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Rowan tells Maya that he's moving her far away, because Liv has started asking questions. Maya asks to see her daughter and Rowan's like, "Hell, no." Maya tries to commit suicide by biting her wrists open. For real. Rowan relents and lets her see pictures and press clippings of Olivia. And then Maya escapes on the night she's supposed to be moved.
OPA is looking for the security footage to find out who killed the security guard. Quinn tries to get the footage before Jake can, but he busts her so she pretends she was just being proactive. Rowan tells Charlie that Quinn needs to report on everything going on at OPA, and if she gets caught spying, Charlie should kill her.
James is depressed. Cyrus gets him an assignment to write about Daniel Douglas and pretends it's because he loves his husband, but we all know it's to get dirt on Daniel Douglas's sexual proclivities. Cyrus is hoping Daniel Douglas makes a pass at James, and they can threaten Sally with exposure unless she drops her bid to run as an Independent. Mellie greases the wheels by gossiping with Daniel Douglas that Cyrus and James have an open marriage. Cyrus does everything but send James over there naked… and it works. But James isn't as dumb as Cyrus assumes and he figures out that Cyrus manipulated him. And he totally has sex with Daniel Douglas, and Cyrus gets the photos and cries and I don't feel bad for him one bit.
Someone breaks into Josie Marcus's home and steals a laptop with all her political intel on it. Abby tries to get David Rosen to take the case, but he can't. Candace publicly accuses Reston after Liv tells her not to do that, and Harrison yells at her -- then sleeps with her. Quinn tracks the laptop to Reston HQ, which allows the Feds to step in. Abby discovers via David that the break-in was faked, and Candace did it. Liv tells Josie that she has to fire Candace, but instead Josie takes the blame and withdraws from the race.
The night the interview airs where Fitz defends Mellie, Fitz calls Liv, who doesn't answer. He tries her again the day at work and she tells him to stop calling her and smashes the Fitz phone. Fitz sends a helicopter to take Liv to meet him in Vermont; she only agrees to go when he sends her a photo of her with Rowan, proving Fitz knows that Rowan is Liv's dad.
They yell at each other a lot about lies and then Fitz reveals that they're standing in the house he built for them to live in together, which he's now selling. So then they totally do it, ugh. And Mellie knows when she can't reach Fitz, that they're together. Liv gives Fitz permission to do whatever he has to do in this situation, which I took as permission to kill her dad. And tells him not to sell the house. Mellie lets Fitz know, in her own way, that she knows where he was and she thinks they should get Liv to join the campaign now that she's free.
Last two scenes of the episode: Quinn comes home and finds Huck waiting for her with his torture toolkit because he knows she killed the security guard. Liv is walking down the street when she hears a familiar voice, and she turns to see her mother standing there. Great set-up for the final two episodes of the year, no?
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Want more? The full recap starts right below!We start up right where we left off, with Rowan entering Maya’s cell and telling her that their daughter has been asking about her. But if you thought this was a friendly visit, you were wrong. Rowan snaps that she’s not asking about lullabies or cookies, so Maya will be put on a plane and spirited away under the cover of night to somewhere far away. Rowan must still have that plane on standby after Liv refused to use it. He does love to sneak people off via airplanes, doesn’t he? After Rowan finishes ordering Maya around, he leaves without waiting for a response.
But just as he gets to the door, Maya speaks up and says that she wants to see Olivia before she gets taken to a "godforsaken place" in a "godforsaken cell" to live out her "godforsaken life." Rowan tells her that it’s not possible, but Maya tells him to make it possible. I don’t know (or didn’t know on the first viewing) what kind of leverage she has to make such demands, but I admire her moxie. Maya summons as much dignity as she can and reminds Rowan that she’s been in that cell for over twenty years, and he has to give her this one thing before he throws her out with the trash. Rowan looks like he might relent, but then shakes his head and says no, and leaves. Maya screams after him, "EEEEEELLLLLIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!" What do you guys think she did? Is it just that she knows too much? Because then Rowan would just have her killed right? Was she a spy? A traitor? Did she put raisins in the oatmeal cookies?
Charlie and Quinn pull up in front of OPA and Charlie tells her to go to work and then report back to him everything that happened that day. Quinn doesn’t respond, so Charlie cheerfully tells her that she doesn’t want the speech where he says she has no choice, and she’ll wish she was dead, and he’ll have a gun to her head the whole time. He’s a real ray of sunshine. Quinn looks nervous and Charlie says he’ll do the speech if he has to, but it’s a lot more fun to pretend he’s her boyfriend. I almost feel bad for Quinn, except then I remember all the stupid decisions she made that landed her in this situation, and then I don’t feel sorry for her.
