The Breakdown
Jake is talking to (himself?) about having no family and being ripe to be apart of, and the head of B6-13. Having no family ties makes him perfect. Joe gets Sally’s preacher to do a debate prep with her, Sally has gone crazy and Joe needs help controlling her.
Fitz is debating Millie in a mock and is killing it. Cyrus is trying to call Olivia to tell her the good news. Olivia and Abby are meeting with David. David is explaining to them that Cyrus and Mellie help cover up the murder of Daniel Douglass, Olivia doesn’t really believe him.
Olivia confronts Cyrus about the cover up. Cyrus admits it and Olivia breaks out into a fit of laughter. Cyrus soon joins in when Olivia says that everyone involved in the presidential election is a murderer. No matter who gets elected a murder will be running the country. Olivia wants to come clean to Fitz about this as she thinks that they are robbing Fitz of running a clean campaign and being able to finally win an election himself.
Quinn is set at her new job at B6-13. Selling paper. Yes remember B6-13 is really ACME paper and Jake has her the receptionist at the front desk. Quinn as to pay her dues so she doesn’t get a gun but Jake tells her she is allowed to shoot anyone that comes through the front door but she must answer the phones and sell paper for now. Olivia has told Abby that David is on his own. They will not be pursuing Cyrus for murder. Olivia goes to Jake’s house bearing gifts. She wants to have a night with her beard and drink wine and eat a turkey burger and fries. She then breaks out with the fact that she can’t believe they are where they are harboring secrets. Olivia wants to know how they became “these people”. Jake wants her to save him and them to run away together. That talks stalls and Olivia wants Jake to treat her like a whore. Sally begs to Leo that she must tell the world about her sins. She has just told her pastor. Sally still feels that the lord is not speaking to her and the only way to repent is to tell the world and be punished.
Leo comes to Cyrus to have the debate pushed back for a few days. Cyrus fells that his opponents is reeling and says no. Leo tells Cyrus that if this debate does happen that he will go to jail. Quinn asks a question about paper and Charlie wants to know if they actually sell paper here? Charlie then gets a call from Cyrus who wants him to take out the big target. Charlie tells Cyrus that command has ordered no freelance gigs. Abby’s doesn’t want David to pursue the investigation. David is scared that Olivia is playing possum to inevitably cut him off at the knees later on. Abby assures David that this isn’t the case. James comes into the office that Cyrus is in. Cyrus has a look of worry on his face. Cyrus tells James that he loves him and to remember that no mater what happened. James meets David under the bridge and wants to go forward with the plan tomorrow. David wants to have a detailed plan in order to take down Cyrus. James wants this to go forward and wants this to get out so that the country pressure the white house to exhume the body of Daniel to find out that his death was not the cause of a heart attack. Cyrus meets Jake in the park and tells him that he needs Charlie to take out Sally. Jake says no and Cyrus feels that if they go to jail the streets of the US will fill with blood, planes with fall out of the sky and North Korea will dance on the graves of the US. Jake still says no can calls Cyrus a small rat and he isn’t going to give into his threats.
Quinn ask Jake why didn’t Huck and Charlie have to pay their dues. Quinn thinks that Jake is punishing her in order to get back into Olivia’s good graces. Jake tells her to no treat the clients so bad, they are starting to lose orders for their fake business. Cyrus comes to see Olivia and requests that she see Sally. Cyrus also tells Olivia if he could take it all back he would but it is far too late. Olivia goes to see Sally. Sally tells her that she will confess. She tells Olivia a story of Jesus trying to talk to god before his death and the lord not speaking back. She feels that she has been put in this position as well and is worst than dead without god’s love. Olivia calls up Fitz and asks him to throw the debate.
As the debate starts we go to B6-13 where Quinn apologies to Jake about being out of line. Jake’s asks her is she ready for a real mission. Sally is on her knees praying backstage where Leo tries and build her up. That fails so Leo tells her to get it together, his career is on the line as well. Olivia asks Fitz once again to tank the debate. Fitz is not going to throw his election. Quinn breaks into Olivia’s office and cracks a safe that Olivia has placed the file that David gave to her containing the information on Daniels murder. The debate rages on and Sally talks about morals. The moderator asks Sally does she mean the presidents morals. Jake gets the folder and conversation that Sally had with Cyrus. (pertaining to the clean up of Daniel) Sally tries to get a word in and Fitz brings up Sallie husband being dead and Fitz then says that this is not the time for that discussion. (as it is sorta out of taste) Cyrus thinks that Fitz is baiting Sally. Jake tells one of his agents that if Sally breaks from the path of the debate that his mission is to shoot her. Jake informs his agent not to miss as the secret service will apprehend him after the shooting. At the debate Sally says “Ladies and gentlemen I have a confession”. The B6-13 agent is hanging from the rafters with a sniper rife dead set on Sally.
Sally tries to talk. She keep drinking water and words are not coming out of her mouth. Fitz interrupts her and asks “did you forget your bible verse”. The 3rd presidential candidate interjects and him and he and Fitz go back and forth for a second. Sally goes in the debate when Fitz says the he is proud of his mistakes. Sally asks what are you proud of Mr. president? Cheating on your wife or tripling the deficit? The moderator stops Sally as they need to move on to the next subject. Sally says that she is just getting started. Leo thanks god for this sign and the B6-13 agent puts his rifle down. Leo walks into Cyrus’ office to thank him for Fitz blowing the debate and says that the move took guts. Leo also tells Cyrus that Sally is jumping in the polls and he is thinking of how he is going to redecorate Cyrus’ office, including getting rid of that annoying ass buzzing. Cyrus looks around to find the buzzing and moves his cell phone that is next to the picture of him and James. Cyrus unplugs the picture and still hears the buzzing. Cyrus tears the back off of the picture and finds the bug. James gets a text about a meeting from James. Cyrus walks into his home with James with the picture and bug in hand, Cyrus even refers to James as Publius. James apologizes and Cyrus tells him not too. Cyrus says that he is sorry and tells James to do with him what he will but he does still love him. Cyrus brings James to tears with his apology and even tells James that he was right to do what he did.
The journalist that Publius contacted and another Asian woman is at the meeting with David and James. James tells David that he is out, he explains that he really only wanted a good cry and an apology out of Cyrus. David says that he has buried stories before and doesn’t want to do it again. James tells David that he thought David begrudgingly called the meeting when David pauses. Jake is back in his office talking to himself as in the first few minutes of the episode. Saying how the job is now his family. Jake talks about the things that he does in his job, he does for the country. David says that he didn’t call the meeting. The two women at the meeting are shot and Jake holds a gun up to James and David (who has blood on his face from the shooting) Jake shoots a single shot.
The Analysis
#Whogotshot is going to be the trend for the next few days if ABC has their way but I think every one of them got shot. In a TV scripted world more than likely, James was shot being the file that Quinn gave to Jake had. James is listed as Publist and the pictures of the two reporters. In the real world, when you run up on a group of 4 people, face exposed, you shoot them all.
#LeavenoWitnesses, this could all have been a stupid campaign and we find out everyone is dead next week but I don’t like they fact that they are acting like only 3 people were shot. I love how this episode was set up. We were promised that there would be a OMG moment within the last 30 seconds. When the debate was going on I was watching the clock and knowing that the episode had about 10 minutes left. I knew that Sally wasn’t leaving with a bullet in her head. I did however think that Cyrus was going to kill James or even himself because the clock was ticking. That would have gotten Cyrus out of his predicament. Cyrus is normally a man of stone but the cover up of Sallies transgressions has weighted on him this episode and men of power sometimes feel the need to remove them-self from god’s beautiful earth when the shit hits the fan this hard.
Well Cyrus is alive. I could put that James’ hit was placed by Cyrus but Jake doesn’t seem like he wants to take orders from Cyrus. I think that the confession of Jake (to himself) in this episode was his moment to accept the role that he has been given and also let the power seep into his head a little. Being that Jake is the most powerful man in the country, the head of an organization this vigilant normally doesn’t make the “hits” himself. If you were a fan of Jake, you’re now about to hate him as I feel he has gone to the dark side Thank Fitz!
