'Scandal' Tweet-cap: Do the Right Thing

Warning: This recap contains storyline and character spoilers for this week’s episode of Scandal.

Scandal is definitely living up to its title lately.

This week’s episode ventures into meta territory, framing Olivia and Fitz’s affair with a news broadcast asking just “who is Olivia Pope?” This is a full-blown scandal, one that even Olivia isn’t sure how to fix.

For once in her life, she has to rely on others to fix it for her. She has to sit back, read the Internet troll comments in silence, and do absolutely nothing. She must depend on her gladiators — including new addition Marcus Walker (Cornelius Smith Jr.) — to handle the press onslaught, and she has to trust in Fitz to make the right choice between her and the possible dissolution of presidency.

Related: The ‘Scandal’ Stars Take Our Speed-Reading Challenge

In the end, Fitz chooses Olivia. But at what cost? Will he be impeached? Will his legacy suffer? Time will tell.

Here’s a rundown of this week’s episode, including our live tweets:

Hiding Out

After Abby’s press conference, where she painted Olivia as a party girl who likes to sleep around with powerful men, the media is going nuts. The episode starts with a faux news program investigating the woman at the heart of the Scandal. The program notes that Olivia’s father, Eli Pope, is in jail for embezzlement, but that he raised her to better herself and be part of society’s elite.

Speaking of Eli, aka Rowan, Jake is trying to get dirt on “Lazarus One” — which apparently is code for setting the Louvre on fire. It seems that the plan involves stealing valuable paintings, replacing them with burned replicas, then using the resulting sales money to rebuild B-613. Uh oh! Jake calls in Charlie, and the two of them head to Paris to figure out who’s working with Rowan on Lazarus One.

Meanwhile, with Olivia hunkered down in her apartment, Quinn and Huck are flailing by themselves. So, Quinn decides to recruit Marcus Walker. If you don’t recall, he’s the community activist who later tried to run for mayor.

Unfortunately for Quinn, Marcus turns her down flat. He calls OPA shady and shifty, and notes that they are losing clients left and right. In any case, when Liv hears about this, she orders them not to hire anybody new. They’ll handle this in house.

At the White House, Fitz is mad. Very mad. Primarily at Abby, whom he fires for that press briefing.

But Liv calls him and gently tells him he cannot fire her. She did exactly what Olivia would’ve done. “I do not need to be rescued,” Olivia reminds him.

In Paris, Jake and Charlie prepare to meet with a contact in the art world who can link them to stolen Louvre paintings. It turns out to be a beautiful woman named Elise, who clearly knows Jake from before. And apparently, Jake might not even be his real name!

What a Girl Wants

It’s Mellie’s first day in the Senate, and she’s invited to a meeting with the other female senators. But this isn’t a “welcome, good luck” type of thing or even a “let’s get down to business” thing. No, the women note that there are too many men in charge, that they leave the women out of decision-making, and that this needs to change. So, they want her to lead the movement in impeaching Fitz!

A flustered Mellie returns to her office, where Cyrus is happily scheming about her schedule and agenda. She tells him about the meeting, and Cyrus wants her to get on board. But Mellie refuses. “I don’t want to impeach my husband.” Cy scoffs. If she doesn’t do this, she’ll be irrelevant and powerless. Does she want to be the next POTUS or not?

At OPA, Quinn grouses to Huck about Olivia’s edict not to hire anybody, when they find Marcus there making coffee! Turns out he needs the money, so he’s in. Quinn is thrilled, and says they need to make it seem like Liv is too busy with clients to address the media for now.

In Paris, Jake stops by Elise’s apartment, where we learn more surprising revelations. She’s mad at him for leaving her behind during some mission, but he only left her because he thought she was dead. And um, apparently they were married?!

At the White House, Mellie comes to get some more of her things, when she finds Fitz adorably playing hide and seek with their son, Teddy. The two share a very sweet moment, and agree to put aside their differences — for the sake of their son, for the sake of their friendship, and even for the sake of the country.

Good thing he makes peace with Mellie, because Fitz has bigger fish to fry, namely Senator Gibson, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee. If Fitz wants to avoid impeachment, he needs to play ball with Gibson, who wants to roll back the Brandon bill. You know, Fitz’s big gun control act — his legacy.

In Paris, the sting is on. Jake and Charlie watch a camera feed of Elise meeting with an art dealer. But the operation goes awry, and gunshots are fired. They rush into her apartment to find the dealer dead and Elise bleeding. Later, Jake visits her in the hospital and invites her to return with him to the United States. Guess he’s ready to move on from Olivia after all!

Related: ‘Scandal’: Tony Goldwyn Says Olivia and Fitz are ‘Magic Together’ in Season 5

This Is War

In D.C., Cyrus is pleading with Mellie to join the impeachment movement. She refuses again, since she just had that sweet exchange with Fitz. “Let it go,” she tells him.

Then, Cyrus goes NUTS on her. He starts ranting about how he loves Fitz like a child (uh, what about your actual child?), then tells Mellie she should be glad that her son is dead. “Your child is safe, in the ground,” he snarls. “My child, my soul… all you have to do is turn on the news to see that the bad things for him are just getting started.”

Cyrus has officially gone cuckoo! Mellie orders him to leave, and he quits.

Outside of OPA, Marcus is hounded by the press again, but he snaps when he hears a reporter say Olivia is so “well-spoken.” He turns, glares, and responds, “For a black woman?”

Then, Marcus goes nuts on the media. Quinn and Huck admonish him, because Olivia didn’t want them to enter the fray. But Marcus doesn’t care. He is going to stick up for Olivia. This is war, and this is how he gladiates.

At the White House, Fitz comes to see Abby and un-fires her. Then, he asks for advice on Senator Gibson’s threat. Should he let go of the Brandon bill? WWOD? (What would Olivia do?)

Abby answers that the smart thing to do would be to kill the bill and avoid impeachment.

But Fitz shakes his head. They don’t work for Olivia Pope. He’s the president, and he works for the American people.

With that, he takes his Secret Service entourage and motorcade and heads over to Olivia’s apartment. She can’t believe her eyes seeing the news coverage. But then, just minutes later, he’s there, in her elevator.

“What the hell are you doing?” Olivia asks, half-annoyed, half-delighted.

“I’m taking my girlfriend on a date,” Fitz replies, before kissing her surrounded by Secret Service.

The media outside goes nuts, of course. And so does Mellie. She returns to the female senators meeting with one goal: Impeach Fitz.

Scandal airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC.