“There is no Republic.” – Scandal Gif-Cap – The Box

Scandal Season 6, Episode 13
“The Box”
Posted by Sage

It’s official: the real world has surpassed Scandal in complete screaming insanity, so Shonda is pulling the plug after season 7. We’ll be gif-capping you through the last year of OPA, starting with this episode: the second, deciding half of the Peus/US federal government showdown. Can President Mellie (GOD I LOVE THE SOUND OF THAT) and her team come out on top? That depends on what’s in the box.

“This was meant to be.” Frankie’s wife is thanking destiny for her new VP position, and please, no one tell this pure, innocent woman into what cesspool she’s diving.

Fitz is called to the sit room to actually do his job. Remember how he’s the president?

There are drones hovering over nine US cities. Peus calls to thank Olivia for the idea and warns that they’re armed and ready to blow. He’ll detonate them one by one until he gets Mellie.

Olivia attempts to call his bluff; the Dallas one blows. 

“We are not drinking! We are at war. There is a war.” Rowan wants to have one final drink with his daughter, because he says he is extricating himself from this situation as soon as possible.

“We don’t negotiate with terrorists, Mellie.” Except for that one time you did, you piece of shit.

“As far as the world knows, you don’t exist. I used to be the same way.” “Twinsies.” We have a name for Sarah Ponytail! She’s Samantha (or Samantha will do for now, at least). Jake tries to make deal; Samantha says her boss would find her and kill her if she went free.

HE CUTS A TRACKER OUT OF HER NECK. Jake correctly interprets Samantha’s statement to mean that Peus is physically tracking her, so he slams her head into the table and removes the device. “I’ll send someone in with a band-aid.”

Marcus is doing his briefing, and who knows why. All information is classified.

“Sir. The drones are moving.” Even Huck can’t track down Peus with the device. His firewalls are shutting him out.

“I don’t have that authority. I’m not the president.” “Aren’t you?” Peus communicates directly with Olivia – not Fitz, not Mellie. She’s not giving the latter up, so the Philly drone detonates.

“Are we this incompetent?”

“I’m the one who’s supposed to wipe your chin and clean your bottom and make you LOOK like the leader of the free world?” God I love it when Rowan reads Fitz for filth. Fitz attacks Rowan, believing he’s working with Peus. Rowan calmly threatens to snap his arms in half. Can’t wait for the wedding!

“THERE IS NO REPUBLIC. LOOK AROUND.THE REPUBLIC IS IN ASHES. THE CONSTITUTION IS IN SHREDS.”

Abby explains to Mrs. Vargas that they’ll do nothing about the drones except to stay the course. Translation: stay out of our way, lady.

“Has your father ever mentioned getting packages from them?” David has shipping records that show boxes arriving at Rowan’s office every three days. HMMM.

Cyrus asks Fitz if Samantha has access to the news. They can tell her anything, and she can’t confirm it. How does it take this long to figure out that this is a negotiation tactic? Do political prisoners EVER have CNN?

“We have Peus.” “No, you don’t.” “Yeah, we do.” Despite her bluster, Jake works Samantha. It’s very hot.

Huck checks the security cameras from Rowan’s office. Whatever was in them scared him. You know I have to.

In one instance, the box tips and a brick falls out. ROWAN HAS A FEAR OF BRICKS. (I looked that up, and it’s called Touvlophobia. You are welcome.)

Samantha wants David to bring her the deal. She tells him her name is Grace. He is going to fuck this up so hard.

“You and me, let’s start over…” “You MURDERED Elizabeth North.” “I know!”

“You hate me?” “I hate you.” Samantha Grace rips up the deal. She found his tell and knows he was lying – that they all were lying – about having Peus. David SMACKS her. Why is he allowed to do things.

“This will be my legacy.” Fitz brings a bottle of scotch down to Rowan to cry about his charmed life.

“You will never truly understand freedom because you have never been in chains.” Meanwhile, Rowan’s constant attitude towards Fitz’s poor-me white whine:

“The human head weighs 9-11 pounds.” Rowan tells Fitz that the bricks were for the weight. It’s how Peus kept him in line. One day the box would arrive and it would contain Olivia’s severed head.

“Olivia is what your best at. That is what you DO…she is your Republic. She is your legacy.”

“You’re not going to make that mistake again.” “She’s the mother of my children.” Remember that time Fitz went to war with Angola because his girlfriend was missing?

“Olivia. I’m sorry.” Olivia takes Rowan to see Samantha after he tells her he has a way of making her talk. Instead, Rowan grabs the secret service agent’s gun, forces him to free Samantha, and makes her guarantee his safety if she wants out with him. They run.

“No one is punishing you, Red.  You’re punishing yourself…you want back in, don’t ask. Get back in.” Cyrus gives Abby a pep talk about pushing her way back into the inner circle. (Mellie needs to offer her a job, no?)

“They almost handed over this job to a man who had been in prison over giving it to you. Why? Because a woman in power is a nasty woman. A woman who needs to be put in her place.” IT’S A FEMINIST OLIVIA POPE PEP TALK, Y’ALL.

“I will be damned if they turn the most powerful person IN THE WORLD into some princess who’s power only lies in a wave or a smile. This is not their White House, this is ours. And neither one of us is leaving without a fight, TRUST.”

“Congratulations, Eli. You’ve been emancipated.” Peus, no. No, Peus.

“He’s on the move.” SURPRISE. Rowan is still working for Fitz. They work well together, I’ll give them that. But couldn’t they at least clue Olivia in on these little missions so she doesn’t keep losing years of her life?

Jake kills Peus and stops the drones. Again, I would do anything for you, Jake Ballard.

“This. Is freedom.” Rowan guts Samantha Grace with a huuuuuuge knife (APPARENTLY THIS WAS THE TOOTH? It’s millions of years old, that makes no sense.), finally avenging Sandra.

A bloody box sits on his work table. Rowan puts the final tooth in his T-Rex, then addresses it: “You made it. You survived.”

Does it alarm anyone else that Peus is gone with three episodes left in the season? We’ve got a president, we DON’T have a big bad…literally anything can happen, but I’m putting my vote towards breaking with tradition and ending the year with Charlie and Quinn’s big church wedding. Someone has to be allowed to be happy.

Leave your predictions in the comments and tell us what you thought about this ep!

Featured Image Source: ABC