By JEWEL WICKER/ Jewel.wicker@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, March 24, 2016
The presidential campaign is full of drama.
In fact, the only candidate that seems to be carefree in the latest episode of "Scandal," titled "Pencils Down," is Hollis Doyle.
While the rest of the candidates are hard at work, the oil tycoon spends his time eating bacon at a gun range.
He is not worried about the fact that the first republican debate is near.
But, Mellie isn’t handling the pressure as well as Hollis.
After a focus group shows what many Americans really think of the former First Lady, Mellie sets out on a mission to appear more down-to-earth.
It’s hard. Mellie Grant is a know-it-all and she’s not good at hiding it.
Olivia comes up with a plan that involves Mellie visiting a popular “Scandal” fast food restaurant named Gettysburger. Everything is going well. Down-to-earth Mellie is wearing a baseball cap.
But, know-it-all Mellie reveals that she clearly doesn’t know the hours of operation at Gettysburger.
She tells a group of reporters that she used to eat at the chain on Sundays.
Gettysburger isn’t open on Sundays.
Whoops.
The press paints Mellie as a liar.
Olivia only has one option to turn the campaign around.
After her ex-boyfriend Edison reveals that he is going to run for president, Olivia gets a visit from presidential hopeful Frankie Vargas’ brother, Alex.
Alex tells Olivia that he will share dirt on Susan Ross if she is willing to share dirt on Edison.
At first, Olivia refuses. Papa Pope reminds her that Edison has always been supportive of her, even though she didn’t marry him.
But, Olivia soon discovers that her father has ulterior motives.
After cozying up with Jake's fiancé, Vanessa Moss, Quinn discovers that Jake has been using Vanessa's accounts to funnel money into a Super PAC and fund Edison's campaign.
Olivia meets up with Jake and seduces him in the bathroom stall at a restaurant in the middle of his dinner date with Vanessa. She tells him that she knows what he is up to and then abruptly leaves.
Olivia then agrees to give Alex dirt on Edison. She tells Alex that Edison went to rehab for a month for an addiction to pain killers.
We won't learn what Alex's dirt on Susan is until next week, but Abby accidentally tells her that David Rosen is seeing another woman during this episode.
When Susan confronts David about it, he lies.
After talking to the president, however, Susan decides to go with her gut, which tells her that Abby was right. She dumps David.
In an episode, David went from having two women to having none, since he broke up with Elizabeth North earlier in the episode in an effort to keep Susan.
We’ll have to wait until next week to find out how the debate goes and to see what dirt Alex produced on Susan Ross.
Scandal” airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. on ABC.
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