I’m going to be completely honest here; when I saw the promo I had a clear of view of where this episode was going and I was livid. However episode 7x14 exceeded my expectations but more than that it was old school scandal where Olivia focused on issues that mattered and also used the case of the week as an outlet to view her issues with self.
With Cyrus confirmation of hijacking Air Force two, Olivia immediately goes to Abby for assistance who reminds her that Olivia doesn’t have a team or friends. Friendship; like most things in Olivia’s life she did not appreciate how meaningful it is having a family and friendship. The value of belonging with a person or group of people with similar interest and goals. It is why Olivia attempts to connect with Abby by ‘destroying the patriarchy ‘ was rebuffed rightfully as Olivia uses the same words she told Fitz to Abby “I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m asking for help.”
Olivia should be asking for forgiveness and help. I love that Olivia gave Abby the information and moved on. That’s right baby. Worry about yourself. There has to be some form of evolution and self discovery and these past episodes I’ve enjoyed watching Olivia interact and finally bridge a connection with her friends and family in a honest and true way but what has been highly visible is Olivia’s time. Time is no longer of the essence, Olivia is no longer tethered to the White House or OPA she is no longer able to hide and ignore her issues that have manifested throughout the years.
While she is bored and lonely there is an attention to appreciating all the things and people she took for granted. Intimacy. Olivia hasn’t truly been intimate with a person since her break up with Fitz. Intimacy does not always fall under physical spectrum as we know Olivia has been physically involved yet lack the emotional connection that bonds you to an individual.
Olivia asking Marcus for dinner told me three things:
One that her and Fitz are still in limbo after the crossover.
Two; she wants a human connection.
And three, she came to the Grant institute for Fitz.
How hard would it have been for Olivia to call or text Marcus about dinner, but she didn’t, instead she came to the office late just to see if Marcus wanted to have dinner with her?
I get it Olivia, you miss him. Despite, all the things Olivia has said and done, Olivia still loves and wants Fitz. Even at her most acrimonious state she refused connecting with her human vibrators in what I believe has always been a belief of Olivia’s, that her and Fitz were going to be together in the end…I’ll discuss this more in detail later in this review.
Gary, is a black father who noticed when his child went missing when she was supposed to be working in D.C and because his daughter hasn’t called him in a week, Gary went in search of her. The antithesis of what Rowan did for Olivia during her kidnapping. Like Ophelia, showing Olivia what a mother is supposed to do, Gary represented the patriarchy father who will fight for his child. Well done, Shonda.
This case of the week explores the already open window wider in regards to family. Ophelia, Gary, Fitz; all of these important individuals have told Olivia what a real family is all about. Ophelia has given Olivia motherly advice on what a mother does in support of their child, Gary has illustrated what a father does when his child is in danger, and Fitz has constantly reminded her of what a soulmate, lover, and friend does when their partner is need.
As the case progresses Gary tells Olivia that his daughter came to D.C because of her. I said this in my last review that Olivia has no idea how much she has inspired black girls to pursue their dreams. Yet we found out later on that the young girl with dreams of falling in Olivia Pope’s shoes has committed suicide because of the corruption festering in D.C. Michaela, Alisha and countless black girls have looked to Olivia as a super hero who represents them, a face that mirrors them. Shonda has been boldily facing racism, feminism and now sexual harassment but also representation. We root for Olivia because she’s black because we want to see her succeed but Olivia was not a role model. Quinn, Huck, Abby, they all placed Olivia on this pedestal stool and looked to her as the person they should all inspire to be ‘What would Olivia Pope Do?’ but as the seasons progressed and we saw our heroine fall from her own moral superiority into moral turpitude with chaos and destruction surrounding her. Though Gary was angry and obviously grieving there is truth in the words he spoke to Olivia Pope. She is not a Good person, Olivia came to D.C with pure and good intentions to change the world but as we all know Olivia lost her direction and her moral values became compromised and she in turn became a stranger to us as much herself.
Olivia Pope’s story mirrored Alisha’s and with that it’s terribly sad that those with good intentions and a good heart often find themselves dejected and defeated by D.C. It’s obvious to see how and why Olivia became that person, with so much darkness around how can anyone survive?
She had dreams and goals, let’s hope she finds them and see them through.
Shonda is unraveling the fabric of Olivia Pope and starting over; but this time it will be done right. The speech Gary made followed by Abby meeting with Olivia on a bridge even further emphasizes just how far Olivia had plunged during her tenure in the White House. Olivia Pope will not return to the White House though she will be offered her job back. Accountability and responsibility are two values Olivia has lacked and failed to acknowledge but with this young girl being a mirror to a young Olivia Pope with hopes and dreams to change the world, we can see how Olivia has become jaded, cynical yet what is evidently clear is that their is always time to change and grow. Though Olivia was not a role model, she will be one in the end.
And though I hate the thought of Olivia fighting for Mellie, I’ve gone to accept it as Olivia’s final lap before she makes it to the finish line and with that said It’s great seeing Olivia Pope.
Where do I start with Olitz? Do I discuss that every episode since Olivia left the White House has been allowing the audience to witness Olivia and Fitz rediscover who they are? Do I elaborate that watching scandal has renewed some and enhanced my belief that we are witnessing Olivia and Fitz fall in love all over again. Rediscovery, people. Olivia is rediscovery and redefining her purpose and views on all things from her professional to her personal life. Olivia is no longer pushing and denying herself the comfort and intimacy of family and friendship instead she is actively pursing them.
