By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Thursday, May 14, 2015
B613 is a paranoid conspiracist's dream: it's that shadow rogue agency that not even the CIA knows about. In the world of "Scandal," it has pulled the levers behind all sorts of events worldwide, from assassinations to school shootings to bombings.
And it's been around for decades and cannot be stopped. And for way too long, it has been an albatross of a storyline that strangles everything in its wake. It's both preposterous and tiresome, scary and dull, an easy plot device to whip out whenever a writer needed an easy out.
Shonda Rimes has finally killed it. (We hope.)
Even the show's creator figured out this plot device has long run its course.
But she had to make sure Rowan, Liv's arrogant, pontificating daddy, would make it a difficult death.
He thwarted Liv and her team's efforts to take down B613 time and time again. When the white hats pounced, he parried. When they punched, he ducked. He then got rid of all evidence of B613, including his culpability (using an unassuming B613 cover man played by Marietta's Dan Byrd of "Cougar Town" fame)
So Rowan got off scot free. Or so he thought.
The Gladiators still had $2 billion from the kidnapping scheme earlier this season that came from B613. So kind of like the U.S. government taking down Al Capone for tax evasion, Liv had her dad arrested for stealing funds from the Smithsonian.
"You think I can't survive this?" Rowan said from jail to Liv. " I've brought down dreams, assassinated dictators with my own two hands, shaped history with a single phone call."
"Command did that. He had power of you. You said you were an old innocent doddering paleontologist. You were right. We couldn't take Command. But we can take Eli Pope."
Does this mean we've seen the last of Rowan? Doubtful.
Earlier in the episode, Rowan, pretending to be a donor for Mellie's gubernatorial campaign, blackmailed Mellie Grant to provide names of the secret jury members who listened to B613's wrong doings. He had Cyrus under his thumb and Cyrus forced David Rosen to force Jake and Liv to sign releases to nullify their accusations to the CIA about B613. Cyrus even kept the CIA director from doing anything to publicize B613. He managed to get Liv's evil mom Maya released as long as she renounced knowledge of B613. He even got Huck involved, threatening to kill his family if he didn't kill those poor jury members, whose names he got through Mellie.
Quinn figured it out and almost killed Huck but can't because really, this show wouldn't be the same without Huck and she loooooves him!
Lizzie Bear conveniently told the president about Rowan's donor shenanigans, which had been hidden from him by Cyrus and Mellie. Once he quickly figured out all the rest of what Rowan a peeved Fitz kicked out now Sen. Mellie and fired Cyrus in a surprising huff. (Lizzie Bear smugly got Cyrus' gig. Convenient, as they say.)
Jake, whose recovery from knife wounds a couple of episodes ago is nothing short of miraculous, decided to let go Liv because his mission of watching over her was accomplished with B613 gone. He was also love with Liv but he knew she was always in love with Fitz.
Fitz, feeling lost, went over to Liv's pad. She didn't answer. Why? She was at the White House. He was naturally startled and pleasantly surprised to see her because the show has kept them apart all season.
Fitz: "What happens now?
Liz: "Whatever we want."
They kissed to the song "Here Comes the Sun."
Fitz and Liv. Back together. Again. Into the light.
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