Quinn walks into the conference room with coffee and apologizes for being late, but no one cares. Olivia is reviewing that the last person who saw Omar Dresden (the passenger they think was removed from the plan) wound up dead, which is a sign that they’re getting closer. Olivia, Harrison, and Abby go off to deal with Josie Marcus, while Quinn, Huck, and Jake stay behind to try to find out who killed the security guard. They already know it was a professional hit using a lethal injection, and Huck plans to search security footage from nearby building. Quinn looks at a photo of the dead guys and literally goes, "GULP!" (This is another reason I hate Quinn. I think Katie Lowes is too over-the-top with her acting. The first season, she just constantly had wide eyes and looks confused, and now she looks incredibly shifty and shady all the time).
Cyrus comes home and snuggles up with James in bed, who is pouting because he got fired. James complains about his stay-at-home dad activities, although he’s the one who decided to stand outside all day timing his neighbor’s sprinkler system. Not sure who was watching the kid while he was doing that. Cyrus ignores James’s passive-aggressiveness and says that he talked to a guy from the DC Times who was looking for a writer to do a puff piece on Daniel Douglas. First of all, if James had any sense, he’d wonder why an editor was calling Cyrus to get a recommendation for a writer, right? That’s weird. Anyway, Cyrus backs off to get James interested, and it works. James is totally interested. Cyrus pumps him up, saying that he knows it’s not the type of journalism that James normally does, but it’s a chance to show his former employer that he has access to power, and they’re missing out. James kisses Cyrus to thank him. Either James is the dumbest motherfucker out there, or the most trusting, or both.
Abby, Harrison, and Olivia took their time getting over to Josie’s because now it’s night time and they’re learning that someone broke into Josie’s house and they only thing they stole was a laptop with campaign information. Candy insists that it was Reston, but Liv tells her to slow her roll because they don’t know anything yet, and if it was Reston, they want the cops pointing the finger, not them. Candy is frustrated; she really wants to publicly blame Reston. Liv snaps into TCB mode as Harrison files a report with the cops and Abby tries to get the Feds involved. Abby’s role makes no sense until you remember that her boyfriend exists and hasn’t gotten much screen time for a while.
Mellie and Fitz are watching their interview from last week. Mellie is delighted when Fitz speaks up and defends her. She glances at Fitz, who looks like he’s passing a kidney stone. He leaves the room and tells her not to wait up. He calls Liv, who was also watching the interview. She stares at the ringing phone for a while and then grabs her bowl of popcorn and leaves the room. Good girl.
For this scene, you should know that I have a weird phobia about the blood vessels in my wrist; they freak me out. So this was unnaturally disturbing for me, and I’m going to keep it short. Maya is chewing through her wrist in order to open a blood vessel big enough to either kill her or make her weak enough that she can’t be transported. You heard me. Chewing. And they show it. She really wants to see her daughter.
Quinn heads to one of the buildings near where she killed the dude and poses as a maintenance worker to get access to the security camera footage. She almost gets away with it, except she encounters Jake while walking out and ends up having to hand it to him to avoid suspicion.
Rowan visits an unconscious Maya in prison, where she’s in a hospital bed hooked up to machines. The doctor reports that she’s physically fine for transport, but mentally, well… she chewed her own wrist until she found an artery, which is hardcore. Rowan takes that under consideration.
Abby tries to convince David that the Feds should raid Reston’s office to find the missing laptop, but David isn’t convinced that there is enough evidence to support that action, so they should let the DC police do their job. Abby is annoyed that he won’t do what she asks, so she tells him that he still snores. Way to keep it professional, Abby.
Mellie catches up with Cyrus in the hallway to find out how their plans are unfolding. She’s a little grossed out by their plan, which Cyrus details: Daniel Douglas will make a pass at James, James will refuse, and then Cyrus will threaten letting James write an article about Daniel Douglas’s sex life unless Sally drops her campaign for President. Mellie points out that there’s no guarantee that Daniel Douglas will make a pass at James, and Cyrus says that Mellie’s going to handle that part. I wonder if anyone else in the West Wing finds it odd that the Chief of Staff and the First Lady are always pulling one another around by the hand through the hallways.
Mellie finds Daniel Douglas heading for his interview and pours on the Southern charm. He confesses that he’s nervous about the interview and Mellie says that James is safe and like family, and she jokes that she doesn’t really understand why he’s with Cyrus sometimes…ha ha. Daniel Douglas loves the gossip, and Mellie pulls him in close and confesses that she heard Cyrus and James have an open marriage. Daniel Douglas is like, "HMMMMMMMMM" (in his pants).
Liv waltzes into OPA and demands an update. I don’t mean that negatively; she’s the boss lady and that’s her role. Anyway, Jake promises that they’ll find the killer as they have plenty of security footage to comb through from seven different buildings. Olivia wants Quinn to turn her footage over to Huck so that she can help them find a reason for David Rosen and the Feds to search Reston’s HQ. Quinn tries to demur but Huck grabs her laptop.
Then everyone gets distracted by what they see on TV: Candy is giving a press conference basically accusing the Reston campaign of stealing the laptop, despite Liv telling her to do the exact opposite. Liv is pissed and she gives the best, "THIS bitch" look before glaring at Harrison who says he’s on it. Her Fitz phone rings and she answers, "WHAT!" Fitz asks her for an hour to talk, and Liv says that after what he did, she’s not talking to him, and he needs to stop calling her. She barely keeps her emotions in check while talking to him and once she hangs up, she smashes the phone with something heavy from her desk. Jake watches and then reminds her that if the President wants to talk to her, he’ll find a way. Liv holds back tears.
Harrison arrives at the Marcus home and starts yelling at Candace for going rogue on this issue, since she just made OPA’s job even harder. Harrison tells her that now her job is to follow orders. She asks, "So, you’re here to babysit me now?" Harrison retorts that if she’s good, he’ll let her stay up past her bedtime. Harrison is acting awfully familiar with her, no?
Jake, Huck, and Abby have pinpointed the spot on the video where the killer entered the building but they only see her going in and not coming out, so they can’t see her face. Jake notices that you can see her reflection in the door and Huck says he can enhance that, but it will take a day or two. Quinn is in the other room, still literally going, "GULP!" Abby walks in and asks if Quinn has found anything on the missing laptop. Quinn says that as soon as someone logs on, she’ll locate it. So wouldn’t it be great if someone logged on right as Abby is standing there? And the address was Reston’s HQ? Well, that’s exactly what happens.
Cut to the FBI raiding Reston’s office and recovering the laptop, then giving a big press conference about the ongoing investigation. Josie, Candy, Harrison, and Liv watch the press conference, and Candy is in serious gloating mode. She’s way too happy about this development. Candy thinks their move should be to call for Reston to drop out, but Harrison and Liv school her that they should continue to say no comment and let the media be the ones to call for Reston’s head on a platter, so that they don’t look like vultures. Sure enough, The New York Times calls Liv and she says that they have no statement.
That night, James is complaining to Cyrus that Daniel Douglas didn’t open up about anything other than college football. Cyrus "helps" by suggesting that they do an interview in a more relaxed setting, like Daniel Douglas's house. And James could wear something a little sexier. Maybe play some soft music and light some candles? I’m exaggerating, but not by much. Cyrus does tell James to bring bourbon. I mean, I can’t believe James doesn’t see through this, and this storyline is also not doing anything to make me believe that James is or was ever good at his job. James thinks that Cyrus is doing this over guilt about how mean he was when James got fired. Oh, James. It’s like your husband is a stranger to you.
Rowan calls Charlie in for a report on Quinn. Charlie says that OPA is still researching Omar Dresden, which they know is a dead end, and Quinn is reporting every detail. Rowan says that if Quinn gets caught, Charlie will have to "do as [he was] told." Charlie looks a little sad, but agrees. If Charlie turns good again, maybe this plot will have some redeeming value. I’d actually prefer if Charlie joined OPA and Quinn joined B613 and then got sent to the hole.
After Charlie leaves, Rowan pulls out a bunch of clippings about a younger Olivia, mostly related to awards she got in school, and smiles as he leafs through them. He brings one of the clippings to Maya in her prison hospital bed (a recent one). Maya cries and touches the image of Liv’s face, saying that she’s beautiful.
Olivia arrives home to find Secret Service Agent Tom waiting in her hallway. He tells her that the helicopter is waiting for her. Liv forcefully tells him that she ain’t going. She does everything but wave her finger in her face and burst into "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls. Tom hands her a manila envelope and Liv opens it to find a picture of her and Rowa. So Fitz knows that Rowan’s her father. Got it. I guess this convinces Liv that she owes Fitz a conversation. Or she just wants an excuse to see him. The thing we see is Liv getting off the chopper wherever Fitz is and telling him that he gets one hour. He agrees.