When Gary came to Olivia for help on finding his daughter, Olivia went to Fitz who agreed to take on the case with Olivia spearheading it as Fitz gives Olivia the space and power she needs to remind herself she is still the same girl he fell in love with all those years ago.
How poetic is it that, when Abby left the White House broken and a shell of the person she once was, Fitz told Olivia to forgive her and let her in “If anyone can save her. If anyone can pull her back; it’s the one person who got out.” It wasn’t Olivia who got out of the White House with her soul intact but Fitz. It’s a thing of beauty watching Fitz be this continuous constant in Olivia’s life despite all the their problems and issues that pushed them apart, love is evident every time these two are in the same room.
With Olivia taking residency at the Grant Institute, it makes you reevaluate their relationship in its entirety. Fitz built Olivia a home to rest their dreams, and now he has given her a building, a job to reconcile these pieces of her past with her present.
Shonda, is doing the damn thing. With Marcus, Olivia and Fitz working on the sexual harassment case there was some obvious references to Fitz’s age and ‘how men of his generation treat women.’ And with Olivia feeling the emotional punch from Gary telling her that he knows she slept with the President in what he believes was to advance her career, Olivia makes a final jab at Fitz and their relationship asking how he can talk about such issues considering their history.
Olivia still be trying me at times but I’m going to let that moment go because it created room for Olivia and Fitz to talk about their past and reaffirm their connection and finally put to rest their relationship that could have been misconstrued (Fitz being a sexual predator, Olivia sleeping with the President to advance her career.)
Which brings us to this moment:
What Olivia said to Fitz obviously bothered him to the point that he had to talk to Olivia about whether he was inappropriate and took advantage of her.
Olivia initially thinks Fitz is joking about the question but it wasn’t until she heard the seriousness in his voice and the clearly pained look on his face that Olivia sees that Fitz is clearly hurting by the thought of taking advantage of her. Notice not once did it dawn on Olivia that Fitz was referring to him as being a sexual predator and her being his victim.
The thought is so foreign to Olivia that she truly had to take a moment to gather what Fitz was saying, the idea of Fitz taking an advantage of her never crossed Olivia’s mind. Which is why Olivia tells Fitz, they were different. They weren’t Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, they were real, they are real. The line they crossed, was not one sided. Olivia and Fitz both equally met the other half way and embarked on a love affair that brought them pain but also a lot of happiness.
Clearly, still struggling Fitz asked Olivia if she regretted sleeping with him. Something she has clearly struggled with since they first met.
Olivia has always been conflicted over her love for Fitz. Loving a married President was not a part of her plan, and because of that love Olivia and Fitz have both dealt with devastating pain and losses, and many times Olivia has rubbed their relationship in his face as some sort of curse but finally with everything that has happened since the interview we see Olivia open up about the significance of their relationship,when the question is asked if she regrets them.
Olivia could have left if with a simple answer answer but Olivia goes even further to comfort Fitz and their relationship and reaffirm that she would and is willing to cross that line again.
Okay Olivia, I hear you girl. You’re ready to start again with Fitz.
What Shonda has done is very blatant as she has used Olivia and Fitz’s relationship to juxtapose Jellie and the difference between consent and a sexual predator. Please make no bones about it, Jake is a part of Fitz’s “generation of men.” as Olivia stated earlier but unlike Fitz, Jake is a sexual predator and has no regard for women and their choices.
Here you have two people in their right frame of mind, mutually agreeing to start an affair, despite the repercussions that would follow. Olivia, made a choice. A decision. Fitz was her decision to make, and she was not influenced and Fitz was not a sexual predator waiting for the right moment of weakness to attack. Mellie and Jake’s ick factor was the antithesis of Olivia and Fitz’s natural progression. Jake waited until Mellie was in a weak and vulnerable state to somehow decide it would be appropriate to start an affair with Mellie because ‘they work well together.’ The only thing jake did was remind us of the sexual predator he is and how much progress Olivia has made since she has been away from him and all those morally compromised individuals.
Lawd after the emotional reconnection to Fitz, all the pieces that didn’t fit earlier all seem to fall in place by the end of the episode, astonishing how that happens. Olivia and Abby reconnect and begins their friendship with a clear mission of taking down Cyrus. The victim goes to the public and calls out the congressmen and all the men in D.C who have exploited and sexually assaulted countless women. With the young women speaking to the press, we see Olivia away from the cameras in her way giving the young girl her moment. Olivia is using her power and influence to let other people shine- Annalise, and now Alisha. There’s enough chairs for everyone to have a seat at the table. Olivia is learning and taking the tools given to her to continue to progress.
Baby girl is redefining, rediscovering, and reconciling, she’s learning from her mistakes and this time with clear intentions on doing the right thing. With the case solved and justice serve we see Olivia at Fitz’s office with her retrieving her last bit of paperwork with Whitney Houston’s ‘I Believe in you and me’ crooning in the background. The two exchange flirty banter before Fitz tells Olivia he still wants to help her and get their message across with Olivia agreeing that she can use Fitz’s help, with a promise that she will be in touch. The double meaning is not lost on me or them.
Olivia sees is. And Fitz feels it.
As Whitney plays in the background the lyrics go back to a time not so long ago where Olivia was lost and had no direction or trajectory of where life was heading. Now. Things are different both of them are free. Fitz sees Olivia and Olivia sees him. And after all this time separated and apart, Fitz and Olivia still believe ‘in you and me’.
Okay, that’s it for this review. I’m still picking my body off the floor from the assault Shonda did. Alright, everybody see you all Thursday.
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