ABC’s ‘Scandal’ season 4, episode 14 review: Courtney B. Vance shines in difficult ‘The Lawn Chair’

We knew that “Scandal” would be a powerful episode tonight the moment that we found out the premise: The murder of a young black man by a white police officer in Washington DC. This was obviously meant to mimic current events, and raise questions that are extremely complex that go beyond just protests, allegations, or accusations.

“The Lawn Chair” did all of that in a rich, superbly-written hour that was handled with as much respect and care as you can given the subject matter. Every side was presented, and the intention here was not to vilify any particular group of people, whether it be by occupation, race, or something else.

Above all, we want to give the most commendation to Courtney B. Vance, who gave quite possibly his greatest performance to date as the young man’s father, determined to sit over his body in a lawn chair, rifle in hand, until there were answers. This man broke our hearts, and as the episode progressed, it became very clear that the odds were extremely low that he was going to be able to make it out of this installment alive or free of handcuffs.

The truth was, though, that many of his suspicions were correct. His son was not carrying a gun. It was planted on him, and the officer involved in doing so was arrested. Brandon Parker was completely innocent. There is no justice, though; only moving forward. It is hard to watch this story and not be emotional.

As for the rest of the episode, Fitz, in keeping a promise to Mellie, offered the Vice-Presidency to Susan. With this, he did not nominate someone who would be a major threat to Mellie running someday. Grade: A.

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