The opening scene features Jake and Olivia living a tranquil life on an isolated island sipping rare wines. Better yet, she no longer has to hide Kerry Washington's real-life pregnancy!
But Olivia's taste for rare wine is her downfall - at least in terms of returning to "Scandal" land.
Quinn tracks her down via her wine tastes and sends her a letter.
Poor Jake. As soon as he sees the letter addressed to Olivia's fake name Julia Baker, he knows this would open a Pandora's box. "Bad things fly out," he warns, hoping she'll rip it to shreds. (Side note: Diahann Carroll's character in "Julia," the first drama led by a black woman in a non-stereotypical role.)
But Olivia blithely ignores his warning and opens it. He's not the boss of her and she knows it. Besides, she's probably just a wee bit bored with paradise.
It's a clipping that says Harrison Wright is dead. Dead!
She decides to return to reality for a couple of days to plan his funeral, with all expectation she'll come back to the island.
Duh. We know that won't happen. What kind of show would that be?
Here are some highlights from the hour once she's back in D.C.:
Gladiators disintegrated! She finds Quinn in what's left of Olivia Pope & Associates. Clearly, months have passed.
"What happened?" she asks.
"You left," Quinn says.
Obviously, Harrison is dead. Abby is now the White House spokesman, nicknamed "Red." She's even more annoying than usual now that she's a harried important person. Quinn spent her time tracking Olivia down. Huck has become "Randy," the fix-it guy at an electronics repair place. He and Quinn are no longer an item - for now.
A Gladiator 'scandal' pops up: A female Senator is seen with a male Senator gravely injured, having crashed through a staircase and down about 15 feet to the ground. She calls Olivia to fix this - because 911 would be a terrible idea. Olivia comes over. The man is actually still alive - barely. The female Senator claims she was sexually assaulted and defended herself. Olivia figures out she's lying and covering up for an assistant who looks more like the type of women creepy Senator likes to fondle. Then she discovers the female Senator set up her assistant so he would assault her. This would help get an equal pay bill passed. All sordid "Scandal 101" stuff but it gets Olivia back in the game. And she eventually dives in head first.
Jealous Jake: Again, he tries to control the situation but she is preoccupied with the new scandal. He realizes that she is getting sucked in again and tries to justify his existence. Is he just her play toy or the love of her life? He knows the answer.
Mourning Mellie: Mellie is still seriously sad out about her dead son, poisoned by Olivia's nutty mom. She walks around the White House in jammies and a box of cereal. She is checked out. Fitz is burying himself in work. We hear later that he did try to kill himself once - just once. This death has not really drawn them closer together. And when she hears Olivia is back in town, he claims he doesn't plan to see her or want to see her. She knows otherwise. She just wants him to tell her when they do.
Ducking David Rosen: Last season, Jake had given David Rosen all those B613 papers that could blow the world up Edward Snowden style. But no. David is too scared. At least he color-coded the incidents in his file, with black meaning uber scary! Then Fitz decides to offer David the U.S. Attorney job. Abby spits out some Shonda Rhimes-approved dialogue to convince her cowering boyfriend to take the job. Jake is not pleased that B613 seems to be alive and well tells Daand vid, "Pull the trigger or give it back!"
Cadaverous Harrison: Olivia holds a very private funeral featuring Jake and the living Gladiators. "We say goodbye now?" Huck asks. "We say goodbye now," Olivia intones, throwing red petals for a man she took care of for years and truly loved as a friend and colleague. While comforting Olivia, Jake notices that Rowan is watching from afar.
Bachelor Cyrus: Now single and ready to mingle, Cyrus has jazzed up the hairpiece and likes how calm the White House is, minus Olivia. Naturally, he is not thrilled by her reappearance and warns Fitz to stay away from her because we know what happens when they cross paths. Trouble. "We've seen this movie 100 times," he says.
Scary Portia de Rossi: She is some RNC head who resembles Cruella de Ville. She is concerned with Fitz's efforts to be bipartisan, a dirty word nowadays in Washington. Cyrus shoos her away with the nickname "Lizzie Bear."
Daddy lies in it: Rowan, as usual, tells his daughter nothing remotely close to the truth. He disavows any involvement in Harrison's death. Not true. He also says Maya, her evil mom and his evil ex wife, is dead, dead, dead. Nope, nope, nope. He has her in a hole somewhere again, ready to emerge again like a zombie.
Stating the obvious: Cyrus, clearly not thrilled: "She's back. Get used to it."
And they meet... sort of: Olivia and Fitz walk by each other at the end of the hour - but don't even greet each other. They also smile to themselves moments later, as if they are proud of themselves for showing (temporary) resistance to each other's magnetic charms.
Choice quotes
Jake to Olivia: "I'm the one who makes you moan and reaches you in places he can't begin to touch!"
Even better: "I'm the one you like to ride."
Huck to Olivia: "Hoping is bad for Randy [his fake name.] Do not come back here unless you are back for good."
Olivia: "I'm only going to be here a couple of days." Skeptical attorney Clark: "That sounds rehearsed."
Olivia musing to Rowan sarcastically: "You lose people. Whatever."
Mellie to Fitz about the fact she no longer shaves in the nether regions since they aren't doing it anymore: "It's 1976 down there."
Olivia to Clark: "I was on a remote island." "Sounds boring and lonely." "Not as lonely as Washington."
Olivia, citing Harrison: "Are we Gladiators or are we bitches?"
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