Once they get inside, Fitz starts giving Olivia a tour of the house. Finally, Liv is like, "Thanks Bob Vila, but why are we in Vermont when you said publicly that you were going to New Hampshire?" I’m guessing that even Fitz knows it would be a bad idea to meet with Olivia at night alone when there’s press around. Liv says that she doesn’t discuss her father, and she didn’t know who he really was when she and Fitz first met anyway. And she wonders how she would have told him that her father ran a secret spy organization. Fitz points out that he was running for President, so it might have been a good idea to tell him.
Fitz goes on a self-righteous rampage about all of the times that Liv could have confided in him, and says she knows everything about him, or at least everything he’s legally allowed to tell her, while she’s just "a bundle of dirty little secrets." Yes, because her painful upbringing is all about you, Fitz. He is a master manipulator. Liv says that if Fitz had known the truth, he would have run the other way. Fitz says that he would have protected her, and Liv says she doesn’t need protecting, plus her father gave one order and Fitz shot down a plane. Liv concludes, "I fixed the election. He’s my father. I ruined you!"
Fitz takes a breath and then goes on detailing how awesome this house is. Liv finally tells him to can it, and Fitz says that this is their house; he had it built for them. I guess this is supposed to be some romantic gesture, but A) what woman would want a house where she didn’t have any say in the design or decorating and B) didn’t Shonda already do this with Meredith and Derek on Grey’s? I don’t know. I guess I’m too practical but I would find it a more loving gesture if Fitz would actually quit his job, leave his wife, and start a real relationship with Olivia. All the posturing and grandstanding and private declarations of love wouldn’t fulfill me. Good thing Olivia’s not me; she’s floored by this physical proof that, at least once, Fitz wanted to be with her for the long haul.
Fitz goes on to talk about their dream life, which involved jam (can Olivia make anything more complicated than popcorn?) and lots of kids (HE ALREADY HAS LOTS OF KIDS!!!). He gets choked up and says that he wanted her to see it at least once before he sold it. Liv looks at him, all of the emotions on her face, and then runs to him and they make out.
Huck is working late and Quinn stops in to ask if he needs help and to offer to take the night shift. Huck says no, so Quinn turns to leave, and then he says in his weirdo way that he knows that Quinn does a good job and he should tell her more after. Quinn looks stricken with guilt.
Quinn marches out to the parking garage and finds Charlie waiting. She pulls a gun on him and says they’re about to find out that she’s the killer. Charlie reminds her that he’s not the one in charge, and if she kills him, another handler will take his place. It would be kind of cool if he just regenerated but I guess that’s beyond even Rowan’s powers. Anyway, Quinn doesn’t shoot him.
Rowan and Maya are having a big old laugh, looking at old press clippings of Olivia. It’s a little unsettling how much fun they’re having together. Maya asks for photos, and Rowan says he couldn’t find any. Maya twigs that this is because Rowan and Olivia didn’t have what you’d call a close relationship, and she chides Rowan for confusing providing for someone with being a parent. Rowan says that Maya wasn’t much of a parent either. Maya counters that she used to sing "Hushabye" to her, and she gave her popcorn instead of cookies when she was sad. So, that’s where the popcorn comes from. Nice touch. Rowan yells that she doesn’t know the Olivia of today, and she shouldn’t forget whose fault that is. As he leaves, he tells the doctor that he’ll be moving Maya the day, so make sure she’s fully sedated.
Mellie walks into the Oval and asks Lauren, Fitz’s admin, where he is. Lauren tries his hotel and his cell, but no answer on either one. That’s because Fitz is way too busy doing it with Olivia. And they are doing it in every position, let me tell you. On a hunch, Mellie tells Lauren to call Olivia, who also doesn’t answer. Now, we know that doesn’t prove anything, but it does to Mellie. She knows what’s up.
The morning, Fitz wakes up naked on the floor under a sheet. Isn’t it cold this time of year up in Vermont? That does not look comfortable for sleeping. Fitz is an old-ass man. He should be all creaky and sore. Anyway, Liv is getting dressed and she and Fitz have a little snuggle first. Then Fitz says sadly that he loves her, but her father has to be stopped, and he needs to get answers about why he was ordered to shoot down the plane first. I guess he thinks Liv will protest but instead she’s like, "Do what you have to do." She says that her father signed up for B613 and knew what he was getting into, and she won’t stop until she has answers. Then they do some more of their sad yearning eyes and finally Olivia leaves. But not before telling Fitz not to sell the house yet. Ugh. Liv. Don’t even.
