What I’m Watching: Scandal

Scandal: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Trail” (B)

Episode-long flashbacks aren’t always effective, but this one worked pretty well because it showed a partial genesis of Olivia’s team and explained just how Olivia’s affair with the President was tied in to his indiscretion with Amanda, resulting in a doozy of an ending that could not possibly have been predicted before this episode began. Alleging Billy Chambers as the one that sought to expose the President’s infidelity in his faithful service to the Vice President is quite a drastic claim considering how kind and charming he’s appeared in previous episodes. Murdering Gideon in the heat of the moment definitely changes things, and I’m sure that Quinn is going to be destroyed once she learns of his fate, which presumably will be kept under wraps for a bit thanks to some quick cleaning by Billy. The flashbacks were appropriately hokey in a lot of ways, giving characters new haircuts and facial hair to distinguish them from their present-day selves, but they were most effective when they demonstrated the chemistry between Grant and Olivia and showcased his wife’s cool feelings towards him. The snippets that pieced together the Amanda saga were also strong, and having David investigate and theorize with his secretary simultaneously worked well too. He’s coming much closer to the truth that he might have expected, and I suspect that he’ll be the first one to catch on to Billy’s role. Though this show has just one episode left this season, it’s been renewed for a second season and will return next year, presumably to focus on something other than the White House.