‘Scandal’ Sneak Peek: Star Joe Morton Previews Big Power Play

When a predator comes on the scene, do you attack it or roll over and play dead?

That question looms before Olivia Pope and the characters of Scandal, with Peus and Marjorie’s shadowy organization controlling most of their strings. In tonight’s episode, Theodore Peus (David Warshofsky) delivers a new order to Olivia (Kerry Washington): to get Mellie to fire Jake as her VP and select him!

It seems that Peus has everyone on a leash. Even the supremely confident Rowan Pope answers their calls.

“I think that there’s a point at which, like any other conflict, when you understand you’ve lost,” Joe Morton tells Yahoo TV of his character’s state of mind.

But has Rowan given up, or is he playing dead so that e can go on the attack later?

“There is an alligator in, I think it’s South Africa, that will sit under the water by the shore for sometimes days, just waiting for something to make its way to the edge of the lake or river so that it can leap out and grab it,” Morton explains.

Joe Morton as Rowan Pope in ABC’s <em>Scandal.</em> (Photo: Eric McCandless/ABC)
Joe Morton as Rowan Pope in ABC’s Scandal. (Photo: Eric McCandless/ABC)

“I think that’s kind of what Rowan is doing. He’s waiting, biding his time, seeing where things are going with the two things that are most important to him, which is to gain his freedom and make sure Olivia is protected.”

Last week, Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) arrested Rowan for killing Frankie Vargas — but really as a way of saving him from Peus, for Olivia’s sake. That doesn’t sit too well with Rowan.

“First, it’s Fitz, which just angers him to no end. Second, it means a loss of freedom, which he really cannot abide,” Morton notes. “So, I can’t imagine any conversation between Fitz and Rowan will be at all — there will be no love lost between Fitz and Rowan.”

While Olivia and crew seem to be in an impossible situation, she is the ultimate fixer. There’s hope that she can figure out how to fight back.

“These are all people who enjoy being in a position of power,” Morton says. “My guess is that at some point, someone will come up with some plan to figure out how to work their way out of this box.”

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


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