“Scandal” seemed all too familiar this week when White House Chief of Staff Olivia Pope was out and NSA Director Jake Ballard was in.
“You have until the end of the week to announce your resignation,” President Mellie Grant told Olivia. “If, for some reason, you choose not to do that, I march into the briefing room and I announce your termination. You have to go.” However, Olivia wasn’t going to leave quietly.
Olivia, obviously, had a plan up her sleeve, and it involved framing Jake’s wife’s lover as a Russian spy. “My wife is not a spy, and Bob Bacall has never freelanced for the Russians,” Jake told Mellie and David Rosen, the latter of whom asked, “Then how did that money get in his account?” Jake told Rosen that it was from Olivia, who was framing him for espionage.
As juicy as this all was, alleged Russian interference wasn’t even the only similarity in this week’s episode. There was also — wait for it — a controversial memo.
Vice President Cyrus Beene convinced Mellie, Jake, and his wife, Vanessa, to cover up the truth by saying that Vanessa was part of a sting operation — hired by the NSA to expose Bacall for working with the Russians. Beene then went straight to Olivia with a folder, saying, “A private memo written by Mellie to the CIA director, asking her to corroborate the story Vanessa Ballard told Noah Baker last night. It’s what the law calls obstruction of justice, and what we fans of werewolf literature call a ‘silver bullet.’” Olivia pointed out to Cyrus that he didn’t need her to impeach Mellie; he could go to the press with the memo himself. Nevertheless, Cyrus explained, “You’re the better story. Recently deposed chief of staff calls a press conference. Instead of resigning, she says she’s being forced to step down as punishment for uncovering a conspiracy. You hold up this memo, wave it in front of the cameras. Committees are formed, charges are filed. Next thing you know, I’m being sworn in as president.”
However, in the end, Olivia chose not to use the memo that could impeach the president, and instead decided to take herself out of the drama completely. For now. (We hope.)
“Scandal” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of “Scandal” free on Yahoo View.
Check out ”Scandal” fans rejoicing about the downfall of a once-beloved character:
Read more from Yahoo! Entertainment: