The opener is Olivia desperately trying to delay a live television appearance by the First Family, and Noah the Brave telling her no dice. So Olivia must confront the problem holding Fitz back today, which is... the guy's kids. Keep in mind, there was a time when she thought they might be her step kids.
After credits, we go back about a day, to Mellie coaching Fitz on talking to his own kids. He kind of brushes off her advice, reminding her that there's a lot of love in this family. And it really shows at the dinner table, with the two most sullen teenagers in America, both looking miserable and totally unwilling to do this interview. Fitz makes a point of asking about sports and drama club; their answers are typical teenager answers. I guess they know about the affair, and have figured out the party's real commitment to family values.
Well, at least they use the right fork for the right course
Back at Gladiator HQ, Olivia is with her own family, plus David, and they are plunging head-long into finding the source of B-613's funding. I guess the army of two is really an army of, like, five. Huck doesn't want to do any of this, as he is most familiar with B-613. At least, not until Quinn is out. Olivia reminds Huck that Quinn chose B-613 over Olivia, even threatening Olivia from speaking to her again. Harrison is still looking for Adnan. Nothing's turned up, even though they've scoured every department's budget in the federal government. No agency, apparently, supplies B-613's money. Olivia decides to call it a day.
Speaking of Quinn, she decided to tell Charlie about her latest home invasion, and Charlie is all protective inquisitiveness, trying to figure out what the purpose of Huck's visit was. Quinn is vague, stating that Huck threw her against a wall and they argued, about Huck throwing her against a wall. Quinn decides to cut the talk short, mostly because she doesn't want to admit that she screwed up a job from Jake and Huck caught her, or that Huck thinks she secretly wants back with Olivia. Either way, they've got to get to work on the guy in the trunk, who happens to be Dimitri.
She just wants sympathy, he wants to solve her problem. Typical Couple.
The same Dimitri who met with Mama Pope and Adnan. Also, the same Dimitri that the President's Intelligence agencies were tracking, until B-613 disappeared him. Fitz says nothing at the briefing, but he clearly realizes that Dimitri didn't disappear, and that Jake will know where the guy is. As the meeting breaks up, Fitz tries comforting a slowly-recovering Cyrus, complimenting Cy on the funeral. Just let the man work, Fitz.
Olivia and Fitz meet in his office right after. After sharing a kiss, Olivia tells Fitz that she should work on interview prep with the kids. He reluctantly agrees, wondering why it's even necessary. Oh, but it is. Jerry Jr. wants to confirm that it will be live, so anything he says or does can't be taken back. Or cut out. Karen tries to cut short the conversation, and Olivia worries about what these two are up to. Back at Gladiator HQ, she has Harrison and Abby look into it.
Andrew and Mellie arrange some alone time in the White House, just like Fitz and Olivia did. Only difference is that Olivia catches Andrew leaving right after Mellie, and puts two and two together, telling Andrew to stop, right now. Andrew is unimpressed by the mistress of his lover's husband telling him what to do.
Daddy Pope gives Olivia a call, and has decided that she needs some more Dad time. He uses said Dad time to tell her that her inquiries into government budgets has been noticed, and that he had to call in some favors to, basically, save her life. Olivia reminds him that Daddy instructed her to drag everyone into the light. Oh, and can you tell me what I was looking for in the first place? Daddy Pope hangs up.
Mellie tries to pick out what Karen will wear for the interview, but Karen really just wants to know why Mellie is still with Fitz. Because she can't really say, because I want to be the First Lady more than I want to be happy, Mellie comes up with some bullshit about love and working things out. Karen is kind of convinced. Sort of.
Oh, honey, one day you'll understand how power-hungry I am
Andrew sees Fitz right after getting to third base with the guy's wife, and tells Fitz to buck up when the guy complains about uncommunicative teenagers. It's all friendly and happy, feeling almost like a normal conversation between two guys working together.
Mama Pope is still threatening someone named Ivan, this time over the phone, with Adnan wondering if Dimitri's disappearance isn't reason to cancel the whole thing. Mama Pope, despite being a paid consultant, also has some other motivation for their daring plot, which will be revealed during the season finale, so get used to the suspense lasting at least another month.
Charlie manages to catch Quinn in a lie about her home invasion. Oh, so you argued and then he threw you against the wall? So Quinn still won't tell Charlie what they argued about, only tries to dodge the question by claiming to not remember it well, and then wanting to end the conversation altogether and get to drilling holes in Dimitri. Her obvious pleasure in it indicates that she's got some stress. Is it from Huck? Is it because Huck is right? Or is it because Huck is wrong? Never mind, what's important is that Mama Pope isn't the only one looking for Ivan. B-613 wants his whereabouts too.
Huck isn't done with B-613 yet. He beats up an agent, telling him to tell Jake to return Huck's calls. Dude, Huck, maybe he's just not that into you.