David gets a phone call in the early morning. Abby is in his bed. Against his better judgment, he shares the information that the laptop recovered from Reston’s office only had a stump speech and a few donor contacts, and it had been wiped clean the day before the burglary. Abby thinks he’s accusing her of faking the burglary. He is, or would be, if they weren’t trying to keep their personal and professional lives separate. Once David’s in the shower, Abby calls Harrison and says that Candy faked the break-in. Harrison comes up with some possible alternatives but Abby brushes them all away. Harrison promises to talk to Candy, which should be pretty easy since they ARE TOTALLY SLEEPING TOGETHER.
Fitz is campaigning in New Hampshire as Mellie watches the footage on TV. Cyrus walks in, all happy that Fitz is back on the road and getting positive press. Mellie brings up the Daniel Douglas thing and Cyrus says it’s all set: James is going to the Veep’s house for dinner, wine, candles, and a photographer hiding in the bushes. Mellie reminds Cyrus that they’re talking about a marriage here, and Cyrus says that Sally must know she married "a big, gay slut." Mellie says she was talking about Cyrus’s marriage, and that cheating can’t be undone. Cyrus says carefully, "My husband is…not your husband, Mellie." Ouch. And are you sure?
Liv walks into work. Jake tries to ask where she was last night, and totally busts Liv for spending the night with Fitz. He doesn’t act upset. More resigned. Huck is reporting to everyone that he couldn’t get a usable image from the security footage to identify their killer.
And from that disappointment, Liv and Harrison have to meet with Josie and Candy. Seems like Candy isn’t trying to deny what she did, and Josie is pissed. Candy asks how what she did is any different than what OPA does, and Harrison snaps, "You got caught." Yeah, sweetie. You’re not very good at this. You’re like Quinn going up against B613. Liv wants to speak to Josie alone, and says that this doesn’t mean the end of her campaign. But she has to fire Candace, publicly, and the voters will respect her. Liv says that it has to be done before the Justice Department makes a move. Josie understands that it’s the only option, but she’s not looking forward to telling Candace.
James is drinking with Daniel Douglas in his "man cave." James keeps trying to ask questions about his background, but Daniel Douglas just lays one on him. James pushes away and says that he’s married and so is Daniel Douglas. To a lady. Daniel Douglas realizes his mistake and tells James that he can’t say anything, and he wouldn’t have tried anything if Mellie hadn’t told him that James and Cyrus had an open marriage. James flashes back to all of his conversations with Cyrus and realizes, finally, that Cyrus set him up.
Josie gives a press conference, but instead of admitting that Candy took the laptop, Josie claims that she did it herself. She says it was her idea, and she staged it, and she’s dropping out of the race. So Liv’s unemployed again. Bye, Lisa Kudrow. I will miss you. Afterwards, Josie tells Liv that, as a mother, she couldn’t leave Candy out to dry and asks if Liv’s mother would do that. Liv’s like, "UH, maybe?" Josie plans to take the plea deal and go back to Montana. And Candy’s done with Harrison. Remember when Harrison was maybe going to get murdered? What happened with that?
Mellie visits Fitz in the Oval and they have a really awkward conversation about how Marcus dropped out of the race. Mellie points out that Liv is available again, and now she might be more amenable to joining Fitz’s team. You know, since they totally did it again. Mellie gives Fitz permission to hire his mistress. Oh, Mellie. You make me so sad.
"Try A Little Tenderness" plays as Cyrus wait at home for James. When James finally comes in, he says that the interview went well and "it feels good to be back in the saddle." (Subtext). James is also going to take a shower before coming to bed, which is the sign of every adulterer ever. After James is gone, Cyrus gets a text from his photographer; it’s photos of James and Daniel Douglas totally doing…something. Naked. I’m not sure if they had sex and they couldn’t show it on the show, or if they didn’t have sex but just fooled around. Anyway, Cyrus has a sad, but I don’t give a shit because he deserves it.
Maya’s doctor shows up to sedate her, but when Rowan arrives, he finds Maya gone and the doctor sedated instead. Or maybe dead. This show really is turning into Alias, but I’m not complaining.
Quinn comes home and finds a photo on the ground inside her apartment. Girl. Run. It’s a clear photo of Quinn from the surveillance footage, the image that Huck claimed couldn’t be rendered. She turns on the lights and sees Huck sitting there. He says with tears in his eyes that they need to talk about who Quinn’s working for. Then Quinn sees Huck’s toolkit all set up in her living room. You know, his torture tool kit. And she goes "GULP" again.
Liv walks down the street until she hears a voice say, "Hi, Livvy." She turns…and sees the mother she thought died twenty years ago. Why is the last five minutes of this show always so good that it gets my adrenaline pumping and then I have to try to go to sleep? It’s not fair.