ABC’s ‘Scandal’ season 4, episode 4 review: Olivia spares Fitz, Mellie; Jake Ballard doomed
Sometimes, new episodes of “Scandal” really don’t have that very word in the title, but we can say one thing for sure about tonight’s “Like Father, Like Daughter”: It certainly did.
At the center of the story was the indiscretion involving Fitz and Mellie’s daughter, who got herself involved with making a very inappropriate tape involving two guys. Why did she do it? Mellie probably explained it best at the end of the episode: She was likely scared and wanted to feel something, so she of course took one of the most drastic actions possible to make that happen. This was a terrible situation that she got the First Family into, mostly because it forced Olivia Pope to come and make sure that no one, not one of the boys involved or his despicable parents, was ever able to send the tape out to the masses.
While we know that Olivia is very good at her job, there is also one other thing that you have to remember here: This mission puts her back in Mellie’s crosshairs. Seeing this particular breakdown when Mellie saw Olivia in the White House was one of the best acting jobs we’ve seen from Bellamy Young, who has really had to go off the rails with this part over the course of the season. If only she knew that her husband and Olivia kissed, prior to him learning the truth about what happened between Olivia and Jake in their two-month getaway to the beach.
Of course, this story with Fitz’s daughter was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the story this time. Jake and Tom started to concoct a plan in order to take down Rowan, but then found out that this is far less successful. Somehow, the guy is always one step ahead. He basically managed to frame Jake perfectly for the death of Fitz’s son, and we now have our biggest shocker perhaps of the entire season. Grade: B+.
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