,Cyrus is in on Remington — he calls Daddy Pope, whovisits the rogue tourist’s trailer park to talk. And Huck totally follows with a gun.

Liv scream-shames David Rosen into locating Dead Son’s classified file, which turns out to actually be fishy, so Fitz is forced to call Liv and explain that Mary’s son was a spy who infiltrated al Qaeda, but the FBI botched the information, believed he actually was a terrorist and killed him. So Mary’s son was a hero, but Liv has to tell her he was a terrorist in order to protectthe lives of other spies. 9) And they say being a mother is the hardest job?

Apparently it is, because Mellie is drunk. Fitz accuses her of mourning the factthat Olivia wasn’t blown to bits, but she says she’s actually celebrating Olivia’s life: Liv isFitz’sAchilles heel, she says, and now that husband and wife have declared war on each other, that makes his mistress Mellie’s sharpestweapon.

Oh, and Huck didn’t have the nerve to kill Daddy Pope:”I thought I was free. But he still controls me. He owns me.” Olivia realizes that her father must also own Captain Jake — and even herself. 10) Isn’t it just like when Kanye says, “I know that we the newslaves”?

Now you 11) Submit your answers to this week’s questions in the comments sectionbelow.

My answers to the questions in this week’s “Scandal” recap:

1) Looks like we’ll find out next week – can’t wait.
2) I bet we’ll get this answer in three or four more episodes, but maybe not until the season finale.
3) It’s television.
4) Really, it’s television.
5) Even though it’s television, probably, yes they did.
6) I will. So you should just accept it and create adrinking game.
7) I’m just saying.
8) That’s a question for his therapist.
9) That might also be a question for Huck’s therapist.
10) Not really, I guess. But that is what Kanye said; I Googled the lyrics.
11) Do it!

Episode grade: B+

Follow Jane Borden on Twitter @JaneBorden