- Title: Scandal – Top of the Hour
- tv.com: link
Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) & Associates are hired by Cyrus (Jeff Perry) when news of a 15 year-old affair concerning the a former student (Lisa Edelstein) of the President’s (Tony Goldwyn) choice of a Supreme Court nominee is leaked to the press during the vetting process. However, Cyrus explodes when Olivia chooses to protect the woman and her family who are being crushed under the 24-hour media storm rather than the President’s nominee.
Olivia circles the wagons as Cyrus whips the White House into a frenzy looking to publicly tear down her client by painting her as an unhinged sexual predator, no matter what the cost to the woman’s husband (Jay Karnes) and children or the woman’s career when the company tries to fire her over breaching the morality clause in her contract.
As Harrison (Columbus Short) does a little backdoor wheeling and dealing (and blackmailing of his own) to save their client’s job, Abby (Darby Stanchfield) uncovers proof the nominee’s role in the affair which lasted far longer than anyone believed, but so does the press and the proof might prove to be the final nail in their client’s marriage.
In the episode’s B-story Olivia shares her intelligence of the Kashfar hostage situation with Jake Ballard (Scott Foley), still unaware that he’s secretly spying on her for Fitz, while Huck (Guillermo Díaz) and Quinn (Katie Lowes) continue to shadow CIA Director Osborne (Kurt Fuller) hoping he to catch the CIA’s mole in another dead drop. Although successful, Quinn puts herself on the radar of the CIA Director which could mean trouble in the future.
The episode does a good job relating the betrayals of Olivia and Fitz, and Harrsion and Abby (who knows he sunk her relationship with David to protect Olivia), with that of Olivia & Associates’ current client. In the end Olivia and her team are able to save the woman’s job and her marriage before we see more silent betrayal from Jake, thoroughly enjoying the game he’s playing.