Jerry Jr. turns out to have a secret Twitter account. He's definitely not into his dad, calling him a fascist and heavily down on dad for some military actions. Oh, and it turns out the kid ordered a t-shirt from the Reston campaign. That he planned on wearing at the interview. Dad is about as furious as can be expected. Like his own dad, Big Jerry, Fitz thinks he's a fantastic dad, or at least better than his old man was, so where's the devotion? Jerry Jr. is furious- Olivia's gladiators have shut down his Twitter account and re-directed the IP address, meaning his online dissent won't even be traced to him. I guess there's no Free Speech for the First Family.
Karen gets her own disillusionment when, after angrily attacking her dad for how he's treating Jerry Jr., she leaves, trying to get in the very room where Mellie and Andrew are busy trying to get dressed after having hanky panky. Olivia sees the whole thing too. Snap. Mellie tries to explain how an open marriage where only one party knows how open it is to Karen, but the girl is already packing.
Oh, Karen gets it now..
The good news is, that Adnan wants to come clean to Olivia. An episode and a half of her acting a little worried about Mama Pope has finally led her to helping the Gladiators. But only if they can get her full immunity. Olivia reminds Adnan that Mama Pope is dangerous, and that she should come clean to get protection regardless. Adnan stands firm. Olivia tells Adnan not to go anywhere until something's been decided.
Fitz summons Jake, who tells him this better be important. Fitz demands Dimitri from B-613. Jake denies even having him. Then goes one further by telling Fitz he wouldn't turn him over anyway. Which means that B-613 definitely has him. Jake elaborates by pointing out that Fitz is a figurehead. Fitz has no authority over him, and can't order him to do anything. Which makes Fitz more of a figurehead, and Jake the real power. In other words, the Hand is more powerful than the King. I guess. Jake goes further, telling Fitz that he's no longer Fitz's bitch. He's gone full Command by now. Fitz is stunned, but not nearly as stunned as he will be when Cy walks right into a classified conversation, picks up an antique vase, and tries to kill Jake with it. Guess Cy figured out it wasn't just a carjacking after all. Jake is unfazed, Fitz has to restrain Cy. Jake leaves, excusing himself in the most dead deadpan ever. Cy can be angry all he wants, Jake is still in charge of what the public gets to know. And besides, this all started because Cy wanted Jake to kill Sally anyway. So Cy can suck it.
Fitz and Cy have some alone time, and Cy spills what he knows to Fitz. Cy, despite knowing that James made himself a target by his actions, waxes poetic that James still thought that the VP shouldn't get away with cold-blooded murder. Oh, sweet James. Too bad your husband can't actually avenge your death.
Olivia, as if today didn't suck enough, then gets a call from Mama Pope, who has figured out where Adnan is. Olivia tells Mama that she's not helping a terrorist. Mama scoffs at being called that, and retaliates by calling Olivia "The Help". She tells Olivia that Olivia just cleans up other people's messes, which is exactly what she's been doing all day. So Mama Pope has Olivia off her guard when she tells Olivia to stay out of Mama's business.
Olivia goes right back in, refusing to be The Help until she sees that Mellie is drinking again. Since Mellie is the world's most honest drunk, this can't go on. Olivia tells Mellie to switch to coffee and get the kids in line. Mellie screams at Olivia to cancel the interview. Dude, the reporter's probably already there. Maybe you shouldn't make your dirty laundry audible. Fitz working on the kids to cooperate totally backfires- Jerry angrily says he won't lie to say he supports his dad for President. Karen decides this family is fucked and drops the bombshell- that Mom is screwing "Uncle" Andrew.
Fitz is furious. He storms off, and meets Andrew, who wants to be all chummy again. Fitz punches him in the face.
Jake decides to send an emissary to Huck. So Huck has to bargain for Quinn's release from B-613 with... Quinn. Which is awkward. Quinn and Huck play a little game of cat and mouse. Quinn reminds Huck that he's kind of ruined any chance he might have had with her. Huck says he can see Quinn's soul, so he knows she's lying. To prove just how fucked up she is right now, Quinn licks a totally willing-to-be-licked Huck. Then she kisses him. Then she cockblocks him and walks off. That's how it goes.
What a tease
Harrison and Abby arrange for Adnan's immunity, and Harrison gives her the good news. Harrison and Adnan air some dirty laundry from the past, namely that something named Clearwater happened, and Adnan fled the country, leaving Harrison to face all the music with only Olivia to help him. Harrison is still a little edgy about it. Adnan tells him they can be even, and literally removes her panties to give to him so they'll be even. Actually, they have sex.
Olivia banishes Andrew from the house, who doesn't want to go. But Olivia is in full attack mode now, telling him his cover story and pretty much handing him his packed bag. She hustles off to try to salvage the interview. She stops on the other side of the door from where Mellie is offering to fix Fitz's hand before the interview. As if injuring it has nothing to do with her.
