ABC’s ‘Scandal’ season 4, episode 10 review: Did Olivia Pope escape?

Throughout the new episode of “Scandal” airing on ABC Thursday night, Olivia Pope was faced with what were ultimately a series of difficult questions, but one rose to the occasion above all others: Was there any way to escape? Was she stuck in this terrible prison forever?

“Run” proved to be a fascinating hour of TV, mostly because for the entirety of it, we did not see a heck of a lot when it comes to the cast as a whole. Instead, the focus was solely on Olivia, and her ability to escape what was a terrible prison … if that is what you want to call it. This was not entirely easy to watch most of the time, largely because we assumed that there was no hope on the other side.

The in the end, what we really learned through this episode is that Olivia may be even tougher than she thought she was, and that she is capable of mass hallucinations about Abby, Fitz, and everyone else within her world. Somehow, we were both compelled and annoyed at the same time. It was a tour de force by Kerry Washington, but why did we really need this episode? Is there anything specific in here that is going to matter when we get to the end of the season? It feels more like this could have been compressed into what happens next week; we know that prison is tough, and the whole reveal of Ian as the chief horrible person at the end of it was no shock … neither was the notion that Fitz will continue searching for her forever. This is Fitz we are talking about here!

Who knows, maybe watching her struggle in prison will prove itself to be more valuable down the road. For the time being, we are just not entirely sure. Grade: B-.

What was your take on tonight’s new episode of “Scandal”? Let us know today in the comments, and be sure to also head over here to preview what will be coming up on the series moving forward. Also, sign up right away to acquire some further TV updates on all we cover via email, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)