Scandal Round Table: Who Won the Prize?

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Someone paid a hefty price for Olivia on Scandal Season 4 Episode 12 but it wasn't anyone on Team Sort of Good Guy and Huck is clearly losing his battle with "booze." 

Join Christine Orlando, Leigh Raines, Jim Garner, Carla Day, and Miranda Wicker as they break down Scandal's latest installment! And don't forget that if you missed last week's episode, you can watch Scandal online to get caught up before tomorrow night!

What was your favorite quote or scene from "Gladiators Don't Run"?

Christine:  Favorite quote has to go to Quinn, “Who has money? All I have is student loans! It doesn't matter how many times you reinvent your identity, Sallie Mae will find you.” - So very true.

Leigh: That line was great. Truthfully I wasn't a huge fan of this episode, but Huck revealing he had 2 billion plus was a total WHOA moment. I feel like Jake was the most on top of his game. He had his hand in the White House and with OPA. He took over when he saw Huck losing it and covered in blood. Just feel like he deserves some props right now. 

Jim: I loved Mellie getting Fitz to ask her what she wants. We've all know what she really wanted for a long time but to know she trust Fitz enough to tell him, and his immediate understanding and acceptance to let Andrew walk was amazing.  

Carla: There were two moments that stuck out for me. First was when Jake walked in on Huck's blood bath and then took over and cut off the guy's head. Wow. Huck lost it and Jake was able to keep calm. The other was Mellie telling Fitz she wants to be president. How awesome would that be? A few seasons done the road, I'd love to see President Mellie.

Miranda: Quinn definitely had the best line of the night, hands down. As for my favorite scene, I have to go with Olivia trying her best to talk the hackers down only to be told "Actually, lady...you're wrong..." I still think the hacker who didn't have much to say has something to do with how the auction ended, so now we wait and see.

Most useless plan: Impersonating a terrorist or using a terrorist to do your actual bidding?

Christine:  I don’t know if either is truly useless, just incredibly difficult to execute successfully. They’re both useless when the nutcase who takes over the auction decides to change the rules and play his own game.

Leigh: Using a terrorist to do your bidding, definitely. Because when are terrorists so trustworthy anyway? Hello? 

Jim: I agree with Christine, I don't know that either is truly useless, ineffective - yes, but useless, doubtful.  

Carla: Both were ill-advised plans, but they didn't really have any other choice. To be honest, the whole auction made no sense to me so everything after that was ridiculous. Why would anyone believe Olivia was worth billions? It's not like her relationship with the President was public knowledge.

Miranda: I feel like both plans were just dumb. Terrible and dumb. Plus, the time involved in getting Jake's plan off the ground made this another implausible scenario. Jerking time around like that really bugs me. 

Mellie for President. Does she get your vote?

Christine:  Not only does she get my vote, whenever Scandal ends I want to see the spinoff where Mellie is President. Olivia and Fitz can run off to Vermont for all I care. Millie and Cyrus would make a team that I’d tune in to watch every week.

Leigh: Really liking Christine's idea. Thinking we should run with this and pitch something to Shonda. Who's in?  

Jim: Christine, Leigh, you guys aren't seeing the obvious solution right in front of us. THIS is how we can have more Scandal even after Fitz's 2nd term is up. I'm sure we could easily see 2 or 3 seasons with President Mellie. 

Carla: My vote? No. That doesn't mean I wouldn't want to see her become President down the line. For Scandal, it would be awesome!

Miranda: She absolutely gets my vote. And my vote for spinoff I'd like to see. #MellieForPresident

Is Huck too far gone or can he be rehabilitated (again)?

Christine:  This won’t win me any fans but Huck is the equivalent of a large, highly aggressive dog. He can look calm and normal one minute and then he can literally be ripping someone to pieces the next. Huck has slipped his leash and I agree with Jake. I think he needs to be put down.

Leigh: Oh God, that scene was upsetting and I was so glad when Quinn slapped him. I mean it was all upsetting. At first I thought "why are they telling us viewer discretion advised? Did you see Portia's back last week?" But then just...oy Huck. Olivia's proof of life will rein him in, I have to believe that.

Jim: Even Momma Pope knows that Huck is a well trained pit-bull. I think Christine is really close on her assessment. However, Huck hasn't slipped his leash, his master has gone missing, as Olivia is the only one who he sees as Alpha above him. I fear that if Olivia were to die, Jake would have to put him down.   

Carla: He's not too far gone. While what he did was horrendous, it's not anything he hasn't done before. Olivia's abduction spiraled him to a place where he'd do anything to get her back. He's on the "whiskey," but he can get off it again. It will take Olivia's return and a lot of help. If that doesn't work, Jake will have to take him out. 

Miranda: I feel really scared for where they're taking Huck right now if he continues down this path. He did what he did because he believed it would help save Olivia, but at the same time, he enjoyed it. He's in a very dark place and I'm afraid he's going to have a very hard time coming back from it.

Did Iran really win the bid for Olivia Pope?

Christine:  I doubt it. Gus isn’t very bright. My guess is someone called him saying they were with Iran and he believed it. If I had to guess, I think we’re going to see Rowan Pope buying his daughter back and then killing Gus and the rest of the guys involved.

Leigh: I don't think so. I think Rowan and Maya somehow teamed up and did. I mean Olivia seriously might prefer Iran to Rowan and Maya as a duo...so think about it.  

Jim: If Adnan Salif wasn't dead I would suspect she's the mysterious figure we saw. I'm curious on Christine and Leigh's guess. But, I had to assume that even Gus isn't stupid enough to think a 5' 10" black man with no accent is from Iran. Either way, I suspect it wasn't the real Iran. 

Carla: Overall, this storyline has been less then unpredictable, which leads me to believe it's probably either Mama or Papa Pope instead of Iran. I hope it's not either of them though and Olivia ended up with someone else. I would love if Mellie found a way to win Olivia. Otherwise, perhaps either Adnan Salif or Harrison aren't dead and they are behind it?

Miranda: I've long hoped that Shonda faked Harrison's death (Adnan Salif is dead-dead) so that once Columbus Short got his personal life straightened out he could return, probably as an associate of Rowan Pope's. I don't think that time has come, but I definitely don't think Iran won the prize. This has Papa Pope written all over it.

Miranda Wicker was a Staff Writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in 2017. Follow her on Twitter.

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Scandal Season 4 Episode 12 Quotes

Who has money? All I have is student loans! It doesn't matter how many times you reinvent your identity, Sallie Mae will find you.

Quinn

[to Abby] You are not a gladiator anymore.

Huck