Fitz confronts her about their marriage. Turns out, after Jerry Jr. was born, Mellie told Fitz that she was done having sex. Which is so 19th century, but I digress. Fitz, after agreeing not to have sex with his wife again instead of going into counseling, angrily confesses to his wife that he always felt guilty. As if his wife's lack of sex drive was his fault, and their crappy, sexless, intimacy-less marriage was his fault. But now, he knows that Mellie still wants to have sex, just not with him. He feels now that Mellie cost him his marriage. What has Mellie lost? She gets to be First Lady without fucking the President. So what has she lost? He accuses Mellie of being the one who ruined their marriage, and demands to know why she wouldn't have sex with him. Well, honey, you remind me too much of when your dad raped me, Mellie doesn't say. She's speechless and would probably still be there hearing Fitz yell at her if Olivia hadn't stepped in to try to end a pointless argument while a reporter with a camera was in the house. Fitz snaps at her, and Olivia runs.
Olivia is almost off the White House grounds when Cy stops her, ready to go home after a long day. He is a single dad now, after all. Cy tells Olivia that if she's not there, Cy can't make it through the day. He begs her to go back inside, sort of. Desperate, pleading, no-way-out Cy isn't there. Instead, Cy calmly confirms to Olivia that they are both of them, The Help. But he consoles her by telling her that if she can put the Grants back together, maybe that could put the country back together. It's bullshit. But Olivia has her own reason for going back and angrily demanding that Fitz make things right with his wife and children. Despite the affairs, despite gagging his son, and disappointing his daughter, and denouncing his wife.
Olivia may be The Help, and that may be her job. But her job is the only thing she has going for her. It's the reason she's given up having her own family. It's what gets her up in the morning, and consumes her until she gets her evening's glass of white wine. And Fitz is not allowed to fuck her job up.
Displaying the bones of his enemies for the nation
Daddy Pope is back at his day job at the Smithsonian, working on something or other, when Jake arrives. Guess B-613 gives you automatic clearance to our Nation's curating rooms. Jake wants to know what Daddy Pope has been talking to his old contacts lately, and tries to sound vaguely threatening in an I-know-you're-plotting-and-when-I-find-out-why-it-will-hurt way. Daddy Pope, perhaps not wanting to reveal that Olivia is trying to shut down Jake's department, instead tells Jake that the two of them will totally never be friends. He accuses Jake of coming over to his fake job in order to feel some sort of bond with his predecessor, because Jake has been feeling a little lonely being solely responsible for the protection of the Republic. Oh, no, Jake. You are alone, Daddy tells him. You hold the responsibility alone. Daddy Pope is Olivia's Dad, not yours. He doesn't ever have to be a dad to you, Jake. Jake, instead of sticking to what he wanted to talk about, simply tells Daddy Pope that when the time comes, Jake will kill him personally.
Fitz finds Mellie, and silently holds his hand out to her. Yeah, sure, they can't possibly ever love each other. There have been too many secrets, too many lies, and too many plots. But they can talk to their kids. It is, after all, their job.
David and Abby arrive at Gladiator HQ, where David has grudgingly offered immunity, and has presumably come to get Adnan's statement. Instead, they find Harrison alone in the office, half-naked and on the floor. He's breathing, but in bad shape. They have yet to learn that Adnan has arrived back with Mama Pope, who has finally gotten Ivan to meet at the Hotel Terror Plots. Adnan has raided Harrison's computer, getting Fitz's complete schedule. Every appearance, every location. Everything he'll be doing and everywhere he'll be going.
Good think B-613 is on to this interview. What will they do? Nothing, Jake says. We'll let it play out. Is Jake being a canny counter-terrorist, or just letting Fitz die?
Quinn gets home to find yet another man in her place. Charlie has outright surrendered his security deposit, moved in, and cooked Quinn a lovely Chinese noodle dish that somehow claims unbroken noodles lead to good luck. Quinn just looks like a girl who wants her own apartment back. Will Huck and Charlie have an ugly confrontation? Who will win? Totally unrepentant v. tortured genius. Can't wait.
As Fitz and Mellie's incredible power of persuasion (or bribery with new cars, who knows?) works, the whole family sits down to meet with Noah at the precise last minute. The last second is occupied by Olivia, the mistress, handing the baby to the cheating First Lady. Everyone is dressed appropriately, smiling and ready to pretend to be a great family that loves each other. As Cy watches from home and plays with his daughter, Olivia gets a call.
Screwed up, but they smile really well
It's Daddy Pope, who gives her a tidbit. B-613's budget has been in front of them the whole time. It's not from one department. It's from all of them. They will now need to re-review every single budget they've already scoured, with an even finer comb. Now they need to find a needle in, like, fifty haystacks.
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