Since their parents haven’t exactly acknowledged their existence in about three years, it’s understandable why the Grant kids visit the White House without a chip on their shoulders. In “Mama Said Knock You Out,” the theme of family is carried through the episode, with Olivia smack dab in the middle of it all.

It’s Complicated

Anyone worried for future Olivia? She’s lived her life thinking her mother is dead and that her father just isn’t a good father-figure. But that has changed — both quickly and drastically. She might be better equipped by it as an adult, but after being referred to as “the help,” by her mother (who seems to have her cell number memorized?) and butting heads with her dad for wanting to uncover all of B613’s deep dark secrets, I’m worried for future Olivia.

With the Grant kids in the White House, the family dynamic is not one of “family” at all. Just awkward silence with the parents basically forcing themselves to be interested in their children’s lives and unable to remember details about them. It’s sad, really.

So Olivia’s work at the White House is about bringing the Grant family together for their big live interview, but she gets bad vibes from the kids, so she has her team look into what’s going on in Karen and Jerry’s lives. 

It’s not good. 

Both the kids are extremely bitter: Jerry is running an anti-Grant Twitter account and has even bought shirts supporting Reston. Karen, meanwhile, wonders how/why her mother can be with a man like her father after everything that’s been on the news.

You knew that the Grant family was slowly headed toward an explosion, and it was quite the explosion to see. Mellie, after resisting herself from Andrew, can no longer. After Karen’s latest screaming match with her father, she runs out to find her mother getting it on with “Uncle Andrew.” Now if that doesn’t scar you for life, I’m not really sure what would. Olivia had been chasing after Karen, so she’s forced to stop in her tracks to deal with the situation. 

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Down the Rabbit Hole

The children blab to their father about what happened, and Fitz, oh Fitz, huffs and puffs his way to Andrew and … punches him. 

Then there’s a huge blowup with Mellie when he is really brutal trying to drive home the point that she ruined the marriage because she wouldn’t touch him, and etc, etc, everything we’ve heard Poor Fitz whine about before. 

It looks like a nice setup for Mellie to scream back at her husband to inform him the reason why she can no longer touch him, but it doesn’t happen. Guess we’ll still have to be patient.

Olivia tries to interfere during Mellie and Fitz’s heated battle, and Fitz screams at her that he’s trying to talk to his wife. Whew, haven’t seen him even that mad at Mellie. Olivia leaves the White House, wanting to leave her day behind, but Cyrus pulls the “dead husband card” (these guys are all so frank), and tells Olivia it’s her job to put the family back together because she’s putting the country back together.

And she does get Fitz to get his family to reunite because that’s Olivia’s job. And I don’t know what the heck Fitz and Mellie tell their kids, because they’re out on the interview, dressed sharp. It’s one big happy family.

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Other Familial Ties

We get all the Scandal kids — not just Jerry and Karen — but even Teddy. And baby Ella! Adorable. Are baby Teddy and Ella destined to be together?

After basically being laughed at by her father after questioning B613’s funding, Papa Pope dishes to his daughter that the money doesn’t just come from one place –but all the government departments. He gladly indulges on this info because I feel like he might really want to see B613 fall, now that Jake’s in charge, Jake who promised he would be the one to kill his former boss.

Then there’s Mama Pope, who’s teamed up with Adnan, but she then turns to Olivia Pope & Associates wanting help — but it was all a set up to gain access to Olivia’s hard drive and now Harrison is passed out, half naked. Not all seems lost though because Jake is watching all of them.

And for better or worse, Quinn and Charlie take a step forward in their relationship after he moves in (without her knowing) because Huck had broke into her home. Quinn meeting with Huck in dark places and licking his face…that’s just not a storyline I’m caring too much about.

Scandal airs at 10pm Thursdays on ABC.

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(Image courtesy of ABC)



Esther Gim

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV